147 - Renewed Resolve
The Allied Forces led by Fumiya withdrew from the Forest of Bewilderment. Fumiya, the commander-in-chief, had left the front lines due to severe injuries. In such a situation, leaving the army alone on the side of the Demon King's Army would only create more casualties. This measure was taken with that in mind.
Fumiya did not complain about that decision. The primary reason was that things could not begin without him, but that was not all. The knights and soldiers were exhausted from a long deployment, and a battle that yielded no results. He thought that taking a rest around here would not be a bad idea.
Furthermore, Fumiya himself needed time. Not only time to heal his injuries, but time to rethink his tactics.
Akemi had joined the demons. This was a shock to Fumiya. Having seen the power of Akemi's magic up close, Fumiya knew it well. He secretly admitted that the reason they were able to overwhelm the demons in the battle at Nordende was due to Akemi's magical power. That Akemi had now become an enemy. There was no doubt that the battle would be harsher than planned.
Because of this, Fumiya accepted the army's withdrawal and was quietly recuperating in the royal capital, but...
"...You called for forces from other countries? Why would you do such a thing!?"
He was openly expressing his anger, unable to accept the request for support that had been decided without his knowledge.
"It is to ensure a certain victory."
Hansmann conveyed the reason to Fumiya in a calm tone, and very concisely.
"I can ensure victory without relying on other countries!"
"Is that truly so? In reality, right now, you are injured and in a state where you cannot fight."
Hansmann no longer had the same trust in Fumiya as a soldier as he once did. Without that, it meant he had no trust at all.
"...This was because I was caught off guard."
"Then how can you say that you will not be caught off guard next time?"
There are no absolutes in battle. Even so, he had previously evaluated Fumiya's strength highly and believed the probability of victory was high, but that trust had already been betrayed. Once that happened, he no longer felt like believing Fumiya's words.
"I didn't know Akemi was an enemy. But it's fine now. I won't be careless next time."
"...She is also one of the Heroes. Can you ensure victory?"
Hansmann replied to Fumiya's words with another question.
"Do you think I'll lose?"
Hansmann was different from before. Fumiya finally noticed that. Consequently, Fumiya's attitude also changed.
"I am not saying you will lose. However, there are no absolutes. Is that not so?"
"I suppose so. They say victory or defeat depends on the luck of the moment. No matter how strong I am, there are no absolutes."
"If that is the case, is it not only natural to take steps to increase the probability of winning?"
"And that means calling in armies from other countries? How can you say that those armies will absolutely be allies?"
Fumiya went on the offensive. Now that Hansmann had become untrustworthy, there was no need to play the "good boy"—or rather, the version of a good boy that Fumiya believed in.
"I cannot say absolutely. However, I am proceeding with concrete measures to increase the probability of them becoming allies and reduce the risk of them becoming enemies."
Do you have concrete measures like that? That was what Hansmann was asking Fumiya.
"...What guarantee is there that it will work?"
"There are no absolutes in anything. However, I intend to choose the most certain measure with the least risk."
Is it absolutely okay? There was no point in continuing to ask this. It meant that even if there was risk, it was better than doing nothing.
"I see... well, I'll pray that it works."
Having correctly read that meaning, Fumiya stopped complaining about the request for support. He judged that no matter what he said, it would not stop.
"Thank you."
"I want to ask one thing. In whose name will that request for reinforcements be made?"
"...It will be in the King's name, of course. Since it is a request to other countries."
"I see. Understood."
Hansmann glossed over the answer. He needed to do that. That was the answer Fumiya wanted to hear.
"Then, if there is any progress, I will report it again. Please take care of yourself."
"Yeah, thanks."
Fumiya glared at Hansmann's back as he left the room. Hansmann, and his comrades, were enemies. In this short time, Fumiya had revised his perception.
"...Could you tell General Gaston to hurry the reinforcements?"
Once Hansmann had left the room, Fumiya asked Princess Lianna, who was attending to him, to deliver a message to General Gaston.
"...I understand."
"Ah, no, actually, call them to the room. General Gerutza as well."
"Right now?"
"Right now... That fellow Hansmann intends to break the promise to make me King."
"I see..."
Princess Lianna understood the reason for calling the two generals. However, she did not understand why he was telling her this.
"A foolish man. He's shaken by a single defeat. I was also a fool for relying on such a man."
"............"
Princess Lianna did not know what words to return to Fumiya, who called himself a fool. Since she hated the idea of saying something clumsy and provoking Fumiya, she decided to answer with silence.
"The one I should rely on is you, Lianna."
"...Someone like me is of no use."
There was no way Fumiya actually believed that. It was obvious that Fumiya had some ulterior motive. What was it? Princess Lianna became anxious.
"I want you to be my strength. Because I trust you and your subordinates."
"...Y-yes. Thank you."
Fumiya's words meant that he knew some of the knights of the Kingdom of Aria held antipathy toward him. This was not a request, but a threat. A threat telling her not to betray him, and not to let others do so. That was how Princess Lianna received it.
"Now, could you call the two of them?"
"Yes."
With a smile—a smile that was creepy to Princess Lianna—Fumiya told her to call the generals. Princess Lianna reacted quickly to the instruction and left the room. It was an action born from the desire to be away from Fumiya as quickly and for as long as possible.
◇◇◇
About thirty minutes later. General Gaston and General Gerutza arrived at Fumiya's room. The two seemed bewildered by the sudden summons. It was clear from that they had heard nothing from Princess Lianna.
"Where is Lianna?"
Even so, Fumiya asked. Though the way he asked was ambiguous.
"Her Highness the Princess said she had been summoned and headed in that direction."
General Gaston answered Fumiya's question without reading into it.
"Summoned?"
That answer was also of interest to Fumiya. He could not think of anyone who would summon Princess Lianna.
"Perhaps Lord Hansmann or Lord Bodwin. It should be around there. The room the Princess asked me for was the room where they always hold their meetings."
"I see... understood. I'll hear the details directly later. Let's get to the main point."
Hansmann and the others were plotting something. But that was something he could ask Princess Lianna directly. He had no intention of permitting secrets.
"What is the matter?"
"...I asked for reinforcements, right? I want you to hurry them."
"Of course. There is no reason to delay them."
Even if told to hurry, they were already doing their best. When said in a way that would not anger Fumiya, it came out like this.
"It's not that, the situation has changed. Do you know that reinforcements were requested from other countries?"
"...Reinforcements from other countries? What does that mean?"
It was something Fumiya had just heard. Unless Princess Lianna had told them, General Gaston and General Gerutza, who were generals of other countries, could not possibly know.
"Hansmann and the others judged that we cannot defeat the Demon King's Army on our own. I believe that is the case."
"...But for other countries to cooperate... no, they might send armies. However, it is doubtful who they would consider the enemy."
Both generals immediately understood the risk of inviting foreign armies into their territory. That was natural. It was something anyone could understand.
"I think so too. Hansmann and the others are too naive. But I can't just end it by laughing at them for being fools."
"...Because the country would be stolen."
General Gaston's feelings were complex as he said this. His home country, the Kingdom of Lydia, had been taken by the Laurel Kingdom, although autonomy was recognized.
"To prevent that, power is necessary. We need to possess power that prevents other countries from harboring ambitions."
"Is that why you want the reinforcements? Around when will the foreign forces arrive?"
"I don't know yet. So, I feel bad, but I'm asking you to make it as fast as possible."
Fumiya was reasonably considerate toward the two generals. The forces they brought would become his strength. He could not afford to have them feel antipathy.
"...What does the Hero think will happen from here on?"
Suddenly, General Gerutza asked about the future outlook.
"I don't know yet. I only just heard the story a moment ago."
"I see..."
"Is there something bothering you?"
Fumiya asked the reason from General Gerutza, who showed a gloomy face.
"Unlike the Kingdom of Aria, my country borders multiple hostile nations. Since we must leave soldiers to guard the borders, we cannot send that many forces..."
"Ah, that's true."
He could not tell them to abandon the border defenses. If he allowed other countries to invade the Kingdom of Lydia, it would weaken his own power.
"However, if those hostile nations also dispatch armies, the story changes."
General Gerutza was not begrudging his soldiers. If various nations truly dispatched armies in the future, the movements of the continent would center around the Laurel Kingdom. Strictly as a location. He thought that placing as many troops as possible in that location would be for his own country's benefit. Naturally, he was not yet certain it would happen. That was why he asked Fumiya for his outlook.
"...I see. If many armies are dispatched, they will lack the spare capacity to attack other countries. It's not all bad."
"That is only for those other than the great powers."
General Gaston corrected Fumiya's thinking. Small countries did not have the power to invade others in the first place. If they did, their own country would simply be attacked by another. But great powers were different. They could invade other countries while leaving enough troops to protect their own.
"I'll have to think of a response depending on the movements of the great powers. If they send armies... it looks like it'll be busy."
"...What do you mean by that?"
Fumiya had thought of something. General Gaston hoped it was not something bad.
"We will show our strength to the other countries. To the point where they lose any desire to fight. For that, we must make the army stronger. We must train them more and more."
"I see. Exactly."
General Gaston had no objection to training their own army. He had originally intended to impose rigorous training in preparation for the resumption of the fight against the Demon King's Army. The same went for General Gerutza. There was no point in leading an army if it only suffered attrition in the fight against the Demon King's Army. The Allied Forces were also trying to become stronger, using their defeat as fuel. Everyone wanted to avoid losing and dying. In the end, they wanted to be the victors. The battle continued, increasing in complexity—.
◇◇◇
Ray had infiltrated the royal capital again. For Ray, whose goal was to buy time, the withdrawal of the Allied Forces was welcome, but the fact that he could no longer obtain information because of it was painful. There was a limit to the distance over which he could control the Undead Legion. There was too much distance between the Forest of Bewilderment and the royal capital to send in information mice or information crows. To be precise, he could not control them as he wished. In that case, the controller had no choice but to get closer. Ray infiltrated the royal capital and attempted to gather information.
The risk was worth it. That the rebel forces would seek military cooperation from other countries was outside of Ray's expectations. If what the rebel forces sought was realized, it would require a major change not just in tactics, but in strategy. It was a big deal that he gained a period of preparation before the matter was realized. Now, specifically, what to do. Ray considered executing the plan he had been thinking about. It was a high-risk plan. Whether to execute it or not. He had decided in his head, but to steel his resolve, Ray was visiting a certain place. For himself, but also to solidify his partner's resolve.
(...Not a trace left. I guess that's natural.)
Ray crouched down and stroked the floor. There was no trace at all of the black shadow that remained in his last memory. It was natural. The black shadow was Rui's body, which had turned to dust. It had not been burned into the floor.
(Do you regret it?)
(What are you asking about? There are too many things to regret, I don't even know.)
He couldn't save Rui. There were mountains of regrets about that. How many times had he thought, "If only I had done this," and suffered?
(...That you didn't switch places with me.)
(............)
Kamui liked Rui not as a younger sister, but as a woman. The one who should have spent the final moments with Rui, the one who should have had a relationship with Rui, should have been Kamui. Ray also regretted it. That he hadn't noticed the feelings of his own clone.
(You regret it, don't you?)
(I don't.)
(Liar.)
(It's not a lie. To take only the good feelings and leave the suffering to you. I couldn't do such a thing.)
To spend the final moments with Rui, and then leave the killing to Ray. Kamui felt he could not do such a thing. That said, if he had killed Rui himself. He would have felt even more pain.
(Either way, is there no regret greater than the fact that you couldn't save her?)
He should not have killed Rui. That is what he thinks now. No matter how much Rui was hurt, he should have kept her alive and saved her. He had neglected the effort to heal Rui's suffering over time. That is what Ray had come to think.
(...I thought more anger would well up, but it's not really like that.)
This was the place where Rui died. At the same time, it was the place where Rui suffered humiliation. By the jailers, and by Fumiya. He recalled the anger toward that. He had come to this place with that intention, but the emotions he expected did not well up.
(It's not that the anger had faded. That's just how it is.)
He had become conceited just because he gained a little power. That was all. He was not a Hero, nor a champion of justice. He was not in a position to save many people, and there was no way he had the luxury to show mercy to the enemy. If necessary, he would kill even people who had nothing to do with his revenge. He had started his revenge with that resolve. He had simply forgotten it.
(...That's right. In other words, my resolve is already made.)
(No, it's necessary to steel your resolve once more. Even if the revenge is accomplished, it doesn't end there. You knew that.)
Even if he killed everyone who humiliated Rui and everyone involved in it, it would not end there. Many women other than Rui were being put through painful experiences.
(...Do you intend to do it?)
There was nothing concrete. He had simply confirmed Ray's resolve with those words.
(What I can do. I am the Demon King. I am responsible for the future of the demons.)
He was not a Demon King who became one by his own wish. He also knew that the Demon King of this world was not the kind of Demon King he had imagined. But that didn't matter. Ray decided to become the Demon King. He decided to become a King who took responsibility for the lives and the future of the people who followed him.
(Well, let's go then. They'll probably notice us soon.)
(Yeah.)
He had no more business in this place. He realized there was no need to look back at the past. That was surely not a good thing. The reason there was no need to look back was that for the two of them, time had stopped at that moment. Because the two of them had always been trapped in the past and had not lived facing the future. He had to move that stopped time forward. Because there was someone waiting for the day they would spend the future together.