‘Could it be Siriana or Ella? Did he choose one of them? Well, he’s old enough to make a decision.’
“Who is it?”
‘Yeah, I’m curious too.’
“Ashter Princess.”
‘What? If it’s the Ashter Princess, isn’t it just me?’
***
For a moment, I thought my ears were malfunctioning.
‘No, my ears must be off. There’s no way that bastard would say such nonsense.’
“Oh, the Ashter Princess? That one?”
“Yes, Olivia Rapha Ashtar.”
‘A confirmation shot?’
‘A lunatic has taken the bait.’
“That woman is violent, isn’t she? You saw it, right? She has a terrible personality, and I secretly investigated her. She’s been secretly training nuns as private soldiers and embezzling money from the church!”
‘What? That woman?’
He’s openly bad-mouthing me now.
“Well, being from a noble family, such flaws are understandable. Defeating Pector and all, her face is flawless too. She’s perfect in every way.”
“Be honest. It’s her chest, isn’t it?”
‘Maybe I should’ve made my chest smaller.’
“Not entirely wrong, but seeing the Ashter Princess around here just makes me feel good. Yes, I feel my heart race.”
‘Now I have a reason to slit that bastard’s throat someday. I’ll definitely kill him.’
‘Who does he think he is to like me?’
“You said not too long ago you just wanted to use me?”
“That’s that, and this is this.”
‘Lunatic. I’d rather bite my tongue and die than let myself be used by him.’
‘He’s only doing this because of my looks. Come to think of it, this isn’t the first time he’s acted like this.’
“Is it really impossible?”
“Alright. I guess I also like men who like me.”
‘Oh, is he backing off so easily? That’s unexpected for Noelle.’
“Wait. You’re not leaving the hero party over something like this, are you?”
“No, I’m not. But.”
***
The atmosphere turned a little strange.
Before anything else, I felt a surge of anger.
I shot a magic bullet at his head from my hand.
Smack!
His body crumpled.
“Gah?”
“Forget my confession.”
Thud!
Just as the hero fell unconscious, Noelle struck his solar plexus and knocked him out—physically.
With our combined efforts, the hero collapsed on the spot.
Noelle cast a strange spell on his head.
After thoroughly messing with the hero, Noelle returned to the mansion.
He looked a bit dejected.
‘Who would’ve thought the hero would reject him?’
As his brother, I could only mock him wholeheartedly.
“See? I told you it wouldn’t work.”
Noelle stared quietly at my chest.
‘What? What is it?’
“Ha, that idiot has no taste. What’s so good about this? Women are all about having a big heart, aren’t they? Shouldn’t he be looking for that—a heart-chest?”
‘I don’t think Noelle’s heart is particularly big either.’
‘Well, if he’s that desperate for a man and wants to sow his seeds in this barren land, there are other ways.’
“If you’re that desperate, I’ll find someone suitable for you. Just stop this.”
“No, come on. Is that hero even sane? How many women like me do you think exist in the world? Couldn’t he at least consider it for a moment?”
Noelle isn’t bad.
When considered as a woman to marry or a lover, he’s not bad.
‘But what does it matter to me? He’s not my lover.’
“Wait, did you actually like that trash?”
“Are you crazy?”
‘Good. That’s all I needed to hear. If he really needs a man, I can find someone else for him.’
“But what about the party now?”
“Until we defeat the Four Heavenly Kings, we’ll have to stay with the hero, right?”
‘I agree with that, but where are we planning to go now?’
The hero probably received an order from the kingdom to subdue the Four Heavenly Kings.
‘Unless Pector shows up, there’s no one we can go beat up first.’
“Then, where are you planning to go?”
“Since you dealt with Pector, Brother—I mean, Sister—there’s probably no point anymore. But still, how did you defeat Pector without the holy sword?”
‘Should I even call that a proper defeat?’
“What do you mean by that?”
“Historically, it’s said only the holy sword can defeat the Demon King and the Four Heavenly Kings. So yeah, I guess the Demon King was defeated back then.”
“It wasn’t even killed, so what’s the point?”
‘It wasn’t killed; I just found a compromise.’
“Still, driving it away was impressive.”
“Then what if someone other than the hero killed the Demon King or the Four Heavenly Kings?”
“Uh, I don’t know about that. But what I do know is that only the holy sword can kill the Demon King and the Four Heavenly Kings.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Before joining the hero’s party, I found records at an ancient site from the Warring States era.”
‘So it’s official history that the Demon King and Four Heavenly Kings were defeated by the holy sword.’
‘But over such a long period, there have been so many Demon Kings and Four Heavenly Kings. Were they all really defeated by the holy sword?’
“Don’t you find it strange? Over all that time, was it really always the hero with the holy sword who killed the Demon King and the Four Heavenly Kings?”
‘Even now, this hero is weaker than me, weaker than Seven Stars. There’s no way there was only one weakling like this in history.’
“Sister, what are you thinking?”
“The Four Heavenly Kings and the Demon King have never been just one person. Whenever they appeared or were resurrected, there were always a Demon King and Four Heavenly Kings. And the hero has always been just one.”
‘So for the hero to make the final move, they’d have to cut down the Four Heavenly Kings with the holy sword. But the Demon King and the Four Heavenly Kings aren’t that foolish.’
‘It would be smarter for them to gang up on the hero. Yet there’s no record of that.’
“That’s true. Then what do you think, Sister?”
“It’s just a repetitive tale.”
‘Telling Noelle won’t solve anything.’
But one thing is clear: if someone other than the hero defeats the Four Heavenly Kings, there’ll be consequences.
“Hey, what’s this? You two are here.”
***
The Swordmaster found Noelle and me talking in the hallway.
“Oh, Swordmaster?”
“I was planning to tell only Olivia, but since a member of the hero’s party is here, it’s better to share now.”
‘What is he trying to say?’
“What is it?”
“Olivia, Ashter is currently preparing for a campaign to subjugate Berna.”
“What? At this time of year?”
‘What is he talking about all of a sudden? A campaign to subjugate Berna? Isn’t that essentially invading the Demon King’s territory? Even Eldakrad couldn’t do it, and they’re planning to try?’
“Of course, it won’t be immediate, but it’ll likely be around Atlerina’s summer break.”
“Summer? If the glue on the bows melts in that heat… The Demon King’s territory is completely different from imperial lands; the environment there is terrible.”
“Even with the help of mages, would it be feasible? The new weaponry wouldn’t be ready so quickly. Even if the weapons themselves can be mass-produced, how will they train the soldiers? Wouldn’t it be better to send them after proper training?”
“They’ll use bows that don’t rely on glue. Besides, this time, they plan to pressure the church to deploy a large number of clergy and mage divisions, so there won’t be issues with weaponry or diseases. Ashter has already been training soldiers while testing new weapons.”
“How many troops do they have?”
The number of troops is crucial.
‘Can we even hope for victory?’
The environment in the Demon King’s territory is so harsh that it’s impossible to send a massive army or rely on supplies from the occupied areas.
With long supply lines, a prolonged war would be unfeasible.
It’s not for nothing that Eldakrad was considered remarkable for attacking the Demon King’s territory.
***
“Ashter itself will send 20,000, and an additional 10,000 from neighboring noble territories, making a total of 30,000.”
During Eldakrad’s time, they didn’t even send 20,000.
‘So they’re gathering every last soldier they can. This shows how enraged the head of Ashter must be. That’s probably the limit.’
“The question is whether those 30,000 can survive in the Demon King’s territory, supported by clergy, mages, and supplies.”
“Even if the church or kingdom offers help, is it really enough?”
“And what about me?”
“Then what about us?”
“The hero’s party will stay in Ashter for now. Olivia, you need to return to the academy.”
‘Is that even possible? They plan to enter the Demon King’s territory with just the hero’s party and Seven Stars? I’m not criticizing the head of the house, but can this even compare to Eldakrad?’
“It’s not just Ashter.”
“Even among the noble families and the imperial family, no one has dared to touch the Demon King’s territory.”
“Even though the Demon King is dead, the Four Heavenly Kings are still alive.”
“Do you think there’s any chance of victory?”
The head of Ashter wouldn’t embark on a fight they can’t win.
“The current generation of Ashter’s citizens hold the sacred memory of Eldakrad and its legacy. The soldiers are from the next generation of those who perished in the Demon King’s territory back then. Their hatred toward the Demon King’s army is deeply rooted.”
In that case, the morale of the troops must be high.
“They’ll probably foam at the mouth to kill demons. But isn’t the purpose different this time?”
“It’s to target the Four Heavenly Kings.”
“Which makes it even harder. We don’t know where Clanis or Pector might appear. In the end, they’re probably only aiming for Seto and Berna.”
‘That’s impossible.’
“Even those two are too strong to underestimate. To deal with them, the Seven Stars would need to gather. Your father seems determined to subjugate the Demon King’s territory.”
“That’s not possible. Tens of thousands could be slaughtered if this goes wrong!”
The Demon King’s territory is home to millions of demons.
Even considering the legions they form, their power is no joke.
During Eldakrad’s time, the plan was to destroy the Demon King’s castle by sealing the Demon King, but targeting the Four Heavenly Kings means scouring the entire Demon King’s territory.
It’s no longer just an attack-and-retreat strategy against the castle; they’d have to search every corner for the Four Heavenly Kings.
“Do you think it’s completely impossible?”
“No matter how good the weapons are, it’s impossible.”
“They might win consecutive battles before encountering the Four Heavenly Kings.”
“By pressuring the kingdom and the church with the Berna campaign, they could acquire mana potions for a prolonged war.”
“Plus, if they actively pursue the Four Heavenly Kings, the kingdom and church will likely help, even reluctantly.”
“What do you think, Noelle?”
“The hero’s party isn’t ready to face even two of the Four Heavenly Kings yet. The Seven Stars might help, but it’s still uncertain.”
‘Could the Seven Stars even handle the Four Heavenly Kings?’
Berna’s powers of corruption and curses aren’t something to take lightly.
“I heard you struck Berna with a magic bullet. The head of Ashter is planning to exploit that opportunity. Do you still think it’s impossible?”
“Yes. There’s no guarantee we can even capture Berna and escape.”
It’s only feasible if they can certainly deal with Berna.
“Are you saying there’s absolutely no way to capture Berna?”
“It’s not entirely impossible, but…”
‘The chances are slim. The plan essentially involves using Eldakrad’s remains.’
“Then you should stop it.”
“What?”
“If you think about it, this whole mess is your fault.”
“What?”
‘How is this my fault?’
“You should’ve mixed truth with lies. Telling the head of the house everything as it is—of course, he’d lose his mind. Imagine sharing Eldakrad’s story with Ashter’s people; they’d go berserk. What about the duke, his son?”
“Ah, well…”
‘I had no choice. But still, how could he spiral this far out of control?’
“Well, it’s about your father, so it’s understandable. But as far as I see it, this war isn’t favorable. So you should convince him.”
‘Stop the war? That’s a tall order.’
‘Swordmaster must know this war is a stretch, even with Ashter’s might.’
‘Even if they fight independently from the empire, can they really guarantee victory?’
“Do you think he’d listen to me?”
The issue is whether he’d even consider my words.
“He’s a doting father. He might listen.”
“That man is a doting father?”
‘Really? No way. Didn’t he slap me the last time? He said a noble lady shouldn’t act coy at my age. I got slapped for that!’
“You should try, Olivia.”
Noelle jabbed my side with her elbow and said something ridiculous.
“What?”
“I think it’d be worth seeing a noble lady trying to charm the duke~.”
Her mocking smile made me want to punch her.
‘Damn brat. She’s enjoying this, isn’t she?’