The Battle Continues
The royal capital of the Luine Kingdom is very excited about the victory of the battle. The return of the evacuees is yet to come. The knights and soldiers who fought to the death on the battlefield and the people of the Luine Kingdom, who were forced to fight the divine race, are gathering in any place where people can gather and hold a banquet of victory.
The clamor could be heard even inside the castle. This is even more so because, unlike outside the castle, the castle is quiet. No one dared to hold a banquet inside the castle.
A knight from the Luine Kingdom killed the Nord Emperor Ren. This shocked not only King Albert but also the upper echelons of the Kingdom. It was not only a shock to the heart. The elite force led by King Albert, who had been selected for the final battle, was nearly annihilated by the angry demons. It is a miracle that King Albert was able to escape unharmed.
"...Demons, no, what about Rin-dono?"
The damage suffered shows the tremendous anger of the demons and of Rin, who led the demons. The blame is definitely entirely on the side of the Luine Kingdom. As for King Albert, he wanted to make peace somehow.
"It was impossible even to meet."
"I see... I understand."
However, the reconciliation was not even possible. In the first place, there is no way they can chase the demons.
"It seems that they will return to the territory. We have no choice but to send a messenger, though it may be quite dangerous."
The Commander of the Platinum Knights, Harrisman, also thinks that they should try to reconcile somehow. That's how serious the problem is. That is why he is participating in the meeting, even though he was seriously injured in order to help King Albert escape. However, the meeting is not a meeting to reach a conclusion. They are just gathering to somehow calm their minds. Milianea, who seems to have the most effect on King Albert, and Princess Grace are also present.
"...That's right"
Even if they send a messenger, they don't think Rin and the demons will accept them easily. There is a high possibility that they will be killed. King Albert also thinks that he must still manage to negotiate somehow.
"Your Majesty."
"What's wrong? Did something happen?"
The knight who was keeping watch in the corridor opened the door and called out to him.
"Shizuku Tojo's body has been found."
"……I see."
Even Shizuku was dead. King Albert became more and more confused about what was going on. In one day, all kinds of unbelievable things happened one after another. Shizuku's death was also a shocking fact, but his mind was so tired that his reactions had become sluggish.
"...Your Majesty."
Milianea gently lays her hand on King Albert's hand. The reaction is dull. But it is clear that his heart has been wounded even more deeply. Knowing this, she reached out her hand to him without thinking.
"What am I going to do now?"
"...Bring peace to the people."
"Am I qualified for that?"
King Albert has already lost the will to conquer the continent. He doesn't think he deserves it.
"Someone has to do it. I hope that peace will prevail as it is. But many countries have been hurt, and the people living there are suffering."
The battle may end as it is. However, the countries occupied by the Izrim Empire are in ruins. The people living there are suffering from oppression. What will happen to the Izrim Empire itself now that it has lost its emperor? What will become of the lives of the people living there?
Milianea thinks someone has to rule. Only King Albert can do that.
"...I know. I know, but now."
He really doesn't feel like it now. As the days pass and his heart calms down, things may change again, but he can't promise anything right now.
"I'm sorry"
The knight on guard interrupted again.
"What is it this time?"
The Commander of the Platinum Knights, Harrisman, responded with an irritated look. They have been interrupted twice, and it's actually frustrating to be interrupted in what could be a good mood.
"That's, this person has something to tell His Majesty."
"Not now."
It's Darren who wants to see him. Knowing that, the Commander of the Platinum Knights, Harrisman, tried to turn him away.
"Wait. Darren-dono, I have something to tell you too."
"……Get in"
Milianea stopped it. In that case, the Commander of the Platinum Knights, Harrisman, had no choice but to accept. He would not want Milianea to leave the room to talk to Darren.
"Thank you very much, Darren-dono. Thanks to you, many people were saved. However... about Emperor Nord... I don't know how I should apologize..."
"There is no need for apologies, Milianea-sama. You'll soon find out why."
Darren knows he doesn't need an apology from Milianea. That is his business.
"Why?"
"His Majesty, the King is calling you."
Darren leaves Milianea's question unanswered and speaks to King Albert.
"King?"
"The King of the Dead... I'll be clear. Kaiser Ren Breitkreutz-sama is calling for you."
"What...?"
"We have no time. I will show you the way, but please hurry."
Ignoring King Albert's surprise, Darren leaves the room. Without a detailed explanation, King Albert was a little worried about what to do, but after seeing Milianea nodding, he decided to follow Darren. There is no other choice.
◆◆◆
With Daren's guidance, King Albert, along with Commander Harrisman, Milianea, and Princess Grace, headed out of the castle to a place that had been the battlefield. It was the site of the battle. Darren had told them in advance that it was the place, so the group headed there in a carriage.
King Albert got off the carriage after arriving at the destination. He was at a loss for words when he arrived.
"Huh? There's a lot of people again."
Ren was indeed there. He stood up and talked to them as usual. That alone was a surprise, but Ren was not the only one there. Shizuku, who he heard that a dead body had been found, Yuya, Mei, Minami, Rina, and Maki were also there. All of them, who were supposed to be dead, were all there.
"...Nord emperor."
"That's wrong. I'm no longer the Emperor of the Nord Empire. I'm dead."
"... How can the dead speak like this?"
He wonders if he was caught in Ren's plot again. King Albert doubted it. It can't be. If so, Yuya and Mei couldn't be there.
"I can speak, but is it a bit special now? Normally, you can't hear the voice of spirits."
"Are you really dead?"
Ren could talk to the spirits from the beginning. However, King Albert learned from Ren's explanation that it was a little different from that. It doesn't make sense, though, because he doesn't really understand that he can talk to spirits in the first place.
"That's what I'm saying. Ah, there was one thing I had to apologize for."
"No, it is I who owe you an apology. My subject."
"That subject. Looks like you killed him, huh? I'm sorry, I was only doing you a favor. I thought you could take credit for it, but I couldn't tell Rin."
Ren was killed on purpose. He had a knight from the Luine Kingdom, who was close to him, kill him because he thought that suicide would not serve his purpose. He did not explain this to Rin because he thought that if she heard it, she would say she would die with him. It is a reason that makes Shizuku angry, but in reality, she is happy that he chose her.
"……What do you mean?"
"I let the divine race escape. I was determined to destroy them. I'm not going to end it by letting them escape."
Ren intends to chase the escaped divine race. The reason why Shizuku and Yuya and the others got involved was to make them a fighting force. Yuya and the others would be dead without this.
"...For that reason, your own life?"
It was a thought that King Albert could not understand.
"Originally, it's a life that I didn't regret. I think I should use it to do what I should do."
"……I see."
He's trying to save the world with his own life. Thinking that, King Albert becomes depressed again. Ren's goal is not to save the world, but to destroy it, but King Albert doesn't understand that.
"Are you saying that you will take them to fight against the divine race as well?"
He understands Ren's thoughts. But Yuya and the others behind Ren are on the side of the divine race. The Commander of the Platinum Knights, Harrisman, thought it was dangerous.
"I'll take them. They also want to settle their grudges, right?"
“Grudges… against the divine race?”
Harrisman, the Commander of the Platinum Knights looks at Yuya and the others. Yuya looks flustered. Mei looks similar. Minami, Rina, and Maki look a little frightened. They are having a hard time accepting that they have died and become spirits, but that much is not clear to Harrisman.
"It's the same for you, isn't it? You bind them with the proof of servitude, and they took away their will with strange rituals. They have killed many people. They even killed their allies. Just because they killed more people later, it shouldn't change their feelings of resentment."
"...I suppose."
Ren nonchalantly criticizes the Luine Kingdom and the administrators of this world. He said that the divine race used the former heroes as tools for killing people, and that the rulers of this world used the former heroes as tools for war. The commander of the Platinum Knights, Harrisman, understood that as well as King Albert.
"We're leaving. So take care of the rest."
"What do you mean by take care of the rest?"
"I thought you were going to create a new order in this world. Or the conquest of the continent, if that's what you want."
"……I."
I am not qualified to do that. The thoughts that were troubling him before he came here are coming back to his mind.
"However, I will never allow any behavior that would shut out the demons or the elves from that order. If you do so, it will be the humans that will perish next to the divine race."
"…………"
Ren looking straight at himself. His pressure made King Albert feel his chest tightening. That's what he felt when they met once, but not now. The pressure was so great that he fell to his knees on the ground and almost dropped his head.
"Well, there's the question of how to get back in, right?"
The pressure is instantly relieved. That doesn't mean that King Albert's feelings have loosened.
"...I understand. I will never do such a thing. I swear I won't let anyone do it."
"Hmm. That's all I wanted to talk about. Well then."
"Ah……?"
Ren, who was in front of him, disappeared in an instant, as did the others.
"Your Majesty. In the sky."
"...He went there, huh?"
King Albert looked up at the sky after being called out by Milianea. He saw a group of lights rising straight up in the night sky. Before long, it will be lost among the stars, and it will be difficult to tell which is which.
"...In the end, what was a hero, a demon king, and Kaiser Ren Breitkreutz?"
Milianea puts everyone's thoughts into words. Why did Ren come to this world? Why did they come to this world, and why were they summoned by the people of this world? Especially with Ren, he was different from the others right from the moment he was summoned. And until the very end, he was different from the otherworldly people. He was different from the beings that the administrators of this country had summoned in their quest.
He saved the people of the world.
"Savior. The promised existence."
"You are... as I recall..."
"I'm Mion from the Adventurer's Guild, Committee of Eight. It's been a while... do you need the greeting?"
Mion and the other members of the Committee of Eight were also on the battlefield. The battle ended without showing their presence.
"What is a Savior?"
"Actually, I don't really know. The legend of the Savior has been around for hundreds of years. Not only in the Committee of Eight, but also in the Church. Whether God sent him or another being sent him...... nothing is known, but he did appear."
"He seems to be the Savior even for the demons."
King Albert remembered that Baat had said this. A Savior for both the demons and the humans. He knows that he is an existence different from the common sense of this world so far. The existence of the divine race was also not, according to common sense, just made to be forgotten.
"I see... it seems that there is no doubt that someone or something foretold this time?"
"Yes"
The humans and the demons, who had been enemies of each other, cooperated to fight a common enemy. The two are the same, but the two are not the same. Confrontation and cooperation are intertwined, and this battle is born, and perhaps won. Although they have no way of knowing the outcome of the battle, which will take place in a world they do not know, they believe without a doubt that Ren will win.
What made this moment possible is a fate that was born two thousand years ago. This fact will never be known by the humans living in the world at this time.
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