My days were filled only with walking around the coliseum. The soldiers of The Graendall no longer watched me constantly; they simply passed by and responded only as needed when I asked something. I began to feel comfortable being here.
When would I be able to explore this land? I had seen that the scenery of Grivendal in The Mayhem was quite beautiful—green hills accompanied by vast wheat fields, vegetable and fruit plantations unique to this planet, and wide stretches of flower fields.
The residential areas here were also still considered not too crowded, with only a few cities featuring medieval-style buildings, castles, and no skyscrapers. Even so, technology here was highly advanced in science and defense, but socially they still adopted simple traditions. It seemed that the culture and social structure similar to ancient Roman Empire had been preserved for thousands of years until now. It felt as if I had entered a fairy-tale world and no longer wished to return to my own.
This morning I planned to visit Hellraider again in his room. Hopefully he would say something new to me. When Gruzhnil brought food yesterday, Hellraider had immediately approached and accepted it. That alone showed that Gruzhnil had managed to win a bit of Hellraider's heart, even if his life had been the stake. I also had to make Hellraider pay attention to me in my own way—one that was not as confrontational or as brutal as Gruzhnil's.
Just as I was about to leave, there was a knock on the door. Someone called my name and made sure that I was already awake. It was Grelmure's voice, and I immediately opened the door. He looked pleased to see that I was in good condition. He then asked me to follow him again.
"Are we visiting Hellraider's room again, Sir Grelmure? I already know the way," I asked to make sure.
"Ahhh… today I will take you to a more special place, Johann," Grelmure said cheerfully, his smile showing his teeth.
I simply followed him, accompanied by a strong sense of curiosity. Where was he taking me that made him say such a thing? I actually trusted Grelmure as a good person, and I believed he would not bring me somewhere strange or dangerous.
We walked until we exited the coliseum. In front of the coliseum's exit gate stood a Graendall space shuttle. The soldiers there immediately saluted Grelmure by clenching both fists—left hand behind the waist, right hand lightly striking the left chest. Grelmure returned the same salute. Then we all boarded the shuttle.
The shuttle rose vertically and took off into the air. During the flight, I looked at the scenery of Grivendal through the window. What existed in The Mayhem truly matched what was here, in stark contrast to what I had seen in hell. I had also once bought The Mayhem illustration book, and the city details were truly identical. Indeed, in the gameplay, Hellraider could not freely walk around this region. He was limited to places such as the coliseum, The Graendall's main headquarters, and the imperial palace.
As our shuttle flew into a dense urban area, I looked ahead and realized that we were heading toward the imperial palace. My heart pounded hard—this was really happening. I was going to meet Emperor Gregustus. But why was Grelmure escorting me instead of Commander Gruzhnil? Was he already there? Would Hellraider also meet the emperor?
I recalled The Mayhem lore again. If I remembered correctly, it was Emperor Gregustus himself who granted Hellraider rank and inducted him into The Graendall. That happened after their first successful expedition to hell, which ended with minimal casualties and brought back extremely valuable information—a new resource from hell's soil. The Graendall was deeply impressed by Hellraider's combat ability in exterminating countless monsters there.
Our shuttle landed at the rear of the massive and magnificent imperial palace. We disembarked and were welcomed by many nobles and high-ranking military officials. I felt deeply embarrassed because I was still wearing these clothes. Why had Grelmure informed me so suddenly and not provided proper attire before bringing me here?
The palace building looked very similar to what appeared in the game—an ancient Roman imperial style, but with dark blue and golden-yellow hues. Many statues, ornaments, and banners shaped like or depicting lions adorned the roads and palace walls. I entered the palace and walked deeper inside until we finally reached Emperor Gregustus's throne room.
The room was vast and majestic, filled with many guards and attendants. I could say this palace was larger than any of the three rulers' domains in the parts of hell I had already entered. Grelmure and I walked along the throne carpet toward the seat where Emperor Gregustus sat. I saw the emperor more clearly now, and once again he looked exactly like his depiction in the game.
Although Emperor Gregustus was middle-aged, he still possessed a tall, firm, and muscular build. His golden crown was unique, shaped like tree branches encircling his slightly gray long hair. I knew from the lore that Gregustus bore the title "Master of Spearman," as he was the most skilled with the spear.
He had once been a supreme military commander, replaced by Gruzhnil upon ascending the throne. Grivendal's power structure was heavily determined by The Graendall. From one of The Mayhem's side-stories, I learned that the military order existed even before the empire itself. Almost every generation of Grivendal emperors had been part of The Graendall, inherited through the same bloodline.
I recalled Gruzhnil's words that he was not a noble at all, which aligned with that side story. Gruzhnil came from the lower class and was once greatly feared for his physical strength and temperamental nature.
He joined the military order after fighting in the Judgement Arena, where he quickly annihilated all his opponents. Within the military structure, he was known only as a true warrior, constantly deployed to conflict zones for territorial expansion.
Gruzhnil earned the title "Warhammer of Judgement," wielding a huge and deadly hammer meant for two hands but easily handled with one, while the other held a technological shield said to be nearly impenetrable. Throughout his military career, he had led three expeditions into hell. To me, he was a second Hellraider—yet one bound by knightly principles and authority.
However, I did not see Commander Gruzhnil here at all.
Grelmure began to salute Emperor Gregustus, and I reflexively followed his gesture. The emperor asked us to rise. He introduced himself with the same name. Then he stood from his throne and descended the steps toward us.
"Let us move to the right side," said Emperor Gregustus in the voice of a wise and humble middle-aged man.
In a smaller room with a door that opened directly onto the palace balcony, the emperor sat and invited Grelmure and me to sit as well.
"I prefer to speak personally here rather than in my throne room," the emperor said.
The emperor explained that he had received many reports and personally witnessed much of what had happened, especially regarding Hellraider and me—from our discovery in hell, the Judgement Arena events, to the deadly duel between Gruzhnil and Hellraider.
He said all these events were truly extraordinary and unprecedented in Grivendal's history. The reason he invited me was because I was considered more understandable and communicative than Hellraider. I was not surprised to hear that.
Emperor Gregustus said that even he himself would not be able to persuade Hellraider. He believed Hellraider was nearly incapable of accepting the presence of others around him.
"I do not mean to belittle you, young man. But it seems you are the only one capable of bridging his thoughts for us to understand, even with your physical condition," Emperor Gregustus said.
I did not feel offended by his words and fully understood my position here. The problem, however, was how I could understand Hellraider's mind when he himself refused to speak to me like a normal person.
I sensed that the purpose of this meeting was to assign me the task of understanding and persuading Hellraider to join The Graendall and strengthen their military might.
My heart stood at a crossroads. On one hand, I wanted to understand and guide Hellraider so he could live and interact like a normal human, even if I could never fully erase his violent instincts.
On the other hand, I did not want him to be exploited as a symbol of military power. To me, The Graendall's strength was not embodied by one or a few individuals, but by the entirety of its soldiers. Once again, I could not offer any argument to Emperor Gregustus.
"Your Majesty, Emperor Gregustus, I will continue to do my utmost and as quickly as I can. Even though I am not a native of Grivendal, I will still contribute," I said convincingly.
The emperor smiled and nodded, seemingly pleased that I understood where this conversation was heading. Suddenly, someone approached the emperor—it was Princess Glynpatra. In the game, she had short brown hair like mine. But when I saw her with my own eyes…
She had long hair, an even more beautiful face, and a resemblance to my late mother.
I stared at Princess Glynpatra as if I were seeing my mother alive again—wanting to hug her and cry because I missed my mother so deeply. As if sensing my gaze, she glanced toward me. I immediately turned away, blushing in embarrassment. How could I, a mere foreigner, stare so boldly at the emperor's daughter?
Yet I had to admit that besides being graceful and beautiful, Princess Glynpatra was also a commander, though ranked below Gruzhnil. In the side story, she bore the title "Arrow from Heaven," being the most skilled archer. Even though The Graendall used modern and futuristic weapons, she could fire arrows aided by magnifying lenses in her eyes, accurately striking targets kilometers away.
After conversing for some time, Grelmure and I were invited to have lunch by Emperor Gregustus. I hoped Hellraider could be there as well, eating together, if he could be more cooperative and set aside his suspicions as the emperor assumed.
Grelmure and I left the imperial palace and returned toward the coliseum. Along the way, Grelmure informed me that from now on I would no longer reside in the coliseum. I had been granted special housing near it.
I was shocked—happy, yet immediately burdened with a heavy thought. I suspected the emperor had taken a liking to me and placed hope in me to persuade Hellraider to join The Graendall. This would be a great responsibility, but I would not be alone, as Gruzhnil and Grelmure would support me.
We arrived at the coliseum as the sky turned to dusk. Yet it was unusually busy, with soldiers moving about. Grelmure tried to contact someone—likely a close associate—through the device in his ear that resembled an earphone. After asking and receiving an explanation, he smiled.
"Whoaa... there's another interesting event happening there. You'll be very interested to see it, Johann," Grelmure said.
I felt confused again about what could possibly interest me as we hurried into the coliseum. When we reached one of the stands near the arena, I realized what was "very interesting."
Commander Gruzhnil had been in the arena all day, observing two people engaged in combat training.
I saw that one fighter was an elite soldier, identifiable by the red mantle that marked him as a special elite unit of The Graendall. He wore The Graendall armor which had gold lining on it. He lay on the ground holding a training sword, panting heavily, his face badly bruised.
The opposing fighter, who had beaten him badly, still stood tall, holding a training sword with a sharp gaze.
And he was none other than Hellraider himself.