Chapter 437
Chapter 437: The Empire’s Ambitions
Well, it turns out that the friendly old man I’ve been casually chatting with is actually the former Duke Oranio, and I’m in shock.
I was hit with the mother of all surprises, but the atmosphere didn’t really allow for questions or commotion, so I maintained a neutral expression and was escorted along with everyone to the residence of Lord Kaemuran.
I’m pretty good at pretending to be calm in situations like this.
In the Demon Lord’s Castle, if you were exposed, it was a certain death sentence!
‘Your face is all tense, all tense!’
Shut up! I’m just a passing hero, okay? Of course, I’m gonna be flustered when there’s a former king so close by!
Honestly, I was already half-convinced when I was just shown the magical emblem of the Duke’s family, but when I met this lord and he gasped, “My goodness, you are…!” and started kneeling, that was it. Confirmed!
Why is the former king wandering around in a place like this?!
I’ll concede a little, maybe it’s understandable if a member of the royal family is incognito or something, but an elderly former head of state shouldn’t be here! It’s gotta be bad for his health!
‘He’s a hands-on kind of guy, huh?’
There are limits to this!
“—Your Majesty, actually, we just received more detailed information. And… it seems there’s also a declaration of war from the Empire…”
As expected, the lord had the latest info.
The imperial army consists of about 16,000 to 20,000 soldiers. If you include supply units, it could be even more. Besides traditional infantry, there are cavalry and a large number of mages confirmed on the battlefield.
Additionally, it seems that the Emperor himself has come to the front lines…!
What’s with this? Is every head of state around here a hands-on type? I find it hard to believe that a powerful nation’s emperor would personally lead an invasion, but with the former king right next to me, I can’t deny it…
‘There’s also the Demon Lord’s Prince, after all.’
If I talk too much, who knows how many more princes and princesses will show up, so let’s stop right here.
—Anyway, the imperial army. They easily captured the fort along the Duchy’s border and have taken the northern town of Sokfol too.
“I’ve heard that some of Sokfol’s defensive forces managed to escape, but we haven’t established contact with them yet, so the details are unclear. It seems that the imperial army is trying to occupy nearby villages…”
The lord hesitates for a moment, casting a glance at Hien.
“…There have been reports that cat-type beastmen residents are being executed as the Demon Lord’s minions…”
What the…?
I was left speechless. Hien had raised the fur on his body, clenching his hands tightly. His slight tremors seemed like a physical struggle against the urge to storm the imperial army immediately.
Unbelievable. I’d heard there was a tendency towards human supremacy in the Empire, but I didn’t think it was this severe!
The cat-type beastmen from our alliance have nothing to do with the Demon Kingdom! I’m saying this myself, having been right in the middle of the Night Elf intelligence networks! The Night Elves were focusing their operations against humans and didn’t have the bandwidth to mess with beastmen…!
Moreover, if we trace it back, the cat-type beastmen allied with the Demon Kingdom because the human nations in the western continent were oppressing them.
Are they seriously going to repeat that foolishness?! Just because they’re beastmen living peacefully among humans, are they going to be labeled as enemies and slaughtered? That… just can’t be allowed, it’s no different from the Demon Race invading and killing just because they’re human!
If they do that, they’ll really turn the allied cat-type beastmen into actual “enemies.” The alliance is already shaky as it is… come on!
“—The Kaizaan Empire,”
Graham Duke took a deep breath and spoke.
“What does the Emperor have to say about this invasion?”
“Here is a letter delivered by the imperial envoy from Sokfol. It clearly states their position…”
The lord respectfully handed over a rolled-up piece of parchment.
Graham Duke unfolded it, reading through it.
“‘—I, Emperor Rieken Hoshutoren Ryod Kaizan, hereby declare the reincorporation of the Hamilton Duchy into the Empire.’”
Whoa there… that’s a heavy opening punch.
Not the Duchy, but the Duke’s territory. They are no longer even recognizing it as a country.
“‘For over two hundred years, the human living space has been encroached upon by the so-called barbarian Demon Race. The Pan-Humanity Alliance has repeatedly been rendered impotent due to consecutive defeats, devolving into a disorganized rabble only good at blaming each other for their failings, becoming a breeding ground for corruption. Meanwhile, the Holy Church is nothing but a swarm of parasites, failing to fulfill its duty as humanity’s protector, only engaging in sweet-talking fraudulent appeals for donations…’”
…Huh?
What the hell…?
“‘I am deeply concerned about this. The Empire shall no longer rely on the Alliance and will proceed with the extermination of the barbarians independently. The Kaizaan Empire is humanity’s hope and the only effective frontline against the Demon Race. Therefore, all of humanity should cooperate with the Empire.
Despite this, the Duchy has refused to supply strategic resources and has allowed the cat-type beastmen, minions of the Demon Kingdom, to proliferate, letting pirates and lawless men rampage, all while oppressing the people. This reckless behavior has harmed not just the Empire but neighboring countries as well. All of this falls on the so-called Duke Oranio.
The Hamilton Duchy can no longer claim the title of a nation. In the name of the Kaizaan Empire, I hereby seize the Duke’s territory from Duke Oranio. The former citizens of Hamilton Duchy must swiftly submit themselves to the Empire. I assure you, the Empire will welcome you warmly.
However, those who refuse submission and draw arms against the Empire will not be spared. Rebelling against the Empire, which stands for humanity, is treachery against humanity itself. Such offenders will be purged as enemies of humanity, without exception…’”
At this point, Graham Duke was shaking not just from his voice but also from the hand gripping the letter. The kind old man had disappeared, replaced by a furious visage with visible veins pulsating on his reddened forehead.
Shuken, Kirk, and likely even I were in the same boat. Hien had been growling non-stop, the lord was twitching his cheeks, and even the usually mild-mannered Hans was shaking his shoulders.
An indescribable anger filled the room.
I don’t care who the emperor thinks he is… this is outrageous…!
Do they not know the reality?! How much suffering and blood our alliance and the Holy Church have shed to fight the Demon Kingdom!?
And they’re belittling that! Exterminating the Demons, huh?! The Empire going at it alone!?
Let’s see them try it!!!
This country that hasn’t seen any real battle and has just been cozying up in the back just because it’s large!!
Even if they send tens of thousands of troops, they’ll be scorched to ashes by just one Demon Lord, you know that?!
“‘They probably don’t understand at all,’”
Ant pointed out with a cold voice.
…………Well, that’s probably true.
I’ve seen this kind of scene countless times from the backlines of the alliance.
The results of the Night Elves’ machinations. The seeds they sowed—underestimating the Demon Kingdom, along with bad-mouthing the Alliance and the Holy Church—have seemingly sprouted in the worst possible way…
“Is there anything else you find concerning?”
Graham Duke took another deep breath, swallowing everything down, and quietly asked.
“Well, if we’re talking concerns… there’s testimony from those who escaped the border, stating that among the imperial troops, there were silver-haired individuals utilizing what seemed to be holy attributes…”
!?
I was taken aback by the lord’s somewhat reserved additional information.
“…No way!? The Holy Church cooperating with such an Empire is unthinkable!”
“Ah, um, are you a hero?”
“Ah… yes, I have the honor of accompanying Graham-sama on his journey!”
I raised my voice without thinking, and the lord shot a look back at me, so I instinctively showed the Holy Silver artifact while answering.
Thinking about it calmly, I’m just tagging along out of sheer momentum, so I’m totally out of place here…
It’s odd for a hero from the Holy Church to be here in front of the lord and former king when even Arthur and the bishop of this town aren’t present.
So, I’ll just pass it off as, “I’m a travel companion”!
But putting that aside, what’s going on with the holy attributes in the imperial army?!
“What I believe is that the chances of the Holy Church’s imperial branch cooperating are extremely low.”
The lord turned to me, stroking his chin.
“This is because the refugees from Sokfol, which was already captured, have reported that the city’s Holy Church was attacked and destroyed.”
“Huh?!”
I was even more shocked. No way—does the Empire plan to wage war not only against the Demon Kingdom but also the Holy Kingdom?!
“I suspect that it might be related to the state religion, known as the Light Blade Church… perhaps a hero or priest from the Light Blade Church…”
The Light Blade Church.
I’ve heard of them, and I’ve also caught wind of the friction between them and the Holy Church within the Empire…
Wait, a hero from the Light Blade Church? …No way.
‘They replicated the coming-of-age ritual and incorporated potential heroes into the national army…’
Ant seemed to be thinking the same way as I was.
……………I can’t allow this.
To fight the enemies of humanity and protect humanity!
Heroes are supposed to awaken this power!!
And they—of all people—are going to waste it on senseless conflict between humans?!
‘The ones who’ve been sent probably genuinely believe they’re doing it for humanity, huh?’
That wording in the emperor’s decree was all about “for the sake of humanity,” wasn’t it…?
What’s this nonsense about “the Holy Church has fallen to mere frauds!”? The real fraud is you!!
How far can they go in belittling this?!
Don’t screw with me!
“Hey! Calm down!”
I was snapped back to reality by the panicked lord’s voice.
Before I knew it, silver magical energy was bursting out of me, flaring up in flames.
“…My apologies.”
I deliberately relaxed my shoulders. That was close. Thank goodness it didn’t become tainted.
“Your Majesty, what shall we do?”
The lord turned toward Graham Duke again.
“…Hmm. Based on this ridiculous letter, it’s obvious the Empire is determined. At this point, there’s no room for negotiation. We must send a messenger to the capital immediately, and—”
But just as he reached that point, Graham Duke’s words trailed off.
“…Your Majesty?”
“…Ugh.”
Graham Duke tightly closed his eyes and placed a hand on his head.
Then, he collapsed to the floor, groaning.
“Your Majesty!?”
Shuken and Kirk hurried over, alarmed.
“Guuu… guuu…”
As Graham Duke began to snore, I felt the color drain from my face.
This is bad! I’ve seen this before; experienced warriors have encountered this on the battlefield!
This is a brain vessel bursting!!
“…Healers! Get a healer!”
At the lord’s desperate scream, I crashed through the room’s window and dashed straight for the Holy Church.
