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HELHEIM SCANS
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Chapter 358: To the Empire (2)
“How did it come to this...”
Helia sighed as she walked toward the capital of the Empire.
The fastest legal way to enter the Empire was for Ketal to pose as Helia's attendant.
Helia was the Saintess of the Sun God, one of the rare few who could enter the Empire without complicated procedures.
She had the privilege to visit on the same day without prior notice.
Given her status, she was allowed to have one or two attendants accompany her on such journeys.
This was how she intended to bring Ketal into the Empire.
“Please, I beg you, maintain your composure. Even if you just stay silent, it will be enough. I’ll handle all the questions.”
“Got it. I’ll try my best.”
Ketal chuckled as he replied, and Helia stepped forward with an uneasy expression.
Eventually, they arrived at the gates of the capital.
The guards stationed there recognized Helia and bowed slightly.
“Saintess of the Sun God, welcome to the capital of the Empire.”
“I’ve come to seek an audience with His Majesty, the Emperor. May I enter?”
“For Lady Helia, there’s no issue. However...”
The guard gave Ketal, who stood behind Helia, a questioning look.
“And who is that?”
“My attendant,”
Helia replied calmly.
“You usually travel alone without attendants.”
“This time, I needed assistance for the journey.”
Helia kept her tone even, but the guard’s furrowed brow betrayed his lingering suspicion as he scrutinized Ketal.
“A barbarian, as your attendant?”
At those words, Helia’s eyes briefly darkened.
The guard clearly knew nothing about Ketal, but Helia suppressed her emotions and spoke with measured calm.
“To the impoverished, we offer opportunity. To the lacking, we provide education. To the foolish, we show mercy. Such is the creed of the Sun God. I am currently in the process of enlightening this barbarian, who recently came to this continent.”
Thanks to their prior agreement, Helia continued smoothly, though the act of speaking this way made her insides churn slightly.
“I brought him on this journey to broaden his horizons. Surely, it’s permissible to bring one attendant into the capital?”
“That is true, but...”
Despite her explanation, the guard’s suspicion didn’t entirely dissipate.
His narrowed eyes remained fixed on Ketal.
“I’ll ask him directly. Lady Helia, please step aside for a moment.”
“Pardon?”
The unexpected request left Helia flustered.
She tried to intervene, but the guard immediately turned to Ketal.
“Is what Lady Helia said true?”
The guard’s sharp gaze landed on Ketal, scrutinizing every nuance of his expression and movements to detect any falsehood.
Helia, struggling to conceal her anxiety, felt her heart race.
‘This isn’t good!’
If they’d had more time, they could have rehearsed for such situations, but they had departed in haste, leaving them with only a superficial cover story.
A single misstep from Ketal could ruin their plan to enter the capital.
She bit her lip nervously.
Amidst the tense silence, Ketal finally spoke.
“Lady Helia’s words are true.”
Helia’s eyes widened.
Ketal’s voice was uncharacteristically soft, carrying a serene tone befitting a wise elder.
He continued calmly:
“I was once an ignorant barbarian. I relied solely on brute strength and believed the world held no value beyond power. I descended from the North, seeking to impose what I considered ‘proper values’ upon the world.”
He paused and looked at Helia.
“During that time, I crossed paths with Lady Helia. In my foolishness, I mocked her faith, asking if her god would truly protect her. It was a blasphemous act born of ignorance.”
Ketal’s voice brimmed with emotion as he spoke, his tone so genuine that even Helia momentarily questioned whether such an event had actually occurred.
“But Lady Helia did not punish me! She said that ignorance was not a sin, but failing to teach was. She took me under her wing!”
Ketal’s voice trembled with what seemed like heartfelt emotion.
“I resisted her teachings at first. I rejected her lessons and committed many transgressions. Yet Lady Helia never gave up on me. Thanks to her unwavering guidance, I gradually came to understand the world. And finally, I realized—oh, how blind and foolish I had been!”
“Please, calm yourself,”
The guard interjected, clearly overwhelmed by Ketal’s fervor.
Ketal turned to Helia with sparkling eyes.
“Lady Helia is my savior! She is the master of my life and my redeemer!”
Helia’s expression twisted slightly.
To hear herself described in such a manner—especially knowing Ketal’s true nature—was deeply unsettling.
Unaware of the real situation, the guard seemed satisfied and nodded.
“Is what he says true?”
“...Yes. It is true.”
Helia squeezed her eyes shut and forced out the words.
Hearing her confirmation, the guard finally let go of his doubts.
He even glanced at Helia with newfound respect.
“Lady Helia, truly befitting the Saintess of the Sun God. To reform a barbarian so wild and uneducated—remarkable indeed.”
“...All by the Sun God’s grace,”
Helia replied weakly.
“Please wait here for a moment. I’ll relay this to the inner gate. There should be no further issues.”
The guard disappeared through the gates, and Helia finally exhaled the breath she had been holding.
“Well done,”
Ketal said with a grin.
“That was... quite the performance. I didn’t expect you to be such a skilled actor.”
The emotions Ketal had displayed had been so convincing that even Helia, who knew the truth, had been momentarily taken aback.
But Ketal simply shrugged.
“Acting? Not really.”
“What? That wasn’t acting?”
“I just embellished it a bit. The feelings themselves were real.”
Gratitude, joy, reverence, and devotion—these were Ketal’s genuine emotions.
Though he didn’t often express them openly, he carried them in his heart.
“...I see.”
Realizing this, Helia felt a chill run down her spine.
If Ketal held such overwhelming emotions constantly, emotions that even she couldn’t entirely grasp, it created an even greater sense of distance between them.
“That’s... good to know.”
“Hmm? I feel like you’ve taken a step back from me.”
“No, not at all. It’s just your imagination.”
Helia shook her head vigorously.
A moment later, the guard returned.
“Permission has been granted. You may enter.”
“Thank you.”
Helia and Ketal followed the guard’s lead into the capital.
Ketal stepped forward with eyes full of anticipation.
The capital was enormous.
Everything was pristine, not a speck of dust in sight.
It was, without exaggeration, a perfect city.
As they walked down the clean sidewalks, Helia asked the guard with a puzzled expression,
“Where are all the people? There weren’t many the last time I was here, but it wasn’t this empty.”
The capital was eerily devoid of human presence.
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Considering it was early morning, this was highly unusual.
The guard replied curtly,
“It’s not something you need to concern yourself with, Lady Helia.”
“…I see.”
Faced with the guard’s clear reluctance to elaborate, Helia quietly withdrew her question.
Ketal, however, glanced around the capital with curiosity.
‘This is...’
[…So it’s come to this.]
The monstrosity lurking within Ketal murmured softly.
Ketal chuckled under his breath and continued walking.
The two of them passed through the capital and entered the imperial palace.
There, they were each assigned separate rooms.
As Ketal lay resting on his bed, a knock came at the door.
When he opened it, Helia was standing outside.
“May I come in?”
“Of course.”
Helia stepped into Ketal’s room.
After ensuring no one else could hear by setting up a divine barrier, she asked quietly,
“Did you confirm it? What do you think?”
The reason for their visit to the capital was to investigate whether the Empire was connected to the presence of a Forbidden Land
Ketal replied lightly,
“It’s a good thing we came. There’s a stench.”
“A stench?”
Helia’s eyes widened.
“You mean... a literal stench?”
“Yes. A thick one. It’s unmistakable—this thing came to the Empire. It’s taken over this place.”
“Oh no…”
The worst-case scenario was now reality.
Helia took a sharp breath, trying to steady herself, then quickly asked,
“Can you tell where the Forbidden Lands presence is located, and what’s happened to the capital?”
They needed to determine just how corrupted the Empire had become to form a plan.
Ketal answered casually,
“What happened to the capital? The whole thing is part of it.”
“…What?”
“The walls we saw outside. The pavement we walked on. The houses in the capital. Even this palace. The walls, floors, bed, blankets, tables, chairs—everything. It’s all part of it.”
Helia’s face froze, her expression turning rigid.
She couldn’t tell whether she didn’t fully understand or if her mind simply refused to accept it.
Her voice trembled as she asked,
“…Are you saying—”
“It wouldn’t be wrong to say we’re inside its body. We’re sitting on the back of the oldest thing in this world. Not many get to enjoy such luxury.”
Ketal spoke cheerfully, but Helia’s face went pale.
“……!”
She jumped to her feet in shock, hastily summoning divine energy to protect herself.
Ketal spoke calmly,
“There’s no need to overreact. It can’t do anything to us right now.”
“W-What?”
“It’s like an insect landing on a human. You don’t notice it right away.”
Just like how someone might not realize a bug had landed on their arm for several minutes, the Forbidden Lands creature wouldn’t notice their presence unless they made a bold move or used significant power.
“It might sense my existence, but I’ve sealed my power completely. Back in the Forbidden Lands, I couldn’t hide myself like this. It’s quite convenient.”
Ketal spoke with amusement.
He was making good use of the power restraint technique he’d learned from High Elf Queen Karin.
It was one of the most practical lessons he had picked up in the outside world.
Helia, however, couldn’t stay as composed as Ketal.
Her voice trembled as she asked,
“Then... what you’re saying is…”
“The Empire belongs to the old one now. And it has been for quite some time.”
Ketal stated the truth matter-of-factly.
Helia staggered, barely catching herself from collapsing.
She struggled to steady her thoughts, her voice shaking as she asked,
“…What do you think we should do?”
“There’s not much we can do for now. If we act rashly, it’ll notice us. For now, we have to lay low and meet the Emperor.”
“Y-Yes, of course. We don’t know what state His Majesty is in.”
Meeting the Emperor might provide some answers.
Even if the Emperor had been consumed by the Forbidden Lands, Ketal might have a way to fix it.
After all, he was a creature of the Forbidden Lands himself.
Helia clung to that hope.
Ketal looked at her with a curious expression.
‘I can guess what she’s thinking.’
But the solution he had in mind wasn’t exactly peaceful.
There was no need to shatter her fragile hope just yet, so Ketal chose to hold his tongue.
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