Chapter 275.

Guh!

When they had reached a distance where the Allied Forces couldnt be seen any longer, Kim Seon-Hyeok spat out another mouthful of blood.

Are you alright?

He shook his head at Mareks question as he wiped the dripping blood from his chin.

Do you think I look alright?

No, you dont look like it.

But, it looked like there was some effect of the Holy Kingdoms priests pouring out their divine powers into him to the point of exhaustion. He was definitely better than how he looked before when he was unconscious and slumped over like a corpse.

However, he had exhausted himself again from arguing with the Holy Kingdoms people and from flying through the sky when swords were thrown at them. By the time he reached his destination, he was unable to control his body.

Indomitable Grand Duke!

When he heard that the griffin had returned from the West, the Grand Duke of Iberia threw everything to the side and ran towards them. He was shocked when saw Kim Seon-Hyeok covered in blood.

What the hell is this?! And what is up with all that blood?! No, lets hear what happened later. Lets heal you first.

Diego Velazquez bustled about as he ignored the blood on Seon-Hyeoks body as he tried to help support him.

Swish.

But, Kim Seon-Hyeok refused his help.

What are you

Ill rest, but I have something to tell you before that.

The Iberian Grand Dukes complexion paled when blood leaked out of Seon-Hyeoks mouth every time he spoke.

I will not listen right now! What are you all doing! Why arent you coming here and escorting the Indomitable Grand Duke to his chambers?!

When Diego Velazquez put his hands under Seon-Hyeoks armpits to drag him over, Kim Seon-Hyeok shook off his hands as he refused Velazquezs help.

You must listen right now.

The Grand Duke of Iberia looked disconcerted as he looked at Seon-Hyeoks stubborn eyes. There was a hint of concern in them. He seemed worried about what would happen if something went wrong with such an influential person from the Empire in Granado.

But when it didnt look like Kim Seon-Hyeok would give him easily, Velazquez had no choice but to comply with his request. Diego Velazquez seemed to have decided that it would be better to listen to him first and then start treatment immediately in the time they quarreled.

Immediately strengthen your borders.

Kim Seon-Hyeok spoke with weight as he looked at the Grand Duke of Iberia.

By now, the Holy Kingdoms forces may be moving South, heading towards here.

It had taken a full week to escape the Holy Kingdoms encirclement and arrive at Granado. While he had moved as quickly as possible without even taking care of his injuries, and pushed Devon to fly as fast as he could, there was no way Devon was faster than the mages.

A week was more than enough time for the Temple to have received news and taken measures.

In Kim Seon-Hyeoks opinion, there werent a lot of countermeasures the Temple could take. The most probable amongst them was to cover up the incident.

Everything was as you said, Duke Velazquez. But there was something that even you didnt know. The Warrior didnt disappear while fighting the Demon King, he was actually detained by the Holy Kingdom.

Befitting a seasoned politician who had preserved Iberias existence despite the pressure from the Holy Kingdom, the Grand Duke of Iberia quickly shook off his confusion and put everything together in an instant.

The Holy Sword

After uttering that one sentence like a sigh, the Iberian Grand Duke quickly spat North, in the direction where the Holy Kingdom was located with an angry face.

Ptui! Those damned old bastards! If its those old bastards who only have thoughts of protecting their power, then thats the least of what they would do.

It was a violent action with words that Kim Seon-Hyeok had never seen, or heard, from him before. But in a way, it was only natural. Iberia was a country that had chosen to become a vassal of Adenburg in order to avoid the Holy Kingdom, which had done everything they could to overpower Iberia. And when the Holy Kingdom couldnt, they had nitpicked all faults they could find.

Considering all that, and the fact that the Iberian Grand Duke mustve suffered countless times because of them, his hatred wasnt so strange.

The Temples people will most likely not want to share the divine powers and authority of the Warrior and Holy Sword. Even more so since they considered the Holy Sword as their own.

And they mustve noticed that you know about it, Indomitable Grand Duke.

Diego Velazquez immediately understood the circumstances and with a firm expression, told Kim Seon-Hyeok that Iberias borders were strong.

We are surrounded by the sea on three sides. The Iberian navy is incomparable to the Holy Kingdoms crude fleets that move using rivers. Our one and only land route is guarded by fortresses and elite mercenaries that had been fortified and honed over a long period of time. So Indomitable Grand Duke, please go quickly and see to your injuries first.

When the Iberian Grand Duke once again pushed him to go rest, saying that it wouldnt be easy for the Holy Kingdom to send enough troops to cross the border when they had used up so many troops in the fight against the Demon King, Kim Seon-Hyeok shook his head and refused.

Indomitable Grand Duke, there is no need for you to worry about it. The Holy Kingdom is shameless enough that in their current situation, they would probably deny everything rather than send a large force.

But when Kim Seon-Hyeok once again cautioned that it wouldnt be enough, the Iberian Grand Duke thought for a moment before speaking carefully.

Do you have any evidence they cant deny?

When Kim Seon-Hyeok nodded, the Grand Duke of Iberia asked him another question.

May I ask what that is?

Instead of answering, he handed over the iron sword he had gotten from Marek.

Hm?

The Iberian Grand Dukes mouth dropped open at the sight of the unusually white blade on the holy iron sword.

That

Youre right. This is the Holy Sword Balmung that theyre so desperate to recover.

Diego Velazquezs complexion turned pale at his confirmation.

Oh, my God.

As long as I have what they want, they will do anything, any scheme or any method.

In order to obtain the Holy Sword, the leader of the Holy Kingdom had thrown away the Warrior they were so proud of like an old shoe. It was obvious that they wouldnt hesitate to make any sacrifices in order to recover the Holy Sword.

Send a message to the fortresses on the border to strengthen the defenses. And summon all the captains of all the mercenaries staying in the city!

Finally realizing the seriousness of the situation, the Iberian Grand Duke shouted noisily as he issued an order for all the leaders to convene.

Every hour is precious, so tell them to hurry!

Messengers scattered in all directions and even after that, the Grand Duke of Iberia continued to give order after order. While the Iberian Grand Duke was making a fuss, Kim Seon-Hyeoks condition worsened even more.

Wobble.

When Diego Velazquez saw him staggering as if he was about to collapse, Velazquez spoke irritably.

First, you should go and recuperate, Grand Duke. Ill come see you later.

In the center of a mess of indescribable emotions, deep resentment seemed to head straight towards Kim Seon-Hyeok.

That was natural.

Iberia had managed to escape the pressure of the Holy Kingdom and become a vassal of the Empire, but the Grand Duke of the Empire brought the Holy Kingdoms army straight to him. It would be rather strange if there werent any resentment.

I have one more bad news.

Kim Seon-Hyeok also felt apologetic, but that didnt mean he could make the mistake of not conveying what he needed to.

What more!

At the sharp reaction, Kim Seon-Hyeok spoke heavily.

Keep in mind that there is the possibility the Allied Forces stationed on the Western front might come this way as well.

They cannot move. Even if they secretly made an agreement, how could they trust the Demon King and neglect the western regions defense that theyve worked so hard for

In the beginning, the Iberian Grand Dukes voice was full of confidence but slowly, his voice lost strength. He couldnt finish speaking as he trailed off.

Grand Duke, you cant mean

Kim Seon-Hyeok spoke forcefully as he looked at the Iberian Grand Duke's disbelieving face.

The demonic monsters and demons will no longer swarm the front lines as they had before.

The clamor around them suddenly quieted.

The Iberian Grand Dukes attendants who had been frantically moving about, and the guards who had unintentionally overhead the full details of the extraordinary incident all completely froze and didnt move a muscle.

That means

Before the Iberian Grand Duke finished his question, Kim Seon-Hyeok answered first.

The Demon King no longer exists in this world.

***

In the process of gathering the earths energy polluted with demonic energy, several large earths veins had been swept up. As a result, an uncontrol