Chapter 252
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 252
The Academy Union. The Chairman's Office.
Summoned by the Chairman, the student council presidents appeared in flashes of magical light.
The presidents of the Four Great Academies, who had returned to their respective nations due to the quasi-wartime state, attended via hologram. Alongside them, representatives from various other nations and cooperatives manifested one by one.
“It has been a while, everyone. This is our first gathering since the truce, is it not?”
The Chairman began with a warm smile, relaying notices and reports to the assembled leaders.
While the monarchs and high-ranking nobles of each kingdom were the core of the Human-Demon War effort, the student council presidents had their own vital roles to play. Currently, the Union and the Meteor Archipelago served as sanctuaries for refugees. They housed students and families who had been unable to return home, as well as displaced residents fleeing the front lines.
The Union wasn't just providing protection; it was continuing their education, molding them into talents who could contribute to the war effort. The new Valerian Academy, founded by Roen in the past, played a pivotal role in this. Its established curriculum for educating commoners proved to be remarkably effective in these desperate times.
Furthermore, Meister Academy’s automated golem production facilities had been vastly expanded. They were now manufacturing combat golems powered by next-generation cores, which were being supplied across the entire continent. These golems were deployed to harsh terrains where human soldiers struggled, to the most fiercely contested battlefields, and to sites requiring rapid restoration or fortress construction. They had become an indispensable asset to the war effort.
In addition, nutritional supplements and electrolyte drinks were being mass-produced, while the canning technology from the Kane Merchant Guild—secured through a prior contract with Roen—revolutionized the supply of combat rations.
Though Roen was gone, the legacy he left behind was the backbone of the Human-Demon War. It was as if he had foreseen this catastrophe and prepared for it.
The Chairman detailed the production and distribution volumes of supplies and the status of refugee accommodations before concluding the meeting.
“Well then, that concludes our regular briefing. I shall see you all next time.”
Fzzt—.
The holograms flickered out one by one. However, four figures remained.
The Chairman looked at Freya, Elena, Kiriel, and Beatrice.
“I have something to tell the four of you. A short while ago, Roen contacted me.”
“……!”
The mention of Roen’s name made their eyes widen in unison. Freya was the first to speak, her voice urgent.
“W-What did Roen say?”
The Chairman answered, tapping his white fountain pen against the desk.
“He says he is faring well and that you shouldn't worry. He has successfully completed the Succession Ritual and has ascended as the ruler of the Demon Realm. Based on various reports, this has been cross-verified. I believe you can all rest a little easier now.”
“Huuu...”
A collective sigh of relief filled the room. They had been too consumed by their wartime duties to show it, but a corner of their hearts had been perpetually occupied by worry for him.
The Chairman continued, “As you might have guessed, he confirmed that this truce was his decision. For us, it was a gift as welcome as rain in a drought.”
The Demon Realm’s massive invasion had begun abruptly with the fall of Glyphesi. Vicious demonic beasts had ravaged the continent, while hordes of monsters surged over the Great Walls and from the untamed territories. Caught off guard, humanity suffered repeated defeats, eventually surrendering everything except for the major cities and fortresses.
Thanks to the swift actions of the allied forces led by Emperor Marcus, the loss of life was mitigated, but they had been forced to abandon the vast majority of their farmland. With limited food reserves, the prospect of a prolonged war was dire.
It was while they were barely holding the line that the truce was declared. Humanity was now seizing this reprieve to fortify its broken defenses and secure the farmland necessary to sustain the conflict.
Having heard the situation, Kiriel asked cautiously, “If Roen has become the Demon King, would it be difficult to end the war entirely?”
The war had clearly changed Kiriel. Her former tomboyish charm had vanished, replaced by a composed aura reminiscent of her older sister, Ariel.
The Chairman looked at Kiriel and slowly shook his head.
“That will not be easy. There must have been immense opposition just to secure a truce. Roen spoke of this as well.”
It was true that Roen was currently suppressing dissent with the overwhelming power gained through the Succession Ritual, but there was no telling how long that dominance would last. The demons, driven by a thirst for battle and blood, wanted the war to continue. Even Roen could not fight the entire Demon Realm alone. He was likely already under considerable political pressure and personal threat just for establishing this temporary peace.
Moreover, he was not a pure-blooded demon, but a half-human hybrid. His legitimacy was thin. If he continued to favor the human realm while disregarding the desires of the demons... the outcome was inevitable.
Beatrice, who had been listening intently, nodded. “A thorny situation in every respect.”
Considering Roen’s position, even maintaining the truce was a precarious balancing act, let alone ending the war. The longer the truce lasted, the greater the risk Roen had to bear. Furthermore, if humanity were to win successive victories, Roen’s standing would be severely shaken. To survive, he might eventually have no choice but to resume the war and crush the allied forces.
Or...
‘There is the option of inflicting critical damage on the demon leadership and returning to us.’
He could dismantle the Demon Realm’s hierarchy and escape. But there had to be a reason why he hadn't chosen that path yet.
As they were lost in thought, Elena spoke up tentatively.
“Chairman, is there… is there any way to cure Roen?”
The question was sudden, but the Chairman understood her meaning immediately. Roen had become almost entirely a demon through the Succession Ritual. Elena wanted to turn him back into a human. It was a question born of the hope that, although they stood on opposite sides now, he would one day return to her. It also carried a hint of self-reproach for her past failure to heal him as he lay dying.
But the Chairman could not offer a simple comfort.
“I understand your heart, Lady Elena, but it would be difficult to bring him back through a 'cure.' He has already become a being fundamentally tied to the darkness.”
“……”
As Elena’s expression began to darken, the Chairman quickly added, “However, Roen will know how to navigate this. His alchemy, having partaken of the Fruit of Wisdom, now touches the realm of the gods. He will surely find a way to overcome his fate and break through this predicament.”
“Therefore, there is nothing we can do right now. Let us simply perform our own duties to the best of our ability and pray for his safe return.”
*
Since my coronation, I have rarely participated in public events. The only exceptions were to dispatch the audacious demons who dared challenge me in the Colosseum.
CRACKLE—!
The challenger was reduced to a pile of ash by a bolt of black lightning.
UOOOOOH!
Listening to the roar echoing through the arena, I turned away, my expression carefully blank. From time to time, those dissatisfied with the truce or my lineage would challenge me. In the Demon Realm, where the strong are revered, such displays of force raised my approval, but they also sowed seeds of resentment as I ruthlessly purged the opposition.
It was a double-edged sword. But such challenges were a sacred custom; even as the Demon King, I could not refuse them. The most I could do was select moderately strong opponents for these public executions to deter every common upstart from coming at me.
“You have done well.”
As I left the arena and entered the Colosseum’s inner sanctum, Gilean greeted me with a bow. I acknowledged him and gestured toward the pile of ash outside.
“Right. Who was that, and where was he from?”
“Partu of the Red Eye Tribe. A giant.”
“A giant, huh. They never change.”
I knew the giants, led by Yungraom, along with the dark elves and the undead, held a deep grudge against me. I had heard they were still conspiring with other leaders behind the scenes while putting subtle pressure on the Venerables I had newly appointed. They were even rumored to be in contact with the neutral Calvador.
They were likely preparing for the day of their counterattack. It was not a pleasant prospect.
“What are your thoughts, Your Highness?” Gilean asked, gently probing my intentions.
I slowly shook my head. “Let them be. They are no great threat to me yet.”
Killing them all now would be satisfying, but a premature purge could provoke a backlash from the entire Demon Realm. No matter how strong I was, I couldn't fight the whole world at once.
Twitch—.
I looked down at my trembling hand and clenched it into a tight fist. Even after gaining a new body through the Succession Ritual, the instability remained.
‘...My authority and power are absolute, yet they are terrifyingly unstable.’
Unlike mana, magi is an inherently volatile and tyrannical force—the power of chaos, not order. The price for that immense power is the instability of one's very existence. That wasn't all. The more I used this power, the more I felt something inside me shifting. Perhaps I, too, was being consumed, slowly turning into something akin to the Demon God.
I would have to make a choice before that time came. And I had to finish the tasks given to me.
I let out a deep sigh and asked Gilean, “How much… time is left?”
Gilean’s eyes hardened. “Three years. Perhaps less.”
“Three years.”
I lifted my head and stared blankly at the ceiling. After the coronation, Gilean had explained the ‘Great Work’ that had been passed down through the ages.
‘The immense power left behind by the Demon God for the Succession Ritual is the key to unsealing a dimensional gate.’
That near-infinite magi and the authority to manipulate space were merely the foundation. Now that I had undergone the ritual and taken the key, the countdown to the Great Work had already begun. The power I received was being slowly drained to open the gate. By the time the gate fully opened, most of my power would be spent.
But opening the gate was not the end. To retrieve the Racial Wedge stored beyond it and close the gate again required even more power. The Human-Demon War was orchestrated specifically to fill that deficit. Through the millions of deaths caused by the war, one could harvest the necessary negative karma and magical energy.
However, if sufficient power is not obtained—if the dimensional gate cannot be closed—a Great Calamity will follow that will destroy the world.
It was a reckless, irresponsible plan with no way back. A plan that demanded countless sacrifices to succeed and brought ruin if it failed. This was the true nature of the ‘Great Work’ orchestrated by the Demon God, and it was now mine to resolve.
I had to choose before the gate opened.
Would I maintain this false peace and wait for the gate to open… only for that power to destroy everyone?
Or...
Would I resume the war, absorb the necessary souls, and complete the Great Work to close the gate forever?
“……The choice, Your Highness, is yours.”
Leaving those words behind, Gilean disappeared into the dark corridor. Once he was gone, I murmured quietly to the empty room.
“I… have already made my decision.”