"Eek!"
"Aaah!"
The vassals and maids screamed.
Ansesthus IV sat alone upon the throne, bearing their screams on his back. He desperately gathered every ounce of mana within him, trying to rekindle the light of the king's virtue and resist those outside invaders, but the throne did not respond in the slightest.
'Is this… the result of my lack of virtue?'
After emerging victorious in a grueling battle for the crown, Ansesthus IV had completely let himself go.
As descendants of the Yaegas Divine Clan, once a ruler was chosen to sit upon the throne, it was extremely rare for them to be deposed, no matter how much of a scoundrel they turned out to be.
Even if the other siblings writhed in jealousy and resentment, once the decision was made, there would be no second chances for them.
So Ansesthus IV indulged in his victory. He reveled in the position of the king, in royal power, and in all the pleasures he had to forgo when he was a mere prince.
Was this now the price?
"Your Majesty! The outer walls are failing!"
"The assault of the Nagas, fused with the nether monsters, is too fierce…!"
"The holy knights have lost their strength, and white magic has weakened to the point it cannot be used!"
"What should we do?!"
One after another, soldiers brought terrible news.
"Deploy the reserves and rotate them in, abandon the odd-numbered inner gates."
The layered walls of Coral Sahar could still be defended even if some of the gates were abandoned. The real problem was that the soldiers were far too exhausted.
"It's only been four hours since the reserves switched out."
"Then we'll just have to suck our fingers and wait for annihilation!"
"Your Majesty."
"This is all happening because of my lack of virtue. Who would have thought that the long legacy of the Yaegas Divine Clan would begin its downfall with me? The only thing protecting us now is the layered wall of Coral Sahar, crafted from the wisdom of our ancestors? Ha ha ha."
Ansesthus IV burst into a hearty laugh.
Of all places, for the prophecy of Jupiter's era to first come true here—upon his very own throne, in Coral Sahar.
But just then, a maid suddenly stepped forward and began to walk.
"Forgive my boldness, Your Majesty."
She tore apart her maid uniform with ease and stood before Ansesthus IV.
A stunning beauty, with black hair and deep violet eyes. Even among the maids, she was noticeably taller than the rest, yet until now she hadn't drawn any attention.
With her height and figure alone, she should've stood out instantly. If not, then only magic could explain it.
"May I dare to sit upon the throne?"
"Hmm…"
The royal guards stepped forward, but she did not waver in the slightest as she approached.
"Are you Arael? The one accused of impersonating a living goddess?"
Ansesthus IV was no fool. He could easily guess the identity of the woman who had stepped forward before him.
"Traitor!"
"Your Majesty! Say the word and we'll deal with her!"
The guards were both shocked and outraged that the woman who had been hiding among the maids was in fact Arael. If things went poorly, they might be blamed for letting her slip through their defenses.
The former Ansesthus IV would have punished them for that.
But the current Ansesthus IV had no such intent. When the seat of a king is secure and absolute power rests in his hands, he can push his subordinates and lash out as he pleases. But now, even he had to mind how others saw him.
Having experienced the impermanence of power firsthand, he looked carefully at the woman named Arael standing before him—and even felt an impulse to hand her the throne right then and there.
But doing so without resistance would wound the pride of a man who claimed to be the last hope of the Yaegas Divine Clan. If he simply handed the throne to her, wouldn't history remember him as the foolish king?
"I don't recall impersonating anything… but if people need to believe in such a thing to feel at ease, then that's not so bad. Isn't what people need right now faith and reassurance? It seems Your Majesty could use some as well."
"In that case, why don't you bestow such faith and reassurance to the people yourself? Stop this storm at once and deal with those Nagas. Then the people will naturally admire you, and I may even share the throne I inherited from my ancestors with you. Or perhaps become my wife, and we shall share the crown together?"
When Ansesthus IV asked this, Arael smiled.
She raised her hands to signal someone behind her to hold back—so it seemed she hadn't infiltrated this place alone after all.
'Looks like her followers are upset at the idea of her marrying and sharing the crown. And yet, here I am, the last hope of the Yaegas Divine Clan, and they're the ones getting offended at a marriage proposal that doesn't even concern them. How worthless I've become.'
Just how little did they think of him, to be so enraged?
Then, Arael opened her mouth to speak.
"A glorious proposal indeed. But if Your Majesty lets me take the throne for a moment, I can resolve this crisis without further loss. If I fail, of course, the throne will return to its rightful owner."
"Ha ha, such a generous offer. Very well. But I, as the last hope of the Yaegas Divine Clan, cannot simply surrender the throne so carelessly."
Then a woman who appeared to be one of Arael's followers among the maids stepped forward and jeered.
"No, you're just scared! Scared that the light of the king's virtue will shine when someone else sits on that throne!"
"You insolent wretch!"
The captain of the royal guard could no longer restrain himself. Drawing a blade before the throne without the king's permission was a crime punishable by severe punishment.
But the disrespectful remark had struck far too painful a nerve to ignore.
He vowed to make her answer for it! That was his intent, but…
Before the captain could even draw his sword, Arael lightly waved her hand.
She was easily two meters away.
Yet a black shadow brushed past the captain's neck.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, the captain's vision went dark.
His armored body shot upward into the sky.
No—it was his head that had separated from his body and fallen.
"Eek?!"
"Ugh…"
The royal guards who had just been denouncing Arael were now paralyzed with fear at the sight.
The captain had been the strongest warrior among them, a knight renowned throughout the royal capital.
To see such a man killed in a single strike, without any resistance, reminded them again of Arael's terrible reputation.
'This can't be real.'
'What a tragedy to unfold in the royal audience chamber!?'
But alongside the shock, a sense of anticipation stirred within them.
'Could she really be the one to turn this situation around?'
Beyond the royal capital walls stood the Naga army, enough to call this the day of destruction. A situation beyond despair.
And in this crisis, the current king, Ansesthus IV, had all but proven he was unworthy of the Yaegas throne.
Even the most loyal to the king, even the most devout believers of the King's Church, could find reason to criticize him—such teachings, too, were enshrined in the doctrines of the King's Church.
"I have committed rudeness in the royal court. I ask for your generous forgiveness, Your Majesty."
Arael smiled.
It was a truly captivating smile.
"As a descendant of Emperor Yaeslat, I too have the right to claim the throne. I ask you to reconsider. There's no need for innocent citizens to bleed, is there?"
But just then, the throne room doors burst open, and a booming voice rang out.
"This is deception! Do not heed her words!"
The one who entered the audience chamber was Azadin.
"Hm?!"
All eyes turned toward him.
"Speak. What is deception?"
"Those in collusion with the Nagas infiltrated through the underground and were conducting a vile ritual. They were drawing white magic from the throne itself, weakening its power."
At that, whispers of suspicion began to ripple among the vassals.
'Of course. A woman from the Herald Clan demanding the throne as a descendant of the Emperor? There must be some scheme behind it.'
'But wait… the one saying this is also from the Herald Clan?'
'And where's the proof? Where's the evidence that such a ritual was happening?'
Their desire to mistrust the Herald Clan clashed with their desperation for any salvation that could bring an end to this crisis.
Ansesthus IV hesitated before questioning Azadin.
"Do you have proof?"
"There's no need to ask."
Arael scoffed.
"If you've broken that ritual, then why not resolve this crisis right now with the light of the king's virtue?"
It seemed Arael had now given up on feigning respect. She was openly demanding the king solve the crisis himself, right then and there.
"Yes! Please, resolve this crisis for us!"
All eyes turned to Ansesthus IV at that moment.
—Thunk!
A black steel arrow embedded itself in Ansesthus IV's chest. A Black Steel Arrow had pierced through his heart.
"Ah!?"
"Assassination!"
"Urgh…"
Azadin furrowed his brow at the sudden turn of events before his eyes.
'To kill Ansesthus IV!? Are they insane?'
To confirm the king's incompetence and claim the throne—that was likely the grand design Arael had drawn up.
But killing the king? If the one seated on the throne only made the light of the king's virtue shine after the previous ruler had been eliminated, it would be difficult to recognize them as a legitimate monarch.
Until Ansesthus IV, there had never been a moment when the light of the king's virtue failed to appear when a member of the Yaegas Divine Clan sat upon the throne.
Since the belief was that any Yaegas could sit and the king's virtue would shine, removing the current ruler and claiming the seat was seen as an unwise act.
Growing suspicious, Azadin glanced at Arael—and was shocked to see even she looked startled.
'It wasn't Arael?'
"Kill the Herald Clan members!"
"Soulless murderers!"
The enraged royal guards drew their weapons and rushed forward.
"Damn it!"
Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Arael took a defensive stance to protect herself. But then—
"Everyone, to your places."
A clear, commanding female voice rang out. A woman with long silver hair, tied up neatly, had approached the throne before anyone noticed.
"...."
"No way…"
Azadin's eyes widened at the sight of her. Even Arael was thrown off by the unexpected figure.
"Aldis!?"
None other than Aldis Jedaha, a woman who was like a godmother to both Azadin and Arael, was standing before the throne.
And that wasn't all.
"This is the royal court of Aldis Jedaha, direct descendant of Emperor Yaeslat. Let all conduct themselves with respect."
A tall elf, whom Azadin was well familiar with, was standing beside Aldis. Seeing the bow in his hand, it was clear he had fired the shot that killed Ansesthus IV.
"Master?!"
Kazas, the elder who had crafted the Kazas Haeseo and bestowed strength upon Azadin, picked up the lifeless body of Ansesthus IV from where it lay beside the throne and flung it aside.
The one who, moments ago, was the most revered being in Coral Sahar—was now rolling across the hall floor like butchered meat.
"..."
"Ah…"
Even Arael froze at the shocking sight. As the Heralds of Arael's faction stood in stunned silence, Aldis took her seat upon the throne.