Chapter 234
Chapter: 234
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 234
>Chapter Title: Defense Battle (7)
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"Someone skillfully manipulated the Glacier Trolls? And you suspect it was the work of [The Prepared One]…?"
In a mansion on the outskirts not far from the Imperial Capital.
An old priest stared into empty space with sharp green eyes, in a place occasionally used as a meeting spot for shady figures.
He was none other than [Sower].
The Demon King of [Disease], whom he had taken from Romain and was thriftily using as a contractor ever since.
"It seems taking hold of the northern region will be more difficult than I thought…"
After finishing his communication with his subordinate, he grumbled as he returned to the drawing room.
As he flopped carelessly onto the worn sofa, a cloud of acrid dust puffed up around him.
"…Was [The Prepared One] involved this time too?"
[Greed], who was already seated in the drawing room, asked first. She was in her usual form as a small girl with braided hair.
"Yeah. It seems that way. It's truly baffling. I can't pin down what that thing is after at all."
"It's moving for the ultimate destruction of Delcross. That's obvious."
"Is it, though? Even without that Romain fellow's words, lately I've been harboring strong doubts about the true purpose of [The Prepared One]'s existence."
As [Sower] pouted in a way that didn't suit him, [Greed] stared at him blankly.
"By the way, I didn't expect you to play along with that man's nonsense."
Berseus Dasiano was a member of the 'Council of Six' and the owner of the [Key].
He was destined to stand in eternal opposition to the Demon Kings who eyed opportunities to carve up not only the northern continent but the entire Delcross dimension.
At that, [Sower] pulled up the corners of his wrinkled mouth and cackled.
"If it's for our own desires, temporary alliances are possible. Just as [Penitence] supported Sigurd Sigursson to free [The Prepared One], we're backing Berseus and the discarded 'puppet' to seize the northern continent."
Though the guardian of Delcross wouldn't go down easily, he added.
"Berseus's hopes are nothing but vain delusions. He'll face the sanctions of the 'Council of Six' in the end."
"Who knows. As you well know, their rules have quite a few ambiguities. What they value most is maintaining the balance of causality, after all."
A perfect world once paired with Delcross.
The [Calamity] that thoroughly destroyed that Ionia stemmed from an imbalance of causality to begin with.
"That's why they shackle the hands and feet of the guardian protecting the continent, while tolerating the Dark Church's moves to destroy it—as long as it's done by 'human' hands."
[Sower] leaned obliquely against the sofa and continued.
[Greed]. Causality is the one and only thing for the likes of us—it's everything. Why do you think we scramble to expand our influence without directly invading the dimension from the start? It's all to exert maximum influence on the world without touching causality, isn't it?
"……"
"Oh, right. You're not interested, are you? Since you don't build up a church or anything."
Ignoring the teasing remark tossed like a joke, [Greed] asked with an expressionless face.
"I know you've gathered Demon Kings from the Phantasm World and the Main World to scheme something. But how did you move the Norm World? I didn't realize you could extend your influence even to those absurd worlds."
"Oh, that?"
[Sower] flashed a secretive smile, then suddenly leaned in close to the girl and lowered his voice.
"Haha. Don't be surprised, [Greed]. It's [Ardor]. The hidden [Ardor] has appeared!"
"…[Ardor]."
"Yeah. I wondered what that guy was so obsessed with lately, and turns out he's completely hooked on wandering the Norm World."
"……"
"So I asked if he could gather some forces from the Norm World, and quick as a flash, he whipped up something called a [Quest]. Just that spawned a massive number of Norm World inhabitants in an instant! So typical of him, right?"
As [Sower] chattered excitedly, [Greed] slightly furrowed her brow.
"Vanity of vanities! No matter how many of those half-baked dimensional kings swarm in, do you think a single one could stand against Delcross's guardian?"
"Hahaha."
[Sower] laughed with a confident face.
"That's what they call knowing one thing and not the other, [Greed]. No matter how strong someone is, there's a limit to the human mind. Keep slamming into countless obstacles, and eventually, they'll wear down and erode. So we just need to wear that one out as much as possible… Hm?"
[Sower] trailed off, suddenly frowning deeply.
"…But why have I been feeling chills since earlier? Is it because I hastily took over this old man's body?"
The Demon King of Disease catching a cold would be utterly humiliating.
He'd have to find a healthy new contractor soon.
As he rubbed his arms prickling with goosebumps, [Sower] muttered to himself.
Meanwhile, another who felt a sudden chill at the same time as [Sower] was Romain, who was holed up on Bertrand Street.
"Pueh!"
He sneezed so violently that his half-mask shook and nearly flew off his face.
Startled, Leonhard, who had been rolling around nearby with a bottle of liquor, jumped up.
"What is it? Romain. Can that body, not your real one, even catch a cold?"
"…No way. It's nothing."
Ahem. Clearing his throat, Romain asked the prince.
"By the way, how has the princess been reacting lately, Sir Leo? Does she seem interested in a political marriage with Rohan?"
"Who knows? She's been diligently sending flowers right now, but…"
Leonhard turned away and propped his chin crookedly.
"Progress will probably come once Prince Mores returns. The princess doesn't even show her face at half-hearted banquets. She's just as haughty as her father in that regard."
So he'd ask the prince to properly arrange a meeting with her.
The prince added that as he took a swig of liquor.
"…Prince Mores, you say."
Would he really return safely to the Imperial Capital?
Romain sneered.
Prince Mores was a 'Prepared One' by the Dark Church. That was the intel he got from offering the old priest to a high-ranking Demon King not long ago.
If what they told him was all true, the Prepared One would become a major obstacle in Leonhard's path ahead. He absolutely could not be left in this world.
That was why he had fervently persuaded the high-ranking Demon Kings to eliminate him.
"We can't just sweep away the entire Sigsmund Territory with overwhelming force. This matter requires the proper balance, after all."
"Why not?"
Leonhard's innocent question twisted Romain's lips.
"Surely you're not asking seriously? If Sigsmund Territory falls too easily like this, the next target for the demon beasts of the Demon Realm will undoubtedly be Rohan."
"Ah."
In truth, Rohan, which bordered Saltsburg and part of the border, was benefiting greatly from Sigsmund Territory's buffer.
Romain sighed toward the prince, who nodded with a dumb look.
"You have your eye on Princess Amelia, don't you? If you want to truly win her heart, you'd best start building proper common sense and refinement now. Rumors say the clever princess has already been assisting her father with state affairs at a young age."
"Hmm. Is that so?"
Leonhard frowned and pondered briefly before shaking his head.
"Common sense and refinement pale before radiant beauty. I'll approach her as a taciturn man with a charming smile."
"…Ah, yes."
He meant to speak less to hide his ignorance.
Just how far could he go with this man?
Letting out a long sigh, Romain suddenly turned his gaze to the distant northern sky.
"By now, the full-scale war should be breaking out. Sigsmund Territory's fate will be decided soon."
* * *
Seongjin followed the group while chewing on preserved rations.
He had to shove something in his mouth whenever there was a chance. Thinking about it, between all the chaos, he had barely eaten anything all day.
'How is it? I think it's pretty tasty.'
The special preserved rations prepared by the Imperial Palace weren't bad. Less of the usual off-putting taste, and the longer you chewed, the more premium seasonings came through.
As he diligently shared the sensation with the Demon King, the guy grumbled in a slightly softened tone.
[Hmph! It's useless anyway. I'm not opening the Spirit Eye again today!]
'Yeah, sure.'
While Seongjin slept, fortunately, the Demon King had obediently returned to the Phantasm Crystal on his own. So Seongjin decided not to provoke him further and to soothe him diligently.
'I get your point. But you know too, right? Once Father fixes it, all these weird issues will vanish like that. Now's the time to focus all our energy on more important things, not dwell on minor glitches.'
For some reason, he hadn't shown up at all today, but wouldn't Sir Sharon come here using his body soon? Recovery would be quick then.
As he explained, the Demon King let out a deep sigh and even clicked his tongue.
[You idiot. Sometimes you seem thoughtful, but then you act like you have no brain at all. Have you ever put yourself in his shoes in that situation?]
'Huh?'
[What about your father's own case, the one who can fix you up so neatly? What if he takes on tough stuff alone or gets badly hurt, just because he'll recover quickly? Could you still say it's fine since he'll heal soon?]
'…Huh?'
A flash.
A faint image of the Holy Emperor's back flickered through Seongjin's mind. Aiming gleaming silver thorns at something, glaring into the distance.
The image vanished in an instant, but it left behind a strangely poignant pang in his chest.
What was that? Something like a memory, on the tip of his tongue…
[Got it? You troublemaker! You should be grateful a single flick on the forehead forgives all your screw-ups!]
'Hmm…'
Feeling somber for no reason, Seongjin didn't try persuading the Demon King to open the Spirit Eye anymore.
He knew full well that if it were truly urgent, the guy would relent pretending to be reluctant.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Fortunately, he didn't need the Spirit Eye right now. The frost spirits were following him dutifully without any orders.
The "follow me" command must still be in effect.
"Your Highness, we're here."
By the time they arrived at the encampment at the territory entrance, the front lines had entered a brief lull.
Ilma, who had been reorganizing troops, greeted Seongjin with a pleased face.
"The ice wall held up quite well, but in the end, all the Lycanslopes crossed it before sunset. We've clashed with them twice so far."
"I see."
Seongjin nodded and looked toward the enemy lines.
In the pitch-black darkness after sunset, the broad slope leading to the ice wall base was covered in hundreds of starlights. Realizing each one was a beast's glowing eye made for a spine-chilling sight.
The encampment countered with countless torches, illuminating the surroundings brightly.
Seeing those flickering flames, a throbbing pain returned to his eyes, which he had forgotten.
It seemed the Demon King's words about his eyes not being in good shape were spot on.
Even after Sir Sharon and Sir Valerie took turns channeling holy power, they hadn't fully recovered.
This meant not just optic nerve fatigue, but permanent tissue damage as well.
'Father would really get mad if he knew.'
His forehead already ached preemptively.
"By the way, what happened with the old man chasing the demon?"
Had Vincent caught the one controlling the Glacier Troll? Since the ice wall fell in the end, maybe he failed.
Ilma replied with an ambiguous expression.
"Well. He didn't let them escape, but whether we can call it a capture…"
"……?"
"I'll take you to the command tent for now. We can discuss the details there."
Normally, an outsider and a child like Seongjin wouldn't be invited to the command tent.
But thanks to the frost spirits' prowess in saving the ice wall base, everyone had naturally come to treat Seongjin's group as key forces.
Upon Seongjin's arrival, a meeting was in full swing in the margrave's tent.
"They'll try to settle it at night as much as possible. Even if humans enhance their eyesight with aura, they fundamentally can't match the Lycanslopes' night vision."
Sir Sebastian explained calmly.
The Lycanslopes had superior stamina and numbers. Some even wielded aura like humans.
Few could properly face them in the pitch dark.
For now, exceptional fighters like old man Vincent, Sir Ilma, and Sir Sebastian were barely maintaining the balance.
But that power equilibrium wouldn't last long.
"Hmm…"
Listening to their grave discussion, Seongjin fondled a small stone in his cold-weather gear pocket.
The magic stone Logan had given him before leaving, in case of emergencies.
[What are you planning with that?]
Sensing something ominous, the Demon King asked slyly.
'Just watch.'
Seongjin curled up the corner of his mouth.
If my eyes hurt, it's only natural to make the enemy's eyes hurt too, right?