A screen appeared in the sky. This was already the third time.
For a moment, the high-ranking officials of each country stiffened their expressions and moved their troops as soon as they saw the face of the man on the screen.
The destination was the Dan Guild.
It was a quick action that they were able to take because they had always had his face in the back of their minds from the moment he found out that Dan and Deon Hardt had a relationship.
'The fact that he showed himself so openly...'
'Does this mean that he is abandoning or withdrawing from the guild that was operating in the human world?'
The Dan Guild was the largest guild in the human world. Since it was a near-monopoly system, if it were to withdraw, the damage would be severe in many ways. The monarchs' faces turned cold.
Even though they knew it would be poison, they left it alone because it was necessary. If you don't use the guild, you will immediately face many inconveniences and difficulties. They made a hole in the chest to make it easier to breathe, and used another poison to prevent the poison from spreading until an antidote was found.
And now, before an antidote could be found, the poison exploded.
How devastated they felt when they heard the report from the soldiers at each branch and even the headquarters that everyone had already left when they arrived. When told that they left without leaving a single herb, some people couldn't overcome their mixed emotions and wiped their faces.
And in the war of words that followed Dan's remarks and the Revolutionary Army leader's intrusion...
"Deon Hardt is the warrior."
The King of Rweche muttered softly. Although it must have been quite shocking news for humanity, he remained calm.
That's because he was not interested.
It's amazing, but that's it. One day, while grieving over the death of his younger brother, he remembered wishing for Deon Hardt to become a warrior and take revenge on the Emperor on his behalf, and he made a subtle expression, but that was only for a moment, and he soon calmed down and organized his thoughts.
'It's a little disappointing that the Dan Guild withdrew... but it wasn't a significant blow.'
It was a shame to lose a useful errand boy and a convenient channel for money to come in, but there was no harm. In the first place, Rweche was a country rich in materials and was self-sufficient.
'The death of Cruel Hardt...'
He heard that he and Deon Hardt were not on good terms. Was that not true?
Rumors that they weren't getting along didn't just arise; it seemed like it was a love-hate relationship of sorts. A relationship of hate, but not to the point of wishing for death, and rather wants to protect with their lives in the face of death.
The King of Rweche, who was recalling the sentiment of unique brotherhood, suddenly remembered his younger brother, who had already passed away, and gently tightened his chin. His thoughts continued slowly.
'... It's a shame.'
Did he say the Duke killed him?
It was easy to understand the situation as word suddenly emerged that the culprit was the Duke.
The Duke of the Empire was the Emperor's biggest internal enemy at the time, and Cruel Hardt was the man under him.
There's no way a person of the Duke's caliber would throw away a useful weapon just because of emotions, so this would have been a murder out of necessity, not emotion.
'In the world of nobles, it's called 'murder by necessity'... it's obvious.'
The two brothers became embroiled in a political fight.
Now he understood that Deon Hardt sided with the demon world and aimed at the Empire as his top priority. That would have been the best way to respect his brother's will for sending him to the demon world and at the same time take revenge on the Duke.
Cruel Hardt's death, unlike other deaths, was a sacrificial form of death intended to save one person. He thought he even witnessed this himself, but he never thought he would use his reason and make the best choice in that situation. He was sure he must have been out of his mind.
The King of Rweche let out a long sigh.
'Of course, I have no intention of defending him apart from admiration or regret.'
Too many people were sacrificed just for revenge. The results of his actions were too gruesome to be admired and Deon Hardt's sins were too great to be pitied, so the king neatly summed up his human feelings toward Deon Hardt.
No matter what happens, the most important conclusion does not change in the end.
'We don't get involved in the war, we just focus on internal operations.'
Unless Rweche steps forward and does something special, the demon world will place Rweche last in its conquest of the human world. It was a kind of example to show what benefits are given to a kingdom that operates as the demon world wishes.
So until then, quietly reinforce military capabilities. So that when the demon world turns its attention to this area, they will not be easily defeated. Beyond simple reinforcement, it would be better to create a hand that can bring the opponent to the negotiation table.
"The Empire is going to suffer quite a bit."
Even so, one of the major kingdoms was insisting on not participating in the war in a critical situation due to weakened military power. The King laughed bitterly.
In addition to military power, the owner of the throne changed and the Capital changed. Since the Duke, who was another center of power along with the former Emperor Eduardo Desert, has died, the power structure must also be in chaos.
Unless Eduardo Desert was revived, would the young royal family be able to overcome this situation that will be difficult to control?
"Still, I guess it's a good thing that Rweche won't join the demon world."
That doesn't mean they'll be grateful, though.
Rweche did not return to the demon world. It wasn't just because of the promise he made to the upright knight of the Empire on the day he lost his brother. The king no longer had any ill feelings toward the Empire.
Because he heard how the Emperor died.
Content that makes the listener fall silent even for a moment. Even though he heard about it through reports rather than seeing it in person, he was overwhelmed by its contents. It was an inevitable story.
'I keep feeling sorry for my younger brother.'
It's not that he had become numb to his younger brother's death. As time passed, he acknowledged the empty space and resigned himself to it, but the memories still occupied the largest space in his mind and the emotions were also vivid.
However, regardless of personal feelings, the Emperor's death burned as splendidly as his actions to the end.
Everyone had no choice but to acknowledge it and show respect.
So, he will settle his grudge against his brother's death in exchange for his death, so he no longer exists in this world.
It means that he will no longer resent the Empire. In other words, not only will there be no way for Rweche to interfere with the Empire led by his nephew, but it was not entirely impossible for them to join hands again if the situation or mind changes and the need arises, even if it is just one chance.
'Even so, it seems like there are a lot of things that he carried alone when he died, so even if you added one more thing to it, it wouldn't be noticeable.'
You take it all with you and go. I'll beat you up with that.
Perhaps Eduardo Desert would gladly accept it.
Therefore, the King of Rweche unilaterally announced the deal to those who would not hear, neatly settling his resentment against the Empire.
***
And there was a vassal state that the King of Rweche could not pay attention to.
Even if it wasn't, it was a small kingdom that was overlooked due to lack of presence, disappointment over various issues, and focus on strengthening its internal stability.
"Deon Hardt is a warrior..."
The King of the Taehon Kingdom closed his eyes tightly.
After all, among all those many, many people, it was Deon Hardt. It looks like the world is about to be destroyed. And did he say Stve Illuster? Why did the Duke do what he did?
Wasn't that why Deon Hardt went to the demon world?
After expressing his resentment towards the Duke, whose face he did not even know, the King calmly gathered his emotions for a moment and looked down at his desk.
'Since the main forces of both sides have changed, we will have to recalculate.'
He placed a pen on either side of a white stone and a black stone and moved his hand.
A large white stone was moved toward the black stone. He sighed as he looked at it next to the large black stone. A sigh came out of his mouth.
"What should we do from now on..."
As the Taehon Kingdom is a very small and weak kingdom, its king has to be more intelligent than anyone else to protect the country, and in fact, that is how he survived.
It was natural that tightrope walking also falls into that category, the King of Taehon thought.
'Can Rweche truly protect this kingdom in a situation where even the warrior is on the side of the demon world?'
The conclusion came quickly.
'It's impossible.'
He thought about it again and again, but the answer was the same. It's impossible.
Even though the demon world was not attacking Rweche right now, that does not mean that it will not attack in the future, just that it has been postponed to a later priority.
Moreover, if they do not cooperate with other kingdoms like this, it will only be a matter of time before Shanguk and the Empire, which are priority ones, collapse. If that happens, Rweche, which is next in line, will also fall like dominoes. There would be nothing to say about the Taehon Kingdom that belongs there.
'So I have to judge.'
Will they join or reject the demon world?
Before making a decision, he read enough information about demons written in ancient books and other books. Demons were defined as 'evil'. It was difficult to believe it as it was because it was an extremely biased view.
So he recalled the time when the border with the demon world was discovered here in the Kingdom of Taehon. A time when demons who hid their identities often came and went.
He remembered that there were minor crimes such as stealing, but there were no serious crimes such as murder. On the contrary, they seemed foolish... or even naive, unable to properly hide their identity. Of course, since they are only part of the demon race, it is impossible to judge the whole by only looking at fragments, but...
"... I have decided."
After much deliberation, the King made a decision.
***
If even Rweche, which has only one vassal state, is unable to properly control the signs of betrayal, what about Shanguk, which has several vassal states?
Because of this incident, Shanguk almost had to watch with open eyes as the vassal states it brought in were transformed into a poison. If that had been the case, the damage would have been severe, including wasting troops on surveillance from the inside in case of possible betrayal.
If it weren't for the talented tactician hired recently, they might have been caught with both eyes open.
But.
There was something Saerin said when she looked around the situation in the country as soon as she came in as a bookkeeper.
'The State of Shan brought in too many vassals. This is dangerous. If you have trampled and conquered it so completely that they cannot even recover, the achievements achieved through persuasion will easily be destroyed by the persuasion of others. It may be okay for now, but it may become an internal nuisance one day.'
'Then what should we do?'
'I have one thing in mind... but it may sound a bit absurd. No, it would definitely be absurd. Still, I want you to trust me and listen to me... Will you listen?'
'Tell me first.'
Yeonhwa, the King of Shanguk, who was reminiscing, looked back at Saerin, who was standing on one side.
The screen rose into the sky and the Dan Guild withdrew. In particular, it was natural that Shanguk, which depended on the Dan Guild, would take a big hit. Nevertheless, that was all, and the words of the man on the screen had no great effect. Thanks to having a capable strategist, Shanguk was able to suppress the transformation of a vassal state into a poison.
"Thank you. Thanks to you, we were able to reduce unnecessary waste of troops."
Saerin, who came to Shanguk on her own and rose to the position of the king's counselor with only her abilities, smiled softly.
"It's impossible not to be completely unaffected, but this could make them hesitate to betray to some extent."
"Yes. You are also very unique. How did you come up with the idea to turn the king of a country into a 'God'?"
"When you say 'God,' it's unfamiliar, but if you get to know it, it's nothing new. Originally, the people praised and followed the Holy Prince, right? I just helped express it a little more actively."
The method she took to prevent betrayal by her vassals was truly unconventional.
No one could have thought of it, and even if they had, they would have dismissed it as a ridiculous idea and never attempted it.
'There is something that many people in power overlook: public sentiment is the will of heaven. The leaders are a minority and the people are the majority. The reason a minority can stand above the majority is because there was the tacit permission of the majority, so what you need to control is not the leadership, but the public sentiment below.'
Saerin turned the entire country, including the vassals, into fanatics who followed only one king.