Chapter 42: Quitting Guarantees Failure
If he could recover his balls and stick, he'd let her cut them off all over again? With a smile? The madness in Gaiseric's words took Mithras by surprise. But judging from the smell picked up by his Exalted Sense, Mithras suspected the king was likely not in his right mind.
When Gaiseric resolved to give up his late wife to the Dark Preceptor in exchange for Lysander's future, he didn't expect he'd incur the wrath of someone just as terrifying: Elektra.
Not only did Elektra find out about and ruin the ritual, preventing the Dark Preceptor from collecting the late queen's body, but she also used a rare ability to multiply the dishonest feelings Gaiseric already had towards her a thousandfold. Now, the king lived and died for Elektra, doing whatever she asked even at the risk of death.
As long as Gaiseric clung to his lust for Elektra, the spell couldn't be broken—not even by his mother. But how could he let go?
'The Queen Mother's life sure is difficult. Not only does she need to protect the royal family from outside threats, but she must also save them from their own madness.
Poor woman, if she wasn't trying to find out my secrets and exploit my abilities, I would have felt sorry for her,' Mithras shook his head, somewhat impressed that despite having been emasculated so thoroughly, Gaiseric could still maintain the façade of a dominant king in front of his subjects.
"Well, this is all nice and all but I'm not going to the Jade-Faced Academy. So, I won't be needing your arrangements for a minute. And even if I were to go, it would be as an unranked prospect or a five-star boss.
Either go in as a chump and wow everyone with swagger or go in as a boss and exceed expectations. Looking mid is a no-no," Mithras rejected Gaiseric's offer.
"Where are you going then? To administrate your lands? Can't Cassandra handle that remotely for you? Even Honoria could, to be honest. You have them both, so why do you need to take care of such petty matters?"
"Who said I'm going to administer my lands? Nah, I'm going to Mainyu Island," Mithras said with a cheerful smile.
"Mithras, though we've only known each other for three hours at best, I see you as the son I never had, the future of my state, and a protégé I won't let throw his life away.
The Angra Theocracy? You're going to the capital of the Angra Theocracy? Are you mad or are you going mad?"
Noble houses were typically named after the territory they ruled, and theocracies after the deity they worshipped. The Angra Theocracy was the only exception, named after the ruling house instead of the Antigod they worshipped.
But this only works out because the ruling house descends from Mainyu di Angra: the former avatar of Ahriman in the Spiritual World.
Consequently, Mainyu also became the capital's name. A land of organized crime and lawful corruption overseen by the priestesses of the Angra Theocracy.
"The main ingredient for my happiness is trapped in the Angra Theocracy. No matter how much pleasure and wealth I get here, I can't let loose and enjoy myself till that person is by my side. So, regardless of the price I must pay, I'm going to Mainyu Island, and returning with her," Mithras said, and as he mentioned his darling sister, Mithras' tone softened, his lips curling into a bitter smile.
Gaiseric did not comment, summoning a News Card from the Royal Journal, and squeezing it in his fingers.
A large blue screen appeared in Mithras' eyes, revealing shocking information.
[With over 100 Golden Palace tier warriors, at least five Blood Longevity Guru, and lordship over 100,000 square kilometers of the Sanctuary, the Angra Theocracy has been recognized by the Three-Way Church as a king-class faction—with ecclesiastical authority over the entirety of the Purple Dawn Continent]
The screen read, making Mithras' jaw drop as his eyes stretched in disbelief.
"Weren't they supposed to only have about 20 Golden Palace tier priests? How did the number blow up to over 100? With Blood Longevity beings to boot?" Mithras almost had a stroke.
The Red Cloud Theocracy, number two of the seven, only had about five Golden Palace tier priests. From now on, who could compete with the Angra Theocracy? How did Akamana get the resources to train that many powerhouses?
"I got the news this morning. Word is that she summoned them, at least according to the experts, who believe that Akamana di Angra has been summoning and binding warriors from the Corrupt Worlds to her will for a while now, but recently got her hands on something that sped up the process.
By relying on her new elite group, Akamana cleared up over 100,000 square kilometers of Sanctuary Land for the rest of us templars and gurus--making great contributions to the continent as a whole. And as weeks and months go by, her numbers will keep blowing up.
I don't want to admit it but the Purple Dawn Continent…has been checkmated. So Mithras, I don't know who you plan to mess with in the Mainyu Capital, but if it's the House of Angra, please quit immediately. Because with Lady Akamana at their helm, they are and will always be…the overlords of this continent," Gaiseric said in a weak and deflated tone.
For as long as he could remember, the king had been yearning for the day the Great Blood Empire again ruled the continent. Even if he wasn't the king to complete that great undertaking, so long as his descendants succeeded, it was fine.
Each generation of Blood-Smelting King drilled those thoughts into their heir. But now, before the nation had built the strength to recover its lost glory, an invincible overlord had appeared, keeping them all on their toes with its aura alone.
It was indeed depressing. However…
"Quitting guarantees failure. I can quit a whole lot of things. This isn't one of them," Mithras said with a wry smile, and realizing that he couldn't convince Mithras to give up on his quest, Gaiseric lowered his head, sighing in exasperation.
Little did he know that the situation was far from being as dramatic as he imagined. Mithras' current objective was to recover his sister, not topple the Angra Theocracy.
And if the plan he'd set in motion worked out, he could accomplish this without any major battle.
But this would be a lot more complex than robbing Lysander's destiny. Because to free Ishtar without losing his head, Mithras first had to become…the number one escort of the Mainyu Capital!
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