Only God
Chapter 375 - 331: Emperor Danschel

Chapter 375: Chapter 331: Emperor Danschel

During the time her mother took Mira on a tour, she had seen many people die.

Even so, Mira possessed an almost innate aversion to killing, or assisting in killing.

In the slowed-down time, Anos bound both Olivia and the assassin who cast Earth Spike, using the Binding Magic Rope for extra security.

Both individuals were knocked out by Anos and placed on the back of the unscathed warhorse, after which Anos instructed Mira to watch over them and wait for her return.

Anos walked into the forest and saw Herodotus lying on the ground, moaning.

His face was pale, barely clinging to his last breath until the Princess arrived.

"Your Highness... you’re unharmed..."

"Herodotus, don’t speak, just hang on." Anos said hastily.

Herodotus managed a wry smile and uttered:

"My guts are already rotten."

The meaning of his words was clear.

Herodotus wouldn’t survive much longer; he would either wait for the blood within his stomach to drain out, ultimately dying from blood loss, or lie there, dying painfully.

Anos fell silent.

After a while, she spoke softly:

"I often wonder, had you not followed me, perhaps there might have been another path for you.

To carry on the family business, to serve as a border noble, guarding the frontiers of the Empire, watching the turmoil of Danschel from afar."

Anos’s voice was calm, laced with traces of sorrow.

Herodotus laughed, his body shaking slightly with pain as he spoke:

"I am the second son of my family, with only so little inheritance to my name. Coming here, to the Thousand Cities Academy, was a gamble, and now it’s simply a matter of accepting the loss."

After saying so much, a tearing pain came from his stomach; he gasped for air, his forehead creased deeply.

"No more talk... just make it quick."

Anos sighed, slowly got up, lifted her sword, and bid farewell in a soft voice:

"Goodbye, Herodotus, we part like this."

Sword raised, sword fell.

Herodotus’s heart was pierced, losing his vitality in an instant. His eyes closed before death, and he seemed as if he had simply gone to sleep.

Anos dragged Mihal’s body over; she couldn’t properly bury them, so she moved them to a more noticeable spot and marked the location for now.

Sometime later, Anos, visibly limping and hissing breath through her lips, led a warhorse out of the forest.

Earlier, her foot had been pierced by the Earth Spike, and although she had applied medicine and wrapped it hastily before entering the Secret Forest, it was still painful.

The warhorse’s hoof had also been pierced, but animals are notably more resilient; moreover, with horseshoes and thick hooves, the bleeding had stopped after treatment and bandaging.

Mira waited left and right, finally seeing Anos approach and quickly went forward to meet her.

"I’m sorry, I might only be able to ride on the horse, and it may trouble you to walk." Anos offered an apology with all due courtesy, and after Mira nodded, she turned and mounted the horse that had been struck by the Earth Spike.

Since the other warhorse was carrying two unconscious captives, Mira had no choice but to walk.

In the royal etiquette of the Empire, when two nobles travel together, the one of lower status must walk, even if they also have a horse; they can lead, but cannot mount it, unless given permission by the higher-status noble.

However, Mira was Anos’s lifesaver, and Anos didn’t wish to harbor any resentment over riding the horse, which is why she apologized.

Nevertheless, Mira didn’t care in the slightest who rode and who walked, as she was unfamiliar with the Empire’s etiquette.

Anos rode on horseback, and the pair proceeded along the forest path, slowly making their way back to the Imperial City.

"Thanks to you, thank you. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve already died here."

Anos pulled the reins, smiled at Mira walking beside him, and expressed his gratitude.

"There’s no need for thanks."

Mira also smiled,

"But, why did they want to assassinate you?"

Anos turned his face and looked coldly at the two assassins.

One of them had even pledged loyalty to her.

"This is a long story, I can only tell you that my father has many political enemies in the Imperial City.

To be frank, I am Anos, daughter of Leo, Emperor of the Danschel Empire."

Anos said so.

"Political enemies..."

Mira voiced her confusion:

"The Emperor... can have political enemies?"

Hearing this, Anos chuckled lightly and counter-asked:

"Are you a foreigner?"

Mira was taken aback, thought carefully, and indeed, her identity could be considered that of a foreigner.

Or perhaps... from Heaven?

"Yes, my name is Mira."

Mira said, remembering God’s warning not to reveal her origins when she left Heaven.

So she simply introduced herself by her name.

"So, Mira, is this your first time to the Imperial City?

If so, let me tell you what exactly the Danschel Emperor is."

Anos cleared her throat, her gaze fixed straight ahead, piercing through the winding forest path to the towering walls of the splendid Imperial City.

"The Emperor is not the King. Or rather, the Emperor was the King, enjoying absolute rule across the entire country.

But now, the Emperor is no longer the King.

In Danschel, the Emperor originates from the two great families that once ruled the Empire, and their legacy is not an absolute hereditary system but is determined jointly by the Emperor himself, the Council of Elders, the legions of the provinces, the Kingdoms, and the Council of the capital.

For this reason, Danschel has been able to rule such vast territories and maintain stability among the provinces and affiliated kingdoms. During the Empire’s prosperity, the Emperor had as much swift and uncompromising power as those Kings, but now, as the Empire declines, the number of those opposed to my father in the Council of Elders and the capital’s Council grows incessantly like bamboo shoots after rain."

Anos explained clearly, but for Mira, this was rather complex, and she nodded her head half-understandingly.

"So you’re saying the Emperor is a weakened King?"

Mira asked seriously.

"Indeed."

Amused by such naive words, Anos smiled,

"But a King’s status is nowhere near as noble as that of an Emperor."

As they talked, they journeyed along the road and gradually approached the Imperial City that stood tall on the land. Named Danschel, like the Empire, the city was never short of various strange tales that adorned its reputation.

Mira lifted her head and let out a "wow" of amazement when she saw Danschel with her own eyes.

Whereas Anos exhaled deeply, her brows furrowed with a touch of worry, and she muttered heavily to herself:

"Whether I wish it or not, I have finally returned."