Chapter 13
"Then I'll take my leave."
As Elang departed, Germis could finally find some stability. The chancellor caught his body as it collapsed onto the bed.
Chancellor Pitt carefully laid Germis down, then prepared a tray with medicine and water from the drawer, placing it before Germis.
"...You've been through a lot."
Germis seemed too weak to reply, merely nodding as he swallowed the medicine in one gulp.
Persuading someone who could turn you into a corpse with a single gesture felt like petting the head of a wild beast.
It's not hard to imagine how a zookeeper would feel if that beast suddenly turned serious while being petted.
Whether the person is actually capable of such a thing or not isn't really important.
Just the possibility that they could do such a thing is enough to send chills down the spine of the one doing the petting.
"...It would have been better if it was that Hero bastard."
Germis muttered, as if complaining, after downing all the water in the glass.
Indeed, if it had been the Hero, things might have been resolved more easily.
The Hero was a simplistic person.
With behavioral principles almost as simple as an animal's, there was no easier negotiation partner.
Just as a hungry beast is satisfied when thrown meat, he was easily satisfied with women or fine cuisine.
People driven by desire are easy to handle, but those without desires are difficult.
Elang was such a case.
Even Germis could tell that Elang's concern for this situation and his desire to do something about it were genuine.
Knowing the sincerity of those feelings, Germis couldn't ignore the doubt sprouting in his chest.
How could a person who had shown such determination change his mind so quickly?
Germis's expression turned quite serious.
Chancellor Pitt, standing beside him, immediately noticed this change and let out a small sigh.
"Pitt. Did Count Elang really seem convinced by our explanation?"
"...Honestly, it's hard to say anything definitive about the Count. He's not a typical noble, after all."
Though he tries to act like a noble due to his education, he's a person who doesn't fit in with the nobility.
A noble's duty is to protect their people and territory.
To do this, one must sometimes be willing to do things that aren't righteous.
But he couldn't do that.
He's the type of person who would acknowledge his mistakes and accept any loss if he were the one at fault.
"It's because he was too focused on research. His parents should have made him manage an estate."
Pitt believed the cause of this mindset was his excessive focus on research.
He arbitrarily thought that if Elang hadn't just stuck to his desk but had experience managing an estate, he might have become a different person.
"If he had experience managing an estate..."
"He wouldn't have bought the coins in the first place. He wouldn't have participated in the Hero's party as a magician either."
"Ah, that's true."
"...Damn those coins. Let's stop talking about the past. More importantly, do we have a plan?"
Even if asked for a plan, we don't even know for sure what Elang is thinking, so there's no way to make one.
So the two of them thought about why Elang might have asked for such land to be granted to him.
"Asking to be granted a distant land while hiding his name might indicate an intention to go into seclusion."
"Seclusion? ...Well, I suppose an ordinary person would have given up long ago."
"It's strange that he suddenly changed his mind, but it's good for us. He'll be holed up in the mountains and won't come out."
If he really goes into seclusion, there's no chance of a top-tier magician becoming a potential enemy.
At the same time, this meant losing a magician of that caliber from the kingdom, which was a painful loss.
"...Rather than regretting those who've already left, we should think about the future."
"That's right. The immediate concerns are how to hide the Demon King's death and how to deal with the other countries."
"We won't be able to hide the Demon King's death."
If we stay quiet now, this fact will eventually come to light after a long confrontation with the enemy.
As Elang said, we can't hide the Demon King's death.
If that's the case, we need to ensure that at least the swords of other countries don't turn towards our kingdom when this becomes known.
The other countries don't need to forgive our kingdom.
Right now, no one has any leeway, so we just need to make sure their eyes don't turn towards us.
If they prioritize their own safety over venting their anger, we might somehow get through this immediate crisis.
"If a new Demon King appears, it would solve everything immediately, but for some reason, Count Elang doesn't seem to think so."
He didn't present any evidence, but it's the opinion of a magician who lived in the demon realm for years.
We can't ignore a claim without basis.
"...Does there really need to be a real Demon King? Our Hero wasn't real either."
"What do you mean?"
"We have a Hero now. Although he's lost his power and become ugly, we all know he's the Hero."
"The power of the goddess... no, the evil god, was it? Surely you're not thinking of using illusion magic to make him act as a fake Hero?"
"Who said anything about fake? He's lost his power now, but he's still the real Hero."
"No, isn't that just wordplay?"
"...But it's the truth. The Hero who defeated the Demon King lost his power to Elang Meister, the traitor of humanity and the new Demon King, and has entered training to regain his power. Isn't that a plausible reason for hiding the information?"
"...Excuse me?"
The chancellor was momentarily speechless at this statement that seemed to defy common sense.
Not because it was morally wrong, but because it was such an absurd plan.
Even if it succeeded, it was a ridiculous plan that wouldn't even serve as a stopgap measure.
*Has he gone senile from overwork?*
Well, with the king being over seventy, this chaotic era was too harsh for an elderly person.
"Y-Your Majesty... T-That—!"
"I know without you saying it. It's a crazy idea."
"Then why..."
"First, because the other countries are more likely to believe us and the other party members than Count Elang."
Second, because the place Elang asked to be granted is none other than the El Berg Mountains.
Those mountains are a magical realm teeming with dangerous magical beasts, a place no one would dare approach easily.
"They won't be able to dispatch an army to subjugate Count Elang. They're unlikely to send someone of comparable strength either."
"...Entering a magician's domain is tantamount to suicide."
"Exactly. And lastly... don't you think that evil god might want this kind of development?"
"The evil god?"
Bel Zuma is a being who sends trials to test good people.
If she judges this as a trial, wouldn't she stay quiet for a while?
It's just speculation, but since gods are unpredictable beings in the first place, this is the best we can do.
"But..."
If he overcomes the trial again, Bel Zuma might punish the kingdom as a reward.
Before he could voice this concern, Germis, having already realized it, smiled wryly and said:
"If he overcomes it, that is. Who knows? His spirit might break, and Bel Zuma might lose interest in him."
"......"
Germis's eyes were indescribably serious as he spoke of staking the country's fate on a plan that was practically suicide.
Pitt knew in his head that he should try to stop this somehow, but he just couldn't find the words.
After stopping it, what then?
If there's no future for the kingdom no matter what choice we make, shouldn't we at least take a gamble?
...Oh God
Pitt squeezed his eyes shut, praying to a non-existent god.
There's no future for the kingdom now.
But we can't run away from here either.
Terrified of the death closing in from all sides, Pitt prayed for a miracle to happen.
"Wow... These guys have completely lost it."
"Isn't it all your fault?"
*****
"Phew..."
I took a deep breath and exhaled.
The reason my chest feels lighter despite being tired is probably because I've put down the mental burden I've been carrying.
After leaving the bedchamber, I stood on the balcony of my assigned room, staring blankly at the night view of the capital.
The lights flowing from all directions overlapped with that horrific scene I saw in the bedchamber, unconsciously making me frown.
Each of those lights must represent a person living here...
If a war or rebellion were to break out, how many people would die in vain?
Thinking about that makes my chest hurt.
There's nothing I can do. All I can do is protect myself.
...Let's forget about it.
Let's forget about it now and think about what's to come.
The El Berg Mountains, the land I've been granted, probably have similar properties to the demon realm.
I didn't have a chance to verify it during the journey, but the reason magical beasts are born is probably closely related to the quality of mana imbued in the land.
When I saw magical beasts in the demon realm quite similar to those I'd seen in the human realm, I suddenly thought it might be so.
If it wasn't just a coincidence that the same species existed on two continents, it must be the result of animals of the same lineage being transformed by the mana imbued in the land.
I've collected data on the land in the demon realm, so I can verify this when I go to the El Berg Mountains.
Thinking about research after so long, my gloomy mood lifted a little.
...Then, were demons and elves originally humans like us? If the quality of mana affects people too, it could be possible...
There are no people living in lands where magical beasts occur in large numbers, so there's no way to verify this yet.
Should I try it on myself?
As I was indulging in such impossible thoughts and letting my imagination run wild, the door suddenly opened.
I turned around, wary of an intruder.
There stood...
"Hello? Shall we have a little chat?"
"Karin..."
Karin.
Just as I decided to run away from the future, the past I wanted to forget came looking for me.