Brain bloom

"—Is everyone here?" Her voice was arrogant and sharp, as if a sharp blade had been drawn.

"Mmm."

"You are the last one."

"Oh dear... I thought you weren't coming."

"Although I think the frequency of these emergency meetings has been too high lately, let's talk anyway."

The ominous fog has plagued the world for a long time.

People yearn to purify themselves of those utterly terrible and dangerous things. But when such a day suddenly arrives, they inevitably have to hold an emergency meeting because of this unexpected change.

The secular king of the Holy Coffin Kingdom, and the current pope, were whispering to each other.

Emperor Aureliano of the Peda Empire sat there with his legs crossed, trimming his nails, but with a smile on his face.

The people of Silvermoon City were absent.

But the place was unusually lively because most of the independent city-states and various small countries that had been plagued by the Evil Fog were participating in the meeting. Normally, they would not have been qualified to attend.

The market in the Demon Realm, unlike the one ravaged by angels last time, should have been repaired, but now it was even more severely damaged. Melia suppressed her curiosity and took a seat.

"Where did E'wu go? If you have any clues, don't hide them." She got straight to the point.

“Yes, they vanished without a trace overnight, their whereabouts unknown.” The one who first took over the conversation was Emperor Aureliano of the Peda Empire.

He said it with a smile.

The problem of the harsh winter was resolved in one fell swoop a while ago. But after that, the ominous mist suddenly disappeared, which was truly unbelievable. He certainly understood that this anomaly likely represented an even greater danger, but... so what if it was danger?

The people of the Peda Empire were not afraid of danger. Besides, everyone was working together to resist, otherwise there would have been no meeting.

He is the only leader with a positive mindset.

Then—the secular king of the Holy Coffin Kingdom glared at him fiercely at that moment.

The king was around fifty years old, with a stern, weathered face covered by a thick, golden beard that, from a distance, made it look as if his face was powdered with pure gold.

Rodrigo Saint S. Borghus, collectively known as "the most noble monarch in the world".

King Rodrigo, exuding a powerful aura, forcefully drew all eyes to him. Only when everyone was waiting for him to speak did he slowly offer his opinion.

“This could be serious.” He paused, making sure everyone was listening. “You’ve all at least heard that in the early days of our nation, a coffin-bearer statue was erected in Silver Ring City at a cost of millions of gold coins, out of gratitude.”

"You mean the one that measures the evil of the world?"

“Yes! The idol has protected Silver Ring City to this day, and now it is also a warning to us. Even if the ominous mist suddenly dissipates, something evil is brewing. The level of evil is rising rapidly, and the problem is very serious.”

"It seems that the disappearance of the Evil Mist is not a good thing after all..."

Many local lords, unable to get a word in edgewise, exchanged bewildered glances, their faces grim.

Although news of Silvermoon City's attack by the Evil Mist hadn't spread widely yet, most people were already aware of it. They certainly didn't want to become another Silvermoon City... they could only silently hope that these great powers could resolve everything.

Melia roughly understood the whole story and knew where the danger was brewing.

She didn't share the information immediately, intending to find an opportunity to drag these people into the conflict and weaken their national strength. After all, the subsequent struggle for ownership of the coffin-bearer could easily escalate into a major war.

"Our faith also points out dangers to us." Suddenly, the contemporary pope beside the king spoke up, "Countless evils are surging toward 1848 and gathering there."

"How did you know?" Melia asked.

"As my faith has guided me, this is the only answer I can give you."

"Could it be... the coffin bearers guiding you?" Melia frowned, secretly wondering if her family's identity had been accepted so quickly.

Volume 1 #296 - I'm so happy I don't have a gag anymore!

“That’s right.” The Pope said with a peaceful expression.

Although he wasn't younger than King Rodrigo, his clean-cut face and benevolent expression, imbued with holiness, made him more appealing to others. While this didn't work on Melia, she was still astonished, not expecting the Holy Coffin Kingdom to act so swiftly.

This is terrible. I shouldn't have let Dad go to the Holy Coffin Kingdom first.

"Those who, like me, are devout believers, have told us about the miracles that occurred in Silvermoon City. We know who created these miracles."

"All right……"

"but--"

The Pope's gaze suddenly hardened, shifting from gentleness to a look of unwavering resolve. Melia felt a pang of anxiety, worried that these ethereal believers might do something rash.

"We have no face to lose and have always relied on miracles!"

"Oh... I thought you were going to say something else. I understand, your country means that our nations should gather punitive expeditions and resolve the problem through our own efforts?"

"That's right, I'm grateful to the noble Demon Queen for understanding so quickly."

"The punitive expedition..." Melia crossed her arms, even though she already had the answer in her heart, she remained silent and waited for others to express their opinions.

Seeing that the representatives of both large and small factions remained silent, the Pope quietly closed his eyes. For what was to come would involve dealing with the secular world, and that was King Rodrigo's responsibility.

“1848, that small island nation in the south, you all know it, right?” He tapped the table and said, “It was a small country made up entirely of all sorts of exiles, criminals, and wandering vagrants, like… rats in the gutter. Of course, I haven’t seen it with my own eyes, it’s just a metaphor, after all, my country isn’t that dirty.”

"It's the same old story. You just found a lot of money, it's not like you created it yourself. Is it necessary to brag about it every single word? Rodrigo... my old friend."

Emperor Aureliano Buendía remarked, showing no concern whatsoever for the strength of the other nation.

After all, these two countries were the main players in the War of the Flowers many years ago. Their positions were extremely hostile; it's just that, thanks to Silvermoon City's insistence, the period of peace has been prolonged.

"Ah, old friend Aureliano. The coffin bearers have given us wealth, happiness, and faith. But what about you? Do you need any help? Winter must be tough for you."

"Yes, the harsh winter is truly terrifying. Our country is weak and cannot compare with your wealthy nation. Therefore, we should simply listen to the matter of the expedition team."

"...That's the ocean. Shouldn't your hunting fleet go there and show off its power?"

"You really are ignorant to close the port in the dead of winter."

Aureliano set a bad precedent, which will subtly reduce the willingness of other factions to participate.

King Rodrigo stopped his verbal dispute and turned to the others—

"If we don't participate, the world will be destroyed."

"destroy?"

People were in an uproar.

“I’m not joking. If you could consult ancient history books, you would find that they occasionally mention the original state of the human world. This evil disaster, in the end, just like that… At that time, we would probably all have to migrate to the realm of demons, otherwise we would all starve to death.”

“I can confirm it,” Melia said at just the right moment.

"Then... how much effort do we need to put in?" someone asked tentatively. He was the king of a small country and had a high degree of cultural acceptance of those who carried coffins.

"We will use gold coins, food, and infrastructure as payment to hire as many magicians as possible from your country."

"A magician..."

"Yes, this expeditionary force will be composed of mages, the sooner the better. We also need to recruit adventurers from the common people, and all sorts of reclusive powerhouses..."

"Why do this?"

"Because only by combining all our forces can we wipe out 1848, which is entrenched in the Evil Mist, in one fell swoop... This is the only way. We must gather enough strength within two days!"

After a hasty discussion, the proposal was approved.

If this plan fails, the world will most likely be destroyed. If it succeeds, the ominous fog that plagues the world can also be eliminated in one fell swoop, since it has gathered together.

therefore--

Even the Peda Empire, which intended to stand idly by, contributed a team of mages.

It consists of a royal healing mage, three ice elementals, four fire elementals, and a team of fifty other mages, all of whom can use at least intermediate-level magic.

Melia didn't want to lose national strength, so she came up with a good idea.

Under her command are extraordinary individuals skilled in black magic, human modification, and other specialties. If the country's most wanted criminals are quickly modified, they can contribute a powerful, one-time magical destructive force.

Other factions also contributed some people, to varying degrees.

The Holy Coffin Kingdom will take the lead, contributing a team of at least a hundred mages and a large number of believers. They will be responsible for integrating all magical power and transforming it into a power with "holy" properties.

With the addition of civilians to be hired later, the force will grow large enough to easily destroy a small island nation.

This will be a sure win... at least that's what they all think.

……

The power of money can move even the devil.

With the money that suddenly fell into her hands, Yuan spent it quite happily. Anyway, the human adventurer had given the money to Fukufu, and Fukufu agreed to let Yuan use it, saying, "Mori-neechan is very rich, even if I spend it, I can borrow it from her."

Throughout the entire day, even though Yuan is a girl with a small appetite, she still endured the discomfort in her stomach and managed to try many interesting foods.

“I grew up in an environment full of prejudice against humans,” she said to Fufu, seemingly to herself.

"Yes, because Sister Yuan was raised by the devil."

“From a young age, my father would tell me every day about the strange transactions he had seen, and he would tell me that humans are very complex.”

Her tone carried a hint of nostalgia.

“I was very young at the time and thought humans were disgusting creatures. Although I gradually came to understand the word ‘complex’ later, my first impression was still that I didn’t like humans. It wasn’t until I made up my mind to come to the human world that I started to like humans a little.”

"Because...food?"

She nodded happily, then took the fufu to add flavor to the crepes.

While sweetness itself is delicious, exploring the flavors of food is also a lot of fun. Just like every child who, when their parents are out and they're bored, mixes all sorts of seasonings and powders together to play with.

Fufu hated the sweetness on the crepes, so she rebelled and smeared a lot of seawater from her belly on them to melt the sweetness. She was also secretly looking forward to seeing what kind of expression her older sister, Yuan, would have later.

“…Huh, Yuan? And Fufu?” Suddenly, the window of a pastry shop opened, and a familiar voice came from inside.

"Princess Dandelion!" Yuan exclaimed with delight, "It's so good to see you all again!"

"Why did you come here too... Oh, did you come after us?"

"Um... I'm sorry for following me here without permission... I heard you were traveling, so I wanted to come and join you."

She stated her wishes frankly, and Dandelion nodded happily. After all, Yuan was one of the few people she didn't dislike, not to mention Fufu was also there.

"Hey, where's Senshi-neechan?" Fufu asked.

"She? She left me behind and went alone..."