Volume 9 Chapter 19 Raphastia Speaks of the God of the Past
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Raphastia! Enough already!” shouted Almaria, the Witch of the Dead Arm, veins standing out across her forehead.
Across from her, the Holy Corpse General Raphastia did not stop rolling dice against the ghosts that kept him company. His voice drifted back in an unhurried drawl.
”Now, now, Almaria. Scowling like that spoils your beauty. Though I must admit, the wrinkles suit you like an old grandmother.”
”One word too many. Say it again, and I’ll truly be angry. Have you forgotten the time people mocked you as being rotten with dice down to your very soul?” she snapped.
”And yet, they still call me the Holy Corpse General. Even in the capital of Quvar, my statue remains. Why don’t we go see it together?” he said, still rattling the bones between his fingers.
”Twisted history. No one imagined that the Right General of the Quvarian Empire would turn out to be a gambling sluggard,” Almaria sighed deeply.
She had been a court witch of Quvar, solemn and dutiful, and Raphastia was her lifelong nemesis. Fate had bound her as his overseer, for all her days. She brushed her long purple hair to calm herself—its luster had survived the rebirth of flesh, though her face no longer bore youth. She remembered how many strands had turned white early thanks to this man, and her anger flared again.
”The First Emperor is away, is he not? Then let us spread our wings as well,” Raphastia said lightly.
”You fool! You’re always playing around!” she shouted.
Even as Almaria’s fury boiled over, Raphastia serenely shook the dice. The ghosts that had once been his aides still retained enough will to materialize, and they now watched with hollow amusement. He laughed, recalling how he had abandoned all duties to Almaria while gambling in the war camps.
”By the way, I heard you sent assassins after Seron and failed,” he said.
”Yes. When the enemy’s commander leaves himself unguarded, assassination is only natural,” she replied stiffly.
”And yet you lost your treasured assassins,” Raphastia chuckled.
Almaria faltered. Like Haruka had summoned Dora Ghorat, she too had drawn assassins from the Underworld. Even in this flesh-bound world, she succeeded in calling them forth—only to see them defeated by Eris and her companions.
”I hadn’t accounted for such skilled guards. I knew the Witch of Plenty Clarice was on her way here, but—”
”Enough. Spend no more of your hand. You’ll endanger yourself,” he said.
”I’m already a ghost. If I burn out my power and fall, I’ll do so gladly,” she answered.
Raphastia gave a lazy smile. “Grano, Berhardt, and you—you’re all too hot-blooded. Better to sit back and savor life as I do. Even the First Emperor is so absorbed in Cartera’s body that he’s left for a grave visit instead of the front.”
”The words of an emperor who destroyed his own country carry… unique weight,” Almaria replied.
”Ouch. True enough—the First Emperor bested me, nothing more.”
”I heard you lost a gamble and, in a fit of pride, sold your empire.”
”Perhaps. I don’t remember,” he said with airy unconcern.
The Last Emperor of Quvar deflected every barb. It had always been so. Almaria knew she had borne the burden of this man’s failures, and for that, she had earned her title Witch of the Dead Arm.
”Fine, I admit I lost. But…” Raphastia’s face hardened for the first time.
”Do not belittle the First Emperor as merely lucky. He was a man who came closest to godhood.”
”A god…?” Almaria asked softly.
”Even you, who served me as court witch, know nothing of this. Then listen. The First Emperor was once urged to inherit the throne of heaven itself.”
Almaria sat down despite herself, curiosity overwhelming.
”But he refused,” Raphastia said. “I was there. The wrath he showed that day—I had never seen him so shaken. ‘You—you dare toy with us!’ he roared at the god. Then we were silenced. Slain, to seal our tongues. Likely, he too was struck down.”
Almaria’s breath caught.
”Impossible…”
”You had died of sickness the year before. You didn’t see. But the truth is this: we were killed by a god.”
The revelations tumbled out, leaving Almaria reeling.
”Hard to believe, isn’t it? Even I think it a dream. But I died all the same,” Raphastia said.
”Then… His Majesty…”
”Who knows what he thinks now? He swore to destroy Quvar, but beyond that? If it were me, I know what I would do.”
He tossed the dice. They clattered across the floor as he faced her.
”I would kill the god. Whether it is the same one now, I cannot say. But that is what I would do.”
”And… what sort of god is this?” Almaria whispered.
”Hmm. That’s the question, isn’t it? You already know the one.”
He spoke the god’s name. Almaria’s eyes widened, and words deserted her.
* * *
The First Emperor and the Eternal Witch Cartera stood before the monumental twin gravestone of the Emperor and his Empress, still well tended after centuries. They pressed their hands together in silence, though guards surrounded them and privacy was impossible.
”She is still honored so dearly,” Cartera murmured.
”Yes. Seeing this makes it hard to summon the will to burn this city down,” he said.
”She was kind even to me, a courtesan and nothing more. A truly noble lady.”
”She was,” he agreed.
”It was a tragedy that she died giving birth to the crown prince. She never returned with us.”
”Perhaps it’s better. She would not wish to see what we are about to do,” the Emperor said coldly.
Their voices dropped so low none could hear. To them, the citizens around were only sacrifices.
”Pitiful, but they must die. They’ll feed you, Cartera,” he said.
”Yes. I am prepared.”
”The god of this world is Rusty, it seems. I remember her well—too alluring to leave alone, so I stole her from the Order of Knights, kept her as my slave. Elves endure long.”
”You toyed with her plenty. Truly, only she and I could keep pace with Your Majesty’s appetite,” Cartera said, her voice dripping heat. “We took your cock together in our mouths and breasts… ah, I ache. Let us slip into that shade and sate ourselves.”
”Then I’ll take you, right here,” he growled.
Hidden from eyes, he lifted her skirts and pressed her to a tree, thrusting until he filled her womb. Cartera, satisfied and leaking, wove her magic. The two rose into the air, soaring high above—a great art no other could replicate.
”But she lives,” he said. “The one who slew me, Raphastia, and the rest—that woman.”
”I feel her too. That hateful woman. To think she was a god, toying with your lives, with the Empress’s life! When we face her, I will burn every shred of myself to strike her down.”
”I rely on you, Cartera. It is cruel to demand this of you, reborn at last, but even if it means slaughtering this world, I will kill the god.”
”Then when we return, McGaref will fall,” she vowed.
They spoke their secret oath, drifting back to bring hell to McGaref. To the Emperor, the people were nothing but fuel for Cartera’s magic—their names and lives, beneath notice.
Notes:
• Raphastia – A once-renowned general who now serves the First Emperor in the underworld army. He is referred to as a ‘Holy Corpse,’ indicating his undead state. Raphastia retains his self-awareness and will, which is unusual for the undead, and his loyalty to the Emperor remains unwavering. He is described as having a raspy voice and is one of the key figures in the Emperor’s command post. First appearance in v9c8.
• Quvarian Empire – Ruling kingdom. Harsh world, restricted freedom.
• Haruka – Witch of Destruction — Silver-haired, F-cup. Former class vice-president, now a powerful witch. Wields the Agilaus Staff, capable of devastating ritual magic. Became the world’s strongest after acquiring the ‘Dark Emperor of the Abyss’ as a familiar. Exhibits exhibitionist tendencies, often seeking public intimacy with Takumi. Deeply devoted to him, balancing her role as a leader with her desires. First appears in v1c1 Prologue.
• Clarice – The ‘Witch of Abundance’ from Lesta Kingdom.
• Cartera – Eternal Witch — The First Emperor’s mistress and a resurrected sorceress of immense power. Cruel and seductive, she takes pleasure in destruction and defilement. Her loyalty to the Emperor is absolute, and she shares his desire to end the world. First appears in v9c3.
• Grano – The Black Flame General, a legendary figure from Quvar’s past, now resurrected as part of the First Emperor’s ghostly host. Known for his ruthless tactics and unwavering loyalty to the Emperor, Grano commands a significant portion of the undead army. He is disdainful of the living, particularly those who oppose the Emperor’s plans, and shows no mercy in battle. His presence, alongside other legendary generals like Belhart, underscores the immense threat posed by the Emperor’s forces. First mentioned in v9c7.
• Rusty – She is an enigmatic elf and the oldest sister at ‘Night Butterfly,’ a high-class brothel. Her charming, forward approach surprises the narrator, offering him a unique connection.
• McGaref – Fortress city, adventurer hub.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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