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“Breaking news! A large number of unidentified humans have appeared in the neutral zone at the Trijia border!”

“Even at the Trijia border?!”

The Meikhael Empire’s chancellor, Odell Riumin, was shocked by the consecutive urgent reports. This was already the 12th urgent report from the border defense forces.

At sunrise, mysterious pillars of light were observed in the neutral zone bordering the empire. No one knew if it was the descent of a god or divine punishment. People just stared blankly at it…

The pillars of light soon faded, and in their place, people of unknown origin appeared.

At first, the border defense forces didn’t think much of it. After all, the neutral zone was home to various outcasts and exiled tribes. They thought it might just be a group curious about the light pillars.

But…

“Tell me, how many of them are there?”

“At least two thousand by visual estimate! But the number keeps increasing…”

“Good heavens… Ten thousand?”

“Didn’t I say it keeps increasing? By now, it must be at least a hundred thousand.”

“A hundred thousand?!”

The people who appeared where the light pillars had been were a threatening number to the empire. A force large enough to invade a country if they wished. In less than half a day, an unprecedented emergency had unfolded, and Odell, along with other high officials, hastily gathered at the imperial palace.

“What on earth is going on…”

“Could someone have summoned them?”

“Such a large-scale summoning! I’ve never heard of anything like it!”

“Everyone, calm down. First, we need to confirm their intentions…”

Odell, calming the officials, asked the soldier who delivered the report.

“Tell me, has anyone made contact with them?”

“Yes! They approached the border defense forces first.”

“What did they say?”

“Well…”

“It’s fine, speak up.”

The hesitant soldier reluctantly opened his mouth.

“They… said they are heroes who have come to defeat the Demon Lord and asked us to make way for them.”

“Heroes?”

“Yes.”

An entirely unexpected word had emerged.

“Did they really say they are heroes?”

“Yes. They all claimed to be heroes on a quest…? to defeat the Demon Lord.”

“Quest??”

“I’m not sure, but it sounds like a mission, doesn’t it?”

“Hmm…”

The empire’s chancellor, Odell Riumin, fell deep in thought.

Like previous generations, no hero had appeared in this era. The legendary heroes of old had long since vanished, and no new hero chosen by the gods had emerged. Ultimately, the Demon Lord had to be defeated by the seven house lords led by the Izakhel family, who wielded the power of light.

However, the Demon Lord who appeared before humanity had taken a friendly stance. She extended her hand first, hoping that monsters and humans would no longer fight. It was unprecedented. A Demon Lord advocating for reconciliation and alliance rather than destruction and slaughter was a first.

Though hostility toward monsters ran deep, forming an alliance with them was purely for the sake of the empire and the world. Without heroes, the empire and other nations would have faced existential threats in battle.

But now, heroes had appeared, and late at that.

“Then… those pillars of light must have been a divine miracle sending the chosen heroes!”

“Indeed!”

The officials sighed in relief. If this entire situation was a divine miracle, there was nothing to worry about. The gods were on humanity’s side. Humans only needed to follow the divine will.

“Then shouldn’t we cooperate with the heroes?”

“No. Wait! Have you forgotten? We are in an alliance with the Demon Lord. Are you suggesting we ignore the alliance and attack the Demon Lord now?!”

“That was only a temporary alliance, wasn’t it? Her Majesty has kept the army on standby, fearing the monsters might invade at any moment.”

“Hmm…”

“An alliance with humanity’s enemy, the Demon Lord, could never be permanent! It was bound to break eventually. Now that heroes have appeared, shouldn’t we make way for them?”

As the officials argued, it was clear that the alliance with the Demon Lord was only temporary. However, Odell couldn’t easily provide an answer.

“But…”

“Chancellor! What are you hesitating for? This is the will of the gods. We have ample justification.”

“…I understand what you’re saying. But this situation is unprecedented. I’ve never heard of a hundred thousand heroes appearing at once. Moreover, there’s no guarantee they are truly heroes.”

“How frustrating! You saw the pillars of light too, Chancellor! If that’s not a divine miracle, what is?!”

“Whether it’s a miracle or not, I can’t make such an important decision alone. Let’s wait. After sunset, Her Majesty will awaken…”

“Heroes are valuable assets, one by one. Are you going to let other nations take them? We can’t wait for Her Majesty to wake up! It’ll be too late by then!”

“Exactly!”

As the officials’ opinions converged, Odell found himself in a difficult position. At this hour, with the sun high in the sky, it wasn’t yet time for the emperor to rise. To be precise, it was the time when Luna Meikhael, the night empress who managed state affairs, was still asleep, not the publicly known Lucy Meikhael.

“Chancellor! Make a decision already!”

“Everyone, quiet.”

Then, a low voice was heard. Emerging among the arguing officials was the Imperial Guard Captain, Marco Peiriguris. For some reason, he was holding a door adorned with luxurious decorations.

“Captain Marco…? Why are you…”

“Show respect.”

“Huh?”

“Her Majesty the Emperor has arrived.”

With that, Marco placed the door-like object he was holding in front of the officials. Only then did Odell realize it wasn’t a door.

“A mirror…?”

“Are all the officials present?”

“Y-Your Majesty?!”

The sudden voice startled the officials, and they were shocked to see the full-length mirror Marco had brought. In the mirror stood a girl with her arms crossed, looking arrogant—the Meikhael Empire’s Emperor, Luna Meikhael.

But she existed only within the mirror. The panicked officials looked around, but the girl reflected in the mirror wasn’t beside them.

“Your Majesty, how…?”

“It’s the ‘Mirror of Consciousness.’ One of the imperial treasures.”

Ah, that was it. An artifact for the emperor with dual personalities. It could awaken the consciousness of the sleeping side and project it. However, it required a significant amount of magical power, so it was only used in emergencies. Upon closer inspection, Captain Marco was continuously channeling magic into it.

Luna Meikhael, observing the officials from within the mirror, spoke in a solemn voice.

“Let me make this clear: we will not break the alliance with the Demon Lord.”

“?!”

A murmur spread among the officials gathered in the palace.

“You seem to want to know the reason. But the reason is the same as what Chancellor Odell has already said.”

“Your Majesty?!”

“I have never heard of heroes being summoned en masse like this. They are not the heroes we imagine.”

“But Your Majesty, the ability to summon so many heroes… if not the gods, then who…?”

“True. It could be a divine miracle. But can you guarantee it’s our gods?”

“!”

Luna Meikhael sat on the throne within the mirror.

“Looking back at history, our gods have always wanted us to overcome hardships on our own. When the Demon Lord appeared, they didn’t intervene directly but instead bestowed the power of light upon heroes. That’s the kind of gods we have. But someone sending a horde of heroes here…? Nonsense.”

Luna already knew. She knew of Wendy, the hero who already existed. That’s why she could see through the fake heroes who had appeared now.

The most bewildered by Luna’s words was the official who had been pressing Odell earlier.

“But Your Majesty…!”

“Shut your mouth.”

“But…!”

“I said shut it.”

“……”

The official, intimidated by her fierce demeanor, finally closed his mouth. Satisfied, Luna turned her cold gaze away and called out to the man bowing his head.

“Odell.”

“Yes.”

“There’s no need to panic. Fortify the borders thoroughly and inform the citizens of the current situation.”

“Understood. But the borders with Trijia and Elgard have fewer defense forces. Should we deploy the Imperial Army?”

“No. General Leon’s troops are stationed there, so there should be no problem. And order the Imperial Army stationed near the borders to reinforce the defenses. If there are areas lacking troops like Trijia or Elgard, request reinforcements from the Ruelberta family.”

“Huh? The Ruelberta family?”

“Yes. I’ve already discussed this with Count Ruelberta.”

Earlier, Tristan had told Luna:

“Luna. If monsters invade or something unexpected happens, you can mobilize my Aslan.”

“What…?”

The imperial family and the Ruelberta family had always been hostile. They were always at each other’s throats, but after the successful northern expedition, a breeze of peace had begun to blow.

But for Tristan to offer command of his private soldiers to the emperor was strange.

“I’ll make sure they follow your orders.”

“Honestly, isn’t it more ridiculous that I can’t command my own vassal’s private soldiers as I please?”

“My private soldiers are mine. They’re not your army.”

“…Fine. Whatever. I’m tired of arguing common sense with you.”

At the time, she had brushed it off as absurd… She thought there would never be a situation where the emperor would need to mobilize his private soldiers.

But now… such a situation had arisen.

‘Could it be…?’

Tristan’s face flashed through Luna’s mind. The day he offered her command of Aslan, he had been unusually serious. Not only that, but he had also urged her to be ready to mobilize troops at any time… Could he have anticipated this situation?

‘No… That can’t be.’

Luna shook her head. Even Tristan couldn’t predict the future. That was beyond human capability.

After organizing her thoughts, Luna resumed her stern expression as the emperor and addressed the officials.

“Not a single fake hero shall set foot in my empire.”

 

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