Side Story Chapter 49

Side Story Chapter 49

When only Joshua, Iceline, and Sersiarin were left in the council chamber, Sersiarin immediately asked, “What happened?

“How are your eyes?” Joshua asked, peering at her orbs.

“They became fine long ago, so don’t change the topic. And don’t think about running away again—I’m going to keep my eyes on you!” Sersiarin deliberately opened her big eyes wide, her radiant golden irises sparkling.

Joshua burst into hearty laughter. “Haha! I’m really happy to see my family after so long.”

“I’m not happy,” Iceline pouted.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“No way.”

Iceline scoffed. “You’re full of yourself.”

“There is nothing wrong with that. Can you imagine me acting humble?”

“...Yeah, yeah, you’re great.”

“Uh-oh—if you admit it that easily, it’s embarrassing.” Joshua chuckled quietly.

Iceline fixed her posture and looked straight into Joshua’s eyes. “So tell me now where you were for the past decade.”

“The Demon Spirit is alive.”

“Excuse me?!”

The two women were taken aback. That was the last thing they’d expected to hear.

“The De-Demon Spirit?” Sersiarin spat. “But he was destroyed after going through Father and Aden von Agnus’s bodies...”

“If he could die that easily, he wouldn’t have been a god.”

“Th-Then is everything okay now?”

“Not yet.” Joshua shook his head.

“Oh, no...!” Sersiarin covered her mouth.

The air around Iceline became colder and colder. “I want to crush that demon... Where is he?” she growled. “I’m going to freeze him right now.”

“He’s already frozen.”

“...Pardon?”

“It’s okay. It’s almost over, it’s just a matter of time. But the problem is that my power isn’t intact right now...” Joshua narrowed his eyes.Thê source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n))

“Your power... isn’t intact?”

“Yeah, my body is sealed together with the Demon Spirit’s soul, so I can’t lift a finger in my real body for at least a year. In other words, I can only advise Avalon right now.”

“That’s...” Iceline was at a loss for words.

Even Sersiarin’s face darkened. “That is a serious problem. I thought that was all over now. I feel like it’ll be for the best if we keep this under wraps.”

“Yeah, that is why I made all the nobles exit the chamber. We have to let the kids take care of the civil war anyway.”

“It’s okay, Your Majesty. Your children have grown up to be fine adults,” Sersiarin said with certainty.

Although Iceline didn’t say anything, a faint smile danced on her lips too.

“Then I should trust my kids and do what I can do right now.” Joshua nodded.

“Just stay by my side and don’t do anything else. You don’t even have your power.”

“Come on, you can’t treat me like an old man. Should I keep you awake all night again? That has been a long time.”

“All night?” Iceline leaned backward.

“Hehehe.” Joshua chuckled slyly.

Iceline was so confident with her offer, but her face reddened so easily.

“Please stop harassing Her Majesty. Keep talking—what do you mean by ‘doing what you can do’?” Sericiarin asked.

“Arggghhhhh!” Turtler shouted as he came to a halt. “Should I kill these useless sons of bitches right now?” he muttered.

“Lord Turt-Turtler, why don’t you calm—”

“Calm down? Do you really think I can calm down right now? I laid low and spent all the effort gathering these knights, but look at them right now! The side effects are terrible!”

“Th-The knights couldn’t have predicted this situation, so our current priority should be preserving their power. Otherwise, we would be doing the national army a favor.”

Turtler huffed and puffed for a long time until he finally took a deep breath and whirled around.

“Say something,” the Marquess demanded.

“This incident was beyond my expectations.”

“Is that what you call an excuse?” Turtler growled, glaring at the demon that stood casually to the side like a bystander. “You were so certain that creating demonkin would enable me to knock down the Empire in no time, but this is the result!”

“My answer remains the same. Excluding the involvement of the prince we met earlier, of course.”

“Excluding the prince? For fuck’s sake! The reality is that that very prince personally joined this war—so what are you going to do about it?”

The demon shrugged. “I’ll have to come up with a solution for the future.”

“If I hadn’t made any demonkin in the first place, I wouldn’t have to worry about this! I spent all that time and effort cooped up in the mountain, but it was a waste of my time!”

The demon’s eyes turned sharp. “Do you really think so? Your final goal wasn’t Avalon to begin with.”

“What?”

“In order to deal with the paladins in Hubalt, you have to partner up with me. Don’t you already know that?”

“Ah... Shit!” Turtler cursed.

“I have an idea of what the Prince’s ability is.”

Turtle's eyes widened. “Are you saying that you have a solution for this side effect? It seems to be an authority of some sort.”

“It’s similar. I was wondering where it went, but I never imagined the prince of Avalon would possess it.”

“Break it down so I can understand that more easily. What is that power?”

“It’s just a speculation right now, but if I’m right...” The demon trailed off for a moment. “It’s the authority of Gluttony, one of the Seven Evil Sins.”

“What? Wait, you said you have the authority of Gluttony.”

“It’s a complicated story... In short, the Demon Kings of the Seven Evil Sins have changed several times in the long history of the Demon Realm. The main principle of the Demon Realm is the strongest take all, so the owners of the Evil Sins’ powers changed several times.”

“So?” Turtler tilted his head.

“To cut to the chase, I’m not the proper Demon King of Gluttony. My father, the previous Demon King of Gluttony, left behind only one heir—and that is me.”

“In other words, you lost your authority and only have the title of the Demon King of Gluttony. So you’re all bark and no bite. Hah! Things are getting worse and worse by the minute!”

“Don’t get too angry. This matter involves you humans too.”

“What nonsense are you talking about now?”

“The person who killed the previous Demon King of Gluttony was a human. In fact, you know him very well.”

Turtler’s eyes widened. “Wait, are you saying...?”

“Yes, that human is Joshua Sanders, the man you’re always gnashing your teeth over.”

Turtler and all the other rebel leaders froze like sculptures.

“I recently heard from another highest-ranking demon in the north, and he asked me to send him a message once I discover a trace of the missing Evil Sins’ authorities.”

“Wait, I thought demons don’t form groups.”

“You’re right, but it’s different if we’re talking about the enemy that knocked down us demons’ home,” the demon said.

“And that is the Emperor? Why did you wait this long to tell me something this important?!”

“I wasn’t sure, and there was a chance that other demons were scheming to steal the Evil Sins’ authorities.”

Turtler trembled in fear. The chances were one in a million, but the Emperor of Avalon’s return would spell disaster. If Joshua Sanders showed up at this point, ten years of Turtler’s effort would be rendered utterly meaningless.

“Doesn’t that sound too convenient? Right after we hear news of Joshua Sanders’s return, a person with one of the Evil Sins’ authorities showed up,” Marbas mused. The rebels flinched. “That means that you never had a choice, so trust me on this like you have until now.”

The demon turned and walked away.