388. Truth (1)
388. Truth (1)
- 0 -
The war had ended.
But the continent was far too quiet. It was a strange stillness.
Four of the Holy Kingdom's five Archbishops had been taken prisoner, and the hundreds of thousands of troops who had followed their advance had all collapsed.
Holy War Army and regular army alike.
"Now... what happens?"
"If the Allied nations come charging in...!"
Those outside the Alliance trembled in fear.
They had expected the Grakheizen Alliance's army, victorious and riding high, to sweep across the national borders.
They believed without a doubt that the cities of the Empire and the kingdoms would burn, and the entire continent would kneel beneath a new ruler.
The word 'heresy' carried that weight, and so did the might of the one who had crushed that declaration of heresy.
But...
"... How many days has it been? Isn't it about time they... declared war?"
"True, but... maybe the Alliance took damage too?"
Three days had passed since the war ended, yet the Alliance had not moved.
Their army did not take a single step forward.
Not a single step beyond their own borders.
Their silence settled over the entire continent. Like a calm before the storm.
It was on the third day, as people began to find it strange, that the Alliance finally made its move.
Though they dispatched an envoy rather than an army.
『— It is our hope that the heads of all nations, or their representatives, will attend the following event and grace us with their presence.』
A courteous invitation delivered on ornate parchment.
When one's prestige was at its peak and one's strength most absolute, a proposal sent in this manner could not be refused.
『For the peace of the continent. Philia en Elskopf will await you in the Alliance.』
The name of that event was the 'Peace Agreement.'
- 1 -
The Norn Empire was experiencing the worst internal chaos since its founding.
Absolute power must, by necessity, be grasped in both hands: 'results' in one, and 'force' in the other.
But now, both pillars that Emperor Maximilian held were being shaken from their very roots.
The alliance with the Holy Kingdom—which he had thought would be the final wedge to cut off the Alliance's breath—
had come back to him as a grave misstep instead.
This also meant it was the perfect time for those who had been suppressed by the Emperor's charisma to raise their heads.
"What did you say!!"
Kwang — !
Maximilian's shout echoed through the throne room, and a crack appeared on the armrest of his throne.
It was a sight hard to believe had been caused by the fist of a deeply wrinkled old man.
The Chief Chamberlain prostrated himself on the floor, trembling all over.
"P-please, compose yourself, Your Majesty!"
"They dare... dare...!!"
The Norn Empire had expanded its territory through conquest and semi-coercive incorporation.
Among the incorporated regions, the nobles who had been added relatively recently—and discreetly ostracized in central politics—had finally begun to speak out.
They gathered under the names of the 'Previlia Northern Noble League' and the 'Ruaret Western Merchant Union.'
The justification they put forward was one.
「We can no longer trust the Empire's protection, so we will defend our own territories.」
There was no one who failed to realize that this was, in effect, a declaration of independence.
"Their voices are growing louder, Your Majesty. Some central nobles are quietly switching their allegiance to that side as well. If you do not give them an answer soon, they say they will secure their legitimacy on their own..."
"These rebel bastards...!"
At the Chief Chamberlain's explanation, Maximilian, unable to contain his surging fury, pressed a hand to the back of his neck.
The Empire currently lacked the number of regular troops to label them rebels and suppress them.
More than half of the elite forces sent to war against the Alliance had been taken prisoner or rendered combat-incapable.
At this rate, he would have no choice but to carve off territory as those arrogant wretches wished.
It was then.
Tok-tok.
"Who is it!!"
- It is His Highness the Crown Prince!
At the answer heard from the Imperial Guard, the Emperor pressed his brow and gestured.
"Let him enter."
"Father."
Crown Prince Eldgrim entered the throne room.
In his hand, he carried a piece of ornate black parchment.
"A message has come from the Central Alliance."
"What? Why would they..."
At the Emperor's retort, Eldgrim bowed deeply and answered.
"It is an agreement, Father. A peace agreement... sent in the names of the Alliance's kings and Philia Elskopf."
"Huh...."
Maximilian leaned back wearily against his throne.
The Grakheizen Alliance had sent envoys to every nation on the Eastern Continent.
Not just to Zenota and Arilit, who already had ceasefire agreements, but even to the Holy Kingdom—their most obvious enemy—to Rugnisah, and to the Empire.
He was not unaware of what this invitation signified.
'It must be pressure to add our strength to the condemnation of the Holy Kingdom...'
The Alliance had become the common enemy of half the continent because of the Holy Kingdom, only to overturn all of that treatment through their own power alone.
They had displayed their overwhelming military might, yet at the same time, they had shown a bizarre attitude of actively protecting the citizens of enemy nations.
As a result:
the total death toll of a war that had covered the entire continent amounted to only a few thousand.
Only by including all those with irreversible grave injuries could the number barely reach into the tens of thousands.
And among those, some of the seriously injured were now being actively treated by a faction of the new 'Sun Church' religion, centered around the Alliance's Saintess.
That meant the number of victims was continuously decreasing in real time.
Families who thought their loved ones were dead had returned home.
Those who thought they would become slaves were able to return to their families.
Those who believed they would live as cripples for life had regained their whole bodies.
Unless one was a hardline fanatic who willingly swallowed government propaganda, there was no member of the public who did not harbor goodwill toward the Alliance.
'Damn it.'
The result of the war had only served to elevate the Alliance's standing even higher than before.
"What in the hell are those people!"
"Please calm yourself, Father."
"Do I look like I can calm down! After how we hired the likes of them!"
The Emperor's face contorted with even greater ferocity.
Because the faces of the new powerhouses who had appeared like stars—the protagonists of the Alliance's victory—had come to mind.
From Leoper's Steel Wings, Haisen's Undefeated General, Hilsa's White Vampire, to the newly renowned 'Silent Woman,' 'Golden Wing,' and 'Nightmare Noble.'
All of them were the protagonists of his nightmares.
[Hmm... You're as strong as I heard. I hope next time we meet it's for better things.]
The Golden Queen Frigia had fought the 'Nightmare Noble' half-heartedly before withdrawing with those words.
[Damn it...!]
The Red-eyed Spirit Mage Rodrick had been forced to pull back to save Central Archbishop Anselm during his battle with the 'Golden Wing.'
[Whew... That's enough. I think I've done my duty.]
The Empress of the Night, Jin Soha, was said to have dueled with magic against the 'Silent Woman' who had appeared in Leoper for twenty-four hours straight.
This war had become a stage for the Alliance's new powerhouses to prove their strength.
[This was a thoroughly crafted trap by them! A fact one can ascertain simply from how they had hidden such capable individuals until now!]
The Empire's Magic Arts scholars had argued so.
[Don't talk nonsense!!]
But the Emperor was not naive enough to believe that.
Because those words meant the Empire had already been defeated, even in its capacity for battlefield manipulation.
War was not merely combat.
Eldgrim calmly continued his report.
"The prevailing theory is that these are superhumans secretly cultivated over a very long time by the nations belonging to the Alliance, with this war in mind. To seize hegemony over the Eastern Continent."
"And our Empire's Intelligence Department knew nothing of this?"
At the Emperor's retort, Eldgrim hurriedly bowed his head.
"... I apologize!"
"Be reasonable! Is a superhuman something that can be simply raised by pouring in money and time! A story about a Demon Realm Archduke summoning demons and unleashing them upon the world would be more convincing!"
Had Libertas heard those words, she would have let out a hollow laugh.
Because the father and son of this imperial household would never learn that was the closest thing to the correct answer.
"... What will you do, Father?"
At the Crown Prince's question, a heavy silence descended upon the throne room.
What mattered now was that the Alliance, possessing such powerful strength, had extended a hand first.
It was a hand extended after beating you nearly to death, but an agreement was an agreement.
An Empire experiencing internal turmoil could not refuse that hand.
It would only wound their pride.
"... Eldgrim."
The Emperor finally spoke.
"You go."
"Understood. I shall risk my life to secure results favorable to the Empire—"
"There is no need to risk your life. Be reasonable and come back."
"... Yes, Father."
The Crown Prince stepped backward out of the throne room, his head still bowed.
Kwajik!
"Your Majesty!"
Though the sound of shattering glass and the Chief Chamberlain's horrified scream rang out, Eldgrim did not turn his head back.
- 2 -
Two days later, at Hiras Royal Castle.
Here, in the capital of the Alliance and the heart of the Haisen Kingdom, the peace agreement conference was held.
And prior to that conference, the Alliance revealed a truth that would shock the entire continent.
"The current Holy Kingdom has been encroached upon by members of the Demon Tribe."
A low voice, amplified by magic, spread to every corner of the square.
.........
The crowd of over fifty thousand people was plunged into momentary silence.
It was the unbelievable news that the continent's greatest religion had been infiltrated by the Demon Tribe, the enemy of humanity.
One could assume there were few humans who wanted to believe this news.
Before them, Libertas, wearing a grave expression, extended her hand to one side.
"I will now show you the proof."
On the platform where the delegates from each nation were seated, a ceremonial stage made of black marble stood.
At its very center, a woman in jet-black vestments stood.
The Saintess Esther.
A woman whose radiant fame remained undimmed, even after being declared a heretic and officially insulted by the Holy Kingdom.
The former Saintess of the Celestial Church and the current highest-ranking clergy of the Sun Church.
Her voice softly resonated.
"Everyone."
Sunlight shone upon her shoulders, and a platinum halo rose behind her head.
"From this moment, we shall reveal the truth. In the name of the God who dwells within our hearts."
The magic sphere floating in the sky cast a gentle light, illuminating the space.
Below it, the four Archbishops appeared: those who had been responsible for the Eastern, Southern, and Western regions, and the finances of the Holy Kingdom.
They looked tidy, as if they had been treated well; yet at the same time, deep shadows were cast over their eyes.
They trembled with anxiety, not knowing what would happen to them next.
The crowd stirred upon seeing them.
"Is it truly those people?"
"No way..."
Esther slowly stepped forward.
"Today, these four shall stand before the face of God.
What their true identities are—that truth shall be revealed before heaven, earth, and the people."
Esther opened the jet-black Holy Scripture in her hands.
The scripture, embroidered with a sun of white thread, possessed a beauty worthy of being called a work of art.
"「O sole and profound One who deeply regards the heart. Here stand those who have fallen into delusion.」"
Words that sounded like a prayer reciting a holy spell.
But it was not a prayer; it was an incantation to activate the 'power' residing within this Holy Scripture.
The power that Libertas herself had carefully and sincerely stored within.
"「Lest their hypocrisy deceive the world, and to draw the shadows hidden within the light... lend us your power.」"
As soon as the prayer ended, light began to emanate from the Holy Scripture.
A radiant, noble light.
And then.
"Keuheok — !"
One of the Archbishops suddenly threw his head back.
What bloomed from his body was change.
And...
"What is... that...!"
The truth.