93 - Episode 19: An Agitation Called the Demon King Theater in Albestein
Four days had passed since the three idiots began their wicked plotting. Through various means, the preparations had finally reached the final stage.
Gathered in the hall of Radock Castle were the lords of the royalist faction. The three idiots did not know who was who, but it was clear that these were the figures who would shoulder the burden of this country after the war. Thanks to Julia's request to keep any unscrupulous individuals with ulterior motives away in advance, only those who swore loyalty to the royal family were present. Even so, they likely still harbored greed, so that would be crushed here.
In a setting that felt like a rally, Lumilia gave her greetings, and Julia explained the future course of action. Then, it happened when Geoglyph stepped forward regarding the operation. The next words he uttered destroyed everything that had been peaceful.
"Hello, I am the strategist, Geoglyph Triad."
Now, let me explain the hierarchy of the royalist faction.
At the top, naturally, is Lumilia. Since she is the figurehead of the royalists, it is only natural. Next is Julia, who supports her. As the leader of the royalists and a person of excellence in both literary and military arts who is famous both domestically and abroad, no one would complain if she acted as the general.
However, there was a vacancy for the strategist role, who also serves as the field commander. And the lords had been eyeing that position. The decisive battle in the royal capital is a crucial fight that will determine the future of this country. Therefore, everyone thought that a distinguished noble who would shoulder the next generation should take the role.
In the midst of this, a foreigner who suddenly appeared snatched that seat, so it was only natural for things to become chaotic. Naturally, criticism flooded toward Lumilia and Julia. However, they cited the fact that Geoglyph had defeated Julia to acknowledge his strength. Furthermore, a written agreement had been exchanged in advance, stating that no matter how many achievements he earned in this battle, he would renounce all future interests in Albestein.
As for the three idiots, being tied to this country under the guise of a reward was out of the question, and since they planned to return home after recovering the three girls, it was only natural, but there was no way the lords, who could not know this, would be satisfied. It would be unavoidable for them to go mad, wondering why a noble from another country, and one that had been an enemy until recently, was installed as the strategist.
Consequently, the hall remained noisy with loud arguments, and if it had been the Geoglyph from before he steeled his resolve, he would have likely played along and escaped, thinking, "Good... fight, fight more..."
But now it is different.
The Demon King of the Night Sky has finally stopped exercising self-restraint.
When it comes down to it, he does not mind using force to make them obey.
"Decode."
Facing the lords who were making a fuss as they pleased, Geoglyph unleashed magic. The attribute he chose was lightning. The targets were everyone except his allies. The power was at the minimum, but he emphasized flashiness for the sake of the performance.
Simultaneous with the sound of thunder, the outsiders, who felt numbness surge through them, all collapsed, and even generals with a certain level of strength fell to their knees and succumbed.
"Kukuku... fuhahaha... ha-hahahahaha!!"
In the midst of this, the Demon King, twisting his body and showcasing a three-stage laugh, was practically in high spirits. He covered his face with one hand, looking down upon all who had been subdued. If there were an elf present, they surely would have had sparkling eyes.
The surroundings fell silent at that abnormal atmosphere. With a single spell and his eccentricity, or rather, his actions, this Demon King seized control of the room.
"Let me make sure you do not misunderstand. We are simply going to rescue our comrades who were taken by your enemies."
Then he declared.
"Do not speak so lightly to me. Because you lot could not settle things quickly among yourselves, we foreigners have ended up having to come out here. Our position is strictly that of mercenaries, not subordinates. Moreover, you cannot even pay us properly. Far from a hierarchy, we are not even equals. If you seek gratitude and service, the favor must come first. Know your place, you low-lifes."
At such an utterly appalling way of speaking, some lords squeezed out their remaining strength to raise voices of protest, but they were physically silenced by lightning magic unleashed again with the word "Decode."
"Hmph. Honestly, every single one of you, money, power... even in this world, it is only now, only money, only myself. Know shame, you philistines!"
While he was at it, he checked off one item from his todo list of lines he had wanted to say.
"Rewards? Honor? I do not need them. Why do you think I, who can exercise this level of magic, stepped down from the succession struggle of the Triads? Why do you think I am an adventurer, when if I wanted to use force, I could kill all my brothers from the front right now and take the seat of the head? The answer is simple. I can no longer find value in something as boring as power. So, what can you offer as a price?"
Of course, he kept hidden the extremely selfish reason, unbecoming of blue blood, which was that he wanted to live freely.
"Listen well. I repeat, do not misunderstand. Even if you are nobles, you are ultimately humans who are nothing. It hurts when you are hit, and you die when you are stabbed. If I mutter a single word right here, you will all vanish without a single speck of dust remaining. You are humans, and in that regard, you are no different from commoners. From my perspective, the strength you pride yourselves on is not much different from a swarm of goblins. It would not even take ten seconds to kill you all."
To be honest, the royalist faction had quite a few problems of its own. While Julia was at the head, there were noble-like maneuverings beneath the surface. If it were a war with another country, that would still be fine, but this time it is a civil war. It would only be troublesome if essential personnel for the future were assassinated just because they were in the way, taking advantage of the opportunity. Pulling each other down is nothing but a hindrance.
"You should just abandon them. You should just give up on them. Once I rescue my comrades, I do not care what happens to this country. You fools should continue to hold onto those shallow thoughts and be crushed to death."
Geoglyph judged that such a small play was important to tighten the grip and seize full authority, even while being hated.
"...Or so I thought, at least until this morning."
Of course, he is not a Demon King who would let it end with just that.
He decided to recover the three girls while swinging around some fun material.
"But you see. Your lord bowed her head. Do you understand? The ruler of a country, ashamed of her own ignorance, asked for help from a mere adventurer. She asked to be saved. Can your heads comprehend how rare, how abnormal, and how shameful a thing this is? And..."
Therefore.
"Do you know who made her do that...!?"
Naturally, he would have them act as performers as well.
●
Watching that Demon King Theater from the corner of the hall, Bertoni, looking at that back, was shocked.
The way he made the gathered lords prostrate themselves with overwhelming power and looked down upon them had a pressure that was incomparable to when he had subdued him.
"If, if that is not the case, if there is a single fragment of loyalty in a corner of your hearts, then from here on, at least until your lord regains royal authority, discard all selfish desires. Destroy yourselves and serve. Then, the king of this country will not abandon you."
It was just like a scene from a heroic tale he had heard as a bedtime story.
"Of course, we will also lend a hand to those who resist absurdity. Yes, our party name is Serious Breakers. We are those who destroy the absurdity of this world with even greater absurdity."
A traveling hero, in a country he happened to stop by, gathers the rabble to become a general of an army in order to save a princess beset by hardships.
"We shall destroy the absurdity (Serious) that covers this country! We shall open the path you walk and show you the unknown! However, the protagonists are ultimately the people of this country... you! The desired future will never come to fools who cannot even stake their own lives!!"
While it seemed like the prologue of a rise to success, he never sought that.
"Are you fools!? Are you corrupt nobles like the Prime Minister's faction, who do nothing to save their own country and only devour taxes from the citizens!?"
As if caught in a fever, Bertoni was drawn into the Demon King Theater.
"Are you infants who cannot stand on your own feet!? Are you weaklings who cannot even manage a single battle without relying on an adventurer who is only slightly strong!? Or are you just useless eaters who do nothing but consume the taxes extorted from the people!?"
No. He is a five-year-old.
No. Even if he is still weak, he has been educated in noble pride.
No. He was taught by his mother that nobles exist because the people exist, and that it is the duty of nobles to protect the people.
"Then shout! If you say you want to save this country, discard all selfish desires, and the name of Lumilia El Albestein, who is your figurehead... the name of the lord you serve!!"
He clenched his small fists.
The heat swirling in his chest finally traveled through his throat and came out of his mouth.
"Lumilia-sama...!"
The first to speak was Bertoni. But following that, Lumilia's name came out of the mouths of the lords. Since they were originally loyal subjects, it spread through the hall at a very high speed.
Seeing that, the Demon King wore a wicked smile. However, Bertoni felt that it was reliable now.
"No! That is not enough! Is that your loyalty!?"
"Lumilia-sama!!"
"More!"
"Lumilia-samaaa!!"
"Not yet!!"
"Lu! Mi! Lia!!"
The hall erupted at the Lumilia call that began like a flow.
This place was already in the Demon King's palm. However, the figurehead remained Lumilia. The essential her was responding by waving her hand with a dry smile.
If she had not heard from Geoglyph in advance that "I will seize control of all major field commanders today," she thinks she would not have been able to respond so immediately.
And the two idiots who saw this sight.
"Hmm. Sensei, despite being a former politician, really loves inciting others. He is super lively."
"As expected of a chuunibyou who said he wanted to destroy democracy. Would a revolutionary not have suited his nature better than a politician?"
They were leisurely critiquing the Demon King who was in high spirits.
●
In a mansion in the noble district of the royal capital Albestein, in the study, the master of the mansion, Fritz Lebrun, was receiving a report from his subordinate.
"Lord Lebrun. It seems the royalists have set up a camp outside the royal capital."
"Hmph. Lumilia. In the end, she gathered people."
Since siding with the Prime Minister, he had foreseen that this day would come. Even if the ritual failed, it is a royal family that has lasted eight hundred years. The emotions of the people are divided, so a clash is inevitable either way.
When the possibility was suggested seven years ago, it was doubtful, but with the failure of the previous ritual and the progress of research, it has finally taken on a sense of reality.
"Well, fine, we are superior in numbers. Lord Vertex will probably handle the rest well. More importantly... is the preparation of that item alright?"
"Yes."
"Finally... to think my blood would be useful at this point."
"Lord Lebrun is also of royal lineage, after all."
Yes. Fritz Lebrun was born into a ducal house... in other words, a supplementary bloodline of the royal family. Because they have intermingled with the royal family many times since this country was formed, the concentration of blood is not inferior to that of the royal family. The regrettable part was that Fritz himself did not have the magical talent to withstand the secret art.
However.
"If I can control the Spirit Dragon, Lumilia is no longer necessary."
"If we amplify the formula with that item provided by the Delgamiride Cult in the past, the ritual is possible even for Lord Fritz."
Yes. Seven years ago, they received several items and technical provisions from those calling themselves the Delgamiride Cult. It seemed the other side came to sell technology due to operational funding difficulties, but for them, it was a happy miscalculation that an artifact with the possibility of subordinating a Spirit Dragon was mixed in.
That said, it could not be used as is, and they spent a considerable amount of time. Still, they should be able to settle things before the conclusion of the civil war.
"Then prepare it immediately. If it succeeds, Lumilia will lose her justification as royalty, and I will rule this country as the new king."
Next time will probably be next week.