My dear witch, please turn evil according to the script!

Chapter 361 The Crown of the King

Inside the council chamber, Roland rose from the illusory throne.

The previously terrifying aura had vanished, leaving Roland looking at everyone present with a bewildered expression.

Clark and Erebus, these two legendary powerhouses, looked extremely nervous and uneasy.

Especially Erebus.

The guy's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he always stopped himself from speaking.

Roland was somewhat puzzled by the reactions of the others.

Wasn't he just sitting on the throne, reciting a standard script for the ceremony according to the prompts given to him by the throne?
Why did everyone except the two legendary powerhouses kneel down before him after he stood up?

Could it be that I have finally awakened the domineering aura that transmigrators are born with, and can subdue a bunch of underlings just by shaking out my aura?

But isn't this awakening a bit too late?

Now that I am a Grand Duke, my status and reputation alone are enough to attract a group of people.

Moreover, when he called for Chairman Götze and Allen to get up, it was no use. It was as if some mysterious force was pressing them down to their knees.

After being stunned for a moment, Roland saw the clue in the resentful yet fearful look in the Princess's eyes.

The problem seems to really lie with myself.

After thinking for a moment, Roland activated the runes around his body and released a simple Water Mirror spell, using it as a mirror to examine his current state.

One sentence summary.

Fuck you, it's on fire!

Yes, Roland is now on fire.

Literally.

And only his head was burning.

Roland: "..."

Although the flame effects were cool and high-end, they also made my hair feel very oppressive.

Thinking back to the way I sat on the throne... hmm, it felt like the final boss I was about to fight in a dungeon.

Even so, there's no need to kneel down to yourself, is there?
Do I seem difficult to get along with?

Seemingly sensing Roland's displeasure, the flames began to subside, and Roland also withdrew from his fiery state.

But the changes didn't stop. After the flames completely subsided, a magnificent crown radiating a faint golden light appeared before Roland and then slowly merged into his body.

At that moment, a notification popped up on Roland's system panel.

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: The Crown of the Human King]

【Crown of the King】

【Special props】

[Effect 1: When facing a human, any target standing in front of the host that can see and sense the host's presence will be assessed.]

Those who fail the test will be subject to a deterrent effect, rendering them unable to act for ten seconds.

[Judgment Criteria: Whether the user is at the Legendary Rank. Human powerhouses at the Legendary Rank or above can pass the judgment, but will also be silenced for three seconds.]

[Effect 2: When facing humans, provides the host with a 15% damage increase and a 15% damage reduction.]

[Effect 3: When attacked by a human target, inflict the Rebellion status on the attacker.]

[Rebellion: Those in this state experience a 15% decrease in all attributes, receive an additional 30% increase in all damage, and are unable to evade any attacks from the host. This effect cannot be dispelled or avoided.]

Roland: “???”

What kind of god-tier equipment is this in civil war?

It should have some effect of expanding territory!
Why is it all about dealing with internal traitors and rebels?!
So, the strategy is to pacify the internal situation before dealing with external threats?!

However, after seeing the results, Roland looked at the last line of instructions given by the system.

This is a separate line of description from the effect.

The crown of the King of Men, the key to ending everything.

Considering its role as a special item rather than equipment... its god-tier effect in civil wars might just be a side effect.

Fine, it'll work if it only works on human enemies.

This set of debuffs and buffs stacks up, giving you a 15% damage increase and damage reduction, while the opponent loses 15% of their status, along with a damage amplification effect and an unavoidable effect, meaning your damage will hit no matter what.

This is just the boost from this item...

Tsk tsk.

I have a feeling that nothing good is coming my way.

The better the things you acquire, the greater the crisis that follows.

I've acquired quite a few good things in the last few days, but it seems like trouble hasn't come knocking yet... Could something big be brewing up for me?

As for his identity in his "past life," Roland didn't care much.

His past life has nothing to do with him in this life.

Even if he were the legendary king who unified all of humanity and established an unimaginably vast empire in his past life, he didn't have much of a mental reaction.

He didn't want to end up like Iluvia, trapped in a bureaucratic hell.

They also had no interest in rebuilding the vast empire.

With the addition of the dragon Sinos, he had already seen through some things.

That King of Men seemed to have foreseen his own end. Or perhaps, he was one of the masterminds behind the grand plan spoken of by Death, the Elf King Thran, and the World Tree's consciousness.

However, unlike the other plan executors, he chose to get involved himself.

He had long anticipated that his "reincarnation" would be taken over by an external consciousness, or rather, that was his purpose.

Roland looked down at his palm.

He began to ponder a question. If the power of the World Tree could truly dispel the corruption of the evil god, then why was the pollution near Avalon on the sea surface still so severe?

Why did He not intervene to dispel the pollution, but instead chose to passively defend and try to keep the area around Avalon unaffected?

Was it really the power of the World Tree that allowed me to purify and remove the evil god's pollution?
If that's really the case, then why does it have to be me?
Since the World Tree is the source of power, it doesn't matter who the agent is, right? Why am I so special? Why am I receiving so much attention?
Roland has already arrived at the answer.

Even if it's just a vague answer.

He looked up at the few people who had slowly gotten up from the ground, and said with a smile, "The impeachment is over. The rest is up to you."

"The Empire will send legions into the country as agreed, and we hope that the Papacy and the Society will not break their promise."

After saying that, Roland walked straight past everyone and then returned to the city of Heria along the way he had come.

After Roland left, the others in the council chamber finally caught their breath.

Cardinal Clark took several deep breaths before leaning against a pillar and sitting down at a seat belonging to some unknown family.

He didn't care much, after all, the place was covered in dust, and he had never heard of the family name written on it, so it must have been destroyed.

However, even if it hadn't been destroyed, it couldn't stop this old man from wanting to find a place to sit down and rest.

Although the pressure did not come from his soul or magic, the simple, indescribable aura of majesty made him very uncomfortable.

Although Roland's personality and tone remained unchanged, under the influence of that aura, every word he uttered sounded like the words of an unquestionable and majestic king.

Without any warning, he suddenly lost his ability to speak, and even his breathing became soft.

Although he was not injured, a sense of exhaustion mixed with fear filled his body.

It's like the kind of fear that comes from being caught doing something you shouldn't have done by your parents.

Even though I know there won't be any serious consequences, I still feel guilty.

Erebus was in better condition; unlike Clark's exhaustion, he was too excited to speak.

Although it differed from his previous guesses, the appearance of that crown finally solved some of the problems that had troubled Erebus.

He also had concrete guesses and evidence regarding Roland's true identity!

King of Men!
That ancient king who walked through the age of gods, that majestic being who was adorned with numerous legends and great achievements, has appeared in the present world in a brand new guise!
In fact, he had a similar guess when he saw this council hall.

He has read a lot of historical materials from the mainland's historical research society, and recently, because of Roland, he has increased his reading.

Combining the crown that appeared at the end, he was almost certain of the answer.

"...Salah III is such a lucky guy."

"How could he possibly run into something like this... tsk tsk tsk."

After calming down, Erebus turned to Götze and Allen and said, "You two go back to the Wislow family territory in Emerald City first."

"The Imperial Legion will pass through Emerald City later. Götze, go and make arrangements with your family."

"Your Highness, please also issue the letter in a timely manner and find a newspaper that is still in operation to publish it. If you don't have a channel, I can help you contact the Adventurers' Guild to spread the news."

"Cardinal Clark... well, I've heard about the situation in Papal City. Please continue to protect the Princess's safety."

Clark nodded slightly, surprised that his final mission would still be this.

As for Erebus himself, he hurriedly ran out after assigning the tasks, seemingly trying to catch up with Roland who had just left.

Cardinal Clark had no opinion on this.

The legend of the King of Men is naturally preserved by the Papacy.

However, the long war and severe losses also caused the Vatican to lose a lot of data, and much of the information and records were obtained through exchanges with the Society.

However, even with limited knowledge, Clark was still able to glean crucial clues from Erebus's reaction.

Thinking of this, Clark smiled wryly.

It seems that I ultimately benefited from this collaboration.

Serving as a bodyguard for a while actually earned me the help of someone like this.

Even though he hasn't fully matured yet, that day is just around the corner.

Now I can only hope that my colleagues in the Papacy can delay things a little longer.

However, the elite troops from all over the continent have been recalled, and many saints and cardinals are still here, as is His Holiness the Pope... With so many powerful figures here, there is no need for me to worry about it.

……

"Lord Roland! Please wait a moment!"

Roland turned around upon hearing the sound.

Roland, who had just received the Demon King's message, was about to go find the two of them when Erebus chased after him right after he finished reading the message.

"Does the Great Sage have something urgent to discuss?"

"It's nothing urgent..."

When Erebus actually stood before Roland, all the words and questions he had in mind vanished instantly.

"If there's nothing urgent, how about we talk again when we have time? I still need to coordinate the legion's entry."

"Um... Lord Roland, you must know the legend of the King of Men, right?" Seeing that Roland was about to leave, Erebus simply skipped all the preamble and pleasantries and went straight to the point.

Roland paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Great Sage, some things are best left unsaid, as long as we both understand them. Let's not chase after so-called answers."

"The most urgent task is to research methods to break free from mind control... Ah, I almost forgot."

Roland seemed to remember something, and with a gentle wave of his hand, a small, independent space opened up amidst the flow of countless complex runes, from which a comatose royal army officer fell out.

"Study the prisoners you captured carefully. Remember to let me know when you have any results."

After saying that, Roland turned and left.

Erebus clenched his fists in excitement, ignoring even the officer who seemed to have been awakened by the pain of falling to the ground.

It can't be wrong! It can't be wrong!
The way this small space is constructed is exactly the same as the council chamber we just saw!
As expected, my previous conclusion was correct!

But...knowing full well that you shouldn't seek answers...is that a hint at something?

(End of this chapter)