Pector and Clanis
I decided to send Pector back.
The guy just got on my nerves. Time to kick him out.
"Anyway, if you're done here, then get lost."
"Fine. Then I'll see you again."
"You sure love making open-ended promises."
At least if there was a promise set, I wouldn't be surprised when he showed up.
With the Saint essentially handed over to Bernoa like a living double, I was firmly on Ashtar's side now. Having Pector waltz into the Ashtar Territory because of me would only complicate things.
"Hmm. Who knows. If you want a fight, I might come. After all, that sword you're carrying is connected to mine."
"What?"
Out of nowhere the bastard pointed a finger straight at the sword hanging at my side.
A blade not just anyone could wield. The sword that held Pector's Authority of Despair.
"To be precise... no matter where you are or who you're with, my sword and yours remain linked."
Ugh. Seriously, what kind of dive-bar gigolo was this guy before he became a Heavenly King? Looking at that face, I could already picture him swindling noblewomen in some kingdom until someone finally stuck a sword in him—and then, of course, he got resurrected as a Heavenly King. Perfect. Yeah, that tracked completely.
"I still don't get how a bastard like you made it to the Four Heavenly Kings."
"What?"
"Nothing. Just leave."
He was the slimy gigolo type that made my skin crawl. Especially when I thought about what was actually inside that shell.
"Very well. Ah, and from what I hear, this 'White King' seems dangerous."
"You mean that conquering monarch who's been on a tear lately?"
Sure enough, every few centuries some prodigy would rise out of a minor nation, forge a huge kingdom overnight, then invade the Empire—only to get thoroughly stomped. Still, this White King left a bad taste in my mouth too.
"Yes. Be careful. His blade may turn toward the Empire. The Empire weathered the Four Heavenly Kings' assault, but against another human nation... who knows."
"Yeah."
With that, Pector vanished.
As if I didn't already know about war. The problem was that the Emperor refused to listen. A full-scale invasion by the White King—another human—was genuinely more dangerous than anything the Heavenly Kings had thrown at us. Those rotten nobles would switch sides in a heartbeat. Against monsters, humanity could at least unite. Against a true conqueror, things could get ugly fast.
"Lady Olivia? Where is Pector?"
The moment he disappeared, Celia stepped in.
"He's gone."
"Hmm. He's a strange human every time I see him."
You're telling me. Even I think he's weird.
"Yeah. Weird human. Or... is he even human?"
"He's a demon, after all."
Right. A demon. Can't really call him human. Looks weren't bad, but I still didn't get why he always wore that helmet. Strategically speaking, with a face that handsome he could have been seducing human women like an incubus.
"We've finished things here, so let's leave the rest to Kise and head for Crad Castle."
"Crad?"
"Crad Castle is nearby, and Lockton happens to be there. Better to speak with him directly. Kise can handle her end; we'll be faster."
Crad was closer than linking up with Kise again. Strictly speaking, a mere unit member shouldn't move without Kise's orders, but special circumstances applied. And watching how Kise operated, it was honestly better if I just did my own thing.
"You didn't call him 'big brother.'"
"Sometimes I don't. What's it to you?"
Celia looked like she'd die happy if she could just hear me call him oppa. I'd told her a dozen times I hated it, but her teasing never died easily.
"Well, people are like that, I suppose."
"What's with that greasy smile?"
Utterly greasy. If I pretended to be more annoyed, she'd only tease me harder.
"I simply thought you might use it when family is around."
"Stop thinking weird things."
"Yes, ma'am."
Even so, that bright little smile of hers was thoroughly annoying.
Maybe I should just ditch her here and go alone.
Northern Demon Realm.
Having settled the Ashtar business, Pector returned to the north of the Demon Realm—his original stronghold, nestled inside a dimensional rift so deep that even if human forces somehow stumbled upon it, they would find the place nearly impregnable. He himself no longer remembered when he had first begun using it; he simply kept on living there.
"Well, well, look who finally showed up. Since when did that stubborn mule of a Pector start getting soft over a woman and sabotaging the Demon King's great cause?"
Clanis watched through the crystal ball she had installed in the temple as the Ashtar princess and Pector chatted away like old friends. It was utterly ridiculous.
The one who should have been devouring humanity—the one who held the strongest Authority of them all—was playing neutral and frolicking with a girl. And not just any girl: a despised descendant of Ashtar blood!
"I am only keeping my promise to Noah. I told Noah I would not invade the Empire. Ashtar is imperial land."
Pretty words. He just liked the woman, that was all.
Clanis had plenty more to say. She glared at Pector as though she wanted him dead.
"So when I say I'm going to touch Ashtar, why the hell does a bastard like you stick your nose in?! You have no reason to stop me!"
If only this operation had succeeded, she could have wiped out the local temples and let Ashtar die on its own. The Empire's strength would have plummeted, and the nobles—once held in check by Ashtar—would have risen in revolt.
"I have no reason to leave you alone either."
"What? Hey! We're the Four Heavenly Kings!"
Pector found it absurd.
Four Heavenly Kings? With the Demon King gone, what meaning did the Heavenly Kings or the legion commanders under them even have? No—truthfully the current Heavenly Kings were already doing their own things. United they would have been formidable, but looking at the mess they were in now, unity was impossible.
Pector shook his head.
What a pathetic woman. He understood her bone-deep hatred for the Empire, but it only made her look pitiful.
"You were the one who made a plan based on my words, so why so many complaints?"
"Ashtar will become a huge threat to us! Even the Demon Realm is about to turn into their personal hunting ground because of those Ashtar bastards!"
The Ashtar children's strategy was sound enough. Stationing troops at Crad Castle was only natural. Since they couldn't personally go on expedition after the last campaign, they had set up an adventurer's guild to keep the demons in check. Already renowned powerhouses were gathering at Crad and clearing out the surrounding demons. Impossible to ignore.
"If that is fate, then so be it."
"So be it, my ass! Are you seriously saying that right now?!"
What else was there to say?
If anything, Pector felt sorry for Clanis. Come to think of it, this woman was originally from the Empire as well. Her exact status was unknown, but her looks and the noble air about her suggested she had at least been the daughter of a noble house. Not low-born, at any rate. Yet her hatred for the Empire ran to the bone.
A flicker of curiosity rose, only to die the moment he looked at that face again. He no longer wanted to ask.
"Then what should I say? To a former human who drowned in hatred, became a Heavenly King, and went completely insane—what exactly am I supposed to tell you?"
"You dare say that—!"
"If it isn't the truth, what is it? If I'm wrong, I'll gladly die by your hand. But you're nothing more than a madwoman."
She didn't even kill humans—she captured them for experiments. Mention the Demon King or the Empire and her eyes rolled back in pure frenzy. Absolute, unconditional loyalty to the Demon King. Honestly, she was the most deranged of all the Demon King's Four Heavenly Kings.
At least Berna was better.
Berna had merely used her Authority and craved affection. Completely different from this lunatic.
Come to think of it, the one who had brought Berna down was Olivia—formerly Noah. Becoming a woman had clearly changed her atmosphere. If he himself had still been human, he might have wanted her. Even as a woman she was the only human who could truly stand against him.
No. She's not human anymore.
She was already close to a demon. The fact that she hadn't fallen even after reaching that state was almost funny. The same might apply to him, of course—but as a demon and a Heavenly King, didn't that make them rather well matched? Besides, as a half-demon Olivia would have trouble taking a human husband anyway.
"Even if that's true, you going against the Demon King—"
"Isn't it about time you woke up? The Demon King—no, the Demon King—is not that kind of being."
"What the hell would a bastard like you know?!"
There went the eyes again. He didn't know if every woman was like this, but this one was definitely not normal. A complete madwoman.
The complete opposite of Olivia. Or... did Olivia have a side like that too? That might be interesting to see someday.
But first he had to deal with the glaring woman right in front of him.
"Let's say it really is the Demon King. So what? The Demon King is dead, Berna is finished, and Seto is off doing who-knows-what. There's no commander left. What exactly do you want me to do?"
"Khh... Just you wait."
"Hmph."
As if he would be scared of someone who only told him to wait and see. Especially when Clanis was no physical match for him. Pector had simply left her alone because she was still one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
"The Empire will collapse on its own even without you lifting a finger. That Seto you keep cursing has already set the entire board."
"Is that so."
Now she was just rambling. Bored? Then go find Seto yourself. He almost said it, but the thought of hearing more of her yapping made him keep quiet.
"From inside, the black mages and anti-imperialists. From outside, countless nations invading the Empire. What do you think will happen?"
What was he supposed to do about any of that?
It was none of his business. His only connection was a certain degree of relationship with Olivia.
Pector answered listlessly.
"That's the Empire's problem. Not mine. If Heaven favors humanity rather than the Demon King, then the greatest human power—the Empire—will not fall."
"Fine. Just wait and see. That woman you treasure so much won't come out unscathed either."
"Do as you please."
Whatever happened to the Empire had nothing to do with him. All Pector wanted was another fight with Olivia. And that Empire was currently being held up by Olivia herself. Even if the entire world attacked it, he doubted it would fall so easily.
After various twists and turns, we finally arrived at Crad Castle.
Crad Castle had changed a great deal since the day I retook it.
For one thing, instead of the architectural atrocity Berna had slapped together, they had restored it using the few remaining blueprints Eldacrad left behind when he first built the place. No—actually they had made it even larger than before. Watchtowers manned by mages specifically so it wouldn't get sliced apart by meteors again. Meteors would still render them useless, of course, but the fortifications were solid enough to shrug off ordinary demonic sieges without trouble.
They had even set up a Crad branch of the Adventurer's Guild. Given the location, every famous adventurer in the country would flock here. After all, it was a strategic keystone of the Demon Realm. Money-hungry types would use Crad as their base and go poking around every corner of the place.
Not a bad head on someone's shoulders.