Fate (3)
The Saint.
The hammer sent by the gods to punish evil.
The valiant blue lion of the crusaders, wielding the holy light.
The greatest light of the Holy Empire — a knight of unyielding integrity and unparalleled honor.
There were many ways to describe her, but in the end, to put it simply — she was basically just an exorcist.
A top-tier knight of light, created solely for the purpose of eradicating the Demon King.
And not just any Demon King.
She was a being painstakingly crafted by the gods for the sole purpose of annihilating the Skull King — the worst of the worst, the lowest of the low since the dawn of human history.
Every god — from the Goddess of Beauty to the God of War, even random nameless deities — had gathered their powers to create her.
So how did that go?
Well, you can probably guess.
Blessed with divine beauty, she left even the demons drooling in a daze. The demonic forces were utterly devastated by her overwhelming combat prowess.
Naturally, people believed that with her unstoppable march, the Skull King would soon be defeated.
But who was the Skull King?
— Hah, those bastards sure love wasting effort on pointless things.
Without hesitation, the Skull King captured the holy knight sent by the gods and publicly strung her up for all to see.
He didn't even feel motivated to fight a mere kid. With rare generosity, he beat her up just enough to send her packing, never wanting to see her again…
Yeah, right!
— My mission is to kill the Demon King!
She blew herself up!
"These lunatics!"
If they were going to go crazy, couldn't they at least do it gracefully? The Saints were madwomen who would use any means necessary to kill the Skull King.
What's worse — they were practically cockroach-level resilient, blessed with divine vitality, and their power only grew stronger with each new generation.
Thanks to that, when he faced the 81st Saint — the last one he fought — even the Skull King had felt a real sense of impending death.
So he did everything he could.
He utterly destroyed the Saint and everyone connected to her, making sure none could rise again.
He crushed them so completely that they wouldn't even dream of challenging a Demon King again.
Or at least… that's what he thought.
"What the hell — a descendant of the Saint's bloodline?!"
The Skull King clutched his head in agony at the mention of the Saint's lineage.
Sure, the bloodline of the Saint was the pinnacle of purity. Physically, there was nothing more perfect — strong enough to be the ultimate tool of revenge against the gods. In fact, without that bloodline, it might not even be possible.
But there was just one problem.
At that moment, he finally understood why the paladins of Eshua would go deathly silent the moment his name was mentioned.
"The House of Eshua is a proud lineage that has produced Saints for generations, the only family entrusted with the task of opposing the gods' greatest enemy."
"The Saint devotes her entire life solely to the destruction of the Skull King."
The Skull King squeezed his eyes shut.
Damn it — come to think of it, I never asked for the Saint's last name, did I?!
But still — how did he not notice?
If the Saint belonged to a particular family, there was no way he wouldn't have figured it out…
"The Saint went to great lengths to conceal her identity from her family, fearing that the Demon King's touch might reach them. She even hid her appearance and attire completely."
"Such was her devotion to her family…"
No, that's something you should tell people!
Because you didn't say anything, innocent people ended up suffering like this! Damn it!
"And the Skull King — what a cowardly Demon King — didn't even fight properly! He just ran away and dumped the Saint in some labyrinth or remote place."
"Clearly, he spared her life on purpose and sent her back without finishing the fight."
"Indeed. As a warrior, he would have known that breaking one's pride is more painful than death. Truly fitting for the sly leader of demons."
The Skull King clutched the back of his neck with his skeletal hand.
Look — he only did that because he didn't want to watch them blow themselves up again!
If they saw those chunks of flesh flying everywhere, maybe they wouldn't say that crap.
And honestly, being alive is all that matters. Yet here they were, going on about pride and honor like some old relics.
"Barbarians who attack without warning like savages."
Why did they think he used magic?
Sure, he was more confident in using his head than his body — but really, it was because he couldn't stand the sight of blood and corpses.
Ever since that incident in his past — the one where he lost his parents — he had been disgusted by blood on a visceral level.
But with magic, he could reduce someone to dust in an instant — even their bones.
Then why didn't he just use magic to deal with the Saint?
If only it were that easy!
The Saint's magic resistance, fortified by divine power, was beyond imagination.
To kill her, you had to thoroughly neutralize her, then personally cut off her head or rip out her heart.
On top of that, nobody besides him could even leave a scratch on the Saint's body — it was practically made of dragon-scale armor.
And there was a reason he didn't just kill the Saint on sight.
Killing a Saint was actually a loss for the Skull King.
Creating and sustaining a Saint drained a tremendous amount of divine power from the gods. They couldn't just mass-produce them without consequences.
If they wanted to make another, they had to recover that energy first — otherwise, it would cause chaos in the divine realm.
That's why leaving the Saint alive was the best way to drain the gods' power.
So he deliberately ignored their provocations, threw them onto deserted islands or labyrinths, and left them to wander until they died naturally…
"Every Saint in history resented that deeply. If you're not going to fight us, then just kill us already! Or act like a real Demon King and enslave us!"
"Son of a—! What the hell am I supposed to do with some lunatic gore-freak?!"
The emperor soon spoke, wearing a grave expression.
"Yes… I understand your anger toward the Skull King. If it weren't for that vile monster, the House of Eshua would never have fallen so far."
Shut up, you damn money-grubber.
If I hadn't taken down the Saintess, I would've been the one dead!
Anyway… now I get it.
So that's why they treat me like a failure — despite all their legitimacy and power, their honor went down the drain just because they couldn't get rid of me.
It wasn't a complicated story.
The whole purpose of the Saintess was to annihilate the Skull King. But in all these centuries, not once had they succeeded.
What kind of treatment would a Saintess who failed her holy mission receive in the Holy Empire after hundreds of years of failure?
And knowing the temperament of the Popes through history, it wouldn't be surprising if the House of Eshua and the Saintess were treated like a disgrace to the Empire.
That was exactly the sort of people they were.
Still… whatever. It's fine.
Ancestor was a Saintess?
So what?
Even if his ancestor was a Saintess, the Skull King had no shame.
How could he?
Sure, I meant to bring down the gods… but I never actually killed a Saintess, not even once…
"There are ten Saintesses who starved to death after being trapped in the labyrinth because of the Skull King."
…Crap. I forgot to let them out.
"The labyrinth would've been a mercy. Five of them died of stress-induced illness."
…Oh, come on!
And these people call themselves the strongest knights? That's how you die? Really?!
It wasn't as bad as dealing with the Pope, but still—being forced to share the same roof with his old nemesis? This was just embarrassing.
But honestly… it wasn't that bad.
Even if they were enemies, it wasn't personal — it was just inevitable, given their roles as Demon King and God's champion.
Words like mortal enemy fit better when describing the Pope.
With the Saintess, though… it was more like bitter attachment or love-hate.
Maybe if it hadn't been for destiny, they might've gotten along pretty well.
So the Skull King figured there was only one person he absolutely didn't want to see.
The 81st Saintess — the last one he'd fought.
The strongest Saintess of them all, Melissa — the only one who could wield the power of the Holy Dragon.
Even the Skull King had felt his life in danger facing her.
They'd clashed more than anyone else, and their connection had lasted the longest.
But the last time I saw her was at least 50 years ago.
He still didn't know exactly what year it was.
But considering how old she had been when they last met, and the time he'd been sealed away…
"The Skull King has been sealed for 150 years. In that time, the demons have only grown stronger. The Saintess is a rare chance for the Holy Empire to regain its strength. She is precious to the Imperial family."
Alright — 200 years total!
Melissa's dead for sure.
If she's alive, she's practically a zombie by now.
"Besides, the House of Eshua doesn't even have a Saintess right now. After giving birth to the child, she and her husband disappeared without a trace."
Perfect! That's what I'm talking about!
No Saintess in the family!
She disappeared right after giving birth to me!
That makes it even easier to take over this family—wait, no.
Hold on a second.
That means the ones who went missing… are my parents.
The Skull King pressed a hand to his face in exasperation.
At last, he realized why he'd been left alone for so long.
So that's it. I'm an orphan, and it took them this long to come looking for me?
Well, fine.
He had good powers, came from a good family — practically royalty among the diamond-spoon elite.
Everything was looking great.
Being a baby without a guardian was a bit of a downside, but still manageable.
In a noble household, they'd usually assign a wet nurse, and honestly, it was easier to control servants than to deal with awkward family ties.
The only real problem was needing a strong ally to shield him from the Pope…
"But even if the child's parents are gone, there's still the Dowager Lady. She can protect the child from both the Pope and the Demon King. The House of Eshua has the means to defend the child both internally and externally."
Right — there's the Dowager Lady.
That worked.
As long as someone could keep the Pope in check, he didn't care who it was…
"But isn't Lady Melissa off hunting down the Skull King's remnants right now? I doubt she'll return anytime soon."
Right, right… Melissa is coming to subjugate my subordinates—
…Wait.
Who?
Melissa?
"She is the previous Saintess who fought the Skeleton King in his last battle. The strongest Saintess in history. She's not someone who would waste her time on trivial matters. I'm sure she's looking forward to having grandchildren too."
Upon learning Melissa's identity, the Skeleton King nearly spat blood.
No, seriously—Melissa!?
Why are you still alive!?
Aren't humans supposed to return to nature after a certain point out of sheer decency!?
Of course, the Skeleton King—who himself had lived for hundreds of years and even regressed into a childlike form—was in no position to say such things.
But that wasn't the problem here.
Damn it. If she finds out I'm here, I'll be exorcised on the spot.
As the Skeleton King's face metaphorically decayed in despair, the Emperor, catching a glint of intrigue in his eyes, spoke.
"Then how about this? Until we find out the identity of the culprit who harmed your parents, the Imperial Family will take care of the child. Wouldn't that allow Melissa to focus on fulfilling her family's duties without worry?"
At that, the knights of Eshua all looked as though they'd been struck.
It wasn't unreasonable—they could only interpret those words as implying the Emperor didn't trust them.
Perhaps sensing their reaction, the Emperor smiled.
"It is not my intent to belittle the knights of Eshua. Rather, I propose that we each do what we do best for the sake of our shared goal."
A shared goal.
That referred, of course, to the Pope and the Papacy.
The Eshua family surely despised the Papacy, who treated them like unwanted burdens, and the Imperial Family likewise wanted to keep the Pope's influence in check.
For the politically distant Eshua family, this simply meant continuing their duty of guarding the borders and exorcising demons.
That, after all, would benefit both sides.
"The Imperial Family can offer this child many things. More importantly, Eshua is the family known for producing Saintesses. Would it not be better to entrust the boy to the Imperial Family? After all, raising a young man might be something we are better equipped for."
At that, the knights bit their lips and bowed their heads.
"Your Majesty. I beg your pardon, but may I speak?"
"What is it?"
"It is true that the primary duty of the Eshua knights is to guard the Saintess. However, before that, we are exorcist knights—specialists in eliminating demons. We are the force that fights on the Empire's frontlines where demonic activity is most rampant."
The eyes of the Eshua knights gleamed with quiet resolve.
"When it comes to exorcism, there is no force in the Holy Empire that can rival Eshua. As the sword that protects the Empire's borders, we are certain we can both protect the young master and provide him with what he needs most."
Seeing their disciplined, determined gazes, the Emperor seemed intrigued.
"What he needs most, you say."
The uncle smiled confidently, agreeing with the knights.
"Your Majesty may well provide him with silk, castles, gold bars, and land. Of course, such wealth is wonderful. But Eshua can give him something that cannot be exchanged for gold. Honor worth dying for, a spirit of challenge, and an indomitable will…"
But it was then—
The uncle's face stiffened in confusion.
Something had caught his eye.
The Skeleton King had somehow escaped from his cradle and was now crawling—right toward the Emperor.
The shocked knights glanced back and forth between the cradle and the child.
"Y-Young Master?!"
It was a mystery how he had escaped, but the bigger problem was—he was crawling straight for—!
Grab!
The tiny hand of the Skeleton King latched onto the Emperor's ankle.
Then, tapping lightly on the Emperor's leg as if asking to be picked up, the Skeleton King looked up with an utterly innocent face.
The Emperor was delighted.
"Oh! Are you choosing to come to me?"
"Young Master?!"
The Eshua knights were horrified and tried to grab the Skeleton King.
Their desperate gestures clearly said: No! Not there! Come back here! But they couldn't bring themselves to shout it aloud.
"Young Master, over here! Peek-a-boo!"
Soft voices tried to coax his attention, but the Skeleton King—now comfortably in the Emperor's arms—nonchalantly turned his head.
Nope. Don't need you guys.
I'll just live it up as an Imperial VIP, thank you very much. Peek-a-boo.
"Young Master! Please, come here!"
Nah. Screw you guys.
What is this, the military?
Honor and indomitable spirit, my skeletal butt.
The Skeleton King, firmly nestled in the Emperor's embrace, didn't even pretend to listen.
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