Ch.209208. The War Hero

# Prince Richard’s Rebellion and the Emergence of Advanced God-Machines

Prince Richard’s rebellion and the emergence of God-Machines equipped with cutting-edge technology.

All of this happened suddenly, yet everything fit together perfectly, as if meticulously prepared over a long period.

Starting a civil war before Seraphina could fully establish herself as the successor was perhaps inevitable. In the Infractus Empire, where imperial power exceeds that of the nobles, once the successor fully secures her position, the probability of winning a civil war would approach zero.

For Prince Richard, a military genius, there was certainly a solid rationale behind his actions, as now was the optimal time to initiate a civil war.

However, it was puzzling that the latest God-Machine appeared just as Gilbert, a variable in the war, was about to change the tide of battle.

If Prince Richard had started the civil war because he possessed such advanced God-Machines, it would have made sense. But the timing was too perfect, which raised suspicions.

Was it really natural to assume that Prince Richard had been preparing for civil war all along and had developed God-Machines for that purpose?

Fresia, who was obsessed with magical engineering, judged the God-Machine technology to be several generations ahead of the current era.

Gilbert believed that even for a prince of the mighty Infractus Empire, it would be impossible to gather such magical engineers while evading imperial scrutiny.

If so, how many beings could possibly possess such advanced technology?

Gilbert recalled the Demon Lord mentioned by the Administrator. He was a user who could utilize system functions. This allowed him to easily accomplish things that would be impossible for normal humans.

The minimap he frequently used and his ability to enhance physical talents were prime examples. If there was another possessed individual like him who was called the Demon Lord, they would certainly possess some kind of ability like Gilbert.

Otherwise, the Administrator wouldn’t have specifically used the term “Demon Lord.”

With this background in mind, Richard’s civil war and the appearance of advanced God-Machines no longer seemed strange. Instead, the intentions of someone who had meticulously prepared everything became increasingly clear.

Someone capable of interfering with sub-scenarios had left a message, as if mocking Gilbert for discovering these signs. If they could manipulate things without even the system noticing, they likely had a hand in this situation as well.

The reason wasn’t hard to guess. Just as Gilbert was summoned as the designated Hero, that possessed individual designated as the Demon Lord surely had some objective.

While he couldn’t know exactly what that objective was, the childish labels of “Hero” and “Demon Lord” suggested that it would conflict with Gilbert’s mission.

“You look like you’ve figured something out.”

Gilbert typically showed little facial expression, but Fresia, with her keen senses, detected even the subtlest changes.

Gilbert looked at Fresia with curiosity, impressed by how she could see through the changes caused by his possession, but she merely shrugged.

“I’m just sensitive that way.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Sometimes I know without being told. More importantly, what did you figure out?”

“I’m certain someone is behind Richard.”

“Certain? We could infer that from the circumstances… but being certain is another matter.”

Fresia, sitting on Gilbert’s bed and swinging her feet back and forth, fell into thought as she observed Gilbert’s unwavering gaze.

She wondered what gave this man such certainty.

Fresia knew all too well that the cautious Gilbert wouldn’t make hasty conclusions. He clearly knew something that gave him certainty, something she wasn’t aware of.

But from the atmosphere, it seemed he had no intention of telling her. If he had wanted to share it with her, he would have done so already.

“I take it you don’t plan to tell me?”

“And if that’s the case?”

“I’d at least like to know why you can’t tell me. I thought we’d grown quite close.”

Though their first meeting had been contentious, with accusations of being a thug and whatnot, Fresia had come to think more highly of Gilbert over time and felt somewhat hurt. She thought they had built a bond during the Horizon incident, but Gilbert seemed to be drawing a line, as if that had been her imagination.

Fresia found this quite disappointing.

Gilbert quietly observed Fresia as she pouted.

That possessed individual had the powerful ability to influence status windows. Considering that Gilbert’s own ability was related to status windows, the other person clearly had the upper hand, regardless of specific power levels.

In this situation, with CT-777 having fallen in the previous battle, Fresia’s help was crucial to confront the enemy. With support from the world’s greatest artificial spirit, dealing with the enemy might not be impossible.

For this reason, Gilbert decided to explain the current situation to Fresia with limited information.

“I received a revelation.”

“A revelation?”

“Yes, when I went to the Holy Empire with the Saint, I received a revelation.”

“Isn’t that something from myths?”

“Congratulations. You’ve met someone who witnessed a scene from mythology.”

“I wish you’d stop making jokes with that expressionless face.”

Fresia frowned, sighed deeply, and collapsed backward onto the bed. She rubbed her face as if her head was spinning, then suddenly sat up.

“Fine, if there was a revelation, what did it say?”

“It said that the Demon Lord has appeared.”

“Now a Demon Lord? So the current Saint is really a Saint?”

“That’s not incorrect.”

“And you expect me to believe this?”

An agitated Fresia shouted and grabbed Gilbert by the collar.

However, Gilbert couldn’t tell her everything—that this world was a game in another world, that all worlds were organically connected, and that both he and the Demon Lord were possessed individuals.

He had told her everything else, yet she reacted this way, confirming to Gilbert that his decision was correct.

“If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do, but I’ve only told you the truth.”

Fresia glared at Gilbert as if trying to see into his soul, but soon sighed deeply and released his collar.

She knew Gilbert wasn’t the type to joke about such matters. She had simply overreacted because what she heard was so outlandish.

“I’m sorry. I heard something so unexpected that I got angry without thinking.”

“I understand.”

“So to summarize, the Saint and Demon Lord have appeared in this era, and you received this revelation?”

“Yes.”

“And you suspect this Demon Lord is backing Prince Richard.”

“Precisely.”

“Then you, having received this revelation, could be considered the Hero.”

Gilbert didn’t answer. Outwardly he remained composed, but declaring himself a Hero with his own mouth felt somewhat embarrassing.

Fresia noticed this and shook her head, plopping down on Gilbert’s bed where she had been sitting before.

“I understand now why old people say you live and learn.”

“Actually, Fresia, you’re also quite old—”

“Say one more word.”

Seeing Fresia’s fierce glare, Gilbert swallowed the rest of his sentence.

Even Fresia, who had made the insane choice to become an artificial spirit, apparently still had a woman’s sensibilities.

“So with the revelation delivered, and the Hero, Demon Lord, and Saint appearing, the story should proceed with the Hero defeating the Demon Lord?”

“That’s not wrong. I don’t know what his objective is, but the revelation did say balance must be restored.”

More precisely, it had said that eliminating the disruptive possessed individual would normalize the system, but Gilbert didn’t mention that. Invoking divine existence served as a convenient excuse to skip explaining complicated parts.

It was a hundred times better than trying to explain the system, which even Gilbert himself didn’t fully understand.

“I never expected to hear theological talk in this age of advanced magical engineering. But since you’re not one to spout nonsense, I have no choice but to accept it.”

“A wise decision.”

“So what’s your plan? The situation has become strategically worse now that the Demon Lord isn’t casting spells like in myths but is deploying cutting-edge God-Machines.”

This was Gilbert’s concern as well. If the mythical Demon Lord had relied solely on his own power, the situation might have been easier to resolve. Forming an elite assassination party of heroes to take down the Demon Lord would have been a viable option.

But with firepower against firepower, and troops against troops in modern God-Machine warfare brought to the strategic level, an appropriate response was needed. Eliminating the Demon Lord alone wouldn’t make the enemy’s God-Machines disappear.

Even if the Demon Lord was defeated, his forces would remain, still possessing God-Machines that surpassed current human technology.

Fresia had accurately grasped this point and was asking Gilbert about his next plan.

“I know the situation isn’t good. The Demon Lord is working behind the scenes, but humanity hasn’t united yet. Worse, the Infractus Empire, humanity’s greatest power, is engaged in civil war.”

“Right. We need to end the civil war quickly. The longer it drags on, the more self-destructive it becomes.”

“The problem is we don’t know how many of their new God-Machines they can deploy. They used them like a hidden card for their core forces before, but in the next round, they might field large numbers of new God-Machines.”

Gilbert recalled the performance of the latest God-Machines led by General Dantes. Even with his piloting skill at 100, system assistance, and CT-777’s support, defeating them had been impossible.

Barely holding out until the mobility shutdown was all he could manage.

No matter how skilled Gilbert was or how much system backup he received, there was an insurmountable performance gap.

If he could have used his special skills, he might have taken down one or two, but fundamentally defeating them was impossible.

“I don’t think you need to worry about that. Unless they’re ready to come out in the open, they’ll avoid drawing attention. Hundreds or thousands of new God-Machines would attract too much notice.”

“You’re saying I should discern their intentions.”

“Yes. The Demon Lord clearly wants to gain something through this war.”

Fresia’s eyes were filled with certainty.

She thought Gilbert’s concerns were valid, but if the enemy could deploy large numbers of advanced God-Machines as he feared, there would be no need for dramatic methods.

It made no sense to use God-Machines that even the great Gilbert struggled against as a trump card. Why not overwhelm the obsolete God-Machines from the start?

She concluded that the Demon Lord wanted to prolong the civil war by using Prince Richard.

“If we assume that’s the case, we’re not without hope.”

“But the situation remains unfavorable. Morale is at rock bottom after losing the first engagement, even though our forces are evenly matched.”

“I’ll fill in the gaps.”

“Are you saying I should trust Ian?”

Gilbert gave Fresia a skeptical look. Considering Ian’s past behavior, trusting him in this critical situation seemed absurd.

“No. Trust me.”

“You?”

“I’ll handle Ian somehow. You just do what you can.”

After a moment of silence, Gilbert chuckled. Fresia’s confidence made her seem quite reliable.

“Then I’m counting on you, partner.”

Gilbert spoke to her as he had during their tactical combat sessions.

But he immediately realized this wasn’t the game world anymore and felt awkward.

However…

“Likewise, partner.”

Seeing Fresia’s bright smile, Gilbert smiled back.