130. Tightrope walker (4)
Dan looks at this side and smiles. Her personality changes every time I see something. Did I get used to it that much, or did the Marquis’s characters have an influence on his personality?
No, now is not the time to think about that. I put away useless thoughts and glanced at Dan. I didn’t forget to keep my expression firm.
“…What is your intention in saying that?”
“I’m just telling you that there are rumors. “I think you should know, Marquis.”
“….”
I relaxed my eyes.
I have no idea what this guy is thinking. Enemy or friend? What should I do with this guy who became vaguely close to me, vaguely comfortable with me, and vaguely became my person?
…Even if I think about it now, I can’t find an answer. I looked down at the documents again and muttered.
“I’m the only one at peace. “If this place wasn’t a military camp, I might have mistakenly thought the war hadn’t broken out.”
“I don’t think something like that would have happened. “The guns of war exploded so spectacularly.”
“…That’s true too.”
Ah, stress.
He quietly took out a handkerchief and put it over his mouth. It is no exaggeration to say that it is a highly absorbent cloth obtained and distributed at the top of the hem, and the blood that comes out quickly seeps into the handkerchief without leaking.
I grumbled to myself as I neatly organized it and put it in my pocket.
‘The frequency of hemoptysis has decreased. It’s no different than before.’
This is all because of stress. Considering that he vomited blood horribly when he was often called out in the early days of the war, there was no doubt about it.
I feel a stinging gaze from one side. When I turned my head, I made eye contact with Dan, who was looking at me with narrowed eyes. That’s right, I was talking to him. How much did you talk about?
…Yes, the guns of war exploded spectacularly.
“The war of words between the two monarchs was very colorful.”
“The appearance was also gorgeous.”
“….”
“I’m kidding.”
“…You’d better keep your distance from Remember.”
I scolded him coldly and grabbed the pen. However, the hand only held the pen and did not move immediately.
The very impressive declaration of war that day came to mind, and before I knew it, I was lost in thought, tapping my fingers on the desk.
***
Surprisingly, the Demon King declared war by following a very standard procedure.
I don’t know if this should be considered standard, but since it wasn’t a sudden attack, it can be roughly considered similar.
As if to show off his magical power, he sent video magic across the entire continent, as if he had sold the magic ban he had issued. So that not only the empire but each kingdom and even small rural villages can see this.
As everyone focused their attention on the unfamiliar magic, Jaykar, the commander of the Guernsey 1st Corps, who acted as the Demon King’s agent, appeared on the screen.
– Inform the human world from the demon world.
It was a start that cut out formalities.
– From the perspective of the Demon World, which loves balance and peace, it was judged that the Empire’s war to conquer the continent was overheated and dangerous, so it declared war on the Empire in order to prevent the Empire’s excessive actions before they destroyed the human world.
Honestly, I burst out here.
Balance… wow and peace… love… so much… the Demon World… A lot of time has passed and the people who fought the war against the Demon World are no longer alive, but it’s still not enough to be fooled by such lies. .
Just looking at history books right now…
‘… do commoners ever… ever read history books?’
Ahhh?
I quietly covered my mouth. He spewed blood as he pleased and covered his mouth as he pleased, causing an uproar among those around him, asking if he had vomited blood again, but their voices were not heard.
There is no way that commoners, who are satisfied with just eating well and living well, would be interested in history, not from aristocratic families who provide compulsory education about the dignity of nobility and such! Jaykar, no, the Demon King was aiming for this!
– Since the goal is the goal, we are willing to back down and ‘give’ the empire if it promises not to move any further.
Wow crazy. He just provoked me.
For some reason, Jaykar looked at the screen blankly, feeling like he could know the emperor’s expression even without looking at it. Then, he looked straight ahead again and gently raised the corner of his mouth.
It’s definitely the first time I’ve seen a smile, so why does it look so familiar?
‘I know who you were imitating and laughing at….’
The devil.
One thing about her smile is that she smiles pretty and well. Should I call it a smile that relieves tension?
– Are you watching, Emperor? There must be a shaman there too. The Demon King gave permission. If you can, try interfering with this magic and try to answer the question. Since the barrier has been lowered, it won’t be difficult.
…It would only work if the words were pretty. Jaycar’s tone of voice is a disqualifier.
Rather, it proves that shamans can reach into the realm of magic. The imperial family has a dedicated shaman, so at least you won’t have to worry about finding a shaman.
‘Then the question is whether the shaman’s skills are capable of interfering with that magic and whether the emperor responds to those words…’ The
emperor is not one to avoid provocation. I’m sure they’ll call a shaman to intervene.
Sure enough, whether it was true that the words about lowering the barrier were true or whether the shaman’s skills were outstanding, it didn’t take long for the screen in the air to crackle and shake, and soon changed to the emperor’s face.
A young man with blond hair and golden eyes, for an emperor, was draping his arms over a book on the armrest of his throne and glaring at the screen as if he were embarrassed.
– I heard you barking. I received new information that demons have a unique way of barking instead of human speech. I have to tell the scribe to record it properly.
Laughter broke out here and there.
Fake laughter to relieve tension. Everyone is probably feeling it. If we are not careful, the empire could become completely isolated from the human world. If that happens, you will have to fight the demon world alone without any support.
So I couldn’t laugh.
‘I completely dried this up.’
I am confident as I know a little more about the emperor than others. The emperor never gives up on conquering the continent. He’ll probably try to hold the sword as long as he still has breath.
In such a situation, what would happen since Jaykar, or rather the Demon King, even provoked the emperor by saying, “I can step down,” in case the emperor meekly steps down.
‘What choice will our Majesty, who does not avoid an oncoming fight but gladly responds to provocation, choose…!’
Fortunately, the emperor was also smart enough to say directly, ‘Are you not going to stop the war of conquest? Instead of answering, ‘Are you going to continue?’, I started by pointing out the blind spots in the other person’s words.
– The fact that demons love balance and peace is something that will turn the world upside down. If the whole world knows how cruel you are, why do you have the audacity to tell lies? While Jim is showing his face right now, isn’t the devil hiding behind the 1st Corps commander and manipulating him? The personality of those who have such a guy as their ruler is obvious even without looking at it.
They put on a good-natured mask and lie often, causing internal division or backstabbing.
“…oh.”
“….”
The flow changed again. The distrust toward demons that had been sown for some time becomes fertilizer and sprouts. The eyes of people who were previously filled with anxiety showed determination and vitality.
From the perspective of an imperial citizen, it is fortunate, but I do not understand. It’s not like the Demon King doesn’t know anything about the Emperor, so why did he allow interference? There’s no way I couldn’t have expected this situation.
The moment my thoughts went crazy, a new screen appeared right next to the screen floating in the air.
– It’s a shame that you hid.
A converse eye in which the white and black colors are reversed. A familiar face with a gentle smile.
It’s the devil. It didn’t seem like that would happen, but it seems he eventually fell for the emperor’s provocation.
It’s not just blocking interference, it’s creating an extra screen….
‘Do you have any magic power left? ‘Have you really abandoned the ban on magic?’
– I never thought the emperor would step forward in person. Thanks to you, I got to see your face in person for the first time. Of course, it’s difficult to say it in person, but it’s the first time I’ve seen it live and not just a painting… I knew its age, but it looks much younger than I thought. It’s really surprising.
– …You’re confusing the point of what you’re saying. Was there anything in Jim’s remarks that seemed off-putting?
– What do you mean by the binding part?
The Demon King closed his eyes and smiled as if drawn. His attractive appearance, which was not much different from that of a human except for his eyes, shone.
-There is no lie in what we said?
I could hear the maids expressing their admiration.
That was definitely intentional. I intentionally smiled to hide the parts that were different from humans.
“With that face, I can do anything…”
“That person, that demon… is he a demon lord? “I believe it, Demon Lord…”
The emperor seemed to have sensed the intention of that smile and narrowed his eyebrows.
The only way to deal with this is to smile brightly without giving in to the emperor, but there is no way for the emperor to smile brightly. Ugh, I get goosebumps just thinking about it.
While he was wiping away his goosebump-covered arms, the emperor, as expected, chose logic over face-to-face confrontation, and opened his mouth with a growl in his throat.
– This hypocrite…
– Hmm?
– Get rid of that stupid mask because it’s disgusting. Did you say that if Jim retreats, the demon world will also retreat? It’s not even funny. Did you think that just because so much time has passed since the war between the demon world and the human world, your past actions and remarks would be forgotten? No way!
Voices get louder. The world fell into silence.
The emperor’s voice soared high into the sky through the quiet space.
– Knowledge, wisdom, and events that occurred in the past are passed down to descendants through records. Let’s take this further to prevent the same mistake! This must be the proof!
I pick up the book I had placed on the armrest and shake it against the screen.
– This is a history book that was sleeping in the library of this palace. There are quite detailed records of the war that took place in the past against the demon world. There was a lot of interesting content. Let’s read just a few of them…
He opened the book, found the page, flipped through it, and fixed his eyes on one spot as if he had found the part he was looking for.
– There is a saying that a human king who was cornered during the war desperately cried out. I asked why they invaded the quiet human world. Then the Demon King laughed lightly and answered.
After saying that, the emperor raised his head.
He looks straight at the screen with fierce golden eyes, as if looking at someone beyond the screen, and speaks slowly. A slow but serious voice resonated throughout the world.
– “As a demon, isn’t it natural to covet a land where the sun shines?”
For that moment, no one could open their mouths, as if someone had used magic.
Truly an eerie silence.
Even as I was endlessly staring at the golden eyes on the screen, the emperor struck a nail, breaking the silence that seemed like it would last forever.
– In the end, the Empire’s actions were just an excuse and an attempt to induce division within the human world, but weren’t they originally targeting the human world at will?
– You’re saying you’re making an excuse, but are you sincere when you say that if the empire withdraws, we will also withdraw? Just pretend you’re being fooled and take a step back. If the demon world does not retreat, it will not be too late to move again.
Both monarchs seem to be talking to each other, but they do not forget their goal of inciting and persuading the majority of people watching this screen.
There are probably quite a few people nodding their heads at the Demon King’s remarks that just came out. For example, people from other kingdoms who looked at the empire that was waging an aggressive war of conquest with uneasy eyes, or people who opposed the war against the demon world within the empire.
The emperor, who could not have been unaware of this, did not give up and raised his voice again.
– Right now, I guess. This book also contains stories about the lifespan of demons. It’s so long that it can’t even be compared to a human. So I was able to guess without difficulty. Currently, the Empire is the most annoying opponent in the human world, so it may be their intention to keep it in check and waste time, and then as time passes and a generational change occurs and the Empire declines, they may easily swallow it up… That’s a pretty reasonable guess. In the end, Jim has only two choices given to the current generation of humans.
It was only after hearing the next words that I could understand what the emperor intended when he said those words.
– Do you seek to ensure the safety of your descendants by immediately going to war with the current empire, which is so strong that even the demon world feels uncomfortable, or do you run away in the vain hope that it will disappear someday and delay it, leading to the extinction of your descendants?
The cause of the war against the demon world has completely changed.
