A Council of War
Heading straight for the family head's bedchamber alongside my entourage, I shoved the heavy doors wide open and bellowed at the top of my lungs.
"Your Grace! That magnificent, proud son of yours—well, about fifty percent of him, anyway—is here on urgent business! Hop to it and get out of bed!"
"......"
"......"
And lo and behold, a strangely familiar sight greeted my eyes.
Fortunately, neither of them had shed their clothes yet, but Urtega and Pitra were locked in a fervent embrace, lips mashed together while their hands roved over each other's bodies... The sheer sense of deja vu hit me like a runaway carriage.
"Ah, my goodness... Ahem!"
"F-Forgive us!"
"Gasp..."
"Eeep! S-So sorry...!"
Realizing they had barged in at the worst conceivable moment, my companions jolted in alarm, hastily spinning around or blurting out apologies. I, on the other hand, merely scratched the side of my head with a thoroughly sour grimace.
"Come on now, Old Man. Be honest. With your sensory range, you had to know we were swarming down the hall. What kind of twisted kick are you getting out of this?"
"...Ordinarily, one does not kick open the family head's bedchamber without knocking."
"Oh? Uh, right. Yeah, fair point. Definitely my bad."
To be fair, a man in his position didn't need to walk on eggshells around anyone. If anything, I was the one who should have shown some tact.
"Still, be a little more careful going forward, will ya? It ruins the mood for everyone."
"Haah..."
Urtega exhaled a heavy sigh, regarding me with thoroughly bewildered eyes.
"......"
The emotions warring behind that stare were tangled and layered: sharp vigilance toward an unfamiliar intruder, a faint pang of loss for a son who had fundamentally changed, cold, hard anger, and... a detached, calculating appraisal of utility.
Man, you sure run through a lot of thoughts in a split second.
I suppose a seat bearing the concentrated weight of supreme authority and responsibility demanded nothing less, but to me, it looked like a colossal chore. No thanks.
"What is it?" he asked, pressing his hand against the back of Pitra's head to bury her face deeper into his chest.
Honestly, I was grateful. We had managed to gloss things over earlier, but to tell the truth, I didn't consider Pitra's state of mind anywhere near stable. If she caught sight of me and suffered a full-blown meltdown right here, nothing could be more troublesome.
"A Demon King is going to attack. I'm here to ask for some backup."
"...What?"
Even for him, this must have been entirely off the board. A visible ripple of agitation broke across his ironclad composure.
"A Demon King is attacking the duchy?"
"It won't be an all-out invasion or a full-scale war. Most likely an elite strike squad. Probably. The problem is, even an elite squad is more than enough to wipe this territory off the map."
"I require an explanation. How did matters come to this?"
"Mmm, well, see... Ah, did I mention my ultimate goal is taking down the Evil God?"
"...You never said as much to me directly, but I was aware."
"Right then. In that case... Muriel. You're up."
Lacking the confidence to summarize everything I'd lived through concisely, I took a step back. Besides, wasn't an objective third-party observer usually far better at this sort of thing?
"......"
Muriel looked at me for a beat, sighed, gave a slight nod, and stepped forward.
"Allow me to explain. To begin with..."
In a calm, detached tone, she began recounting everything she had witnessed and heard: how our journey had led us to the Great Forest to save the World Tree, how we had destroyed an avatar of Otiliv, the Demon King of Life, and how in the wasteland we had obliterated the keepsake of Annus, the Demon King of Death, which had driven Berik to treason.
And finally, how the obsessive interest of those madwomen had locked squarely onto me.
"Ooh..."
To condense such a dense, turbulent saga into something so crisp and brief—I couldn't help but marvel. Her delivery was beautifully succinct, thoroughly stripping away personal emotion and laying out only objective analysis and conclusions, making the situation far easier to grasp and digest.
"I see. Two Demon Kings and several high demons..."
Nodding slowly, Urtega stroked the back of Pitra's head while fixing a piercing gaze on me. Pitra made a slight movement to turn her face toward me, but Urtega kept his hand firmly in place, preventing her from looking.
"You did not come merely to beg for help. Do you have a plan in mind?"
"Nothing fancy. Just hit 'em first. I thought about waiting to see what tricks they'd pull, but that feels like an invitation for irreversible collateral damage."
"A preemptive strike. Do you have any chance of victory?"
"We will if the ducal house has some secret reserves tucked away, right?"
Forcing a smile, I signaled Muriel. She instantly placed a liquor bottle into my hand. I popped the cap and guzzled it down.
"Khaah... Dammit."
The fact that I couldn't catch a single buzz was infuriating. Who would've thought holding a conversation stone-cold sober would be such torture? Realizing just how heavily I'd come to rely on alcohol only made the stress pile up, suffocating me from the inside out.
"Phew... So, spill it, Old Man. Don't you have some hidden trump card? Some prized relic you've been hoarding away?"
"......"
He fell silent for a moment, his brow furrowing faintly.
"It is not as if we have none."
"I knew it. Then let me use them."
"Those are vital assets and armaments of House Stanasila. You expect me to entrust them to a stranger?"
"Huh? After coming all this way? Don't break my heart like that."
"...Yes. I suppose you have a point."
With that, Urtega smiled.
It was nothing more than the faintest twitch of the corner of his lips, but the mere sight of him smiling gave me a genuine jolt of shock.
"...Who the hell are you?"
"Hmm?"
"There's no way in hell Urtega smiles. Are you a doppelganger? Show yourself, you fake!"
"......"
The trace of a smile vanished in an instant. Urtega glared at me with ferocious intensity, the terrifying pressure of a Demi-God washing over the room.
A doppelganger might imitate his appearance, but replicating an aura like that was impossible.
"...Oh, it really is you. What the hell? Urtega actually smiled? Father, are you feeling sick or something?"
"Haah. Cease your nonsense... and come to my office. It seems we require a lengthy discussion."
"A discussion, huh... Honestly, just letting me see the relics would give me a clear picture, but... fine, whatever. Lead the way."
I trailed behind his footsteps as he exited the bedchamber, striding languidly down the corridor.
And so, I found myself sitting across from Urtega to hash out how to deal with the Demon Kings and their high demon retinue.
"...Isn't this a bit of a crowd?"
The number of people assembled in the office far exceeded my expectations.
Duke Urtega, the family head.
Duchess Pitra.
Berga, the eldest son.
Tsarkhella, the eldest daughter.
Weller, the second daughter.
Saintess Cecilia and Wendy, the Knight of Dawn.
Third Imperial Princess Arpe and her bodyguard, Nemeth.
Myself and my inner circle: Muriel, Rebecca, Cacciola, Lampon Pashtra, and Latipi.
Plus the key vassals serving in the Duke's Castle.
"Father, when on earth did you round up all these people?"
"I used an emergency communication artifact."
"There's an artifact for that?"
"Yes."
"Why was I never told about it?"
"...I gave one to you. To the Alzen of the past."
"...Ah."
A faint, hazy memory surfaced from the depths of Alzen's muddled past. I distinctly remembered receiving something from Urtega and smashing it to pieces in a drunken stupor... So that's what that was.
Useless piece of trash to the very end.
"Right, well, good enough. Shall we get down to business? Does everyone understand the situation?"
"Yes. I gave them a brief summary."
"Fast work. I like it. Now then—"
"Excuse me, may I ask a brief question first?"
"Hm?"
The one interrupting me was an unfamiliar yet vaguely recognizable man—one of the vassals of the castle I'd probably brushed past at some point. Definitely not someone featured in the setting lore.
...Wait, or was he someone from Alzen's memories? Did I ever run into him directly?
"What is it? Keep it short."
"Ah, yes. Well... um, are you... Lord Stanasila Alzen?"
"Ah."
Only then did I notice the glances the vassals were throwing my way, and I let out a wry chuckle. Come to think of it, from their perspective, this whole situation had to be utterly bewildering.
"About half of me is Alzen. But the other half isn't."
"...What do you mean by that?"
"I mean... Ah, explaining every little detail is a pain in the ass. My name is Kang Han-gil. Just keep that in mind for now."
"What kind of—"
"Enough."
Urtega's deep, commanding voice cut through the air, silencing the man instantly.
"I have recognized and permitted it. He is my son, and an honored guest."
"...Understood. If Your Grace says so, then I shall accept it."
The man, who had looked ready to argue stubbornly, backed down in an instant with a respectful bow. It was a stark demonstration of just how absolute Urtega's authority was, and the staggering depth of loyalty and reverence his vassals held for him.
If Urtega declared black was white, they would nod and call it white.
"Right, back to business... I know the current whereabouts of Otiliv, the Demon King of Life, and Annus, the Demon King of Death. I'm receiving real-time updates."
"...Is that so?"
I flicked a finger on my left arm, which was wrapped securely from wrist to shoulder in the Silk of Atonement. Urtega's eyes shifted toward it, and he nodded slightly in comprehension.
A low murmur rippled through the gathered vassals. They were already reeling from my bizarre identity, and now hearing about Demon Kings... if I were in their shoes, I'd probably be having a full-scale panic attack right about now.
"You mentioned launching a preemptive strike. Do you intend to divide our forces?"
"No. Doing that would only spike our casualties. Demon Kings aren't pushovers. Frankly speaking... anyone below Master rank will just be throwing their lives away."
I shrugged, scanning the room.
"So all the fine vassals gathered here, as well as the castle's knights and mages, would be good for nothing more than buying time."
"How dare...!"
"...!!"
Furious glares erupted from the vassals at what was practically an open insult, but I ignored them completely, keeping my eyes locked on Urtega.
"We have to move as an elite strike squad too. Defeating them piecemeal. However, leaving the castle like that leaves its defenses wide open..."
"Indeed. You are saying we need forces capable of holding the line, if only to stall for time."
"Though if the trump card the ducal house prepared is good enough, we might not even need that."
I turned my head toward Pitra, who had been staring intently at me. I'd preferred to avoid talking to her if possible, but circumstances left me no choice.
"...Duchess."
"Yes. I am listening."
Mercifully, her reply was calm and collected.
"When Cambello invaded the territory, you deployed a defensive barrier around the castle. Can you raise it again?"
"Without issue. Ever since that day, I have maintained it so it can be activated at a moment's notice. I have even streamlined the deployment process."
"Good to know."
It was a remarkably sturdy barrier, but putting all our faith in that alone would be foolish.
"Sister Weller."
"What?"
"How far along is the research on the Mana Wave Blocker?"
"...It's fairly advanced. The mass-production system is in place, so fielding it won't be an issue."
"Can it stop high demons?"
"That's asking too much. We can restrict or weaken their power to an extent, of course... but stopping an intrusion entirely is impossible."
"Hmph."
Just as expected. I nodded in acceptance.
"Then please set up as many as you can anyway."
"Understood."
Moving my gaze away from Weller, who answered without complaint, I looked over at Cecilia.
"Cecilia."
"Y-Yes?! Me?!"
Evidently caught off guard by hearing her name called, she flailed about with a flustered expression.
"How is the research on 'that' coming along?"
A good amount of time had passed since we handed the Demon King's Fragment over to the Church. If there was one thing the Church pursued like rabid hounds, it was demons and Demon Kings; they had to have produced some results by now.
"Huh? 'That'...? What is 'that'?"
"......"
I let out a heavy sigh at the completely clueless Saintess. Glancing over at Wendy, the paladin offered a wry smile and gave a slight nod.
"They are currently conducting joint research with the Magic Tower, and I hear they have made appreciable progress. I am not privy to the specific details, however."
"Really? Hmm..."
I'd need to contact the Pope as soon as possible.
"A-Ah! 'That'?! You mean that?! I get it now! Yes! No problem at all!"
"...Right, right. You're very clever."
"Ugh...!"
When Cecilia puffed out her chest, pretending she'd understood all along, I reached over and patted her head. Blushing furiously, she shot a pouty glare at me.
Why glare at me? Blame your own slow wits.
"Oh, by the way, Cecilia."
"What now?!"
"Can you mobilize the Church's armed forces?"
"That... well, it should be possible. To some extent with my authority as a Saintess... and if we secure His Holiness the Pope's permission, we can receive far more support."
"Is that so..."
Another reason to call the Pope.
"Anyway, Old Man. Isn't it about time you showed us the hidden ace the ducal house has been sitting on? We can't really move the discussion forward without seeing it."
"...Very well. To begin with, the first."
Nodding, Urtega waved his hand.
In an instant, deep, shadowy darkness surged and blanketed the interior of the office.
"...What is this?"
"Green Jack. I have brought them all under my command."
"...Wait, what?"
My jaw dropped at the completely unforeseen revelation.
Startled, I glanced over at Arpe—only to find the third princess looking like she was on the verge of bursting into tears.