85 – Presence of War
“Ah, Master.”
It was after returning to her imperial palace from the Marquis of Bampir that White faced Ashera.
It didn’t take too long, but for some reason, White’s expression naturally brightened with the feeling of seeing each other after a long time.
“Where were you? It would have been nice if we could go back together.”
“Um… …. That’s it.”
Ashera’s expression became strange.
It’s not too long ago that I recall.
After confirming that Emel was knocked down by the combination of White and Orca, she moved her steps into a forest according to her presence.
What was waiting there was none other than Serpia, her only subordinate.
It came quite suddenly, so I was quite taken aback.
The stories that followed were not very important.
Starting from just a normal daily story, to her suspicions about White that she uttered the other day.
The story was long, but in the end it was said that there was no important content at all.
…… I think it’s very strange, and I think it’s suspicious.
“…… No, nothing happened. I was just looking around for a second.”
Shera said that with her grin on her face.
“Is that so?”
She nodded her head lightly at him to express understanding.
There was a slight doubt in his expression, even for a moment, but it quickly dissipated.
“Ah, I was going to go to the castle of the Imperial Wizards for a report. Do you have any plans to go with me?”
“…… Well, well Wouldn’t it look better if the disciple reports alone rather than me facing them?”
“That’s true too.”
In fact, he added that it was a polite question without much thought, and White smiled.
“Then let’s go, Master. See you later.”
“Yes, have a good trip.”
As White turned and walked away, Ashera smiled and waved her hand.
“… ….”
And then, soon after White was completely out of sight.
For some reason, Ashera’s face was dark.
Sting-
…… Something, I don’t know.
Along with the feeling of feeling a slight pain around her waist.
“…… It won’t be a big deal.”
Trying to suppress the anxiety she was about to rise, Ashera jerked her head away.
And then, with a slightly calmer expression, he moved on.
I didn’t have a particular destination, but I started walking around the imperial palace as if I was taking a casual walk.
“…… Did you hear that I heard that on His Majesty’s birthday this year, His Majesty will make an important announcement.”
“Ah, I think I heard that too. As the situation on the continent is, isn’t it a problem related to the 12 Demon Kings?”
“As expected, right? I wish there was no war…….”
“… ….”
…… As I walk, I listen to the sounds of words in my ears.
‘Come to think of it, the emperor’s birthday is only a few days away.’
Ashera nodded once.
“…… It’s a festival.”
Remembering the continent’s best festival, which has always been on the birthday of the emperor.
‘I don’t really have anything to do, should I go hang out with my student?’
Ashera raised the corners of her mouth slightly in her spirited look as well as her fresh smile.
My steps had become lighter before I knew it.
*****
“Have you made your choice in the end?”
“…… Okay.”
At White’s question, Friedrich nodded with a complicated expression.
A strange desire began to flicker over his eyes.
“First of all, thank you, White. Whatever the reason, thanks to you, I was able to wipe out three demon lords from this continent. It is entirely your own achievement.”
Friedrich spat out, and White nodded her head with a fresh smile.
“…… It was a natural thing to do as a subject of the Empire and the heir to the Qliphoth family.”
What White immediately brought out was such a clichéd answer.
Perhaps it would have been better to describe it as pretense, but anyway, White and everyone in the room were aware that it was a lie in the first place.
From noble mtl dot com
Slaying the demon king.
For the risky affair, Friedrich knew that White had personal reasons.
Exactly, he guessed so.
He deserves it, because White was the one who was most active in the quest to kill the 12 demon lords, yet kept the reason tightly hidden.
I only carefully harbored the thought that there might have been some kind of resentment.
“…… Yes, it happened anyway.”
Finally, Friedrich spat out those words without a subject, and White’s expression hardened slightly at that.
“… ….”
A moment of silence, a heavy stillness settled inside the room.
“…… I will make an announcement in front of everyone on the birthday of His Majesty the Emperor.”
By the time Frederick opened his mouth again, all the people inside had serious expressions on their faces.
As he calmly examined those aspects, Friedrich finally continued.
A voice filled with a very determined will, a voice that doesn’t even shake the slightest bit.
“The 12 demon lords, killing three of them was the work of our empire.”
“… ….”
A cool silence fell again.
Feeling the impression that the air in the room was becoming strangely heavy, White gently closed his eyelids.
There was only one word that came to my mind.
‘…… War, OK.’
Feeling a little bit of bitterness, and at the same time a certain desire.
White bit his own lower lip weakly.
─In the end, this moment has arrived.
Perhaps it was something I expected from the beginning.
…… An all-out war between the Empire and the 12 demon kings.
It was an incident that should have happened someday.
It wasn’t particularly because White was almost memorizing future events.
From the point of killing the golden demon in the first place, White never thought that the future would go the way he knew it.
That was too much of an expectation, plus a meaningless delusion.
White’s expression begins to take on an inorganic glow.
‘The future has already changed.’
…… None other than by one’s own hands.
Three of the 12 demon kings have already collapsed in vain.
Now that that’s the case, the Empire, which has been in conflict for a long time, will eventually make a move.
I was predicting, and at the same time I was confident.
If it’s an empire, if it’s an empire that has always stood on the opposite side of the 12 Demon Kings.
Now that the three demon kings have lost their lives.
…… Now that the scale of force begins to slowly tilt from the side of the 12 Demon Kings to the side of the Empire, they will reveal their hard-hidden teeth.
You could call it ambition, or you could call it a cause.
If the 12 demon kings can be wiped clean from this continent, it will of course be the empire that will seize the hegemony of the continent.
If the 12 demon kings, who are extremely vicious wizards, disappear, this generation’s empire will be praised forever.
It’s probably a decision that can be taken for granted.
White opened his eyes slowly, then turned his gaze to Friedrich.
…… The great mage of the imperial family, Friedrich Edwald.
And next to it is the western elder lich, Lucifer.
With just these two beings, it was as if two thrones were already blocked.
Is that all, the power that exists in the empire isn’t just them.
Slowly, White began to recall the mighty men of the Empire.
‘Starting with the simple head of the seven families, as well as countless knights and wizards under his command, and even other military powers.’
…… Since Friedrich made up his mind to face the 12 Demon Kings in the first place, that would naturally mean that he had won the odds.
And White was also fully aware.
It’s not impossible.
That would be possible enough.
It will be a tough, tough war.
In the end, the malignant tumor called the 12 demon lords is driven out of this continent forever, the odds are good enough.
That wasn’t a mistaken judgment that was simply swept away by heated emotions.
Excluding the three dead demon lords and Ashera, there are only 8 remaining demon lords.
Besides, since Emel, the green demon king who was at the top in terms of military strength, is dead.
On the side of the 12 demon kings, there must be only a handful of great mages who have reached the 9th circle.
‘…… Before the return, there is also a demon king who never showed up.’
If you calculate it like that, the odds of winning were clearly there.
“… ….”
Slowly, but clearly.
Feeling a sense of subtle joy rising, White drew a cool smile.
The possibility finally appeared.
I have already acted individually and dropped the heads of three demon lords.
If the power of the Empire is added to that.
As long as there are not only Friedrich, Teikan, or Marquis Lycanter, but even Lucifer, who can be described as a hidden trump card.
─It wasn’t just impossible.
“…… Finally, it is not a war without a win.”
“…… Yes.”
At White’s words, Friedrich nodded heavily with a hard expression.
Then he continues with a very serious look.
“I have already told His Majesty the Emperor. Fortunately, he was also convinced and even expressed his will to support our opinion.”
At that point, I couldn’t take it anymore.
As he added that, Friedrich flashed an unusually bloody look in his eyes.
“…… There are signs of war.”
At the same time as he murmured briefly.
All the people in the room hardened their expressions.