Chapter 213 – A Grand Plan!?

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“Your Majesty, please make a decision!”
“Answer Emperor Nordos’s summon! Allow us to fight the Demon King!”

The Toria royal palace was filled with armed nobles, who pleaded for the soldiers to be dispatched.
There were some commonly dressed people, who argued that restoration of the kingdom was still underway, and that they should wait a little longer, but they were in the minority.

I had Iria and the others wait near the entrance, and I walked to the throne.

And then I knelt before Ylis.

“Your Majesty, it has been some time.”
“Joshua… I am going to take a break. You can come with me.”

She said, and then we left the throne room and walked down a hallway to the resting room.

Ylis was accompanied by servants and guards, and I followed after them.

Then Ylis sat in a chair, and ordered the others to leave the room.

The door shut, and when we were alone, Ylis leaned forward onto the table with a loud slam.

“Ah… I am so tired.”
“…I can only imagine.”

Back in the Knights Order, she only had to think about fighting.

But now, she was a ruler. There was a mountain of work to do.

Ylis looked at me with an exhausted expression.

“But more importantly, that was fast… I knew you would come, but it’s only been a month since I sent the letter to Solm.”
“We came by air.”
“So the Tengu carried you?”
“No… Uh, we have a tool. But nevermind that.”

Ylis nodded.

“I did not expect Nordos III to declare war during such a time…”
“Was there anything strange happening? Has he become bad?”
“No… If anything, according to my spies, Nordos III has been preparing a great army for quite some time. And he had already led his men from the capital.”
“So it was right after the southern cities fell?”
“Probably…”

I had wondered if Kyuby was manipulating the emperor, but it seemed like he had already been planning to go south.

Besides, the emperor would be guarded like no other, and it would be difficult for even Kyuby to gain access to him.

“Leaving the empire’s nobles aside for now, what about the nobles in this country?”
“The potions you gave me. I used a few of them.”

The potions made of Ent leaves. They had returned Vince’s sanity.

“Those who are most vocal about fighting, and those who agree, in spite of being peaceful earlier… I mixed the potions in their drink and food. And yet, their attitude did not change. They all harbor their own hatred towards the Demon King, and everything they have said is true. Everyone in the kingdom feels the same.
“So there is no stopping this then.”

Ylis nodded.

“If anything, objecting now will make people suspicious that I am the one being controlled by the Demon King… The problem is, how many soldiers can I leave here. So that we can deal with this Kyuby that you talked about.”
“As for that, Solm is going to call Vince.”
“The high priest of the south temple… Yes, if he spoke, the nobles would listen. And we might be able to keep enough soldiers in the capital.”

Ylis’s expression relaxed a little.

However, my own face remained anxious, and Ylis looked puzzled.

“Is there something else that worries you? Well, there are other countries.”
“Something is happening behind the scenes… Yes, I am worried. Something seems wrong.”
“Wrong?”
“What if the purpose is not to gather the troops south, in order to cause chaos in the back…but to gather the troops to the south?”
“What do you mean?”

Ylis did not understand, and so I explained.

“The movements of the Demon King army are also strange. They have brought more soldiers to the south than ever before. And so they were able to take a number of southern cities… But now, they seem to have stalled.”
“I see…so, have those who are in his way, fight and die against humans… That’s a very roundabout way to work.”

Ylis paused for a moment.

“Or…it sounds horrible…but a great reduction of mouths to feed…”

Ylis suddenly smiled sadly.

“I-I’m sorry. You probably have no idea what I’m saying.”
“No… But regardless, it’s true that many people will die. Perhaps that…”

The Demon King was trying to use that?

Create something, and pay for it with life… Something that would make Kyuby and Yomotsu’s wishes come true.

In other words…bringing the dead back to life?

No, many people had already died. If it could be used, then surely it would have already. Perhaps you needed many people to die at the same time?

Sacrificing its subordinate monsters… Well, we had already seen the lack of unity within the army, so it would make sense to erase those who were rebellious. Perhaps it was more about cleaning up, rather than reducing mouths to feed.

In any case, it wasn’t impossible.

“Regardless, it will not be possible to stop the humans now… And the Demon King army will not draw back.”
“Yes. At this rate, I will have to lead the soldiers myself. The idea of leaving my country at such a time…”

Ylis let out a sigh. She really was anxious about it.

“If necessary, there is the ship we used to get here… It will allow you to go back and forth within a few days. Don’t worry.”
“Re-really?!”
“Aye. Of course, you will have to keep it a secret.”

Ylis’s face brightened.

“…Also, Ylis. There is one thing I want to ask you.”
“Ask me?”
“I want you to send a letter to the emperor and other kings and lords. Before the battle, gather them together in the south, and hold a feast.”
“In other words… The kings and lords…”

Hold them hostage. I could do that. However…

“Only in the worst case scenario. In the first place, if I did that, the human armies would attack Fendel. I just want to confirm that they are sane.”
“Very well. I will have the excuse of wanting to greet them as the new ruler. I am sure many people will gather for the feast.”
“Aye, thank you. Then I’ll return to Fendel for now, and find a good place for us to gather.”

Ylis nodded at that.

After that, Vince came to the palace.
Thanks to his words, the nobles agreed to leave enough soldiers in the city.
While they were in agreement that they should battle the Demon King army, the horror of the undead had not disappeared either.

Then I reunited with Solm, and we made our way back to Fendel.

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