On the day Lang died, the capital. The nobles gathered one by one in the palace to attend the regularly held state council. Some of them were walking around chatting with acquaintances.
“Is the Duke of Belfort not attending this meeting either?”
“I guess so. This time, there were no agenda items directly related to the North, and no special instructions were given.”
When the old nobleman who was looking around asked, the other person shrugged and answered. These days, the road connecting the capital to the north has become much safer, but even just a year ago, many people lost their lives on that road.
Randall eventually chewed on the small curse and crumpled up the letter. Even if he tried to prove the existence of the pacifist demons, the number of twists had noticeably decreased recently. Even when twists did occur, they were all creatures that could not communicate. Furthermore, even if the pacifist demons were to be shown to the people by heaven, it was questionable whether the proposal for an agreement would be accepted.
‘...It is impossible to completely drive out the demons from this world.’
“Is the Duke of Belfort not attending this meeting either?”
“I guess so. This time, there were no agenda items directly related to the North, and no special instructions were given.”
When the old nobleman who was looking around asked, the other person shrugged and answered. These days, the road connecting the capital to the north has become much safer, but even just a year ago, many people lost their lives on that road.
Therefore, the northern nobles did not attend every time the State Council was held. However, they would only attend the meeting after receiving advance notice of the agenda from the royal family on days when there was an agenda directly related to the north, when a special agenda was discussed, or when the person in question requested it. Since this State Council meeting did not have any agenda related to the North or any notice of a special agenda, it was natural that the Northern nobles, including Randall, did not attend.
“Oh my, hello.”
“It’s been a long time. The liquor you sent me as a gift last time was truly amazing.”
Soon, the nobles who arrived at the conference hall began to greet each other and take their seats one by one. Among them, Count Florette was receiving greetings from so many people that it could be said that he was buried in the crowd. He was a capable person who had succeeded in various state-led businesses since his young age, and he also had an excellent personality and character. Many people wanted to be close to him, as even the King was very pleased with him.
“I understand that you are happy to meet us, but would you all please take your seats? It looks like His Majesty will be here soon.”
“Oh, my goodness. Look at my mind.”
“You are right. Everyone, please sit down.”
The others nodded in agreement at Count Florette’s smiling remark and took their seats. Not long after, the King appeared in the conference room, accompanied by the loud voice of his attendant. He looked unusually tired these days, and he placed one hand on his forehead and nodded.
“Are we all here? Then let’s begin.”
There was a small murmur from the nobles at his words. Count Florette raised his hand on their behalf and asked.
“His Highness the Crown Prince will not be attending the meeting today?”
“He has to investigate something separately, so he will have to skip today’s meeting.”
"Ah."
Only then did the nobles nod their heads. Since David had been absent from every State Council meeting since the southern conquest ended and he returned to the palace, they understood that it had to be something important. The subsequent meetings went smoothly, as there had been no prior notice of any other matters.
“Are these all the items on the agenda for today?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Then let’s call this meeting to a close...
As the meeting was almost coming to a close.
“Your Majesty, wait a moment.”
The chief of the court heard something from outside and quickly approached the King and whispered in his ear. The King looked surprised when he heard this and said:
“Everyone, stop for a moment. Listen.”
When the King suddenly stopped the meeting, the nobles blinked in bewilderment. But the next moment, they too, like the King, opened their eyes wide and looked at the door.
“I apologize for suddenly interrupting.”
The person who appeared in the conference room was Crown Prince David, who had left the room saying that he had something to investigate. He walked briskly into the conference room with a straight smile on his lips. The nobles wondered why he suddenly showed up when he had said he would not attend the meeting today.
“Oh my, hello.”
“It’s been a long time. The liquor you sent me as a gift last time was truly amazing.”
Soon, the nobles who arrived at the conference hall began to greet each other and take their seats one by one. Among them, Count Florette was receiving greetings from so many people that it could be said that he was buried in the crowd. He was a capable person who had succeeded in various state-led businesses since his young age, and he also had an excellent personality and character. Many people wanted to be close to him, as even the King was very pleased with him.
“I understand that you are happy to meet us, but would you all please take your seats? It looks like His Majesty will be here soon.”
“Oh, my goodness. Look at my mind.”
“You are right. Everyone, please sit down.”
The others nodded in agreement at Count Florette’s smiling remark and took their seats. Not long after, the King appeared in the conference room, accompanied by the loud voice of his attendant. He looked unusually tired these days, and he placed one hand on his forehead and nodded.
“Are we all here? Then let’s begin.”
There was a small murmur from the nobles at his words. Count Florette raised his hand on their behalf and asked.
“His Highness the Crown Prince will not be attending the meeting today?”
“He has to investigate something separately, so he will have to skip today’s meeting.”
"Ah."
Only then did the nobles nod their heads. Since David had been absent from every State Council meeting since the southern conquest ended and he returned to the palace, they understood that it had to be something important. The subsequent meetings went smoothly, as there had been no prior notice of any other matters.
“Are these all the items on the agenda for today?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Then let’s call this meeting to a close...
As the meeting was almost coming to a close.
“Your Majesty, wait a moment.”
The chief of the court heard something from outside and quickly approached the King and whispered in his ear. The King looked surprised when he heard this and said:
“Everyone, stop for a moment. Listen.”
When the King suddenly stopped the meeting, the nobles blinked in bewilderment. But the next moment, they too, like the King, opened their eyes wide and looked at the door.
“I apologize for suddenly interrupting.”
The person who appeared in the conference room was Crown Prince David, who had left the room saying that he had something to investigate. He walked briskly into the conference room with a straight smile on his lips. The nobles wondered why he suddenly showed up when he had said he would not attend the meeting today.
Soon, David stood before the King and bowed his head.
“I was rude enough to interrupt the meeting because it was an urgent matter. Please forgive me, Your Majesty.”
“Didn’t you say that you caught the tails of the dark bugs that were causing chaos in the capital last time? Did you arrest them?”
The nobles murmured at the King's words. David smiled and shook his head.
“We didn’t arrest them. We just followed them and found something.”
“What is it?”
“This is information about the magic circle connecting to Kelvetia, left behind by the companions of the Archmage ‘Alyssa’.”
"...What?"
A moment of stunned silence filled the conference room. But that was short-lived, as words soon burst forth in an explosion.
“What did you say, Your Majesty? Did you just say that this was the information left behind by Archmage Alyssa’s companion?”
“I understand that most of the materials from the Great War were lost and do not remain...!”
“That’s right. However, it seems that the Dark Bugs obtained this information and kept it secret. Unfortunately, it seems that there was no one with the ability to create this magic circle.”
David answered smoothly and gestured. An elderly, powerful magician who was almost like his right hand stepped forward and declared.
“There are no specific coordinates, but the three royal magicians, including myself, have already confirmed that the magic circle is functioning normally. It is definitely a magic circle leading to Kelvetia.”
"OMG...!"
The commotion grew even louder at the confirmation of the royal wizards. David avoided the eyes of others and let out a bitter laugh, then fixed his expression. He returned to his most serious face and held up a faded piece of paper.
“In addition, this was also discovered together with the magic circle data leading to Kelvetia.”
David solemnly read the words written on the paper.
“After a long study, I have come to one conclusion. If I kill the Demon King by splitting his heart into eight pieces, I can ‘annihilate’ the Demon Race. I can completely eliminate the beings that threaten humanity.”
“...”
“...This is an article found in Archmage Alyssa’s research journal.”
No one could easily open their mouths. For a long time, the demons had existed naturally like shadows and had harmed humans. Their hearts began to beat faster in response to the 'possibility' of being able to completely erase them from this world. It was a conditioned, reflexive desire that no human could help. They were the ones who had lost much over a long period due to the demons. David also knew that point exactly.
“Since the magic circle seems to be functioning normally, we can assume that the authenticity of this research journal is also clear.”
“...”
“So I earnestly ask you this.”
David put the paper down on the table and gritted his teeth with a gloomy expression.
“We no longer have to lose our precious things to those evil beings.”
“...”
“No more innocent lives will be lost. No more blood will be shed on this land.”
Several nobles closed their eyes and groaned at the intense anger and sorrow felt in his words. David looked at each and every noble in the conference room and spoke seriously.
“Just once.”
“...”
“One war could end all this tragedy.”
Thump, thump, thump.
“I was rude enough to interrupt the meeting because it was an urgent matter. Please forgive me, Your Majesty.”
“Didn’t you say that you caught the tails of the dark bugs that were causing chaos in the capital last time? Did you arrest them?”
The nobles murmured at the King's words. David smiled and shook his head.
“We didn’t arrest them. We just followed them and found something.”
“What is it?”
“This is information about the magic circle connecting to Kelvetia, left behind by the companions of the Archmage ‘Alyssa’.”
"...What?"
A moment of stunned silence filled the conference room. But that was short-lived, as words soon burst forth in an explosion.
“What did you say, Your Majesty? Did you just say that this was the information left behind by Archmage Alyssa’s companion?”
“I understand that most of the materials from the Great War were lost and do not remain...!”
“That’s right. However, it seems that the Dark Bugs obtained this information and kept it secret. Unfortunately, it seems that there was no one with the ability to create this magic circle.”
David answered smoothly and gestured. An elderly, powerful magician who was almost like his right hand stepped forward and declared.
“There are no specific coordinates, but the three royal magicians, including myself, have already confirmed that the magic circle is functioning normally. It is definitely a magic circle leading to Kelvetia.”
"OMG...!"
The commotion grew even louder at the confirmation of the royal wizards. David avoided the eyes of others and let out a bitter laugh, then fixed his expression. He returned to his most serious face and held up a faded piece of paper.
“In addition, this was also discovered together with the magic circle data leading to Kelvetia.”
David solemnly read the words written on the paper.
“After a long study, I have come to one conclusion. If I kill the Demon King by splitting his heart into eight pieces, I can ‘annihilate’ the Demon Race. I can completely eliminate the beings that threaten humanity.”
“...”
“...This is an article found in Archmage Alyssa’s research journal.”
No one could easily open their mouths. For a long time, the demons had existed naturally like shadows and had harmed humans. Their hearts began to beat faster in response to the 'possibility' of being able to completely erase them from this world. It was a conditioned, reflexive desire that no human could help. They were the ones who had lost much over a long period due to the demons. David also knew that point exactly.
“Since the magic circle seems to be functioning normally, we can assume that the authenticity of this research journal is also clear.”
“...”
“So I earnestly ask you this.”
David put the paper down on the table and gritted his teeth with a gloomy expression.
“We no longer have to lose our precious things to those evil beings.”
“...”
“No more innocent lives will be lost. No more blood will be shed on this land.”
Several nobles closed their eyes and groaned at the intense anger and sorrow felt in his words. David looked at each and every noble in the conference room and spoke seriously.
“Just once.”
“...”
“One war could end all this tragedy.”
Thump, thump, thump.
The sound of his heart beating grew louder, almost to the point where it could be heard by the person next to him. David slammed his fist on the desk and shouted loudly.
“The Duke of Belfort and I will take the lead. We will put an end to this terrible evil!”
“Right!”
“Long live His Highness the Crown Prince!”
“That’s right! I’m sick of funeral marches!”
“Elvarez, live forever!”
The nobles, unable to control their excitement, jumped up from their seats and cheered. Some even burst into tears of joy and hugged the people next to them. David looked around them with a satisfied face, and when he saw Count Florette, the only one among the nobles who was looking at him calmly, he flinched his shoulders.
“The Duke of Belfort and I will take the lead. We will put an end to this terrible evil!”
“Right!”
“Long live His Highness the Crown Prince!”
“That’s right! I’m sick of funeral marches!”
“Elvarez, live forever!”
The nobles, unable to control their excitement, jumped up from their seats and cheered. Some even burst into tears of joy and hugged the people next to them. David looked around them with a satisfied face, and when he saw Count Florette, the only one among the nobles who was looking at him calmly, he flinched his shoulders.
However, it was such a small movement, and David quickly regained his composure and began to talk to the nobles with a smiling face, so no one noticed.
The King finally stood up and made a loud declaration.
“Prepare to conquer Kelvetia! The time has come to end the long war with our own hands!”
David's purple eyes were strangely out of focus.
“Prepare to conquer Kelvetia! The time has come to end the long war with our own hands!”
David's purple eyes were strangely out of focus.
***
Back to the present, the North.
Pfft!
After the King's envoy returned, Randall carelessly threw the imperial edict ordering him to lead the expeditionary force to Kelvetia on a corner of his office and ground his teeth fiercely.
“How dare you...”
From what he heard from the envoy, David had barged in during the meeting so urgently that they didn’t have time to call Randall. But that couldn’t be true. David had clearly barged in during the meeting with the information he had discovered to intentionally exclude him from the decision to go on an expedition.
“How dare you...”
From what he heard from the envoy, David had barged in during the meeting so urgently that they didn’t have time to call Randall. But that couldn’t be true. David had clearly barged in during the meeting with the information he had discovered to intentionally exclude him from the decision to go on an expedition.
Furthermore, now that he had learned about the work of the Demon Lang and the existence of the ‘pacifist Demons’ that Lang had told him about, blindly invading Kelvetia would only increase innocent casualties. If he could contact the pacifist Demons and make an agreement, he could achieve peace with much less bloodshed than if he simply antagonized and executed the entire Demons.
'I was going to learn more about the pacifist demons and bring up the subject after I got some solid evidence. But I didn't expect them to strike me down like this.'
Randall sat down at his desk in his office, trying to cool his head. He picked up his pen and began to write a letter of protest, citing his absence from the meeting and the unilateral nature of the expedition order led by Randall. However, just as he finished writing the letter, his hands suddenly stopped. His turquoise eyes darkened.
'...But.'
At this point, would anyone really oppose the expedition?
'I was going to learn more about the pacifist demons and bring up the subject after I got some solid evidence. But I didn't expect them to strike me down like this.'
Randall sat down at his desk in his office, trying to cool his head. He picked up his pen and began to write a letter of protest, citing his absence from the meeting and the unilateral nature of the expedition order led by Randall. However, just as he finished writing the letter, his hands suddenly stopped. His turquoise eyes darkened.
'...But.'
At this point, would anyone really oppose the expedition?
Humans and demons had been at odds for a long time, and both sides had lost too much because of each other. In this situation, David presented the 'hope' and 'possibility' of completely driving them out. A possibility so sweet that it was impossible to reject. The demons were the public enemy of humans. If there was a way to drive them out, would there really be anyone who would refuse it?
The other nobles knew that Randall had not attended the meeting, but they did not mention it for the same reason. It was for the good of humans. It was something that could reduce human sacrifices, so there would be no 'human' who would refuse it.
“Damn it, why now of all times...!”
“Damn it, why now of all times...!”
Randall eventually chewed on the small curse and crumpled up the letter. Even if he tried to prove the existence of the pacifist demons, the number of twists had noticeably decreased recently. Even when twists did occur, they were all creatures that could not communicate. Furthermore, even if the pacifist demons were to be shown to the people by heaven, it was questionable whether the proposal for an agreement would be accepted.
Humans’ distrust of the demons was deep-rooted. Would they believe the story of the demon Lang, who chose death to protect a human child?
All humans had seen so far were hedonistic demons who laughed creepily and harmed their loved ones. Randall, who roughly ruffled his hair with one hand, got up. With a cold, hard face, he called Wilcott while finding his robe cloak and wrapping it around his head.
“Bring Auston. I will go to the capital and meet His Majesty the King. I don’t know if he will respond readily to my letter, so this will be more certain.”
"All right."
“Bring Auston. I will go to the capital and meet His Majesty the King. I don’t know if he will respond readily to my letter, so this will be more certain.”
"All right."
***
Meanwhile, at the time when Randall was leaving for the capital, Sylvia returned to the bedroom first and was pacing around anxiously. She bit her lip hard.
'I never thought you would find that information.'
The magic circle that dropped 'Alyssa' into Kelvetia. Until the moment she fell into Kelvetia, Sylvia had no idea that her colleagues had been researching and creating such a magic circle. She had tried to find their research materials while going through several reincarnations. However, as soon as she became the Demon King, she went to find her colleagues, killed them, and burned down the surrounding area, so almost all of the materials were lost.
'I never thought you would find that information.'
The magic circle that dropped 'Alyssa' into Kelvetia. Until the moment she fell into Kelvetia, Sylvia had no idea that her colleagues had been researching and creating such a magic circle. She had tried to find their research materials while going through several reincarnations. However, as soon as she became the Demon King, she went to find her colleagues, killed them, and burned down the surrounding area, so almost all of the materials were lost.
Yes, she knew that clearly.
'I never thought that the information would have survived through the hands of dark bugs.'
Sylvia now realized why David had been so confident. He had been using humans as pawns for his own purposes. Because...
'I never thought that the information would have survived through the hands of dark bugs.'
Sylvia now realized why David had been so confident. He had been using humans as pawns for his own purposes. Because...
‘...It is impossible to completely drive out the demons from this world.’
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