Chapter 195: The War That Had Already Begun (5)

The Mineta Royal Capital busied itself restoring order after the battle had ended.

A civil war for the throne, a surprise raid by the Dior Empire’s delegation, and this time, the appearance of the demon race.

Deborah Mineta, the king, looked out from atop the outer wall at the grasslands and forest before the western gate that had been reduced to a complete mess, and a sigh escaped her.

It had been utterly devastated.

The surrounding fields and houses of the citizens had been completely blown away.

“Haah…….”

Just thinking about cleaning everything up made Deborah’s head start to ache.

The southern gate had barely been restored as well after facing a similar situation.

“What on earth is this… Every time I think I’ve resolved one situation, another crops up, and then another!”

Her chest felt stifled with frustration.

Just then, Duke Ambraze stepped up beside her.

“Your Majesty, we have identified all those who were sacrificed in this incident.”

“Let me see.”

She received the parchment scroll and unfolded it.

The densely written names darkened her expression even further.

“Make sure they are compensated sufficiently.”

“Restoring the walls and the villages inside the outer city is also urgent. Reinforcing our troops is the same.”

They had not even managed to properly reinforce the troops last time.

With further losses from the demon race’s attack, her worries piled up endlessly.

“The costs won’t be trivial. For now, there is a place to submit the bill, so please proceed as quickly as possible.”

“To where, may I ask?”

“Where else? We should bill the one who caused the destruction.”

“Ah……, will that be possible?”

“Well, what choice do we have. They’ll have to pay.”

Duke Ambraze was honestly uneasy.

Raion Canel of the Canel Kingdom was an existence who had annihilated two demons.

Moreover, he had even tamed a summoned beast called Grapheos and used it to protect the Mineta Kingdom.

Could a king of one nation really order such a person around?

Wouldn’t there be backlash instead?

“We will compile a list, estimate the costs, and submit a report.”

“Alright. Ah, did you say the delegations would be gathering soon?”

“You may go after finishing lunch.”

With crisis management being the top priority, everyone was busy.

That was why they had decided to discuss matters after things were somewhat settled.

Deborah folded the parchment scroll she had been holding and handed it back to Duke Ambraze.

Afterward, she took a look around the villages inside the castle and then descended from the fortress.

.

.

.

It was the same conference hall where they had gathered last time.

The Bachenan Holy Kingdom, the Danas Federation, and the Canel Kingdom.

Representatives of each nation sat before the table.

A moment later, Deborah, the king of the Mineta Kingdom, entered, and everyone focused their attention.

“The situation is not good. As I previously suggested, how about forming an alliance by designating the Dior Empire as a common enemy?”

A public enemy. Placing the Empire in such a position was not an easy decision.

However, the atrocities of the Dior Empire had already harmed not just one or two kingdoms, but the entire continent.

Through intelligence channels, it had even been confirmed that there were kingdoms where royal authority had collapsed.

How could they possibly stand by in such a situation?

Holy King Francis Bachenan XXII, who had been quietly listening, voiced his agreement.

“Even with just the emergence of the demon race, the continent must unite all its strength. But to think the Dior Empire stands behind it…… The Holy Kingdom will spare no support.”

“Thank you, Your Holiness.”

Next, their gazes turned toward the Danas Federation.

Princess Diana rose quietly from her seat, as if she had been waiting.

“We feel the same. We have just received approval from the Federation regarding this matter as well. For now, they say that within the Federation, forces have already been deployed to the front lines to fight the Empire.”

It was no different from saying that war had begun.

The immediate issue was how much strength the Empire actually possessed.

The Holy King brought up a critical point.

“It is assumed that they have joined hands with the demon race. On top of that, they used a delegation as bait to create that bizarre existence called MAGUS.”

A magical parasite that increased the power of infected hosts by at least two stages.

Who had created it, and how, was still unknown.

“If a large-scale knight order were infected with MAGUS, we might be forced to face an enormous number of Sword Masters.”

Everyone nodded.

At the same time, their worries pressed right up against them.

In that atmosphere, Raion, who had maintained silence until now, spoke.

“For now, it should be possible to deal with them using the power of holy energy. But I don’t think all knights would be able to handle it. That’s just my estimate.”

“Why do you think so?”

At the Holy King’s question, the others grew curious as well.

“If they had possessed such power from the beginning and could use it freely…… the continent would already be finished. Just looking at how they carried out an operation to paralyze royal authority shows that. The fact that those who consider humans to be less than insects still meticulously planned everything proves that there are limits.”

Many people nodded in agreement.

Thinking about it a little, it made sense.

If they had the ability to strengthen infected hosts so greatly, why go through the trouble of elaborate schemes?

There was clearly a reason.

“First of all, striking the Demon King will be crucial.”

“You mean directly?”

“If a full-scale war breaks out, it will only end with everyone dying.”

Several kingdoms had already fallen into the hands of the Dior Empire.

Considering the scale of those kingdoms, the continental war had effectively already begun.

The biggest problem was the fact that the enemy nation was tied to the demon race, which only moved after drawing blood.

There would be no negotiations.

“The Demon King…… Do we know how powerful that existence is?”

“We don’t. But considering the power of the demon realm’s counts and viscounts we’ve fought so far…… it certainly won’t be weak.”

“You’re saying you’ll personally jump into a kingdom that harbors such an existence.”

“There’s no other way.”

Already, the war had been accelerated at an enormous pace compared to the original schedule.

Raion judged that this was because of his own actions.

As he began to interfere little by little, the situation of the pieces changed, and it was clear that the demon race’s behavior had changed as well.

Of course, he had started with the desire to bring peace to the continent.

‘I never imagined the demon race would be involved. And the Goddess’s blessing, at that…….’

Raion thought that the reason he had been able to grow so quickly was also thanks to the Goddess’s help.

The power and abilities necessary to face the demon race.

A few additional things had been of my own making, but it felt like a puzzle with missing pieces had finally clicked into place.

“Which method is it? Do you perhaps know a weakness?”

“The weakness is divine power. What matters right now is how we’ll get there, how we’ll fight, and who we’ll go with.”

“Then a large-scale force is out of the question.”

“Probably. It would be too conspicuous.”

Deborah’s opinion had been something Raion had already been considering.

However, Francis and Diana thought differently.

“It’s the Dior Empire! We don’t even know how many demons there are!”

“Going in with only elites is basically asking to die!”

They weren’t wrong.

But to prevent a far greater war, there were limits to the available methods.

“Please lend us your help. We’ll form a group composed only of those with the highest level of skill.”

“Are you serious?”

“Striking the head is the fastest solution.”

A strike at the origin.

It was a phrase Raion had heard until his ears rang back when he had been a soldier and a mercenary.

And it was also the phrase most needed right now.

The Demon King was the king of the demon realm—the head of the demons. Only if he were eliminated would it become easier to deal with the remaining demons.

‘It would be best if we could strike immediately, but…….’

Raion didn’t want to fight one by one and end up in a grueling final battle like in the novels Lewis used to read.

What mattered was an encounter where he could unleash his full strength.

“Let’s also requisition forces from the Holy Kingdom. Instead…… I will join as well.”

“Your Holiness! That cannot be allowed!”

The Holy Knight Commander, Larsen Heights, who had been standing behind them, cried out in shock.

Even so, the decision of Holy Emperor Francis did not waver.

“Divine power is fatal to demons. And depending on its depth and density, its power changes as well.”

“We know that much.”

“Then who among those belonging to the Holy Kingdom and the temples is the strongest?”

“Th-That is…….”

Everyone found themselves at a loss for how to respond.

It wasn’t wrong, which made it all the more difficult.

“Your Holiness. We will go. Wouldn’t the high priest be sufficient?”

“I will go as well. So please, Your Holiness, protect the Holy Kingdom!”

High Priestess Marianne spoke up, but even as Helion tried to stop her, the reaction was minimal.

Instead, Francis rebuked them with an even more heated expression.

“Of course you’ll go. Priests capable of wielding strong divine power will be essential. From the Holy Knight Order as well, select only the strongest.”

“All of them, Your Holiness?”

“Did you not see the demons’ power? If a real war breaks out, no situation can be predicted. That uncertainty is precisely why I made this decision.”

To follow Raion’s plan.

It hadn’t been an easy decision.

But the more he considered the demons’ strength, the clearer it became that the entire continent would be in danger.

Perhaps it was the intuition of one who served as a proxy for the goddess.

Of course, the continuously delivered revelations had also played a part.

“I’ll go in person as well. From the kingdom’s knight order and mage division, select only those at Swordmaster level or higher, and mages of 4th Circle or above.”

It was Deborah.

When she stepped forward, the Duke of Ambraze tried to stop her, but after a moment of thought, he stopped.

With even the Holy Emperor stepping forward, he had no idea how he could persuade Deborah otherwise.

Raion, on the other hand, offered a different opinion after hearing her.

“Exclude 4th Circle. Make it a minimum of 5th Circle.”

“Are you saying 4th Circle mages wouldn’t be helpful?”

“They’d only help for a fleeting moment.”

“Sharp as a blade. Fine. I’ll arrange it that way.”

With that, approval from the Bachenan Holy Kingdom and the Mineta Kingdom had been secured.

As such discussions continued, Princess Diana of the Danas Federation spoke up.

“We’ll take responsibility for providing mages of 5th Circle or higher. But in return, I’ll have to go as well.”

“Wasn’t Your Highness only at the early stages of 3rd Circle now?”

“How did you know that?”

Princess Diana had used magic when the Mineta royal capital was attacked.

But at the time, Raion had been fighting demons outside.

He hadn’t been present when she cast her spells.

“I can roughly gauge it.”

“Your magic skill is already beyond 5th Circle…… Is that really possible?”

“It just sort of happened.”

“That’s truly amazing. What about a royal marriage? Have you given it any thought?”

It seemed his extraordinary ability was still tempting to her.

When such words came up in the middle of the discussion, both Holy Emperor Francis and Deborah looked at him in surprise.

“You’re getting married?”

“Are you going to marry?”

It was a reaction he couldn’t quite understand.

“No. I have no intention of that. And in the current situation, what marriage are you talking about?”

“I have more than enough time to think, so feel free to give me your answer anytime. Ah, and I have no intention of giving up.”

Despite having already rejected her several times, it was to no avail.

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