257
I Killed the Demon King. It Was a Mistake
Chapter 257
[Do people know that Gloria is your disciple?]
"Quite a number of people know. She even had her face prominently featured in the newspaper after ranking first in the knight examination."
Kos' hand lost its way.
To reach the wilderness, one must pass through Royder Province and then through Vex Province. The issue was that Vex Province fell under the influence of the Royder Order, and if they discovered Gloria's presence there, various problems were likely to arise.
[So her face shouldn't be exposed then.]
"She should avoid staying with the Royder Order for too long if possible. Besides, the current situation in the Imperial Province isn't particularly good. Thieves are running rampant, and with the Emperor's authority declining, various warlord nobles are watching the situation carefully."
[So you're saying it's dangerous to travel in many ways?]
"Especially for a woman traveling alone, she's likely to get caught up in many troublesome situations. And..."
Caesar pointed at Kos.
"If people see someone walking around with a bizarre self-moving armor, they'll likely arrest first and ask questions later, assuming it's demonic sorcery."
Originally, during chaotic times like these, standing out would get you stoned first thing. After thinking for a while, Kos moved her hand.
[Then we should go as quickly as possible. Isn't this currently the safest time?]
Although the Imperial Province situation isn't entirely clear yet, the anger gauge toward Caesar will rise in the future. Currently, they can't find the Holy Maiden, so the potion supply is completely blocked. And amid all this, Caesar's remedies are selling like hotcakes? It's like roasting rice cakes in a burning house, they'll just want to beat him to death.
"How about finding a different weapon?"
[When Gloria said she would wear me, it would be difficult to find a greatsword that could create such synergy.]
"Was that blood-spewing ability controllable?"
[Yes, it is. I can even make the blood explode.]
...What, then it's completely overpowered. Gloria could really become stronger just from this item boost. Although classic knights typically rely heavily on equipment, this is beyond normal. The problem is that it's too dangerous to send Gloria alone… Of course, there's something that needs confirmation first.
"Gloria, do you want to go?"
After deep thought, Gloria spoke.
"Honestly, I'm anxious. I'm worried about what might happen to Master while I'm gone."
I want to ask who's worried about whom, but from Gloria's perspective, this must be a very serious matter.
"But I know that in my current state, I won't be of much help to Master."
Gloria clenched her fist as she spoke.
"So I'll go. I'll be back soon."
***
"...Finally, I can see it."
Gavin looked at the Eileen River with tears of emotion. Other soldiers also came out to the deck to look at the river that connected them to their homeland.
"When we encountered the typhoon, I thought we would die so pointlessly..."
The journey home was extremely treacherous. They suddenly encountered a typhoon that nearly destroyed the ship, and all the water storage containers were broken… When all the water containers were destroyed, even Caesar was dizzy trying to figure out what to do, but the wizards were amazing.
They just went 'poof' with magic, and drinking water appeared, and broken containers were fixed. They really wondered what they would have done without Raven and the other wizards.
"We'll finally arrive home in October."
Originally, it takes about 20 days from Luxhope to Homigraph. The supply ship departed on September 15th, so arriving on October 5th would be correct. However, due to encountering the typhoon, they should have arrived at Luxhope by now, but reaching the entrance of the Eileen River on October 5th was very disappointing.
From here, it would take about two more days traveling upstream to reach Homigraph.
"Look at that."
Ships were coming out one after another along the Eileen River. Originally, since the Eileen River was crucial for trade, it was very natural for merchant ships to come and go, but these ships were different. The ships had Alliance flags. They appeared to be supply ships heading to the demon realm.
'The scale has decreased tremendously.'
The number of supply ships that Caesar is currently on is 15. However, the number of supply ships going to the demon realm now was only 5. Seeing that it had decreased to almost one-third of the original scale, it seems there must be some problem.
Toot! Toot! Toot! Toot! Toot!
The approaching ship sounded its horn. Caesar asked the captain.
"What are they saying?"
"It's a signal asking to meet briefly for a discussion. What should we do?"
"They probably want current information about the demon realm too. Might as well meet briefly."
He wanted to hear about the latest situation in the Imperial Province anyway.
***
When supply ships are sent, each country typically sends important personnel along with them. This is to promptly report back to the Emperor and kings about whether supplies are being properly delivered and the current situation in the demon realm.
Such measures are taken because armies tend to act more independently the further they are physically distant from central authority, so each country sends trustworthy individuals to conduct unofficial surveillance as a means of military management.
In fact, Caesar's ship carried the Chief of Staff of Central Command, one of the Emperor's close associates. This colonel-ranked official had lost his right arm at the beginning of the demon realm war, preventing him from making a proper contribution. Therefore, it's true that he wasn't qualified to sit in the Chief of Staff position, which would typically guarantee promotion to general.
However, he came from a knight family that had served the imperial family for generations, and his exceptional political acumen caught the Emperor's eye, allowing him to secure that position.
Indeed, in this damned empire, connections and background are still important. In the case of the Dior Kingdom, since they lent ships for supplies instead of committing troops, the fleet supply commander was from the Dior Kingdom.
As for the three Yel nations, they completely lost interest in the demon realm after the Demon King was beheaded, so they essentially existed in name only in the allied forces and didn't send any representatives.
In any case, for this supply fleet, the naval forces of the Dior Kingdom similarly took charge as fleet supply commander, and Caesar thought there would be an appropriate high-ranking imperial official aboard. However, everything went against Caesar's expectations.
"I present myself to Your Highness, the Crown Prince."
Trika greeted Caesar while lying on a sunset chair brought to the deck. Trika removed his sunglasses and glanced at Caesar.
"I had no idea I would meet you now."
That's what I should be saying. Why the hell is this guy here? A warning light suddenly flashed in Caesar's head. Why would the future Emperor, who should be leading the empire, be heading into danger?
"Why are you here when there hasn't been an order from His Majesty the Emperor to return?"
Trika's expression is quite cold. The expressions of the Dawn Knights around him are also sharp. It's a tense atmosphere completely different from half a year ago when Trika was drinking heavily with Caesar and kissing the floor. Just looking at their expressions, you can guess how the current imperial situation is unfolding.
However, Caesar used psychometry on Trika to understand more precisely.
-Caesar El Lindger took all the wizards and soldiers back.
-Without His Majesty the Emperor's stern command.
-The imperial authority has already fallen due to Margrave Friedrich's rebellion, and you withdrew the wizards without imperial permission?
Oooh.
I didn't expect them to know about Margrave Friedrich's rebellion. If I were Elijah, I would want to delay revealing the fact of the rebellion somehow. Right now, Elijah must be busy reorganizing after having the Steel Fortress taken by Sith. If that's the case, they must know that the demon realm is practically hell now, so what's the reason for taking such a risk?
"Why are you silent, Lord Caesar?"
Caesar contemplated how to handle him before speaking.
"Because it was better for me to be in the Imperial Province than in the demon realm."
"...What do you mean?"
"Elijah has rebelled, and currently all allied forces in the demon realm are isolated. Someone had to report this fact, and I judged that Wizard Raven and I should be the ones to go."
"We already know about Elijah's rebellion. Did you think we wouldn't know about such a crucial matter?"
Trika stood up and picked up a wine glass.
"In that case, you should have waited for His Majesty the Emperor's wise decision. Don't you think you acted too rashly?"
Trika is being unusually articulate.
Usually, his image isn't this competent, but rather like a caring, wealthy, but slightly dim older brother. Is it because I've only seen him completely drunk whenever we meet?
'No. Even in the game, he remained foolish until his death.'
Something has changed. Caesar continued using psychometry to find the cause of his transformation.
-Um, so you're saying to keep pressuring Caesar like this?
-Currently, Caesar's influence within the empire has grown too large, and like Elijah, he could challenge the imperial family.
-If we don't find fault with him now, there's a high possibility that problems will arise later.
'Right. There's no way this fellow could be this capable.'
Trika was receiving continuous advice from someone. In gaming terms, it was like someone was playing on his behalf, and in manga terms, it was like having a spirit following behind as in Hikaru no Go.
'Who is it? Who's controlling Trika?'
Although Trika has an immature image, he has extremely strong pride. He has the type of personality where he would reject anyone the moment he feels they're trying to control him even slightly, but it seems someone is walking this tightrope very skillfully.
"No answer. Caesar, how should I interpret this situation?"
The position of the person advising Trika is still unknown. Caesar enhanced his hearing by directing his aura. If someone is giving advice, they must be advising from somewhere within earshot of Caesar's words.
First, let's respond to the situation at hand.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince's words are correct."
"...Hm?"
Trika appears slightly flustered. He had expected Caesar to argue back, but when Caesar readily agreed, he momentarily malfunctioned.
"Although we're in the worst of worst situations where Luxhope has completely disappeared due to the devil Belial, and Elijah's doppelganger has transformed into the Alliance Commander and is controlling 150,000 Alliance troops..."
"W-what did you say?"
Trika's reaction moved beyond confusion to shock. Let's say the complete disappearance of Luxhope is one thing, but to say the current Alliance Commander is a doppelganger.
"We should have firmly believed that His Majesty the Emperor would not abandon us. I am truly sorry."
"Ah, no, is that true?"
The proxy player controlling Trika seemed to momentarily lose their composure and couldn't continue speaking. This is when we should search slowly. Caesar rolled his eyes around, searching for the proxy player who must be listening to his words from somewhere.
"Yes, that's correct. Currently, the Hero and Lord Mitchell are somehow defending what was... No, where Luxhope used to be, waiting for reinforcement troops."
"More importantly, Alliance Commander Baker..."
"That's right. Baker is a doppelganger. By now, he's probably entered the Steel Fortress with the Alliance army to surrender. This means Elijah will have gained an additional 150,000 troops."
Of course, Caesar couldn't answer in detail whether the 150,000 would actually increase or just disappear. It's just that someone careless like Trika tends to easily rely on ridiculous numbers when shaken.
Just like now.
-What should we do about this?
-Elijah gained 150,000 troops?
-Damn... Donan, you didn't tell me about this.
Donan?
Caesar knows who Donan is.
He's the current Emperor's eunuch and one of the worst traitors who immediately surrendered to Niflheim and became a devil when it seemed the Imperial Province would fall to the devil outbreak.
"Please maintain your composure and listen carefully."
-Please maintain your composure and listen carefully.
"His words could be lies."
-His words could be lies.
Caesar immediately found where the voice was coming from.
'There he is.'
He saw people quietly bowing their heads behind the Dawn Knights. Judging by their overall green clothing, they were clearly eunuchs. One was mumbling something while covering his mouth, and given the particularly ornate ring on his left hand, that seemed to be the artifact allowing him to communicate with Trika.
Caesar met his eyes and smiled.
'So it's you?'
The person's eyes trembled like aspen leaves. Caesar slowly approached him while moving his tongue.
"In this worst-case situation, all I could do was quickly request support from His Majesty the Emperor. After all, the Hero said he wouldn't move a single step from the demon realm until he cut off Elijah's head."
"He said he wouldn't move a single step from the demon realm?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"That, that shouldn't happen. The Hero must return."
Caesar's eyes flashed. He had wondered why the Crown Prince was here, and it seems it was to forcibly summon Yan to the imperial family. And the reason for bringing Donan along was also part of the plan to somehow persuade and bring Yan back.
"Were you planning to go to the demon realm yourself to summon the Hero?"
"Yes. His Majesty the Emperor intends to receive a direct report from Sir Yan about the demon realm situation and appoint him as Commander-in-Chief of the rebellion to cut off Elijah's head."
That's not it. If even Yan betrays the Emperor like Elijah did, the Emperor's support base would completely crumble, so they probably want to officially recognize Yan's support again.
By placing Yan as Commander-in-Chief, they intend to demonstrate to the world that the Hero is completely the Emperor's subordinate, and that opposing him is equivalent to opposing the Hero.
'Both this one and that one are desperate to use Yan somehow.'
Well, Mitchell and the Emperor probably made Yan the Hero because he could be easily manipulated. Then Caesar has only one thing to do. Prevent these people from taking Yan away.