Chapter 514
After the Gate Crisis was over, Ellen asked Tana and Bertus to kill her.
‘I can’t do that.’
‘There must be another way. Ellen.’
Naturally, the two had no intention of accepting Ellen’s request.
It is humanity’s hope, and it is not a reason that Ellen should remain a symbol of hope for humanity’s rebuilding after the Gates crisis is over.
Because I don’t think Ellen should die that way.
Bertus said he would find a way somehow. He gathers all the remaining power of the Five Great Gods and performs a purification ceremony or whatever.
He said he would do anything to bring Ellen back to normal.
Bertus immediately set up a meeting with the Popes of the Five Major Churches who were inspecting the inside of the garrison.
“Are you saying that the hero was possessed by a vengeful spirit?”
“The exact reason is unknown, but it has been confirmed that it is eating away at the hero’s ego. We must immediately gather all the priests and perform a purification ceremony.”
Bertus did not say that Ellen had voluntarily accepted the spirits. Because there is no need to talk like that.
Most of the Priests and Paladins of the Templar Knights are gathered in this place, the strongest army of mankind.
Gathering the power of the Priests of the Five Major Churches, they purify the spirits dwelling in Ellen’s body and soul.
Regardless of whether it is possible or not, you have to try.
“Is there any need to do that?”
“… … I beg your pardon?”
At the words of the Als Church Pope, Bertus narrowed his brows.
“If those ghosts are at a level that even the warriors can’t handle, and if the ego disappears in the end. Rather, doesn’t it mean that you will be reborn as a person more suitable as a hero?”
This time, it was the words of the Pope of the Tuan Church.
Rather, it affirms the situation of a warrior who worships the god of innocence and is encroached upon by unclean ghosts.
“I heard that the hero has awakened a new power, and has become more powerful than before. If that’s the case, then the power of the vengeful spirit dwelling in the hero has been added. If the hero has become stronger, what could be more right for mankind?”
Bertus gritted his teeth at the Pope of the Church of Als.
The holy relics of Tuan and Ars chose the demon king.
Therefore, the position of the two denominations is very bad compared to that of the other denominations.
It is natural for the crowd to turn away from the two denominations, and the Priests and Paladins are in a situation where they have to take notice even in this garrison.
Rather, it is Tuan and the Popes of the Church of Als who want the death of the Demon King the most.
Because the dream of rebuilding the church is possible only when the demon king dies and disappears.
It is true that the new religion, the Order of the Warriors, is gaining the most support right now, but it is also true that the Order of Mensis and the Order of Shalam, the two main deities of the sacred objects that have chosen the Hero, are also gaining great support from the public.
The Church of Liter, the god of courage, has nothing to do with the demon lord or the hero, but at least it doesn’t suffer any damage.
Therefore, the more the demon king gains power, the more Liter and the Church of Mensis gain support.
It is an ironic situation that the Popes of Als and Tuan, who can dream of rebuilding the church only when the demon king dies anyway, have to wish for the death of the demon king even though their god chose the demon king.
That’s why, no matter what the circumstances, the hero Ellen Artorius is in the position that it would be better if only a shell of hatred for the demon king remained.
And just as the Popes of the Church of Tuan and Ars wished for the death of the Demon King, the Popes of the other three Churches also wished for the death of the Demon King.
Only when the demon king dies and the hero fulfills his role and loses its symbolism does the superficial religion of the cult of warriors disappear.
Only then can the five main religions regain the leadership of continental faith.
The Popes of the Five Major Churches wished for the death of the Demon King.
“Everyone, don’t you know what the demon king intended?”
Above all, they were among the very few who knew the truth about the Gate debacle.
Because the Popes of the Five Major Churches were present when the Demon King Reinhardt was interrogated.
That’s why, I knew that the hero, Ellen Artorius, was an existence that couldn’t truly kill the demon king.
At those words, the Pope of the Ritter Church stared at Bertus.
“Isn’t the Gradias Imperial family the biggest cause of the gate incident because they didn’t trust the demon king?”
“… … .”
“Now that you know that the demon king is a good person, do you feel a sense of obligation to try to prevent more sad things from happening to the demon king and the hero?”
Bertus, who grieved at this, said nothing.
Because the words of the pope of the Ritter Church are all terrifyingly true.
“Your Majesty, there is no point in regretting what has already happened.”
“Whether the demon king is good or evil, it has no meaning now.”
“Before the gate incident happened. If we had believed it about two years ago, a lot would have been different.”
“Because it’s too late to believe the devil’s words, nothing will change even if we care for him.”
“After the Gate incident, good and evil have become meaningless, and the only justice is to survive. It has long since gone beyond that.”
“What is the meaning of good and evil in the fight to survive?”
“The Demon King must die.”
“Not because it is good. This is because it is necessary for the continuation of humanity, the empire, and the main religion of the five great religions.”
At the words of the Pope of the Church of Liter, Bertus could not say anything.
Bertus couldn’t refute a single word against those heartbreaking truths.
If you want to believe, you should have believed earlier.
Now, even if you believe in the demon king, nothing will change.
Since all of that was true, Bertus had no choice but to keep his mouth shut in a state of misery.
“Because the hero had a very close relationship with the demon king and she knows the truth about all of this. Everyone in this seat knows that she is someone who cannot truly harm her demon lord.”
What most people don’t know, people in this room know.
Those who know the truth know that a hero is not one who can truly embody people’s beliefs.
I know that the hero cannot fulfill the wish of defeating the demon king.
But things have changed.
The warrior’s ego that did not hate the demon king will disappear, and when the spirits encroach on the hero, the hero can truly do what he has to do.
Whether or not that is possible, the Popes have no reason to help purify the spirits in Ellen’s soul.
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“So, if the situation has come to this, it can only be a good thing for mankind, right?”
Bertune and Tana look at the five popes.
no one is willing to help
The Knights Templar eventually operate under the orders of Ileion Boelton, the head of the Knights Templar, and the Popes of the Five Major Churches.
And is this situation really bad for humanity?
Bertus couldn’t possibly refute that statement.
And, he didn’t believe in Reinhardt when he was supposed to, so he was the one who caused all of this.
When interrogating Reinhardt, the Popes of the Five Major Churches were virtually no more than attendants.
The statement that the real responsibility lies with the Gradias Imperial family is not a provocation, it is just the truth.
So, Bertus knew best of himself that he had no right to criticize them.
In the fight for survival, good and evil cannot be judged.
The popes of the five main religions were no longer followers of God.
Those who fought only for the existence of the Order and the survival of its authority did not deserve to be called Pope.
However, in the fight for survival, it is not the survival and reconstruction of mankind, but the hero and the demon king.
Feeling sorry for them, blocking the future they both had to experience regardless of the continuation and hopes of mankind, and seeking coexistence with the demon king, which is impossible to realize.
Does he really deserve to be called the emperor of mankind?
Popes were not Popes.
The emperor was also not an emperor.
* * *
After the meeting, the popes began inspecting the garrison again to encourage the Templars.
Bertus was sitting in one of the wooden crates in the headquarters barracks on the hill, looking down at the garrison.
“your majesty… … .”
“… … .”
Saviolin Tana was looking at Bertus worriedly.
Bertus looked at the garrison with a firm expression, and said nothing.
The Popes were not wrong.
The true cause of all problems is complex, and no one can say who is the real cause.
However, it cannot be denied that among the causes, the Gradias family plays a very large role.
The Pope of the Church of Liter said that since you didn’t believe when you should have believed, it’s useless to believe now.
Bertus knew best that that was not wrong.
To mankind, it is better for the demon king to die.
And if you’re going to die, it’s better to die at the hands of a hero.
People will find hope in the death of the demon king, and no matter how disastrous the reality is, they will believe that since the last demon king is dead, only prosperity remains for mankind.
Hope and despair are funny concepts.
Both are of no practical use for saving or killing people.
But despair actually kills people, and hope actually makes people live.
Just two for that hope.
Reinhardt and Ellen Artorius.
Would it be okay for the two of them to fall into abject despair?
Is it really right for the two of them to take all the despair of others for the sake of the survival and reconstruction of mankind?
One ceases to exist, one dies.
Both are idols.
The idol of hope, the warrior.
The idol of despair, the Demon King.
Sacrificing the two idols and anesthetizing people with false hopes, it is the right decision as the emperor to plan the reconstruction of mankind and the Five Great Main Order.
There are no people coming and going.
The area around the headquarters barracks has been abandoned and all the popes have left, so it’s only Tana and Bertus here now.
“Sir Tana.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I thought I had the qualities of an emperor.”
“… … .”
“Even if I can’t become the greatest emperor in history. I thought there would be no one like him at the time.”
Bertus laughed.
“When Charlotte came back alive, I drew quite a few pictures in my head.”
“If it’s a painting… … ?”
“A picture of me being emperor.”
Bertus looks at the distant sky.
The deep blue sky was clear and clean, as if not knowing the tragedy of the world.
On the ground, you could hear the smoke of cooking and the pounding of weapons.
Even though the funerals of the dead soldiers are being held non-stop.
Heaven doesn’t know that.
“When I’m better than Charlotte, when I’m less than Charlotte. Or when my position has become irreversibly lacking. I had thoughts on all those occasions in my head.”
He had already become emperor, but before Bertus became emperor. He had countless plans to become emperor calculated in his head.
“When Charlotte came back, I felt a lot of crisis. Emperors are not elected with the support of the crowd, but they cannot be ignored. The position of the princess, who was captured by the demon king and returned after enduring hardships, was bound to have a tremendous influence.”
Charlotte de Gradias, who returned alive, was a very strong competitor to Bertus.
“Even by some trick, when the Temple and even the Royal Class caught up with it, I thought it might really be taken away.”
“… … You did.”
“But what?”
Bertus grinned.
“Lagan Artorius’ sister is in the same class as me.”
If Charlotte hadn’t returned alive, Ellen would not have meant much to Bertus.
But with Charlotte present, Bertus needed a symbol that could threaten Charlotte’s political standing.
Saviolin Tana seemed to know what Bertus was talking about.
“The way Ellen Artorius and I will get married. That, too, was one of my plans.”
“Yes… … ok… … .”
arranged marriage.
Even if the opponent was the hero’s sister, he would be able to take a certain political position.
“By the way, he looked at me like a rolling stone on the side of some road.”
It’s not really ignored.
However, I didn’t pay much attention.
Ellen Artorius was such a person.
He was equally indifferent to everyone.
“I also had a political need, not a personal interest at all, and it was a necessary method anyway when the situation was not going well. It didn’t mean much.”
“… … .”
“But, from some point on, he always hangs out with Reinhardt, who was a beggar.”
Temple, Royal Year 1 Class A.
Ellen started hanging out with Reinhardt, who had no talent.
Ellen, who was indifferent to everyone, showed a strange interest in only one person.
At that time, Ellen did not know who Reinhardt was.
Whether or not Reinhardt knew who Ellen was was something Berthus could not know.
The hero’s younger sister who was not interested in anyone.
Reinhardt was a beggar-born incompetent man with a bad temper, but he hid his history as a demon lord.
The two became friends as if they were attracted to each other.
It happened even though there was no reason to be friendly.
“The countless plans I had made were all useless and there was nothing to use. All the pictures I drew are gone. Anyway, I became the emperor.”
in a way I never wanted.
The previous emperor died of overwork, and the princess was unable to succeed to the throne.
Bertus didn’t even write a lot of pictures to become the emperor, but he did become the emperor.
“I think that there seems to be some inevitability between the two.”
The two became friends first.
Now, it’s the farthest.
They value each other, but are in a position to be hostile to each other.
Bertus feels a certain inevitability in this malevolent painting.
Each of them was a part for that necessity, and each of them played its own function little by little.
Bertus gazed at the vast expanse of the garrison.
“I think the emperor should do what the head understands rather than what the heart understands.”
“… … .”
“Especially at a time like this, even more so.”
You have to go the path that can be understood with reason.
Especially in these difficult times, it will be even more so. It’s foolish to choose the option that appeals to you.
In a situation where it is not known whether good results will come out only by going the path that reason comprehends, isn’t it too obvious what the outcome will be after making an emotional choice?
“I know that the wormy Popes may be dirty and filthy, but they are not wrong. Also, I know very well that I have no right to criticize them.”
The choices of the parishioners’ popes can be cruel and vicious.
However, it cannot be denied that it is a reasonable choice in the current situation.
Bertus knew best that the Gradias royal family had the greatest responsibility.
Saviolin Tana was staring at the Emperor’s weakness.
“What is the best… … . What is it?”
“… … .”
The emperor’s question was short, but overly difficult.
The best is easy.
It is best to leave it as it is, so that Ellen Artorius, whose weakness has disappeared, kills the demon king.
But that’s just the best at this point, and we just don’t know if it’s truly the best or not.
“When I found out that Reinhardt was the Demon King, the best thing I could do was not trust him. There were too many lies, and at that time he was a madman if he believed in the devil.”
“… … It was.”
“The best that reason could accept was not to trust Reinhardt at that time.”
The best then was the worst now.
The best you can accept with your head then doesn’t change even if you think about it now.
It was a situation where the devil could not be trusted.
so i didn’t believe it
However, that choice brought the worst phenomenon to the world.
The best choice brought about the worst outcome, and many people are taking responsibility for things that were not their choice.
“If the best thing right now is to leave Ellen alone, is it a leap to think that the worst might happen later?”
“… … .”
“It must be a leap.”
Tana didn’t answer, but Bertus smiled wryly as if he knew without saying anything.
Sometimes the best choices lead to the worst outcomes.
That’s why the best choice now may bring the worst results, so not choosing the best is just a leap.
Bertus only knows now.
What’s best right now can be the worst later.
Choices are choices, and you don’t know if they’re for the best or for the worst until time reveals their consequences.
There is no best or worst.
There is only choice.
“I can’t leave these two alone like this.”
Bertus couldn’t leave Ellen alone like this.
They don’t do it because they believe it will be for the best later.
It’s just a story about choosing that way because you want to choose that way.
qualities of an emperor.
That’s why Bertus thought he didn’t have it anymore.
