The Elf envoy, suddenly displaying a cold attitude, caused the Emperor to feel a sharp sense of discomfort.
No matter how dire the situation was, he was still the ruler of a nation.
It was deeply unpleasant to have an envoy from another nation openly show such a reaction, but the Emperor suppressed his unease and spoke in the calmest voice he could muster.
“Don’t act so rigidly. The strength of our Empire is beyond what you think. And more importantly, if our Empire falls here, your country will not be safe either.”
Behind the Leaf Empire were the nations of other Free Races.
For all this time, races like the Elves and Dwarves had suffered less damage from the demons because the great shield of the Human Empire, the Leaf Empire, had been in place.
If that shield were destroyed, it was clear where the demons’ blades would turn next.
“If you truly don’t like it, then have the reinforcements hurry. If we fail to stop them here, the situation will only worsen. For the future of the Free Races, we must join forces.”
“…”
A rational warning.
The Emperor, watching the Elf envoy remain silent for a moment, couldn’t help but smile inwardly.
With this much, the envoy should have understood.
The problem was not about retreating now, but about what would happen afterward.
Any intelligent person would easily come to the conclusion of what was best.
“Indeed. As Your Majesty said, for the safety of all Free Races, stopping the demons here is the best course of action.”
“That’s right, I’m relieved you understand.”
“Then I cannot remain idle. I will do my best to defeat the enemy here.”
With those words, the envoy drew their weapon from their waist.
The Elf, along with the Dwarves and Orcs seated behind him, began to draw their weapons as well.
It seemed that the Emperor’s words had clearly had an effect.
Seeing this, the Emperor began to feel a small sense of joy, but he smiled and stopped them.
“Your enthusiasm is truly appreciated. But you are still envoys from other nations. If you step forward and get injured, it could cause diplomatic issues. For now, please stay here quietly…”
“Kuhhh!”
At that moment, a sudden scream rang out.
The Emperor’s words were cut off as he reflexively turned his head toward the source of the scream.
What he saw immediately was…
The sight of a Royal Guard, bleeding on the floor, having been struck by the Orc envoy’s sword.
“!? Wh… what are you doing? Why are you attacking my men?”
The Emperor, overwhelmed by the incomprehensible situation, began to feel a deep sense of confusion.
At that moment, the Elf envoy, looking at the Emperor, spoke in a calm voice.
“Didn’t I say? That we would defeat the enemy.”
“Enemy?… No… You can’t possibly be calling my subordinates… my soldiers, your enemies? Are you calling them enemies of the Elven Kingdom?”
“No… I didn’t specifically call them enemies of the Elven Kingdom.”
“Gaaaah!”
“Kuhhh!”
Before the envoy even finished speaking, screams echoed through the room.
In an instant, the Imperial Guards in the room were slaughtered.
With a cold smile, the Elf envoy slowly began to approach the Emperor.
“They are… our enemies, after all.”
“Ten… Thousand…”
All those who should have been protecting him were cut down.
And not by anyone else, but by the envoys, whom he had just seen as his comrades.
In this incomprehensible situation, the Emperor was gripped by intense fear and, without realizing it, began to step backward.
“W-why… why are you doing this? Why… this…?”
“Tch… I thought you’d start to notice by now…”
“Well… it seems the magic tool is too effective.”
“In my opinion, it’s just that the human Emperor has no sense.”
The Elf clicked his tongue lightly, while the Dwarf muttered something uncertain, and the Orc looked at them with a scornful gaze.
The Elf envoy then looked down at the terrified Emperor and spoke in a quiet voice.
“Tell me, Emperor. Do we still look like envoys to you?”
“W-what… does that mean…?”
At that moment, the Elf envoy’s form began to slowly melt and shift.
Originally, he had appeared as a typical Elven male, but the moment the Emperor saw his changed appearance, his body froze in place.
“Y-you… you are… you’re… surely not…”
The long ears disappeared, and in their place, pale skin began to show, with horns growing from his forehead.
And massive black wings.
The only race the Emperor knew with these physical characteristics was one.
“Demons…?”
In that moment, the Emperor realized the true nature of the enemy attacking the capital.
Even more so, the demon standing before him—he knew exactly who he was.
Demon Lord Kesar.
The most dangerous of the Four Great Demon Lords and the one who had dealt the most damage to the Empire.
However, the feeling the Emperor now experienced toward Kesar and the other demons before him was not anger.
It was fear… and confusion.
The envoys from foreign lands, who had promised reinforcements, had turned out to be demons.
How they had managed such perfect disguises, the Emperor couldn’t comprehend, but what was more serious was something else entirely.
“N-no… you can’t be…”
“Of course, you should already know. There are no reinforcements. From the very beginning, this was all a plan to make sure you remained trapped here.”
“Don’t… don’t lie! No reinforcements? I received clear messages from the messengers! How can this be…”
The Emperor desperately denied it.
Regardless of the truth, he could not accept the fact that no reinforcements were coming.
Right now, the Empire was in a strategically disastrous situation, and even at this very moment, the Emperor himself was at risk of being captured.
The fact that even the last hope, the reinforcements, was a lie, was enough to send the Emperor’s mind spiraling into despair.
And then…
“A little information disruption like that is nothing for us. It was bound to be exposed eventually… but for now, we could at least use it to tie you down.”
“Ah… ah…”
Kesar’s words were filled with mockery.
However, the Emperor didn’t hear the rest of his words.
No reinforcements were coming.
Moreover, in this situation, even escaping had become impossible.
This meant only one thing.
His life…
Would end here.
As the feeling of being crushed deep inside his soul overwhelmed him, the Emperor, foaming at the mouth, lost consciousness.
Overwhelmed by a reality he could no longer handle, the Emperor collapsed.
Watching the fallen Emperor, a quiet smile spread across Kesar’s face.
A small sense of relief that things were going according to plan.
And a smile filled with deep satisfaction.
“Grrrrr!!!”
“Delicious…”
The undead began to swarm like an army of ants.
Though they lacked intelligence and were almost like simple beasts, it was precisely because of that that their assault was so terrifying.
“Damn it! Hold them back! We have to hold them back!”
“The arrows aren’t working!”
“What is this!? I chopped off its head and… Gaaah!”
Ignoring the attacks, the undead army crawled up the walls of the castle like ants.
Without even using ladders, they covered the walls, climbing them with terrifying persistence.
Their appearance, climbing the walls like that, filled the soldiers with a primal fear.
Even if their arms were severed or their heads exploded, the undead did not die.
The dead could not be killed by ordinary means.
At least, if their legs were broken, their movements would slow down, but even then, they crawled relentlessly toward their goal, dragging themselves forward with their two hands.
“Release holy power! Purge the evil!”
The white beams of light fired by the priests.
The undead struck by the holy power were instantly consumed by flames and turned to white ash.
The only effective magic on this vast battlefield, the purification spells of the priests.
However, the number of priests was far too few to stop the undead, who numbered in the tens of thousands.
“Kreee…”
“Kwoooaaah…”
Like water being scooped from a lake, more undead filled the spots left by the ash-covered ones.
The undead, temporarily halted by the priests’ holy power, resumed their advance.
“Great Priest! There… there are too many of them!”
“We must hold them back. If this place falls, everything will be lost.”
Despite his frail, aged body, the Prime Minister continued to channel holy power, offering encouragement.
However, despite his words, his face was far from bright.
‘Two days… no matter how I look at it, I don’t think we can last that long…’
Even if they managed to deal with the undead in front of them, these were not even the main force of the demons.
The real problem was the demons, who were advancing safely behind their undead shield.
Once they arrived, it was certain that the delicate balance they had maintained would be completely shattered.
‘Still… we must hold… until the very last moment…’
The Prime Minister steeled himself, having already resigned to death.
With little time left in his life, he had resolved to fulfill his duty to the end.
But then…
“Everyone, look here!”
A voice came from behind.
The Prime Minister and the soldiers turned their heads, their expressions freezing in place.
“What… what is that?”
“Demons…? How did they get here?”
“More importantly, who is that person being held there…”
“The Emperor…?”