CH 127

Chapter 127 – Grand Declaration

Side: Seraria

(Seraria)「Right now, at this very moment and in this place, we stand at the very crossroads of history—a true turning point of our existence! Their tyranny has reigned for far too long, therefore, here and now, the time has come to end our eternal strife with the Demon King once and for all! 1)」

As we had planned, I was holding an emergency meeting here in Weed’s Arena with the rulers and their respective elite knights from three of the Four Great Nations, our allies.

No, this meeting’s true purpose was a call to arms—a declaration before marching to the frontlines of Rumel.

While I spoke, the elite knights of Galtz, Ritea and Rochelle were gathered and lined up in front of me while the Representatives of Weed stood behind me. The heads of each state were seated in a special VIP area above. The spectating citizens of Weed listened in silently to my every word with bated breath.

(Seraria)「As we speak, Rumel is burning! It was surrounded, isolated and is now facing the onslaught of the Demons—no, the Demon King himself!!! However! All of these movements are but a mere prelude to his machinations which aim to lay waste to every country on the continent. Indeed, that very destruction is the underlying goal of the Demon King—nothing more, nothing less!!! Some men just want to watch the world burn2).」

My words quickly stirred up a great fuss among those present whilst they listened and that in turn compelled me to push further, lest my words be drowned out by theirs.

(Seraria)「But fear not my beloved people, for surely the Gods in the Heavens above have not forsaken us in our plight! Yet despite that—No, precisely because of that, we must act and change the fate the Demon King seeks to force onto us with our own hands! By doing so, we will prove to the Gods that we are worthy of taking control of our destiny through the sheer force of our will alone!!」

Though there were a few who simply rode the waves I was making, there were many present who looked puzzled, unsure about whether or not they had understood the meaning behind my words and declaration. They must have been mainly confused about why I specifically focused on the Demon King and not his kin.

That was only natural though, either way, I had to push forward with the answers we’d prepared for that precise question.

(Seraria)「Recently a certain individual came, after much hardship I might add, to us in Weed and begged :「Should it cost me my livelihood, or even my head, I don’t care about the price, but please I beg of you, save them! Please, rescue the Demons and people of Rumel!!」. I was simply dumbstruck by that person’s straightforward, earnest request and wondered, ‘Why should we help you!?’ and even ‘perhaps this is another of the Demon King’s schemes’… but the truth behind this request is neigh unbelievable—the Demons are in fact naught but slaves to the Demon King’s tyranny and were themselves aiming for even a singular chance—that one opportunity to take back their freedom from the Demon King… Yet until now, that chance never came—however, circumstances have changed and Rumel is now under siege! In the midst of all this chaos and tumult this lone individual, a Demon, gave up her one chance at freedom, peace, and even her life to come here to ask us for our aid, hoping, despite how minute the chances, that we would be able to provide her fellow kin and important people with that one chance which would grant them their freedom!」

Of course, there was no way that those present would simply believe all this so easily, the intel coming from a Demon and all, which is why we are now going to play our trump card.

(Seraria)「Of course you must all be wondering then, why did we believe this Demon’s words and why do we accept the Demons plight as the truth. That is a very natural concern to have. Allow me to show you who exactly convinced us to believe her wholeheartedly!! Enter. 」

At my words, a heavily bandaged Liliana stepped forward, accompanied and supported by another figure, hidden by a hooded cloak.

(Seraria)「This Demon. No, this woman—Liliana-dono—was the one who came and told us of Rumel’s circumstances, begging us for our aid. Look! Look upon her broken figure riddled with wounds, cuts and all manner of suffering and see that she too, Demon or not, suffered as much as any human or beastkin would under the Demon King’s influence! The Demon King oppresses his own people, isolates them and then uses them to further his oppression. He shall not stop until he has the continent completely at his mercy—and yet! This one Demon, this lone girl no different than you or I, rebelled against this fate, braved terrible suffering from all around her, just to tell us of this crisis! Indeed without her sacrifice we would not know of Rumel’s predicament, let alone the Demon’s. My people! I ask you to once again look upon her broken and beautiful form, gaze in awe at the feats of a lone girl and listen well! Not only did this girl brave such trials for the sake of peace, no, she even managed to rescue she whom I had thought was long lost, she whom the world was thought to have been deprived of by by the Demon King’s foul schemes!!」

Of course, Liliana’s wounded and bandaged form were all fake. Everything was an act as my dear husband had already cured everything.

Still, Liliana’s performance was incredibly effective. The image of her broken, bloodied figure stirred the hearts and minds of the people as they imagined the horrors she must have endured just getting here on top of rescuing another.

Then, the one who had accompanied Liliana here removed her hood and revealed herself.

(Seraria)「I… trust that all those in attendance are acquainted with this person. Indeed, It is exactly as you see! There can be no doubts about who is stood before you now—my precious sister Herge!!! 」

The deciding factor, Herge.

She who had traveled far and wide between the various countries as a Holy Woman was known well by fellow Royalty as a Princess and who was also loved and trusted by the common people.

Though her hair was shorter now, everyone who saw her face had no doubts at all that she was the genuine article.

(Herge)「Everyone, please hear what I have to say!! As I was about to be made a sacrifice to the Demon King, it was this Liliana-san who rescued me! My standing here before you now is proof of her pure intentions! Despite the dangers, she braved everything, bore every scar and wound you see, all that to come and inform us of the Demons suffering, warn us of the crisis in Rumel and on top of those saving my life. She is—no, all Demons are the same as us! They too are suffering from, struggling under, and fighting against the yoke of the Demon King’s tyrannical torment! 」

Then she took Liliana’s hand.

(Herge)「I want to save the demons who saved me!! —Extra Heal!!」

As planned, Herge used Extra Heal. A power less than five people on the continent should be able to use. Then, by removing her bandages, Herge showed everyone Liliana’s healed body.

The knights and the people of Weed who bore witness were now more strongly convinced that the person in front of them was the genuine and true Herge.

No, she certainly was the genuine article but…

The King who stood up as first to react was him, my Kuso Oyaji.

(King Rochelle)「My knights, for what purpose do we wield our swords!!」

(Rochelle’s elite knights)「「「Our swords are to cut down those who bear ill will towards our nation and our people!!!」」」

Next, the King of Galtz stood up and roared.

(King Galtz)「My knights, for what purpose do we brandish our shields!!」

(Galtz’s elite knights)「「「 Our shields are to protect the peace and people of our nation from those who would do us harm!!!」」」

Last to stand up was the Holy Woman of Ritea.

(Alshtail)「My knights, to what end do we devote our prayers to!!」

(Ritea’s elite knights)「「「Our prayers are devoted to God, the safety of the people, and the prosperity of our nation!!」」」

Now then, it had reached my turn.

(Seraria)「Representatives, for what purpose does Weed exist!?」

(Representatives)「「「Our Weed is of the people, by the people, and for the people!3)!」」」

After that declaration, I took a deep breath and prepared for one final push.

(Seraria)「Knights of our fellow allied nations, and citizens of Weed, I ask you!! In this moment what do you believe, right as we stand here before you, are the Demons, who are fighting us, our true enemies!?」

「「「No!!」」」

(Seraria)「If so, then what are they to us, and what should we do?」

「「「They are a proud race, and friends we must save!!」」」

Yosh, the knight captains of each of the allied countries present have boldly declared their intentions.

Now we’re ready.

With that, I only needed to bring everything to a close.

(Seraria)「Here and now In this place, I proudly proclaim the start of the greatest Demon King subjugation in the history of this continent, for it is in our hands—our destiny of bringing an end to the tyranny of the Demon King once and for all is within our grasp!!! May those who would join us in this pursuit of fate raise their voices!!」

「「OoooooooooohooooOOOOOO!!!! 」」

Throughout the arena and way beyond, thunderous cheers resounded throughout Weed.

(Seraria)「With our knights, on behalf of our people, we shall display our courage, brandish our unity, prove our honor and save both our countrymen and the Demons from the reign of terror that is the Demon King!!」

「「OooooooooOOOOO!!!」」

It wasn’t as powerful as before, but another strong roar rang out in response.

(Seraria)「We’re done talking!! We shall prepare our entire army to depart!! Our single target is the Demon King’s head!」

In that place, the idea of helping the Demons kill the Demon King was birthed.

It was still necessary to go over the smaller details and strategies but for now, we have made the elites of our allied nations ready for war.

(Yuki)「Good job Seraria. 」

(Seraria)「Ara, thank you, my dear. Lulu, are you feeling better?」

(Lulu)「Yes. I’m all right now. You all have been really kind to me these past 3 days, and my selfishness towards the other wives was inexcusable.」

(Seraria)「Ah, it’s fine. To make up for it, Lulu won’t take part in the next seat rotation.」

(Lulu)「Eh, wh-what!? No way!!!」

Having made sure that Lulu’s condition was better, and after a little of chatting, Herge and Liliana finally returned.

(Seraria)「Thanks for the hard work Herge. 」

(Herge)「Yes, chii ane-sama. It was a splendid speech. 4)」

(Seraria)「Thank you. And Liliana, there’s no turning back now. Are you prepared for what’s to come?」

(Liliana)「Yes, I made my resolve at the very beginning when I became King, and I believe this method is my best bet. Honestly, I had all but given up on peace already—that’s why, I will do my very best to save as many lives as I can.」

Liliana, who stood at the center of this whole farce, showed no hesitation whatsoever.

Should I say, as expected of the Demon King?

(Seraria)「Once everything is said and done… the damages and lives lost will be immeasurable. Do you still think we can manage this?」

That said, my reliable Yuki and the other wives nodded.

(Seraria)「As planned, and with Liliana’s help, we will start by taking the Demon King’s head. However, there are many enemies and the formations and deployments of the Demons, in particular, is unknown. It’s our job to break through all those somehow, whilst trying to shed a positive light on the Demons we are killing. It will not be easy. 」

Using my hand, I pat the sword hanging at my waist.

(Seraria)「Nonetheless, we will be the ones to slay that Demon King. 」

Yes, certainly we Representatives will be taking the Demon King’s head, but that doesn’t mean it can’t just be one that everyone has accepted as the genuine one.

After killing the Demon King, we humans will choose the next King who ascends to the throne. 5)

(Lutz)「Seriously, what’s with this setup—’The Commercial District Representative is gonna fight the Demon King!’? Well, for onii-san, I’ll give it my all though. 」

(Millie)「I’m surprised too. What is going to happen, and how will the Guild deal with the Demon King’s subjugation?」

(Ellis)「It’s the same for me, but I’ll take this honor for the elven people to be a part of this party. 」

(Tori)「Riel, we sure have come to an amazing place. 」

(Riel)「No kidding! You and me came here in tatters and now look at us! We’re actually at the front of the Demon King subjugation! The Demon King!! I can’t wait!!」

(Kaya)「…If this will bring peace, then we will crush him.」

(Aslin)「Onii-chan, onee-chans—you have to beat the bad Demon King!! I will do my best too!!」

(Philia)「Desu!! I’ll try my hardest together with Aslin!!」

(Leia)「…..Leave it to me, Yuki. 」6)

(Shera)「I’m a Princess too—no, because I am a Princess, I have to help defeat the Demon King!!」

(Kirue)「That’s my Shera-sama!! This Kirue will gladly accompany you!!」

Now, just you wait Demon King.

……..

…Our preparations are truly back-breaking though—only three days have passed.

==========

Afterword of the author

Next is the backstage of the big declaration.

How did Seraria persuade the rulers of the three countries? Lol.