Journey to Become the Zenith

Chapter 282: The Forbidden History

The Forbidden History

Ruby continued...

"Even with the rings that practically granted them an endless stream of mana..."

"Even with weapons blessed by the Gods and Goddess..."

"Even with abilities that stood at the peak of humanity..."

"They still lost."

The weight of those words settled heavily inside the room.

Brinda swallowed.

"Then just how strong was he?"

Ruby shook her head.

"No one truly knows."

"Most records describing the battle are incomplete."

Natalia nodded.

"Many were lost over time."

Ruby continued.

"Still, after the battle, the Demon Emperor did something nobody understood."

"What?" Videl asked.

"He returned the bodies of the six heroes to their families."

Everyone froze.

Ruby’s expression became complicated.

"He didn’t keep their weapons."

"He didn’t take the Rings of Venus."

"He simply returned everything."

Eon frowned.

"Why?"

"No one knows."

Natalia folded her arms.

"That question has been debated for centuries."

Clara looked thoughtful.

"That doesn’t sound like the actions of a tyrant."

Ruby sighed.

"That’s exactly why historians argue about it."

The room fell silent once more.

Videl’s confusion only deepened.

The more she learned, the less everything made sense.

Finally, she asked the question lingering in her mind.

"Tell me."

Everyone looked toward her.

"Who exactly is this Demon Emperor Anos?"

Her blue eyes narrowed.

"Is he famous?"

"Why haven’t I heard of him before?"

Natalia and Ruby exchanged another glance.

This time Natalia answered.

"Well, the records regarding Demon Emperor Anos can only be accessed by holy maidens, high priests, and certain members of royal families."

"What?"

"Each kingdom possesses its own restricted archives."

Videl frowned.

"Why?"

Ruby opened her mouth.

Then closed it.

Natalia smiled mysteriously.

"That’s a difficult question."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I know the answer."

"And?"

"And I might tell you."

Videl suddenly had a bad feeling.

Natalia stepped closer.

Her smile became sweeter.

"If you become my hero, I’ll answer that question."

Ruby’s eyes widened.

"You shameless woman!"

Natalia looked innocent.

"What?"

"You’re recruiting him again!"

"Obviously."

Ruby immediately moved beside Videl.

"I’m offering the same thing."

Natalia stared.

Ruby crossed her arms proudly.

"If you want, even if you don’t become my hero, I’ll still tell you a little about Demon Emperor Anos."

Natalia’s eye twitched.

"You traitor."

"I’m being generous."

"You are cheating."

Ruby smiled brightly.

"I learned from the best."

Natalia summoned her weapon.

A dangerous smile appeared on her face.

"What are you saying, you cow woman? If Lady Videl wants to hear about Demon Emperor Anos, she could just come to me. I’ll even give her something extra while telling the story."

She deliberately licked her finger.

Ruby immediately summoned her own weapon.

"What are you saying, you b*tch!"

The temperature in the room instantly rose.

Mana began crackling.

Videl’s expression went blank.

Eon took three steps backward.

Brinda grabbed popcorn from somewhere nobody understood.

"This is getting good."

"It is not getting good," Clara replied.

Before the two holy maidens could start fighting, Videl quickly stepped between them.

"Stop!"

Both women froze.

Videl sighed.

"We are standing beside an unconscious Guild Master."

"..."

"..."

"Can we not destroy the room?"

The two holy maidens reluctantly lowered their weapons.

For now.

Meanwhile, Clara watched the entire fiasco unfold.

Then she let out a long, exhausted sigh.

As a former secretary of Isabella, she knew exactly how much work would pile up if nobody handled things.

The Guild Master was unconscious.

The city had just survived an undead dragon attack.

Reports needed to be filed.

Adventurers needed instructions.

The vice guild leader needed to be informed immediately.

"I can’t believe I’m doing paperwork again."

Brinda laughed.

"You sound miserable."

"I am miserable."

Without waiting for a response, Clara turned and headed toward the door.

Before leaving, she glanced once toward Isabella.

"Get better soon, you lazy idiot."

Then she shook her head and left the room to report the current situation to the vice guild leader.

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While Clara was reporting to the vice-guild leader, Videl and the others went to another room.

The resting area reserved for guild employees had become a little crowded after Isabella’s return. Since both Lane and Isabella were currently unconscious and recovering, the group decided to leave them undisturbed.

The room they moved into was located on the second floor of the Adventurers’ Guild.

It wasn’t particularly luxurious.

A long wooden table occupied the center of the room. Several cushioned chairs surrounded it. Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting warm golden rectangles across the polished floorboards. The faint scent of tea leaves lingered in the air, likely from meetings held there earlier in the day.

The atmosphere felt strangely calm compared to the chaos they had experienced only hours ago.

Videl sat near the window, her sapphire-blue eyes fixed on the afternoon sky outside.

Ruby and Natalia took seats across from one another at the wooden table.

Brinda wasted no time dragging her chair beside Videl, ignoring the amused looks she received from the two holy maidens.

Eon settled quietly against the wall nearby, his attention focused on the discussion that was about to begin.

Not far away, Lane rested peacefully on a couch. Her breathing was steady, showing signs of gradual recovery, though she remained unconscious.

Once everyone had settled into their seats, Ruby and Natalia exchanged a glance. After a brief moment of silent communication, both holy maidens came to a decision.

It was time to reveal a small part of the truth regarding Demon Emperor Anos.

Though some information could not be divulged to ordinary people, most of the information regarding Demon Emperor Anos was not actually dangerous by itself.

The dangerous part was everything surrounding him.

Natalia exchanged a glance with Ruby.

Ruby gave a small nod.

"We can tell them a little."

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Authors Notes: Dear Readers, Thanks so much for joining me on this adventure! Your enthusiasm, feedback, and encouragement really keep me motivated to keep bringing *Journey to Become the Zenith* into existence. If you’re loving the Chapters, I’d love it if you supported my book with a Powerstone, review, or even a Golden Ticket—it helps me develop as a writer and lets more readers enjoy the story. I look forward to hearing your ideas and thoughts, so please don’t hesitate to share!

With love,

Scorpio_saturn777

Creator of Journey to Become the Zenith

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