Chapter 214
A Troublesome Fellow
The lands of the Heinkel Kingdom lay in the central-western region of the continent.
The sky was clear and cloudless.
Despite that, the entire kingdom was steeped in a deep gray, as though dark storm clouds hung over it.
Even though it was midsummer, when life should have flourished, the moss that once clung to the walls had dried up, fallen away, and crumbled on the ground. Not a single weed remained.
There were no rats.
Not even a single ant wandered through the streets.
Only the eerie sound of the wind drifted through the empty roads.
The kingdom was dead.
“This place was once called the Land of Peace.”
Sigmund Heinkel stood at the highest point of the royal castle, looking down over his kingdom.
“But apparently, it was never meant as praise. They called it that to mock a king who loved peace far too much.”
“But do you know something?”
King Heinkel glanced behind him as he asked.
A man stood there, silently watching him.
“Even their mockery pleased me. I thought that if enduring those words meant avoiding war, then it was better that way.”
He gave a hollow laugh.
“But it was all meaningless. I never knew that resolving matters peacefully could be such an illusion… that everything could be so utterly meaningless.”
King Heinkel quietly approached the man and knelt at his feet.
“Allow me to thank you once again. I am grateful that you helped enlighten an ignorant king and his foolish people.”
The man was Gokma, a demon with skin as white as snow.
“There is no need to thank me. Everything was created according to your own will. It was possible only because you possessed the desire to change.”
“Desire alone cannot bring about change. I stand here today only because the servant of the great Godwin offered me his boundless assistance.”
King Heinkel reached into the air.
A black book appeared in his hand.
Gokma ran his fingers across its cover and murmured,
“Gamigin’s Legion is an extraordinarily difficult spell.”
Gamigin, the Demon of Immortality and Dominion.
He was the largest of all demons, a Great Demon who used the interior of his own enormous body as his domain and observed everything within it.
Even such a being had pursued Legion as his ideal, only to fail time and again.
“All lives beneath heaven are equal, and because they are equal, any one life may replace another.”
Gokma clenched the empty air.
“A sovereign is one who reigns while holding the lives of all others in his grasp. Those who follow him shall possess power befitting that truth.”
Those words were written on the first page of the book.
They also explained the entirety of the spell.
Gokma looked down at King Heinkel.
“You now hold every life in the Heinkel Kingdom. As a result, you can wield the power of a Sixth-Circle mage.”
“I still cannot believe it. I was nothing more than an incompetent king, yet now I may be called an archmage…”
Overcome with emotion, King Heinkel began to weep.
Gokma watched him and said,
“It seems you will have to postpone indulging in your emotions.”
“…”
He gestured toward the window with his chin.
“Your friend has come.”
King Heinkel turned toward the window.
Just as Gokma had said, a massive army was approaching from the direction of Duke Yurei’s territory.
“Perry…”
King Heinkel called his name with a sigh.
They had spent several decades together, yet they still understood one another so poorly.
It made him feel as though they had become the protagonists of some tragic tale.
“They are also your people. Should they come to understand you, you may reach the Seventh Circle.”
At Gokma’s words, King Heinkel asked,
“The Seventh Circle… That would place me at roughly the same level as the Head of the Magic Association. Could I surpass him?”
“Why would that be impossible? Your magic is not something ordinary humans can easily destroy. Even the dragons you fear so much would not dare interfere with you lightly.”
“No one would dare interfere with me.”
Memories of his past flashed through his mind.
Whenever neighboring kingdoms provoked him, all he had ever been able to do was sigh.
He looked back upon that life and repeated the words to himself.
No one would dare interfere with him.
It was an ideal he had once believed he could never attain.
Yet now, it rested upon his shoulders.
Now that he possessed power, everything looked different.
He believed he had finally become the true king he had never been able to be before.
“I will prepare to march.”
King Heinkel rose from his seat.
“You intend to go personally?”
“I must.”
Amid the enormous army approaching the capital, King Heinkel focused on a single man.
At that distance, the man should have appeared as no more than a speck.
Yet King Heinkel’s vision was so vivid that he could make out every detail of Perry Yurei’s face.
He realized that he had become a monster beyond the limits of humanity.
“My friend is attempting to walk down the wrong path. What meaning would there be in any of this if I did not guide him personally?”
He wanted Yurei to understand what he had discovered.
***
Valdrova Castle, Ferda’s office.
—I am sure you already know this, Regent, but I should explain it once more.
A sweet, lilting voice came through the crystal orb.
Olivia, princess of the Arken Empire, immediately got to the point.
—The suspicion that the Heinkel Kingdom joined forces with demons has now been officially confirmed.
It had begun with news that Duke Yurei’s army had attacked the capital of the Heinkel Kingdom.
It was an unmistakable act of insubordination and rebellion.
However, when the circumstances surrounding the rebellion were thoroughly investigated, an astonishing truth came to light.
The Heinkel Kingdom truly had been taken over by demons.
“Have they not been shouting about that all this time?”
—An official declaration carries actual authority, does it not? Until now, most people dismissed it as the ravings of doomsayers claiming that the end of the world was approaching. And without knowing the full circumstances, the reports sounded incoherent.
Ferda gave a small nod.
How could anyone coherently report that Duke Yurei, who had been tortured as a traitor, escaped from the empire and immediately marched against his own sovereign, King Heinkel?
It was such an abrupt and irrational act that even the theory that the empire had brainwashed him was difficult to believe.
—This time, Ureas and Valdemar Golt personally uncovered the truth. There is no longer any room for controversy.
“What is the situation in the surrounding kingdoms?”
Olivia let out a faint laugh.
—Extremely awkward, I imagine. Until only a few days ago, they were scheming over how to slowly carve up the Heinkel Kingdom’s land and wealth. Now they face the prospect of a full-scale war—and against the most dreadful beings in history, whom they believed had been eradicated long ago.
Even a brief look through the history books made it clear that nothing had ever been as vicious as the demons.
It was the kind of war in which even victory would bring devastating losses.
—Worse still, the outcome of Duke Yurei’s battle was utterly hopeless. He commanded more than ten thousand soldiers. His opponent was only one man: King Heinkel. Yet the entire army was annihilated.
“Are you saying the king faced all of them alone?”
—We are still verifying that part. Even if it is true, it will be difficult to confirm with certainty.
Ferda knew what kind of image King Heinkel had once possessed.
‘King Heinkel was a man who wished to resolve everything peacefully.’
That was what Duke Yurei had said.
He had wanted to avoid unnecessary conflict and wished only for everyone to live together in harmony.
However, a king who pursued peace without possessing power was inevitably looked down upon.
King Heinkel and those beneath him had been regarded as insignificant.
Yet that same man had now gained enough power to annihilate an army of ten thousand by himself.
If a king who had joined hands with demons possessed such strength, then what of the others?
No one would be able to move carelessly.
“This seems like a matter requiring the intervention of the White House.”
Blancaros had declared absolute neutrality for the sake of peace across the continent.
Now that demons had openly emerged, Ferda thought it only natural for him to act.
—Lord Blancaros attempted to convene the council, but apparently the empire moved first.
“What do you mean by ‘moved first’?”
—They stopped him from summoning it. The empire said it would handle the threat to the continent’s safety on its own.
Ferda frowned.
“And Blancaros simply accepted that?”
—That is also the purpose of the Grand Council. They intended to discuss whether this could be resolved by humans alone or whether intervention was necessary. But if the empire claims it can settle the matter within the bounds of humanity, then there is nothing left to debate.
The demons had nearly destroyed half the continent, yet Blancaros had still made such a decision.
Ferda could not tell whether it was complacency or faith in humanity.
—And the empire was not the only one that made such a request.
“The Hudret Kingdom?”
—Correct.
Like the empire, the Hudret Kingdom had been subtly displaying its desire for expansion.
Having occupied Duke Yurei’s castle without shedding blood, its morale was at its peak.
It intended to use that momentum to advance into the Heinkel Kingdom and expand its territory even further.
“Even at a time like this, they are desperate to seize more land.”
—Is that not what nobles are like? Even while people die around them, they remain busy filling their own bellies.
“What kind of slander are you referring to?”
—Ureas tried to incite people by claiming that Duke Yurei’s attack on the Heinkel Kingdom was a staged performance orchestrated by the demons.
“His greed truly knows no bounds.”
—Would you like to hear something even more surprising? The one who stopped him was Grand Duke Golt.
“Grand Duke Golt did?”
Just as Olivia had said, it was astonishing.
Ureas could hardly have been the only one eager for war.
—He apparently told them not to dishonor the fallen heroes any further. Is that not amusing? It was Grand Duke Golt’s own retainers who tortured Duke Yurei, yet Ureas suddenly became the only shameless, warmongering bastard in the room.
“It seems the grand duke’s love extends not only to the empire, but to the entire continent.”
—Indeed. If he has so much love to spare, I wish he would leave at least a little room for me.
Olivia sighed wearily.
The old man was truly formidable.
He had recognized a situation that might produce a backlash and responded before it could harm him.
—Let us move on to our present circumstances. The Second Prince now possesses a justification for war. He will want you involved, Regent.
“He will throw a tantrum demanding magitech weapons.”
—Yes.
When Ferda had previously explained to Ureas why he could not participate, he had cited the possibility that innocent civilians remained in the kingdom, as well as his own convictions.
But now that the Heinkel Kingdom had become a stronghold of demons, that justification no longer held.
Ferda still disliked the idea of participating.
However, just as Ureas could not solve everything by throwing a tantrum, neither could Ferda.
What should he do?
—May I share my opinion first?
Olivia asked.
“Please do.”
—I believe you should manufacture and supply the magitech weapons. Since our attempt to undermine the empire failed, it may be better to accelerate matters and establish a new plan instead.
“What kind of plan?”
—One in which Ureas earns great merit and weakens Alexander’s position.
“You want to create the impression that Ureas is the one most suited to inherit the throne?”
—As you know, that fat bastard is currently allied with Golt. We cannot simply sit back and watch the two of them scheme together, can we?
“That is true.”
—Ureas is weak when it comes to internal administration. Therefore, we should have him achieve great accomplishments in this war and strengthen his claim as the next emperor. Equipping him with new weapons would allow him to demonstrate overwhelming military power.
It was a plausible argument.
If Olivia and Ureas were on one side, then Alexander and Valdemar were on the other.
If the two factions were destined to compete, then helping Olivia seemed like the correct choice.
Ferda was about to answer when the words caught in his throat.
He wondered why, but his instincts were already warning him.
‘Is this truly the right thing to do?’
He had tried to prevent the war, yet now that it seemed inevitable, he was expected to support it.
And because he could not help Alexander, he would help Ureas instead.
Something felt wrong.
Before Ferda could fully understand that feeling, he answered,
“No.”
Ferda spoke firmly.
—It is not possible?
“As I said before, the magitech rifles were created to protect the Far East. I cannot directly supply them to the imperial army.”
—Then you may be giving them an excuse to punish Valdrova’s principality.
“There is a way to prevent that.”
—What is it?
Ferda proposed an alternative.
“Instead, we will participate in the war ourselves.”
—You will participate?
Olivia considered it briefly before accepting the idea.
—If you take that approach… it would be an even more active form of support than simply supplying weapons. The empire would have little room to complain.
“That is not all.”
Ferda also knew how to use this opportunity against Alexander.
“Princess, you have already commanded tactical infantry once before.”
—Surely you do not mean…
“What if you displayed your command ability before a large audience this time?”
“…”
Even Alexander’s faction would not be able to deny what the imperial soldiers witnessed with their own eyes.
That would give Olivia, rather than Ureas or Alexander, an opportunity to shine.
Ferda thought it was an excellent idea and made the suggestion.
However, Olivia did not answer immediately.
—You truly are the sort of man who makes me…
She murmured something so quietly that he could barely hear it.
“Pardon?”
—I became distracted for a moment. In essence, you want me to prove the ability I demonstrated during the previous subjugation campaign, correct?
“That is correct.”
—I understand your intention. I will develop a more detailed plan along those lines. Ureas is an extremely prideful man, so he will become furious if I announce that I intend to command the army.
Olivia ended the conversation with a gentle whisper.
—Have a pleasant day, Regent.
The mana in the communication crystal faded, and Ferda released a breath.
When he casually turned his gaze aside, he found Luri standing there.
She looked deeply displeased.
Ferda recognized that expression.
It was the same look she gave Zed and Penelope whenever she saw them.
“I have eyes only for Her Highness Valdrova.”
“Did I say anything?”
What a troublesome fellow.