Fallen Monarch

98. [Chapter 5] Page of Chaos – Epilogue

“Ueeeeekk……ueeekk!”

Helpharon threw up everything in his stomach and broke out in a cold sweat. He washed his mouth with water when he was done.

‘Crazy. He’s absolutely crazy…!’

He had been keeping an eye on Pope Salem’s madness, but Salem had crossed the line this time. Helpharon had been tolerating it so far, but he couldn’t do so any longer. His stomach had finally ended up turning over at Salem’s madness.

Helpharon even had the terrible thought that he might end up getting infected by Salem’s madness if things went wrong.

‘No, hold yourself together! Don’t fall for his madness! Humans don’t change so easily! Don’t forget that! Remember your goal!’

Helpharon gritted his teeth.

‘…Can anyone dethrone him now?’

Helpharon had figured that, this time, Pope Salem wouldn’t be able to get out of the mess he had created. He had thought that no matter how powerful he was, Pope Salem would step down voluntarily after being pressured to do so by the Archbishops and the Cardinals.

But this hadn’t happened. 

Salem didn’t back off.

He had ended up creating even more chaos within the kingdom.

‘The Golden Cross Army has been assembled. Soon he’s going to invade the Aylans Kingdom to get his hands on Akareal.’

As a result, the Holy Kingdom’s allies would also participate in the war.

Their diplomatic ties would compel them into joining the conflict, but the real reason why they would was that they feared the Pope’s madness being turned on them if they didn’t.

All of the kingdoms feared this to some extent. And while some had decided to join the Pope as his allies, others had formed alliances of their own in opposition to the Holy Kingdom. 

‘…A huge war, where all the kingdoms across the continent take part.’

The large kingdoms and empires on either side of the conflict would bring to bear the full might of their alliances and collide with each other.

‘I didn’t know the situation would get this bad! I have been too indulgent!’

Helpharon had been taking care of Salem ever since he was a kid. That kid had grown into an adult and had changed completely after participating in the war as a member of the Hero’s party.

Jealousy and obsession had grown in him, and he had ended up becoming intoxicated off his own authority and lost control.

In the end, Salem had snapped and tortured Helpharon, the man who had raised him. He had tried to make Helpharon join him in his madness with all his might.

Still, Helpharon had endured it all and persevered. Because he had believed that he would be able to guide the Pope onto the right path one day.

But…Salem’s madness was too strong. That darkness was too deep and he couldn’t possibly stop him anymore.

That was why he purposefully leaked the information that ‘Helpharon met the late Archbishop secretly, as the Pope had requested something of him.’

Fortunately, Aylans Kingdom had mistaken the Archbishop’s actions in their capital as an assassination attempt on their king. This misunderstanding had provided Salem’s dissenters with a chance.

He had broken the Continental Law, and even used an Archbishop to pursue his own selfish desires.

“… But the usurpers I had my hopes in failed.”

Now there was only one way left.

“Is the only remaining option to…assassinate him myself?”

‘…Would that even be possible?

It would have been if it were the Pope in the old days, but Salem had now become strong enough to be easily considered Hero-level. 

‘Would it be possible to stick a sword in his back…?’

— Ω —