Volume 10, Chapter 33 – The Former Emperor’s Deal and Adonis’s Preparations

“Your Majesty, please suspend today’s itinerary! It’s too dangerous!”

“If I cancel my plans just because of a demon’s sneak attack, wouldn’t that make it seem like I fear them? Not only will I not cancel my plans, but I must also appear before my subjects with a grand display. Bradley, my mind is made up. You don’t need to persuade me any further, or I’ll have Bayldes send you back to the royal capital.”

“Lord Prime Minister, please stop trying to persuade His Majesty. Otherwise, you’ll put me in a difficult position…”

As the carriage swayed from side to side, Adonis, Bradley, and Bayldes, who were seated inside, bounced up and down. Although Adonis had placed a thick, soft cushion under her to reduce the impact from the bumps, this was ultimately not the pseudo-suspension system Yisi had installed on her carriage. Any jolt from the carriage was easily transmitted to those sitting inside.

Bradley frowned.

“But Your Majesty, after what happened today, are we still proceeding with the negotiations with that side tomorrow?”

“…”

Adonis fell silent.

Although the demons’ appearance today hadn’t caused many casualties, when combined with the rebel attack two days prior, it would give the populace the impression that she was constantly under attack. This was not a good thing. Furthermore, there was a vast difference in strength between humans and demons. If the demons ambushed her again during the negotiations tomorrow and she was injured, her image in the eyes of the people would crumble. While it would be easy to recover, this feeling of having the initiative seized by others was infuriating.

“Tsk,” she clicked her tongue and looked at Bayldes. “Any word from Carl?”

Rеаԁ οո KαtRеαԁіոɡСαfе

“Yes. While nothing is conclusive, we are certain these lesser demons were not brought into the city by greater or intermediate demons, but entered through other means. Combined with the intelligence from Liede City, this group of lesser demons likely came from demon worshippers. They are using a type of cursed, gray short blade to summon lesser demons.”

“But a greater demon also appeared this time.”

“That… General Carl is still investigating.”

“A pack of lunatics.” Bradley’s voice held a hidden anger, but he then seemed to recall something and sighed helplessly. “The former emperor truly made the wrong decision back then. No matter how dire the crisis, he should never have agreed to let the demons establish a church that worships them within the empire.”

“Lord Prime Minister, what’s in the past is the past. We must now focus on how to solve the problem. The urgent priority is how to gain the upper hand in tomorrow’s negotiations and completely eradicate the demons’ influence from the empire.”

“…You are right.”

Bayldes’s admonishment made Bradley grunt and click his tongue.

The so-called negotiations referred to the permanent closure of the demons’ foothold. Most people in the Norta Empire knew that during the reign of Adonis’s grandfather, he had made a pact with demons disguised as humans to prevent the empire from being carved up by the increasingly powerful nobility. The demons eliminated the noble leaders who sought to divide the empire, and in return, Adonis’s grandfather permitted the demons to establish a church in the empire.

However, what most people didn’t know was that, besides establishing a church, the demons had also required the former emperor to use the Tower of Alexia in Wilfred City to create a region rich in ley line magic in the sea, not far from the city. At the time, the disguised demons explained to Adonis’s grandfather that this was to allow the coastal folk near Wilfred City to harvest more seafood; they claimed to have been born in that area and wished for their homeland to be more prosperous. Since the motive seemed entirely benevolent, Adonis’s grandfather agreed to the request in the king’s name.

The demon worshippers and various demons that now appeared and disappeared like ghosts within the empire originated from this.

Reаⅾ oո KαtReаⅾіոɡCаfе

The demons had deceived Adonis’s grandfather. Their reason for wanting a magic-rich region created in the sea near Wilfred was to establish a camp that could serve as a “springboard.”

The Demon Lord Styx’s undersea castle was extremely far from the empire. The time it took for Styx to dispatch demons to the empire was measured in years. It often happened that by the time the person carrying the orders arrived, the empire had already completely changed. Although Adonis had not been able to learn from the demons exactly how far their palace was from the empire, or how many dangers lay along the way, she could guess from their desperation for this sea region that without this springboard, they had reached a point where they could barely maintain their plans.

As for what the springboard actually was, Adonis still didn’t understand. She only knew that once the demons had this sea region, they could drastically shorten the travel time from the Demon Lord’s palace to the empire. Furthermore, the springboard’s existence required the Tower of Alexia to mobilize ley line magic to support it.

In the past, because she was focused on unifying the empire and expanding its territory, Adonis hadn’t paid much attention to her grandfather’s pact with the demons. Although consorting with demons was disgraceful, their power was formidable. Offending them too greatly could lead to unpredictable consequences, perhaps even crippling the newborn empire. Therefore, as long as the demons behaved themselves, and there were only some rat-like Demon Lord worshippers scurrying about in the shadows, she could pretend not to see them.

However, because the Divine Religion had torn the demon worshippers’ true face to shreds, and because she herself refused to associate with demons, the demon worshippers’ environment had been compressed. To resist this, even though the demons and the empire were still technically cooperating on the surface, the appearance of demons within the empire became more and more frequent, reaching a point where she had to confront them head-on.

That was the origin of the negotiations.

The demons must promise to never again appear within the empire’s borders. Otherwise, she would use the power of the Tower of Alexia to close the sea region they used as a springboard.

If possible, she wanted to skip the negotiations entirely and just shut down the Tower of Alexia without a word. But the demons’ power could not be ignored. Until the empire could cultivate more individuals who surpassed the heroic domain, she had to take as gentle an approach as possible. According to Carl’s and Bayldes’s estimates, only when the empire had at least seven individuals who surpassed the heroic domain, or one mythical-level powerhouse of level 70 or higher, could they possibly contend with the demons.

Thinking of this, Adonis frowned in distress.

“Huu… Seven individuals who surpass the heroic domain, or one level 70 mythical figure… Just how long will it take to cultivate such talent?”

Reαd οո ΚаtRеadіngСαfе

A human’s lifespan was just over a hundred years at most, a multiple shorter than that of elves and the Blood Clan. This meant that even when powerful individuals did appear, they were but a fleeting flash in history.

“Your Majesty, if things devolve to the worst-case scenario, we can seek help from the Ymir Church, the Cloud Sea Mountains, and Fairy Land. The Church and the demons are mortal enemies; even if they are unwilling to help us, they won’t make trouble for us from behind. Our relationship with the Cloud Sea Mountains and Fairy Land isn’t exactly friendly, but it’s not too bad either. If the enemy is the demons, they might dispatch troops to support us.”

Bradley gestured with his fingers on the table, as if tracing a map.

Adonis leaned back against the carriage wall in frustration, crossing her arms.

“Ah, I know. But more than allies, I prefer that the strength comes from within. Relying on others is not a long-term solution. Once we cooperate, if we try to extend our reach in that direction again in the future, the subjects below will be resistant. The most important thing for the empire is to be united. If we ourselves fall into disarray, we won’t be able to accomplish anything.”

“ Sss… “

As Adonis finished speaking, Bayldes sucked in a sharp breath. The former couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow; Bayldes’s current action was rather discourteous.

“Bayldes, what’s wrong?”

The thin Bayldes shook his head with a wry smile.

“When the Lord Prime Minister mentioned seeking help from the Cloud Sea Mountains, this subject was thinking that rather than asking the illusory beasts, we should seek help from the Pope of the Divine Religion. The strength she possesses must already be comparable to a mythical figure, perhaps even surpassing level 70 to reach the level 80 domain. With her support, I believe we could certainly stand against the demons. However, Your Majesty is right. We should rely on our own strength. Otherwise, if she demanded we cede territory, we would be in a passive position.”

Reαⅾ оո КаtRеаԁіոgCаfе

No, no. Never mind ceding territory, even if I had to give up half the empire and rule it jointly with her, I wouldn’t mind.

Although she thought this inwardly, Adonis didn’t let it show on her face. She propped her chin on her right hand, putting on a thoughtful expression.

“…Mm. Indeed, that can be a backup plan. If we can repel the demons, ceding some benefits is acceptable.”

“Then should we draft a document and contact the Pope of the Divine Religion immediately?”

“No need, Bradley. This is something I must do personally.”

I’m already on my way to doing it. As long as I win over Viel’s sister—or perhaps, younger sister—I will have taken the first step toward success.

As for how to win her over, the first step is naturally to make contact. Bringing a gift to the first meeting can greatly increase favorability; she still remembered this basic technique. However, as a monarch, the gift she prepared couldn’t be too shabby. Added to that, she wasn’t very knowledgeable about what women liked. After thinking it over and over, she finally, at City Lord Schumann’s suggestion, chose a luxury item that had received unanimous praise among the nobles and high officials.

Turning her palm toward Bradley, Adonis gave a smug smile. As if in response to her, the carriage slowly came to a stop. Schumann, the city lord of Wilfred, poked his head in from outside.

“Your Majesty, we’ve arrived at Margaret.”