Chapter 16
When the world is thrown into chaos, history inevitably forges something worthy of it.
In times of war, heroes appear; in times of famine, saints walk among us.
Yet for five centuries now, nothing of the sort had descended upon this continent.
The divine oracle had fallen silent.
Because the Demon King had shut himself away in the tower.
Thus, one could even say that the absence of a hero was a good thing.
But.
Humanity had splintered apart of its own accord.
With the demons vanishing from the continent, the age sank into a mire of warring strongmen.
The Goddess seemed indifferent to the humans' conflicts and allowed seven flames to burn.
No, six.
The Empire had swallowed the Dwarf Kingdom.
One flame with centuries of history had gone out.
They called it an annexation, but everyone knew the truth. It had been extermination.
The warlords sharpened their blades against one another. The smell of war seeped across the entire continent.
In such an age.
A gathering that should not have been possible was held.
Normally, history would never allow such a thing at a time like this.
The passions of the warlords would trample every diplomatic custom, and neutrality was always the first concept to disappear.
But the history of this gathering was older than history itself.
The Continental Unified Supreme Council.
If human history was a thousand years old, the history of this council went back even further.
Even beings from primordial times attended this place.
That was why everyone came.
Including one faction that did not belong among them.
Today, an utterly shabby scene, wholly unworthy of this sanctuary's stature, was unfolding at its entrance.
“Ptui!”
The driver of an old hired carriage, splattered with mud, spat roughly onto the ground.
“Princess? That'll be the day! Where do you get off spouting nonsense when you don't even have money for the carriage fare!”
“Y-you insolent wretch! How dare you speak that way to Her Highness, the princess of a sovereign kingdom…!”
The white-haired old chancellor thundered while trembling with his cane, but the driver merely snorted.
“Ah, enough! Pay up already! From the looks of you, you're a drowned rat!”
The old chancellor's hand, searching through his clothes, grew slower and slower.
The princess watched him in silence, then quietly bent down.
She reached behind her heels and removed both shoes,
then held them out to the driver.
“Would you accept these shoes, at least?”
The driver narrowed his eyes and looked down at the shoes.
“Tch.”
After examining them for a moment, he snatched them away.
“No… You mustn't… Your Highness…!”
The old chancellor fell to his knees in despair.
The carriage departed, leaving the princess barefoot.
Elia, the first princess of the small kingdom of Lumen, silently clenched the hem of her skirt.
The old chancellor bowed his head, his voice trembling with tears.
“Your Highness… I am sorry. I have failed you through my incompetence….”
“No, simply arriving on time is a miracle in itself.”
The princess forced the corners of her lips upward into a smile.
It was miserable.
The old wyvern that had been the kingdom's sole source of pride had exhausted its lifespan and crashed on the way to the council.
By a stroke of luck, it fell into a river and survived, but the royal ceremonial robes were ruined, and even the meticulously prepared meeting materials had been swept away by the current.
Just before that, she had even handed over her shoes as the fare.
This was the sorrow of a small kingdom.
“Let's go. We'll be late.”
Elia hid her bare feet beneath her skirt and entered the council chamber.
“…!”
The moment she stepped inside, a breathtaking vista that nearly stopped her breath overwhelmed her.
The magical lights adorning the ceiling, and enormous marble pillars.
“I… in a place like this…”
It was only then that Princess Elia truly grasped where she had set foot.
She was overwhelmed.
She could scarcely believe that she would be seated alongside the tremendous powers that held the continent in their grip.
The massive doors opened, revealing the inside of the conference hall.
A huge round table.
And seven seats surrounding it.
One person had already arrived.
It was a being seated like a statue at one side of the round table.
A man with golden reptilian eyes, horns, and scales.
He was a dragonkin, something she had heard of only in legends.
‘A representative of the dragons….’
Elia swallowed and approached, then bowed politely.
“I am Elia of the Kingdom of Lumen. It is an honor to meet…”
Ignored.
The dragonkin did not even spare her a glance.
His golden, vertical pupils fixed on empty space seemed to have no interest in her.
Just as Elia was about to withdraw, biting her lip in embarrassment—
[Choose no one.]
“…Pardon?”
Elia's head shot up at the voice that reverberated directly inside her mind.
Yet the dragonkin was still not looking at her.
She had no time even to wonder about it.
The chancellor approached, straightened her clothes, and whispered.
“Your Highness. We lost the materials, but you only need to proceed as you prepared. Our role is decided either way.”
“…Yes. I know.”
There was no need to say more.
She had been invited to serve as a puppet for the destroyed Dwarf Kingdom.
The Kingdom of Lumen possessed all the qualifications to become a provisional member of the council.
The weakest, with no political influence whatsoever, and easily cast aside at any time.
Creeeak-
As time passed, the rulers of the continent began to arrive.
The elven queen, carrying herself with lofty dignity.
The prince of the Desert Empire, surveying the chamber with a roguish gaze.
The cardinal of the Holy Kingdom, wearing an ascetic expression.
The prime minister of the Free Republic, with a cool, calculating face.
And the Archmage Sovereign of the Mage Tower Alliance, draped in mysterious robes.
The figure seemed uncomfortable somehow, as though injured.
And lastly.
The Empire's foreign minister entered.
Seeing him, the Desert Empire's prince crossed his legs and spoke in a brazen voice.
“Well, well. Has the Empire begun to consider the council a joke? Sending some mere minister instead of even a member of the imperial family—or the chancellor?”
The foreign minister sat down and replied smoothly.
“The imperial family is fully occupied with overseeing the stability of its newly annexed territory. If that was taken as rudeness, I ask for your understanding.”
The Desert prince burst out laughing at that.
“Well, I get it. The imperial family must be terribly busy spending their nights with beautiful dwarven women.”
The foreign minister fell silent.
The Desert prince's gaze landed on Elia, who was visibly tense.
“And that little backwater kingdom over there sent some green girl instead of its king. For a mere foreign minister of the Empire, I suppose we should be grateful, shouldn't we?”
Elia's shoulders flinched.
The old chancellor's face flushed with anger, but this was not a place where he dared to intervene.
“Now, let's get to the point.”
The elven queen announced the start of the meeting.
*
The Continental Unified Supreme Council dealt with only one agenda item.
The extermination of the demons.
Its sole purpose was to discuss strategies for achieving that.
Since the Demon King's Tower rose into the sky, the strategy meetings had become rather sparse, but
the council had established a rule requiring each faction to send scouts into the tower in rotation every four years.
The problem was that the Demon King's Tower was a death trap no one could leave once they entered.
Therefore, no one wanted to expend their own troops.
The elven queen spoke.
“The elves handled the last four years, so let us discuss who takes the next turn.”
“The Empire cannot do it.”
The foreign minister cut in before anyone else.
“As His Highness the Prince of Sahad also mentioned, the Empire has accumulated fatigue after waging a long war.”
“Hahahaha!”
The Prince of Sahad burst into uproarious laughter.
“Fatigue? You must have put on plenty of weight after sucking up all the dwarves' gold and weapons. Couldn't you come up with a more sincere excuse?”
The foreign minister replied.
“I wonder whether Sahad was pleased with the tribute sent by the Empire.”
“I burned every bit of it. Sahad's dignity isn't as vulgar as yours.”
“In that case, perhaps His Greatness Sahad would care to take responsibility for the next four years?”
“The Sun God does not send soldiers to their deaths.”
Next was the cardinal of the Holy Kingdom.
“The Holy Kingdom is currently engaged in restoring the Great Cathedral. It would be difficult to reassign the knights carrying out their sacred mission elsewhere.”
The prime minister of the Free Republic spoke.
“The Republic cannot take military action without the consent of parliament. At present, parliament is in temporary recess due to internal matters, so…”
The Archmage Sovereign spoke, leaning on his staff.
“There is currently a problem with the Mage Tower's forces, so we are in no position to volunteer readily. What say the dragons?”
He turned toward the dragonkin as if changing the subject.
The dragonkin muttered in a low voice.
[As they always have, the dragons shun the tower.]
The Desert prince tapped the table.
“Pfft. So in the end, you're all just too scared to go?”
A frigid silence descended.
But then, suddenly.
Someone stood up, breaking the silence.
Every gaze turned toward them.
“Uh… The Kingdom of Lumen also… His Majesty the king is confined to bed, so we don't have the means…”
It was Princess Elia.
“Hey.”
The Desert prince propped his chin on his hand and cut her off.
“Hahaha! You're too cute. You don't have to say anything!!!”
Snickers came from several places.
“And you—you're so nervous, yet you didn't even bring a scrap of paper?”
“Th-that…”
“How pathetic.”
The elven queen frowned in displeasure.
“Enough. If no one intends to step forward anyway, we will follow tradition.”
Tradition.
“We shall conduct the Judgment of the Broken Holy Sword.”
It was what they called the Ritual of the Fallen Sword (落劍之儀).
Tap.
Tap.
The council's soldiers carried in a massive golden chest.
Inside lay the hilt of a holy sword, said to have been broken while wielded by a hero of the past, its blade long gone.
The Ritual of the Fallen Sword was a tradition in which the hilt was stood at the center of the round table and released to decide the matter.
The faction toward which the fallen hilt pointed would be the one required to dispatch troops.
Sssrrng.
The foreign minister stood the holy sword's hilt upright.
The holy sword stood perfectly vertical in this place.
Because the very center of this round table was where the holy sword had been planted in the primordial age.
That was why the council was located here, and why the name of this chamber was ‘Sheath of the Holy Sword.’
Manipulation was impossible.
Not with the other six pairs of eyes—including the dragonkin—watching.
Elia held her breath.
The odds were one in seven.
‘Please….’
The foreign minister let go.
Wobble-
The holy sword's hilt swayed, then toppled onto the round table with a heavy sound.
Clang-!
The hilt pointed toward one side.
“……”
Elia's heart sank.
The end of the hilt was pointing toward the Kingdom of Lumen.
“Ah…”
The strength drained from Elia's legs.
The small kingdom had no military force that could be called a knight order by imperial standards.
It was weaker than any of the Empire's mercenary bands.
To send their scant soldiers into the Demon King's Tower, the princess herself might have to lead the expedition.
The Desert prince whistled.
“Congratulations, little lady. That backwater kingdom of yours is about to make a name for itself across the continent.”
It was at that very moment, as Elia reached out with a trembling hand to grasp the hilt of the holy sword, signifying her acceptance of the judgment in despair.
BANG-!!!!
The tightly closed doors of the chamber were flung violently open.
“What is the meaning of this! Who dares intrude during the sacred council!”
The cardinal of the Holy Kingdom sprang to his feet in fury.
The one who opened the door and rushed in was a messenger from the Empire.
He ran to the foreign minister and urgently whispered something in his ear, his face ashen.
The foreign minister's eyes widened slightly.
His gaze wandered through empty space before settling on Elia, who was about to grasp the holy sword.
Tap.
He seized Elia by the wrist.
“…Please do not take hold of the sword, Your Highness.”
His grip was powerful, at odds with his gentle tone.
When Elia looked up in confusion, the foreign minister raised his voice so it would echo throughout the chamber.
“It was the Empire that brought the Kingdom of Lumen to this gathering. Therefore, the Empire accepts full responsibility, and the Imperial Knights will undertake this expedition.”
Silence.
The Prince of Sahad let out a derisive laugh.
“Ha! The Empire is feeling charitable?”
At that moment, the door on the side of the Desert Empire also opened, and an informant in a black mask approached the prince.
“Who is it this time!!”
After a brief whisper cut through his roar,
the prince's expression twisted greedily upon hearing it.
“Warriors of the desert, the armies of Sahad will go to the Demon King's Tower. We can't let those imperial bastards monopolize it!”
Perhaps his shout served as a catalyst.
Informants from each faction began bursting in like mad to deliver breaking news to the elven queen, the cardinal, the Archmage Sovereign, and the prime minister of the Free Republic as well.
With each piece of news whispered by the messengers, the representatives' expressions changed by the second.
“The Holy Kingdom's paladins will march! The church must purify the evil there!”
“The warriors of the forest will go. We still have control, so do not presume to act rashly.”
“I will immediately submit a motion to the Free Republic's parliament approving the dispatch of troops!”
Elia stared blankly at the pandemonium.
‘What on earth… what did they hear to make them act like that?’
Hadn't they all been scrambling to push the responsibility onto one another just moments ago, raising every excuse they could?
The small Kingdom of Lumen had no intelligence network to speak of, so there was no way for them to know what news the others had received.
But one thing was certain.
‘There must be something there. There must be some benefit to going to the tower.’
There was no way she could fail to realize that.
Amid the chaos, with everyone spitting as they argued over their rights,
BANG-!!!!
the dragonkin slammed his fist down on the round table.
The booming shockwave instantly silenced the chamber.
The dragonkin's golden eyes turned toward the dazed, standing Elia.
[The sword of judgment points to the small kingdom.]
The dragonkin's voice rang out heavily.
[The decision belongs to the princess of Lumen.]
In an instant, the gazes of the six powerhouses ruling the continent all converged on Elia.
Elia gasped for breath.
Her head spun.
‘If I choose the Empire, the Desert Empire and the Holy Kingdom will be furious… Whichever one I choose, the other factions won't leave our kingdom alone.’
But neither could she, knowing nothing, simply step forward and claim those benefits for herself.
‘What should I do? What am I supposed to do….’
After thinking it through carefully, Elia raised her head.
She remembered why this place existed.
“Let everyone… go.”
“…What?”
The Desert prince's face twisted, and most of the others frowned.
Princess Elia looked straight at them.
“The purpose of this place, the Sheath of the Holy Sword, is to stand against the Demon King, our eternal enemy. If all of you would find the courage to step forward, there is no reason for only one faction to go.”
She stood the fallen holy sword's hilt upright at the center of the round table.
“We will combine all our armies and form a joint expeditionary force.”
There were many objections, but an agreement was soon reached. No one wanted to back out.
Thus, a small kingdom's princess formed the largest joint expeditionary force in the history of the continent.
*
After the meeting ended.
All the ministers were in the process of leaving.
“To become the focal point for the entire continent—you've accomplished something truly remarkable, Your Highness!”
The old chancellor praised Princess Elia to no end, and she herself was delighted.
To choose everyone instead of choosing just one place.
She was proud of herself for coming up with such a stratagem.
How happy her father would be if he knew.
The princess, buoyed by pride, shook hands with everyone as she left the chamber,
when her eyes met a pair of golden vertical pupils.
Only then did Elia remember what the dragonkin had said at first.
-[Choose no one.]
As she turned those words over in her mind, the dragonkin spoke.
[You have driven all of humanity onto a thorny path.]
“Pardon…?”
Beneath the dragonkin's blazing gaze,
she stood barefoot.