episode_0096

After hearing information about the next Four Heavenly Kings from Enen, I immediately returned to reality. Since I had already finished my business, there was no need to stay any longer.

It seems she had to exert some force to get back to reality.

As last time, she took out her true form.

As he was pulling out his strength, he asked me this question in a worried tone.

“Will you close your eyes this time?”

“Let me think about it.”

Of course I didn’t notice it. Even though it was a bit hard to see, I had to watch it anyway.

That way I could gauge how strong I am now.

Kookookookook!

Eventually, she released her power, and ‘something’ appeared in the sky.

It wasn’t a particularly large body or anything. I couldn’t even properly guess what its shape was like. Before that, a huge presence weighed me down.

I had this thought, feeling as if I was being crushed like a bug.

‘··· It’s more bearable than last time.’

It still sends shivers down my spine and makes my stomach churn, but I can watch it with my wits about me.

As she exerted her power, I found myself back at the church.

As I was trying hard not to gag like last time, someone kicked the door open and came in.

bang!

This scene also seems similar to last time.

“We’re in big trouble, warrior!”

The one who came in urgently was a soldier who looked like a messenger. He looked at me and spoke urgently.

“Mr. McGuff is dead!”

As soon as I finished praying, I heard the news of the death of the strongest man in the empire.

*

It seems like things just fall apart whenever I meet Enen.

Last time, right after I met Enen, didn’t we hear news of the puppet company’s invasion?

But this time, things seemed a little bigger. It was the death of the commander in chief.

Because of that, I had no choice but to blame the innocent Enen.

‘Anyway, that bastard is the root of all evil.’

Of course, there was nothing wrong with Enen here, but the timing was what it was, so I couldn’t help but think this way.

Anyway, this was my first reaction when I heard the news of McGuff’s death.

“···Fucked.”

It was a real disaster. Oh my god, that guy is dead.

It wasn’t just a matter of power loss. It was also a matter of the gentleman’s reputation.

First of all, he was a figure of the level of commander-in-chief of the empire.

He was one of the central figures of the empire. It was so unexpected for such a person to pass away so suddenly.

‘Public sentiment will be in confusion for a while.’

And that chaos will lead directly to the power of the Demon King.

This alone was a problem, but it was obvious that the Demon King’s army’s invasion would become even more intense in the future.

Since the one in charge of the border of the Demon World is dead, there’s no way the Demon King’s army can stay still.

I asked the messenger with a serious expression.

“Who else died besides Sir McGuff?”

“Yes, most of the troops that followed him on the expedition···.”

I put my hand on my head. I have to stop listening.

The more I listened, the more my head hurt.

Instead, I decided to think positively.

If I had to pick a good point… McGuff, he was a member of the First Prince faction.

No, to be more precise, he was a human who would naturally become a member of the First Prince faction.

To him, who was busy killing demons, politics was a bother.

However, he would have participated in order to quickly stabilize the empire, so that his army could operate stably.

And his strategy for choosing stability would have been to simply support the most likely candidate.

That is, if I support the Third Princess, she is someone I will run into at some point.

Of course, even aside from that, it would have been much better if he were alive···.

I sighed and asked the messenger again.

“Who is your opponent? Do you know who your opponent is?”

“Yes, the soldier who returned alive told me. He said he was the only man who could handle a sword. I wanted to ask more, but the soldier was in a dazed state… I’m sorry..”

I sighed again. I felt like I knew who it was just by listening to the story.

In fact, I gave a rough answer while asking. A person with enough strength to overpower McGuff with a sword alone.

‘There’s no one else but him.’

The next Heavenly King I’ll face, Evan Clarkwalker.

I frowned. What he did made me lose all my pride.

Even if you’ve lost some of your strength, how can you fight off McGuff and all those troops all by yourself?

It’s clear that I have a hard time even having a single MacGuff right now.

As I was thinking so seriously, the messenger asked me cautiously.

“What should I do?”

“··· Please keep his death a secret for the time being. Telling him will only cause more confusion.”

“··· Let me tell you first.”

Even the Emperor would agree to this.

There is no need to deliver bad news when the transfer of power is approaching.

It won’t be possible to hide it for long, but it will do for a while.

So what else can you do?

Unfortunately, there wasn’t any. Couldn’t this be a way to know the opponent’s skills?

There’s no need to go there now since it’s obvious you’ll lose.

‘Now, spec-up comes first.’

While blocking the invading Demon King’s army and driving out the First Prince.

Becoming stronger was a priority. Fortunately, there were still many ways to become stronger. I also needed to find the Black Tower to learn new black magic.

Anyway, I ended the conversation and sent the messenger.

After a few days of feeling like I was resting, a letter arrived for me.

It was a letter from none other than the Third Princess. She had sent the letter first.

The content of the letter was very simple, without any special details.

-The plan has been brought forward.

-Please come to the location tomorrow evening.

An address was enclosed along with a brief message. It seemed that the date of the event had come earlier than I had expected.

*

Although it was unfortunate that McGuff died, it wasn’t a crisis for everyone.

Just as a crisis can be a challenge to some, so can many others who can use it as an opportunity.

Among them was the third princess, Deila von Fildor.

“It’s sad that he died, but··· thanks to him, I was able to catch good timing.”

As mentioned above, McGuff’s death was sure to bring chaos to the country.

And as the chaos increases, the workload of the nobles who have to deal with it will also increase.

And that means it becomes difficult to look elsewhere.

From our perspective of trying to overthrow the First Prince, this was a golden opportunity. The fewer eyes watching, the better.

“It might be a bit hasty, but it would be better to do it quickly.”

When she arrived at the appointed place, she was not alone.

There were at least 10 people gathered in a dark space like a basement. Contrary to what I thought, she had no power, but she had hidden power.

I thought to myself,

‘It was a good thing I came wearing the hood and mask.’

Before she came here, she had hinted that she had someone else.

That’s why I had to be very careful not to reveal my identity.

My curse is a problem, but the fact that she and I were together is known is a problem.

Even if they are allies.

It was best if as few people knew about it as possible, because you never know where the information might leak out.

By the way, it was really interesting. When on earth did they gather so many people?

So, I lowered my voice more than usual so as not to be caught and asked her.

“I heard that you clearly failed to gain power. Who are these people?”

“There is that. It is considered a problem in the country···.”

Deila stopped there and trailed off. But even with just that, I could tell the answer.

Resistance. A group of dissidents who oppose the current empire.

I’ve encountered it occasionally in games, but I never thought I’d encounter it again in real life.

When I heard that, I frowned inwardly.

‘···Oh, that’s not good.’

To be honest, it wasn’t a very good choice.

No matter how desperate your power is, it’s still resistance.

This wasn’t a problem with the character or quality of this group. I also don’t like the current empire.

The real issue is legitimacy. The princess is joining the resistance.

If I made a mistake, I could be branded a traitor and kicked out, but I had nothing to say.

Fortunately, though, she seemed to have been thinking about this issue as well.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s justified.”

“What is its legitimacy···?”

“I will.”

It was then that someone interrupted our conversation.

I turned my head toward the sound. There was a white-haired man who was slowly approaching old age. It was actually the first time I had seen him, but I knew who he was.

Albert Brenin. The current head of the Brenin Marquisate. One of the few high-ranking nobles who remains neutral in the current trend of the First Prince faction.

And one of the key figures of the resistance at the same time.

When I realized that, I could understand what she was thinking. She was trying to prove her legitimacy by mobilizing not only herself but also other nobles.

The reason he joined the resistance was not to rebel, but to bring about self-purification in the empire.

The current empire is rotten everywhere, and they just want it cleaned up.

Of course, the original slogan presented by the resistance was similar to this, but when the nobles joined, the voice changed.

Aren’t rebellion and revolution originally just a matter of degree?

But even so, I shook my head. The idea wasn’t bad. It’s just that I still didn’t have enough strength.

A Marquis may be able to raise his voice, but he was like throwing an egg at a rock when it came to standing up to the First Prince.

“It’s not just Prince Albert.”

“We have that too.”

As I was thinking about that, I heard voices again. Quite a few of them. Young men and women who looked full of energy were looking at the princess and me.

Unfortunately, this time, they were faces I didn’t recognize. However, judging from their clear skin and luxurious clothes, I could guess their origins. They were children of noble families or wealthy families.

As I was observing them, Deila began to explain.

“Lowell, the third son of Viscount Kehelin, and Nia, the second daughter of Baron Geoffrey. Besides them, about half of those gathered here are of noble birth.”

These are all people I don’t remember. That means, this time, they are people she recruited herself.

“People will all think that I couldn’t change the minds of the neutral nobles, let alone the power. No, it only appears that way on the surface, but in reality, I’ve prepared it behind the scenes.”

If one person’s voice is weak, two or three people can speak at the same time.

If even that is weak, then dozens will have to raise their voices. If dozens gather, hundreds will follow them. If people gather like that, even the empire cannot ignore them.

That’s why she gathered the nobles. Excluding Albert, they may be of a lower rank, but they are still dozens of nobles. It was bound to attract attention.

When I saw that, I just laughed in vain.

“Just say you want to rebel···.”

As I said, there is only one fine line between rebellion and revolution.