The Archdemon's Machinations
Nahen could only open gates to places he had personally visited, but this case was an exception. It was possible only because Dane, marked by the spell Nahen had cast upon him, was present here.
Leonardo stared blankly at Nahen, who now stood before him. For some reason, he found himself unable to make the slightest movement. All he could manage was to part his lips and ask the question that burned most fiercely in his mind.
“Just who… are you?”
Nahen offered no answer. He simply extended a hand and placed it against the forehead of the immobilized Leonardo. When Leonardo’s eyes rolled upward and his gaze met the touch, Nahen drew in external mana. The external mana of the human realm was far thinner than that of the demon realm, so even Nahen could not gather a great quantity. Still, it was enough for what he intended.
Nahen channeled the external mana through his hand into Leonardo’s forehead. A mark appeared upon the man’s brow.
“W-what are you…?”
When Leonardo tried to ask what was happening, Nahen replied simply.
“I am giving you courage.”
The moment he heard those words, something inside Leonardo’s mind snapped. He stared blankly ahead, then met Nahen’s gaze. Nahen withdrew his hand and asked quietly,
“Will you live on as a mere puppet, or will you prepare to fight and reclaim everything the she-wolf stole from you?”
The magic Nahen had used was exceedingly simple: a minor spell that paralyzed rational judgment. Unlike full-scale brainwashing or obedience spells, it left no trace. Even if the Heavenly God later examined Leonardo, nothing would remain. And when a human’s reason was dulled, emotion took over completely.
Leonardo shot to his feet.
“I will take back what is mine!”
“Good.”
Nahen explained the agreement he had reached with the Northern Alliance. As Leonardo listened, he said,
“If the Northern Alliance’s forces approach the border, my sister will surely notice.”
“That is why it would be better for you to go yourself. If you remain in the imperial palace and become isolated, it will be disastrous.”
“But… my sister would never allow me to leave.”
“Go under the pretext of an inspection.”
“Then her forces will follow me…”
Nahen answered without hesitation.
“Then eliminate them as well.”
“…!”
“There will surely be those who wish to follow you. Gather them and take them with you. It was the princess who removed the late emperor, not you. Those who resent her will not turn against you.”
Leonardo nodded at Nahen’s counsel. Several officials who had once followed Claude loyally would certainly harbor grievances against the princess’s measures. Especially after she had eliminated upright figures such as Marquis Ebert, their resentment would run even deeper.
“Turn them into your own people and accept the North’s aid. Then you will be able to reclaim everything Charlotte stole from you. That is all.”
“…I understand! But who exactly are you?”
Nahen silently tore open space once more. With a glance at Dane, he told Leonardo simply,
“An envoy of the Northern Alliance.”
Nahen stepped through the passage he had opened. The rift closed behind him, and both he and Dane vanished without a trace. Leonardo, his reason dulled, muttered as he watched them disappear.
“So the Northern Alliance possesses a formidable mage.”
After returning to Eri, who had been waiting with Dane, Nahen immediately set off for the next destination with her. There was no time to spare. Only by moving faster than anyone else could they sow chaos in the human realm before the Heavenly God noticed.
When Nahen opened a simple gate, Eri gazed at it with wide-eyed wonder.
“Where are we going?”
“The Holy Kingdom.”
“The Holy Kingdom?”
“Yes.”
Although he had already anticipated the Holy Kingdom’s actions, Nahen intended to meet the Pope once more to eliminate any unforeseen variables.
Nahen stepped through first, followed by Dane and Eri. They appeared directly inside the Pope’s bedchamber.
“……”
They found the Pope of the Holy Kingdom looking as though he had only just woken. Seeing him in nightclothes rather than formal robes, Eri and Dane quickly averted their eyes. Nahen gave a dry chuckle.
“Did I come too early?”
“…It is troublesome when you appear so suddenly in my bedchamber.”
“This is the only place I can reach. And the only place we can meet in secret.”
Pope Sernius III sighed softly.
“I will go and change into my robes.”
“No need. You may stay as you are. The matter is not a long one. I came because there is something simple I wish to tell you.”
“What matter would that be?”
“Within a few days, the Bismarck Empire will fall into chaos.”
“…Pardon?”
“You carried out my request well, so I am offering useful information in return.”
Although Charlotte’s countermeasures had turned the attempt into a failure, the Holy Kingdom had still applied proper pressure to the Empire. Nahen presented the news as a token of gratitude. The Pope mulled over his words for a moment. Considering the current state of the Empire, there was only one possible cause for such chaos. Sernius III nodded, having understood.
“Thank you for the valuable information.”
“I hope to maintain an amicable relationship with the Holy Kingdom going forward.”
“That is something both I and the Holy Kingdom would welcome.”
Even in his nightclothes, the Pope offered a formal bow.
“I look forward to our continued cooperation.”
Sernius III would use the information Nahen provided to strengthen the Holy Kingdom’s influence and his own power, while Nahen would continue to stir unrest in the human realm through him. It was nothing less than a symbiotic relationship. Of course, the Pope did not know that every aspect of this arrangement had been orchestrated by Nahen from the beginning.
Nahen smiled inwardly at Sernius III’s greeting, but his outward expression remained impassive.
“Likewise.”
The next day, Charlotte received two reports from Gader. The Northern Alliance was assembling its forces, and the Holy Kingdom was likewise gathering its knight orders and crusade units.
“Was there any information indicating that the Holy Kingdom and the Northern Alliance had formed an alliance?”
“No, Your Majesty. No contact between them has been confirmed.”
Then why were both factions preparing to mobilize simultaneously? It was possible the Northern Alliance and the Holy Kingdom intended to wage war, but their assembly points were both close to the Empire.
“Your Majesty, regarding the matter you instructed us to investigate earlier—we appear to have found the person who distributed those artifacts in the outer regions.”
“Whose doing was it? That adventurer named Eli?”
“She used a different identity, but according to the testimony of the Magic Association, her appearance matches. Pink hair, and even with a robe, her figure was noticeable…”
“There is no need to report in such detail. In any case, it is highly likely the same person.”
“Yes.”
“Issue a wanted order to every garrison in the empire and order a thorough search. And…”
Charlotte rested her chin on her hand and voiced her own deduction.
“Find out what lies behind her.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Investigate the demon realm.”
Charlotte was almost certain. The current situation could only have arisen through the intervention of an external force, and the demon realm was the most probable culprit. General Schwarde Hatzfeld, who had been listening quietly, offered cautious advice.
“Your Highness, I do not believe that is a wise course of action. You know what becomes of humans who enter the demon realm.”
“I know. But were Gader and his men so foolish and weak?”
“…They were not.”
“I am not telling them to fight. I am not telling them to march in openly. They must infiltrate. Infiltrate and discover what movements the demon realm is making.”
Charlotte continued,
“It is obvious that the demon realm is observing and assessing the human realm. We must do the same. If we fall behind in the information war, we will have no means of responding to them.”
“I understand Your Highness’s intent. I will order Gader to monitor the demon realm’s movements.”
The handling of the monsters and artifacts that had appeared in the outer regions ended there. The next problem was how to respond to the suspicious movements of the Northern Alliance and the Holy Kingdom.
“Schwarde.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“The current leader of the Northern Alliance is… Lord Delos, correct?”
“That is correct.”
“…Then it is time to exploit the Alliance’s weakness.”
The Northern Alliance was a coalition formed by seven lords, each ruling their own territory. When their army moved, the leader’s decision carried the greatest weight, and the consent of the other lords was also required. Only when every vote was in favor did the army march. That also meant their forces could be scattered just as easily. If even one person withdrew, the coalition would collapse.
Charlotte narrowed her eyes and gave Schwarde a simple order.
“Schwarde, I will assign you thirty thousand elite troops and one thousand magic combat soldiers.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Capture Delos Castle. Or rather, there is no need to capture it.”
Charlotte clenched her fist.
“Make it so they can never rise again.”
“What of the civilians?”
“It does not matter.”
The Empire’s shadow operatives were not the sort to concern themselves with the citizens of other nations.
“Destroy it.”
The Empire’s First Army General, Schwarde Hatzfeld, did not hold the absolute highest rank in an army that also possessed five-star generals, yet at only thirty-two years of age he occupied an extraordinary position. This was possible because he was the renowned commander who had led Charlotte to victory against the Northern Alliance. During the war, for example, the eight thousand men under his command had annihilated forty thousand Northern troops in a single engagement.
With such a man in command, launching a surprise attack on a single Northern castle using the thirty thousand elite troops and one thousand magic combat soldiers Charlotte had provided was hardly difficult. Moreover, news that the Northern Alliance’s forces were gathering near the Empire’s northern border made movement even easier. All that remained was to quietly clear a path, take a detour toward Delos Castle, and strike. The lord whose territory had been attacked would be forced to recall his troops, and once the leader’s army withdrew, the rest of the Alliance forces would naturally disintegrate. Since their numbers were not excessive, retreat would also be simple. Schwarde’s army could strike as hard as it wished and then withdraw.
Of course, they might have to endure another war with the North, but the Northern Alliance would also find a full-scale conflict with the Empire difficult. Only the leader who had suffered direct damage would rage; the other lords, having lost nothing, would remain indifferent. It was a moment that showcased Charlotte’s keen judgment, having calculated every possibility with a cool head.
Schwarde felt a surge of pride at serving such a sovereign and advanced quietly along the road. Yet none of them knew that someone was already predicting their every move—someone who had been pondering when the Empire would learn of the situation and how the princess would respond.
CRACK────!!!
Something swallowed the soldiers whole. It was invisible, yet the sight of the ground being torn open and the soldiers vanishing without a trace made it clear that something had passed through and devoured them. Even Schwarde was deeply shaken when the center of his army was severed in an instant. In truth, he had no choice but to be shaken. No human could comprehend such a situation with their mind.
‘…Magic?’
If it was magic that manifested mysteries through the strange power of mana, then perhaps it was possible. But as far as Schwarde knew…
‘Does such magic even exist?’
There was no spell capable of making over ten thousand humans disappear at once.
“As expected of Princess Charlotte. I knew you would do this.”
At the sound of the voice, Schwarde drew his sword at once. The Empire’s elite troops likewise drew their blades and prepared for an ambush. Yet only two people appeared. Schwarde doubted his eyes. One of them looked exactly like the adventurer Eli who had supplied the suspicious magical artifacts.
“The adventurer Eli…!”
“I told you your appearance stands out too much, Eri.”
“I-I’m sorry…”
Schwarde shouted,
“Who the hell are you people? What faction do you belong to? Why did you distribute those dangerous items throughout the Empire?”
“They’re asking who we are. What should I say, Lord Nahen?”
Eri asked the empty air. Schwarde found the gesture strange, but soon realized who she was speaking to. The voice he had heard first moments ago now rang out once more—from above.
“I would prefer it if you died quietly, General Schwarde Hatzfeld.”
Golden eyes gleamed in the darkness, fixed upon Schwarde. Behind them, an enormous white whale revealed itself.
“Civil war must break out, after all.”