Chapter 231 - Villains

The Demon King of Hellfire had extended a helping hand to Hilderan.

Most dismissed it as utter nonsense. Some raged that it was a Demon King's scheme to stab them in the back.

It was inevitable. The humans of Arain had spent a full thousand years fighting the Demon Kings who descended upon their world.

Even the Demon King of Lies, considered relatively moderate and with whom they had maintained reasonably good relations, had been revealed to be amassing tremendous power while concealing his ambition to conquer the continent.

Naturally, they could hardly start trusting a Demon King overnight.

"Besides, even without the Demon King of Lies, you slaughtered hundreds of heroes and tens of thousands of humans, my lord."

"So, regardless of everything else, they can't trust me?"

"You're a mass murderer on an enormous scale."

"And you still think there's a way?"

"There is." Ernyan smiled.

"The truth is, ordinary people don't care all that much."

"What do you mean?"

"Whether a Demon King is playing some dirty trick or genuinely taking their side, getting through the reality facing them each day matters more."

The massive invasion of demonic creatures had fractured those everyday lives.

"Northern Hilderan was swept away by demonic creatures. We prepared our defenses as thoroughly as possible to minimize the damage, but there's no denying it's in ruins."

If anything, the strategic withdrawal had made their retreat seem even faster. The common people, who knew none of the details, would get the wrong impression.

So even the kingdom's army can't stop them.

"And then you appeared and dramatically saved them. A Demon King riding a sky tower."

"I understand that you intend to change public opinion of me. And that the sky tower was quite effective. But will that alone erase such deep-rooted hostility?"

"Of course not."

Those feelings had endured for a thousand years and had only grown more intense recently. Humans and demons were enemies. It wasn't a trivial problem that a little help could resolve.

"I learned this from Hillen. Apparently, nothing unites divided allies and improves bad relations quite like an outside enemy. He said the camaraderie of fighting a common foe does a great deal to dilute old grudges."

"You're saying humans and I are allies?"

"You and I aren't enemies, are we?"

"... True enough. But is Jason this outside enemy?"

"There's one more. The Empire."

"The Empire?"

"Killing the heroes doesn't matter. People have had a thousand years to grow accustomed to heroes dying in battles against Demon Kings."

Familiarity dulled emotion. A hero's death was shocking, but in a sense, it was only to be expected.

"The problem is the annihilation of an army numbering over ten thousand. Which country did most of them belong to?"

"The Empire."

There had been troops from Dormund among them, but the vast majority had been imperial soldiers.

"And what's happened to the Empire's leadership now?"

"... That bastard Jason has..."

Devoured them.

Berge's eyes gleamed.

"So we lump Jason and the Empire together and brand them an axis of evil?"

"We say you were used by the Demon King of Lies too."

The Demon King of Lies had established himself long ago and tried to manipulate newly descended Demon Kings to suit his purposes.

"... That's the story."

"... Pin everything on him, then."

"Of course, working out the details will be fairly complicated, but that's the general framework."

Of course, even then, Dormund, the heroes who hadn't become his servants, and those who simply hated Demon Kings might still curse Berge.

But so what?

"It would be stranger if there were no objections. Humans insult one another even when they're joining forces with other humans. And it helps to think of that much hostility as a useful source of demonic energy."

"... Hmm. Were you a Demon King in a past life, by any chance?"

"How rude."

"..."

"Anyway, that's why the Third Prince you've planted in the Empire has such an important role to play. You're still in touch with him, aren't you?"

"Of course."

"That's a relief. Then why not give him a little more support?"

"Support? How?"

"Send Kaede to join him."

"That means releasing Kaede. On what grounds?"

"As a symbol of peace. Since the talks with Hilderan will go well."

"... Astounding. You really are the best."

"You're too kind. Ah."

Ernyan opened her mouth. By now accustomed to this, Berge placed a chocolate inside. A happy expression spread over her face.

- No matter how I look at it, we're the villains here, aren't we?

- Demon Kings are villains by nature, dear. A shameless race that attacks other dimensions.

- But Lady Naias, the Crown Princess is human.

- Don't ask me to explain that too. And where is the adjutant who calls himself a close confidant at a time this important?

- Upstairs, learning how to operate the tower from the dwarves. A dark elf shouting about shells and sky towers... I think he lost his mind somewhere along the way too.

The spirit king sighed.

- I'm the only sane one in this tower.

- The moment you say something like that, Lady Naias, you're already... Aah! My soul is being shaved away!

* * *

The next day.

【Hilderan's Crown Princess Returns from the Tower of Hellfire Without a Scratch...】

【Her Highness the Crown Princess Returns Safely: “He Was More Open to Conversation Than I Expected.” Citizens Ask, “A Demon King?”】

【Owner of the Tower That Repelled the Legion of Lies Expresses Willingness to Cooperate with Hilderan...!】

【Demon King of Hellfire Sparks Controversy: “I Had No Choice but to Cooperate with Lies. I Was Merely Used by Him Too.”】

【Demon King Escorts Crown Princess, Then Returns to His Tower...】

A deluge of news, dwarfing everything that had come before, struck the continent.

* * *

War required extensive preparation. An army had to be trained and readied, supplies had to be procured for its use, and ultimately, the money to pay for it all had to be raised.

Nor did it end there. Having weapons and an army did not, in itself, make war possible.

There had to be discussions about how the war would be fought. Routes of advance had to be considered, as did other nations' reactions to a declaration of war against a particular country. A nation had to determine whether it could bear the burden.

That was why war was never easy to wage, nor something to undertake lightly.

But the Empire's latest declaration of war ignored all of that.

Without justification, it had abruptly declared war on a member of the coalition fighting Demon Kings, humanity's great enemy. Then it had invaded Iasin, another coalition member, using passage through its territory as a pretext.

Naturally, the Empire's only ally was Ormus, which had joined the invasion of Iasin.

"The emperor must have gone mad!"

"Indeed! How could anyone do something like this unless they'd lost their mind?"

"Why blame only the emperor? If he's trying to ruin the Empire, the nobles who failed to stop him, even at the cost of their lives, are at fault too!"

"Even if the hero's journey failed, how dare they do this!"

The groups united under the coalition adopted a resolution relatively quickly, condemning the Empire. They also decided to dispatch coalition forces led by Akan to aid Iasin.

But reinforcements could not be organized and sent so easily. The process was quite complicated and, naturally, required time.

In that interval, Iasin's royal capital fell.

* * *

"Haha..."

At the sight of black smoke rising in the distance, Iasin's prince wept tears of blood.

That was the royal capital. Until mere moments ago, it had embodied Iasin's proud history.

"Your Majesty, we must go."

"... Mind your words, Duke. I am not the king."

"Though the ceremony was simple, you inherited the throne from the former king. You are therefore this nation's lawful sovereign, Your Majesty."

The prince bit down on his lip. He had never wished to inherit the throne this way.

The Empire had trampled the capital, and Father had chosen to share its fate to preserve the kingdom's honor.

Only a few months ago, he had never imagined such a future.

"... I will have revenge. I swear it. I will never live beneath the same sky as the Empire."

"I will help you at your side. First, we must leave this place. Once the imperial army discovers you are gone, they will organize a pursuit force."

"Will there be hope if we flee?"

"The Akan-led coalition army has reached a border city."

"We couldn't hold out even that little bit longer."

He gave a self-mocking smile.

Iasin had not been incompetent. The war had been little short of a surprise attack, and the imperial army had been that powerful.

"Then we must join Akan first."

"Indeed. Once you join the coalition forces, you will be able to return to the royal capital."

"I certainly will."

Without fail.

The king bit his lip, steeling his resolve.

"We will see it done, no matter what!"

"We will!"

Nobles, knights, soldiers, and commoners bowed their heads, tears streaming down their faces.

It happened then.

BOOM!

A massive figure dropped from the sky with a crash. People staggered as the ground shook as though an earthquake had struck.

"W-what is that?!"

"We're under attack!"

"Something fell!"

The knights drew their weapons and aimed them at the crater. The dust cleared.

"A m-monster!"

"It's a demon!"

Inside stood an enormous demon.

"... Lavinia Akan?"

But some of the nobles were looking not at the demon, but at the person seated on its shoulder.

The First Prince, now the king of Iasin, took a bold step forward.

"Y-Your Majesty, it's dangerous!"

"They're reinforcements from Akan."

He pushed past his escorting knights and approached.

"Lavinia Akan. What brings you here?"

His eyes met Lavinia's, and he flinched. A sudden chill made the king shudder.

'What is this...?'

It was anger. Seething like an active volcano, ready to erupt at any moment.

"Empire?"

"We're not the Empire. We're people of Iasin. Are you reinforcements?"

"Iasin?"

"Yes."

"Me, reinforcements."

"Did you come alone? Where are the other troops?"

"Don't know. Empire, where?"

"The imperial army is over there."

The king pointed at the burning capital.

"They're merrily trampling our nation's history. Alone, you..."

"Thanks."

WHOOSH!

Lavinia Akan vanished.

"... Shouldn't go."

The king's final words drifted uselessly away.

In the distance, the enormous monster spread its single wing and flew toward the royal capital.

"... Is she heading straight to the capital?"

"... She seems to be alone. Is that safe?"

"Lavinia Akan may look alone, but she isn't. She carries quite a few chimeras in a magical artifact enchanted with storage-dimension magic."

"Even so, the imperial army numbers over two hundred thousand."

"... Surely Akan had something in mind when they sent her?"

"Well, Akan isn't stupid..."

Assuming there must be some plan, the nobles nodded.

RUMBLE!

Just then, dust rose in the distance to the sound of hoofbeats.

Unlike with Lavinia, this time they could identify the arrivals at a glance.

"It's Akan!"

"Reinforcements from Akan!"

"No, wait."

The knights at the front were clearly elite troops, and the flag was indeed Akan's. But there were far too few of them to be reinforcements.

A hundred at most.

They stopped a short distance from the people of Iasin.

"I am Cain Akan, Akan's Fifth Prince! Who are you?"

"I am Homerun Iasin, prince of Iasin!"

Having confirmed one another's identities, the party from Akan approached. Cain dismounted, and the soldiers escorted them to King Homerun.

"Why are you here when you should be in the royal capital—don't tell me...?"

"Your suspicion is correct."

"... We were too late."

"The Empire was fast."

"What of His Majesty?"

"Father abdicated in my favor and chose to share the capital's final fate."

"... I pay my respects to the king of Iasin."

"A pleasure. But what is your purpose here? There are too few of you to be reinforcements. Are you an envoy?"

"No. Well..."

After a moment's hesitation, Cain continued.

"We're looking for someone. Have you seen my sister? She rides an enormous chimera..."

"I have. Just now, she asked where the imperial army was, then flew off toward the capital."

"... Damn it, am I too late?!"

Cain ground his teeth.

"Ah, my apologies."

"It's quite all right."

"If you don't mind, may I pay my respects properly another time? Akan's army is currently at Baloin Castle. You'll find them if you go there."

Cain and the knights looked so urgent that Homerun found himself nodding before he knew it.

They quickly disappeared toward the royal capital.

"... It appears this wasn't planned after all."

"... They say Akan's Chimera Princess does whatever she pleases. It seems they were right."

"Can we simply leave them to it?"

"... They'll have to manage. It's unfortunate, but we cannot let them put us in danger too. We will join Akan quickly, before the Empire organizes a pursuit force."

"Yes!"

"As you command!"

Iasin's army swiftly departed.

* * *

The imperial army of 250,000 had not split its legions into multiple forces.

As though its request for passage had been sincere, it maintained only a vanguard of fifty thousand and a main force of two hundred thousand, advancing rapidly on the royal capital.

"Take the capital before reinforcements arrive from other nations."

The resistance was fierce, but the imperial army's attacks were fiercer still.

Iasin was no weak nation, but it could not face the Empire's legions alone. The royal capital fell in a week.

The imperial army's commander-in-chief, Duke Ormus, arrived at the palace within the royal compound. Seated on the king's throne, he faced Iasin's king, who was dragged before him in a wretched state.

"What a pity. Had you merely granted the Empire's request to let us pass, none of this would have happened."

"Stop spouting bullshit. Iasin is no vassal of the Empire."

"No, but it is a weak nation. And it is only natural for the weak to kneel before the strong."

"Then you bastards will soon be kneeling too. This war, in which you and the emperor have all gone mad, will ultimately end in your defeat."

"You're wrong."

The duke rested his chin on his hand as he sat on the throne.

"The Empire always wins. This is the prelude to the real war. Iasin is merely a preliminary skirmish."

"You lawless scoundrel!"

"I can afford to be lawless. I, a duke of the Empire, am sitting on this throne, while you, the king of a weak nation, kneel before me."

"... Kill me."

The duke rose from the throne and strode up to the king.

"Just before the castle fell, a party escaped through the western gate."

"..."

"They're what you're putting your faith in, aren't they? The kingdom's future. Its young shoots."

If they were all captured and brought back...

"Would that proud face of yours twist a little?"

"... You bastard!"

"Yes, that's the face. If you've lost, you should look like a defeated commander. Why so proud?"

The duke let out a low, throaty laugh.

"They'll be back soon. I'm very much looking forward to the reunion between father and son—"

"Your Grace!"

Just then, a messenger rushed into the great hall.

"You're here. Have you captured the prince?"

"W-well..."

The hesitant answer made the duke's brow furrow.

"Give me a clear report."

"... A monster appeared!"

"A monster?"

"A monster appeared and wiped out Marquis Tryan and the Black Blade Knights!"

"... What?"

"Th-that...!"

Terror filled the messenger's eyes.

"One blow from that tiny fist burst Marquis Tryan's head! That bitch is a monster!"