Chapter 130: Tightrope Walking

Dan looked over at me, a bright smile on his face. His personality shifts every time I see him. Is it just that I’m getting used to him, or are the people in the Marquis’s household influencing him?

No, now’s not the time to think about that. I need to push these pointless thoughts aside and focus on Dan. I made sure my expression was serious.

“…What’s the meaning of this?”

“I’m just passing along a rumor I heard. I thought you should be aware of it, Marquis.”

……

I relaxed the tension in my eyes.

I can’t figure out what this guy is thinking at all. Is he a friend or foe? He’s become ambiguously close, vaguely comfortable, and yet, somewhat one of my people. What am I supposed to do with him?

…There’s no point in worrying about it now; I won’t find an answer. I looked back down at the paperwork and muttered,

“I’m the only one at peace. If this weren’t a military camp, I might have thought the war hadn’t even started.”

“That wouldn’t be possible, would it? The opening shots of the war were quite spectacular.”

“…That’s true.”

Ugh, the stress.

I quietly pulled out a handkerchief and held it to my mouth. The fabric, sourced and distributed by Dan’s trading company, was supposedly highly absorbent, and it lived up to the claim. The blood that suddenly rushed up was completely absorbed without leaking.

I neatly folded it and tucked it into my pocket, grumbling inwardly.

‘Reduced frequency of coughing up blood, my ass. It’s no different than before.’

It’s all because of the stress. Remembering how often I coughed up blood in the early days of the war when I was constantly being summoned, I’m sure of it.

I felt a sharp gaze from the side. I turned my head and met Dan’s eyes, his narrowed slightly as he looked at me. Right, I was talking to him. Where did we leave off?

…Right, something about the spectacular opening shots of the war.

“The two monarchs’ war of words was certainly dazzling.”

“Their appearances were also quite dazzling.”

……

“Just kidding.”

“…You should keep your distance from Rememver.”

I said coldly and grabbed my pen. But my hand just held the pen; it didn’t move.

The declaration of war from that day, so impressive, came to mind, and before I knew it, I was tapping my fingers on the desk, lost in thought.

***

Surprisingly, the Demon King followed a very conventional procedure for declaring war.

Whether you can call it conventional is debatable, but since it wasn’t a sudden attack, it’s probably close enough.

Completely disregarding the magic ban he himself had issued, he displayed his magical power by broadcasting a video spell across the entire continent. Not just the Empire, but every kingdom, even small rural villages, could see it.

As everyone focused on the unfamiliar magic, Jaykar, the Commander of the 1st Corps, appeared on the screen, seemingly acting as the Demon King’s representative.

– The Demon Realm announces this to the Human Realm.

He skipped all formalities from the start.

– From the perspective of the Demon Realm, which cherishes balance and peace, we have determined that the Empire’s continental conquest war has become excessively heated and dangerous. Therefore, to prevent the Empire’s overreaching actions from destroying the Human Realm, we declare war on the Empire.

Honestly, I burst out laughing at this point.

Balance… *pfft*, and pe-peace… *cough*, cherishing… the Demon Realm…? Enough time has passed that those who fought in the war against the Demon Realm are no longer alive, but even so, no one is foolish enough to believe such a lie.

Just look at the history books….

‘…Do commoners even get to see history books?’

Ah, oh?

I silently clapped my hand over my mouth. Because I suddenly burst out laughing and then covered my mouth, the people around me panicked, thinking I was coughing up blood again, but their voices didn’t reach my ears.

Unlike noble families who mandatorily provide education for the sake of their dignity, commoners are content with just eating well and living comfortably. They wouldn’t care about history! Did Jaykar, or rather the Demon King, realize this?

– As our goal is our stated goal, if the Empire promises not to make any further moves, we are willing to withdraw.

Wow, seriously? He just provoked them.

For some reason, I could already imagine the Emperor’s expression. I stared blankly at the screen for a moment, and then Jaykar glanced to one side before looking directly at the camera again, a gentle smile on his lips.

It was definitely a smile I was seeing for the first time, but why did it feel so familiar?

‘I know who he’s imitating with that smile…’

The Demon King.

He really does have a pretty smile. You could even call it a smile that puts people at ease.

– Are you watching, Emperor? You must have sorcerers on your side. The Demon King has given his permission. If you can, interfere with this magic and try to answer. We’ve intentionally lowered the barrier, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.

…That only works if the words are pleasant. Jaykar’s tone is a complete failure.

More importantly, this proves that sorcerers can meddle in the realm of magic. The Imperial Family has its own personal sorcerers, so at least there won’t be any issues with finding one.

‘So the questions are whether the sorcerer’s skill is sufficient to interfere with that magic and whether the Emperor will respond to those words….’

The Emperor isn’t one to shy away from a provocation. He’ll definitely summon a sorcerer to interfere.

Sure enough, whether it was because lowering the barrier was true or because the sorcerer’s skill was exceptional, it wasn’t long before the screen floating in the air flickered and then changed to the Emperor’s face.

A young man, considered young for an Emperor with golden hair and golden eyes, had his arm resting on a book placed on the armrest of the throne, glaring at the screen as if it were absurd.

– I heard your barking loud and clear. I’ve gained new information that demons have a unique way of barking instead of speaking like people. I’ll have the scribes record it properly.

Laughter erupted from here and there.

False laughter to ease the tension. Everyone probably feels it. That the Empire could potentially become completely isolated in the Human Realm. And if that happens, they’ll have to fight the Demon Realm alone without any support.

That’s why I couldn’t laugh.

‘This is a complete mess.’

Knowing the Emperor a little better than others, I’m certain. The Emperor will never give up on the continental conquest. He’ll probably try to wield his sword as long as he draws breath.

In that situation, Jaykar, or rather the Demon King, even provoked him by saying they could ‘withdraw’ if the Emperor were to back down. What will happen?

‘Our Majesty, who never avoids a fight and readily accepts provocations, what choice will he make…!’

Fortunately, the Emperor is also quite clever, so instead of directly saying, ‘I’m not going to stop the conquest. We’ll keep going,’ he pointed out the flaws in the other side’s argument first.

– Demons loving balance and peace? That’s enough to turn the world upside down. The whole world knows how cruel you are, yet you shamelessly utter such lies. Unlike me, who has shown his face directly, the Demon King is hiding behind the Commander of the 1st Corps, manipulating him. The personalities of those who have such a being as their ruler are obvious without even seeing them.

Wearing a benevolent mask and engaging in falsehoods, inducing internal divisions, or stabbing people in the back.

“…Oh.”

……

The flow shifted again. The distrust towards demons that had been simmering for some time became fertilizer and began to sprout. The anxious gazes of the people were replaced with firm determination and vitality.

From the perspective of an ordinary imperial citizen, it’s a relief, but I don’t understand. The Demon King isn’t completely ignorant about the Emperor, so why did he allow the interference? He couldn’t have failed to foresee this situation.

…The moment that thought crossed my mind, a new screen appeared right next to the one floating in the air.

– Hiding? That’s a bit harsh.

Reverse eyes with white irises and black pupils. A familiar face with a soft smile.

It’s the Demon King. He didn’t seem like he would, but in the end, he succumbed to the Emperor’s provocation.

Not just blocking the interference, but creating an entirely new screen….

‘Seriously, do you have magic power to spare? More importantly, did you really abandon the magic ban?’

– To think the Emperor would step forward himself. Thanks to you, I get to see your face directly for the first time. Well, it’s ambiguous to call it ‘directly,’ but still, seeing your living, breathing form instead of a portrait is a first… I knew your age, but you look much younger than I expected. Quite surprising.

– …You’re straying from the main point. Did my words touch a nerve?

– Touch a nerve? What do you mean?

The Demon King smiled, his eyes crinkling. His generally likable appearance, not too different from humans except for his eyes, shone brightly.

– None of what we said was a lie, though?

I heard maids expressing their admiration.

He definitely did that on purpose. He deliberately smiled with his eyes to hide the parts that made him different from humans.

“With that face, he could get away with anything….”

“That person, no, that demon… the Demon King, right? I believe you, Demon King….”

The Emperor seemed to have noticed the intention behind the smile, his brow furrowing slightly.

The best counter-response here would be for the Emperor to smile just as brightly, but there’s no way the Emperor would wear a bright… smile. Ugh, just imagining it gives me goosebumps.

While I rubbed my goosebump-covered arms, the Emperor, as expected, seemed to have chosen logic over a face-off, his voice resonating as he spoke.

– You hypocrite….

– Hmm?

– Your pretense is sickening, so drop the mask. You said if I withdraw, the Demon Realm will withdraw as well? That’s laughable. Just because a lot of time has passed since the war between the Demon Realm and the Human Realm, do you think your past actions and statements will be buried? Not a chance!

His voice grew louder. The world fell silent.

Cutting through the quiet space, the Emperor’s voice soared.

– Knowledge, wisdom, and past events are passed down to future generations through records. To prevent the same mistakes, to move forward from them! This is the proof!

He lifted the book that had been resting on the armrest and held it up to the screen.

– This is a history book that was sleeping in the palace library. It records the past war with the Demon Realm in considerable detail. There are quite a few interesting things in here. Let’s read some of it….

He opened the book and flipped through the pages, finally fixing his gaze on a particular section.

– During the war, a human king, driven into a corner, cried out in desperation. He asked why they were invading the peaceful Human Realm. The Demon King simply scoffed and replied,

Having said that, the Emperor raised his head.

Looking directly at the screen with fierce golden eyes, as if he could see someone beyond it, he continued slowly. His deliberate but solemn voice echoed through the world.

– “As demons, isn’t it natural to covet the land where the sun shines?”

As if someone had cast a spell, not a single person could open their mouth in that moment.

A truly chilling silence.

Even I was mindlessly staring at the golden eyes on the screen when the Emperor broke the seemingly eternal silence, driving the point home.

– Ultimately, the Empire’s actions are just an excuse to incite division within the Human Realm. Isn’t your true intention to have been eyeing the Human Realm all along?

– An excuse? Our offer to withdraw if the Empire withdraws is genuine, you know? Just trust us and try withdrawing once. If the Demon Realm doesn’t withdraw even then, it won’t be too late to act again.

Both monarchs spoke as if addressing each other, but they didn’t forget their purpose of swaying and persuading the majority of humans watching the broadcast.

Many would likely nod in agreement with the Demon King’s recent statement. For example, the rulers of other kingdoms who viewed the Empire’s aggressive conquests with unease, or even those within the Empire who opposed the war with the Demon Realm.

The Emperor, well aware of this, didn’t back down and spoke again.

– That might be the case for now. This book also mentions the lifespan of demons. It’s incomparably longer than that of humans. So, it wasn’t difficult to speculate. The Empire is the most troublesome opponent in the current Human Realm, so you’re trying to bide your time by hindering us, waiting for generations to pass and the Empire to decline, so you can easily devour it then, isn’t that it? A rather plausible guess. In the end, the choices given to me, to the humans of this generation, are only two.

I only understood what the Emperor intended with those words after hearing the next ones.

– Should we fight this war now, with the current strong Empire that even the Demon Realm finds troublesome, to ensure the safety of our descendants? Or should we cling to a futile hope that will eventually vanish, delaying the inevitable and leading our descendants to extinction?

He completely shifted the cause of the war with the Demon Realm.