Meredi Lessen and her companions, the "Liberators," were the benefactors who helped Ra'l break free from the control of Ecid's followers.
Upon learning of this fact, it was natural that the meeting place fell into chaos.
To the demons, the Demon King is a living god, the highest being worshipped by all demons.
Unexpectedly, the Demon King is in cahoots with the enemy forces.
Of course, everyone found it hard to believe. Even the words of the Demon King had to be doubted. Perhaps the Demon King had been manipulated by Lassen and her followers, or perhaps he had been possessed by some evil spirit. But—
"Who is it? Who is it that radiates the light of destruction towards the motherland, towards compatriots, towards the beloved people?"
The devil appealed to everyone to face reality and not escape.
Who destroyed this land, and who stood up to protect it?
Tell me the truth about what you have witnessed and what has been imprinted in your eyes. His Majesty the Demon King said this, and even if he wanted to refute it, he would find no basis.
"—'I like the demons', huh? Seriously, even if we're from the same clan, it's embarrassing to say such things. Hmph, I didn't expect the princess of the Raison family to say such things."
It's a shame that Elgar fainted and didn't hear these words in person. Perhaps the most surprising piece of information the subordinates gathered from the castle town was this line. And it seems many people heard it.
"Now, it depends on whether your Majesty's words can move these stubborn old men."
He exhaled another puff of purple smoke.
Elgar now looked like an old man sitting on the veranda, drinking tea. The veteran general lacked the air of a battle-hardened warrior. He rarely looked so relaxed. If his direct subordinates had seen him, they might have worried he was unwell.
At this time, a visitor arrived, flying up from under the city wall. Of course, he was not curious about Elgar's relaxed mood.
"Sir Elgar."
"General Leskina."
The only woman among the three generals, Resichina Axion, came to his side. Her narrow eyes looked at him with even sharper eyes, and her red hair, tied in a loose braid, swayed in the wind.
"what are you doing here?"
Her tone sounded sharp and guarded, and the experienced Elgar could certainly guess what the young general was thinking.
"I'm gazing at the beauty of my homeland. It's always so beautiful, I never tire of looking at it. Don't you think so?"
"...I certainly agree with that. However, that's no reason to let you neglect your duties. Aren't you supposed to be at His Majesty's side?"
The age difference between the two was like that of a grandfather and a grandson, and Elgar had held the position of general since the time of the previous Demon King, making him a great elder. However, Resichina spoke to him without any courtesy.
Because the three generals were equal in status, and when Resichina first became a general, Elgar himself allowed her to speak her mind. However, her current thorny attitude seemed to be more than just this, and also revealed a strong sense of caution.
Elgar also knew why.
Elgar gazed at the castle town with deep affection, and at the same time spoke his thoughts as if in a monologue.
"Exploring a future of coexistence with humanity."
"..."
"I don't ask you to agree with me right away, but I hope you can think about it. Who is the enemy we should truly fight? What is truly needed for the prosperity and bright future of the demon race?"
This is what Laser said at the imperial meeting.
This was the Demon King's new idea—no, it was actually a true idea that had existed in his heart before he even wore the crown. It was the Demon King's vision for the future.
"Haha, the feudal lords are still in chaos. If this continues, it might degenerate into factional fighting—no, if things go wrong, it might even devolve into civil strife. Being in the army, the recent situation has been so frightening and exhausting. If I don't take some time to rest like this, how can I last?"
Elgar said this with a smile. However, Leskina continued to glare at him fiercely.
"This is no laughing matter! Lately, even the people have started to engage in factional fighting!"
The truth and the words of the Demon King sparked a debate, dividing the people into different factions. Among them was—
——Exploring a future of cooperation with humans, or at least coexistence with them. This faction is called the "Demon King Faction."
That is, the faction that agrees with the opinion of the Demon Lord Ra'er and hopes for peace.
—The "orthodox" who maintain the supremacy of demons and still advocate the extermination of humans.
This faction believed that the Demons and Humans had a long-standing feud that needed to be avenged. They could not possibly advocate for equality with the Humans. They believed that Ra'sl's opinion was tantamount to trampling on the history of the Demon Kingdom, and even the Demon King's ideas could not be followed.
——The "neutralists" who remain on the sidelines out of loyalty and patriotism.
Since the Demon King isn't an "absolute" being, how trustworthy can one be in his opinions? How can one prove that the current Demon King isn't being manipulated?
I want to be loyal to the utmost, but I don't want to harm my country because of blind faith.
The current Demon King is not trustworthy enough to make them willingly sacrifice their lives. They hope that the Demon King can provide more concrete proof that he is worthy of their loyalty... In short, this faction is still confused and undecided.
In terms of numbers, the neutral faction is the largest, followed by the orthodox faction, and the Demon King faction is a minority.
The same situation existed among the people, with factions scattered across the land. Despite attempts to stop him, Ra'l revealed the truth to the people, leaving the entire Demon Kingdom in deep confusion, a situation that persists to this day.
Some people say that the truth is like strong medicine, which is absolutely true.
"What's ridiculous is that General Angor is a neutral faction, while the Prime Minister is an orthodox faction. How disrespectful! Fortunately, I clearly declared myself a Demon King faction, so there wasn't any public outcry—"
"Oh, it seems that my absence from your presence has made you feel uneasy. I'm truly sorry."
"I, I'm not worried!"
Leskina's cheeks flushed for reasons other than anger, and her gaze at Elgar became even more ferocious.
Her attitude revealed her own thoughts.
However, it's understandable to feel uneasy. Lasser's current position is indeed very unstable.
Although their status was equal, Elgar's words sometimes carried more influence than the Prime Minister's. Among the princes, some inevitably looked down on General Resichina due to her youth, but they would always show respect to Elgar.
It was precisely because Elgar openly supported the Demon King faction that the orthodox faction could not act rashly.
"Don't worry. No matter what happens from now on, I will always stand by your Majesty."
"Are you serious? Can I really trust you...can I trust you, General?"
Halfway through her speech, Resichina's tone became as respectful as when she was Elgar's subordinate. Elgar smiled and nodded.
"I am ashamed of my own inability to do anything."
"Ashamed? Why... No, you're right. I understand."
Lesqina nodded deeply in agreement because she felt the same way.
Her loyalty to Ra'l wasn't because he was the Demon King. She had been loyal to him since before he even wore the crown, when he was still called His Highness.
Young Lasir was a man of high character, intelligence, and a patriotic heart that genuinely cared about the future of his country. Deeply moved, Resichina felt a deep desire to be loyal to him.
Although her original ideas and principles were closer to those of the orthodox, her loyalty to Rasl was enough to override such contradictions.
That's the kind of person Leskina is.
Because of this, she could not forgive herself for not noticing Laser's mutation.
She could see that Rasl seemed a different person since the coronation ceremony.
However, she always thought that those were the behaviors that a king had to pretend to have.
I never expected that the truth was that my inner self was replaced by someone else.
As for Elgar's remorse, it would be more accurate to say that it stems from his sense of responsibility as the eldest general rather than his personal loyalty to Lasser.
Yet, precisely because of this, Elgar must continue to serve the Demon King. He must protect and see his lord clearly, closer than anyone else, this time without a second thought. He must atone for past mistakes and be ready to dedicate himself to his lord at any moment.
"General Reskina, you also believe it, right? The former Majesty was actually a subordinate of our enemy."
"Not only do I believe it, but this also makes sense to me. The character of this Rasser-sama is the same as before, completely unchanged."
After clearly confirming Elgar's intention, Resichina felt relieved. Her tone gradually returned to her usual attitude of treating him as an equal.
Judging from her expression, perhaps besides loyalty to His Majesty, she also has other more passionate feelings... Elgar guessed this in his heart, and felt a little warm inside. At this time...
"Hmm?"
Elgar noticed something unusually noisy near the city gate. Then, Leskina noticed it too. "What's going on?" she asked, narrowing her eyes in confusion.
Then, changes happened.
A sudden burst of moonlight appeared near the city gate, enveloping the surroundings. The next moment—
“That…that guy is…”
“No way…”
A mighty ice dragon appeared. From the sky, it gazed down at the noisy soldiers below, then suddenly shifted its gaze, its eyes fixed on Elgar and Resichina.
"Could it be that the enemy is attacking!?"
"No, no, no, General Lesuchina, wait a moment. Ah! Wait, I told you to wait, didn't you hear me!?"
The hot-blooded Resichina was about to activate her inherent magic "Red Heat", but Elgar quickly stopped her and stood up.
Elgar stood at the edge of the city wall, and the ice dragon flew straight towards him.
"I am Bandhu Shuni, son of Sasrikashuni! I come today as a messenger of the Liberator, seeking an audience with His Majesty the Demon King!"
He announced his name loudly and openly, so loudly that the whole Demon City could probably hear it.
The throne room's previously damaged roof, which allowed views of the sky, has been completely restored to its former splendor.
Most of the princes lined up on both sides of the red carpet.
Not only the court nobles, but also the nobles who were not usually seen in the center gathered together, forming neat rows. Due to factional struggles and the need to monitor the movements of the various factions, most of the nobles refused to return to their own territories.
The person sitting on the throne is, of course, the handsome demon king Ra'ser.
Although he looked a little tired, his eyes were sparkling and he seemed a little excited.
The soldiers' orders sounded, and at the same time the main door of the hall opened.
A young man, Bandu, entered. He walked with a dignified gait, moving straight down the center of the red carpet. A vast array of gazes, all filled with various thoughts, were focused on him.
Bandhu walked before the throne, knelt down and expressed his respects sincerely.
"I didn't expect the day of reunion to come so soon, Ben."
"Yes, Your Majesty the Demon King."
After hearing what Bandu said, Lasser looked very lonely.
"Don't talk like that. You are my very important brother and my benefactor. Come, raise your head."
Hearing him say this, Bandu's eyebrows drooped in confusion.
Bandu, having discerned Rasl's current situation from the atmosphere, emphasized that he was merely a messenger. Unexpectedly, the other party treated him as one of their own without reservation.
When I was gathering intelligence in the Demon City, and even when I arrived at the city gate, Bandu had insisted on not mentioning that he was the "Demon King's brother." I never expected...
As expected, the princes' eyes began to reveal hostility, even close to murderous intent.
"Ban, look, I've grown my hair out. Now I can finally braid it into nice pigtails. We're the same again."
"Brother..."
Bandu had such a headache that he couldn't help but cover his face with one hand.
The princes began to talk among themselves, filled with curses and doubts. Some even called Bandu a "bastard without a clue of his own worth" and "a pawn of Raisen sent to deceive His Majesty," looking as if they were ready to attack at any moment.
Leskina, wary of Bandu from the start, gnashed her teeth and muttered, "How long are you going to toy with His Majesty's heart!?" Angel remained expressionless. Only Elgar smiled wryly.
"Hoo-hoo, my apologies. I was so eager to see my brother again that I let myself get carried away. Are the Princess of House Lassen and your companions all right?"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Everyone is safe—"
"Yes, I said, the name."
Lasser smiled and asked him to change his way of addressing him, causing Bandu to let out a "Hmm!" and was speechless for a moment. He shouted in his heart, "The atmosphere here is so tense, is it possible that my brother has no feelings at all!?"
"Your Majesty! Forgive my frankness, but jokes should be kept within their proper limits!"
Someone, unable to bear it any longer, shouted out a warning. It was Chancellor Calm Toranlit.
He was a duke and the current leader of the Legitimists. He already harbored distrust of Lasser, and now witnessing His Majesty's attitude only added fuel to the fire.
"Not only did he allow a bastard to enter the city, but he also displayed such an unworthy attitude! This is truly unbecoming of the Demon King who symbolizes Igdol!"
The Prime Minister's bitter remonstration was like a spark, and the orthodox princes all joined in the uproar. Most of the neutrals also frowned, and some even joined in criticizing the Demon King.
However, Lasser seemed completely unmoved and continued to smile.
Then──
"quiet."
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