Chapter 145 – Declaration

The cardinal sat there for a bit as Dream pondered. 

"...Alright, Cardinal. How do you plan to make yourselves and forces known?"

Hearing him, the Cardinal smiled and got to business.

"Well, we have many forces that we wish to move to the Mercenary Empire so they can be put on the frontlines."

"That won't be difficult. I'll talk to the Emperor. And you know what, why don't you bring all the other Cardinals over there? Since we fought a battle, everyone is still there. You would be able to introduce yourselves."

"I have no problems with that. But it would take some time to fly there."

"Not with my ships. Here's what we'll do. I'll give you a ship that you will take to your holy city. There you will gather your Cardinals and use the same ship to fly to the Mercenary Empire. If none of your Cardinals are slow, you should be able to arrive in the next hour or so."

"...That may be possible."

"If it is, then do it. Oh, and take these."

Suddenly, Dream brought out a cylinder about 2 feet long and a few inches wide.

"What's this?"

"These are bracelets. You take one off and put it on your wrist. It allows you to communicate with anyone who has another bracelet from any distance at any time."

"...This big thing?"

"This big thing is a bunch of bracelets. Look."

Dream tapped the cylinder. When he did, it divided into a couple dozen bracelets. He picked one up and hand it to the cardinal.

"Put it on your wrist."

"Hm, oh."

"Can you hear me?"

Dream spoke through the bracelet.

"Oh, yes I can. In my head. Is this telepathy?"

"Yes and no. If you give these bracelets to everyone, they will be able to communicate with each other. Do this with all your cardinals and whoever else is important like your Pope and paladins. Anyone can use it."

"I see. Such an amazing device, I'm sure this will come in handy."

"It will. Using it, you can give me any updates. Now, if we're going to get the other Empires on board, I'll need to talk with everyone. So I should head to the Mercenary Empire."

"Then I won't keep you. I'll see if I can get the cardinals to move. If I can, I guess I'll tell you with this bracelet."

"Good. Then I'll be off."

After Dream put the cylinder of bracelets back together, he and the Cardinal went their separate ways. 

"Oh! Dream. How'd it go?"

As he was walking out, Lory caught him and came over.

"It went...well, I guess. Let's just say I'm going to be much busier in the future."

"Anything I can help with?"

"I wish. Unfortunately this is going to be a massive project that only I can do. I'm going to be building a lot in the coming days."

"...I see. Am I able to go with you?"

"..."

Dream stopped walking and turned to her. She also stopped, a bit nervous.

"Why?"

"...I guess...I want to be with you..."

"Why?"

"Are you expecting me to explain why I like you?"

"...I guess not. Look, if you didn't, I guess you should know that I already have my women. So I don't nor can I see you the way you see me."

"Why can't you take more than one?"

"Because I'm devoted to them."

"..."

"And I don't think you like them either. You remember those two I was with when we met?"

"It's them?"

"Yes."

"Why them?"

"Am I supposed to explain why I fell in love with them?"

"But they're humanoids."

"So? Although I used to be, I'm no longer entirely human myself."

Dream put up his arm, whose skin crystallized in a black, alien fashion before turning back to its normal tan color. Lory stared at this for a bit before going into thought.

"...Is there really no reason why you can't take me with you? It's not like I'm asking you to dump them for me."

"But taking you would betray their love and trust in me. And while this isn't criteria for my affection, they're very powerful themselves. If I were to take you with me, I wouldn't be able to give you the attention or time you deserve."

"..."

"I'm really sorry Lory. It just wouldn't work out with us. Especially now that the demons are running amok. I've got a lot of battles to fight, and my time is limited."

"...I understand."

"Thanks. But hey, I know you're part of the church and if you rise in power, maybe you'll rise in ranks. Then we may be seeing each other in these upcoming battles. Although it's better to gain power simply for your own sake... I don't know. Just take care of yourself, alright? And keep your head up. Now, I gotta get going. There's lots of work that needs to be completed."

"...Sure."

"Then see you later."

Saying bye, Dream left the church and flew into the sky alongside the ships that were still ferrying resources. Lory was left there by herself with her head down, processing her emotions.

........

.....

After Dream had given the Cardinal a ship, he himself flew back to the Mercenary Empire. While he flew, he contacted the Emperor and told him to prepare everyone for a meeting. There was much to discuss.

And upon arrival, the Emperor had indeed gathered himself, class 3 officers and generals, and all the class 4's.

"Dream? You said you had something urgent to discuss?"

Dream nodded and sat down at the large table they were all at.

"Emperor, you know about the church?"

"The church? Yes. In fact, they have a building here in the Empire. What about them?"

"Well, later today there's going to be some Cardinals coming to visit us. Let's just say that they're coming out of hiding and are going to be openly fighting the demons in the future."

"Really? But...why now? The grand meeting was held over a month ago."

"Apparently they were preparing. What the preparations were, I don't know. But either way, we're going to be receiving another powerful ally. And not only that, they've requested that I directly take the lead for their forces."

"...Does this mean you joined the church?"

"Nope."

"Then why are they giving you such power and responsibility?"

"No idea. The Cardinal I met with told me that it was the direct order from the Pope."

"And you accepted?"

"Of course. If I can directly ensure the participation of an army in this fight, then I will. Although I don't know how extensive this army is, the church wouldn't be so confident if they had a weak force."

"...It is odd. I know that the church has some forces under them, including a few class 4's like their Pope and some Cardinals, but a force strong enough to fight the demons? I've never seen such a force. Of course we never did any snooping around, but it's not easy to hide a force like that."

"So they were indeed hiding it."

"Definitely. Which is a little disconcerting."

"Well, as long as their swords aren't pointed at us, I don't care. Now, notifying you about this new development is only half the reason for this meeting."

"I figured. By the way, when did you come in contact with this Cardinal?"

"Just now when I went to collect the payment. He heard about it and went there to run into me. After we finished talking, I came back here."

"...I see. So what's your other purpose for this meeting?"

"Future battle plans. If we've seen anything from this most recent attack where we lost 6 class 4's, it's that the demons are extremely dangerous. They held so many class 4's in their army, and that army was only a fraction of their entire force. This means that if we don't start taking the fight to them, they're going to keep cutting away at us until there's nothing left."

"Mm. I agree. In fact, I had already brought this up to my generals. Using your intelligence, they've begun devising battle plans. Of course, before we're allowed to use all the forces currently stationed in the Empire, we will need the alliance's approval."

"No. Emperor, I think there's one thing you fail to realize."

"What's that?"

"Look around. As far as I'm concerned, the alliance is already here."

"..."

The Emperor went quiet and looked around.

Dream was right. Before the most recent battle, there had been 35 class 4's here. Altogether, there had only been 52 among the Empires. And despite the fact that 6 died, making their current present number 29, there were still only 17 hanging back at their Empires.

The group right here represented a majority, and therefore, they had the most say as to the direction the alliance took. They were the alliance. So if decisions needed to be made, they had the power and authority to make them. And besides, there were definitely a few class 4's not currently present who were on Dream's side. Not to mention the fact that they had the class 3 generals here as well.

After letting him think for a bit, Dream spoke.

"Emperor, I think everyone here knows that there is a battle that needs to be fought. What I want to do right now is make sure that everyone is on the same page, and when the time comes, that nobody will oppose going back to fight. I want to make sure that the people here right now will convince the class 4's not currently present to step up to the front and join us in this battle."

"...I can't speak for everyone, but I agree. While the threat has become real, this doesn't mean we can back down. We need to instead push harder. We can no longer be passive. We must go to war. But again, this is just me. What about everyone else?"

Looking across the table, the Emperor handed the mic to the other class 4's. Everyone pondered for a bit, until one spoke up.

"I agree with going to war. It's been a while and these swords need some bloodying."

Ciroc spoke with his lion-like aura as he took out his dual blades, playing with them.

"I also agree with war. My archery has gotten a bit rusty."

Idona spoke second as she twirled an arrow around.

"I agree."

Riddick spoke third, though much more plainly than the other two. 

"I'm on board."

"So am I. Those demons can't get away with killing so many of us."

"We should take back the land that we lost as well."

"I vote to go to war as well."

"I also cast my vote."

With one after the other, everyone eventually spoke up around the table. And at some point, it turned into a kind of vote with everyone wishing to go to war.

After a while of conversing and cursing the demons, the Emperor interrupted.

"Gentlemen. Since we have the authority of the alliance, let's do a proper vote. Going around the table, everyone please raise your hand if you wish to formally declare war. If not, keep your hand down. I will start. I vote to declare war."

"I vote yes."

"I vote yes."

"I vote yes."

Going around the table in an organized manner, everyone raised their hand and spoke their choice one after the other.

By the time they got to the end, only two people hadn't raised their hand. One was a man from the Enchanted Mountain, and one was a woman from the Sword School.

The Emperor looked around and tallied the votes.

"26 vote yes, 2 vote no. If we take the absentees as a no, then we still have a majority. And since the majority of those presiding over the alliance, also consisting of representatives from each Empire, have voted yes on a formal declaration of war, the alliance shall henceforth devote themselves militarily, economically, and socially to the destruction of the threat known as the demons. 

This declaration will be signed by all those who have voted yes and be made formal under their name. Should others who are not currently present also wish to sign with their authority, they will be allowed to do so. However, once signed, their names will be forever engrained onto this formal declaration. Generals, please procure a declaration."

"Of course, Emperor."

Bowing, 4 generals left quickly. And only a minute or so later, they came back with a few sheets of special paper. 

"Huh, that looks like the declaration of independence..."

"All those who voted yes, please come and sign your names on this sheet. Oh, and Dream, you should too."

"Me?"

"Yes. You're the one who called this meeting and wished to declare war. You're even bringing along an ally. And considering the support that you've given and the power you've shown, you're not any less valuable to this effort than us. Our Empire would've been wiped out if not for you, so I believe you've earned your spot on this declaration."

"...Ok."

"Sign it with your mana."

Standing up from his chair, Dream went over to the documents on the table. And on the blank space meant for signatures, he used his mana to engrave his signature at the top. One he did, the signature solidified and hardened, a result of the powerful enchantment on the paper.

After him came all the others who voted yes. All 26 of them filled the page with their own unique signatures, some of them grand, some of them simple.

When everyone had signed, the generals took the page and made copies. These would be used as a backup as well as allow them to send out the notice to the citizens. When they had finished, the Emperor took the main copy and put it into his inventory.

"Tomorrow, those of you from other Empires will come with me and a few envoys back to your Empires to ask for the signature of the others who were absent. After that, we will finalize the declaration and begin making plans for our next missions. Until then, everyone needs to continue recove-."

*Bang*

"Emperor. The church has arrived."

Suddenly barging into the hall, a man announced some news to everyone. Seeing him, Dream nodded.

"The church? Dream?"

"They arrived not long ago. They should be coming in right now."

After he said that, sure enough, some people in various outfits like robes and armor came walking in. The people in armor entered and stood to the side like guards while the people in white robes behind them also entered carrying staffs, crosses, and even incense.

Everyone at the table stood and watched this procession, a bit on guard. The reason was because of the auras at the back of the group. 

"The Pope is here?"

One of the class 4's blurted out, surprised. The Pope was the highest figure in the church, and for him to be here was beyond out of the ordinary. 

The Emperor stood up and went over to greet the approaching people.

"Cardinals."

"Emperor. Allow us to introduce Pope Henry IV."

"Pope. It's my pleasure to welcome you to my Empire."

The Emperor greeted the Pope as the Cardinals stood to the side. Everyone looked over, wanting to see this person. Especially Dream.

Though contrary to what Dream expected, the man who came walking didn't look that old. Other than some gray hairs and a bit of wrinkles, this person looked to be extremely healthy. He was a little over 6 foot, not that brawny but not skinny, and had a rather charming aura about him. He seemed very friendly. 

"Emperor. It's also a pleasure. Truth be told, I didn't expect to be coming here today. But after hearing that there was a large gathering among so many class 4's, I decided that it was time to meet the people we'll be fighting alongside in the future."

The Pope spoke with smiles as he shook the Emperor's hand. 

"Well Pope, Dream has actually given us a little briefing on the situation. And you actually just missed the formal declaration of war against the demons. So if everything goes to plan, we will indeed be fighting alongside one another."

"Ah. So Dream really is here."

"I am, Pope."

Dream stood, making his presence known. The Cardinals as well as the Pope all looked at him.

"So you're the genius who was able to build such an amazing ship. I must say, I'm impressed."

"Thank you."

"Mm. Now, I believe we have much to discuss about the future, Emperor. And since so many of humanity's class 4's are here, I couldn't think of a better time."

"Indeed. But let's move into a more accommodating room first. Right this way."

"Of course." 

Leading the Pope, and by extension everyone else, out of the hall, the Emperor headed to another larger, spacious hall where they could all converse properly.

Dream smiled as he saw this. Things were about to get interesting.