What would happen if a transcendent being appeared in this world?
If a being appeared who could determine what should and shouldn’t be done, who was right and wrong… would people comply?
There is no definite answer to this question, but from what I’ve seen, my answer is yes.
Not long ago, at a gathering of the nine great noble families, I revealed my strength and pushed for the formation of a Demon King subjugation army.
Forcing a choice through power and fear could be a dangerous move in the long run, yet they followed my orders without hesitation.
Following the lead of the nine great families, the entire empire moved in perfect coordination.
The subordinate families under the great houses, their subordinate families in turn… all the way down to the rural nobles.
The entire empire devoted itself to forming the subjugation army under a single will.
Of course, there were occasional political struggles and power plays, but those quickly disappeared into the shadows.
Of course, they were still scheming beneath the surface, but that was inevitable.
Overall, the formation of the subjugation army progressed smoothly and swiftly.
After finalizing our participation in the army, Kalian and I continued attending Arcana Academy as usual.
One might wonder, Why attend school when a war is imminent? But war is war, and daily life must go on.
“Good morning, everyone.”
I called out to the female students of Arcana.
Like an audience at a concert, countless eyes were fixated on Kalian and me as we stood on the stage.
Even on the brink of war, they had come here to buy Kalian merchandise.
They were all knights or mages who would soon take part in the battle against the Demon King, yet their love for Kalian outweighed their fear of war.
The students cheered.
“You’re amazing, Kalian-samaaa!!!”
“Kalian, Kalian, Kalian!”
“If it’s Kalian-sama, he can definitely defeat the Demon King!”
“Please, let me fight by your side!!!”
Kalian was already immensely popular, but the news of his participation in the subjugation army had sent the female students into a frenzy.
I calmed them down.
“Alright, alright. I see many of you are here to see Kalian and buy merchandise as usual.”
“Is it true that Kalian-sama will be leading the vanguard? I heard he’ll be facing the Demon King directly!”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Kyaaahhh! As expected of Kalian-sama!!!”
Screams and excited exclamations erupted from the crowd.
This wasn’t an idol fan meeting, for crying out loud.
You’re all going to war—at least try to come with a heavier heart.
I silenced them again.
“In fact, there is no merchandise available today.”
“What…? Why not?”
“The war is near. The time of destiny has come, where all our lives are at stake. Shouldn’t we be spending our remaining time more seriously?”
“No way… no merchandise…?”
The students slumped in disappointment.
With a solemn and serious tone, I continued.
“Some of us here may never meet again. Before we are students, we are knights and mages… we may lose our lives on the battlefield.”
“And perhaps, just perhaps… even Kalian may never return.”
“N-No! That can’t happen!”
Some of them began to cry.
I nodded understandingly and pointed to Kalian.
“I understand. I know exactly how you feel. The thought of never seeing Kalian again… how heartbreaking is that?”
“That’s why I have prepared something special for you all.”
“But… you just said there was no merchandise?”
“What I’m offering today is not merchandise. It’s a hug ticket with Kalian.”
“A… hug ticket?”
“The right to hug Kalian once.”
“Huh?”
A brief silence fell over the crowd.
As soon as they processed what they had just heard, they erupted in deafening screams.
“KYAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!”
“We can hug Kalian-sama?!”
“If I can do that, I could die happy today!”
“How much?! Name your price!!!”
Kalian had never even allowed a handshake before, and now he was offering hugs? To them, this was an earth-shattering revelation.
Everyone gathered here, without exception, was desperate for a hug.
“Haha, alright then! The ‘possibly first and last’ Kalian Hug Ticket is available for just 100,000 gold!”
I announced cheerfully.
Kalian grabbed my shoulder.
“Wade… a hug? You never mentioned this.”
“I know you’re over your fear of women now. So this should be fine, right?”
“But hugging this many people is too much.”
“We’re making 100,000 gold per hug, and you’re complaining? Just grit your teeth and get through it. No one’s going home until everyone gets their turn.”
“OF SH—”
And so, Kalian had no choice but to endure the endless stream of hugs from the female students.
Still, for the sake of those who had always admired him, he didn’t let his discomfort show.
Instead, he offered a few encouraging words to each of them.
“Make way!”
In the middle of the hugging marathon, a commotion broke out as a palanquin pushed through the crowd.
The students themselves were carrying it on their shoulders, and atop it sat Serena, her expression arrogant as ever.
Someone shouted,
“It’s Platinum Member Serena-sama!”
A platinum badge gleamed proudly on her chest.
The crowd of students hastily stepped aside to make way.
Originally, Serena had been the only member of the Kalian Club.
But recently, with the addition of numerous Bronze and Silver members, her influence had grown.
She had been promoted as a reward for her efforts in assembling the Demon King subjugation army.
Judging by her smug look, she was enjoying it.
After the hugging event finally ended, we headed to a café to discuss our next steps.
Since the event had dragged on so long, not only Serena but also Lumia, Evelyn, and Elia had joined us along the way, forming a full party.
Serena spoke first.
“Our family was barely convinced to join, nya. At first, they were reluctant, but when they heard about the treasure vault beneath the Demon King’s castle, their minds changed quickly.”
“Of course. If they knew about that, there’s no way Lusevian would pass up the opportunity.”
“We won’t be getting any direct rewards, but this way, we can control the war supply chains and profit handsomely, nya.”
“Historically, the best time to make money is during war. Make the most of it while you can.”
The Lusevian family didn’t fight on the battlefield, but they played a crucial role in supplying war materials.
If they handled this right, they might even rise to become one of the great noble families.
Meanwhile, Elia’s Belmore family had also agreed to actively participate in the war.
Since Belmore wasn’t under the command of any great house, they weren’t obligated to join.
But thanks to Elia’s persuasion, they had decided to fight.
Evelyn’s Rose family, on the other hand, had taken command of the entire subjugation force.
With their deep understanding of warfare and the fact that they had been the first to propose the campaign, it was only natural for them to take charge.
This made executing our plans much easier.
Evelyn spoke up.
“Since we’re done preparing, it’s time to plan Victoria’s rescue.”
“That’s right.”
The empire was gathering all its strength to defeat the Demon King.
But for those of us gathered here, we had a different goal.
The Demon King—far from killing Victoria, our true goal is to rescue her safely.
“This won’t be easy. The entire empire will try to kill Victoria. Do you have a solid plan?”
“I’d prefer to resolve things through negotiation and diplomacy, but a full-scale war will likely be unavoidable.”
“That makes sense.”
The key to this mission is, of course, ‘how to extract Victoria.’
And the biggest obstacle is—
“Alcatraz.”
“So that bastard is the problem, after all.”
By now, not only Evelyn and Kalian, but also Lumia, Elia, and Serena were aware of Alcatraz’s existence.
I had told them countless times that he was the true mastermind behind everything.
About what he had done, and how dangerous he really was.
“Even if everything else goes smoothly, he will definitely try to interfere at the last moment.”
“Then we should all work together to eliminate him.”
“No. I will handle him alone.”
“What?”
“He’s too dangerous. And to be honest… even if others were there, they wouldn’t be of much help.”
“Are you sure you can handle it alone?”
“I’m confident I can take him down. But… I may have to sacrifice my own life to do so. That’s how troublesome he is.”
“Sacrificing your life…?”
Evelyn and the others looked at me with serious expressions.
I simply shrugged and pointed toward a café.
“Relax, it’s just a figure of speech. Let’s stop standing around and talk inside. We still have some time.”
And then—
As if we hadn’t just been discussing something so serious, Evelyn, Lumia, and Elia immediately started fighting over the seat next to me.
“Move aside. Wade’s seat belongs to me.”
“What are you talking about? Wade and I are friends who even speak casually with each other! I’ve been giving way to you all this time, so now it’s my turn!”
“Evelyn, Lumia… Don’t act so childish. There’s two seats next to Wade, so at least one of you can sit there.”
“You should be the one to back off first.”
…Guys, weren’t we having a serious discussion just now?
As the sun set, I sent everyone else away and waited for a carriage with Kalian alone.
Gazing at the crimson sky, Kalian suddenly asked,
“Did you mean what you said earlier?”
“About what?”
“That you might have to sacrifice your life to take down Alcatraz.”
“Oh, that? It was just a way of emphasizing how important and dangerous this mission is.”
I answered lightly, but his face darkened.
“You’ve never said something like that ‘just for emphasis’ before. Not once.”
“You’re reading too much into it.”
“Wade, anyone else… but not you. Do you understand? If I lose you… I can’t even bear to imagine it.”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it.”
“Wade.”
He grabbed my arm.
“Promise me. If you’re planning to sacrifice yourself for anything, don’t. You are my friend, my brother, my mentor… even my father figure.”
“…”
“So please, don’t die.”
“Did you eat something weird today? Why would I die? Stop worrying. You think this is my first time dealing with something like this?”
I patted Kalian’s shoulder.
At that moment, the carriage we were waiting for arrived.
I gave him a slight push toward it and said,
“Go on. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“…Yeah.”
He seemed like he had more to say, but in the end, he reluctantly boarded the carriage.
Left alone, I muttered to myself.
“Now then… time to prepare for the real plan.”
“Are you truly okay with this?”
Emerging from the shadows, Evelyn, Lumia, Elia, and Serena stepped forward.
Their faces were just as grim as Kalian’s had been.
“There’s no other way. If Kalian knew, he’d definitely oppose it.”
“That’s not what I meant. Do you really have to go this far? Wade, you don’t have to bear everything alone.”
“Every war requires sacrifices. This is the way to minimize them.”
That night, we devised a secret plan.
I felt sorry for the bonds I had formed with them.
But that was precisely why they were the only ones I could entrust with my life.