Chapter 260
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 260
“I don’t understand. What is it you want, and what am I supposed to do?”
Beatrice slowly shook her head, as if she couldn’t comprehend my words. Or perhaps she understood everything perfectly and simply didn’t want to admit it.
After a moment of silence, she spoke again, her tone laced with warning.
“Roen, the royal guards will be here soon. There are master-level knights among them, and Sir Gawain is with them. You need to get away, quickly.”
“Hmph. Are you worried about me? They’re no match for me. Besides…”
Vwoom—.
“Getting out of here is simple.”
A Gate of Space materialized the moment I snapped my fingers. Infiltrating the palace had been a challenge, but escaping was effortless. I could leave this place at any moment through that portal.
Beatrice watched the gate, then asked cautiously, “In that case, Roen, why did you go to the trouble of coming all this way on a floating ship?”
“…”
I paused for a moment.
Even for me, the Imperial Palace’s magic barrier wasn’t something I could breach with long-distance teleportation. While I’d had Kabeltar’s help to bypass the Spirit King’s barrier, this one had to be broken through using my own magical abilities alone.
That was why I’d chosen a brute-force assault with the floating ship. It was far easier to smash through the barrier directly than to attempt a teleport.
But rather than telling her the cold truth, I decided to give her the answer she likely wanted to hear.
“It was a gift from you, wasn't it? I wanted to try it out at least once. That’s all,” I said softly, stroking the hull of the floating ship.
“…!”
I stored the ship in my subspace and left her with one last remark before stepping through the Gate of Space.
“I’ll return it the next time we meet.”
*
In the time it took me to claim the imperial seal and return from the Demon King’s castle, the pitched battle on the great plains had concluded.
Gilean arrived shortly after to report the results of the massive engagement. He recited the casualty counts for both sides and the status of the key commanders. After hearing the report, I let out a deep sigh and nodded.
“Good work.”
The extent of the damage was within my expectations. The acquisition of Negative Energy was proceeding smoothly, and the losses on both sides were at an appropriate level.
Having finished his report, Gilean asked, “But, my King. Why did you choose to fight this battle on the plains?”
Unlike previous battles where we had struck directly at the enemy’s heart, this had been a major engagement where massive armies clashed head-on. I glanced at the map hanging beside me and explained.
“First, it was difficult to move the troops all the way to the Imperial Capital.”
With my teleportation patterns being predicted by the enemy, moving an army of hundreds of thousands to the capital was extremely risky. The Magic Empire of Cassandra was home to many brilliant mages. One misstep, and we could fall into a trap while moving our forces, causing hundreds of thousands of soldiers to vanish in an instant.
Furthermore, unlike the flooded regions where we could easily subdue the enemy after passing the barrier, the empire’s interior was teeming with an immense number of soldiers. The Imperial Capital was crawling with battle mages from the seven Magic Towers, ancient weapons like the floating ships, and magic knights. Teleporting an army into the middle of that would be suicide.
Gilean nodded, convinced. “I see. That makes sense.”
As I continued my explanation, I smirked inwardly.
Well, it’s not as if I actually care about the demons’ sacrifices.
I simply hadn’t attacked the Imperial Capital directly because it was better for me if the empire remained intact. If the capital—the focal point for humanity—became a battlefield, humanity would suffer losses they might never recover from.
And more importantly...
I’ve stockpiled enough power that I no longer need to obsess over gaining Negative Energy.
Months had passed since the war began. In just one week, the demon army had breached the Great Wall and advanced with unstoppable momentum. After toppling the Winter Castle adjacent to the wall, they had struck key strategic points of the human forces, inflicting fatal damage. They had also effortlessly burned down Highgarden and the World Tree in the flooded region.
The number of soldiers and civilians who died in the process easily surpassed a million. It was only natural that Negative Energy was gathering so readily.
I’ve obtained everything I need.
The seed of the World Tree, and the imperial seal left by Kyrus the Great. Aslan was safe with me, and I had secured Ariel to carry out my work. I had instilled a thirst for revenge in Freya to help her grow as the Hero, and I had also let Kiriel escape to join the human forces.
I had even met with Beatrice and received her promise. Now, only one thing remained.
“Then the next target is…”
I nodded. “Yes. The Holy Kingdom of Celestia.”
It was time to meet with Elena one last time.
*
The pitched battle on the great plains was the first meaningful counterattack for the human forces.
Until now, they had been taking a one-sided beating from the demon army’s elusive movements, but this battle had yielded a decent outcome. Moreover, unlike the previous engagements where key facilities were destroyed in an instant, this time the Imperial Capital and other major cities suffered almost no damage.
In the several battles that followed, the human forces either defeated the demons or fought them to a standstill. The demons, weary from the long campaign, gradually lost their momentum, while the human forces, filled with newfound hope, pushed back with increasing ferocity.
Amid this hopeful situation, the Holy Kingdom of Celestia received intelligence that a large demon army was marching toward them.
And then...
“The Demon King Roen has proposed a meeting.”
An offer for a parley had come from Roen. The cardinals of Celestia were locked in a heated debate over it.
“We must refuse! Simply exchanging words with that fiend is dangerous.”
“No, we should accept the meeting and use the opportunity to kill him!”
“That’s right! If we kill the Demon King, his followers will lose their focal point and scatter.”
“That’s too risky. If they lose their leader, they might go on a rampage!”
“Then we just kill them all!”
“What if the Demon King genuinely proposes a peace treaty?”
“Hah! And you actually believe that?”
“How about we propose a peace treaty from our side? We could launch a surprise attack while the enemy’s guard is down.”
“No, we must make a treaty and rebuild our forces.”
“Do you think they’ll accept a second time?”
“The previous ceasefire was honored, but fundamentally, they are not to be trusted!”
The discussion went nowhere, merely circling the same points. As they raised their voices, shouting at one another without any constructive dialogue, a girl stood up and spoke calmly.
“Everyone, please be quiet.”
It was Saintess Elena, dressed in a pure white priestess robe. Once just a candidate, she had been formally instated as the Saintess when the war began in earnest.
However, becoming the Saintess didn’t grant her absolute power. When Roen awakened as the Demon King, the hardliners who had once insisted on turning him over to the inquisition had gained significant influence. To make matters worse, Elena’s own standing had taken a major hit due to her past friendship with Roen.
But in the midst of a war with the demon realm, Elena’s influence could not be ignored. For Saintess Elena, by her very existence, was the cornerstone of the human forces—a single ray of light against the darkness.
Having risen from her seat, Elena spoke.
“I will meet with Roen.”
Arguing back and forth here wouldn’t change anything. It would be faster to meet him herself and settle things. She wanted to see Roen, to ask about everything that had happened, and to hear his reasons for starting such a war.
Just as Elena clenched her fists, steeling her resolve, a man suddenly raised his hand.
“It’s not that I don’t trust the Saintess, but I will attend as well.”
Cardinal Morz, the leader of the hardliners, stepped forward, offering to accompany her to the meeting. Then, another girl with a resolute expression also raised her hand.
“Please allow me to attend as well.”
Freya Gunhild. After the fall of the Winter Castle, she and a few of her retainers had sought refuge in Celestia. Since then, she had been borrowing the holy sword Ascalon from Elena and training relentlessly. Her goal, of course, was to get revenge on Roen for killing her father.
But Elena could not grant Freya’s request. It would be of no help to her, or to Roen.
“I’m sorry, Lady Freya.”
“W-Why not?!” Freya shouted, leaping to her feet.
Elena did her best to ignore her and called to a holy knight waiting silently by her side.
“Leonhardt, you will accompany me.”
“As you command.”
At Elena’s order, Leonhardt, the Divine Sword, was also set to attend the meeting.
*
Near Celestia. The Rubin Wasteland.
A pavilion was set up in the middle of the wasteland. With the demon army and the Holy Kingdom’s knights, Venerables, and cardinals facing off around the perimeter, the meeting between the two sides began.
Demon King Roen and Saintess Elena sat at a round table, exchanging an awkward greeting.
“It’s been a while, Elena.”
“It has, Roen. I never imagined we would meet in a place like this.”
Who could have predicted such a situation? Once friends who attended classes together, they were now leading massive armies on opposing sides, sitting at a negotiating table for war.
With a somber expression, Roen nodded toward the Celestian representatives. From the kingdom’s side, Elena, Leonhardt, and Cardinal Morz sat at the table.
“It seems Freya didn’t come.”
“I thought it would be better for everyone that way,” Elena replied, gazing at Roen for a moment before noticing Ciel sitting beside him. She gave a small wave. “It’s good to see you too, Ciel.”
Ciel bowed her head in response. Beside Demon King Roen sat Ciel and Gilean. Gilean, she had heard, was the one who handled his affairs, and Ciel was his fiancée.
“…”
Elena silently observed the two before lowering her gaze. Their situations had changed so much. He was the Demon King, and she was the Saintess. He had Ciel by his side, while she had dedicated herself to God, forever unable to marry.
Was it their fate from the beginning to never be together? Elena let out a deep sigh. Casting aside her last lingering attachments, she asked in a business-like tone, “So, what is the reason you requested this meeting?”
“There are many reasons.”
Roen sighed softly and lifted his gaze. It was his first time seeing Elena in a long while. She had become even more beautiful and mature. If a goddess were sculpted and placed on this earth, would she look like this?
But her radiant appearance and the feelings he once had for her no longer mattered to Roen. All that was necessary in this place was to confirm each other’s positions.
“I did not come here today to fight. On the contrary, I came to end the war.”
“…Pardon?”
“It has been nearly a year since this war began.”
The demons, who had advanced with unstoppable momentum under my command, had gradually lost their spirit as time went on. The human forces’ response was also steadily improving, causing fatigue to accumulate. It was no longer a situation where we could continue the fight.
Of course, this was the official reason. The real reason for ending the war was, naturally...
Because I have obtained everything I wanted.
There was no need to increase the number of unnecessary sacrifices. It was time to create the right circumstances and end the war.
“Wasn’t the demons’ goal the destruction of humanity?”
“No. The war was merely a means to an end. A cornerstone to achieve the ‘grand design’ I have been preparing.”
“…Grand design?”
“That’s right. And.”
Shwaaak—.
The view wavered like a mirage as a barrier created by Roen enveloped the meeting place.
“Kuh, what sorcery is this?!”
Cardinal Morz and Leonhardt, the Divine Sword, shot to their feet and charged, but it was already too late.
I invited Elena into the barrier and said, “You are the final piece of that grand design, Elena.”