"... Okay."
If it's okay with you.
After roughly looking at Dan's outfit, Deon lowered his head and looked at his own outfit. There's no mirror, so he couldn't look at it properly, but the clothes Ed arranged looked neat at first glance. He inadvertently raised his hand to touch the clothes, but under Dan's stinging gaze, he slowly twitched his finger and lowered it.
Someone might say that he was sensitive to just one thing: clothes. But Deon, Dan, and even the Demon Lord knew.
The attire shown at official events has many meanings.
'So he must have dressed me like this.'
Even though he would not say a word, let alone spoke, and would only show his face, he was dressed in a black uniform with gold embroidery. Considering that the clothes he usually wore when standing in official positions in the Empire were white uniforms with gold thread embroidery, it can be said that this was an outfit with clear intentions.
For example, while nailing down the fact that Deon Hardt is in the Demon Lord's Army, it also contains the intention of provoking the Empire if they dug deeper into the human world.
In Dan's case, he wore very ordinary human clothes. It's not the luxurious clothes worn by nobles, but it's not shabby either, and it's neat, trustworthy, and appropriate.
Clothes that are too extravagant will make ordinary people feel distant, while clothes that are too shabby can be seen as a sign that the treatment received in the demon world is not good, so the middle line was probably chosen.
As he was just looking at the clothes with his eyes down, Ed spoke carefully.
"If you don't mind, I'll show you the mirror."
"No, it's okay. You know I don't look in the mirror."
He didn't like mirrors before, but after Cruel died, he stopped looking at them at all, so he knew that well.
When he had just become a warrior, everyone he met had a strong reaction, so he took a look at it out of curiosity... but he was disgusted.
Deon smiled roughly and waved his hand. He felt Dan's gaze, but he pretended not to notice and ignored it.
"Master."
"So you're ready? I think I'm ready, so let's get started right away."
"... As you wish."
He knew it wasn't a call in that sense. Nevertheless, Deon pretended not to notice and walked over to sit on a chair a little behind where Dan was standing.
As he sat up straight and looked around, he made eye contact with the Corps Commanders who were watching from a distance. He stared blankly at each person bowing, smiling, or waving, but then he turned his head back to its original position when he saw a sign approaching in this direction.
Dan, who passed him and stood on the podium, was grinning in his direction.
He put down a piece of paper on the table in front of him.
Was it a speech? That's not to say it's just one or two pieces at first glance. It's funny that a script is needed for a speech that won't last longer than 2 minutes at most, and it's a lot.
What on earth?
Whether or not Deon gave him a questioning look, Dan slowly raised his head. The endless black night sky, devoid of any sense of reality, filled his field of vision.
However, it is really difficult to forget your sense of reality and remain absorbed. He slowly closed and opened his eyes to sort out his emotions.
... Now then.
"Let's begin."
It's time to follow Master into the abyss.
Dan put his hand on the prepared magic stone. And.
A small light appeared a little distance away.
***
The Empire collapsed and the demonic invasion of the human world began in earnest.
The strongest defense wall of the human world must have collapsed. Contrary to expectations that they would be pushed helplessly by the powerful forces of the Demon King's Army and completely wiped out like grains in the fall, they were still holding on.
Paul, the second leader of the Revolutionary Army, thought.
'In times like these, it is the general public who suffers.'
The higher-ups are too busy focusing on the war to take care of the people. They take no care of the general public.
Otherwise, the Church of Salvation has collapsed and a very suspicious and bizarre religion called Demonism is expanding its territory at an alarming rate. It would be good to prevent that as well as inform about the Revolutionary Army.
It is about reaching out and grabbing public opinion, focusing on the status that is at the bottom but has the potential to be the largest. That will one day become a very powerful weapon.
'In order to do that, I have to cover that mouth first.'
Paul quietly stared at the screen floating in the air.
A man he had seen in the portrait posted with the report, who was unfamiliar but not a face he had never seen before, was showing his face on the screen. He knew who he was. He was the owner of the largest existing merchant in the human world and had ties to Deon Hardt. The name was... Dan.
'And the person sitting behind him...'
Paul, who inadvertently shifted his gaze, froze.
... Once it caught his eye, he couldn't take his eyes off it. The beauty is so overwhelming that he had to wonder if it was created with a halo using instantaneous magic.
Although his beauty was clearly beyond his taste, Paul frowned at the ominous feeling that instantly ran down his spine. The other person's name came out like a moan.
"... Deon Hardt."
With perfect timing, a man with white hair and red eyes smiled at the screen. As Paul was looking at his face as if fascinated, Dan opened his mouth with a simple greeting.
His opening words had quite ominous connotations.
"Everyone knows that heroes are born in the human world."
There's no way people don't know. Humanity, which is in crisis, has only one hope.
But why is that mentioned by him? From their perspective, it may not be a good topic to talk about.
"I'm sure many people are looking for a hero. People who claim to have some information power, including all levels of power, are probably doing their best to find him. But..."
The man on the screen laughed. The corners of his mouth turned up and a crooked smile appeared on his face. Paul's expression hardened at the obvious ridicule.
"Isn't it strange?"
He asked exaggeratedly, spreading his arms wide.
It looked like a play was taking place, but the sight drew attention again, and the gaze that seemed to be fixed on Deon Hardt shifted again until the screen turned off.
"So much manpower has been mobilized to search, so why can't we find the hero yet?"
Ah.
He thought he knew the cause of the ominousness. He thought he knew why the man named Dan said that.
His fingertips were shaking slightly. Despair reared its head.
Deon Hardt sat on one side of the screen, showing off a beauty that was on a different level than before. And Dan brought up a story about the hero.
"Do not worry. Because you're not incompetent. It's natural that you can't find him. Because the hero does not exist in the human world."
Is heaven truly trying to abandon humanity?
Otherwise, how could...
"Deon Hardt became the warrior."
How can the World make a choice like this? For a moment, the continent was immersed in heavy silence. Deon Hardt, on one side of the screen, crossed his legs and rested his chin on his elbows on his knees. A smiling figure with his eyes folded as if showing off was clearly transmitted on the screen.
Paul buried his face in his hands. The shock was so great that he lost sight of him this time.
There was a hero in the demon world who was the Demon King's only opponent. This means that he was on the same side as the Demon King, sitting in the position of Commander of the 0th Corps and General Commander, and was aiming the weapon called the Demon King's Army at the human world.
Is there any truth more cruel than this?
It wasn't until Dan's next statement that he came to his senses.
"Do you understand? In other words, it is only a matter of time before the Demon King's Army devours the human world."
... Oh, yeah. He was able to understand thanks to that statement.
This despair is what they intended. It will be just the groundwork for the next statement. They can't sway them to do what they want, so it's best to come to his senses quickly.
Didn't he prepare in advance for this moment?
"I'll say it again at this point."
"The state of readiness will remain the same."
"Yes. "It's perfect."
"Connect as soon as I give you the signal."
Do they really know?
That we were prepared in advance.
"The Demon World willingly accepts humans other than Deon Hardt. We guarantee your safety."
"... Now."
The small pores seen in despair will deceive many. It's difficult to create a situation where you have to be wary of your allies when even if you stick together.
At Paul's signal, control of the screen was transferred to this side.
From now on, he was the representative of humans. His attitude represented the human world and influenced public opinion of mankind, so be careful about managing your facial expressions. Even if you are anxious, don't seem anxious. Even if you are despairing, don't let anyone know.
The man, who had shed his boyishness and become a full-fledged young man, looked straight ahead with a proud face.
***
Control of the screen was taken away.
From behind, Dan could hear Deon Hardt standing up. He could hear the Corps Commanders muttering. He felt Deon's stinging gaze asking him to skip the introductory nonsense and just get to the point, but Dan calmly stared at the screen.
"How long will we have to repeat this meaningless conversation?"
It's the guy from last time.
The man who dared to call Deon Hardt a 'traitor to heaven who killed his own brother.'
By the third time, a new magic stone was immediately prepared, as if it had been prepared in advance. Instead of immediately opening a new screen, Dan looked at the man on the screen for a moment.
"Let me ask you this directly. What on earth should we trust and entrust our lives to in the demon world? It's the enemy."
Even the races are different. The war between the human world and the demon world has never been concluded. This is different from wars between countries on the continent, which have resulted in countless decisions and have many precedents recorded in history.
There is no way to overcome the fear of a situation where the hero is on the Demon King's side.
Maybe that's why he chose to fight back. By stimulating fear of the unknown, the possibility of someone turning to the demon world is minimized.
"It is not a fight between human beings. It is a struggle between one race and another. The fate of our race is shaken by our one choice. Our lives and the future of humanity are at stake. If you make the wrong choice, there is no chance to go back."
The voice gradually got louder. Only one voice rose as if piercing the sky.
"And the demon world willingly accepts humans? Yes, that could be possible. But can we dare to guarantee that there will be no discrimination?"
Dan glanced at the new magic stone placed next to the existing magic stone.
... There's no need to step forward just yet. Let's wait a little longer. If you listen, that statement will come up at least once.
"If you answer yes, I want to laugh at you. There can be no discrimination! If there is anyone who was swayed by those words even for a moment, I would like to tell you. Since when have we been so naive as to believe such nonsense? Even within the same human race, big and small discrimination exists right now!"
The guy clenched his fist and slammed it on the table. Like a fish in water, he moved his tongue smoothly and raised his voice.
"We discriminate against each other based on our status, our capital, and our appearance, skin color, and all kinds of tendencies! If the same mankind is like this, what about the demons who are more evil and unstoppable than humans and follow the principle of the law of the fittest? Moreover, there is a clear difference in appearance between demons and humans!"
There are no words about waiting, only words that are unfavorable to this side. At this point, it would be better to induce it directly. Even so, Dan placed his hand on the magic stone as he was getting piercing stares from all directions urging him to hurry up and not turn on the screen.
Dan's screen appeared next to Paul's screen.
"I really want to ask. How long are you going to be trapped by narrow-minded views?"
"..."
"Demons are evil? Since humans also discriminate among themselves, the demons will become even more so? Isn't that a view that views humans as too superior? Why do we view the tendencies of demons as being lower than those of humans, as if it were natural? On what basis?"
For now... this was okay.
Dan laughed as he felt Deon's harsh gaze.
Let's take care of the situation first. He let too much be said.