Sword of Salvation-Chapter 92: - A Fool; Gaining Power

Great Kingdom of Camelot had fallen. King Arthur IV had been slain. The holy sword Excalibur had fallen into the hands of Great Kingdom of Celtekhna. The city of Britticia had also been conquered. On the other hand, Marryphimia Pendragon had become the official ruler of Camelot.

That was the information Mariel had received from Anzu. And he was not surprised. Great Human Council was behind Celtekhna—Camelot’s victory had been nearly impossible. However, the death of King Arthur IV was indeed shocking. The man had been strong, especially skilled in wielding Excalibur.

"Who killed Arthur IV?" Mariel asked, his eyes intensely fixed on the demon.

Whoever it was, Mariel was 99% certain he was a member of World Order. If that was true, it meant that in this empire and the Kingdom of Urakhna, there was at least one member ensuring their victory. If Mariel wanted Athenia to become the ruler of this land, a battle against World Order member would be inevitable.

"Bezigha Pheles, the strongest illusionist in the world. Arthur IV died before he could even activate his unification mode. In fact, it could hardly be called a battle. Bezigha simply walked up to Arthur IV and beheaded him without resistance. People only realized Arthur IV was dead when Bezigha turned to leave."

Hearing Anzu’s answer made Mariel recall his battle against Romero.

Now, it was no longer surprising why he had failed to detect the illusion. Romero must have copied the same illusion that Bezigha Pheles had used. And if World Order was filled with troublesome individuals like Romero and Bezigha, Mariel’s efforts in this empire would not be easy.

"Fighting Bezigha will be extremely difficult," Mariel murmured at last.

"Bezigha is indeed a troublesome opponent," Anzu responded. "Among the thirteen remaining Super Demons who serve directly under Lady Levia, not a single one of us can fight him. Even if we attacked him together, nothing would change. He would kill us all without even breaking a sweat."

"Thirteen remaining Super Demons? Does that mean there were fourteen of you before Zagabob died?"

Anzu nodded. "I should have avenged his death. I should have consumed your soul because you were involved in his demise," she grumbled in frustration. "But don’t get too happy. As soon as Lady Levia lifts her restriction, I’ll be the first demon to come for your soul."

"You can try." Mariel shrugged, not particularly concerned with the threat. "About your twelve remaining comrades, can I assume they are all in Maxesonia?"

The Great Kingdom of Maxesonia lay directly south of the Great Kingdom of Celtekhna. If Camelot had been completely subjugated, there was no doubt that Celtekhna would soon sink its fangs into Maxesonia.

"I won’t even ask how you know that."

That indirect confirmation was unsurprising. Levia had no choice but to prepare her forces for the incoming threat. Nessthanovla would not allow Great Human Council to do as they pleased. If Levia’s actions were not her own will, then manipulating Maxesonia was surely Nessthanovla’s command.

"Thank you for the confirmation. And for now, Anzu, I have an important task for you."

"...My desire to kill you grows stronger."

Mariel chuckled at the response. The demon, who sat on the window cushion, clearly wanted to kill and consume his soul at that very moment. But her loyalty to Levia kept that desire buried deep inside. It was remarkable how a demon like her could be so devoted.

"I want you to investigate Prime Minister Viertino," Mariel said. "With your body-splitting ability, this task shouldn’t be difficult. So at the latest, I want to hear your report by tomorrow night."

Anzu scoffed. "Gathering information is my specialty among the others. But what exactly is your goal in this land?" she asked. "Shouldn’t you be focused on gathering the holy weapons? Excalibur is in Celtekhna, Caliburn is in Camelot, and Zesteria is now in Urakhna."

"Did you learn that from Levia? How many demons know about this?"

"As far as I know, no one else was present when Lady Levia told me about you," she said. "But you still haven’t answered my question. What brought you to this land?"

"First reason, I’m looking for Merlin’s tavern." To build a unique connection with the demon, Mariel decided to be honest. "I believe she is the only one who can heal Lukhiel from Excalibur’s effects."

"The Immortal Mage Merlin, huh? She frequently changes locations, so it’s not surprising you haven’t found her. The last time I saw her, she had built Babel Tower in a valley in Maxesonia, but within two days, the tower vanished. However, I’ve recently heard that she set up a tavern in Camelot. Hmm... You should ask Lady Levia if you want to find her."

"But," Anzu continued, "if you want to heal Lukhiel, finding Merlin isn’t your only option. You can seek Semiramis’s help. That woman can heal all kinds of wounds. There’s even a rumor that she can revive the dead as long as their souls haven’t left this upper world."

"Semiramis? You mean the famous Queen Semiramis?"

Anzu nodded, and Mariel immediately considered heading to the Southern Continent after finishing his exploration of the Western Continent.

"That’s valuable information. Thank you, Anzu."

Anzu scoffed again, clearly displeased with hearing a human thank her. "Do you have any more questions?" she asked. "If not, I’m leaving."

Mariel shook his head. "You may leave," he said. "Ah, can you smile before you go? I want to see the perfection of your face."

This time, Mariel didn’t get a scoff but a hiss. The female demon then dissolved into prana particles.

Mariel blinked, not expecting that the Anzu he had spoken to wasn’t the real one. The demon felt incredibly real—far beyond the duplication technique mastered by Celinee. But that wasn’t too surprising. Anzu’s body-splitting ability was a Devil Curse, not merely a technique of dividing prana to form matter.

"That ability would be extremely useful," Mariel muttered after closing the window. "There are so many ways to use it, one of which is—"

A knock on the door interrupted Mariel’s mumbling. And when he opened the door, Athenia’s hesitant gaze met his.

Mariel wasn’t surprised by her arrival. Their rooms were next to each other—there was a chance she had overheard his conversation with Anzu, though it was quite small.

However, it wasn’t a problem; Mariel had no intention of hiding it. In fact, he planned to introduce Athenia to Oz before leaving this land. He didn’t believe the concept of a utopian nation could be realized, but he wanted to see the princess’s struggle—and for that, he would gift her elite criminals to aid her cause.

"Do you still need to strengthen your resolve for tomorrow?" Mariel asked.

Athenia nodded. Whether she truly hadn’t heard the conversation with Anzu or if the question had merely distracted her, Mariel didn’t know.

"Come in. I’ll explain it once more."