Chapter 67 - Whose Is the Empty Seat?
Yafenon was in a state of chaos.
"The new Demon King is leading his army toward the capital!" "The spells on our weapons are all gone!" "His Majesty Uthor has finally..."
The General, Makal, who remained to protect the capital, raised his thick eyebrows and got up from his chair with his massive body.
"Be quiet."
He knew this day would come.
Makal let out a long sigh.
'Uthor, you finally led our country to ruin.'
He didn't listen to others' advice. He just did whatever he wanted.
But Makal knew well that this wasn't just Uthor's fault.
To the people of this country who judged everything based on strength, Uthor might have just been a fitting ruler.
'I'm the same.'
Thinking that he couldn't change anything even if he stepped up, he also remained silent. Of course, he had given advice a few times before. That's why Uthor had left him behind, since he never liked it.
However, since Uthor had entrusted him with the capital under the belief that he would never betray the country, Uthor's attitude toward him was an irony in itself.
"Increase the defenses on the east, where the city gate is weak, and go to the guild to gather all the mercenaries you can. Remember that we need mages for rear support the most."
Whatever happened, they had to prepare for the Demon King's attack now.
"I will first request aid from Holy Krata."
Even if they couldn't get troops immediately, if Krata were to send even their Guardian Knights, who they had command over, it would be a huge help.
He headed to the great conference hall, which Uthor should have been using, and contacted Krata with a crystal ball.
"I, Shin Makal, the General in charge of defending Yafenon's capital, wish to request help from the Emperor of Krata in place of the currently absent King Uthor."
After he said that to the priest on the other side, who asked the reason for the urgent message, a familiar silhouette soon appeared and floated above the crystal ball.
『I told you not to use this for trivial matters.』
Transcending space to transmit one's image and words required an immense amount of holy power. Unless it was a meeting hosted directly by the Emperor of Krata, using it in a normal situation came with a heavy responsibility.
"I greet Your Majesty."
Still, Makal opened his mouth without hesitation.
"I am grateful beyond words for you personally responding to this call..."
『That will do.』
The heavy voice of the Krata Emperor, Lutan, pressed down on Makal's shoulders.
『You Yafenon are utterly incompetent.』
It was a scathing rebuke.
『The reason you dare to make such a request of me is because Uthor was killed by the new Demon King, isn't it? Pathetic.』
Lutan's voice contained a hint of anger.
『Krata is busy with other matters right now. I will send troops to Yafenon at a suitable time later.』
"What?"
Makal's expression was troubled.
"But Your Majesty, the Demon King's army is currently heading directly toward the capital..."
『Didn't this happen because Yafenon attacked the Saint's nation?』
The Saint's nation.
Makal, who had flinched, slightly raised his head as Lutan continued.
『It has been revealed that Iser's Empress was a Saint. Because you foolishly attacked Iser, that Saint has brought a coalition army and is staging a show of force all the way to Krata's southwest!』
Iser's Empress is a Saint?
Makal, who couldn't hide his bewilderment at the news, saw Lutan nod.
『To be babbling about sending troops in the midst of this, how far do you intend to displease me, Yafenon?』
Iser's Empress was a Saint, and now, with the Demon King's army on the way, she was keeping Krata from moving.
'Wh-what on earth is happening?'
He couldn't keep up with the situation. Makal had no choice but to open his mouth again to do what he could.
"Y-your Majesty, but if we lose Yafenon, it will hand the Demon King's army a direct bridgehead to cross into Krata. Please, for Krata's sake, give us aid..."
『Do you mean,』
At that, the voice Lutan made,
『that if I miss this opportunity, I will be defeated?』
Contained something that seemed not of this world.
"Th-that's..."
『I will take care of it myself.』
Lutan unilaterally informed Makal, who was stuttering in surprise.
『The Demon King's army will not last long in that land anyway.』
Thump.
The crystal ball's light went out.
Makal asked the priest who was dispatched to reconnect the forcibly cut connection, but he just shook his head with a troubled expression, saying it was in an unusable state.
"This, this is not good."
'They won't last long anyway.' Makal couldn't even understand what that meant.
"If Yafenon falls, Krata will be in danger too...!"
Just as Makal was shouting out of frustration and hitting the table.
"G-General Makal!"
He went outside at the adjutant's shout and moved to the city walls after hearing that the Demon King's army was coming.
"...This is impossible."
And what he saw was the former hero, Clay, leading the Demon King's army.
"So the rumors were really true."
While he was muttering in a daze, the Demon King's army advanced and climbed the city walls. Yafenon's soldiers fought back, but without the spells on their weapons, they were just dust left in the capital.
The mercenaries he had requested from the guild also hadn't gathered. They had left the capital in the opposite direction of the Demon King's army.
Seeing the city gate being breached and all the troops being swept away, Makal confronted the demon named Geshkapo, who was leading the vanguard of the Demon King's army.
He lost his weapon and grappled with him using his bare hands, but Makal was pressed down by Geshkapo's strength and fell to his knees.
"Kwahahak! This is strength, human!"
To Yafenon, who had based everything on strength, Geshkapo showed the true logic of strength. Makal screamed, feeling his arms being twisted.
In Makal's vision, Clay appeared. He, who would have rushed to resolve the situation faster than anyone when a human was in pain, was now walking slowly, as if such screams meant nothing.
"Makal."
He remembered Makal's name.
"This is the end of those who have no strength."
The hero who had told them that courage and determination were enough, even without strength, was now saying something more profound than Uthor ever did.
"Heh, heh-heh, heh-heh-heh!"
Makal looked at him and laughed. Unconsciously.
"I, I should apologize."
Makal, who barely managed to speak, still forced the words out even as his vision blurred.
"For everything that made even you say such things!"
That was the only last testament he could leave. Makal's vision soon turned black, erasing even Clay's silhouette.
"You wouldn't know."
In his fading consciousness, he heard Clay's voice.
"How many humans cannot even say those simple words."
It contained a sadness that should not be felt by one who had become an enemy of the world. It was then that Makal finally realized.
'That's right. The Demon King wasn't born from evil...'
As the city walls collapsed, his thoughts were cut short.
Part 2
"Everything happened as you predicted."
Krata's southwest border.
The commander of Krata's forces on the city wall shouted, looking at the Iser coalition army that had gathered and set up camp right in front of them.
"If this continues, a real war could break out!"
He couldn't hide his bewilderment.
Indeed, if the Iser coalition army continued its show of force, he didn't know how Krata's Emperor would react.
'Damn it, what on earth is this…'
Amidst the unbelievable event that Iser's Empress was a Saint, the Iser coalition army had arrived in front of Krata by taking a longer route, crossing through the nearby elven forests, without passing through Marfain, which occupied most of Krata's southwestern territory.
This was no ordinary matter, given that even the elves and the Blue Magic Tower had joined Iser.
"Go back!"
All the commander could do was keep shouting. The fact that they had come all the way to Krata's doorstep meant that Iser was also staking everything on this. Even a slight provocation could lead to an irreversible event.
"Don't you know what will happen if His Majesty the Emperor has to step forward! Please, please go back!"
At his plea, someone from the Iser coalition army stepped forward.
『We have only come to report the fact that Yafenon attacked us. We brought our forces because our lives were in danger.』
Using a magic amplifier provided by a mage from the Blue Magic Tower, Iser's Empress, Tia, spoke to the commander.
『If you can provide a solution for that, we will go back.』
"Ugh..."
The commander looked troubled.
After all, who would dare to demand such a thing from Krata's Emperor? Although there was the variable that she was a Saint, the commander couldn't make any judgments.
"A-a message from His Majesty the Emperor has arrived!"
Just then, a soldier ran up to the commander and relayed Lutan's words.
"He says not to confront the Iser coalition army and to send them back!"
"S-send them back?"
Wasn't that what he was already doing?
"And he says that since King Uthor of Yafenon has died and the capital is being attacked by the Demon King, there is no one left to be punished, and that we should tell them we will have a conversation later."
But at the following words, the commander's eyes widened.
"Wh-what did you say?"
King Uthor was dead, and Yafenon's capital was being attacked by the Demon King's army. One unbelievable event after another was happening.
"..."
The commander just looked dazed and couldn't say another word. Even if he were to relay the truth and tell the Iser coalition army to just go back, would they believe it?
Faced with such an absurd truth, the commander could only swallow dryly.
"You must relay the message!"
The soldier who had delivered Lutan's message shouted urgently.
"If you stall for more time, it will be dangerous! We must send them back quickly while His Majesty is showing a conciliatory attitude! Otherwise, we will be caught in the middle and die!"
At his desperate shout, the commander finally took a slow step forward.
And looking down at the Iser coalition army again, he parted his lips.
"I-I'm relaying this to the Iser Empress! King Uthor is dead, and Yafenon's capital is being attacked by the Demon King!"
He closed his eyes tightly and delivered the message.
"The target of punishment has disappeared, and the Holy Kingdom Alliance is being threatened by a new evil, so this is His Majesty Lutan's request for you to go back and wait for a time for dialogue!"
『...His Majesty Lutan's request?』
"That's right. So, please, go back!"
『Understood.』
He had prepared for them not to believe him.
But Tia replied easily, as if she already knew the facts.
"Yes?"
Leaving the bewildered commander behind, Tia shouted.
『We're going back! Everyone, get ready!』
And so, at Tia's command, everyone turned around.
Leaving the dazed Krata soldiers behind, Tia walked between Nael and Yelena and muttered.
"Clay, it seems you succeeded."
A small smile spread across her lips.