Forsaken Priest of the Hero's Party-Chapter 80: Longing

“Her Highness the Princess is greedy.”

That was how I saw her.

She tried to hide it, but no one could fully conceal their true nature.

Her eyes showed a desire for me despite her efforts to hide it.

I ignored it out of respect for her attempts to hide it, pretending not to notice.

“She even told me about bringing you into the Imperial family, no matter the cost.”

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How many drinks had we shared? The alcohol flowed like tea, and though I felt drunk, my mind stayed clear.

It felt like a sign that ascension was near. Every significant change had its warning if you noticed it.

His Majesty flushed, but his eyes remained sharp. He wasn’t using magic to stay sober—just his strong will.

“Ardein, my daughter, is even considering proposing to you. But.. Does she truly desire you, or does she seek the power and miracles that you possess?”

“I didn’t know the princess held such a high opinion of me.”

It felt strange to imagine her loving me.

From what I sensed, she didn’t seem to have feelings for me as a person. If she did, it would only make things more complicated. I didn’t know when my ascension would happen.

And I didn’t give my feathers to anyone.

Above all, after ascension, someone was waiting for me by the Lord’s side. In a broad sense, she was a person.

I’m waiting for the day we will become a perfect pair.

The Holy Spirit, who conveyed hope, I wondered how the bluebird was doing.

Somehow, I missed her. Sometimes in her proper bird form, other times as a girl my age.

She had been my teacher and friend, who came to my side after I lost my parents and taught me how to use the power I received from my Lord. She declared that she had nothing more to teach me when I turned fifteen and ascended to Heaven.

“You’re thinking of another woman.”

And they caught me like a ghost.

“So you’re a womanizer. Who were you thinking of? That girl who follows you?”

“Roka is a child I must take care of, as the Lord took care of me. I was thinking of someone else. An old friend I’m separated from now.”

“ The current hero, Yurinel Lakponcia?”

It seemed His Majesty knew the story of Pumpkin Vine Village.

Yurinel and I were childhood friends, and it wasn’t a secret. The Imperial family could find the information without difficulty if they chose to. The fact that he learned the information in a short time meant Her Highness had told him everything.

“Yurinel is a friend I’ve missed, but we never made any promises for the future.”

“Can you tell me about this friend? It’s better to deal with these things before they get messy. Look at me. Women complicate relationships. Now, my children have made a mess of their lives. The only way to fix it would be to cut through it all.”

“She was a friend who stayed in my hometown for a while and left when the time came. She flew away, leaving only a promise to meet again someday.”

His Majesty’s sharp gaze made me add,

“She’s a friend I’ll never meet again until I follow my Lord and leave this world.”

“Do you love her?”

“Yes. But if you mean romantic love, I’m not sure. I need to see her again. I was so young back then.”

Tsk. His Majesty clicked his tongue.

“Well, that’s fine. Since you have someone, my daughter will suffer. I can do nothing if that someone is a divine being in heaven. Even as Emperor, some things are out of my hands. Life rarely goes as planned.”

“Her Highness will certainly find a good spouse.”

“But you haven’t answered me yet. How do you see my daughter? Don’t call her ‘greedy.’ That makes it sound like you don’t like her, right?”

That was not true.

Greed wasn’t always bad.

“There was a time when I didn’t understand it either.”

I used to see people who weren’t satisfied with what they had, always wanting more. I wondered why they didn’t stop to appreciate what they already had.

But that same desire made Yurinel a hero who protects the world.

She wasn’t perfect, but that was how things turned out. Although she had only fought for her success and glory, in the end, she became someone who helped everyone.

I didn’t regret leaving the village to follow Yurinel; I had learned so much during that journey.

Desire was like willpower—the force that drove people to dream and achieve.

It wasn’t good or bad on its own. If people treated it like evil, it could become harmful. But if someone guided it correctly, it could become a powerful force for good.

“Everyone has a desire to live. That’s the most basic desire. Once that’s fulfilled, people also want their loved ones to live well.”

“They chase things like money, power, or strength to make that happen. Sometimes, those tools become their main focus and attract others, but that’s normal. It’s part of being human.”

There was no point in judging desire as good or bad. Having desires and acting on them was a natural part of life.

Even a beast had desires, and a plant stretched toward the sun. So, would humans have been indifferent to desire? If you denied that, you couldn’t move forward. You had to accept it and think about what came next.

“Your Majesty. That’s how the world is. It’s natural to cherish your child more than others, and it’s not something that needs fixing. I don’t think Her Highness is a philistine or a villain. She’s just honest about her greed.”

“Hoh?”

“Everyone has the right to pursue their desires. But some people try to crush the desires of others and take what belongs to them. That’s what’s truly evil. The Princess I’ve seen isn’t that kind of villain.”

His Majesty, who had been listening, said,

“No, that’s wrong. My daughter has a strong desire for fame and power and has hurt many people. So, by your words, we could call her a villain.”

I didn’t know the Princess before she had leprosy, so I didn’t have the right to judge.

But if she were like that, her struggle with the disease might not have been in vain.

“The girl I saw recently wasn’t as impulsive or violent as before. She would have run out with a sword if it had been before, saying she’d kill her brother. But she endured and listened to me. I don’t know if she’s matured with age or if her heart has changed after following you...”

His Majesty hesitated and continued.

“I don’t want her to go back to how she was. She’s my daughter, the one I love the most. I hoped that she would be with you. Even if she’s a philistine, if you are with her to guide her, won’t she stay a good philistine?”

Is it the Lord’s will to help others even if you had nothing, even if it meant digging up roots? Sure, such good deeds might have been nobler than the charity of the rich. But wanting everyone to think that way and preaching it didn’t seem like the Lord’s will.

Altruism should have been like the charity of the wealthy. First, you needed enough for yourself, and then you could help others with what you had left over. No one should have to force themselves to help others at the cost of their well-being.

Especially for me, since the Lord replenished what I lost. For me to tell someone not to have possessions would have been dishonest.

So I didn’t want Her Highness to give up everything she had. Even when the desire to climb higher crossed my mind, I didn’t feel bothered.

I wanted her to desire power while still helping others in the right way. I wanted her to grow her power and wealth and share it with others.

It seemed like His Majesty wanted the same thing.

“You say you have a lover, but she’s in heaven. Heaven and Earth are different, so is there a law that says you can’t have another lover on Earth?”

“Your Majesty, that’s not something I can say for sure.”

So, I can promise.

“I promise that whenever Your Highness asks for my advice, I will pleasurefully share my thoughts.”

“Haha, I would have been disappointed if you had accepted.”

His Majesty said, taking a drink.

“She’s my daughter, but she’s a rare beauty. Even though she’s a bit older, her beauty is so striking that she doesn’t fall behind younger girls.”

“Your refusal to marry a beautiful woman and gain power makes your words even more meaningful to me. I understand now. Since you said that, I won’t push you anymore.”

As the party was ending, a loud bang erupted from a distance.

The sound wasn’t that loud, but it surprised us.

Then, more explosions followed one after another.

“What’s going on? Could it be that child? But she wouldn’t have caused this without being ready unless she took the wrong medicine.”

“Your Majesty, you should move to a safer place.”

A man in a black martial arts uniform dropped from the ceiling and rushed to His Majesty.

His expression seemed off, and His Majesty noticed it too.

“Captain Albus, what’s happening? What’s causing all this noise?”

“I haven’t confirmed it yet. These explosions aren’t from the Imperial Palace. The protective magic circle works fine, and the capital has no issue. The explosions confuse everyone.”

“What do you mean? Where are the explosions coming from, then?”

“I can’t believe it, but the explosions are coming outside the capital.”

His Majesty was angry at the weak answer.

“If there were such a big explosion, you should be able to find the center of it. You should’ve seen it yourself!”

“It’s our fault. Please forgive us.”

“Find out what’s causing these explosions. The capital’s people will worry.”

“Your Majesty, we received an urgent message from the Republic.”

At that moment, a messenger ran in. He stumbled from running so fast and handed a document to His Majesty. His Majesty’s expression changed after reading it.

“A request from the Cidatel Republic to open the long-distance teleportation gate...? What’s going on? Is there a problem in the Republic, not the capital? Could someone connect these explosions...”

He tried to stay calm, but he shook his head.

“It can’t be. The Republic and the Empire are so far apart; how could news of trouble there reach here? In any case, it would have been better if I had died without delay. I’ve only started recovering, and now more problems have come up.”

It was clear that something big had happened.

And not just any problem, but a very big one.