Records of the Weakest Emperor

Calvin's mad dash towards the Village of Tulog wasn't done without any caution.

He extinguished the Emperor's Veil and activated two of the pieces of paper slapped on his legs. When their lights shone, Calvin's speed increased, though he made sure to keep an eye out in case a monster wanted to ambush him.

Calvin's journey to the village center ended up uneventful. This was perhaps due to the fact that the village was still in the middle of changing and it hadn't fully changed yet. But Calvin knew that deep within this facade of peacefulness was a storm ready to burst at any moment.

He reckoned that once the balanced tipped over in favor of the disciple of Pestilence and Famine, the disciple would immediately unleash this storm.

He could only imagine the consequences if these monsters got out of the outside world.

Considering how not even a fraction of the population knew about the supernatural due to the church's strict regulations, the common people would definitely suffer. Calvin couldn't let that happen at all costs.

Thinking about the possible damages, Calvin was suddenly reminded of that particular eye-catching news that he had read in the Joselian Times newspaper back at the previous timeline.

The space occupied by that news in the column was only as big as Calvin's fist, yet the news it contained was as earth-shattering as the invasion of the Sucklings.

If he recalled correctly, the news depicted the invasion of a strange epidemic that turned every human being into mindless monsters with nothing but an insatiable desire for human flesh as their sustenance.

Calvin had thought back then that the Joselian Times newspaper must've exaggerated the issue since the Joselian Times was known throughout the land for its deceptive nature when it comes to journalism.

But now that Calvin was in this Village of Tulog and when he saw the existence of that Sinister Heart.

Calvin was now convinced that they weren't just bullshitting at that time.

And he couldn't help but curse.

"Fuck."

"If a Cardinal annihilated the village, yet it still managed to spread an epidemic, then this village must definitely be cleansed before it grows even further. What's inside that cocoon must never be born. Or else, it would be a huge disaster." Calvin thought to himself.

Using the route that he had outlined, he made a beeline for the village center, and there he saw both Heisenberg and Ricardo once more.

"Hey, old man... Is that Calvin?"

"Calvin? What are you talking about? He can't possibly be here so fast!" Heisenberg rolled his eyes at Ricardo. But when he saw Ricardo's serious expression, he followed Ricardo's line of sight, and there he saw Calvin waving his hand towards them.

"Shit, it's actually Calvin?"

Calvin was carrying with him a rucksack bag and as he leaped onto the rooftop, Heisenberg and Ricardo greeted him.

"How come you're here so fast?"

"That's a trade secret, old man." Calvin smiled.

"Where's that Presto guy?" Ricardo asked.

"Here he is..." Calvin patted the rucksack bag that he was carrying and turned to look at the deformed man, "I have the bones with me, what do we do now?"

The deformed man smiled, "All that we have to do is to talk to her again. We can summon her right now." Not any emotion could be derived from the deformed man's eyes as he said these words.

"All right, let's act fast. The village is already changing. I can feel it." Calvin commented.

"You can also feel it too? I thought I was the only one." Heisenberg stared at Calvin with wide eyes.

"Yeah... there's something sinister in the air and it's intensifying as the minute passes by." Calvin nodded.

Ricardo's expression was grim. Of course—as a member of one of the three Judiciaries—he knew what the three was talking about!

"Wait, wait, wait... Can we stop just for a moment?" Ricardo interrupted. He turned to look at Calvin and asked, "Calvin, miss Freya told you to bring over her lover to her, but what did you bring here? The bones of her lover? Have you ever considered what would happen if she realizes that her lover was long dead?"

Calvin let out a sigh and shook his head, "I know what are the consequences if she gets mad, but I don't think that lying to her would be a good solution either. It's better if she faces the truth and accepts it so that she could move on from her resentment and finally travel through the Yellow Springs."

Ricardo couldn't say anything anymore.

Calvin's words made sense. First of all, if they decided to lie to Freya. It would be discovered in an instant. After all, if she loved Presto so much, then it was impossible for her not to recognize who he was with a simple glance. In short, it was useless to bring a body double.

Unless Calvin had the ability to revive the dead, there was no way that they could deceive Freya that Presto was still alive.

Ricardo let out a sigh.

He felt that Freya was just too pitiful.

Drawing the sign of the God of Poison and Medicine on his chest, Ricardo prayed that the lovers could reunite in their next lives.

Having made a decision, Ricardo turned to look at the deformed man and said, "I'll bring you down again with the same method I used to bring you up here."

He took out his bow and used another Water Anchor Arrow to soften the deformed man's landing.

Calvin and Heisenberg jumped off the rooftop, with their physical capabilities... this feat wasn't that special.

Although Calvin had said that the village was starting to change...that change couldn't really be seen by the naked eye.

Only those that had exposure to supernatural activities could possibly sense it.

And which of them hadn't been exposed to the supernatural?

These four must've noticed that the village was starting to grow more sinister as time went by.

Their faces were solemn as they walked closer to the wooden platform at the village center.

"Miss Freya, I've done what you've asked me to do." Calvin softly mumbled.

There was no need to scream for Freya might think that he was being disrespectful.

When his words fell, a cold draft suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

The skies seemed to have darkened as the ethereal figure of Freya materialized above the wooden platform.

She was still floating in mid-air and her eyes were closed at this moment.

But as soon as her eyes opened, her gaze focused on Calvin—specifically, on the rucksack bag that Calvin held in his arms.

"P-Presto...?" Her voice was hoarse as her figure trembled. She could feel a familiar presence inside the rucksack bag, yet she wasn't willing to believe it.

"W-Where is he? Didn't I ask you to bring him over here?"

Freya's eyes turned blank, the ethereal light that covered her body seemed to have turned dim as she quivered like a sieve. The cold draft became even colder to the point that Ricardo and Heisenberg could see their breaths turning into mists in front of them.

Noticing that Freya was powerful enough to make the temperature in the area drop several degrees lower...

Heisenberg and Ricardo couldn't help but feel nervous.

They wished that Calvin could go about informing Freya of Presto's fate in an empathic and gentle manner. But as soon as Calvin's next words rang out... the two almost keeled over onto the floor from shock.

"I brought him with me."

Calvin calmly announced as he presented the rucksack bag in front of Freya.

"No... you're lying... Where is he? How could he fit in a bag when he's a grown man full of dreams and ambitions? You're lying... give him to me!" Freya's pupils turned darker than black as the cold draft seemed to have turned into a fierce gale.

Heisenberg and Ricardo staggered backward as the Mana inside their bodies churned and protected them from the onslaught of the wind.

Only Calvin remained steadfast in the face of the fierce winds. He stood there, without even protecting himself as the sharp winds scratched him all over his body.

"You... Why are you standing there? Why are you not trying to protect yourself?" Freya asked with a look of astonishment on her face.

She knew just how powerful she was, so she understood that an average human being would be shredded to pieces if they stood just for a fraction of a second inside the winds that she had created.

Clearly, Calvin wasn't an average man since he was still standing. But not being an average man didn't mean that he was invincible.

For Freya, Calvin was just a sturdier man than the others. In short, he was still human and could crumble at any second under her might. Yet, what was he doing just standing there?

Does he want to die?

Freya was asking this question in her mind.

"This is because I want to show you my sincerity, miss Freya."

"Your sincerity?" Freya was confused.

"Yes..." Calvin lightly smiled, "I came here not to cause trouble and to lie. My intention is nothing but to reunite you and your lover in the afterlife. This is why I brought him over here."

"Presto, your lover..."

"He loves you so much that he blamed himself for your disappearance. In the end, he couldn't handle the grief and he hanged himself the next day."

"His parents tried to bury him under the shade of his favorite tree, but the tree that he painstakingly cared of since he was young unexpectedly withered so his parents could only bury him under the family tree. I'm sure that Presto's dissatisfied and he doesn't want to be buried under his favorite tree if you are not beside him."

"It is his wish to be with you and that is why he refused to be buried," Calvin said, nary a trace of deceit and subterfuge on his face.

"P-Presto..." Freya's expression changed into a heartbroken one as the winds that battered the group mysteriously disappeared.

Heisenberg and Ricardo let out a sigh of relief as they watched Freya take the rucksack bag from Calvin's hands and hold it in her arms.

There was a loving look on her face as well as joy.

Alas, it might've taken too long—but the two were finally reunited.

"Old man, are you tearing up?" Ricardo noticed that Heisenberg seemed to be emotional.

"Tearing up? What are you talking about? Some dust just got in my eye."

Heisenberg glared at Ricardo.

Freya held the bones of her lover in her arms. Presto seemed to have recognized the warmth that wrapped around his bones as they started to slowly disintegrate into dust and fuse with Freya.

"Presto... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been headstrong into going out for a hunt that day... If I acted more feminine, then all of these wouldn't happen... It's my fault, Presto... I hope that you can forgive me."

Calvin let out a smile on his face.

He was happy that the lovers were finally reunited.

Freya could also finally move on, and with her disappearance—the curse should vanish with her.

"Thank you..." Freya stared at Calvin.

Having come to terms with the reality of her situation, Freya was now prepared to travel through the Yellow Springs. In fact, there was this tinge of excitement on her face as if she couldn't wait to reunite with her lover on the other side of the shore.

Calvin simply nodded as a response to her words as Freya's ethereal body seemed to become more transparent.

Eventually, her body shattered and turned into innumerable light crystals that vanished towards the skies.

Reunited with her lover and her unfinished business done, the so-called Saintess of Death had finally moved on.

Except...

The deformed man started laughing.

"Hahaha..."

"To think that for a member of the Cavaliers, you would be so stupid as to make a decision to actually bring over Presto's bones to her and let her move on." A crazed look surfaced on the deformed man's face as he continuously trembled amidst his wild laughter, "Really... I should thank you for what you have done."

"To be honest, when I fused that woman with that thing... I hadn't expected that she would be able to overcome the influence of that thing with her willpower alone and her desire to reunite with her lover. I was actually trying to find a way to recover Presto's bones by myself, but I made that pact with that hateful woman!"

"If I tried to retrieve Presto's bones, then she would definitely stand in my way..."

"But fortunately..."

"You were stupid enough to do the job that I always wanted to do and that is why I must express my gratitude to you, Calvin Villanueva..."

The deformed man gave Calvin a meaningful look.

"I knew it, so you are the disciple of Pisti?" Calvin chuckled.

The deformed man's pupils constricted as he instantly raged, "You do not have the right to speak 'Her' name like that!"

"I already knew what was going on... You had blown your cover by not doing a good job of hiding those things up above the clouds. But are you sure that you are going to use them?"

"The Goddess of Pestilence and Famine's aura signature is too recognizable..."

"Are you not afraid that the Cardinal himself will come here to cleanse everything in this village? I don't think that you would be willing to see all of your plans destroyed given that you have prepared them for a long time." Calvin smiled.

The deformed man boisterously laughed, "That's right, I will not be using those pests up above. But rest assured, the army that I had prepared beforehand and her help is enough to defeat you!"

When his words fell, the village suddenly came alive. The doors of the houses in the area swung open as the villagers walked out one by one with this crazed look in their eyes.

Furthermore—above the wooden platform—the image of a woman was slowly taking shape.

"Impossible!" Heisenberg gasped in shock, "I know for sure that she had already moved on! Why is she still..." Heisenberg couldn't continue his sentence anymore as a woman who looked terrifyingly similar to Freya materialized in front of them.

The only difference that this woman had from Freya was that her body was covered with a nauseating jet-black Nether Qi and that there was a swarm of locusts around her body.

"I knew it... The sinister being hiding in Freya's body all this while is the Queen of Plague!"

A grim look appeared on Calvin's face as he bitterly laughed.

The Queen of Plague was the symbol of death and disease in spirit form. In essence, she deserved to be called the Saintess of Death!

[S-Tier Quest: Exodus has been updated]

[Survive until daybreak.]

[Bonus: Destroying the plans of the disciple of Pestilence and Famine as well as revealing his identity will grant massive rewards!]

[Additional Rewards: Cleansing the entire Village of Tulog from all impurities will grant another reward in addition to the bonus. Completing this condition will automatically grant the user the massive rewards from the bonus!]