“Since you went missing, the Royal Knights have fractured. Each wanted to find you in their own way.”
“Did no one think I was dead?”
“That’s right. More precisely, they probably didn’t want to accept your death.”
Hans listened to the details from Maquenis the Elder. It was certain they hadn’t accepted Hans’s death. However, the ways they wanted to look for him were all different.
For example, Cluna and Clara, the mother and daughter, thought they were kidnapped by demons and tried to invade the demon territory right away. Of course, the other members tried to stop them by any means.
But that turned into an emotional battle. Hearing that, Hans sighed. Yeah, he could understand enough. They disappeared suddenly, so such judgments could be made.
But to just storm in out of nowhere? And into the demon territory? Especially an elf mother and daughter? No matter how he looked at it, all he could think of was a bad ending. The elf mother and daughter who went missing.
After some time, a video tape arrived at home. Hans shook his head. The Elder wouldn’t just stand by and watch such a suicidal act.
“Elder, did you manage to stop that somehow?”
“I couldn’t have possibly stopped it.”
“What the hell. Are you out of your mind?”
Hans could only be enraged by the Elder’s trolling, someone he trusted. No matter how it was, to just stand by and let them do something almost suicidal? That was almost an accomplice to suicide.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to find them quickly.”
“It might be too late?”
“Shut up. That’s for me to decide.”
Hans’s boiling anger washed over Maquenis the Elder. Feeling the momentum from Hans right in front of him, Maquenis quietly looked at his hands, which were dripping with sweat.
‘What an incredible momentum. It’s like looking at a dragon.’
The position of the Elder among the elves was no easy feat to achieve. Only those who had lived the longest and dedicated the most to the elves could hold the title of Elder.
Yet, here was Maquenis the Elder being overwhelmed by a mere human. Who would believe such a thing? Not even the elves. Even humans would doubt it.
Such was the weight of the name Elder. But at the same time, it became a moment for the Elder to recognize Hans. Was he saying that he would personally take care of his member?
‘Though our goals are different, ultimately, he is a leader who brings us all together.’
Just like them. Willing to defy death. A person who moves forward without hesitation. That was the commander of the Royal Knights, Hans. How could he not acknowledge that?
‘Damn, it’s so frustrating. How can I cover this up with Time Stop?’
But naturally, Hans hadn’t considered his own death even a bit. Because of Time Stop. If used well, he wouldn’t die.
Besides, he had many other abilities now. But still, directly entering the demon territory was indeed nerve-wracking. Especially since he almost died before.
Particularly, the demon Zaiha was a person of concern. He hadn’t even appeared in the original story but was incredibly calm, strategic, and even exceptionally strong. Hans sighed.
“That’s the story so far.”
“Calm down. Am I just gonna watch?”
“Is that a threat?”
“Indeed. There are traitors among the demons.”
“Traitors? Among those demons?”
They were monsters who had consistently attempted to exterminate the continental people for centuries. Their hatred was described as strangely direct in the story. Yet now, they were betraying?
“That’s nonsense. Are you asking me to believe that?”
“I can’t expect you to, but it’s the truth.”
“How can you be sure of that?”
“Because we’ve been working with them for the past three years.”
“You’ve lost your mind. You’re completely insane.”
Hans’s reaction was completely understandable. They had fought for their lives until now. And now, they were shaking hands with those monsters? Was this the right thing? At least, Hans wanted to deny it.
“I won’t say I had no choice… It was just the most convenient and rational path. So, that’s the choice I made.”
“What are you saying?”
“In reality, without their help, the foundation of the racial alliance would probably have been shaken by now.”
“Is that so?”
“Your position in the racial alliance was, in fact, much higher than you can imagine. You are the only ones who could properly handle Blood Demons.”
What Maquenis the Elder said was true. Each Blood Demon could take on armies. How many could remain calm in the face of such overwhelming power?
So far, there had been insurance called the Royal Knights. It was the belief that the Royal Knights would somehow take care of things when the Blood Demons arrived. That was the shield for the racial alliance and, at the same time, their last line of defense.
But now that line had crumbled. The racial alliance was awakened. It now reminded them of how they had been pushed back and brought to the brink of death over and over. It was a terrible trauma.
“Sudden news of your death paralyzed rational judgment. The fear that Blood Demons could arrive at any moment. That fear has been built over centuries.”
“So, that’s why you allied with them?”
“That’s correct. And above all… thanks to our cooperation, the barrier has broken, and some balance is being maintained.”
“Tsk.”
Hans had no choice but to acknowledge what Maquenis the Elder said. If there was a barrier, it might be fine, but now that it had been destroyed, they needed the help of those demons to maintain the racial alliance.
Of course, they didn’t fully trust them. While they each had their perspectives, in the end, it had become a deadly partnership. Hans shook his head vigorously.
“So, what’s the name of the demon leading them?”
“He introduced himself as Revel. I don’t know if that’s the real name.”
“Revel?!”
“Do you know him?”
Hearing a name he never expected, Hans shot up from his seat. Maquenis the Elder, puzzled by his sudden reaction, asked him. However, Hans couldn’t not know.
How could he not know?
The name of the final boss from the game.
*
Anti-Demon Alliance.
It refers to the new unified force of demons led by Revel. The traitorous races that had been despised by the Blood Demons until now. They gathered low-level monsters like Doppelgangers and formed an alliance.
Revel called them the Anti-Demon Alliance. The name meant to rebel against the Blood Demons, and at the same time, it was a self-deprecating term. Revel sighed.
Three years ago, the arm that had been severed by the Queen’s monster still ached. Well, I guess it’s lucky to be alive after all. Revel thought positively and re-evaluated the situation.
Three years ago, when Revel had escaped from Zaiha and led the Anti-Demon Alliance to contact the racial alliance. There had been all sorts of friction, and that was still the case today. But the expectations hadn’t changed.
“Thank you for your help back then, Guardian of the Forest.”
“I’m glad you didn’t call me by name.”
“I told you not to use my name. You should listen.”
Revel grinned slyly as he looked at the woman before him. The Guardian of the Forest, the representative of the Guardians, and the legendary hero of the racial alliance who had helped the first hero save the world.
Cluna was a name even Revel, a demon, had heard of at least once. She never expected that she would collaborate with demons like them. No matter how much betrayal had occurred, demons were the arch-nemesis.
In reality, Cluna didn’t take a cooperative stance with the Anti-Demon Alliance. It felt more like she was helping begrudgingly. It didn’t matter to her. She thought as long as the outcome was good, everything was fine.
And it indeed turned out that way. Thus, they couldn’t afford to upset the feelings of Cluna and Clara. Of course, they were in a win-win situation, but they weren’t rational.
‘If things go wrong, they would gladly leave this place.’
Logically, they shouldn’t act that way. No matter who they were, wandering alone in the demon territory was close to suicide. However, they would do that.
Having the option to reject even the collaboration with the Anti-Demon Alliance was almost bordering on madness. Or perhaps, were they seeking their own death? Revel shook his head. Not just yet.
The racial alliance was passive in supporting the Anti-Demon Alliance, and the Blood Demons were trying to suppress internal enemies. Without her, maintaining the Anti-Demon Alliance would be nearly impossible.
‘Therefore, I need to cater to them as much as possible.’
It wasn’t a lie in the first place. Logically, if the corpse hadn’t been discovered, the possibility of being kidnapped was very high. Of course, even if kidnapping had occurred, the chances of survival were, well…
Revel didn’t feel the need to mention that fact.
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