156
I Killed the Demon King. It was a mistake.
Chapter 156
Elijah walked to the map hanging in the command tent.
And he raised his staff to point at the vampire castle.
"The location of Sith is here. There are many people, but the food supply is incredibly insufficient. Just breaking through supply items is no longer enough."
"What are you planning to do about Sith?"
"As I said earlier, we're heading to the Steel Fortress."
Elijah pointed the end of his staff toward the Steel Fortress.
"Wouldn't that lead to a massive bloodbath? Can the Steel Fortress hold out?"
"It can hold out for a few days. I've built the walls high so that even ogres can't jump over them, and the gates are sturdy."
"Then what about Sith’s army? Aren't they in a situation where they need to cross to the continent?"
"That's why if you're going to betray, do it properly."
The tip of the staff moved past the Steel Fortress, heading north.
"Sith’s army will just pass through the gates and head north without a single battle."
"What? Can other soldiers accept that?"
"The Steel Fortress was originally built to counter the demon race. There's no reason or justification to protect the Imperial Nation from the rebel army."
Elijah had been planning for independence from the Imperial nation from the start.
So from Elijah's perspective, there was no need to fight the rebels head-on.
"Can Sith control the rebels properly? Can we guarantee they won't pillage when passing through civilian areas?"
They were starving.
They even knew how to kill and eat people.
If they saw even a single potato to chew, they would willingly shoot and kill people.
Naturally, from Elijah's perspective, who loved Friedrich, he would not stand by and watch civilians get killed by the rebel army.
"You have more compassion than I thought."
"...What?"
"Don't you know that revolution comes with blood? Why are you thinking about civilians' lives? You're not me, are you?"
Elijah slowly approached Caesar.
"Come to think of it, you talked about saving the beast people before. The beast people betrayed you. So why do you want to help them? When you saw the beast people dying, did you feel more sympathy than satisfaction?"
Caesar felt resentment towards Elijah, who was grabbing and shaking his long-denied weakness.
No, that's not it.
You wouldn't want to see your own people dying either.
He wanted to snap back that if there's no way, they should figure it out themselves.
But that wasn't his true feeling.
"I just don't want to see those who haven't prepared for death die."
Caesar decided to be honest and humble his pride.
"Yes. I don't want to see those who can't resist die. The beast people have certainly wronged us a hundred times. But that doesn't mean I want to see innocent young beast people die like trash."
Caesar hates the beast people.
But that doesn't mean he hates the young beast people.
What choice did they have?
They were just tossed around without being able to resist the adults' decisions.
Elijah poured wine into a glass.
"I thought you were an extreme realist, but you're actually an idealist."
"Why? Are you disappointed?"
"Disappointed? On the contrary, I think it's very human. People can't live on bread and water alone. You need a clear goal and ideal to move forward."
Elijah handed the glass to Caesar.
Caesar took the glass.
Elijah filled Caesar's glass to the brim with wine.
"My ideal is Friedrich, and from your perspective, they might be innocent people. In a way, it seems your desire is even greater than mine."
Elijah put down the wine bottle and picked up the glass he had poured earlier.
"However, let me tell you one thing, there has never been a moment when innocent people did not die. If such a world were to arrive, this place would be called a utopia."
"I know that too."
"Of course you do. It's just that you'll find it hard to bear innocent people dying because of your choice."
Caesar found it difficult to deny Elijah's words.
"I feel the same way."
"...What?"
"To be precise, I don't want to see civilians within Friedrich dying. Just as you said."
Elijah's words were true.
Caesar was using psychometry to carefully verify whether he was telling the truth or lying.
"So I need to ask you a favor."
"What favor?"
"Move the Succubi."
Caesar immediately understood what Elijah was aiming for.
"Are you suggesting casting hypnosis magic on the rebels?"
"Yes. I'll scatter enough alcohol and food in front of the Steel Fortress that the starving rebels can't help but eat and drink."
Elijah raised his glass towards Caesar.
"Their vigilance will weaken, and the Succubi will take advantage of that moment to enter and cast hypnosis magic to ensure no one is killed while leaving the Friedrich region. This way, civilians won't die, and unnecessary bloodshed can be avoided."
Caesar thought deeply.
Honestly, it wasn't a bad plan.
But to cast long-term hypnosis on a battalion-sized group of soldiers would definitely require many succubi.
This might make it difficult to block the Orcs groups approaching the Eagle valley.
But...
Would Agatha move according to Elijah's wishes?
- Would Agata move according to Caesar's wishes?
Of course, Elijah was thinking the exact same thing.
Through this matter, Elijah wanted to test how much control Caesar had over Agatha.
This demonic bastard would definitely go to hell if he died.
"No matter how I think about it, I can't come up with a better method."
Caesar clinked his glass against Elijah's.
The wine sloshed and mixed between their glasses.
Caesar and Elijah drank all the wine in their glasses.
The lukewarm liquor flowed down Caesar's throat.
Nevertheless, Caesar had no choice but to partially accept Elijah's intentions.
Because Caesar was an idealist, just as Elijah said.
***
Caesar immediately headed towards Raven after leaving the barracks.
Raven was in her massive log cabin that she had created with magic.
Caesar knocked on the door in front of Raven's house.
"Wizard Raven. I'm Caesar El Lindger. May I have a moment to talk?"
Squeak!
The door opened by itself even though Raven hadn't come out.
Caesar made an awkward expression and went inside.
"I understand I can come in."
The inside of the house was warm and bright.
Magic lanterns that emitted light by themselves were illuminated throughout the house.
The furniture was quite well-equipped, with a table seemingly used as a dining table, several chairs, and a small clothes rack where coats and raincoats could be hung.
Moreover, this log cabin was a two-story structure.
It would take at least half a year for ordinary laborers to build such a massive cabin, yet she built this huge house in just a single day.
Indeed, wizards are the best.
Looking around, there was exactly one peculiar thing.
There was no fireplace.
Although one might think the air was warm because of magic heating the space, he was certain that wasn't the only reason.
'She still seems afraid of fire.'
"What brings you here?"
While lost in thought, Raven walked down from the second floor.
Raven was wearing comfortable cotton pants and a t-shirt, unlike her usual robe.
However, she was holding a wand in her hand.
"The issues regarding wizards should be discussed with Mitchell or Margrave Elijah, not with a wizard."
Her tone was quite sharp.
She is definitely upset.
"I came to discuss that very issue."
"Now?"
Raven magically brought a kettle.
The kettle floated by itself and was placed on the table, pouring tea into the cups.
Steam rising from it suggested the kettle was also an artifact.
There was no cup prepared for Caesar.
...You're really very upset.
Raven spoke while holding the tea.
"It seems Lord Caesar views wizards like objects. Of course, we must follow the command given by His Majesty the Emperor. But we're not swords or axes, are we? Couldn't you at least listen to our perspective before acting?"
Caesar's heart was pierced by Raven's words.
Because there was nothing wrong with what Raven said.
Raven's wand pointed towards the golden dagger tied to Caesar's waistband.
"What exactly did you achieve with that command? Were there any conditions beneficial to the wizards? Of course not. You should have understood what the wizards actually want before trying to obtain anything."
Raven took a sip of tea.
"I'm honestly very disappointed in Lord Caesar. Unlike soldiers consumed by power, I thought you were a commander who could think about us. But it seems my eyes were mistaken. You're just like them."
Raven had every right to be angry.
Being manipulated by Mitchell or Elijah without knowing anything.
Despite this, she would have felt humiliated by the reality that she could do nothing.
"First, I sincerely apologize to Wizard Raven. But I assure you, this was not done to satisfy my personal desires. I haven't even received any personal monetary gains or political advantages from this matter."
Raven's expression softened somewhat.
This was because the movement of magic emanating from Caesar's body revealed 'guilt' and 'sincerity'.
"Can you precisely explain what happened?"
"I cannot reveal everything. But I can disclose enough to persuade you."
"Tell me."
Raven pulled out a teacup and handed it to Caesar.
It seemed she had softened a bit after the sincere apology.
Caesar accepted the warm tea and began to speak.
"As you know, Lord Mitchell was trying to push out Commander Elijah Friedrich of the Allied Forces, and seat a new Allied Forces commander. The problem is that Elijah was already aware that Mitchell was planning to eliminate him."
Raven barely suppressed a gasping breath.
If Elijah knew about Mitchell's plan, the frontline could immediately collapse, and a large-scale civil war could break out in the demon realm.
"...And so?"
"Because of that issue, Margrave Elijah asked me to give him the wizard command rights, and I said I would transfer the wizard command rights to stop Lord Mitchell's plan."
"Why did you decide that on your own? Couldn't you have consulted with me first?"
"What could I have trusted about you? Aren't you and Lord Mitchell very close?"
Raven could finally understand Caesar's perspective.
From Caesar's point of view, Raven was a comrade who had fought through a harsh war with Mitchell for four years.
From Caesar's perspective, he couldn't trust Raven or anyone else.
However, Raven could detect a slight falsehood in Caesar's words.
"...I understand. But that's not everything, is it?"
"That's correct. But as I said earlier, I cannot reveal everything."
Raven was somewhat displeased but couldn't force Caesar to disclose all information.
From Caesar's perspective, Raven and Lord Mitchell would still appear to be close comrades.
"During this time, Lord Mitchell revealed his plan to replace the Allied Forces commander to me, and I mediated the command rights to resolve this issue."
Raven could objectively look at herself.
Honestly, Raven was not on good terms with Mitchell.
But to others, Mitchell and Raven would be seen as irreplaceable comrades who together brought down the demon king.
If Raven openly showed her dislike for Mitchell, the atmosphere within the allied forces would become tense, and it would certainly divide into factions supporting Raven or supporting Mitchell.
Raven despised such a situation.
She personally detested factional fights and there was no guarantee she could win in a factional conflict with Mitchell.
Therefore, she did not publicly criticize or challenge Mitchell's unpleasant actions, and just pretended not to notice.
But no matter how she thought about it, now was not the time for that.
"I'll be honest. I'm not very close with Lord Mitchell."
"I sensed such an atmosphere, but can you tell me why?"
"Mitchell has too much greed. And the way he satisfies that greed is insidious and bloody."
"Like this time?"
"...Yes."
Raven let out a small sigh and sat in the chair.
Caesar, perceptively, sat across from Raven.
"I absolutely hate factional fights. Honestly, I just want to live doing magic research. But I know I'm going to be the tower master of Gale Magic Tower and can't stay away from politics."
Caesar found it fascinating that Raven was having such thoughts.
While living as Barre, he had no idea Raven was wrestling with such considerations.
"But I'm just a wizard who doesn't know how to properly engage in factional fights. I'm just slightly quick to notice emotional changes. That alone isn't enough to win against Mitchell in a factional conflict. He's as excellent in political maneuvering as he is with a sword."
Raven stared at Caesar's golden dagger.
"That's why the Arch Duke apparently insisted on establishing you as a commander. So that wizards aren't manipulated by the schemes of politicians."
"Aren't you overestimating me?"
"No. After experiencing today's events, I think so. Your judgment was correct."
Raven hesitated a bit before speaking.
"So, I apologize for the words I said earlier. You did your best. ...And I still have much to learn."