The Confession of Cleopatra
After the tortures that shook the very core of her existence, Cleopatra finally surrendered. Before Elisa, who stood right in front of her, she began to speak of events from her past as Antonius—the story she had sworn never to reveal to anyone until “that day” arrived.
In the Elf Theocracy, there lived a renowned general named Antonius. A man of deep loyalty to his nation and devout faith in the gods, his life was completely shattered one fateful day.
Antonius had always lived with pride, never bringing shame upon himself as a true servant of the divine. Yet his life plunged into the abyss the day his beloved younger brother fell in battle at the hands of the demon race.
His brother had possessed a faith even stronger than his own. He had thrown himself into the so-called holy war against the demons with greater fervor than anyone. The death of such a cherished sibling planted seeds of regret and doubt deep within Antonius’s heart.
How could a brother with such unshakable faith die so horribly while participating in a holy war guided by the gods’ will?
If a true god truly existed in this world—if the gods were righteous—how could something like this happen?
Once born, that single doubt slowly eroded Antonius’s faith. For a time, he became little more than a wreck, unable to live a normal life.
Then one day, someone approached him.
It was Cicero, a respected scholar and powerful figure within the Elf Theocracy. He visited Antonius personally, offering words of comfort. In response, Antonius confessed what weighed on his heart—that his faith had been badly shaken and he no longer knew what path he should take.
Watching him, Cicero smiled with what appeared to be profound compassion and spoke.
He said that this war was fundamentally wrong. That despite being called a holy war, it was nothing more than the Empire and the Pope playing with lives, causing countless innocents to shed blood. And that the gods inciting such a conflict could not possibly be righteous.
These were words Antonius had never expected to hear from Cicero, a man known for faith rivaling his own. Deeply shaken, Antonius asked what he should do instead.
In a calm voice, Cicero replied, “You should serve the true god. Not those wicked, greedy false gods, but one who truly brings peace and comfort.”
To Antonius, these words were incomprehensible—and carried an unmistakable sense of danger. Yet his mind and body were already broken. He began to waver greatly at Cicero’s suggestion.
Seeing this, Cicero began to explain the being he called the true god—the entity known as Amun.
“Amun has declared that the twisted things of this world must be set right. We must break free from the evil gods who bind us and use us as pawns, and build a world that belongs to us alone. So that no one else suffers the same miserable death as your brother, toyed with by the gods’ cruel games.”
“My… brother…”
With his masterful eloquence, Cicero coaxed and persuaded Antonius. Gradually, Antonius became captivated by talk of this being called Amun. Before long, he abandoned Neltarion, the god he had once served, and became a faithful follower of Amun.
Only later did he learn that Amun’s influence had already spread across the entire continent.
The countless casualties during the racial wars and the shock of ultimate defeat had severely shaken people’s faith in Neltarion. At the same time, it caused Amun’s followers to expand dramatically.
Not only in the Elf Theocracy, but in the Falcon Empire and even the beastman nation of Jo. Those disappointed by the old gods quickly fell under the sway of Amun’s faith, which offered something new and granted their desires through tangible blessings rather than empty words.
Even Antonius himself gained far greater divine power than before. Thanks to this, he—who had already been one of the Elf Theocracy’s leading generals—rose to stand among the nation’s strongest warriors, enjoying far more power and authority.
Yet despite spreading like poisonous mushrooms across the continent, Antonius and the other followers of Amun never revealed their true nature. They operated with absolute secrecy.
Their primary goal was to destroy the symbols of the false gods on the surface and pave the way for Amun’s descent into this world. To achieve this, they had to move with utmost stealth and precision.
As a result, they had incited the current war between the Falcon Empire and the Elf Theocracy, and were now maneuvering to spark another conflict between the Falcon Empire and the Magic Kingdom.
The attempt to assassinate Octavia had also been part of their plan—to create division between the Demon Kingdom and the Elf Theocracy after the unexpected interference of the demon forces.
And so Antonius—no, Cleopatra—had poured out every last secret she had sworn to protect with her life, all because she had succumbed to the temptation of pleasure.
Watching her, Elisa was seized by profound shock. She tossed the tentacles her captive so desperately craved, then hurried off to report this discovery to the Demon King.
She completely ignored the lewd moans of pleasure spilling from Cleopatra’s lips.
“S-so… it’s really true?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. The information was obtained after thoroughly breaking that elf’s soul through torture. There is no doubt about its accuracy.”
At Elisa’s report, the Demon King’s expression hardened, revealing deep shock. Beside her, Belzebeuty, who had been listening, fell into grave contemplation with a cold look on her face.
“Amun… I have never heard that name before. But if this is true, we cannot simply overlook it.”
What this Amun was doing was currently occurring inside the nations that had once formed the old racial alliance—nations that could be considered enemies of the Demon Kingdom.
From a national standpoint, it was essentially the former enemies tearing each other apart and hastening their own destruction. There was nothing to regret; in fact, it was something to welcome.
However, that was only when viewed from the perspective of nations. If the World Tree were truly burned and destroyed, and the same fate befell the one in the Magic Kingdom, the consequences would go far beyond the fall of countries. An unimaginable upheaval could sweep across the entire continent.
“What should we do about this? While much remains unclear, even the outline alone suggests this matter is far too large for our Demon Kingdom to handle by ourselves.”
This was not an incident occurring within their own borders, and the invisible hand behind it had left no clear traces for any nation to follow. After a moment of thought, Belzebeuty offered her opinion cautiously.
“In my personal view… it would be best to first inform the elves of the truth. We have concrete evidence that Amun’s followers attempted to kill Octavia, so explaining the situation should be relatively straightforward.”
“Hmm… that is true…”
Unlike other nations, the Elf Theocracy—having received help from them—would likely be willing to listen to the Demon Kingdom’s words.
But then Elisa, who had been listening to Belzebeuty, spoke with a hint of dissatisfaction in her voice.
“That may be so for the Elf Theocracy, since they are destined to kneel before us anyway. But what do you plan to do about those Falcon Empire bastards?”
“Hmm…”
“Hah…”
“To be completely honest, I think it would be better to simply let that filthy human nation collapse. Yes, a crisis is coming to this continent, but I find it difficult to agree with extending a helping hand first to the very humans who are practically our mortal enemies.”
Both women automatically frowned at Elisa’s words. From their perspective, while Amun was certainly a problem, they had even less desire to help the Falcon Empire, which had led the racial wars. Even if the fate of the world hung in the balance.
Moreover, from what they had heard, it seemed the followers of Amun were primarily based in the Falcon Empire, which only strengthened their reluctance.
Regarding this matter, Belzebeuty spoke to them in a calm voice.
“Then… how about we do it this way instead?”