The Prince Wants to Retire

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Chapter 60: The Trial of Garum

“I want to retire!”

As the green flames began to engulf the surroundings, the gigantic skeletal dog that had been fiercely attacking Surth and the summoned beings crumbled, pulling the energies within into a swirling green tempest.

Seeing this, the mage of Roman frowned.

“Did we ultimately fail to stop it?”

The reminder the Roman Emperor had given him echoed in his mind.

“If we can stop it, that would be best; but if not, at least buy us time. We must delay until our great plan is complete.”

They had to buy time for the great plan that would free them from eternal suffering, yet they had failed even in that.

Now, all that was left was to hope the Emperor would perish in the storm.

Although the Hell Gate had temporarily closed, the powers of hell continued to seep out, ensuring the Army of Hell did not vanish.

Neither Roman nor Sandria could afford to easily surrender this place.

Thus, they attacked fiercely, giving it their all against the enemies they had already pushed back.

“If the Emperor comes out of that storm, it’s over. Inflict as much damage on the enemy as you can before that!”

Under Vulkan’s command, Roman’s forces used the Army of Hell to harass the Ignit troops.

However, the Ignit forces were evidently designed to combat the Army of Hell, so they held their ground using their power dynamics.

The true trouble came from the Allied Forces.

“Cough!”

“You’ve held out long enough.”

As the blade of the golden hawk sank into the heart of the veteran Douglas, blood erupted forth.

Douglas began to rapidly lose the light in his eyes.

“Last… blow… the power of hell…?”

“Indeed.”

“…That… power… comes with a… price…”

“Did you think you could use it without knowing that?”

The golden hawk chuckled with a bitter smile as if aware.

“Go join hell first.”

With that, the golden hawk drew its sword. Just like that, the barely-standing Douglas crumpled and fell.

As the veteran Douglas bled out and collapsed, the already failing Allied Forces began to crumble even further.

Though the mage from the Magic Kingdom, Arkan, arrived, it was too late.

Even if they brought in Master Class reinforcements now, they were already pushed back by the momentum of the battle.

The Allied Forces, unable to counter the ferocious Army of Hell, found themselves being relentlessly pushed back even more as they lost one of their pillars—Douglas.

It turned into an avalanche, crushing the front line, as if to show that only Ignit had the strength.

In the midst of an assault aimed at decimating the Allied Forces, the great army of Sandria halted their advance unexpectedly.

Thud!

From the sky, dragons roaring ferociously while snatching up people began to lose strength and plummet down to the ground one by one.

The commanders of Sandria hurriedly looked up at the sky.

The demon dragons that had been rampaging in the sky were now falling, leading to the Army of Hell also gradually losing its strength.

Then, the golden hawk from the desert anxiously stared at the Hell Gate.

“Could it be already?”

He grimaced at the sight of the intensifying green flames.

The worst-case scenario they had dreaded was manifesting before Kariel, coming much quicker than Roman and Sandria had anticipated.

Ultimately, Sandria began to prepare to retreat while using the weakening Army of Hell as bait.

Seeing the Hell Gate trembling as if it could crumble at any moment, Roman’s forces also decided to pull back.

However, contrary to how it appeared from the outside, the Hell Gate remained solid.

It would not vanish until Kariel received Garum’s recognition.

[Receive recognition from the last soul fragment of Garum.]

A translucent window hovered over Kariel’s head.

And looming above it was the colossal figure of Garum.

Unlike when he had attacked Surth in a blind rage, the soul of Garum, freed from the spell by Kariel’s powers, had taken on a complete form again.

And its power was as formidable as its defined shape.

“Gah… gah…”

Standing alone, without Surth, Skoll, or Agni, Kariel gasped for breath while gazing up at Garum.

Seeing Garum reveal his teeth with an indifferent expression, Kariel grit his own.

The soul fragment that had no body and had lost most of its might during its life.

Kariel was struggling against such a being.

– Is this all you have?

At Garum’s question, Kariel stood tall once more.

Even though he had long surpassed his limits, he reignited the flames within his red-hot body.

Witnessing this, the colossal figure of Garum lunged at him again.

The intangible green form shattered the wall of flames Kariel had erected and attacked him.

The massive paw struck where Kariel had been, unleashing tremendous power that turned the surrounding area into a blazing inferno.

Yet Kariel dodged it, pushing back against Garum.

– Do you seek my recognition with just this level of resolve?

Kariel opted to create an even larger blaze in response to Garum’s words.

Garum pressed on more fiercely against Kariel, who refused to give up until the end.

– For what purpose do you endure through my trial like this?

– What do you desire?

– Do you not resent the world that has put you in this situation?

– Do you not want to escape and rest from it all?

As Garum relentlessly grilled him while attacking, enticing him with sweet illusions, he showed visions of himself from the past, living a joyous life on Earth.

But instead of answering, Kariel hurled flames toward Garum.

From a distance, he appeared heroic, unshaken by any temptation, but in truth, he was merely too exhausted to respond.

‘It feels like I’m gonna die from fatigue, yet he won’t stop asking…’

As if sensing his inner thoughts, Garum let out a chuckle and continued.

Like a motor that never stops running, Garum bombarded him with questions endlessly.

Kariel frowned and questioned Garum in annoyance, “Isn’t it boring for you to talk so fervently to yourself?”

– If it’s a monologue… then haven’t you already answered yourself?

Garum smiled, raising a massive paw to gesture towards the flames Kariel had conjured.

Had he gleaned some answer from Kariel’s flames?

Garum laughed once more and attacked again.

– So! Shall we begin our dialogue anew?

In this renewed exchange, one side kept asking questions, leading to a bizarre and endless series of inquiries.

Had they gone through hundreds or thousands of such questions?

This time, Garum looked at Kariel, creating a larger green flame than ever before.

– The priest of hell’s purpose is for the souls of the East Continent. What is your purpose?

Stopping his assault, Garum gazed calmly at Kariel, who met his eyes unwaveringly.

Then, Kariel straightened up and finally gave a proper answer for the first time.

“My purpose is to ensure many live peaceful lives.”

– How grandiose.

At Garum’s words, Kariel shook his head.

“My desire is to live a peaceful and free life. I’ve merely realized that for that to be achieved, the world must be so as well.”

As Garum quietly watched Kariel’s eyes, he suddenly let out an unknown cry toward the sky.

In that moment, the world that had contained only Garum and Kariel began to fracture bit by bit.

– Compared to the priest of hell, your wish is trivial. Yet, the purpose born from it is more sincere and grand than anyone else’s.

As Garum spoke with a smile:

– Freedom and peace… how amusing that while walking the same path, our directions differ so greatly. I shall keep an eye on you.

With those final words, the enormous form began to dissolve into dust.

– I shall watch how your wishes come to fruition… whether or not they will surpass the purpose of the priest…

Garum’s voice sounded like a mirage.

At the same time, the previously fixed translucent window was joined by a new one.

[You have received recognition from all fragments of Garum. Thus, you have obtained the true qualification to undergo Garum’s trial.]

[As a reward, you received some memories of hell.]

As the green dust of Garum was absorbed, visions began to appear.

They were the current happenings in hell.

The demon king, who had jumped into hell, scattered ancient divine artifacts, resurrecting past wraiths.

The living should not be in hell.

The demon king who had already been expelled from hell and returned to the demon realm was busily preparing to cross back to the continent.

However, the resurrected wraiths, once powerful, turned hell into sheer chaos.

Thus far, hell had been in a state where all boundaries had been shattered, and when the Roman Emperor began to create a massive altar using the traces of Hell to resurrect the former palace of hell (Ellyudnir), the wraiths under Hell resurrected and began to battle with the ancient wraiths.

Hell was engulfed in a never-ending war due to the demon king and the Roman Emperor.

The situation had escalated beyond the capabilities of Modgude, who was managing hell in place of the already deceased Hell, and the aftermath of this chaos would soon spill over to the continent.

“……”

After witnessing everything happening in hell, Kariel bit down silently.

This added another reason for him to seek Garum’s recognition. If he couldn’t utilize Garum to stop hell, the continent’s demise would be assured.

[The soul fragments of Garum have united. The soul of Garum is headed towards where its body lies.]

At that moment, the translucent window’s words ended, and a tremendous amount of green dust was absorbed into Kariel’s body.

Simultaneously, the symbols engraved all over him began to glow, rising high into the sky.

Garum’s soul, which had disappeared in the place where it lay dormant somewhere in the continent, was now completely fulfilled.

That completed strength of Garum fully left his body, leaving a sense of emptiness that filled him.

“Gah… gah…”

With the storm that had disappeared in a column of light.

At the same time, the revealed Kariel gasped as he collapsed to the ground.

-Endure. And do not forget that sensation.

Surth, who had arrived sooner than expected, advised Kariel.

As Kariel received the tenth fragment of Garum, the overflowing power that had almost burst and the heightened might from it had still lingered amidst the vacuum.

Was it thanks to Surth’s advice?

Struggling against the emptiness, Kariel closed his eyes, calming his wild breaths as he sought to recall that faint sensation.

After quite a while trying to remember the power he once held, Kariel finally opened his eyes.

“Your Majesty.”

“The Hell Gate?”

In response to Talion’s urgent calling as he approached, Kariel sighed as he looked up at the Hell Gate.

Fortunately, the Hell Gate that had been maintained by Garum’s colossal soul fragment had completely vanished. Thanks to the complete closure of the Hell Gate, the Army of Hell had also entirely disappeared.

What remained were only the groans of the greatly injured Allied Forces and Ignit troops.

“Quickly regroup our forces.”

“Will you head to fight the Roman Emperor?”

Kariel shook his head at Talion’s question.

“We must go here.”

Flames erupted from Kariel’s hand, taking the shape of arrows that pointed in a specific direction.

“…Where does this lead?”

“To where Garum’s body lies dormant.”

Garum, the Gatekeeper of Hell, whose body slept was waiting for Kariel, having become more perfect by absorbing its complete soul.

To stop the Roman Emperor.

To fend off the Demons.

To block the Hell Gate.

All these prerequisites hinged on obtaining Garum’s recognition.

With that in mind, Kariel secretly summoned the Imperial Guard, Talion, and a few Imperial Palace Knights.