68
A dark crimson vortex swirled in the air. All sorts of small stones and dust flew around, and people ran here and there, screaming.
“Kyaaak! It’s an earthquake!”
“Everyone, evacuate!”
“Wha- What on earth is that in the sky?!”
Was this really the Imperial Palace? Nobles and servants alike, everyone was terrified and crying out.
[Surely the Descent Ritual hasn’t begun already… ?]
I could feel the body of Bled, who was in my chest pocket, trembling all over.
The wound in the sky, and the ominous energy that began to flow from it, poured out so terribly that it made one’s fingertips tingle.
“Grand Duke, when did that appear?”
Kaiden frowned and replied.
“Just now. I don’t know what on earth that ominous thing is.”
“Just now” meant right after the Crown Prince and the Archmage had come for my audience.
I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them. I had to focus. I was running out of time to explain to Kaiden.
“Grand Duke, this is information I heard from an anonymous informant.”
“What is it?”
“Let’s hear it while we move.”
I ran toward the center of the ominous energy and relayed the story Bled had told me as quickly as possible.
“What? The Archmage is a high-ranking demon and his goal is to bring down the Demon King?”
“Yes. The anonymous informant himself said it was a guess, but looking at the current situation, it might be true.”
“My God….”
“The Demon King is like the god of the demons and monsters. Anyway, what’s certain is that we have to stop that ominous energy right now.”
“It seems so.”
Any living creature on this land must have instinctively felt it. If we can’t stop that, we will all die. We had to stop that wound in the sky somehow before it got any bigger.
Kaiden stopped moving. I matched his pace. The ominous energy was pouring out from inside the Diamond Palace. It was right beneath the wound in the sky.
With a tense expression, I hid behind a nearby landscape tree and whispered.
“Hoo, I can feel the energy condensed inside. What on earth is all this… Shall we go in now?”
“By the way, Marion.”
“Yes?”
“Who is the anonymous informant? How does he know all this?”
I was flustered. I could feel Bled flinching and trembling in my pocket, perhaps also flustered.
“…If I tell the Grand Duke, he won’t be anonymous anymore.”
“You can’t even tell me…?”
I could feel Kaiden’s discomfort subtly rising. He asked with a sharp gaze.
“Is it a man?”
“Uh…”
As I failed to answer and rolled my eyes, Bled quickly whispered.
[Well, he is a male entity.]
“He says he is…”
But did the gender of a dragon even matter to a human?
“Who is it? Is the information reliable? What’s the proof?”
As Kaiden pressed me, I couldn’t speak properly, unable to explain even though I wanted to.
“No! I mean… Ah, that…”
How was I supposed to explain a dragon that wasn’t even visible? I ultimately chose to postpone it.
“That’s not what’s important right now! Can’t we stop that thing that clearly looks ominous first and then talk?”
Kaiden narrowed his eyes.
“…I understand for now. I will ask again later. Let’s go.”
[Whew, did he let it go?]
“……”
He let it go, but I don’t know why I was so afraid of the aftermath. I followed behind Kaiden with an uneasy feeling.
As we moved, I immediately gripped the sword I had obtained from an unnamed knight. Kaiden slightly opened the small door of the Diamond Palace.
Cautiously stepping inside, I saw a statue of the Goddess descending from the ceiling and people confronting each other beneath it.
I saw the backs of Lucas and Stella. On the opposite side, I saw the Crown Prince and Genba, the Archmage’s direct mage, belonging to Princess Caroline.
Behind them, the Archmage was casting some kind of spell right under the Goddess statue.
“What on earth are you doing, Brother!”
Lucas, who had his sword pointed, shouted at the Crown Prince.
“All of this is for His Eminence.”
The Crown Prince replied like a doll with vacant eyes.
They didn’t seem to have noticed that we had entered yet.
Kaiden and I crouched down and quickly moved, using the large pillars as cover. It would be difficult for ordinary people to immediately notice the movements of a Swordmaster.
Kaiden whispered to me.
“Marion. Look at the Archmage’s feet.”
Feet? I lowered my gaze and saw a round magic circle drawn near the Archmage. Unidentified objects were placed in between the edges.
And right in the middle of the magic circle, a person who should not be there was lying down.
I muttered in a stunned voice.
“…The Emperor?”
“The Emperor is dead.”
Kaiden confirmed it. The Emperor was lying in the middle of the magic circle, bleeding from the corner of his mouth. Like a sacrifice.
“Your Majesty is your father and mine!”
Lucas let out a desperate scream. However, his voice did not seem to reach the Crown Prince.
“Everything is for His Eminence.”
“Snap out of it, Brother!”
“Your Highness. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has lost his reason. We must get out of here and save the people.”
The Crown Prince, who only recited like a doll, Lucas shouting at him, and Saintess Stella, revealing the truth. It was a fraught situation.
Just then, my eyes met Genba’s.
“The- The Riffraff and the Grand Duke?!”
Stella turned around. She was just shedding tears. There was no more time to waste. I gripped my sword tightly and quickly muttered.
“Grand Duke. Let’s use a diversion tactic.”
“Yes. I will strike the Archmage immediately, and you will check Genba…”
Just then, the Archmage raised both arms high and shouted.
“Great King of Monsters! King of Demons! Annihilate all the humans in this land and create our world! True King!”
We were one step too late.
An immense energy pressed down on us.
It was a terrifying energy that even Kaiden and I couldn’t withstand. The other people had already fallen over, and I endured it by kneeling on one knee.
The entire Diamond Palace shook. There was vibration, the air became heavy, and a dull sound resonated.
After a long while, the sound and vibration suddenly ceased.
It was silent.
Kaiden had embraced me at some point. I focused on the Goddess statue visible through Kaiden’s arms.
Cracks began to appear on the statue, and soon a chaeng sound of shattering echoed. Fragments scattered everywhere.
A man with long black hair emerged from within. His bloodless skin and sculpted features, which did not feel human, inspired awe.
As he slowly lifted his eyelids, crimson eyes were revealed.
“Aah… Aah…! Demon King…!”
The Archmage trembled all over with excitement and joy.
I was not as joyful as him, but my body was trembling. It was because every single cell in my body was screaming in fear of the overwhelming presence.
The being looking down upon everyone here, with his black hair and black robes fluttering in the air, was clearly no ordinary person to anyone who saw him.
He was a god.
“Feles.”
When the Demon King opened his mouth, the air vibrated and tingled. He spoke just like us, but his voice felt like it was echoing inside the brain.
The Archmage knelt and knocked his head on the ground, shouting.
“Demon King…! Yes, I am Feles, your eternal servant, Demon King!”
The Demon King briefly looked around. Our eyes met for a short moment. He slowly descended to the ground.
“It is the palace of humans. What is your reason for calling me here? Give me a proper reason.”
It sounded like a warning to be prepared if there was no justifiable reason.
His voice, which had been echoing in my brain, subsided. The terrifying energy he was emitting also waned. I realized that he was being considerate of the humans present.
The Archmage suddenly raised his head.
“I have been searching for you for a long time, Demon King. During the past twenty years of your absence, the order of the demons and monsters has been disrupted, and humans have dared to infringe upon our authority!”
The Demon King asked with emotionless eyes.
“And so?”
“Demon King, please take care of us again…!”
The Archmage desperately knocked his head on the ground. He looked pitiful.
Silence descended upon the Diamond Palace for a moment. I rolled my eyes and examined the people.
Lucas was holding and protecting Stella, the Crown Prince had already fainted, and Genba was knocking his head on the ground just like the Archmage.
Kaiden tightly gripped my shoulder and pulled me closer into his embrace. I bit my lip. Kaiden must have felt it too.
That our power could not even compare to the Demon King’s toes.
The Demon King slowly opened his mouth.
“My daughter.”
☆▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎☆
Aha ahahhha i wasn’t expecting that😂😂😂😂😂
