CH 193

Chapter 193 – Invade & Invite

“…What?”

Lord McKin’s face contorts at the nonsense that the elf boy is spouting.

“Say it again, kid.”

“The Angry Sea Monster Octopus. You mean that, Southern Lord?”

“No, it doesn’t matter. What did the Imperial Army say?”

“They said the Demon King will team up with it to destroy the Republic.”

“Shit, they’ve got to be kidding me…”

Lord McKin let out a sigh with a curse. I can see it now, too. This civil war is…

No, this civil war, too.

“You seem to be the cause of it, don’t you?”

“I’m used to having my mind read, Mir. We are the cause, right? That’s important, isn’t it?”

“What are you talking about, Takifu? I think you’re not destroying the Republic; you’re saving it.”

The members of the “Battlecry” don’t know what it’s all about. At least they don’t see where the problem lies. It’s only natural.

“It’s strange that the Imperial Army’s vanguard knows that I’m called the Demon King. The order is reversed. I’m not trying to incite a civil war and bring the Republic under my umbrella.”

Lord McKin nodded.

“It’s more like they’ve learned of the Demon King’s descent and are trying to instigate a civil war. That’s right, the man who is known as “the 30,000 murderers of Casemaian,” “the golem destroyer,” and even “the demon who laid waste to the kingdom” is now in the southern territory of the Republic…”

“Wait!”

Wait, wait, wait, wait. Something’s wrong. There’s something more. I’m not saying I don’t know what’s going on, but you can’t make it sound like I did it all.

“Your name is increasing a lot, isn’t it, Your Majesty?”

“That’s not it. Mir-san, you’ve been a big part of this, you know?”

“It’s normal for people to think it’s their turn when they see that the kingdom that started the war has been destroyed. Even if the emperor did move, he had very few men.”

“Perhaps it was the remnants of the general’s faction who lost their place in the catastrophic defeat against the Casemaian. The Prime Minister’s faction is rather trying to expand domestic affairs to regain its declining national power.”

“…I see. Well, then, depending on how things end up here, the Empire won’t be coming out from behind the mountain range for a while.”

“I am surprised that the last-ditch effort to go out on an expedition has ended up in this mess. As one would expect from the king who rules over demons, he is often cursed.”

No, not all of them. The demon is, by their standards, the fluffy, soft, and fuzzy ones of Casemaian.

“This guy… who rules the demons, pfft!”

“Woof!”

Moff licks Louis’ face in protest, sexual harassment, and supply of magic. He’s probably expressing the fact that he’s not a monster but a noble beast, but he’s not under my control either, you know.

“Anyway, McKin-dono. The political propaganda of joining forces with the Southern Lord to destroy the Republic.”

“I suppose it was an attempt to divide the Republic. The territories are not as monolithic as you might think. The staff holders in the “special magic academic zone” are completely unaware of national politics. They won’t take advantage of my sweet words.”

The little elf nodded grudgingly as he met the fat lord’s gaze. The actual result is obvious.

“Then why did the southern lord collaborate with the demon king?”

“Collaboration… I-I haven’t done it. If I had to say, I would say money.”

“…Money?”

“We’re adventurers in the Republic during the winter.”

“Huh?”

“Here, our registration cards with the Adventurers’ Guild.”

“I have one too.”

The light fades from the elf’s eyes. It’s kind of like he was hoping for something, but he got let down. I don’t want it to be our fault.

“…Seventh grade, huh? You’re just starting out… and you’re really a demon king!?”

“It can’t be helped; I’ve only just registered. The only work I did was to kill a few petty bandits and hunt pirates. Then, on the way back, I had a battle with a ship from the eastern territories, and after killing the Sea Serpent in the process, I was hired by McKin-dono to join this expedition.”

“…Sea Serpent…?”

In response to the probing gaze of the elf child, the members of the “Battlecry” nodded with a wry smile.

“It was quite a big one. It must have been at least eighty feet tall.”

“Yes. When we return to Lafan, we have a feast of grilled meat.”

“It was these guys who destroyed the navies of the Eastern and Northern territories as well as the Empire. It will probably be two years before they regain their naval capability.”

The elf child gets off the Griffon with a slumped shoulder.

“Oh? You’re leaving already, kid?”

“…Yeah. It was a total waste of time. It’s the opposite of what I thought it would be.”

I felt sorry for him, so I put a small cardboard box with an assortment of sweets and pushed it to him.

“Well, don’t be so downhearted. I’ll come to visit you soon, so give my regards to the mages. Here are some snacks. Eat it with everyone if you like.”

“…Oh, yeah. Okay.”

The child elf flew away powerlessly while floating a few meters above the ground, perhaps due to flight magic.

“I forgot to ask his name. Well, it’s alright.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll find him in the ‘magic academic zone.'”

The deputy captain, standing on the side deck, knocks on the window of the cabin we are in.

“McKin-sama. A messenger from the Imperial Army is here to see you.”

“A messenger? Did he come to request a ceasefire?”

“No. They want you to come to the council chambers.”

About ten meters away from the Griffon stood a black-robed man who looked like a civil official. A few guards from Cassmeer were standing aside on guard, but the messenger had a masked, inorganic smile on his face and was looking at us with eyes like a dead fish.

“I don’t like it.”

“Well, don’t be like that, Queen. Thanks to you, the rebel army has only about two hundred or so pawns. It is no longer a military group. Whatever they are planning, all they can do is surrender or sign a ceasefire agreement.”

That would be great, I thought to myself, shaking my head. If they are going to liberate the capital and the council and flee back to the empire, I don’t think they should kill everyone.

“It won’t work that way. I thought the Imperial Army’s specialty was messing with people’s minds as they pleased.”

Myrril murmured in a voice that only I could hear.

“This is a ship we’re on. I’ll go with you to the end.”

“As His Majesty the Demon King wills.”

Her Majesty Nojaloli Queen smiles with an amused expression on her face. I have a feeling that the rough stuff will never end, but that’s all I can hope for. If they want to come at us until we are the last man standing, so be it.

I leave the “Battlecry” to escort Lord McKin, and the Cassmeer Guards to guard the perimeter, and I launch the Griffon.

“Takifu.”

When I reached the wide street in front of the council chambers, I saw the Imperial Army and soldiers from the North and East Territories lined up on both sides of the street.

They numbered about two hundred and fifty. Although they were wearing sword belts, their hands were folded behind their backs, indicating that they had no intention of attacking. I could not read their intentions, but I got the impression that they were not in sync with each other.

“…Perhaps that was intended as a show of force?”

“If so, it seems that no one here has experienced combat with the Casemaian. It’s a pity.”

“What do you mean?”

“Casemaian is the territory of the Demon King, isn’t it? What difference does it make if they fought there?”

Louis and Tig asked us with dubious looks on their faces.

“They do not understand which side is the one that shows prestige. If they are relying on the number of soldiers they have left at this point, they are terribly incompetent. But don’t let your guard down. If this is not a demonstration, then…”

Myrril laughed in a low voice.

“These are dead soldiers, ready to make a difference.”