Chapter 75: Vol10 Intermission (2/2)

“It should be correct, judging by the oral traditions. It might appear somewhere on the continent.”

“Their national power increased so slowly because those piles of trash messed up so much of the plan.”

“Those idiots in the Kingdom…”

Everyone had looks of hatred in their eyes as they heard those words.

The Kingdom was the most geographically secure country of all. Because of that, the Slaine Theocracy had assisted them in the hopes that the Kingdom would become the nation which would save mankind. By breeding large quantities of humans on safe and fertile land, many talented individuals would also appear, who could be groomed into heroes that could resist non-human invasions. However, peace and prosperity caused them to fall into degeneracy, and the Kingdom rotted from within.

What was more troubling was how they produced narcotics and exported them to the other promising country, the Empire.

Thus, the Theocracy had changed their plan.

Their backup plan was to allow the Empire to devour the Kingdom, and then educate the talented individuals within the Empire.

The reason why the Theocracy did not conquer the Kingdom themselves was because they would then become neighbors with the Republic, which might lead to a dangerous movement within the people to destroy the Republic.

The basic tenet of the Theocracy was that humanity was chosen by the gods, and all other races had to be exterminated.

Thus, they inculcated an attitude in the people that they were surrounded by enemies and that they had no choice but to work together. This was the only way they could focus their national power and become a strong country. However, if they became neighbors with the Republic, there was a chance that their philosophy might lead them in a dangerous direction.

Everyone here understood that they could only plan the future of the Slaine Theocracy by knowing the strength of their country, those of the other countries, and which matters to prioritize. However, the common folk would shout for war with the Republic in order to destroy the enemies of mankind.

That would be disastrous.

The Republic was very strong.

To be precise, the danger lay with one of the councillors of the Republic, the Platinum Dragon Lord, child of the Dragon Emperor. If they did battle with him, the mightiest of the Dragon Lords, they ran the risk of their country being reduced to scorched earth. But what of the people who did not know that? What would they think? They would see enemies to destroy, yet all they could do was bite their nails and wait.

Of course, everyone here could easily quash such resentment through force, but that would produce backlashes that would weaken their national power. In addition, they could not deny that a war might break out in the future.

Thus, the Theocracy could not share a border with the Republic, nor could they directly control the Kingdom. Even if they wanted to rule it from the shadows, the Kingdom was too large.

“Let’s consider the Sorcerer King first. To begin with, he should have been the one who destroyed the Sunlight Scripture, some time back.”

The air seemed to crackle and freeze.

“A magic caster with that name appeared in a nearby village with that name at almost the same time. I don’t think we’re mistaken, are we?”

“What about the Vampire that the Black Scripture encountered? A minion of the Sorcerer King?”

“It’s very possible, but I think it’s more likely that it was a being on the same level as the Sorcerer King, just like those people. Otherwise there’s no way to explain that power.”

“Indeed, so since we’re on the topic of multiple appearances, Jaldabaoth ought to be such a being, right? That would explain the power he wielded in the Kingdom, as well as the reason for a monster with that sort of power appearing all of a sudden.”

“Then how about Momon? He seems to have been chasing that Vampire, but if that prediction is correct, he should be a similar entity to the Sorcerer King. That would also explain why he was as strong as Jaldabaoth. The question is whether or not he’s an ally of the Sorcerer King…”

“Momon slew the Vampire and stood against Jaldabaoth. Given that they might be the same manner of creature yet opposing each other, it’s possible that they might still have been enemies then? After that, he negotiated a truce with the Sorcerer King and became his ally.”

“Then there’s only the question of why he killed the Vampire and opposed the Sorcerer King. Perhaps he killed it because it was controlled by the Supreme Treasure. Still, why would he oppose Jaldabaoth? …If Momon was a comrade of the Sorcerer King, in what sort of scenario would he be Jaldabaoth’s enemy?”

“…Perhaps the Vampire and Jaldabaoth were working together, while the Sorcerer King and Momon were allied. Or there might be one where the Vampire, Jaldabaoth, the Sorcerer King and Momon were all enemies. There are also other possibilities. But there’s too little information to tell.”

“The worst-case scenario is all four of them being on the same side, but the likelihood of that is very low. Momon is too humble. Normally, someone with that much strength would flash it around much more. Yes, just like the Eight Greed Kings. Or perhaps, like our Gods.”

“I see. So the reason why he did not do that was because he was on the lookout for others. No, perhaps he was being watchful for others on the same level as him.”

“Then, since the Sorcerer King has taken the stage and begun building his nation, someone will be taking action to make up for the difference in fighting power. If Momon’s words are to be trusted, Honyopenyoko has a companion. We have to watch out for it, as well as Jaldabaoth.”

“This is all just conjecture at the moment. We just need to think about making contact with the Sorcerer King or Momon.”

“It’s too risky. It’s far too risky. We should instead go to the Empire and gain information from the people there, and then make contact with the Emperor.”

“That would be good, as long as the Emperor doesn’t wag his tail for the Sorcerer-King, that is.”

“It’s a gamble, but it can’t be helped. If we do nothing but cower in a corner, we’ll end up having to play catch-up with others.”

“Still, when you say a gamble… how much of a gamble? If we mess it up, it’ll become a casus belli to attack us, no? We should try to understand the Emperor’s stance on the matter before making contact.”

As everyone agreed on that proposal, someone else asked a reasonable question.

“…Still, have there been no revolts in E-Rantel, that city ruled by the undead? Have they all been killed? Or is there a perfect reign of terror in place?”

After hearing that question, hardly anyone could believe Raymond’s answer.

“According to our reports, it seems to be ruled in peace.”

Hah?! That sound did not fit these people at all, but it could not be helped that they made it.

“Hmhm. At my age, I do end up hearing things that aren’t there, but it seems my condition has suddenly worsened. Raymond, what was that about peace?”

“It looks like the sun’s going to come up from the north tomorrow. ”

“…All right, enough with jokes. If Raymond is telling the truth, that would be a truly unimaginable sight. Is our informant a madman or a satirist?”

“The report states that the Death Knights are used as city guards, Elder Liches as public servants while Soul Eaters are used to pull cargo wagons.”

Everyone’s jaws dropped besides Raymond’s.

“Nonono, wait a minute. What? Could you say that again?”

In the face of Maximilian and his missing glasses, Raymond’s did not change his words as he repeated himself.

Haaah?! Once more, that same unfitting sound escaped them.

Each of them was an undead creature of jaw-dropping power. But now, that knight of the underworld maintained public order like a good little soldier, that lord of the labyrinth sat at a desk managing the flow of goods, and a monster that could slaughter an entire city did the job of a horse and its groom.

And such a country existed right on the other side of their borders.

“What the hell. What pit of hell did that come from?”

Undead were strolling about on the streets and managing the city. All they could imagine was that all the humans there were dead.

“No. The former residents of E-Rantel — the current citizens of the Sorcerous Kingdom are living ordinary lives there. There was some confusion at first, but it is peaceful now.

“…It seems we have all been underestimating the Kingdom all this while.”

“Umu… how strong are their spirits?”

Just imagining the act of walking beside an undead creature which hated the living made everyone present shiver in fear.

That would be like living next to a starving monster. It would be normal for a regular person to be afraid.

“They’re probably putting up with it because they trust that great warrior, the heroic adventurer Momon the Black.”

Raymond related an account of what happened on the first day of the Sorcerer King’s rule over E-Rantel.

They all listened intently.

“As I thought. It’s impossible for Momon to have been the Sorcerer King’s companion.”

“Ara, isn’t that further proof of Momon and the Sorcerer King being in cahoots? They did show up at practically the same time, right?”

Mmm… Everyone held their heads in contemplation.

They felt that the chance of that was not insignificant, but there was honestly no way to tell.

“Is there a way to set Momon against the Sorcerer King? Perhaps if we used the people of E-Rantel, we could–”

“That’s dangerous, far too dangerous. If it goes poorly, we’ll make an enemy of Momon and the Sorcerer King at the same time.”

“You’re right. As it is, we’ve taken considerable losses. Though the dead have been revived, the Black Scripture will still be short on manpower, while the Sunlight Scripture is effectively dissolved. The Crown’s been stolen, the Miko Princess and Kaire are dead. It’ll take us at least 10 years to recover our strength. We can’t go around roasting meat next to a sleeping Dragon in this state.”

“Yes. We need to avoid opening up two fronts at the same time.”

At this moment, the hostility in the room seemed to swell.

“Those filthy traitors.”

“Those bastard elves.”

The Theocracy was currently at war with the Elves of the Great Southern Forest. Originally, the Theocracy and the elves had a cooperative relationship. But that relationship had been broken, and the Theocracy was now fighting the Elves with their own power.

They had built a forward base at Crescent Lake, seat of the Elven Capital. According to the plan, the Capital should have been destroyed in a few years, but that plan was slowly going off-script.

“How about a ceasefire with them for now?”

“Don’t be foolish. How much blood do you think has been spilled in the fighting up till now? Firstly, how can we not take revenge for that person?”

“That child–”

After saying this, the old man smiled bitterly.

He treated her as a child because of her appearance, but the fact was that she was older than anyone in this room.

“–How is she?”

“In the same room nearby, as always.”

“Umu, we need to give her a chance to avenge her mother.”

“Yes, otherwise it would be far too unfortunate. Her heart should probably be at ease after taking her revenge.”

Pained looks appeared on the faces of everyone present.

“..Frankly speaking, I take offense with the priests of the time. They raised a poor little girl with that sort of personality.”

“Well, if you want to say that, you might as well blame the barbarians of the forest. The Cardinals didn’t think it was good to snatch her away from her mother’s side.”

“…What a troublesome topic.”

“Still, if we deploy that girl, that Dragon Lord might respond in kind.”

“The power of the gods, Downfall of Castle and Country, will probably not work on that fellow who can use wild magic, unlike with the Catastrophe Dragon Lord. How about using it on the Sorcerer King?”

Silence descended over the meeting room. It was a proposal that they were thinking, but could not speak.

“…It’s not a bad idea, but the fact that we don’t know what sort of power the Sorcerer King’s subordinates possess makes me uneasy.”

“…If only it could charm without limit, there would be no problems.”

“How dare you! The gods gave their lives to protect us, humanity! And to think you would be dissatisfied with the secret treasures they left behind? The audacity!”

After the rebuke, the old man bowed his head deeply.

“I misspoke.”

“Watch your tongue!”

“Then, back to the topic. We are all against using Downfall of Castle and Country on the Sorcerer King?”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“If the Catastrophe Dragon Lord appears, we could control it and use it as a vanguard…”

There was no point in hoping for what was not there.

“It can’t be helped. Should we send a messenger to talk with that Dragon Lord about the Elves?”

“Who knows what they’ll ask for?”

“Let’s just accept if the request isn’t too unreasonable. After all, it’s for the peace of that girl’s soul.”

There were no objections. Everyone here was deep in introspection.

“Fufu–”

A quiet chuckle rang out, and everyone’s eyes went to the person who made the sound.

“Fufu. Now that the people who knew the situation back then are all dead… well, you lot are quite a compassionate bunch.”

Those words might have felt insulting, but the tone was otherwise.

“…Our aim is to defend all of humanity from the other races, and all of humanity includes that girl. I think we can be forgiven for a little abuse of our offices if it’s to save a comrade.”

“..I have no reason to object if this does not result in any deaths.”

As he heard this , the Grand Marshal smiled bitterly.

“It would be better to directly distribute this knowledge rather than going by oral transmission, no? It’s all right if we’re going up against someone distinctive, but it’ll be dangerous if the other guy has gone to ground. Spreading that knowledge will also make it easier to gather information.”

This was a suggestion which had been made fairly often over the centuries. Naturally, it had been rejected each time.

“Our world is as fragile as a little boat which has been tossed into the ocean. The fewer people who know about it, the better. After all, there might be a typhoon every 100 years or so. Do you think people could sleep easily if they knew that? The fact is, the powerful cannot hide in the shadows for long. They will be very obvious, even if they try to live a normal life.”

“If that’s the case, what do you think that former Cardinal-dono will do?”

They all had complicated expressions on their faces.

“I’m not quite sure, but there’s a very high chance of movement… Perhaps there’s some kind of trump card in store.”

“Or maybe the former 9th Seat, Windstride, might know something…”

“How worrying. Is she close to us? Nothing is more troublesome than that…”

There were several sighs in the room.

“What about asking the retired members of the Black Scripture for help? That way we can restore our fighting strength, no, maintain our vigilance. We can send them to the Draconic Kingdom as reinforcements. The chances of them dying are very low.”

The Black Scripture was commonly assigned to very dangerous tasks, and so they had a very high attrition rate. However, as long as the corpses remained, they could be brought back to life. The problem was that resurrections drained a person’s lifeforce, and one would need to train for a long time to recover the strength they had before death. Thus, some people chose to retire instead.

There were also others who had retired due to their age, but no matter the reason, any retirees had priority on whatever post they wanted. While there were those who were content to live a degenerate, jobless lifestyle, there were very few of those. Most of them would not be able to bear the repeated looks from their wives and questions like “Daaaad, why haven’t you found a job yet–?” and thus they returned to work.

It would take a while to refamiliarize these people with the feel of actual combat, and there were those older ones who could not perform as they had in their prime due to age. Still, they were more reliable than most others.

“Just explain the situation to them and make our request. Don’t expect everyone to take up arms, though.”

“Of course. It would take a real bastard to put pressure on people who completed missions in the most dangerous places and then retired.”

“Yes. Just ask them. But if anyone agrees, pay them more than they expected.”

“If only they paid us at all.”

Self-deprecating chuckles echoed through the room.

Complaining about a lack of wages was a private joke for them.

In the Theocracy, salaries fell off after one rose past a certain rank. This was a form of self-purification, in order to ensure that people would not be motivated to rise through the ranks by greed. Thus, many of those who took high office did so because they were moved to serve their nation.

After the laughter stopped, the Pontifex Maximus spoke again:

“Then, everyone, let’s begin the next topic. Raymond, go ahead.”