Revenge (1)

“Our army has finally reached the gates of the Demon Capital. The revenge for the previous war is at hand, everyone!”

“Waaahhhh!!”

“Ah, but the Demons’ resistance is fierce, and we’re being pushed back little by little. At this rate, we might retreat all the way back to Antrim…!”

“Nooooo!!”

“However, the response from the vanguard Hero Unit is formidable. The front line is hardening!”

“Just say one thing, please. One!”

“Ah, as I speak, a ceasefire proposal has begun!”

The citizens of Londinium, who had been on a rollercoaster ride as the front lines advanced and retreated between heaven and hell until recently, finally stretched their legs and set off fireworks.

It was different from the times when they had only heard that they were about to take the Demon Sovereign’s head at the capital and eagerly jumped with excitement.

This time, they even went through a process of verifying whether it was yellow journalism propaganda or fact, fearing they might be disappointed after getting their hopes up.

“Victory hurrah! Victory hurrah!!”

“Hot off the press! It’s the trustworthy Keres Daily! Today we’re offering a special half-price, so buy lots of copies!”

“Did you see this, James? I won! Now hand over the money you promised.”

“Ah, I didn’t expect it to end this quickly……”

“Hey, Officer Neuri. This time it’s definitely not a lie, right?”

“Do not worry, your fathers and sons will soon return to your embrace! Though we haven’t completely ceasefire yet, we’re drafting the initial agreement, so you should get an answer within a few weeks.”

It was more than just a single victory.

It was the moment when the deeply ingrained complex throughout their long history – the rule that humans were always meant to be beaten by Demons – began to crumble.

The citizens of Londinium, who had no memory of properly celebrating a victory, with the closest thing being when a legendary hero took the Demon Sovereign’s head long ago, didn’t quite know what to do at first.

But they soon naturally took to the streets, sprinkling flower petals and colored paper, sharing food, and sincerely rejoicing in their own swelling joy.

Those who had waited until the last moment with disbelief finally joined this big wave when they received news that the Demons’ representatives had arrived to begin negotiations.

“Did you hear? They say the Demon Sovereign is missing.”

“I can’t imagine that’s true. I can’t fathom our Prime Minister fleeing like that.”

“Well, they are Demons after all. It wouldn’t be too strange for them to commit some outrageous act.”

Of course, among them were those who were more contemplative, gathering at pubs to grumble softly, and once the drinks flowed, they mumbled about having lingering doubts.

“Well, he must have fled in the face of our valiant heroes’ might! You know, those who often appeared in the news.”

“Wasn’t it the daughter of Keres Matap, or someone like that? I vaguely remember someone like that.”

“I have a slightly different take. Aren’t the Demon bastards inherently belligerent? So maybe someone who coveted power assassinated and hid him.”

“Ah, on such a good day, why are you elders telling such gloomy stories? Here, let me buy you a round!”

For the most part, it was simply chewed over as evening entertainment or dismissed as a conspiracy theory not worth considering twice.

“Come to think of it, who are you again? My memory has been a bit hazy lately……”

“My name is Ben. Don’t you remember?”

“Well, I still don’t know. No, wait. It’s starting to come back to me.”

“Think carefully again. Do you recognize me?”

“…Ah, oh! Yes. I remember now. You lived next door to me. How could I have forgotten you, my friend.”

Such a festival and third-rate conspiracy theories did not mix well.

Rather, there were far more interesting stories, like eyewitness accounts of a youth addressing and speaking to an elderly man who appeared much older than him at a pub as if he were a youth himself.

“It’s alright. Though it’s a bit awkward to call it an exchange, may I ask you a favor?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Could you show me the way to the house of a mage named Edan living nearby?”

Of course, this too was treated as just another episode of a drunkard’s ramblings, created by someone or other.

“Sure, no problem.”

“Thank you.”

“But why are you looking for that gentleman? Even if you meet him, it won’t be easy to see him.”

“I have… something personal to tell him.”

A shabby old man wearing an unnecessarily thick outfit and a hat despite the warm weather slowly walked away.

---

Of course, the path to negotiations was not entirely smooth.

Even in the council, there were a few extremists who insisted that once the horns were out, they might as well pull the whole bull, and trample the sprouts while they were at it.

“We’ve already won the war, do we really need to show mercy?”

“Why don’t we plant our kingdom’s flag in the capital? It would look extremely impressive framed.”

“Silence.”

Edan and Freugne’s unofficial speakers, Marquis Norton and Chief Marshal Balder, occasionally attended the council meetings to apply the brakes.

“Do not raise your voices, everyone.”

“Why……”

“Enough people have already died. Moreover, we know well what will become of the Demons without the Demon Sovereign.”

“The power they have stockpiled will surely be drained in the whirlpool of endless civil war. Instead of this protracted war, let us find out what happened to the Demon Sovereign. What do you say?”

And as the saying goes, there is no such thing as a free lunch.

The Demons who had completed the request to disrupt the rear were now ready to collect the remaining payment of the Demon Union’s capital and the Demon Capital.

If those were reduced to piles of ashes, what would the Demons even wage war over among themselves?

Moreover, with no Demon Sovereign to control them in the middle, if they went berserk from breach of contract, this supposedly nearly concluded war might drag on for months for no good reason.

“We cannot prolong this any further.”

“But, but……”

“With His Majesty’s disappearance, the citizens of the capital are on the verge of an explosion of discontent. We must appease them with at least a ceasefire.”

The Demon Sovereign’s inner circle, or rather, those who had been his inner circle.

They too had their own reasons to hasten the ceasefire.

If they dragged this out further, they didn’t know how the other Demons watching with greedy eyes to overthrow the Demon Capital would react.

It seemed they had already started secretly mobilizing troops underwater, and when confronted with the question of whether they preferred siding with the humans or the mad Demon Sovereign, there was no room for negotiation left.

So they were pushed to the negotiation table, all wearing sour expressions.

In truth, no one in their right mind could come to such a place, and the humans were well aware through their long history of defeats and unsatisfactory draws what kind of mindset the Demons must be in.

But what could they do?

“You couldn’t fight, could you.”

“Urgh……”

199 losses, 1 win in their overall record.

1 win in their recent record.

The clear victor had no need to personally consider the mindset of the defeated.

“Now, sign here!”

“The Demon Sovereign… was just a senile Demon……”

“Here, and here. Also on the parts regarding territory and reparations.”

Until the very last moment, the Demons had clung to a few conditions and engaged in a war of words, but in the end, they could only heavily lift the pen.

---

The streets that had blared fanfares remained rowdy even as night fell.

Freugne and Edan went on a rare date.

For a while, Londinium and Antrim would be chaotic with the aftermath, so taking a stroll like this was one of the few joys they could enjoy as those whose daily lives were essentially a war.

The war was not completely over yet, but it was a joyous day.

For good reason.

“Uncle.”

“Hm.”

“I’ve been waiting all this time, so now you have to keep your promise… right?”

They both knew well what it was without needing to say it.

Just as Freugne had torn up her lineage overnight, she could wield the power to make a stranger her husband in a single night.

There was a high chance Edan would notice since he had been heavily involved with the organization lately, but she could just exploit any openings she foresaw.

However, such coercion lacked romance. Separate from the thought that it would be somewhat entertaining to see Edan struggle in psychological torment, she could not squander the once-in-a-lifetime event of marriage like that.

“Ah, um. Er.”

“…For now, let’s just walk.”

And although she had steeled herself, it was still embarrassing to directly ask when they would get married.

Edan patted Freugne’s shoulder as she kept uttering small mumbles like a broken radio, and walked alongside her.

Their brains responsible for everyday conversation had seemingly malfunctioned from constantly discussing the war this, the war that, important but uninteresting topics day after day.

Their private demeanors did not quite match those who could gather people and give speeches or lectures.

But there was no need to rush. In any case, they could return home late tonight.

And suddenly.

Edan felt someone’s gaze upon them.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, it must be my imagination.”

Where he turned, there were the park bushes and a bench. An elderly man who looked like a vagrant was sitting on it.

It was an unremarkable sight. Unable to pinpoint anything, Edan continued the conversation.