Published: July 4, 2025
((Ryo, can you hear me?))
((It's rare for you to connect like this, Abel. Something happened? Did the inspection get canceled?))
((Yeah, the inspection was canceled, and we returned to the royal capital a little while ago.))
Ryo and the six in Room 10 and Room 11 are heading towards the Holy Capital.
In about thirty minutes of walking, they will reach the gates of the Holy Capital.
((I should inform you. I just received news. The emperor of the Debuhi Empire, Helmut the Eighth, has died.))
((Huh? Why?))
((He was slain by King Ahn of the Corridor Nations.))
((The Corridor Nations... Isn't it true that King Ahn harbored a grudge against the former Emperor Rupert? So he went out of his way to kill the emperor?))
((Well, that area is quite complicated.))
With that, Abel briefly explained the turmoil in the Empire.
((I see. So that was Prince Conrad's plan... Incredible, like calling in a wyvern to take down a tiger... Abel, please don't do that. If there's a force in the kingdom that needs to be defeated, I will handle it. If you call in foreign forces, they will wreck the country!))
((O-oh... If that time comes, I’ll rely on you...))
In the kingdom, the person in the highest position after the king is Ryo, the first duke.
Ryo isn't very aware of it...
However, Abel also understood that Conrad's plan was walking on a very dangerous bridge.
And he understood it was unavoidable.
If Conrad kills Helmut the Eighth, he will be labeled as an emperor slayer.
At least, it is fact on the surface.
If he murders the emperor and ascends to the throne... It’s not impossible, but the nobles in the country would undoubtedly cause a commotion.
Even though many influential nobles were abolished during former Emperor Rupert's reign, they are not entirely absent.
Moreover, one cannot completely ignore the eyes of foreign nations.
For example, the country where the deceased Emperor Helmut's sister, the First Princess of the Former Era, is married to might intervene... that country is one of the major nations in the alliance.
It would be smarter to let foreign forces do the fighting this time...
Even if everyone can see that Conrad is pulling the strings behind the scenes.
It is important to maintain appearances.
If one possesses strong power, as long as the form is set, most unreasonable things can be accomplished.
That's how the world works.
Of course, whether or not Conrad can smoothly ascend to the throne is...
((Perhaps the imperial delegation is also ensuring that some information gets back home...))
((But it's over four thousand kilometers away? Kenneth once mentioned that even he found it difficult to cover that distance...))
((But this time, my echo of the soul is probably bridging that distance, right? The Empire has excellent alchemists too. Or perhaps Baron Hagen Benda is making trips back and forth...))
((Teleportation... That sounds incredible. Wouldn't there be issues with mana depletion...?))
((Well, anyway, let's leave the handling of this information to the Grandmaster.))
The Grandmaster refers to the leader Hugh McGrath.
When the group arrived at the kingdom delegation's lodging in the Holy Capital, they immediately reported to the leader Hugh McGrath, who was in the lobby.
First, they informed him about the demon's attack.
And then what the demon had revealed.
"In summary... There might be a fallen entity behind the Pope. Its goal is to collect the fragments of god within us humans so that it does not disappear."
Hugh articulated the information carefully, as if to confirm it.
Hearing this, Ryo nodded with an air of superiority.
Eto also nodded, but for some reason, he did not appear to be as haughty.
What is the difference...?
"And the fragments of god buried within humans relate not only to the fallen entity but also to the demon king and the monsters. When the 'demon king's factor' is excited... well, when it happens, the only thing that can calm it is a fragment of god. Hence, conflicts between the demon king's army and humans have arisen."
Ryo nodded. He really looked superior.