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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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Chapter 147 - The Academy Visit of Lormane (13)
Lormane held the doorknob in silence.
Linus, who had been watching, spoke up carefully.
"My friend may have been a bit harsh, but I believe he got the point across, Priestess. So…."
Before Linus could finish, Lormane opened the door and stepped outside.
"Dian, I’ve told you this many times."
Linus turned to Dian, watching the door close.
"You can’t be so forceful with your words. Even if the meaning is the same, how people receive it depends on how you say it."
"You’ve said that, but she’s still stubborn. Right now, she’s not capable of making a decision on her own."
Linus glanced worriedly at the door.
"The Head Priest will probably oppose this. After all, he doesn’t want to lose someone who takes care of him."
"If he tries to keep her here for that reason, we’ll just have to beat some sense into him. Nothing is uglier than an old man holding back the younger generation."
"True, but no matter what happens, hitting him is not the solution, Dian."
Just then, the door opened again, and Lormane re-entered.
She was wearing a thick winter coat, fur boots, and had a bag slung over her shoulder.
"Let’s go."
Dian and Linus stared at her, speechless at the unexpected sight.
"What are you doing? We need to leave before the Head Priest wakes up. If he catches us, we might never be able to go."
"R-right. Let’s go, then. Get up, Dian."
"Yeah, let’s go, let’s go."
Linus nudged Dian, who quickly got up and ushered Lormane out of the temple.
And so, Lormane joined Linus and Dian on the journey to the capital.
# # # # #
By the time Dian and Linus arrived in the capital with Lormane, a scene of chaos was unfolding in the underground command center.
The Emperor was ranting, surrounded by his generals.
"Bring the commander of the 3rd Legion here at once and have her beheaded!! Immediately!!"
The Emperor spat as he pounded his fist on the map spread across the table.
His rage was directed at the Second Princess, commander of the 3rd Legion, for her insubordination.
Technically, it wasn’t exactly insubordination. She had simply not followed the palace’s operational orders to the letter.
More precisely, she had assessed the situation on the ground as a commander and made flexible adjustments, skillfully maneuvering her forces.
Yet, the Emperor was on the verge of losing his mind, convinced that the Second Princess had betrayed him and was about to turn her legion around for a coup.
Despite the Emperor’s fury, none of the generals at the table moved to carry out the order to arrest the Second Princess.
They all knew that the Emperor was not in his right mind.
Ever since the main force of the Demon King’s army had almost reached the gates of the capital, Calvassar, the Emperor had been paralyzed by fear.
He was already a greedy, paranoid old man, hopelessly inept at commanding a war.
Despite receiving countless reports warning of the Demon forces’ movements long before the war began, he had taken no action.
And now, instead of letting the military fight, he was tying their hands, treating competent generals as potential traitors, seizing every opportunity to make their lives difficult.
His chief target was the Second Princess, the daughter of a concubine.
Unlike him, she was brave and capable, and the Emperor hated, resented, and feared her, constantly trying to accuse her of treason.
If not for the efforts of the 3rd Legion under her command and the general officers who followed her, the Empire and the Human Alliance would have long since fallen.
"Why isn’t anyone moving?! I said arrest the commander of the 3rd Legion!!"
As the generals remained silent, the Emperor grew even angrier, but at that moment, the doors to the command center opened, and Dian, Linus, and Lormane entered.
"Your Majesty. The members of the special unit you ordered to be assembled to slay the Demon King…."
"You’ve arrived just in time! I have a new mission for you! Go arrest the commander of the 3rd Legion immediately!"
"E-excuse me?"
Linus, confused, glanced around, and one of the generals quietly shook his head.
"Your Majesty, it would be wise to hear their report first."
Another general interjected.
"The creation of the special unit to slay the Demon King is far more important than discussing the punishment of the 3rd Legion commander. This is a matter of the continent’s fate."
The Emperor seemed to calm down slightly and, after a moment, sat back in his chair with a less aggressive posture.
"Very well. Report."
"We have recruited the third member of the special unit. She is Novice Priestess Lormane from the Church."
The generals exchanged puzzled looks at the mention of a "novice priestess."
"A novice priestess? What’s this about? She can’t even properly use divine power."
Lormane’s shoulders hunched under the generals’ skeptical stares.
"You fool! Do you think this war is a joke?!"
The Emperor shouted in rage once more.
"A novice priestess on a mission as serious as slaying the Demon King?! And such a young girl at that! How absurd!"
"Your Majesty, please hear us out. She is an oracle priestess."
"An oracle priestess?"
Several generals perked up, half-rising from their seats.
"Has there been a new oracle? The gods haven’t abandoned us after all!"
"It’s not a new oracle. It’s the same one about forming the special unit to slay the Demon King. And this novice priestess, Lormane, is the one who received that original oracle."
"What?!"
The generals were shocked, and the Emperor’s expression grew even darker.
"What nonsense is this?! Are you saying two priests received the same oracle?!"
"No, Your Majesty. The previous so-called oracle priest was a fraud. He was the head priest of this novice priestess, and when she told him about the vision she received, he stole it and claimed it as his own."
At Linus’s signal, Dian left the room and returned, dragging in a man.
The man’s eyes were bruised, and his front teeth were missing. His hair was matted with dried blood, and dirt and grime covered his face.
He was a middle-aged priest—the one who had previously been Lormane’s superior and had stolen her oracle.
"Speak, you scum."
Dian struck him on the back of the head, and the priest immediately fell to the floor, shouting.
"It’s true! I lied! I’m not the oracle priest; she is!"
The command center fell into a chilling silence, shocked by the revelation.
Breaking that silence, Linus began to explain everything in a calm, deliberate tone.
"Isn’t that right, Priestess Lormane?"
"Y-yes… I… I received the oracle…."
When Lormane confirmed it, the generals fell silent, turning their gazes to the Emperor.
The Emperor stuttered as he pointed a trembling finger at Lormane.
"That girl… is the true oracle priestess…?"
"That’s correct, Your Majesty. Therefore, we ask that you grant permission for Lormane to be part of the special unit."
"Absolutely not!"
The Emperor shouted, cutting him off.
"How can I trust this, based on just one testimony?! And besides!"
He pointed at Lormane.
"Even if she is an oracle priestess, she’s just a young novice! What strength could she possibly have?! If a priest is needed, I’ll assign a seasoned bishop from the Church!"
At the Emperor’s harsh declaration, Lormane shrank further, her head hanging low.
It was only now that she began to regret leaving the temple, swayed by these people’s words.
Yes, they’re right. Even if I am the oracle priestess, so what? I’m just a novice.
Who among these high-ranking people would believe me just because I had a dream….
Would I end up being sent back to the village of Gauni…?
Overwhelmed with despair, Lormane bit her lip, trying to hold back her tears.
"What kind of bullshit is this?!"
Dian suddenly stepped forward, striding across the room.
"Dian! What do you think you’re doing?!"
"Shut up!"
Dian shrugged off Linus’s hand and pointed at the Emperor.
"If you’re not going to include the priest who received the oracle to create the special unit, then who exactly do you intend to include?!"
"Even so, she’s just a young novice!"
"Was that bishop you plan to assign a bishop from the start? This girl is a priest chosen by God! Her potential is limitless!"
Dian slammed his fist on the table, and the corner of the table cracked.
"This madman! How dare you!"
As the table broke, some generals moved to restrain Dian.
But they hesitated.
Dian’s left hand was slowly moving up to the hilt of his sword.
Normally, one would draw a sword with the right hand, so placing the left hand on the hilt meant nothing.
Yet, the generals swallowed nervously, exchanging uneasy glances.
"Let’s settle this peacefully."
When Dian spoke, the generals flinched.
"This girl isn’t here to serve Your Majesty; she’s here to fight alongside us. So please respect our decision."
The Emperor did not respond.
Not because he didn’t want to, but because fear had frozen his tongue.
Lately, the Emperor had been sleeping in different locations each night, constantly paranoid about assassination attempts from the Demon King’s forces.
But while he was obsessing over external threats, he had overlooked the dangers lurking within.
Namely, these men.
These were the ones who had quietly slipped in and out, assassinating demonic commanders and striking fear into the heart of the Demon King’s army.
They could just as easily bypass the palace guards and magical wards and slit his throat in the dead of night.
It was clear he could not afford to provoke them now….
"Fine."
The Emperor swallowed hard, forcing a strained smile as he extended his hand.
"If you insist, then I suppose I have no choice."
"A wise decision."
As the Emperor backed down, Dian placed a hand on Lormane’s shoulder.
"It’s settled. From now on, you’re with us."
"Understood…."
Lormane looked up at Dian, and the tears she had been holding back finally spilled over.
This man… he fought against the Emperor for me….
Perhaps it was from that moment onward.
That was when Lormane began to care for Dian, and eventually, to become obsessed with him.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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