Chapter 124 - Chapter 1: Victory Without Fighting
The Sertoria Royal Capital region.
Far from the royal palace, near the forest where the Demon Lord dwells, the area around the frontline fortress was planted with many oak trees, and the view from the windows mostly consisted of those trees.
By May, the oak trees were bearing yellow, tassel-like flowers.
However, the sunshades were currently lowered over the windows, so the view outside was not visible at all.
In a room within the fortress, the current King, the State Chancellor, and the Chief Secretary to the Archbishop of the Sertoria Royal Capital region of the State Church were gathered around a single table. By the entrance door stood the Captain of the Royal Guard, holding his hat under his arm.
The King had placed his crown on the table, and the others had also removed their hats.
Previously, the Chancellor would show his face once a month, but now it had become an opportunity for the King to inspect the front lines.
The winter offensive had settled down, and the soldiers were able to take turns resting. Since the Commander-in-Chief of the Kingdom Army had expressed a desire to conduct the next offensive before summer, they had come for that meeting, but the Chief Secretary had also come to inspect in order to dispatch a supporting priest corps.
The inspection ended successfully, and leaving the troop commander who would continue training, everyone returned to the fortress to take a break.
"It seems the secret of that Hand-holding Song has been uncovered."
The one who spoke first was Chief Secretary Harris, wearing red vestments.
Originally, he had said he would investigate the secret of the song, but the King had beaten him to it.
"Yes. It was something created by the First King. Apparently, the method to meet the spirits was woven into the lyrics."
When the circumstances of how the lyrics were made were explained, he asked back, "Is that all?"
"It seems so... is there something?"
"No, I originally thought it was a song about the Primal Ruins. To think it was the dwelling of the water spirit."
"Fumu. As for the Primal Ruins, I didn't find out."
"May I?" the Chancellor raised his hand.
"What is it, Evans?"
At the King's question, he turned toward the Chief Secretary.
"I believe Harris was investigating the secret of the song to uncover the secret of the Demon Lord's resurrection."
"That is correct."
"Is there some connection between the Primal Ruins and the Demon Lord's resurrection?"
"As you know, powerful monsters are found in specific locations. Until now, those have been the sites of the Demon Lord's resurrection."
Fumu, the King nodded. The current Demon Lord was resurrected in the same place as the Demon Lord his father had defeated.
In other countries as well, locations where Demon Lords appeared in the past were monitored under strict vigilance, but powerful monsters would emerge before anyone knew it, and the area would be occupied by monsters.
That said, as long as the Demon Lord is not resurrected, they rarely come out from that vicinity, so they do not raise a subjugation army and simply keep them under surveillance. This is because fighting them results in great losses. As a result, although vague, non-aggression territories between the monster domain and the human domain have been established.
In history, at the point where the Demon Lord's army had been subjugated to some extent, a few small units would be sent in to defeat the Demon Lord.
Once the Demon Lord is defeated, the monster swarms retreat back into the deep forests or high mountain canyons, and as long as humans do not step in there, they rarely cause harm. Thus, until the day of the next Demon Lord's resurrection, they spent their days without conflict, even while fearing each other.
"According to past records, there are several places where a Demon Lord has not resurrected since appearing once. One of those locations is around Nakanohara Lake."
"In other words, the Primal Ruins are the land where the Demon Lord was sealed..."
"That is a possibility."
"Then, where are the other lands where the Demon Lord's resurrection has not occurred?"
"That is where the story of those who came from Nakanohara comes in."
"Come to think of it, they were predicting the locations of what seemed to be the Primal Ruins. If I recall, the mountain in Medioland, the hot spring region of Engrio, and the mining region of Primordia. ...Could it be that those match the other lands where the Demon Lord has been sealed and has yet to be resurrected?"
"Yes. They match."
The Chancellor's eyes widened, and the King swallowed hard.
"In other words, are the Primal Ruins the lands where the Goddess herself sealed the Demon Lord?"
"It is a possibility."
"But, even if that were the case, if it is something that must be sealed by the Goddess, there is nothing we can do, is there?"
"That is not necessarily true. What lies at the center of those four?"
"The Ruined Town..."
It was the place where the capital of a once-prosperous nation stood. It is called the Lost Capital, and the temple where the surviving priests hole up is called the Ruined Town.
"Yes. The Ruined Town of the Lost Capital. It is the remnants of the descendants of those who ruled this island since ancient times. It is also the headquarters of Forbidden Magic. It is known that the lands they once ruled extended to the range of those four locations. The Demon Lord always appears outside the lines connecting these four locations. They might know something."
"Did they take the land inside the area the Goddess sealed as their territory?"
"What if that was intentional? For example, lost ancient magic..."
"...Lost ancient magic... Theurgy?"
The Chief Secretary nodded at the Chancellor's words and then looked directly into the King's eyes, which remained wide open.
"I believe there was a great cave and an altar on the mountain in Medioland."
"A-Ah. A report has come from Roberts. My father and mother have actually witnessed it."
"I shall be going to Medioland soon. The destination is the Medioland Royal Capital Church—in other words, the headquarters of our doctrine. I shall have the formal discussion when I bring the letter from the Archbishop of the Sertoria Royal Capital region."
"Are you going to talk about what we just discussed?"
"Yes. Humans can actually enter the cave on the mountain, can't they? I want to dispatch an investigation team of priests to look into it. The King of Medioland's permission will also be necessary."
"Can you call upon the Goddess?"
"Don't be so hasty. First is the investigation of the underground altar on the mountain. At the moment, we know nothing."
The King started to say something but stopped. He couldn't find the words to say.
After a moment, he only asked how long it would take.
"I estimate the investigation itself will take about a month. Including travel, it will be two months. If I find out anything, I'll let you know."
"I'm counting on you." The King finally said only that.
"Wait a moment."
The Chief Secretary's expression clouded at the "What is it?"
"I believe there was a rumor that Nakanohara Church and the Primal Ruins of Nakanohara Lake are connected underground. Is it true?"
So he asked after all...
The Chief Secretary looked as if he wanted to say that, but he did not look away from the Chancellor.
"There is such a rumor. However, I can say no more than that for now. I am sorry. I have an obligation to uphold my sacred oath."
The Chancellor, after confirming the King's nod, turned back to the Chief Secretary.
"You will tell us someday, won't you?"
"Yes. When the time comes. However, I will say this: it should not be something that threatens this country. Please believe that."
The Chief Secretary, who usually spoke with a strong tone, looked at the King and the Chancellor with pleading eyes.
"I understand. Tell us when the time comes."
Hearing the King's words, the Chief Secretary nodded silently and let out a sigh of relief.
"Someone is coming."
Suddenly, the Captain of the Royal Guard by the door spoke.
He had already put on the hat he had been holding under his arm.
Those inside the room hurriedly put on their crowns and hats and picked up the glasses on the table.
The King, noticing that the wine in his glass had not decreased at all, drank about half of it and pointedly leaned back into the sofa.
The sound of knocking could be heard.
The Chancellor checked the state of the room, and when he nodded, the Captain of the Royal Guard unlocked and opened the door.
"Your Majesty. Excuse me."
A man wearing chainmail over his head and tanned from the sun entered.
"Victor. I'm glad you came. Please, have a seat."
"Then, excuse me."
When General Victor, the Commander-in-Chief of the Kingdom Army, sat next to the Chief Secretary opposite the King, the door was locked as a signal, and the Captain of the Royal Guard tucked his hat under his arm.
Everyone took off their headgear at once. The General removed the hood part of his chainmail and slid it to the back of his head.
"Sorry, sorry. I was watching the training of the magic soldiers and ended up late."
"Would you like a beer?"
"Sorry, Evans. I'll take a glass."
The Chancellor stood up briskly, poured beer from a barrel into a glass, and handed it to the General.
The General drained about half of it in one go.
"Mmm. As I thought, Evans's chilled beer is the best."
"It's because you worked up a sweat, isn't it?"
"No, no, I endured without drinking much water just to enjoy this one glass."
"Drink some water, at least," the Chief Secretary nudged him with his elbow.
"How is it? Has everyone become able to use the bowls?"
The King, temporarily released from the heavy topic that was beyond his—no, probably beyond human—control just a moment ago, asked while pouring wine into his empty glass himself.
"Yes, they're fine. They can be used in actual combat."
"That's encouraging. It's thanks to Hughes's guidance."
When he praised the Captain of the Royal Guard, the Captain smiled while spinning his hat on his fingertip. Everyone, including the King, laughed at the sight.
The King and the others, who have known him for a long time, know that the taciturn Captain of the Royal Guard has been in a good mood ever since the day he first saw flight magic. However, they don't know the reason, and everyone is assuming they'll find out eventually.
"Are the bowls that flight magic?"
"Yes. We've summoned soldiers from all over the kingdom who can use Wind Barrier and are training them. If it goes well, we might be able to attack the Demon Lord's army from the sky. Come to think of it, has Harris ridden one yet?"
"No, I'm fine."
He made a visibly disgusted face.
"Come to think of it, you were never good with high places."
"I can't believe anyone can ride such a thing. Just watching makes my head spin."
The Chief Secretary said as if spitting it out after taking a sip of wine.
"So that's why you cut the inspection short. How about it, Hughes? Why don't you give him some training?"
"We can start from a low place."
When the Captain of the Royal Guard said that, the Chief Secretary waved both hands, saying, "Give me a break," and the place was filled with laughter.
"By the way, has the east settled down?"
After being teased mercilessly, the Chief Secretary changed the subject when he saw the tide was against him.
"Yes. Medioland is now able to use Gram's port safely. They can also station troops. Apparently, not a single battle was fought."
"Revenge for Primordia. Quite impressive, to make the opponent submit just by advancing the army to the border."
The Chief Secretary clapped his hands in joy.
"For a priest, you certainly rejoice in diplomacy between nations."
The General was exasperated, but the Chief Secretary didn't mind.
"I have to go to Medioland soon. If there were a war, I wouldn't be able to go. I'm glad it was settled through diplomacy."
"To Medioland? What are you going to do?"
"I came to talk about that today. I just spoke of it and stunned everyone here. Victor, you should listen carefully too."
"Umu."
The General also seemed to have become unable to say much, only groaning.
"Don't think too deeply. It's still a long way off. Besides, what I just said is merely a hypothesis I'm considering."
"But for the Ruined Town to be involved..."
According to the Captain of the Royal Guard's story, the upper echelons of the Ruined Town joined hands with Engrio and, of all things, manipulated monsters to capture a human fortress. Not many would want to be involved with them.
"That aside, are the people from Nakanohara who solved the mystery of the Hand-holding Song acquaintances of yours, Victor?"
Perhaps unable to bear the heavy atmosphere, the Chancellor changed the subject.
"Ah, Paul. We're old acquaintances."
"I believe he was a hunter?"
The Chief Secretary lightly raised his right hand toward the Chancellor.
It was likely a gesture of thanks for trying to change the heavy atmosphere he had created.
"Well, yes. He's a former Kingdom Army soldier. Though he was irregular."
"Was that so? By irregular, do you mean a scout?"
"Yes. You know that the Jaeger Corps was organized during the war, right? Do you know there was a selected scout unit that was its predecessor?"
"I believe Victor was the captain?"
"Yes. The vice-captain at that time was Paul. I also served as the Eastern Plains Corps commander, so he was the practical captain."
The mission of a scout is information gathering, but the mission of a Jaeger further includes sabotage and combat actions after infiltrating enemy territory.
"He's the one who took those who were centered on reconnaissance, trained them until they could infiltrate enemy territory and engage in group combat, and built the foundation of the current Jaeger Corps. Unfortunately, he had to take over the family business and was discharged, so he remained irregular. Even so, he performed great deeds and received a medal directly from Henry-sama during the truce. It was right around the winter war suspension period, and he had come to the Royal Capital too."
"Now he's training young girls," Victor said, laughing pleasantly.
"Speaking of those young girls, they're coming to the Royal Capital again, aren't they?"
The Chancellor asked the King with a smile.
"Yes, the award for that marble dyeing. That is confirmed."
"Can't we prepare a banquet like the one back then?"
"A banquet? Evans. What are you thinking? Did you find a girl you liked?"
"No, no, it's not that. It's just that it's been a long time since I've had such an enjoyable banquet. Come to think of it, Victor was drunk and sleeping, wasn't he?"
The General made a very sour face at being exposed.
He gulped down his beer while looking out the window.
"What? For Victor to be drunk under the table, hasn't it been since Bishop Catherine?"
The Chief Secretary teased him in retaliation.
"The opponent was the water spirit. While I drank one glass, she emptied half a barrel. Roberts-sama and I challenged her together and both of us were sunk."
The Chief Secretary also laughed loudly.
"Shall we let loose once in a while?"
"Hughes? What do you think?"
When the Chancellor pressed the King, the King turned the question to the Captain of the Royal Guard.
"If we tell Henry-sama and the others, it'll be fine."
The Captain of the Royal Guard was smiling, which was rare. I wonder if any of his subordinates have ever seen him smile.
"Hughes. So the reason you've been in a good mood lately is that banquet. You were talking with Priest Jeanne for a long time then, weren't you?"
"Not just me."
He pointed at the King. Everyone looked at the King's face.
He feigned ignorance and looked out the window, but finally confessed.
"Priest Jeanne is a good listener. With the help of the alcohol, I ended up venting quite a few of my daily grievances."
The room in the fortress was enveloped in a particularly loud burst of laughter.