Episode 146
* * *
“What on earth is going on!”
The cathedral of the Labyrinth City, a room where the leaders of the Great Demon Alliance gather.
There, the Master Templar representing the Church and the High Elder Vorenus of the White Tower raised their voices.
“While a priest and a deacon from the church were being murdered in the square, what on earth was the Black Armor Company, which was supposed to be in charge of the city’s security, doing in the meantime!”
“They are still busy protecting the peace of the Demon King’s Territory. ──Not here in the Labyrinth City.”
Dale said.
“Have you forgotten that it is your calling to guard this Demon King’s Territory?!”
The Master Templar raised his voice.
“Surely, there’s no way that the empty ruse of handing over the Demon King’s territory to us and then sucking your thumb behind our back will work.”
“I understand that very well. And as one of the representatives of the Great Demon Alliance, I am ready to perform my duties, regardless of whether I have dedicated this area to the Church.”
Dale shrugs and continues.
“But at least the adventurers in the Labyrinth City aren’t ‘Demons’. Right?”
Dale asked back.
“In addition, since I have dedicated this entire Labyrinth City to the Church, I cannot exert any influence over the execution of duties within the territory according to the rule of Immunity. Therefore, my only duty is to fight against the ‘Demons’. Not the people of this city.”
“You are still talking nonsense when you see that they are already starting an armed uprising?”
“The city’s adventurers are simply exercising their rightful voice as they have always done.”
Dale smiled calmly, not caring.
“Especially as to Prince Edward of Dulles, who is gathering adventurers, the Church must also be familiar with his name.”
The second son of the Dulles family, the most prominent count in the empire. Furthermore, as long as there is a faction of noble adventurers acting together with him, even the church cannot unilaterally hang them.
Noble blood is a nuisance, and Dale knew exactly how to exploit that nuisance.
It is not even a matter of summarily executing a group of adventurers who are causing a riot according to church law. However, it is a different story when there are those with noble blood among the adventurers.
That’s why Dale used Edward and the noble adventurer faction as a shield.
“You are absolutely right.”
Hearing those words, Princess Chiara, who was sitting with them, opened her mouth. For a moment, silence fell.
“Oh, Your Highness!”
“There is some truth to what Prince Dale said. Among the adventurers of the Labyrinth City, there are quite a few precious children of our empire. Therefore, I think the Church will also need to make some concessions on this point.”
“Ha, haona!”
Following Kiara, it was up to Lady Scarlett, a high-ranking elder of the Red Tower, to speak.
“Oh, what a disgusting and greedy squealing of pigs.”
“Lady Scarlett… … !”
“In the face of your pig-like, squealing desires, didn’t our wise lord make the greatest concession he could? For the greater good of us all.”
Lady Scarlett smiled at Dale.
“What is happening in the Labyrinth City right now is a grave act that insults the prestige of the Church and even the Goddess herself!”
“Did you say the prestige of the church?”
At those words, Lady Scarlett smiled coldly.
“Ah, I remember. During the Unification War, when my brother and I occupied the capital of the religious nation.”
The two siblings, Marquis Yuris and Lady Scarlett, stand at the top of the Red Tower. They begin to recall the events of when they once brought down the Goddess’s country.
“They cried out the goddess’s name until the very end, burning to death, and her country burning to ashes… … The priests’ screams as they cursed the goddess, turning to black charcoal, were such a delightful harmony of utmost delight that even thinking about them now gives me goosebumps.”
Lady Scarlett laughed in a voice full of enthusiasm.
“Does the church, which has already fallen as far as it can go, still have the dignity to raise its head stiffly?”
The Master Templar’s expression froze coldly.
“Ha, there really are no such thing as just bean powder kids.”
Prince Modred raised his voice in mockery as he watched the sight.
“This f*cking country, this f*cking land, and these f*cking kids.”
“… … .”
“Isn’t there a single person here who can think of forming an army and wiping out those demons right now while they’re talking nonsense?”
“I also agree with Prince Modred’s wishes.”
Dale nodded at that. The Rosicrucian Knights of Lancaster, who were fed up with the spoon fights going on here, also expressed their approval.
“Your Majesty the Prince!”
At those words, Vorenus, the high elder of the White Tower, opened his mouth in bewilderment, and Modred continued speaking without paying attention.
“What, you little punk? Are you liking what I say?”
“… … Ah, no, that’s not it.”
“The kids who gathered to wipe out the demon tribe are going to wipe out the demon tribe, but those kids who object… … .”
Prince Modred said.
“I think it would be right to pack up and leave, considering that we weren’t part of the Great Demon Alliance in the first place. Now, does anyone have any objections to what I’m saying?”
“Tea, that is very true.”
‘No matter what, a dragon is still a dragon.’
Hearing Modred’s words, Dale also held his breath in surprise. It was not a calculation that was useless. However, it was a dignity befitting the ‘royal bloodline’ to accurately point out the truth and conclude and summarize the situation. Even if we put aside the reckless and shallow methods.
“From the beginning, our goal has been to dispel the darkness of this land.”
So, it was an offer that Dale could not refuse.
“In accordance with Prince Modred’s wishes, we will prepare for a more certain and speedy conclusion.”
To eradicate the remnants of the Demon Clan scattered throughout the Demon King’s Territory. However, the significance of the Great Demon Clan Alliance was not limited to that.
Beyond the Demon King’s Territory, the land of darkness once known as the home of the Demon King and the Demon Race… … It was to eliminate the threat from that very land.
A veiled land where even the mighty warriors of the empire dare not set foot.
Officially known as the ‘Dark Lands’, there was another name that some tycoons would tout as their own.
It was the Demon World.
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
Furthermore, the ‘Great Demon Alliance’ gathered here ultimately had only one goal in mind.
Building a magical barrier to protect the Demon Realm and the Demon King’s territory in Saxony.
That is why Vorenus, the senior elder of the White Tower, had brought the ‘holy relics’ of the church to do the job, and that is why he could speak so loudly in front of Dale.
There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
* * *
Following Modred’s suggestion, the regular forces of the Great Demon Alliance began to gather. In order to conclude the battle quickly.
At the same time, the church also temporarily bowed down to the adventurers and accepted some of their rituals, and was forced to leave the city’s affairs behind to carry out a ‘large-scale battle’ at Modred’s request.
And Dale never missed the moment when the city was free from the control of the Church and became a vacuum.
He recalled an artifact that Edward of Dulles had acquired while Dale was away fighting in the Wars of the Roses.
Edward would have no doubt believed that it was an artifact he had obtained with his own hands. But it was not.
Sword of Puppet.
From now on, Dale and the ‘Great Demon Alliance’ will advance to the deepest part of the Demon King’s territory and engage in battle with the demons there. It will never be at the level of a single orc or ghoul.
It is also possible that you may face off against high-ranking demons and shadow magicians.
And in the midst of the fierce fighting there… …the scenario Dale had prepared for Edward was as follows.
Officially, Edward illegally laundered and obtained the artifact, so the responsibility for it lies solely with him.
At the same time, the artifact is an item imbued with the darkness of a high-ranking demon, and those consumed by its power will lose consciousness and go berserk.
Right now, while the church that rules the Labyrinth City and their main force are away performing their duties for the ‘Great Demon Alliance’…
The ‘Puppet Sword’ in his hand will dance.
To eliminate Dale’s political enemies and church administrators who remain in the labyrinthine city of Labyrinth.
* * *
Following the suggestion of the 7th Prince Modred, a hasty expedition into the darkness of the Demon King’s Territory began.
And in a sense, it was an unexpected butterfly effect that no one expected.
In any world, the process of doing business is bound to be slow and tedious. This tendency is even stronger when there are conflicting interests.
Dale’s plan to build the bricks slowly with that in mind ended up progressing at an unexpectedly rapid pace.
In a situation where we need to slowly assess the situation within the Demon King’s Territory and gradually move our troops, we plan to move large-scale forces simultaneously to draw a line between the ‘Demon World’ and the Demon King’s Territory.
But to be honest… … there was something about Dale that he didn’t like. The word “quick and easy” sounds good, but in reality, it tends to end up being a synonym for irresponsible.
However, the reason Dale sympathized and agreed with Modred’s intentions was because he had some faith in him.
In the end, it was not the Saxon army that was being sacrificed in this battle. It was the ‘potential enemies’ who were implementing the Great Demon Alliance. Although the Saxon forces were no exception, it was a sacrifice worth making compared to everyone gathered here.
Even if they succeed, there is no harm in succeeding. Dale’s men will use this gap to puppet Dulles’ Edward, and when they return, there will be nothing they can turn back.
For Dale, it was a gamble where he had nothing to lose.
* * *
The end of the Demon King’s territory, and the entrance to the Demon World where ancient darkness dwells.
Dale and the ‘Great Demon Alliance’ noticed the movements of a large force, and the demons there began to move.
In the past, during the war between the Demon King Balor and the Empire… …in the old fortress they had built.
There was a man dressed in black robes.
The fluttering hems of the robe swayed like a living robe, and a dark shadow was cast beneath the hood.
“I have a report that the main force of the Great Demon Alliance has begun mobilizing.”
A goblin scout spoke towards the man. It was not human language, but the common language of the demons.
“Gather the orcs, trolls, goblins, and the leaders of each tribe, and issue an order to assemble all the guerrilla forces scattered throughout the Demon King’s Territory. We will use this as a base and prepare for a long-term defense.”
The man opened his mouth. It was a voice of a demon that was extremely fluent.
“Yes, I will follow your orders!”
After the goblin left, the man was left alone on the fortress walls.
The land of swirling frozen ice, but even this cold is nothing compared to the darkness beyond.
“The Demons… … .”
At that very moment, the voice that came out of his mouth was undoubtedly that of a human being.
The wind has stopped blowing.
But even there, where not even a breeze blew, the man’s black robe still fluttered like a living creature.
