I am Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes.

"Oh, how scary, how scary... Okay, okay, actually, Grandma woke up and has something she wants to tell you."

These words calmed Jill's slightly agitated mind down a bit.

"...What? Grandma woke up?" Jill asked, frowning.

"A mother-in-law is truly a mother-in-law!"

Sensing something instinctively, Lian spoke up, "You mean Grevas is awake?"

“Yes, and by the way…” the girl raised the corners of her mouth, revealing a smile, “I am the demon elf [Vlad Dracula] (PS1), nice to meet you?”

……

When Jill fought Grevas, she did not kill her, but instead used the Demon Slayer to destroy something resembling an engraving on Grevas's heart.

Strangely, after destroying the mark, Grevas immediately fell into a coma.

However, Grevas invaded the Dragon Kingdom and killed dozens of dragon knights. She was originally supposed to be thrown into prison or even executed on the spot.

Lian argued her case forcefully, which saved Grevas's life. She even got Jill, who was somewhat reluctant, to vouch for Grevas, allowing her to recuperate properly in the sanatorium.

But did he wake up so quickly?

Although Jill found it strange, after thinking about it for a while, she still went to find Grevas.

In front of Grevas's sanatorium, Vlad raised his hand and pushed the door open.

"The person has been brought~, witch granny~"

"Who are you calling 'grandma'? I'll destroy you, you little devil!"

Grevas, still leaning against the bed, raised her hand, and several orbs of light formed by elven magic instantly flew towards Vlad's direction.

"Hehehe, so scared, so scared—hey~"

With a graceful tumble in the air, the fairy Vlad elegantly dodged the magic orb.

"Oh dear, be careful." Gil raised his hand and caught the few elven spells. "You're in Doragonia right now, so you can do whatever you want when you get back to Aresia Academy."

"What's wrong with calling a stinky old woman a stinky old woman?"

"You brat, you really dare to say that—"

Vlad stuck out his tongue. "That old hag is so scary! Vlad's going outside to play now!"

With a flick of her black coat, she vanished in an instant.

“…Tsk.” Grevas smacked her lips lightly and finally put her hand down.

"Then let's talk about the Holy Elf King."

Jill raised her hand, pulled a chair over, sat down, and looked at Grevas, saying...

PS1: This demon really is called that. It's mentioned in Chapters 1 and 2 of Volume 19 of the novel. "Grand Duke, please put down that gun you're holding, I'm a little panicked."

Chapter 71 The Truth Is Getting Closer?

"That's really going too far, kid. I thought you'd at least care about my health or something," Grevas said, with one eye closed.

Jill picked up an apple from the table, and with a flash of her knife, the apple peel was completely shattered, and the apple flesh was broken into pieces.

“I know your physical condition quite well.” Jill casually put the apple and plate aside, then continued, “After all, I personally used my collection to help you recover. In a couple of days at most, you’ll be able to get up and jump around again.”

"Oh dear, she really has no sense of romance," Grevas sighed.

Jill rubbed her temples. "We're talking about serious matters, so how about you be a little serious too?"

“…Alright, alright…Let me think, where should I begin?” Grevas organized her thoughts and then slowly began to speak, “First, in the academy, the Twelve Divine Generals’ Glazed Leaf…ambushed me, and there was also a ritual.”

"When I was traveling around the continent, I heard that the monks of the Holy Kingdom would be implanted with faith in the Holy King by mental magic—but I quickly dismissed the idea, because it is hard to imagine that an elf like you, even if you have lost your full strength, could be brainwashed by mere mental magic."

Moreover, that doesn't explain why her body has rejuvenated.

Like rejuvenation and resurrection of the dead, no amount of magical power can achieve this.

If there's one exception, it can only be—

"The Holy Kingdom reminds me of the [past covenants]."

"Covenant?"

"—That's right. Twenty-four years ago, I made an alliance with the Holy King," Grevas replied calmly.

"Twenty-four years ago...that was during the Elf Sword Dance Festival, wasn't it? That was when you formed an alliance with the Holy King?"

Gilda frowned. "Before the Elf Sword Dance Festival ended this year, the Holy Elf King also came to see me... Tsk, it seems I realized this a bit too late. So, what was the alliance you made with the Holy Elf King twenty-four years ago?"

"...Regarding this..."

……

—Twenty-four years ago. White Lion Moon.

The day Grevas Shermerus won the Elf Sword Dance Festival as the representative of the Empire.

She went to the Elf King's altar to present her long-held wish.

At that time, the wish she made was a naive fantasy of a little girl.

What did you wish for?

Upon hearing Jill's question, Grevas gave a self-deprecating wry smile.

"A world without war," she murmured to herself. "That foolish little girl made that wish."

Jill was silent for a moment, then spoke up, “It’s not stupid. It’s just a world that anyone ravaged by war would want.”

—The Lambar War. Those were two major wars that Jill only read about in history books.

It is said that the great war began with a struggle for the right to mine elven ore, but the real reason remains undetermined.

Amidst the flames of war that swept across the entire continent, the strongest witch threw herself into the battlefield and was hailed as a heroine of her homeland.

However, the girl known as the witch did not seek those accolades.

On the battlefield where countless comrades and contracted spirits have been sacrificed—

She was determined to end the war and threw herself into the conflict.

Therefore, the first wish the girl made was "it".

It was precisely to fulfill that wish that she won every time she went on to win at the Elf Sword Dance Festival.

But that wish—

That pure wish, precisely because it is too pure, is absolutely impossible to fulfill.

Jill has a certain understanding of what grants wishes in the Elf Sword Dance Festival.

That's the kind of "otherworldly darkness"... The Elf Kings used rituals to distribute the "otherworldly darkness" to others, reducing their own burden in order to fight against the destructive factors.

However, that kind of power is ultimately not omnipotent.

"The Elf King said it. It was a wish that transcended the power of miracles. At that moment, I realized for the first time that the Elf King's power was not omnipotent."

Before the Elf King's altar, the girl fell into an abyss of despair.

She had no interest in any other wishes to begin with.

She thought, "I might as well not grant any wishes and just leave like this."

Consider it a small act of revenge against the powerless Elf King—

But, that's when.

"—A voice appeared in my heart and spoke to me..."

"The Holy King Alexander..."

Grevas nodded silently at the name Jill uttered.

What exactly did that Holy King say to Grevas twenty-four years ago?

"The Holy King offered me a deal. He said, 'I can grant your wish. I can create a world without war, a world where people will no longer fight each other—'"

—To realize that world, become my right arm.

That was a "covenant" proposed by the Holy King.

"So that's the 'covenant'? The deal between you and the Holy King..."

“…That’s right.” Grevas’s gray eyes clouded over.

"Having witnessed too much death and been defeated by despair, the little girl believed those hopeful words. No, she placed all her hopes on that sliver of hope—"

Yes, the Holy King and the Witch have made a pact.

The Holy King bestowed the power of miracles upon the maiden.

The girl was completely unaware that the true nature of the miracle was the darkness that corrupted the Elf King, and that she had accepted that power.

"The reason my appearance has remained almost unchanged over the years is entirely due to the miraculous power bestowed upon me by the Holy King. Therefore, my divine might has not diminished to this day..."

“I see…” Jill nodded. No wonder he sensed the aura of destructive factors in Grevas’s body when he was treating her, although he had already removed the remaining destructive factors.

"On that day, I became the Holy King's right-hand man. I served my homeland Austria as the first of the Twelve Knights of the Austrian Empire, while waiting for the right opportunity to come."

"Waiting for the right opportunity?"

Jill seemed to have thought of something, staring at Grevas, "Waiting for Lotus to appear?"

"—Yes. We're waiting for that girl—or rather, the one who inherited the Demon King's power—to appear." Grevas nodded, confirming Jill's guess.

"Actually, at first, after seeing that you had made a contract with an elf, I once thought that you were the Demon King. But I soon discovered that you were a being completely unrelated to the power of darkness, and with that child Ren starting to use dark elves and constantly awakening her divine power... I was able to confirm the true identity of the Demon King."

So, the goal—

"Why would the Holy Elf King anticipate the appearance of the Demon King?" Gil looked at Grevas and asked the most crucial question.

Chapter Seventy-Two: The Operation Must Be Begin Now

"In response to the awakening of the Dark Elf King, the being that sealed the Holy King's soul will be liberated—that's what the Holy King told me. At the time, I didn't understand what that meant, but now I finally do. You should have realized it, right?"

When Grevas looked at Gil, she saw Gil lower his head slightly, and the divine power emanating from his body began to twist irregularly.