Arcanum: Chaos Path

Chapter 449 William I, who betrayed the witch

George III was stunned. He stared at William I in shock, unsure whether he was shocked by William's words or by the fact that William could still laugh under such circumstances.

"...I don't understand. If our ancestors had already sensed the existence of a powerful being that wouldn't allow any of this to happen, why didn't they just tell us to stop our actions to avoid angering the other side?" After a brief moment of shock, George III suddenly realized something and looked at William I with a puzzled expression.

“There must be a villain in a fairy tale, and we are that villain,” William I said quietly, looking at George III.

"Many things cannot be undone by stopping them now. We have already become the villains. If we don't go all the way now, how can we make them heroes?"

As the first in the sequence, William I was able to keep many things from Him when He was willing to investigate, and it was because of this that He learned a lot and understood the other party's intentions.

What the being who united the gods needed was not for Augustus to repent, but for Augustus to be slain as a dragon, thus bringing about a complete and utter change to society.

William I saw this, so he chose to cooperate with the other side.

Not for any other reason than to seek survival in the face of death.

George III was genuinely perplexed; he couldn't understand what his ancestors were thinking.

What is this, sacrificing oneself for the sake of others?

“No, only in this way can those innocent people in Odustu who were never involved in these things survive better.” William I naturally saw George III’s doubts, but then, disregarding this good-for-nothing descendant, he looked in a certain direction and said:

Are you satisfied with the ending I've given to this story?

"...I must say, this is a bit beyond my expectations. As expected, there are no fools among those who can become angels, except for Little An." Roland smiled as he stepped out of the shadows. He had naturally arrived here long ago, originally intending to deal with Augustus as soon as the revolution began. He didn't expect to hear such a conversation.

"Good day, Your Excellency. May I ask how I should address you?" William I glanced at Rowling, then lowered his eyes as if burned, and asked.

“You can call me Lucifer,” Rowling smiled and said, “or Lucifer.”

Upon hearing this name, William I did not show much surprise. He had some suspicions about it, but he respectfully replied, "Your Majesty Lucifer, I know your will. You want to bring about a complete change to this society. I have no intention of stopping you, nor can I stop you."

“Augustus can fully cooperate with Your Majesty’s any actions, including sending guilty family members to the guillotine. I only ask that you forgive those Augustus who have never committed any evil deeds and give them a chance to live as ordinary people. They are unaware of those plots and have never committed any crimes.”

William I was a witness to the War of the Four Emperors, so he knew very well what would happen to the royal family members after the overthrow of the monarchy.

The once illustrious Tudor family is now almost extinct, and Solomon, who once dominated the northern continent, is now reduced to the King of the Five Seas.

Augustus, however, would suffer an even more devastating fate than they did.

William I did not want this to happen, but he could not fight against Rowling, so he chose to fight for survival.

"...I am not a bloodthirsty person. If it were Augustus who had not committed any crimes, he could naturally live as an ordinary person. I can assure you that no one will hunt them down." Roland smiled. He really had no intention of exterminating Augustus.

After all, he wasn't afraid of Augustus's restoration, and not everyone in the Augustus family was guilty. For example, the prince who became the scapegoat in the original story was obviously unaware of the Black Emperor's affairs. He might be guilty, but not guilty enough to warrant death.

“…Thank you for your kindness.” William I visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

Rowling looked at Him with interest and suddenly asked, "And you, William, are you really willing to make your exit as a villain?" William remained silent, his hands clenched tightly at his sides, so tightly that blood could be seen dripping down.

William I gave a self-deprecating laugh and said, "I am not reconciled."

He looked up at Roland, suddenly smiled, and said, "So I want to use my actions to exchange for a chance from you, a chance to live."

Rowling raised an eyebrow. Adhering to the principle of making use of waste, he never minded giving those who were willing to change a chance. This was true for the Pale Queen, and also for the people of the Rose School.

After all, no one's special abilities are as useful as others, and Rowling is always more merciful when it comes to useful utility characters.

In this situation, if William I were to learn from his mistakes and begin to atone for his past crimes, Rowling really wouldn't have any intention of killing him.

He's not that righteous.

So Rowling looked at William I and asked with interest, "What did you do?"

He could tell that the action William I was referring to was not one in which he had tacitly approved of it all.

“If I’m not mistaken, the person the War Angel is currently following is none other than you.” William I didn’t keep them in suspense and immediately replied, “You also know that the Witch Cult has been cooperating with us… Perhaps you would be interested in dealing a heavy blow to the Witch Cult?”

Rowling raised an eyebrow. He had to admit that William I had hit the nail on the head. If you asked Rowling what kind of organization he particularly disliked, the Witch Cult would definitely be one of them.

As for the eccentric Primal Witch, Rowling had long ago blacklisted her.

“I am indeed interested in this.” Rowling nodded with a smile, looking at William I and said, “But is it really okay for you to betray your own ally like this? Aren’t you afraid of losing points with me?”

William I paused for a moment, then took a deep breath and said, "That is, assuming they are truly allies."

Some things were unclear before the investigation, but after the investigation, William I also had some realizations, such as the fact that the Primal Witch did not seem to really want the Black Emperor to be born.

The Witch Cult's cooperation with them may have been a deception from the very beginning, designed to exploit the Conqueror's traits.

Thinking of this, a hint of resentment, yet also a touch of pleasure, flashed in William I's eyes.

Roland stared at him for a few seconds, clearly understanding something, then smiled and continued:
“I will not kill you, but from this moment on, you must atone for all the sins you have committed in the past. Until your sins are atoned, if you choose to commit crimes again or run away, I will not give you a second chance.”

"Of course, if you're lucky enough, you might retain a part of your consciousness after being made into a sealing artifact," Roland said with a very bright smile.

“...Your will is my will.” William I felt a chill run down his spine and lowered his head as he spoke.

Rowling smiled, then his gaze fell on King George III beside him. The king clearly wanted to say something, but before he could speak, Rowling smiled and said:
"Prepare the guillotine as soon as possible. I hope that the story of George III and the guillotine can exist as a historical story in future textbooks for a long time to come."

There are some people that Rowling can give a chance to, and some he is unwilling to give a chance to.

He doesn't deny that he has double standards and is willful, but that's just who he is.

(End of this chapter)