Why Didn't They Call Him?
Flames danced and swayed. Black smoke filled the night sky.
In one place, dozens of nobles had gathered to enjoy a banquet. In another, demons had infiltrated, intent on committing atrocities too terrible even to imagine.
And that place was right in the heart of the Imperial Academy — packed with noble sons and daughters, and those sent by the elves and dwarves.
Whoosh—!
Several buildings were engulfed in flames, belching black smoke and searing crimson heat.
To sow chaos, to herd the humans they meant to slaughter into one place, a handful of demons had slipped in from behind and set the fires.
Just as planned, many students and faculty fell into panic and moved exactly as the demons expected.
Had things continued that way, hundreds at the very least would have been butchered without mercy. Even those who survived the initial slaughter would have been taken as hostages and met ends far more wretched still.
But from an ambush of over a hundred demons, there was not a single casualty. No — not even one person lightly wounded.
A miracle. Divine protection. That was what people said at first. But those who learned the truth could do nothing but stand there with their mouths hanging open in shock.
What had saved them — and the Academy — was none other than the Demon Kings.
"Ahaha!"
"Uhoho!"
To be more precise: Demon Kings roaring with laughter while holding severed demon heads. Or Demon Kings smiling in pure delight while cradling hearts that dripped thick crimson blood.
Yes. They — this Academy — hard as it was to believe, had been saved by those very Demon Kings.
"Ehehehe! Heads!"
"Hohoho! Collectibles!!"
"…"
Whether those beings had truly stepped forward for their sake, for the Academy's sake, was far from certain.
"Even after living through this, you still believe in peace?!"
"Trusting demons… these humans are all fools."
"Worse than this flat beer!"
In the immediate aftermath, the Empire, the elves, and the dwarves hastily convened a racial alliance council. The topic, naturally, was: Should we truly trust the demons and press on toward peace?
The moment the meeting opened, the hardliners of every race seized their chance and launched into every denunciation they could muster.
"The Academy burned! A place of learning that never once fell into demon hands even during the war! The Empire's ivory tower! As Academy alumni, does that not fill you with shame?!"
"Our Oak Lake Tribe hereby advocates total war against the demons!"
"The Mining Guild will supply iron ore to the Empire and the elves at half the usual rate if war is declared. This chance will not come again — think carefully."
What of the recent ceasefire agreement and the peace talks?
Agreements and talks get overturned all the time. And if they ignored a pact with demons, would their descendants really have anything to say about it?
What about the Demon Kings currently at the Academy? If they showed intent for war, what then?
They still had plenty of war heroes left. And word was the Heroes had finished their preparations. They could fight. They could win. The enemy's strength had already been cut by more than half!
The hardliners refuted every moderate argument and demanded they fight at once.
They were desperate. Miss this chance, and the perfect moment might never return.
If they failed to seize this fear — this terror — once more, they would have nowhere left to retreat, crumbling like a sandcastle.
Now was the time. Those cunning demons had already reduced their own forces by more than half through purges! Meanwhile, their own heroes remained intact. Led by the war chief of the elves' Blue Moon Tribe, centered on the dwarves' Steel Hand Forge — and the Empire possessed that powerful sword known as the Heroes!
And there's the greatest war hero of all, Lethe. That man is still around, but…
It's too early to mention him. Premature. He's said to be close with the Demon Kings — bring him up now and the moderates will just try to use him.
Meanwhile, unlike the hardliners straining to whip the atmosphere into hostility, the moderates on the opposite side were gritting their teeth, throwing everything they had into defusing the crisis.
It was galling. Suffocating. More than anything, they wanted to smash those hardliners' skulls in.
Because those bastards shouted "war" with their mouths, but in their hearts they wanted nothing of the kind.
If war truly resumed, they themselves would have to march out first and die fighting. After singing war, war, if they then hung back, a blade would find them for certain.
Those bastards merely wanted to preserve their authority through a war-like atmosphere.
"Forgive me for doubting, but did everyone receive the same report? The Demon Kings blocked the attack on the Academy. Without them, a terrible tragedy would have unfolded!"
"It's true the demons don't sit well with us. But we of the Blue Moon have no desire to stab those Demon Kings who protected our tribe's young souls in the back with war."
"Our Iron Hammer Guild feels the same. Have you no pride? After claiming all this time to be better than demons, now that we've signed everything and shaken hands, you want to betray them?"
Fortunately, moderates existed among both the elves and the dwarves.
Whether from the crushing losses of war, a bone-deep weariness of fighting, or simple distaste for the hardliners' bluster — for any number of reasons, they held the line for peace.
"The demons attacking isn't what matters! The Demon Kings stopping them is!"
"How stupid can you be?! Who knows if that's a trap the Demon Kings are setting?!"
"If they meant to set a trap, they would have struck the moment they entered the Academy!"
"Who can say?! The whole world knows those demon bastards are all lunatics!"
"No more war. Even the atmosphere of war must not be allowed!"
"Who's saying fight right this instant? At the very least we need to maintain a sense of vigilance!"
Back to square one. Square one. Round and round, and back again. Marquis Anes let out a deep sigh.
Watching this spectacle made the back of his neck go stiff. At this rate he might collapse from the stress.
Those who'd quietly protect themselves the moment war actually broke out sure had a lot to say.
Bastards. The ones deciding on war sat in those seats — but the ones who would fight, bleed, and die in that war were nowhere in this room. Marquis Anes found it revolting.
That was why he advocated the peace line even while being told he had no pride, that he'd gone over to the demons.
"Everyone."
At that moment, a voice of crystalline clarity filled the council chamber.
"May I say a word?"
Hair that seemed a blend of lake and sky. Unfathomably deep blue eyes. She looked fragile enough to break — but was in fact one of the most senior war heroes alive.
The war chief of the elves' Blue Moon Tribe, Eh Ridiche. She requested the floor.
"Ahem. For the war chief, of course."
"Please speak, War Chief Ridiche."
Hardliners and moderates alike seemed to quietly anticipate her words.
That was inevitable. Ridiche had led the charge in crushing demons — but she had also been the one who pulled the elven warriors back when the Four Heavenly Kings first appeared, insisting they wait and see.
"First, I partially agree with what the hardliners have said. Regardless of everything else, the demons launched a surprise attack and nearly succeeded. That alone is sufficient evidence that they are difficult to trust."
"Ahem! Ahem! Exactly! Exactly so!"
"B-but War Chief…"
Ridiche raised a hand to stop them, as if telling them to wait.
"However, I also partially agree with the moderates. If the Four Heavenly Kings truly harbored some scheme, they would have acted long ago. There is no reason whatsoever to do things this way."
"That's right, War Chief! Exactly that!"
"Quiet, you!"
Members of both factions nearly simultaneously fixed their gazes on her. So. So which side was she on? What conclusion had she requested the floor to deliver?
Hardliner or moderate? They waited in silence for Ridiche's next words—
"I."
At last, Ridiche began to bring what seemed like a conclusion past her lips.
"Would like to ask something."
…It was not a conclusion but a question, apparently.
"Why is Lethe not present at this gathering."
"War Chief?"
"Why are you suddenly looking for him?"
"Isn't it obvious? He made the most outstanding contributions of the last war. He even saved my life twice. Without him, the Imperial army would have been annihilated by demon attacks at least five times over. Am I wrong?"
At Ridiche's words, several hardliners let out uncomfortable groans. They themselves had been the ones advocating the offensive at the time. And Lethe had been on the side trying to stop it, calling it madness.
In the end the offensive had proceeded as planned, and disaster followed. Large numbers of Imperial troops were killed or taken prisoner. In that situation, Lethe had stepped in and barely averted total annihilation.
"Furthermore, I hear that all of those Four Heavenly Kings were once taught by Lethe. In that case, he would know their capabilities well — so his opinion is needed all the more. Why on earth was he not summoned?"
Looking back and forth between the two factions with a look of pure exasperation, she declared her will — no, the will of all the Blue Moon Tribe warriors, said to be the finest among elven fighters — before them.
"Whatever decision Lethe makes, the warriors of our Blue Moon Tribe will follow. If he says we can fight, we fight. If he says we must stop now, we stop."
"N-now look here, War Chief!"
"Foolish! Have you no pride as an elf?! At the mere decision of a human?!"
Whatever they blathered, Ridiche sat down as if she had not the slightest interest.
Yes. She would follow only him — the one who could be called the lantern of her soul.