Chapter 456: Conquest of the Demon Realm (11)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 456: Conquest of the Demon Realm (11)
Everyone present.
Not a single person doubted Roman Dmitry.
They believed he could defeat the Demon King, but even so, this plan was not as easy as it sounded.
Their opponent was the Demon King.
And the land they currently stood upon was the Demon Realm.
In the continent's ancient history, the demons of the Demon Realm were classified as an insurmountable disaster. The heroes of the past, adorned with grand rhetoric, were lauded as legends simply for fending off their attacks. But Roman Dmitry shattered the boundaries of common sense. The Demon King's severed head, dangling from his grasp, proved that Roman Dmitry was an existence of an entirely different caliber than the heroes of old.
Thud.
Roll.
He tossed the head onto the ground.
Staring at the Demon King's rolling head, the people could not utter a single word in the face of this monumental achievement.
The message burning into their eyes was clear.
They had won.
Roman Dmitry looked around at the dazed crowd and spoke.
"The Demon King is dead."
Emotions welled up.
The people felt their blood boiling over.
"With this, we have eliminated every threat to our world. Now that the Demon King who led the invasion of the Earthly World is dead, the demons of the Demon Realm will never dare look upon our world again. We have achieved a great feat. Scholars who studied the continent's history spoke of how dangerous and reckless our endeavor was. Had we listened to them and chosen the safe path, our immediate safety might have been guaranteed, but future generations would surely have suffered the exact same pain."
Not a single person in sight was in pristine condition.
Everyone was a mess.
They were all drenched in blood, and the deep shadows cast over their faces showed just how fiercely they had struggled. In truth, it was a victory that would have been impossible without Roman Dmitry. Though everyone knew this fact all too well, Roman sincerely acknowledged that the courage and sacrifice of the soldiers who followed him were truly magnificent.
As for himself...
He had merely acted because he possessed the power to do so.
Yet these men, knowing they could not achieve victory on their own, had willingly thrown themselves into the jaws of death solely out of trust in him.
That was why he had severed the Demon King's head.
To keep his promise of granting them a future, he refused to accept a half-hearted conclusion.
"Remember this. Future generations will remember this moment, and they will exist because of you."
The people's expressions grew impassioned.
It was over.
The war that had begun with the Continental War.
Finally, they had put an end to that grueling conflict.
"Let us return. To our world."
At those words...
As if they had been waiting for this very moment, the people let out an earth-shattering roar of triumph.
*
To return to the Earthly World, they had to go back to the location where they had first arrived.
Once they sent a signal to the outside, the passage would be opened, and the soldiers would return home in glory as heroes.
"The moment I get back, I'm going to chug beer for a whole week."
"Ah, just thinking about it gives me goosebumps."
"What am I going to do? Spend some quality time with my beautiful wife, of course. Even though we're newlyweds, she understood and let me go, so I can't just drown myself in booze like you guys. I heard His Majesty the Emperor is going to grant us a massive war bounty. I'm going to take that money and live happily ever after with my wife."
"Damn, look at you. That's beautiful."
It was completely different from the beginning.
From the moment they arrived in the Demon Realm until they reached the Demon King's castle, the soldiers had to overcome hardships and adversity, risking their lives at every turn. But now, they couldn't even tell how time was passing. As they chatted with the comrades walking beside them, the surrounding scenery flashed by, and the distance rapidly shrank.
Everyone was filled with hope.
They now had the certainty that they could look forward to the future.
Seeing them like this...
Isabelle was deeply moved.
As the only one who knew the truth of the oracle, she had carried a heavy burden alone all this time. Seeing them so full of hope stirred complex emotions within her. First and foremost, she was genuinely happy. She rejoiced in the fact that they had finally achieved the peace they had so desperately yearned for. But at the same time, the empty space left behind by Leo prevented her from being entirely happy.
Leo and the soldiers.
Their sacrifices had not been in vain.
If they had not delayed the Demon Realm's invasion, most of the soldiers speaking of hope right now would already be dead.
'Our sacrifices were not in vain.'
She felt both grateful and apologetic.
Isabelle had also sacrificed a great deal, but as the sole survivor, she could not help but carry a heavy burden in her heart. She wanted to remember Leo and the soldiers in that way, if nothing else. Although her own lifespan had been greatly shortened by using Sacrifice, the mere fact that she was alive meant there were things she still had to do.
'I will look after your families. I will let everyone know what a magnificent deed those who sacrificed themselves for humanity accomplished, and I will make sure your families can live with pride in you.'
It was a new goal.
Until she met her own death.
She would live for the sake of those who had believed in her.
Having laid down her burden as a Saintess, the human Isabelle wished to live for others once again.
This was different from sacrifice.
It was something for herself, something that fulfilled her own heart.
"We have arrived!"
A voice called out from the front.
It had taken several days to reach their destination.
Now, if they sent a signal to those in the Earthly World, they would open the passage connecting to the Demon Realm.
Positive emotions filled the darkness-shrouded space.
At the thought of the warm welcome awaiting them shortly, the soldiers chattered noisily, unable to hide their excitement. Roman Dmitry did not suppress their clamor. He watched them quietly, allowing them to fully savor this emotional moment to the point where they barely even realized he was sharing the same space.
Eventually...
Rumble!
The world shook.
At the very moment the dimensions warped and the passage began to form, a bolt of lightning struck inside Isabelle's mind.
Flash.
[My child. I shall tell you the truth.]
It was the voice of God.
With her eyes wide, Isabelle listened to a shocking revelation, staring into a space of her own, completely separate from everyone else. It did not take long. Once the chaos in her mind subsided, Isabelle turned her head to look at a certain being.
"Just what are you..."
Roman Dmitry.
His hidden truth threw Isabelle into utter shock.
*
Until the passage opened...
There was a brief moment of time.
She approached Roman Dmitry to request a conversation. After moving to a private spot, her expression was stiff and frozen.
"...I heard the truth. That once you return to the Earthly World, you will eventually be banished from this world."
Her voice trembled.
As she listened to God's words, her mind had become a tangled mess.
She couldn't understand.
Roman Dmitry.
He was clearly a man who lived for himself.
Even when she had asked him to help for the sake of humanity's future, Roman Dmitry had pursued what he deemed to be of the highest value. But why on earth had he made such a choice? Even if he obtained absolute power as the Emperor of the Dmitry Empire, and even if he conquered the Demon Realm to achieve perfect peace, what was the point of all his relentless struggles if he could not exist in the world that lay ahead?
She needed an explanation.
At least, the Roman Dmitry she knew was not the type of person to make such an absurd choice.
"It is what I wanted."
"That's why I understand it even less. Why would you make such a choice..."
"Isabelle."
His voice was calm.
Even though he was speaking of his own fate, Roman Dmitry showed not a shred of agitation.
"Every person has their own goals. While your choice to give yourself for humanity was a sacrifice in its purest sense, I do not consider my choice to be a sacrifice. I promised to guarantee perfect peace to those who follow me as a reward for their loyalty. And for me, turning a blind eye to an existing threat is simply not in my nature. That is all. Even if I were to live for only a few days, I wish to live the life I desire. Therefore, there was no reason for me to hesitate over whatever words God babbles."
She was left speechless.
He was truly, utterly incomprehensible.
Just when she thought she had finally come to understand Roman Dmitry, she could not fathom why he would choose his own ruin.
"...Does that mean you're just going to accept the price like this?"
"Yes."
"You can't do that. To those people over there, you are like a god. Everyone looks up to you, so what will happen to this world if you disappear? Instead, let's find a way to solve this. If we buy some time by not returning to the Earthly World immediately and put our heads together, we can surely find a solution."
She was defying the will of God.
Or perhaps, God had wished for her to react this way.
Roman Dmitry looked at Isabelle.
Even if there was room for a solution as Isabelle suggested, it did not matter much to Roman Dmitry.
"Perfect peace is completed by my existence. Only when the people confirm that I have returned safely can they truly accept the peace before them. Isabelle, this too is my way of living for myself. Therefore, as the Emperor who rules this world, I shall give you a single command."
He turned his gaze.
In the distance...
He could see the passage opening.
Roman Dmitry began walking toward it, delivering his final message to Isabelle as if issuing an imperial decree.
"Do not speak of the truth you know to anyone. I shall remain, until the very end, the one who reigns over this world."
*
Oskal Lake.
At Oskal Lake, a place that had been deserted since the fall of Odelia, an endless crowd of people had begun to gather not long ago. Their nationalities and races were all different. People flocking from all corners of the continent took their places amidst the crowd—which was so densely packed that the lake itself was completely hidden from view—and offered up their prayers.
"O God, please watch over us."
"His Majesty Emperor Roman Dmitry. You must return safely. You are the sole hope sustaining humanity."
"Darling, please, just come back alive."
They knew as well.
The Conquest of the Demon Realm.
Just how reckless of an endeavor it was.
Witnessing the resolve of those who willingly sacrificed themselves for humanity, they could not simply sit idly by and wait for the war to end. No one had ordered them to do so. People packed their bags and set off for Oskal Lake of their own accord, and the crowd that gathered there did not leave their spots even as day and night cycled countless times.
They prayed, and prayed again.
For a safe return.
For those who had prepared to sacrifice themselves for humanity to surely return alive to the embrace of their families.
At the forefront of the crowd stood Romero Dmitry.
He, his wife Rihanna Dmitry, and the families of key figures from various nations also stayed awake for days and nights, refusing to leave their spots. They were no different from the common folk. Everyone was in the same position, wishing for their family members' safety, and their collective will lit up Oskal Lake every night.
And finally...
Contact arrived from beyond the passage.
At the news that the Continental Allied Forces were returning, the area around Oskal Lake buzzed with excitement despite the early morning hour.
"Please..."
"Please, save humanity."
They did not know the outcome yet.
Worry and anticipation.
Complex emotions gathered as one.
Time passed.
As the passage connected, it felt to the people as if time had ground to a halt.
If defeated remnants emerged from beyond, with even Roman Dmitry having lost, the people would have no choice but to accept the destruction of humanity. Everyone prayed desperately. That humanity had won; if they had won, that their families were safe; and if their families were safe, that Emperor Roman Dmitry was surely alive.
Their wills converged.
Just as everyone stared at a single spot, a dimensional rift finally tore open, and a massive passage revealed itself.
And then, they saw.
Step, step.
A man walking out from beyond the passage, followed by his soldiers.
Emotions surged violently within the people.
It was certain.
The moment they confirmed that the man at the lead was Roman Dmitry, the people bowed their heads and roared so loudly it seemed as if the world would turn upside down.
"Your Majesty the Emperor! We celebrate your safe return!"
"Your Majesty the Emperor! We celebrate your safe return!"
"Your Majesty the Emperor! We celebrate your safe return!"
The crowd was in an absolute frenzy.
At the explosive cheers of the crowd, those at the back who couldn't see what was happening raised their voices in unison. Only then did they realize.
That they had won the war.
That humanity had survived.
And that their families had returned.
Even after a long time had passed, the people of the future would never forget the events of this day.
When the god known as Roman Dmitry descended upon the earth, true peace finally came to the world.
*
After the Conquest of the Demon Realm.
Three years had passed since then.