Chapter 141

He turns away, but before he can fly off, Irena shouts after him. “Wait! Why would demons help humans?” Demons are the enemy. That’s how it has always been in Kilvas, at least. She can’t believe that they’re genuinely trying to help them, so she asks something she probably shouldn’t. But she’s sure the other Valkyries feel the same way. That’s how much pain demons have caused them. At the same time, they’ve hunted demons as well. “Irena, they’re—” But Ernst doesn’t get to finish what he’s saying. “Demons are going to take on other demons? Are you telling me they fight turf wars with one another? If the demon king’s setting his sights on our empire next, I’m really not on board with that.” “I don’t know what you’re trying to say. We’ve only come to rescue the king’s little brother. He’ll be sad if we don’t,” Beelzebuth explains matter-of-factly. “He’ll be sad.” That isn’t a phrase Irena was expecting, and she falls silent. “Demons this, nations that… As always, you humans are tiresome,” the demon says, sounding utterly disinterested. Then he flies away with no hesitation, even though he’s headed for a battlefield that would make even the Valkyries falter. “…Irena, I understand your confusion, but you’re misunderstanding,” Ernst says, and Irena turns to look at him. “The demons sympathize with Vica, since he has the same face as the demon king. We decided to use that sympathy. By gaining the cooperation of Ellmeyer’s demons, we’ll save this nation and its emperor.” Ernst is apparently leading demons by the nose. It’s far too bold and brazen. It’s the sort of decision an ordinary person wouldn’t be allowed to make. “In Ellmeyer, the demons will benefit from visibly protecting humans. Kilvas will gain a new system of government. No favors are being done here. This is an equal exchange.” Ernst proudly holds his head high as he says this. He’s undoubtedly the empire’s prime minister. “Granted, I’ve just been told as much by the shadow commander in chief myself, and I’ve only just managed to absorb the knowledge. Neither I nor Vica have trained enough yet. Not if we want to challenge the world.” The world is vast. Ernst looks as if a weight has rolled off his shoulders. Following his gaze, Irena looks at the wall again. The barrier that has imprisoned both the demons and her group has been broken. Will it end up being the harbinger of total collapse or the turning of the tide? They’re standing at the fork in the road where they’ll have to make that choice. “…This is our empire. And we’ve put our lives on the line to become masters at fighting demons.” There may come a time when Irena and the rest of the Valkyries aren’t needed. A dreadful era when all their efforts and achievements become completely irrelevant. That’s what new eras are like. “There’s no way we’re losing to demons now, after all this time! Come on, let’s go! We’ll make this our final battle! That’s our pride as Valkyries!” However, because it will be proof that they’ve changed the world, they’ll stand tall and accept whatever comes. In response to Irena’s order, her subordinates roar. Even the thundering footsteps of the approaching demon horde can’t drown them out. Registering the shadow stretching from the window, Claude opens his eyes. With the light behind him, the mage gives a deep, deferential bow. “I’m terribly sorry for the delay, Emperor Claude. Elefas Levi has arrived.” Leaning against the armrest, Claude props his chin on his hand and glares at him. The demon king’s mage doesn’t flinch as he launches into his explanation. “Regarding the fact that I did not come to greet you first, direct your complaints to Isaac, if you would. I was abruptly summoned by Rachel and the others, who stopped at a port of call in Hausel. When I hastily came to confirm the situation, Master Keith—whom the demons had rescued—told me to report to Isaac. I’m merely a mage who’s worked to the bone without understanding a thing. A useless mage who can’t simply teleport everyone unless he has your power, Emperor Claude.” The stream of excuses and self-deprecation take the edge off Claude’s hostility, and he sighs. “…I know. It’s not your fault. Everyone treats you with far too much contempt. During this incident, I felt that very keenly. Using ‘weaker than Elefas’ as a standard is just wrong.” “So they did that, did they? Blast them. I’m delighted that you understand. Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!” “Explain the circumstances briefly. As my brilliant mage, no doubt you have a handle on the situation.” Maybe Elefas is relieved that he hasn’t been blamed. He stands up straighter as he launches into his briefing. “The demons of Kilvas have broken part of the northern wall. The cause was the breaking of the spell in the capital that was reinforcing the wall. The reason only one portion of it collapsed was, um… Explaining it to you seems rather odd, but a certain demon king is using his vast magic to halt the spell’s collapse.” The mage knows exactly what Claude has been doing here all along. “The demons who’ve emerged from behind the wall are heading straight for the capital. They’re expected to reach it in approximately twenty hours, and the Valkyries… Or is it the empress? At any rate, they’re constructing a line of defense within the capital. The empire’s citizens have not been evacuated. I imagine the Valkyries want them to witness their glory firsthand.” “In other words, as things stand, the situation is going just as the Valkyries planned. You’ve taken steps, of course?” “At the moment, Almond, Sugar, and Beelzebuth are leading all the flying demons to deal with the situation. There’s a good chance that this incident involves the use of demon snuff, so in the first stage, the plan is to scatter a large amount of Luc and Quartz’s demon-snuff antidote. If the demons stop because of that, things will wrap up quite neatly. In addition, Denis is working out a way to render the magic lances of the Valkyries in the capital ineffective. I do believe he may build a flying palace one of these days… It frightens me.” Claude isn’t worried. All of Aileen’s underlings are already on his watch list. That said, Denis is close to the demons, and he and Claude hit it off as well, so Claude would like to let him keep his freedom if possible. “That alone won’t be a fundamental solution, though. We have to do something about Vica.” “I’m told the maneuver’s objective is to secure Master Vica and restore either his humanity or his senses, since doing so will calm the demons. Even if he can’t be made human again on the spot, if they shoot him with a tranquilizer gun or something and take him back to Ellmeyer for a while, she’ll fix it somehow…says, um, the shadow commander in chief.” Elefas quietly averts his eyes. Claude blinks in an exaggerated way. “I’d heard there was no way to return him to normal. Does she have something in mind?” “That’s what concerns you? Or, no, that’s important as well, but… You’re not going to ask about the shadow commander in chief?” “Aileen is good at making the demons happy. Including me, of course.” “Huh? Master Claude, you’re happy about the shadow commander in chief, too?” “The mere fact that she’s not standing on the front line this time means she passes. Or did she use that as a bargaining chip? Ah yes, and that’s why you’ve been forced to run around.” Even the demon king’s wife and his adviser can’t bypass Claude and use Elefas and the demons as they wish. They would have needed to negotiate somehow. “That’s a problem. Has my wife finally become able to use the demons without me?” “……Um, so… Everybody’s doing their best. If you move, we’ll have to distract the Valkyries again, and we can’t have the whole wall coming down at once, so I think you should stay as still as a mountain and maintain the status quo, Master Claude.”