Chapter 76 : Demon King’s Suppression Force (1)

“A Demon King Subjugation Army?!”

Kalian was appalled.

When he asked how to save Victoria from danger, the answer he received was the formation of a subjugation army against her.

It was natural for him to be flustered.

“Calm down.”

“I’m not that agitated. I just don’t understand.”

“Which part do you not understand?”

“Forming a Demon King Subjugation Army is difficult enough, but once it’s created, we can’t stop it even if we want to.”

“That’s true.”

“That’s not the point…!”

Kalian clutched his forehead.

“That would mean an inevitable war against the Demon King’s forces. Even if we don’t want it, others won’t just sit by when we confront Victoria.”

“You’re right, but that’s not the first thing we should consider. The most important thing is something else—her close associates.”

I mentioned Alcatraz, the Four Heavenly Kings, and various anti-humanity demons residing in the Demon King’s castle.

“Even if Victoria is friendly toward humanity, the same can’t be said for those around her. No matter how much we claim we’re there to save her, do you think they’ll just welcome us and open the gates?”

“Probably not.”

“Not only will they refuse to open the gates, but they’ll also make sure Victoria never leaves the castle. That means we’ll have to break through ourselves.”

Kalian, deep in thought, suddenly remembered something.

“An invitation… Right! That Alcatraz guy invited us before, didn’t he? Can’t we use that as a pretext to enter?”

“We could get in that way, but then what?”

“If we can persuade Victoria, maybe we won’t have to resort to violence. She is their queen, after all.”

“That would be ideal, but there’s no guarantee that the ones around her will sit still. If things go south, it’ll be just the two of us against the entire Demon King’s castle.”

“So, there’s no avoiding a fight.”

Realizing the situation, Kalian reluctantly nodded.

“I get it. Then we need to form the Demon King Subjugation Army… Where do we start? Should we return home and rally our allies?”

“That’s a good idea, but the first thing we need to do is summon the Great Houses.”

The Great Houses. Including the imperial family, there were only nine of them in the entire empire, and they were essential for the subjugation of the Demon King.

There was no need to scramble for various alliances—convincing the Great Houses alone would bring the entire empire to our side.

The problem was, what authority did Kalian and I have to summon them?

Fortunately, that wasn’t something we had to worry about.

I went to see Evelyn.

She was a member of the Rose House, one of the Great Houses, and therefore had the authority to issue the summons.

First, I explained everything to her—Victoria’s true identity as the Demon King, how she had been implicated in mass killings within the empire, and how the real mastermind was someone else.

After listening to everything, Evelyn simply accepted the situation.

“That’s quite the twist of fate.”

“Are you really convinced just by my words?”

“Is there any reason not to be?”

“It’s hard to believe that the Demon King is actually a good person or that we want to save her.”

She laughed softly.

“Hehehe, normally, I would agree. But it’s you saying this. I trust you.”

“Thank you.”

“Besides, I also lost my composure because of Alcatraz once. It’s not surprising that such a man is manipulating Victoria.”

“He’s the most dangerous one. If there’s anyone who will bring about the world’s destruction, it’s him.”

“And if there’s anyone who can save the world, it’s you. Let’s hurry.”

She placed me in her carriage and led me to the Rose Duchy.

To push forward with discussions about the Demon King Subjugation, now was the best time since the head of the family had returned.

As our carriage neared the Rose Ducal estate, Evelyn offered some advice.

“I am only the heir to the family. The authority to summon the Great Houses lies with my father, so we must convince him.”

“Do you think it will be difficult?”

“The balance between the Empire and the demons has already been shattered because of this incident. Bringing up the Demon King Subjugation Army now wouldn’t be strange.”

After stepping out of the carriage, we entered the Rose estate.

Perhaps because the family head was present, the entire atmosphere was different from before.

The elite knights who had been deployed had returned, and the overall strength here was comparable to the Imperial Capital.

Three dragons were flying above the mansion—enough said.

The Rose family was one of the Empire’s most renowned knightly houses.

So what kind of person was its head?

Baldric Rose.

In the original story, he was overshadowed by Evelyn and had little presence, so I lacked prior knowledge about him.

A shame.

Creak.

As Evelyn opened the study door, the head of the house, Baldric, finally revealed himself.

His gray hair and beard were both thick and dignified.

His strong gaze and imposing presence resembled that of a lion.

He looked at Evelyn for a moment before suddenly rising from his seat.

“My daughter, Evelyn! Evelyn, you’re here!”

“Yes, Father. I just got back—”

“Come here at once! Hahaha!”

Baldric rushed over, embraced Evelyn, and affectionately rubbed his bearded face against hers.

“Please, Father. Not in front of our guest.”

“Just a little longer. We’ve been apart for so long because of the campaigns. Let me enjoy this moment a bit more.”

Ah, so this is the kind of person he was.

Evelyn, looking troubled, glanced at me for help.

Only after a long while did Baldric finally shift his gaze to me.

“And who might you be?”

“I am Wade Silverain, a friend of Miss Evelyn. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“My daughter’s friend…? Could it be that you’re her lover?”

“That’s not the case.”

Ignoring my words, he turned to Evelyn.

And Evelyn… nodded.

Hey, don’t just confirm it like that! That’s how misunderstandings happen!

“Hoh… I see. Since we’ve met, we should at least shake hands.”

He extended his hand with an unreadable expression.

His thick fingers were covered in calluses—a knight’s hands, without a doubt.

His grip strength must be formidable.

Squeeze.

As soon as I took his hand, he started applying pressure.

At first, it was just a firm grip, but as I remained unfazed, his strength gradually increased to the point where even steel might bend.

“You’ve got some strength.”

“Is this all?”

As Baldric and I seemed ready to test our limits, Evelyn interjected.

“Please stop. He’s not my lover—he’s my savior.”

“Are you referring to that bandit incident? I heard someone else was responsible for saving you.”

“It wasn’t Kalian who truly saved me—it was Wade. He simply chose to stay out of the spotlight.”

“Is that so?”

Baldric immediately released his grip, then let out a hearty laugh as if nothing had happened.

“Hahaha! If that’s the case, I’ve made a grave mistake. I sincerely apologize for misjudging you and treating an important benefactor poorly.”

“It’s fine. It was just a simple handshake.”

“You’re a man I like. But enough of this—sit down, all of you.”

After our introductions, we each took a seat.

I briefly introduced myself, and Evelyn exchanged pleasantries with her father, gradually steering the conversation toward the main topic.

“Father, please summon the Great Houses to form the Demon King Subjugation Army.”

“A Demon King Subjugation, huh…”

“The demons are growing more active. Because of this recent incident, countless civilians and soldiers perished at the border, and the sacrifices will only increase.”

“That… is certainly possible.”

“As honorable knights and role models to all warriors, we must take the first step. If we do, others will find the courage to follow.”

“Wise words.”

Baldric nodded repeatedly, deep in thought.

However, despite all efforts, the persuasion did not yield a favorable result.

“But my daughter, I cannot grant that request.”

“Is it difficult to summon the Nine Houses?”

“That’s not the issue. Calling them together is no trouble at all.”

“Then what is the problem?”

“It’s a matter of power.”

He answered calmly.

“Humanity cannot win against the demons. Of course, demons cannot win against humanity either.”

“So you mean we lack sufficient strength?”

“Exactly. Humanity and demons maintain a delicate balance. If war breaks out in this state, even if we achieve victory, we will lose far too much. A truly immeasurable cost.”

“Then are you saying we should just leave the demons be?”

“I’m not saying we should ignore them. I’m saying we must avoid a full-scale war.”

It was a reasonable argument.

In fact, in the future, war between humanity and demons would lead to catastrophic losses on both sides, turning the world into a living hell.

However, he did not realize that a subjugation force was needed precisely to prevent such a disaster.

“Evelyn, shall I step in?”

I whispered to Evelyn.

She seemed to have no other cards to play, so I had no choice but to take the lead.

“Do you have a way to convince my father?”

“I’ll challenge him to a duel. He doesn’t know my true strength, so I can use that to our advantage.”

“It won’t be easy.”

“I’ll give it a try.”

After our discussion, I proposed a duel to Baldric.

We would test our skills, and the victor’s argument would be accepted.

Baldric was the greatest knight of House Rose, a family renowned as the finest knightly house in the empire.

A man of his stature would undoubtedly have absolute confidence in his abilities.

If he were to duel a mere student from Arcana, he would surely let his guard down… Or so I thought.

“I refuse the wager.”

“What? Why not?”

“Fighting you would certainly be enjoyable, but I cannot place humanity’s fate on the line for a mere bet.”

This man was not easy to handle.

I tried provoking him subtly, but it had no effect at all.

I would have to take a different approach.

At this point, infiltrating House Rose to forge official documents or leveraging political strife among the Great Houses might be necessary.

It would take time, but it wouldn’t be an insurmountable challenge.

After all, manipulating a single noble house was far simpler than infiltrating the Demon Lord’s castle.

While I was contemplating my next move, I glanced at Evelyn to signal our retreat.

“Evelyn…?”

But then, she suddenly did something unexpected.

She removed the family ring from her finger and placed it on the table.

Not only that, but she also took off the family crest from her chest and the sword of House Rose from her waist, laying them all before her father.

Then, kneeling before Baldric, she made a declaration.

“Father, if you cannot accept my words… then I will leave the family today.”

Shocked, Baldric shot to his feet in alarm.

“W-what?! What did you just say?”

“I said I will leave the family. From this moment on, I will depart from this house and elope with Wade, never to return.”

“Elope?! So you two really were—cough!”

Baldric clutched his neck.

…Wait, what?

What kind of nonsense was this?

I was completely dumbfounded, but I deliberately chose not to interfere.

Because for the first time, Baldric—who had been as unshakable as a mountain—was visibly flustered.

“Do you even understand what you are saying? Why are you being so unreasonable? I told you, this is about the fate of humanity!”

“That is precisely why, Father.”

“What do you mean?”

“There is an opportunity before us—one that could save the people, the Empire, and the entire continent. The man who can make that possible is standing right here. How can you possibly refuse?”

Evelyn pointed directly at me.

I could already see where this conversation was heading.