Chapter 82: 047. Imperial Prince is Hunting Beasts -3 (Part Two)

**

I took off Amon’s skull. Fortunately, I didn’t faint or anything like that this time. Unlike how things were in the past, my body seemed to have acclimatised to some extent to this thing.

But now…

“Man, this stinking hurts!”

My whole body was aching like crazy.

This muscle pain was far worse than what I bargained for. Also, maybe I had exhausted all of the divinity located near my heart, because an empty feeling began washing over me, too.

Argh, here comes the Post Nut Syndrome.

Man, I really hated this feeling.

Besides, it looked like I might have to suffer through four, or maybe five days of muscle pain after I get back, too. I should seriously get a massage with holy water or something later.

“Okay, so… Things are more or less mopped up here, then.”

I used the musket rifle in my hand as a walking stick to prop up my weakened body. All of my undead also disappeared while emitting light particles.

Meanwhile, the Crimson Cross members were still loyally carrying out my order even now. While still on their knees, they kept their heads lowered and their ears firmly blocked.

But I could see their bodies trembling slightly.

Well, they must’ve sensed all that divinity from nearby running amok, then there was that huge explosion sound just now too, so they probably couldn’t even imagine what’s going on all around them.

I lightly tapped on the shoulder of the nearest Crimson Cross knight. “Oii, it’s alright now.”

However, he kept his ears blocked tightly even then.

I forcibly pried his hands away and addressed him again, “I said, it’s alright now.”

Only then did the Crimson Cross members stand back up one by one. They discovered the totally wrecked forest and stood there in a daze.

“Just what on earth…”

“Well, remember what I said? It’s a cool magic trick, isn’t it? Holy moly, look! All the zombie animals vanished like magic!”

I spread open my arms wide while pointing at the forest’s interior.

I hoped that my audience would at least crack a smile at my lame joke, but the folks with the masks here just stood in silence.

The eyes visible beyond the masks’ eye holes were wide open, while their lips weren’t making any noises.

I felt really awkward just then and could only ruefully smack my lips.

“In any case….” I shifted my gaze back to the forest. “The firepower sure was something.”

Everything in a fifty-metre vicinity from where I fired the musket rifle was completely levelled flat.

The so-called forged steel trees were torn to shreds and even my skeletons and Bone Golem, plus the lycan Redmoon’s body, were all blown apart into unrecognisable powder.

This was the [Spread Shot] in action.

While using the dwarf-made musket, I activated magic. The additional skills [Divine Aura] granted me this time were ‘Penetration’ and ‘Explosion’.

I unleashed my divinity and poured it out practically everywhere.

The original range was around twenty metres. It was an indiscriminating baptism of projectiles firing all at once. Even with Amon’s skull, the range was limited to only about fifty metres.

“This is more like a bombardment of grenades instead of bullets, though… But, huh, simply amazing!”

Overall, what a satisfactory result this was.

I got to find out whether or not my army of undead could take out the weapons the dwarves have crafted from my item window. Then, I even got to confirm the performance they could display with the weapons as well.

I guess the ‘in-game Necromancer trait’ was still being applied here, judging from how the item window and the undead had been basically summoned together.

-You, boy.

I turned my head around after hearing someone call out to me. Redmoon’s head still remained there on the ground.

It had lost an eye, its cheeks were torn to bits, while its red fur was scattering away in the air as ashes.

I frowned deeply while walking over to the head before picking it up. “What’s this? You were still hanging on?”

-You bastard. Just what are you exactly?

I tilted my head. For sure, these things called Progenitors enjoyed such a tenacious lifeforce that they even put cockroaches to shame.

-Just what was that…? How did you do that… with t-the, undead…?

“Undead?”

-How did you come to possess such powers? Those undead, just how could you…!

I hurriedly avoided meeting Redmoon’s glare and looked elsewhere. The Crimson Cross knights were listening on in our conversation.

“Argh, so like, what were you saying?”

I pointed the muzzle at Redmoon’s head, then began injecting divinity into the weapon directly through my hand, and not with my breath.

However, I staggered a little, probably because of my exhausted divinity reserve.

“Unde…?”

I pulled the trigger.

Blood splattered on my face, but even that and the rest of the head turned to ashes as they scattered away.

I scanned my surroundings once more. Redmoon was definitely gone now, not even a trace of it remaining anywhere.

While opening my eyes wide, I theatrically shook my head. “Aikoo~, sorry. My hearing is pretty bad, you see? So I didn’t quite catch that. You guys, did you catch what the lycan was saying?”

I nonchalantly dusted the hand that used to hold the lycan’s bodiless head.

The Crimson Cross all shook their heads.

I smiled in satisfaction at that.

With this, everything was over. The dwarves and Hilda should have reunited by now too.

Then, I recalled the First Imperial Prince’s mug.

Dammit. You just wait for me until I get back. As soon as I get back to the palace, Imma bury a bullet in that bastard’s forehead.

I turned around and addressed the Crimson Cross. “Alright, let’s head back now. But, uh, by any chance…” I scanned the forest, before continuing on, “…Anyone remember our way back?”

The Crimson Cross stared at the forest around us, before exchanging glances with each other.

It seemed that no one here knew, either.

**

(TL: In 3rd person POV.)

Raphael Astoria, who was previously pursuing Redmoon, now found himself leaning his back against a tree. His whole body was completely frozen stiff.

Large cold sweat drops trickled down his face as he clenched his chest.

His breathing was rough and laboured as he recalled the sight he witnessed just now.

The fear of the unknown quickly took a hold of him.

He… he witnessed ‘that’ sight.

The Imperial Prince actually summoned an army of ‘Holy Undead’.

Not only that, the boy summoned an army far larger in scale compared to the one that appeared back in the imperial palace.

‘But how…?’

Raphael just couldn’t comprehend it.

The types of powers involved here should be in direct opposition to each other. So how could such things even exist?

‘Wait, could it be because of Aslan’s blood flowing in him?!’

The Kingdom of Aslan located south of the empire worshipped the God of Death. Maybe the Imperial Prince was able to summon those holy undead because half of his blood came from that kingdom?

‘No, that also doesn’t make sense.’

There had never been any events like this in the continent’s written history.

Aslan and the Theocratic Empire waged many wars against each other. Many lost their lives, and just as many were born.

Among them were people capable of wielding either divinity or demonic energy. But there never had been someone capable of combining the traits of those two energies into one.

Such a thing should still be impossible even if the boy was Yulisia’s son.

‘There’s something even I don’t know of yet!’

His emotions which were previously dyed in fear gradually distorted. Right now, he began feeling ecstasy.

He witnessed magic that he had never seen before – no, magic that had to be the first of its kind in existence!

As a researcher of magic, it was only obvious that his blood was boiling right now.

The idea of ‘Resurrection’ alone was already shocking enough, yet now, holy undead too?!

“Ha… Hahah…”

Laughter threatened to break out so he hurriedly covered his mouth.

‘I knew it, my eyes didn’t deceive me back then!’

Aaah, I want to ask him. I want to kneel before the Imperial Prince, bow my head and beg him to tell me how he can use such magic right this instant!

And, I want to ‘raise’ him too.

If powerful magic spells were to be passed on to the boy, and after he grows older and becomes an integral part of the Theocratic Empire, just how much stronger would this nation become? Merely imagining the possibilities alone sent shivers of pleasure down Raphael’s spine.

The greatness of the Goddess might get magnified even further through the boy too.

Countless many subjects would surely start exalting the gods! Indeed, they might even experience the ‘miracle’ that Raphael himself was privileged enough to experience in the past!

He… he wanted to bear witness to it all!

Raphael was clearly excited.

As he spied the figure of the Imperial Prince through the gaps of the trees, his body was still shuddering.

The rage from when the boy tried to rape his granddaughter, his loyalty to the Theocratic Empire, and finally, his emotions as a researcher of magic… All of these disparate emotions chaotically collided in his mind and he fell headlong into a pit of confusion.

‘I must report this to his majesty.’

Indeed, he must report what he saw to the Holy Emperor. And then…

‘…And then?’

Raphael lowered his head in contemplation.

And then…

…If his majesty the Holy Emperor commanded Raphael to ‘raise’ the boy, then well, he’d have no choice but to heed this ‘imperial order’ and accept the child as his disciple.

Yes, he wouldn’t have a choice anymore… But, how could he take on a mangnani that tried to harm his granddaughter as a disciple? No, such a thing could not happen! However, abandoning such an immense talent was no different from going against the Goddess’s wishes!

His mind was spinning dizzyingly from one direction to the next.

Raphael glared at the boy with eyes filled with both rage and greed.

“Allen Olfolse…”

He subconsciously muttered out the name of the Seventh Imperial Prince.

< 047. Imperial Prince is Hunting Beasts -3 (Part One and Two) > Fin.