Episode 146
“What on earth is happening here?!”
In the grand cathedral of the Labyrinth City, where the leaders of the Great Demon Alliance had gathered, the Master Templar representing the church and the high elder of the White Tower, Borenius, raised their voices in outrage.
“While two of our priests were murdered in the square, what exactly was the Black Armor Company, responsible for the city’s security, doing?”
“They’re busy maintaining peace in the Demon Realm, of course—not here in the Labyrinth City,” Dale replied calmly.
“Have you forgotten that safeguarding this realm is your duty?” the Master Templar shouted, his voice echoing through the hall.
“Don’t think you can just hand over the Demon Realm to us and sit back idly,” he warned.
“I understand perfectly,” Dale shrugged, “and as one of the representatives of the Great Demon Alliance, I’m ready to fulfill my duties, separate from what I’ve entrusted to the church.”
“But the adventurers in this city aren’t ‘demons,’ are they?” Dale questioned, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
“Since the area has been entrusted to the church, I have no authority over its internal affairs due to the rule of immunity. My duty is to confront the ‘demons,’ not the people of this city.”
“Are you seriously spouting such nonsense when they’re already staging an armed uprising?” the Master Templar retorted.
“The adventurers are merely exercising their rightful voices, as they always have,” Dale replied, unfazed.
“And surely, the church is aware of Prince Edward of Dulles, who is rallying the adventurers,” Dale added, knowing full well the church couldn’t easily dismiss a noble’s involvement.
The Dulles family, a prominent count’s lineage, had its second son, Edward, leading a faction of noble adventurers. Even the church couldn’t simply execute them without consequence.
Noble blood was a tricky matter, and Dale knew precisely how to leverage it.
Executing a group of rebellious adventurers was one thing, but when nobles were involved, it was a different story. That’s why Dale used Edward and the noble adventurers as a shield.
“Indeed, a valid point,” Princess Chiara, who had been silently observing, finally spoke, casting a momentary silence over the room.
“Your Highness!” Borenius exclaimed, taken aback.
“Prince Dale’s argument holds merit. Among the adventurers in the Labyrinth City are many of our empire’s cherished young nobles. The church must make some concessions,” Chiara stated firmly.
“But, Your Highness!” Borenius protested, only to be interrupted by Lady Scarlet of the Red Tower.
“Oh, the grunting of greedy pigs is truly revolting,” she sneered.
“Lady Scarlet…!” Borenius gasped.
“In the face of your piggish desires, our wise prince has already made the greatest concession for the greater good,” Lady Scarlet smiled at Dale.
“The current situation in the Labyrinth City is a grave insult to the church’s dignity and the goddess herself!” the Master Templar declared.
“The church’s dignity, you say?” Lady Scarlet laughed coldly.
“Ah, it reminds me of the time during the Unification War when my brother and I captured the capital of the church’s nation,” she reminisced.
The siblings, Marquis Eurys and Lady Scarlet, who stood at the pinnacle of the Red Tower, recalled the time they brought down the goddess’s nation.
“Even as they burned, they cried out to the goddess, and as their land turned to ashes, the priests cursed her with their dying breaths. It was a chillingly delightful symphony,” Lady Scarlet laughed with a voice filled with dark pleasure.
“Does the fallen church still have any dignity left to hold its head high?” she taunted.
The Master Templar’s face turned icy with anger.
“Ha, what a bunch of dysfunctional fools,” Prince Mordred scoffed, watching the scene unfold.
“This damned country, this damned land, and these damned people,” he spat.
“Is there no one here who thinks of rallying the troops to crush the demons instead of bickering?” Mordred challenged.
“I agree with Prince Mordred,” Dale nodded, and the Rose Cross Knights of Lancaster, weary of the endless bickering, voiced their support.
“But, Your Highness!” Borenius stammered, only for Mordred to cut him off.
“What, you got a problem with what I said?” Mordred sneered.
“N-no, it’s just…” Borenius faltered.
“If anyone here isn’t interested in crushing the demons, then maybe they shouldn’t be part of the Great Demon Alliance,” Mordred declared.
“Anyone got a problem with that?” he challenged.
“Truly, you speak the truth,” someone murmured in agreement.
‘Perhaps a dragon is still a dragon,’ Dale thought, swallowing his surprise at Mordred’s blunt yet effective approach. It wasn’t about clever calculations but rather the imperial bloodline’s inherent authority that resolved the situation.
“Our goal has always been to dispel the darkness from this land,” Dale agreed, finding no reason to oppose Mordred’s proposal.
The ultimate aim of the Great Demon Alliance was to establish a magical barrier between the Demon Realm and the Dark Land, the demons’ homeland. Borenius had brought the church’s relics for this purpose, which was why he could raise his voice so confidently before Dale.
Nothing in this world comes for free.
Following Mordred’s proposal, the regular forces of the Great Demon Alliance began to assemble for a swift and decisive campaign.
The church, temporarily conceding to the adventurers, had to leave the city’s affairs behind to prepare for the large-scale battle Mordred had requested.
Dale, however, was not one to miss the opportunity presented by the church’s temporary absence.
He recalled an artifact that Edward of Dulles had acquired while Dale was away during the Rose War.
Edward believed he had obtained the artifact himself, but that wasn’t the case.
The Sword of the Puppet.
As the Great Demon Alliance ventured deep into the Demon Realm to battle the demons, Dale had a plan for Edward.
Officially, Edward had illegally acquired and laundered the artifact, making him solely responsible for it.
The artifact, tainted with the darkness of a high-ranking demon, would consume him, causing him to lose control and go on a rampage.
And while the church and its main forces were away fulfilling their duties, the Sword of the Puppet would dance in Edward’s hands.
To eliminate Dale’s political rivals and the church’s administrators left in Labyrinth City.
Under the proposal of the seventh prince, Mordred, a swift campaign into the darkness of the Demon Realm commenced.
In a way, it was an unexpected butterfly effect that no one had anticipated.
In any world, bureaucracy tends to be slow and cumbersome, especially when conflicting interests are involved.
Dale’s original plan to gradually build a foundation was unexpectedly accelerated.
Instead of slowly assessing the situation and moving troops incrementally, they were now executing a large-scale operation to draw a boundary between the Demon Realm and the Dark Land.
Yet, Dale had reservations. While the idea of a swift resolution sounded appealing, it often equated to irresponsibility.
Despite this, Dale supported Mordred’s plan because he had a card up his sleeve.
In the end, it wasn’t the Saxon forces that would bear the brunt of this battle. It was the ‘potential enemies’ who were part of the anti-demon alliance. Although the Saxon troops weren’t entirely exempt, their sacrifice was deemed worthwhile compared to everyone else gathered here.
Even if they succeeded, there was nothing to lose. During this chaos, Dale’s minions would manipulate Edward of Dulles like a puppet, and by the time they returned, there would be nothing left to salvage.
For Dale, it was a gamble with nothing at stake.
At the edge of the Demon King’s domain, where ancient darkness lingered at the entrance to the demon realm, the demons began to stir, having detected the large-scale movements of Dale and the anti-demon alliance.
In the past, during the war between Demon King Balor and the Empire, there stood an ancient fortress they had built.
A man in a black robe was there.
The hem of his robe fluttered as if alive, and a deep shadow concealed his face beneath the hood.
“We have reports that the main forces of the anti-demon alliance have begun to mobilize.”
A goblin scout spoke to the man, using the common language of the demons rather than human speech.
“Summon the leaders of the orcs, trolls, goblins, and all the tribal chiefs. Order all guerrilla units scattered across the Demon King’s domain to gather here. We will use this place as a stronghold and prepare for a prolonged defense.”
The man spoke with a voice that was remarkably fluent in the demon tongue.
“Y-yes, sir! I will carry out your orders!”
After the goblin departed, the man stood alone atop the fortress wall.
The icy wasteland stretched out before him, yet even this cold was nothing compared to the darkness beyond.
“Demons…”
At that moment, the voice that escaped his lips was unmistakably human.
The wind ceased.
Yet even in the absence of a breeze, the man’s black robe continued to flutter as if it were a living creature.