Six leaders of the royal family sit at the round table.
King of Logas, Sodom Logas (Tanaka α )
Queen of Sanargia, Diana Ruberia
King of Naji, Vishu Budi
King of Dartan, Dodol Le Grint
King of Kycilia, Cesar Zebul
Estent Empire Empress, Scathach Dragnil
According to reports, it was the first time in 1,000 years that the leaders of each kingdom had come together. Perhaps the scene I am now seeing is a historic moment. However, everyone is silent as if they are watching the situation. With such situation, Dodol broke the silence and started talking.
“To be honest, I didn’t expect Logas and Estent to come. This is not relevant in a kingdom where there are no Sacred Beasts after all.”
“I don’t think so. Even without a Sacred Beast, there is enough significance to participate in this conference. In particular, our kingdom recognizes the urgent need to improve relations with the other kingdoms.”
“Improving Relationships…… Haa! I didn’t expect that to come out of Logas. Especially from that Logas Royal family who betrayed us dwarves and did whatever they wanted with the treasure.”
“That story should have ended when the predecessor of the great power perished. I also heard that they were forced to pay a large amount of reparations and apologized many times. If we drag the past forever, we will not be able to solve the problems that are currently underway.”
“Shut up! How dare you claim that weapon that our ancestors painstakingly crafted― I’m going to blow you up!”
Vishu wraps his wings around Dodol when he stands up. As expected, King Logas seemed to be quite hated. The other kings also cast cold stares at him. They may not know it, but the person sitting as king in front of them is my clone. The person they should vent their anger to is already dead.
“……It is true that there may be sins that neither the Empire nor Logas kingdom can wipe away. That’s why we want a chance. Please give us a chance to regain our lost credibility. Please do it for the sake of one’s own kingdom, and for the sake of the people who live in this world.”
“So the Empress says. What would you do, King Dartan?”
“Kuu…… I get it! I’m the one who sent the letter in the first place! I understand that there’s no point in digging and yelling at him now!”
Breaking free from Vishu’s grasp, Dodol takes a seat. The Empress exhaled, as if relieved by the situation. Mmm. As expected from the one who organized the Empire after its defeat. She made it seem like she was following the Logas kingdom, but in reality, she put the kingdom in the same position as the empire. With this, the Kingdom will be treated on the same level as the Empire, the only defeated nation in the last war. On top of that, the situation where Scathach will be unilaterally blamed by the five kingdoms was avoided.
She glanced over at me, who was listening to their conversation while leaning against the wall of the room. She seems to be concerned about my reaction. Well, I guess she’s scared of the man who killed his father.
“I didn’t come all the way to a place like this to hear a pointless conversation. If this farce continues, Sanargia will let our own kingdom protect our Sacred Beast.”
“I agree with the Queen of Sanargia, a kingdom that still has a Sacred Beast should not engage in idle talks and waste time. We should take measures against the mysterious enemy as soon as possible.”
“I’m sorry King Dartan, but I also feel the same way. We don’t know how powerful the angels are, we don’t have the time or luxury to be selective about our allies. While we’re doing this, our kingdom’s sacred beasts may be in danger.”
The queen of Sanargia, the king of Kycilia and the king of Naji complains to Dodol. King Dartan, who was blamed by the three kingdoms, blushed and clenched his fists. Unable to see him like that, I approached him from behind and then I put my hand on his shoulder.
I understand what your feeling, but now is the time to be patient. Calm your anger, Dodol.
“Now that the six kingdoms are here, let’s leave other things behind and get straight to business. I am Shinichi Tanaka. I will be the overall commander of the Allied forces this time. From this crowd, this should be King Kycilia’s first time to meet me, right?”
“I have heard about you from the previous king of wingedmen. I am Cesar Zebul, the newly crowned king of the Holy Kingdom of Kycilia. I’ll be as amiable as my predecessor.”
“I’ll do the same. By the way, is your predecessor still alive?”
“Don’t worry, my father is as energetic as ever. Now he is living a leisurely life in the fields.”
I felt a little relieved. I was worried about whether the previous King of winged men would be able to participate in the conference due to his advanced age, but it seems that he had already handed over the throne to his son and lived a carefree old age. I hope that a peaceful life will round out that perverse personality a little.
Then, Dodol, who has calmed down, finally mentions the meeting.
“Anyway, let’s get on with the conversation so we don’t waste any time. Ahem, as you can see, I’m an emotional guy. I’m not suited to be the host. So I asked the right person to play the role. Hey, come on in.”
Following Dodol’s voice, a girl enters the room. She is about 150 cm tall and her glossy black hair, which was about the length of her waist, reflected the light. Her slender light-skinned body was covered with a bright red dress that looked like blood, and she was holding a folded black parasol in her left hand. A frighteningly well-groomed appearance and red eyes. Her piercing gaze made the people in the room tense for a moment. Then the girl looked at me and raised the corner of her mouth slightly.
“Let me introduce you to Eva Kreis, the head of the Guild Committee. I’m sure many of you meet her for the first time, so I’ll explain it briefly. She is the head of the guild headquarters. In other words, she is the boss of the guild.”
“That’s a terrible explanation. I am just a representative of the committee, I am not worthy to be dubbed as the boss.”
“But that’s not a lie. You are a monster that has lived for thousands of years and has been in the representative position for hundreds of years.”
“And you’re still a brat who doesn’t treat me like a lady or treat me as a person. But that’s okay. I am not narrow-minded enough to be blindsided by that degree. I’ll tolerate it.”
Ava smiles fearlessly as she takes her seat. I was inwardly breaking out in a cold sweat. Not only was she said to be a being that has lived for thousands of years, but she was also the head of the guild. It’s not surprising to feel like this.
But those present did not seem to be too fazed.
“The Empress of Estent, the King of Kycilia and the man there…… King Logas was the ones I’m meeting for the first time huh. I’ve met the others. By the way, the reason why I was called in this way was to moderate from a neutral standpoint. It’s just for the sake of progress. You see, if unskilled people get together, it will only lead to unskilled discussions.”
“Wait. I give full acknowledgement to Shinichi Tanaka for his great service to the last war. However, I absolutely do not want to include a child like her who makes such false claims that she has lived for several thousand years in this conference!”
King Kycilia struck the round table and spoke. Without breaking her fearless smile, Ava quickly stretched her right hand forward.
“Agggh!? W-what is this tightening of the chest!?”
“Well, I just got your heart in my hands you see. This is the most effective way to deal with brash brats like you. Look, if you don’t retract your statement, you’re going to die.”
“Ugii…… Agh! Su-…… ender!”
“Hn? What? Oh-, you are surrendering now.”
She then frees King Kycilia. Just now, she treats both Dodol and King Kycilia as children, but both of them are almost middle-aged. If it’s true that she’s been around for thousands of years, then everyone in this room should look young to her. Maybe it’s the feeling of disciplining a child.
“I’m done talking nonsense. I’m going to start the meeting. First of all, I’ll ask Dartan to give me a detailed explanation of that angel thing and the like.”
“O-oh… Well, that guy pretended to be a demon and caught my Silva by surprise. Luckily, Shinichi and the others were present that time so we avoided the loss of the sacred beast. But I’m sure there’s more than just one angel. They’ll surely come back.”
“Then, that guy over there. Shinichi, right? How did you feel about fighting an angel?”
“How is it……? Hmmm, I thought the enemy was formidable. If there is more than one, there is no doubt that I’ll end up dead. And I feel like there’s still a higher being to that one. At least above the angels, there is surely a presiding deity. A guy called Goma.”
The room fell silent.
After the angels, God is next. It was so unreal that everyone seemed to need time to come to terms with it. Except for one person.
“Good! Isn’t it interesting fighting against God? I am in favor of fighting the angels to protect the Sacred Beast! It’s an all-out war!”
Ava is eager to fight. The moderator is supposed to be neutral, but she is more of a militant than anyone else which is a bit troubling…. Anyway, whatever it is, she is the person Dodol recommended to be the host.
For the time being, I’m going to put my questions here. This is probably the question on everyone’s mind as well.
“Question. Why would an angel want to kill the Six Sacred Beasts? What are the Sacred Beasts?”
“Mmm, it’s a question that gets to the heart of it…… Do you know that there is a wall in the sky?”
“Yes. I remember hitting an invisible wall that I couldn’t see far up in the sky.”
“Then this conversation would be easy. The Sacred Beasts set up that barrier to protect this world. It’s a strong barrier that can’t be entered or exited from the inside or outside.”
“Then… the purpose of the angels is….”
“Remove that barrier.”
There is a buzz in the room. It must have been the first time for even the royalty to hear the truth. However, when I heard her words, a new question came to mind.
“Then, where did the angels come from? If that is indeed the case, they should also be inside the barrier from the beginning.”
“No. They should have invaded from the outside. In the past, this would not have happened, but the current barrier is frayed by the lack of Sacred Beasts. If even one more is defeated, it is safe to assume that the barrier will be nullified.”
“I see. Then I’ll ask you one more question. Why do you know so much about the barrier? Furthermore, you talk as if it was natural for an angel to invade from the outside.”
At my new question, Eva’s eyes squinted, and the corners of her mouth raised sharply.
“Well, it’s a simple story. I was formerly one of the Demon Kings who tried to kill sacred beasts in a battle called the Human-Demon War. I know this world better, and I of course know more about angelic beings than you do.”
I involuntarily reached for my sword. The Demon Kings are like the over-all general of demons. In other words, it is the enemy of humanity. However, the only one who made such reaction on this occasion was me.
“In the Kycilia royal family, it is essential to learn the history of the Human Demon War, and it was written that there was once a demon king who defected to the humans. I never thought you really existed.”
“Even the Imperial Family learns from the Great War. Once upon a time, four great demons invaded with the aim of supremacy on this world and the elimination of all sacred beasts. However, one of them betrayed and the battle situation changed drastically. Humans then gained the upperhand and it was written in the ancient documents that humanity then succeeds in defeating the demon army.”
“I, I didn’t know….…”
I take that back.
My clone, King Logas, was in a cold sweat. After all, it is just an outside appearance, it is still me within. I may be pretending to be a king and gathering a lot of information, but it is not something that can be covered in a few months or so. Luckily, this is the first time that Eva and King Logas have met, so that should have been able to prevent my disguise from being exposed.
Ava continues.
“It was because I liked the human world. Although I feel bad for my companions, I still changed my mind. That was more than 5,000 years ago. I don’t like old stories, so I’ll leave it at that.”
“No wait, one more thing. Why did the great demons tried to break the barrier? Is that also the reason why angels do the same thing?”
“No, probably not. We intended to liberate our Lord, but it makes more sense to think that the angels had other purposes. There should be an emergency going on that requires the barrier to be lifted.”
“Do we still have to figure it out?”
“It was God who created the sacred beasts in the first place, then so is the barrier.”
I started having a headache now. To sum it up, it means that the sacred beasts that protect this world have put up the barrier and a being called God created them. But now, in order to break the barrier, an angel of God is trying to kill the sacred beasts.
It’s useless. I don’t really understand what they meant to do.
“Don’t think too hard. We just need to protect the Sacred Beast from the angels.”
“What happens if the barrier is breached?”
“Angels are inherently incapable of harming humans…… From what I’ve heard from you so far, they are 180 degrees different from the angels that I knew. In other words, I have no idea what they are going to do. All I know is that if we don’t do it right, this world could be destroyed.”
Does protecting the Sacred Beasts mean protecting humanity?
As Eva said, if we don’t know the enemy’s true purpose, we have no choice but to defend ourselves. Of course, even if there was no harm to humanity, I wouldn’t sit idly by and watch the sacred beasts be killed.
After that, I and the others proceeded with the meeting and formulated a sacred beast defense strategy.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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