Charles, Lishe, and Lars’ expedition against the Demon King was surprisingly easy.
Two heroes.
And even the saint who knows all the strategies?
Ambushed, Mephist was turned into Me/Phi/St before the party even entered the workshop. The reason for the quartering? Charles, Lishe, and Tanya each took a swing with their sword.
“Is this it? Really? We actually achieved something? Hooray!”
Ambrosia began to hop around but gagged upon seeing Mephist’s corpse.
Including Valen and Suma, the seven immediately went into retreat mode.
They crawled back down through the cracks in the wall to escape. They looked more like an infiltration assassination team rather than a hero party. Moments later, the Demon King Castle steadily collapsed.
However, the hero party, now joined by the teleport unit, discovered a critical problem.
“The gate isn’t working? What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. It’s the same for all units. It seems the gate at headquarters is broken…”
While they could move within the Demon Realm, there was no connection to any gates in the Empire.
In the end, the hero party had to jump and escape the Demon Realm with the teleport unit. During that process, they clashed with the Demon Race and fought two more battles.
Only after barely crossing into the Middle Realm could they finally catch their breath. As supplies were running low, they had to eat some bizarre plants and demons that they didn’t even recognize.
“I’ve never encountered this pattern before. The teleport gate has never broken down.”
“I know, right?”
Lars and Charles speculated on the cause but found no confidence in any hypothesis.
―――――――――――
No. 042: Hero’s Last Stand ??%
No. 077: Incarnation of Jealousy ??%
―――――――――――
Only two bad endings remained.
They had to defeat the Demon King to put an end to all this.
Lars was bothered by the strange numbers.
The words used by the teleport unit were all dead long ago. Walking from the Demon Realm to the human world would take over a year.
It was a long journey.
Without being able to contact headquarters, they had no choice but to press on.
“Over here, Teacher.”
On the rugged mountain path, Lishe held Lars’ hand.
Thanks to her support, Lars wiped the sweat off his forehead after descending the rocky mountain. He really wasn’t comfortable with physical labor.
“If you’re struggling, I can carry you a little? I still have energy left.”
“Oh, will that be alright? Then I might take you up on that.”
Lars tried to cling on playfully, but Charles interrupted the two.
“Hey, you’ve been holding hands with her this whole time. This isn’t a one-on-one.”
“But, but sister…”
Lishe pouted her lips in discontent.
“Sister kissed brother….”
“Ahem, look, there’s a wild boar. Should we eat that for dinner?”
Charles awkwardly changed the subject.
Lars shrugged.
“Did it bother you? Then should Lishe join in too?”
“Uh, not in this mood…!”
“I know. It was a joke. I’ll do it properly later.”
Lars gently caressed Lishe’s cheek and fixed her ribbon.
Lishe quickly cheered up and smiled shyly.
“But I’m really exhausted. Someone has to carry me.”
“Understood. I’ll carry you.”
Unable to bear the sight of their flirtation, Tanya stepped in, prompting both Lishe and Charles to rush at Lars simultaneously. At this rate, they’d end up losing everything.
“Oh my, look at the Saint.”
“To have both Heroes ride on horseback….”
“Indeed, their caliber is different.”
A few days later, Lars moved with a majestic riding posture.
*
The relatively peaceful return journey was finally coming to an end.
“Look over there!”
“Oh my gosh, human traces!”
“We survived!”
The Demon King Expedition had nearly reached the human realm. Before them stood the western walls of the kingdom.
The kingdom, having spotted them, galloped over on horseback to greet them. The Hero party could finally rest on a bed after a year and three months.
The next day, upon hearing the news, Princess Persiya immediately sought out Lars. She brought unexpected news.
“You mean the allied forces haven’t disbanded yet?”
The war with the Demon Realm had ended. The disoriented allied forces should have been in the process of disbanding.
It wasn’t even the reason for searching for them. But then, why?
“The war is not over yet.”
“No way.”
Charles’s face stiffened. Lars could already predict what had happened in the human realm.
“The Empire of Empress Acella von Württemberg is invading all countries.”
Lars realized how complacent he had been.
The last remaining bad ending on the list, [Incarnation of Jealousy].
A woman who will realize even the tiniest possibility, that was Acella, wasn’t it?
“Lars.”
“Big brother.”
Charles and Lishe quickly came to an agreement.
Lars immediately rented a carriage and headed towards the Empire, beyond the Sisyphus Mountain range into the Duke’s territory.
“Are you the Heroes and the Saint?”
Lars had led the allied forces.
The duke, who had fortified the empire’s knights, opened the gates upon seeing Lars.
“Our family was loyal to the late Emperor, but not to the current Empress. I cannot draw my sword against the Saint whom I have a long-standing connection with. Please restore the imperial banner to its rightful place.”
The duke easily paved the way. He knew it would be considered treason, but the future of the Empire mattered more.
Even after passing several more territories, the responses remained the same. It seemed there was only Acella yearning for this war within the Empire.
“Lars, I’ve received a secret letter from the Imperial Family.”
Charles received the communication sphere to gauge the situation in the Imperial Family.
I understood the situation.
While the Hero Party embarked on their expedition, the Emperor’s condition worsened until he passed away, and the next day Acella immediately raised an army to seize the imperial crown.
George and Lau fled outside the palace, but Heike continued to besiege Mokhwi Palace for over a year.
For some unknown reason, Acella destroyed the teleport gate without holding a coronation ceremony. After that, as soon as the Demon King’s army retreated, she declared war.
Lars could not comprehend her motives at all.
It’s not like she intended to destroy the world as in previous episodes, nor did she act to consolidate power as the Emperor. Even the Empire’s nobility had turned their backs.
“Lars, what do you think Acella is planning…?”
Lars hesitated to respond to Charles’ question.
She was different from the Empress Acella he had known before.
A complex mixed feeling that couldn’t be explained in words tormented him.
“For now, I plan to talk.”
That was the conclusion he reached.
“What if the conversation doesn’t go well?”
“It will go well. She’s a Royal Princess, after all.”
Lishe said with a confident look.
Charles chuckled and nodded.
“Yeah. It will be fine.”
Lars looked back and forth between the two and recalled one fact.
“The secret of having two Heroes was kept until we moved to the Demon Realm.”
“Oh, was it?”
“Yeah, Acella doesn’t know about your existence, Charles.”
He snapped his fingers.
“Let’s get some insurance.”
*
The Hero Party was entering the palace.
However, the atmosphere was significantly different from when they left.
Dark clouds loomed ominously, and the cawing of crows seemed to herald the end.
The party arrived at the Imperial Palace, where the Emperor would be.
Led by the Commander of the Knights, heavily armed knights blocked Lars’s way. He recognized the man. He was the one who had been loyal to Acella since Moonlight Palace.
“Commander, do we really need to see blood? Following Acella will lead only to the Empire’s destruction.”
With a click, the Commander drew his sword.
“That is the way of the knight.”
With a roar, the knights charged in, and combat began. The allied forces immediately responded.
Lars cast Divine Power on the ground. Pure white divine energy spread like a dome. Taking advantage of the lack of injuries, he leaped into the battlefield where swords clashed.
“Brother, over here!”
Lishe cleared a path. They swiftly entered the palace.
At that moment, a chill swept over Lars, making his shoulders shudder. It was so cold that white breath escaped his mouth.
It was obvious who was ahead without even needing to see.
The inside of the palace looked filthy, as if it hadn’t been cleaned in ages.
There were no guards, not even a single rat, as they walked down the quiet, dark corridor.
After passing through several heavy doors, Lars finally reached the audience hall.
With a creak, the heavy decorative door opened.
“You’re late.”
At the top of the high stairs, Acella sat cross-legged on her icy throne and said softly.
Her platinum hair, whitened to the core, danced lightly in the breeze that sneaked in through the shattered window.
“Royal Princess.”
“It should be Your Majesty. I haven’t had my coronation yet.”
“What have you gotten your hands into?”
Lars’s serious gaze seemed ready to pierce through Acella at any moment.
In truth, his eyes were seeing beyond Acella’s exterior through spirit magic.
Acella’s soul.
Cracks were all over, and the heart that formed the essence of her mana was painted black.
She merely smirked and remained silent.
Lars felt a simmering anger that he had kept hidden for some time beginning to resurface at her attitude.
“Why would you do such a thing? The Royal Princess I knew wouldn’t be a tyrant, even if she wasn’t a virtuous ruler. She wouldn’t make foolish decisions that wouldn’t even benefit her.”
“So it seemed.”
Acella dropped her gaze, filled with regret.
If only she had received that acknowledgment a bit sooner.
“I couldn’t accept failure, Lars.”
“Failure, you say?”
“Actually, I haven’t failed yet.”
—Swoosh!
A magic circle was drawn abruptly behind Acella.
The number was seven.
It was a seventh-tier magic.
“Now we’re all alone up here in my workshop, aren’t we?”
“What do you mean?”
“If I had sent you back safely, you would have left with the Hero. You would have become the hero of the continent, of the allied forces. This situation required chaos.”
“What do you mean… You seized the throne and started a war just for such a reason?”
“It’s not just ‘such a reason,’ Lars.”
The magic circle began to spin.
The seventh-tier magic, which could be called the ultimate of human history, was being cast.
“You are my everything.”
—Boom!!
A huge tremor crashed over Lars.
Acella had summoned something.
If she had continuously employed her powerful magic through some method, and if she already knew this present that is the future from the past…
It meant that this entire situation was staged by Acella.
Tap, tap.
Acella slowly descended the stairs.
She reached out her hand toward Lars.
On her ring finger, a ring still remained.
“Let’s go together, Lars. Just the two of us.”
When Lars couldn’t respond to her voice filled with madness,
“It can’t be just the two of us.”
—Slash!
The trajectory of the Holy Sword cut through Acella’s magic circle.
“If you’re going, go alone.”
Charles’s cold declaration fell upon Acella’s head like despair.
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