There were hardly any intact nations left.
"Your Majesty, we have received news that the special task force led by Ellen Artorius has successfully reclaimed the territory of Lambator."
"…Good. That's good news."
From the throne in Central Palace, Bertus nodded his head slowly, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Last month, Emperor Nelliod de Gardias had passed away.
Though the previous emperor had survived the great war known as the Great Demon War, his strength had begun to wane after the Gate Incident, and he ultimately succumbed to death.
A sense of responsibility, guilt, and overwhelming pressure had led to the emperor's demise.
Bertus de Gardias inherited the throne without even a proper coronation ceremony.
He had taken the emperor's position he had long desired in a manner he had never wanted.
The twilight of humanity.
In this indescribable moment, Bertus was waging a war that would determine the fate of humankind.
Purposeless monsters roamed the continent, moving only to kill humans.
Negotiations and diplomacy were impossible.
It was a war with the sole purpose of mutual annihilation.
Everyone bore some responsibility for this situation.
The Demon King himself.
The Demon King's minions who activated Akasha to save him.
The empire that could not trust the Demon King's words.
However, most people only knew the superficial fact that the incident was caused by the Demon King, without knowing the detailed circumstances.
Only a few, including the High Priests of the Five Holy Religions, the Holy Knights' Commander, some of the imperial family, and Ellen, knew the truth.
After the Gate Incident, the situation had been desperate, but there had been progress.
"Your Majesty, the Shanafel 1st Special Forces, led by Saviolin Turner, has successfully destroyed the Warp Gate in the capital Hashfel of the Haig Kingdom."
"…Good."
If Ellen Artorius's task force was responsible for exterminating all monsters in the ruined cities, Saviolin Turner had an even more dangerous mission: to arrive in the already-ruined cities first, destroy the Warp Gates that released the monsters, and then escape.
Ellen worked for regional recovery, while Saviolin Turner carried out the preparatory work for it.
Both undertook extremely dangerous missions.
Their roles were crucial at this moment.
As the undisputed strongest human, Saviolin Turner, and Ellen Artorius, the savior of humanity with two relics.
In a world where Olivia Lanze and the Demon King had disappeared with the relics, they played the role of hope for humanity.
Not only for their abilities, but they were also two powerful pillars supporting the desperate humans.
The belief that Ellen Artorius would save humanity.
Of the Five Holy Religions, Tu'an and Als had chosen the Demon King and those who disappeared with him.
As a result, the Warrior Church that believed Ellen Artorius as a prophet had begun to erode the popular faith, resulting in a bitter irony.
The power of the empire had declined, and numerous vassal states had collapsed.
Those nations that maintained their lifelines were barely protecting their capitals and a few key cities.
All the Warp Gates on the continent had to be destroyed, and the monsters from the other world scattered everywhere had to be annihilated.
The rebuilding of humanity would begin after that.
But would that day ever come?
'Reinhardt….'
Bertus gritted his teeth.
'Yes, I was wrong. I was wrong about everything, from one to ten.'
He hadn't believed it because it was simply unbelievable.
As a result, he had to stand on the brink of humanity's downfall and rebuilding at every moment.
The Imperial Capital was filled with makeshift shantytowns, teeming with refugees from vast regions.
Those who had barely escaped the clutches of monsters and the rescued people couldn't be left behind, so they were brought to the capital for the time being.
They had to survive somehow within the various parts of the capital.
Aid was severely insufficient, and with no bread to give them, criminals inevitably emerged in great numbers.
Thus, the shantytowns beyond the capital's borders were rife with crime.
The possibility that these people might suddenly turn into bandits and raid the Imperial Palace at any time could not be ignored.
However, if all the bandits were killed, where could the legitimacy of the empire be found?
In the two years since the Gate Incident, the size of Imperial Capital had more than tripled due to the influx of refugees.
Monsters that had left the Gate and wandered the land had reached the outskirts of the Imperial Capital, frequently attacking the peripheral areas.
And that wasn't the only problem.
The refugees in the shantytowns were mostly people who had received help from the empire.
Many of them had directly experienced the heroism of Ellen Artorius.
Ellen had saved numerous lives by defeating hundreds of monsters.
Hence, the majority of the refugees believed in the Hero Religion.
"Persecution of the believers of Tu’an and Als... is going too far."
"...Indeed."
Tiamata and Alsbringer had chosen the Demon King.
Although followers of the Hero Religion didn't like the other five major religions, they treated the Tu'an and Als churches as if they were the Demon King's religions.
It was common for believers of the two churches to be stoned to death, and cases of verbal abuse towards priests of the Tu'an church, dispatched to treat the injured, were frequent.
An intangible faith was being gradually replaced by the powerful presence of Ellen Artorius.
Another problem stemmed from the faith in the Hero Religion.
"Your Majesty... Forgive my insolence..."
The expression on the minister's face indicated that he knew what Bertus was thinking.
"Has another protest erupted, demanding Charlotte be handed over?"
"...Yes."
The furious followers of the Hero Religion wanted a scapegoat.
Charlotte de Gardias, who was undoubtedly cursed by the Demon King.
The followers had already spread rumors that Charlotte was not only cursed but also a collaborator of the Demon King and should be killed.
The protest demanding the death of the princess had already gained the support of many.
Killing the princess would change nothing, as the most important enemy was the Demon King.
However, people couldn't find the Demon King, so they wanted a scapegoat.
They were shouting that Charlotte de Gardias, the collaborator of the Demon King, must die.
The only reason the followers of the Hero Religion hadn't taken more extreme actions beyond the protests was simple.
Charlotte's guardian knight was Ellen Artorius, the savior of humanity whom they worshiped.
As Ellen's heroism increased, so did the faith in the Hero Religion, putting Charlotte's life in more danger.
However, because of this, Ellen's fame also served as a shield protecting Charlotte in a bizarre twist of fate.
After completing his morning duties, Bertus visited the Spring Palace.
Entering the Spring Palace, which was heavily guarded despite its small numbers, Bertus headed straight to Charlotte's bedroom.
Inside the bedroom, his sibling, Charlotte de Gardias, sat motionless in the darkness.
For some time now, Charlotte had been in that state, unable to return to her original self.
"Sibling."
"..."
Charlotte turned her head listlessly, looking at Bertus.
With her black hair and red demonic eyes, Charlotte was in a situation where she could not go outside.
To anyone who saw her, even to Bertus who wanted to protect her, it was clear that Charlotte's appearance was the result of the Demon King's curse.
In reality, Bertus knew that it was even more horrifying because the Demon King's soul had fused with Charlotte's.
It wasn't that she had been cursed by the Demon King, but rather that his soul had taken residence within her.
If the truth were revealed, the crowd would surely go mad.
Who would believe that Charlotte, in her demonic form, was innocent if she were placed before a multitude of people?
Who would trust Princess Charlotte, who embodied the very essence of ominousness?
"Have you eaten anything?" Bertus asked.
Charlotte quietly shook her head in response.
Bertus pulled up a chair and sat beside Charlotte's bed.
After the Gate incident, monsters appeared from the hidden Gate in the basement of the Spring Palace.
Charlotte destroyed the Gate and eliminated the monsters with her own power.
However, after the situation had somewhat settled, Bertus explained everything to Charlotte.
It seemed that the Demon King had truly intended to prevent this situation.
Though his minions were certainly responsible for the incident, Reinhardt, the Demon King, appeared to not want this outcome.
The despairing sibling who had been manipulated by the Demon King from beginning to end wondered if she could ever return to her original form.
She hadn't been manipulated, Bertus insisted.
It was hard to believe, but Reinhardt had truly acted for the sake of humanity and Charlotte.
Bertus hoped that this would help her in some way.
However, in the end, it turned out to be the greatest mistake.
As if regretting the words she had spoken.
Unable to catch her breath, Charlotte wept and eventually lost consciousness.
From then on, the awakened Charlotte began to act as if she had almost lost the ability to speak.
Whether it was because of the sins committed through words or not, she hardly spoke beyond the bare minimum.
However, Charlotte could not leave her room in the Spring Palace and did not even try to leave on her own.
Bertus could somewhat guess that this was due to her regret over the countless curses she had hurled at the Demon King, feeling betrayed by him.
She had been used by the Demon King.
And so, she had poured curses upon the person who had saved her life multiple times, wishing him the most miserable death.
There were more than a few, like Ellen, who believed that all of this was their responsibility, and Charlotte was one of them.
In shock and guilt, Charlotte suffered.
With her cursed, terrifying appearance, she could not help anyone, nor could she even take a single step outside the Spring Palace.
And so, Charlotte slowly sank into darkness in the place where spring should have been.
The crowd wanted Charlotte dead.
As their hatred for the Demon King grew, so did their hatred for Charlotte.
If the people reached a breaking point, demanding her death as a substitute for the Demon King's, she might truly become a sacrificial lamb.
Bertus quietly held Charlotte's emaciated hand.
It was so frail.
"Sister..."
"..."
She had once been a rival he loathed enough to want to kill, but at some point, she had become so pitiful that he could no longer hate her.
Two years after the Gate incident.
Now, Bertus wanted to protect Charlotte in any way he could.
However, there may come a day when he would have to hand Charlotte over to the crowd with his own hands.
Despite not wanting her dead anymore, he might be forced to make the decision to kill Charlotte himself.
Charlotte and the Empire
Given the choice, Bertus would have to choose the Empire when weighed against the two.
Because that's what the Emperor must do.
"Even I... lately... am struggling..."
Bertus left his seat after uttering those words.
After Bertus left, Charlotte silently gazed out the window of the spring palace.
Even if the world were to be destroyed.
Even if the fate of humanity hung in the balance.
Dark storm clouds filled her heart, and the darkness threatened to swallow her whole.
Yet the sunlight remained dazzling.
—---
While Ellen bore the responsibility of being humanity's hope and faced the monsters, the other students of the Temple were also engaged in battle, each entrusted with their own missions.
-Kyaaaak!
"Heup!"
Facing a three-headed snake that was slithering towards him on the ground, Ludwig dodged the attack with agile movements and swung his sword towards the snake's heads.
-Skeek!
Ludwig, enveloped in a burning blue Magic Body Strengthening, cut off one of the snake's heads and, as another head attempted to bite his arm, he deliberately let it bite him.
-Kak!
Instead, Ludwig thrust his burning hand into the snake's mouth, simultaneously ripping out its tongue and cutting off the remaining head.
-Thunk!
The three-headed snake's body writhed on the ground, and Ludwig stepped back, sweating cold sweat.
"Huuh... huuh..."
"Ludwig! Above!"
"Huh?"
As soon as he had dealt with the giant snake, a huge flying monster began to dive from the sky towards Ludwig, its sharp talons extended.
But just before the monster's talons could reach Ludwig, a burst of flame struck its head.
-Kukkak!
The monster's body staggered from the explosion and crashed onto the ground beside Ludwig, thrashing about.
"Heup!"
Without hesitation, Ludwig plunged his sword into the flying monster's head, and it soon stopped flailing.
"Huuh... Thanks, Delfin."
"Be careful, you keep forgetting there's more than one or two monsters."
"I know..."
Ludwig wiped the blood and oil from his sword and looked around.
The students of the Temple were engaged in battle, although their missions were not as dangerous as Ellen's.
"But these spirits, they're really fascinating."
Ludwig spoke as he gazed at the mysterious lifeforms floating beside Delfin Izzard, neither ghosts nor monsters.
"As long as they're helpful in this situation."
The spirit that had just struck the flying monster was a bird-shaped being wreathed in flames, floating at Delfin's right side.
As the Gate incident unfolded and battles commenced, Delfin Izzard, originally talented in archery, participated in the battlefield using his bow.
But when Ludwig almost lost his life to a monster, Delfin summoned a spirit to protect him from the attack.
Neither Delfin nor the Empire knew what spirits were.
They could only guess that it was a kind of supernatural power, an unexplainable force.
Delfin did not know why the spirits were helping him.
The Empire was interested in spirit magic, but there was no time to study it.
As the world's only spirit mage, Delfin Izzard summoned spirits of wind, fire, and lightning to fight.
'Reinhardt...'
With his sword in hand, Ludwig headed for the next battleground.
Clenching his teeth, he stepped over the broken buildings and corpses of dead soldiers.
'Someday, I will make you pay for all of this.'
There were still many who were unaware of the controlled truth.
Therefore, the world overflowed with those who hated the Demon King.
—---
Beyond the horizon, masts began to rise one by one.
"How many were there the last time we saw them?"
"Probably... around eight hundred?"
Hearing my question, Harriet tilted her head for a moment before answering.
Monster extermination and civilian rescue operations on the continent.
After escorting the refugees to Port Mokna, which connects the continent and Edina Archipelago, we put them on ships and send them to the archipelago.
My forces on the continent continued to evacuate homeless wanderers and refugees, sending them to the Edina Archipelago by ship.
The empire didn't know I had established a base in the Edina Archipelago.
Port Mokna wasn't that important of a port, and the empire had many other places to worry about.
"We should have explained better. I'm tired of seeing people panic and jump into the water as soon as they disembark."
"They'll manage on their own."
"I really hope so."
The Edina Archipelago was no ordinary place.
First of all, its leader, me, was the Demon King.
And among those walking the streets, some were demons.
From various demon races such as orcs and goblins, to succubi, and although not as numerous, even ogres were living in the Edina Archipelago.
I was tired of seeing people, rescued by strangers and brought across the vast ocean, scream in terror, thinking they were going to be devoured by demons.
Thankfully, the inhabitants of the archipelago had become accustomed to the sight of demons walking around calmly.
Of course, occasionally, children would wet themselves at the sight of an orc or ogre.
Fortunately, without any major visible conflicts, demons and humans had not completely assimilated but were living together without major issues.
There was no absence of dissatisfaction and fear.
However, as rumors of the hellish continent spread with the arrival of refugees, such dissatisfaction quickly faded.
Everyone knew that refusing my rule and fleeing back to the continent meant certain death.
Harriet and I stood on the dock of Lazak. I was at the very front, and many people were waiting to guide the incoming refugees from the soon-to-arrive ship.
The port had already been a large trading city, but now, with huge fleets carrying refugees instead of trade goods, its size had grown considerably.
While waiting for the ship to arrive, Harriet and I watched a figure approach through the transparent seawater.
"Ah, over there..."
"Yes."
Soon, something came up close to us, revealing only its upper body from the water.
"Your Majesty, we have prepared the food you requested on the western shore. It will be carried here by the current soon."
The creature had a human upper body and a fish-like lower body.
A mermaid.
"Good, have the people wait there. You always do a great job."
"It's not a problem. It's an honor for us to serve you."
As sea-dwelling demons, mermaids couldn't become servants of the Demon King.
However, now the coast was my base.
The mermaids, who hadn't been hostile towards humans, quickly became solid allies upon making contact with me.
They always took on the role of collecting marine food resources in these times of food scarcity.
Their efficiency was incomparable to that of fishermen, and they were essentially responsible for the food situation in the Edina Archipelago, especially in Lazak.
The red-haired mermaid, in the form of a woman, soon dove back into the water and disappeared, swimming smoothly through the water like an arrow. Harriet stared blankly at the sight of the mermaid gliding beneath the surface.
"Mermaids are... really beautiful, aren't they?"
As Harriet had said, the mermaids were even more beautiful creatures than I had imagined. I hadn't even known they existed in the first place.
Of course, it took quite a while of nagging for them to cover their naked upper bodies when they approached me, at least with some seaweed.
Just now, one had appeared with something resembling kelp wrapped around her chest.
As for the demons, putting their dominance ability aside, they would have died for my word. It seemed as though they were moved just by seeing my face.
So, the demons were unconditionally on my side.
Anyway, it was true that the mermaids were beautiful.
"Indeed, they are."
"..."
At my words, Harriet stared at me intently.
What's wrong?
Is she angry?
"No, well… You said it first…!"
"Whatever. You're a fool."
Ships appeared on the horizon, approaching the Edina Archipelago.
The Edina Archipelago was a place where its distance from the continent was a critical disadvantage, but in this situation, it could serve as a refuge for all beings affected by the gate incident.
One by one, the ships entered the harbor, and the refugees disembarked under the guidance of the soldiers.
Fortunately, the captains and crew had explained the situation well, so although the refugees seemed fearful among the demons, they didn't scream or try to flee.
They were people who had seen hell on the continent. They had nowhere else to go, and they had been drifting aimlessly, avoiding monsters.
The only option they had in their uncertain lives was to live among the demons.
The refugees would stay in temporary shelters for a while.
As they followed their guides, they arrived at the entrance of the massive temporary shelter, where succubi were waiting.
All of the succubi had regrown their horns, which had been cut off previously, and their numbers had increased significantly.
Due to my Word Magic, the horns of the succubi, which should not have regrown, were all restored.
Among the succubi were those who had stayed with Airi, but many had also returned to the Darklands.
I brought back the succubi who had gone to the Darklands.
The refugees, captivated by the appearance of the succubi with regrown horns, stared blankly at them despite their fear of the demons.
Harriet was no exception.
"Who would have ever imagined that succubi could do something like this..."
As Harriet said, it was an unbelievable situation.
The succubi were now performing something similar to psychological therapy.
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