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Those who wanted to surpass a demon lord had to have guts. Those who survived in this chaotic world and led a country needed to be heroes. And this ritual was for that exact purpose—to test how far the new leader’s resolve would go.
I unleashed all of my aura that I’d been suppressing and mercilessly blasted Alveiro with it. The force was so intimidating that anyone nearby would pass out and just lay there motionless. The pressure was so intense that even monsters would’ve ran as fast as they could, leaving the vicinity with no signs of life.
And I could, in fact, see panic in the audience, despite the elves having cast a defensive barrier at maximum strength. But the staff seemed to be handling the situation well enough, partly in thanks to the soldiers frantically shouting, “You are not in danger! Please remain calm!”
There was only one rule for this ritual, and it was simple: Alveiro just had to reach me. Of course, seeing the spectators’ reactions, that obviously wasn’t as easy as it sounded. But if he was gonna lead this country, he had to endure this. I mean, all I was doing right now was intimidating him, and as the emperor, he’d face much more difficult challenges.
Naturally, this wasn’t an “on the spot” kinda deal. We’d trained together to help him build his endurance for today. He’d fainted so many times, completely drained from the drills. Still, he’d managed to reach me four times in practice.
I’d lost count of the number of times we’d had to stop training halfway through because his life would’ve been in danger if we’d kept going. So there was a good chance he’d fail, but if he did faint, I planned to splash water on him to wake him up and make him keep going until he absolutely couldn’t. If he kept getting up no matter how many times he fell and continued to face me, it would be fair to say that he was worthy of being called a hero.
However, if he got to the point that he couldn’t take another step without his life being in danger, then yeah, that would mean he’d failed. But! We’d been training up until now specifically to keep that from happening. All I could do was count on Alveiro to give it his all. Sure, this whole exercise would make the people even more afraid of me, but it would also make them more sympathetic to the new emperor. Wasn’t like I actually cared what they thought of me anyway.
Then, at that moment, Alveiro dropped to the ground with a thud. He’d gotten pretty damn close, the onslaught of my aura strengthening the closer he got. Drenched in sweat, he sat there on all fours.
Ah, shit. He’s gonna pass out. Just as the thought flashed through my head...
“This... This is nothing...compared to my resolve!”
Alveiro’s knees had buckled and he’d fallen to the ground, but he refused to let himself collapse. He clenched his hands into fists, his fingers digging into the soil on the field, and forced whatever strength he could muster back into his legs despite his body shaking. Then, he stood up again.
Since the start of this ordeal, he’d been on the verge of losing consciousness many times. The spectators’ voices, so noisy in the beginning, no longer registered in his ears. If he let his guard down now, he would likely faint. He had been told that was fine, though. No matter how many times he collapsed, what mattered was that he showed that he could get back up.
Almost no one could withstand the force that was Demon Emperor Yuki. Not even the most elite of soldiers. Monsters, too, fled immediately in his presence. Supposedly, only a few of the most powerful individuals could endure his intimidating aura, but only just barely.
While Alveiro possessed military experience and had served as a commander in the Great Corpse Dragon War, all he’d done was issue orders. He hadn’t actually fought. So for him, losing consciousness would be an entirely natural outcome. Moreover, no one could deny that trying to endure this trial at all was reckless.
Even so. Even. So. This life-or-death situation was nothing more than a sham. Far from the real thing, it didn’t even qualify as a true fight. After all, Demon Emperor Yuki would never actually try to take his life.
If he couldn’t endure this, what kind of emperor would that make him? How could he possibly have the nerve to lead this country? Fainting, then forced back into consciousness via water thrown over him, and repeat. A pathetic display for a ruler.
The only thing holding Alveiro up right now was his pride as a man. He stood there, determined not to show the audience a disgraceful sight. Dredging up every last iota of his willpower, which felt like it was about to shatter and fly away, he encouraged his motionless body to walk forward, one step at a time.
“I have decided...to live...for this country! So this...is...nothing!!!”
As he drew closer, the pressure increased. He no longer had any feeling in his body. Relying only on the heat surging in his chest, he moved forward. Another step. One more. Ever forward.
Before he knew it, a young man with black hair stood in front of him, laughing joyfully at him. He forced his arm, barely able to do his bidding, to move. Hand trembling violently, he placed it on the young man’s—the demon lord’s shoulder.
“I...win,” he panted.
“Yup. And I lose.”
At that moment, all the pressure Yuki had been exerting vanished. Simultaneously, Alveiro’s body suddenly relaxed, and he looked as if he were about to collapse. But before that could happen, Yuki grabbed him by the shoulders and propped him up.
“Good job. Almost done, so hang in there.”
“...Yes.”
It was all he could do to get that one word out. A proper, polite reply was out of the question in his state. With Yuki supporting him, he somehow managed to stay upright.
And then, the young man opened what seemed to be a rift in the air and pulled out a book. It was thick and beautifully decorated, with an old-fashioned binding. People from other countries likely wouldn’t understand its significance. But Reauxgard’s citizens would. Even if they didn’t know that their country had been founded on a labyrinth, the book had been passed down each time a new emperor took the throne. Alveiro accepted the gift with a firm hand when Yuki presented it to him.
“All right, Alveiro. Say the thing.”
He nodded sharply, then gathered his remaining strength and raised his voice.
“Ladies and gentlemen! I, the twenty-fourth emperor, Alveiro Velburn, hereby declare that the Magical War Games will now commence!”
When the audience finally understood what had just happened, they broke out into such thunderous applause and raucous cheers that the air and earth practically shook.