Time of Farewell (1)
The tripartite diplomatic conference held in the imperial capital of the Holy Empire didn't last long.
The empire's chamberlain, Tanya Mainz, who had been granted full authority over the talks by the emperor himself, declared flatly, "We can't hand over the Diablo Slayer."
She rejected the proposal from the Liberia Elf Kingdom. In response, the elf representative raised an objection. They needed the Diablo Slayer to defeat the Raging Flames Demon King.
The delegates from the Valua Kingdom, equally unnerved by the Holy Empire's decision, felt the same anxiety. If the Holy Empire wouldn't dispatch the Diablo Slayer, the elves wouldn't release Yushin Gilliard.
"This is... utterly incomprehensible! The elf kingdom is preparing for a decisive battle with the Demon King right now. To sever the Demon King's immortality, we absolutely need the empire's Diablo Slayer!"
"Ain't no Diablo Slayer in empire territory right now," Tanya replied. She parted her small lips and exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke with a soft whoosh.
The elf representative interpreted the goblin's words to mean the Diablo Slayer had temporarily left empire lands. The Valua Kingdom delegates thought the same. The Diablo Slayer was currently absent.
The elf representative spoke up again. "Th-then, at least tell us his location...! And please share any information you have on the Diablo Slayer!"
"Nah, that's impossible. We made a covenant not to reveal his identity. It's a pledge tied to our empire's honor. We can't break it unilaterally."
"...Could his identity be a dragon, by any chance?"
Tanya shook her head at the elf representative's cautious question. "Dragons are touchy about covenants, sure, but the Diablo Slayer ain't a dragon. Dragons can't kill Demon Kings—if they could, those ancient wyrms would've wiped 'em out ages ago."
It felt like a game of twenty questions. The elves' faces began to flush with agitation at Tanya's cryptic words laced with doubt. This was the moment their masks of refined composure slipped.
Over countless years, elves had observed and learned from humans. Unlike in the past, modern elves shared strikingly similar habits, personalities, and traits.
"Human race. Took down the Tyranny Demon King Agares in the war between the Holy Empire and the Demon King Army. It all went down in secret—no one caught on."
Tanya didn't reveal the Diablo Slayer's identity. Instead, she described the subjugation of Agares.
"Raided Agares' Demon King Castle and lopped off his head. Had to hustle before his scattered minions on the front lines could regroup. Took just two hours to break his immortality."
The diplomats swallowed dryly at her words. It was hard to believe. A being who could behead a Demon King in a mere two hours?
If true, this Diablo Slayer born from the Holy Empire's war against the Demon King Army possessed power strong enough to save humanity. It was unbelievable that such a figure existed.
"If... if that's true..." the elf representative muttered.
If the goblin's words were all honest, then for the Liberia Elf Kingdom—desperate to fell the Raging Flames Demon King—this was a force they had to acquire at any cost. Recruiting him as reinforcements could end the stalled war on the Libria Peninsula in one fell swoop.
The elves saw victory's potential in the Holy Empire's hidden Diablo Slayer.
"Wh-who is he... that man...! Tell us now! The elf kingdom needs him desperately!"
The elf representative shouted, his voice dripping with such desperation it tugged at the listeners' hearts. But even that frantic plea couldn't force the Holy Empire to reveal the Diablo Slayer's identity. They had to honor the absolute pledge sworn in the empire's name.
Still, they couldn't outright snub their ally, the Liberia Elf Kingdom, so they offered vague clues.
"The Diablo Slayer's a guy from another world—an Another One. And he's not a knight of the Holy Empire."
Two clues: Another One. Not a Holy Empire knight.
The Liberia Elf Kingdom would have to uncover his identity from those hints. The elf representative grumbled that the clues were too scant, but Tanya shut it down, saying she couldn't say more.
The Valua Kingdom diplomats, listening as third parties, were just as fired up, eyes blazing to pinpoint the Diablo Slayer's identity.
* * *
A swarm of high elf nobles flooded the Valencia estate. Including their attendants and escort knights, it quickly turned into utter chaos.
"Lord Wallace, you said your family bought that human for 5 billion aether?! Well, I'll offer over ten times that—500 billion! Tempting, isn't it?!"
"500 billion? I'll give 700 billion. I've got cash on hand for an immediate deal, plus rare gems and jewelry from the Holy Empire! If you want, I'll throw in all the precious magic artifacts from my estate too!"
The duel between Yushin Gilliard and Bariteon Trident at Bria Academy had spread far and wide. Bariteon lost. The Third Captain of the Warriors, wielder of Eternal Snow who commanded the southern front, had been utterly crushed by a human in single combat.
Astonishingly, the human slave was an Another One from another world. It was only natural that high elf nobles buzzed like bees to the Valencia estate.
Having heard the rumors, they burned with greed to own an Another One blessed with divine power as a slave.
"Y-you... idiot...!"
Ardena Valencia glared at Yushin, her face flushed with fury. Valencia Castle had been turned upside down. With high elf nobles and their retinues pouring in from across the nation, calling the city of Valencia a madhouse wasn't an exaggeration.
The culprit? Yushin Gilliard. High elves willing to pay fortunes to buy him out.
They were desperate to claim an Another One with divine power. The head of the Valencia family, Wallace, was sweating bullets just dealing with them.
"Couldn't be helped. That punk Bariteon started it—messing with Alonne first."
Alonne, watching from the side, chimed in. "Yeah! That blond punk tried to grope me and Leticia! Total creep, sis! You should've told the High Priestess and had him castrated!"
From Alonne's account, Ardena pieced together the full story of the Bria Academy incident. Bariteon had been the provocateur. Yushin had no choice but to step in and protect her little sister.
Arms crossed, Ardena glared at Yushin but admitted she'd been too hasty. She thanked him.
As Yushin started smirking smugly, Ardena cleared her throat awkwardly and turned away.
"But is being an Another One really that big a deal?"
"You didn't know...?"
"Nope. First time Master mentioned it, I had no clue. Thought you were just some guy from a far-off country."
"Not wrong. Just misses the part where folks from distant lands get bestowed this insane 'divine power.'"
Yushin shrugged. He'd expected some commotion, but not this immediate backlash. He'd gone and burdened Wallace, whose hair was already thinning from work stress, making the Valencia family head even more frazzled.
If Wallace demanded compensation for his hair loss, Yushin might have to serve the Valencia family till he dropped dead.
"So, how's it feel, Master? You're the priciest slave in the Liberia Elf Kingdom now."
"Feel? Like the top male prostitute in the elf kingdom. What's there to be happy about?"
In the slave-trading Liberia Elf Kingdom, he'd become the most expensive slave ever. Peeking into the chaotic office swarming with high elf nobles, Alonne said Yushin's price had hit a staggering 100 billion.
100 billion. Comparable to a national budget.
Hearing that, Ardena had yelled, "If they've got that kinda cash, donate it to the war effort!"
She was furious at high elf nobles shouting out hundreds of billions just to buy one slave.
"Congrats. You've become the elf kingdom's most visionary slave owner, Miss Ardena."
"Gah! D-don't tease me!"
Ardena had paid 5 billion aether for Yushin at the Pamplona slave auction. When high elves heard, they mocked her as a naive young lady overpaying.
But now the tables had turned. Her 5-billion-aether slave was now worth over twenty times that.
The high elf nobles praised their own shortsightedness, hailing Ardena Valencia as a legend in the slave trade.
"Why must I endure this humiliation..."
"Humiliation? The elf kingdom's the most gung-ho about slavery. Chest out—you're a legend respected by slave owners nationwide."
"You're grinning while you say it."
"'Cause I am teasing you."
Blushing with embarrassment, Ardena clenched her fists. Should she just sell him off? She seriously considered it.
But she dropped the thought. Their time of farewell was drawing near.
Watching Yushin and Alonne laugh and chatter, Ardena forced a bitter smile tinged with sorrow.
* * *
The Raging Flames Demon King, Sabnack. She bided her time in Granata, the great southern city on the Libria Peninsula.
The moment to sound the advance horn was nigh. Soon, she'd lead her tens of thousands strong and seize the Liberia Elf Kingdom's capital, Maherith, planting the Demon King Army's banner there.
"Lady Sabnack."
Clank. Clank.
A skeletal knight approached, bones rattling eerily.
"Yeah."
The Demon King, legs crossed atop her throne, eyes closed, finally opened them. Glass-like transparent irises gleamed, rippling with overwhelming demonic pressure.
Leaning against the black throne sat a crude longsword. It felt like worthless scrap, devoid of power, yet Sabnack always wielded it. Because it was the only blade that could withstand her monstrous strength in swordplay.
"The elves' movements have shifted abruptly. Seems they're gearing up for a showdown with us."
"Only El Seed can match me. Ignore 'em."
Sabnack stated it definitively. The undead knight kneeling before her bowed his head.
Who would doubt her certainty? All followed the Demon King's lead. If she'd declared death upon the elves, her minions merely executed the order.
"The gift for their capital?"
"Ready."
"It's the opening salvo of the war to come. Hurl it at them mercilessly."
"Yes."
The undead knight retreated with rattling clanks. Alone again, Sabnack closed her eyes and sank into meditation.
But it didn't last. Her head began to nod against the throne. She'd told her minions it was meditation, but really, she was asleep.
==================================
