A Judgment Loss
We had succeeded in capturing the Fragment of the Demon God that had been summoned first. On top of that, we had eliminated the troublesome pair of Demonic Humans. It was something even I could have handled without much difficulty, yet Master stepped in. At that level, it was strange that the Demonic Human twins had managed to hold out at all. I thought the matter had ended perfectly and cleanly. But when we arrived at the Royal Capital and assessed the situation, it was clear that was not the case.
“…What do you mean? The king is drifting in and out of consciousness?”
“Yes, Master. His condition is poor, and my healing isn’t working properly either.”
After roughly checking on everyone and dispelling the sanctuary, Lily’s expression was far from bright. When I asked why, the answer that came back was quite shocking. The red mist that had swept across the Royal Capital had also engulfed the king. Ever since, his condition had been deteriorating. He had already been in poor health and was not mentally stable to begin with. Now that something unknown had been poured over him, both body and mind were collapsing helplessly. That was Lily’s explanation of the king’s current state.
“It isn’t only the king. The soldiers and knights are the same.”
She had tried to heal them, but unlike usual, it wasn’t working. It was as if something was firmly blocking the healing. No matter how much she proclaimed the sanctuary and poured out her divine power, the desired effect did not appear.
“…Is it similar to when you healed Garam?”
“It isn’t just similar—it’s exactly the same. I can’t intervene deeply. All I can do is extend a helping hand and wait to see whether the other person takes it or not.”
Lily bit her lip and clenched her fists as if this had never happened before. She was the Divine Hero, after all, known as the Saintess. She had performed miracles, healing countless injured and even raising the dying. Yet this time the miracle refused to work properly, and her frustration was obvious.
“The Enemy’s Will is the Enemy’s Will, I suppose. This is maddening.”
“What should we do, Master? The soldiers and knights are young, so they might endure. There’s also a high chance they’ll recover soon. But the king is different. He’s older, his vitality is already depleted, and he’s been under immense mental strain. Recovery won’t be easy.”
“…This is troublesome.”
Was this what people meant when they said they had won the battle but lost the war? We had succeeded in preventing the Royal Capital from falling and the worst hell from descending. Yet that success was only half-complete. In the end, we had failed to stop the people’s fear and terror. The battle had taken place right in front of the capital, not somewhere else. Moreover, the opponent had been the prince, a man the royal family had kept hidden. The forces he led were Demon God Worshippers, and they had attacked the Royal Capital. This was no longer a simple matter of public safety. People could no longer trust the royal family, and they might easily begin to suspect those around them. A prince—someone once hailed as a hero—had suddenly turned and brought death. How many could simply cheer and celebrate the victory? Countless people had died or been injured in the fighting. Those inside the Royal Capital were fortunate to be unharmed, but their families had fallen. Anger and hostility would arise, but so would fear and sorrow. Those were exactly the emotions the damned Demon God Worshippers desired. And worst of all, King Carlos II had collapsed—vomiting blood in front of many witnesses. We had won, yet it was not a victory. This was not even a draw. It was a judgment loss.
- Damn it…
My worries had become reality. Daisy and Gerard, who had gone to check the magic circles installed within the Royal Capital, returned and reported the atmosphere inside.
“Master, the mood really isn’t good…”
“Lady Daisy is correct. No, it’s worse than that. It’s downright ominous.”
“That bad?”
“Yes. Rumors are spreading from the king’s collapse onward. They’re saying this isn’t the end, that a great death is coming and everyone here will burn away.”
“Signs of people preparing to leave the capital are already appearing in various places.”
Damn it. If only that Fragment of the Demon God hadn’t made such a mess. It had ruined a meal that was nearly done. I wondered if I should have stationed more people in the Royal Capital, but then again, my side had also been barely able to capture the Fragment. We had done our best, so it was an unavoidable situation. More importantly, before Iris’s regression, neither she nor I had been present at that battle in the Royal Capital. The disciples who had participated had also arrived late. According to Iris’s memories, by the time the disciples arrived, the Royal Capital had already fallen and hell had descended. In other words, the situation then and now were completely different. One could not construct a perfect scenario from fragmented information alone. There was also no guarantee that events would unfold according to any such scenario.
“I’m sorry, Master.”
“We’re sorry, Master.”
“You all did everything you could. If there’s a problem, it’s my fault for misallocating personnel.”
It was all the same. In a game, failing to clear an area ultimately came down to me. I had raised their levels and their stats were good, yet we lost? That meant I had chosen the wrong strategy or made a poor deployment. It was no different here. Even as Heroes, they could not be omnipotent.
“Daisy Blossom. Gerard Geranium.”
“Yes, Master.”
“The two of you will return inside the Royal Capital. Show the people that you are preparing more thoroughly so that another tragedy never occurs there again. There’s nothing special you need to do. Just continue as before. Daisy, reinforce the existing magic circles and create new ones. Gerard, lead the knights under your command and demonstrate defensive training.”
“…You mean to give the people of the Royal Capital a reason to regain psychological stability?”
As expected, Gerard quickly grasped exactly what I wanted. Right now, soothing people’s hearts was the priority. The capital had been attacked, countless soldiers had died or been injured, and even the king had fallen. In times like these, there was only one place people could lean on—the Heroes. If they could see that these Heroes would protect them to the very end no matter what happened, and that they were taking measures to prevent such incidents from recurring, then the shaken hearts of the people could be steadied to some degree. As more people gradually regained their composure, the wild rumors would also subside.
“Ah, and take Iris with you as well.”
“Pardon? Master, Iris probably won’t be of much help…”
“I’m not asking her to do anything in particular. Until now, the Heroes have acted separately, each doing their own thing. From now on, we need to show that they are not merely colleagues but bound by deep camaraderie. That will reassure people even more and spread favorable rumors.”
The fight against the Fragments of the Demon God, the Enemy’s Will directed at this world, and those who followed them was not something that could be resolved with the Heroes’ military strength alone. In the game there had been no choice but to focus on combat, but anyone who had lived in twenty-first-century Korea knew how important public sentiment was. If incited, the country could fall; if endured, one could survive. After sending Gerard, Daisy, and Iris into the Royal Capital, I turned my head. There stood Master, clicking his tongue as he observed the situation.
“Master?”
“Hyeon-ah. Look over there. Look at what they’re doing. At a time like this, they’re praying?”
“…”
“How foolish and stubborn can they be? No matter how good it is to appeal to the heavens, this is not the time to beg the sky. This is the time to move in a way that moves the heavens with sincerity.”
Master’s sharp tone was likely due to the members of the Church. While the surviving soldiers ran about tending to the wounded and the knights tried to boost morale by celebrating the victory however they could, the priests of the Church continued praying amid the heavy atmosphere. From their perspective, such prayers were only natural—not begging for a miracle after giving up, but simply praying for everyone. Yet to Master, it was nothing more than kneeling in place and begging.
“That is simply how they are. It is akin to offering a sacrifice to the heavens.”
“I’m not criticizing the act of offering a sacrifice. But shouldn’t they be doing something while they do it? They arrived late and didn’t even fight, yet they’re doing this. How could anyone look upon them favorably?”
Master clicked his tongue and turned to me. It seemed he had something to say, which was why he had approached.
“I would like you to look after Lily and Iris for a while.”
“Where are you planning to go?”
“Well, one disciple still hasn’t shown herself. It seems she’s waiting for me.”
“…I think I remember. That girl who kept fussing like a child even though she’s all grown up. Am I right?”
At Master’s words, I could only smile bitterly. She was indeed all grown up, and she had indeed fussed like a child. I was hoping she had improved quite a bit by now. If not, I would have to force her to grow.
“She’s the one who always told me never to act alone because it’s dangerous, yet now she’s the one insisting on going alone.”
Master spoke with a sharp gaze and voice. I felt the same unease, but there was no helping it. She was extremely shy, so going alone was better if I wanted to find her quickly and bring her back.
“You really know how to make full use of your master.”
“I will definitely repay that debt later.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll have to repay it soon anyway.”
“Pardon?”
“Didn’t I tell you I would teach you something?”
“Ah…”
He had indeed said that. He had promised to teach me how to reach the ultimate realm that could even touch the Fragment of the Demon God.
“You’d better prepare yourself. You’re a wicked disciple trying to take everything from this master, after all.”
“Master, even so, calling me a wicked disciple is a bit unfair…”
“Stop your whining. Just go and come back quickly.”
At Master’s urging, I nodded. Just as I was about to launch myself into the air—
“Hyeon-ah.”
“Yes? Ah, yes, Master.”
“…Come back safely.”
At those words, I could only nod quietly.