Game of Divine Thrones Book 3 Chapter 67

Joanna, she was a wise and beautiful Queen.

She would often advise King Frey the Honorable, and upon his death had done everything she could to protect her son from the ravenous nobles.

It was due to this, that these same nobles had taken such harsh actions against her. They insisted that she was suffering from a mental trauma and would have to be confined to her chamber for her own safety. Eventually it went as they planned, and Joanna had been helpless to stop the poisoning of her own son.

Perhaps she was the biggest victim of this entire attempted coup.

“Ever since he was a boy, John has been quite different from his father Frey. He had a big, but fragile ego, always seeking attention.”

Joanna led him down the dark, secret passage as she reminisced about the past. She had yet to get past the sadness of losing her son.

“It isn't your fault that he is dead.”

“No, if I had been more assertive from the very start, perhaps things might have turned out differently. I  was too naive and should have notice Count Gwain's ambitions ever since Frey had become bedriddem.”

Joanna couldn't help but blame herself.

As he followed her, Woohyuk felt a pang of guilt. He had known the whole time that John was going to be poisoned.

'There's nothing I could do.'

Woohyuk returning to this timeline was all in order to put an end to these endless trials set by the Creator, to free everyone.

In order to achieve such a grandiose goal, some sacrifices were inevitable. It was a dilemma he would come across often in the coming years.

“There was this woman who was once betrayed by her own party. Unable to get over such an event, she had lived a wicked life ever since.”

Woohyuk broke the uncomfortable silence between them. It was the story of the Blood Queen Alice.

Woohyuk knew it well because he had faced off against her countless times in the past.

“Did you know her well.”

“Not really, she was more of an adversary.”

Alice had never trusted someone again. She went about killing everyone that irritated her, only creating vampire vassals. From then on she only acted in her own self interest.

It was the opposite case of Joanna.

“What ended up happening to her?”

“She conquered vast territories and rose to the position of Overlord, but that was all.”

Alice's attitude of resorting to any means to achieve her own goals, wasn't able to rally others to her cause.

No one wanted to be turned into a vampire against their will, and as such an anti-vampire alliance was formed. This resulted in her forces suffering numerous defeats due to being assaulted on all sides.

Eventually Woohyuk had been the one to drive a stake through her heart, leading to quite the pitiful end.

“Are you trying to say that even bad people don't necessarily have everything go as they want.?”

“Yes, that's right.”

Woohyuk had no idea how to comfort others. His experiences were limited to the 40 years he had spent on the battlefield. Still, his clumsy attempts at it were enough to touch Joanna.

“... Thank you for your concern, I haven't done anything to deserve this.”

She turned to look at Woohyuk who was following behind her. She was still wearing the Banshee's Veil and as such was invisible.

'Despite of his appearance, he is quite kind.'

Her first impression of him hadn't been all that good. Vicious eyes like those of a wolf, as well as a flat inhuman tone.

There had been nothing positive that she could take away from their first meeting, but her opinion was starting to change.

'Is he interested in me?'

She was still relatively young by this continent's standards. Even with their age gap, she would still maintain her youthful beauty for the next 150 years.

If Woohyuk was aiming to sit on the throne, what better way than to marry the Queen. Of course, a useless man like Arnold would give way to him either way.

As Joanna was thinking of such things, Woohyuk's eyes locked with hers.

'He can see me?'

Startled, she averted her gaze. She thought that Woohyuk had only managed to follow along based on the sound and footprints.

“Don't act so surprised, I have a unique ability.”

By using his Demonic Energy, many things were possible. Of course the range that he could control was still limited due to his low proficiency in its usage.

'Its particularly difficult here.'

Utilizing his Demonic Energy outside of his body was several times more difficult here because of the Dragon inscriptions set upon the castle walls. Basically he wouldn't be able to use any of Asura's abilities in the Rhine kingdom's underground dungeon.

Shortly after arriving at their destination, Woohyuk walked up to the red altar which stood in the centre of the chamber.

“What have you guys tried in order to gain access to the Clavis' family treasures?”

“Pretty much everything.”

At first we thought that it would require a sacrifice because of the altar. As such we brought goats as offerings, having our Court magician and High priests oversee the procedure.

As we struggled with several attempts, we even tried utilizing the blood of family lines which had participated in the downfall of the Ionel kingdom.

Unfortunately nothing had worked.

“So you're saying that no ordinary method has worked.”

Woohyuk nodded, as he placed his hand upon the red altar.

A slight flow of magic.

To his experienced eyes, he who had cleared countless Historical Sites in his lifetime, it didn't feel like anything special.

“Perhaps it is simply a place built to cherish her memory, like a mausoleum.”

It sounded like a legend, the treasure of a royal family being stashed away. After all, the downfall of the Ionel kingdom was something that had occurred centuries ago.

There was still ongoing controversy within the Holy Church about the exact date of the Great God and Demon war, but at the very least it would have predated it. 

This was all Joahnna's thinking.

Woohyuk however approached the problem from a different perspective.

'The existence of this treasure dungeon could only have been known later on.'

No one would have been able to enter this place until the end of the Great God and Demon war, because Drakia would have been here guarding it.

The reason only the Devos' family knew of this secret was that they might have found an object connected to it since they had been the first to enter.

If it had been but a rumor, it would have long ago become public knowledge, and yet it's existence had been kept secret all these years.

'There was someone who already found a way in.'

Count Ludwig. Isaac, who at the time had been the Captain of the Teutonic Knights, has mentioned that the Count had learned of this place from torturing Joanna.

A few days later they entered with the army, able to seize some treasures. Of course, the actual method used to enter had always been kept secret.

“I'll have to do my own tests.”

His eyes shining with excitement, Woohyuk examined the chamber's stone wall with his Archaeologist's Golden Magnifying Glass.

It was an object that could not only be used to verify an item's authenticity, but also its characteristics. Through it, he could discover hidden engravings or arrays.

'Surely there must be a clue somewhere.'

The Demon that had sided with Count Ludwig wouldn't have been able to step foot in here. Unless one was on the level of the 72 Demon Kings, they wouldn't be able to resist the Dragon's magic.

Likewise Woohyuk was only able to use Asura's passive abilities, now that he was being suppressed.

In essence, it couldn't have been a Demon that had come here and forced its way in through brute force.

“How do you plan to rule the country after the war ends, Lord Regent. You appear to have a specific purpose in mind.”

Joana spoke as she watched Woohyuk continue to examine his surroundings, not once giving up.

It was what she was most curious about. He was a man with many sides to him, so she couldn't help but anticipate his response.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to claim that the current Rhine kingdom had risen to its current status due to King Frey and herself. Naturally she was deeply vested into its future.

“Firstly we must educate and recruit competent officials to strengthen our internal system.”

“After that?”

“National prosperity and military power. Because our kingdom is a peninsula, increasing maritime trade with various countries would be an important step forward. Also, the kingdom's military system needs to be overhauled and expanded, while we will also introduce new educational institutions.”

Woohyuk had already planned it all in advance, leaving Joanna speechless by his leadership qualities.

'This man has the making of a true monarch.'

She had thought that he only excelled in swordsmanship, but it now appeared that his prowess extended to politics as well. He was on a level that he wouldn't require her advice.

If he truly were to take the throne, the Rhine kingdom would likely enjoy many years of prosperity. As she thought until that point, Joanna retrieved a silver cross.

“It's a keepsake left to me by King Frey upon his death. It is said to be a royal family heirloom which is passed down from generation to generation.”

At the time of his death, John had been too young, so King Frey had chosen to leave the silver cross with Joanna.

Although its purpose was unknown, it was said to be connected to the old Clavis royal family.

[Unidentified Silver Cross]

Category:    Personal Item

Effect:        Increased the owner's resistance to Curse magic by 10%.  Capable of revealing what is hidden if the proper method is used.

'It's a Holy Artifact.'

As he accepted the Silver Cross from Joanna, Woohyuk couldn't help but examine it curiously.

On the Eeth continent, the cross was a symbol of peace and salvation. It was mostly used in ceremonies, but when it came to high grade Holy Artifact's, it could also contain spiritual powers.

As Woohyuk used his Magnifying Glass to examine the cross, the white text was updated.

[Queen Iona's Guardian Cross]

Category:    Personal Item

Effect:        By proving your sacred lineage, you can access the Historical Site built by Drakia. Reduces the ability of Dark magic by 20% within a 1 meter radius.Increased the owner's resistance to Curse magic by 10%. 

'I didn't think that there would be something like this.'

Perhaps the entrance to the royal tomb would only be accessible to someone of the Clavis family line, but who could it be?

At the very least it wasn't like there was anyone walking around with the Clavis family name.

'They might not even know it themselves.'

It was a strong possibility since their family name had likely been changed a long time ago, so it would be quite difficult to find them. This was particularly true for female descendants, since they would take the husband's name upon marriage.

'Still, they must be closer than one would think.'

At least he was aware that Count Ludwig had managed to open the tomb in a matter of days, so Iona's descendants couldn't be too far.

Woohyuk turned to look at Joanna.

“Did you say you were a princess from the Lydia kingdom?”

“Yes, I am from the Borges family.”

The Lydia kingdom might have been a good place for members of the fallen Clavis family to hide given its proximity. Perhaps even a political marriage between the two countries had taken place before their downfall.

Of course these were nothing but conjectures, but they were plausible nonetheless.

“Come here for a bit.”

If Joanna truly had Queen Iona's blood running through her veins, they could open the royal tomb right here and now.

The problem is the method.

To prove her ancestry, she would have to be sure of her identity.

As he had an idea, Woohyuk led Joanna to the red altar.

“Did you discover something?”

“From now on, you need to think of yourself as a descendant of the Clavis family.”

“Oh, I don't quite understand….”

“Even if it's hard to understand, please believe in me.”

It was worth a shot. No one had been able to enter the tomb before because none had claimed to be of the Clavis line.

Perhaps Count Ludwig had in the past reached the same conclusion he had, Woohyuk thought as he began the ritual.

'It's been a long time since I've seen this kind of magic array.'

It was quite common for access to a Royal tomb to require one to prove that they are of royal blood.

As such, experienced adventurers like Woohyuk were well aware of what was required.

Once everything was set up, Woohyuk asked Joanna to activate the magic array.

“Go for it.”

“...Alright.”

Joanna nodded as she stood within the magic array with a skeptical expression. She then pricked her finger with a dagger, dropping some blood on the array.

Saaaahac

As the white magic array absorbed the drops of blood, it began to shine red. Seeing the change, Joanna chose to speak confidently.

“I'm Joanna Clavis, descendant of the great Queen Iona. I ask that my identity be recognized and receive my rightful inheritance.”

Although legally speaking she was still Joanna Devos, she would still regain her previous name since her husband had already died.

If her lineage was now confirmed, she could even assume the name of Joanna Clavis. Therefore, there was nothing wrong with her last declaration.

As Woohyuk stared at Joanna with a look of curiosity.

Srrrrrk

A part of the stone ground gave way, as a staircase leading underground appeared right before the red altar.

After peeking inside, he reached out to Joanna.

“Let's go in together.”

Since it was a place which was designed to only be accessed by Clavis family descendants, it would be better to enter accompanied by Joanna.

There may even be more hidden treasure found inside the Historical Site.

“Alright.”

Joanna nodded, having no intention of rejecting.

She even became curious about her own ancestral line.

The sounds of their footsteps echoed across the walls as the two descended further underground.

Chapter end