We Go For It First! (7)

I looked at the bracelet fastened around my wrist while recalling the sight of Garea and the carriage leaving a few days ago.

I thought it had sufficient value, but it was not something I could use immediately, and it was scheduled to be used as a kind of war deterrent after going through several processes.

First, what I was thinking of was spreading a rumor as if it could grant any wish. I intended to emphasize the meaning that, depending on how this was used, we could receive support from the Demon Dragon.

The purpose was to make people build up misunderstandings on their own through that, and to make the place called Ingrad itself difficult to covet.

I thought that, if used well, it might have an effect like “nuclear weapons” on Earth, and after discussing it with Linda and Matilda for several days, we had already sought out a concrete method to spread the rumor.

If Ishtain threw a wrench into it, it would all come to nothing, but we had received a promise that they would keep silent.

Literally speaking, even if our relationship soured and they spread the truth about this bracelet, if we immediately spread a counter-rumor in an absurd form to refute them when they spread their rumor, I thought it would be useless even if they revealed the truth later.

Furthermore, by then, the rumor we spread would already have been accepted as the truth, so Linda and Matilda argued that no matter what kind of rumor Ishtain spread, we would be able to drive it into being a “lie.”

They said people would come to believe that it was nothing but an attempt to damage us, and the people targeting us would also have no choice but to hesitate while being uncertain.

On top of that, we were also planning to spread the rumor that direct exchange with the Demon Dragon was possible. Exchanges were actually taking place, and Garea had also witnessed them, so I thought the Ishtain side would immediately be able to know whether the rumor we were going to spread was true or not.

‘She probably is not a loose-lipped person, but there is no way every knight who came with her has a heavy mouth, so I should prepare before then.’

There was no telling what words would leak and how. Even if they kept silent, there was a chance that their mouths would itch and they would blabber.

I judged that they would keep silent to some degree, but that we had to lay the groundwork before then, and Linda and Matilda were moving for that purpose. Meanwhile…

“Demina, let us go do other work.”

After hearing my words, Demina said she understood and followed me. Today’s task was building houses in Soil City.

Since the buildings of the Dagaz District alone could not accommodate all ten thousand of the garrison troops, today we were scheduled to raise lodgings for the soldiers in the Algiz District.

As a parallel task, I had told the soldiers stationed in Soil City to inform the many domain residents spread out near Soil City that they could come inside Soil City and live there, so before long, remaining settlers would appear, and it was a part that showed how important the work we were doing now was.

For now, well, I intended to prepare a large number of houses and districts before they flocked in.

First, I planned to create an eight-way grand avenue like Ing City and Rad Harbor, and I intended to form each district with a feeling similar to slices of pizza. If I made it so that the people who would live there could create the roads between them on their own, I expected it would naturally develop well according to the state of the main roads.

‘The center will be Dagaz City, and Algiz will decorate the rim. Is that sort of the feeling…?’

While organizing my thoughts, I climbed onto Demina’s back and ran along the Sky Bridge, which had now come to be called the “Golden Road.”

Deep inside a magnificent mansion. There was a man who entered with a knock.

Just from his appearance, he looked like a delicate and youthful young man, and the huge man who greeted that young man smiled brightly and spoke.

“Rex, welcome.”

“It has been a long time, Father.”

The Tiger of the South, called Archduke Pearl, was greeting his child with a benevolent smile, and Rex de Pearl, looking at such a father, asked why he had been called here.

“Is it true that I must go to the battlefield?”

“Is that what you ask as a greeting before going straight to the main point?”

“I apologize. But is there any other way?”

“Hmm, hmm. You look delicate, but only your personality is impatient. I wonder who you take after…”

“Mother would be upset if she heard that.”

“Tch, I suppose it cannot be helped. But listen. What you must do is not only what you know. You must also investigate Ingrad and subjugate the rebels.”

Rex discovered a thorn in Archduke Pearl’s words and asked.

“Is it not something I should do, but something I must do?”

“That is right.”

Archduke Pearl, who had a deep smile on his face, was curious about what answer would come from Rex’s mouth. That was because he trusted his son, who, unlike his appearance, had a beast inside his heart.

“Since Ingrad has become a country recognized by the Empire, I will set that aside, but may I know how circumstances are flowing in the Ishtain District?”

“Surely, you had not even been showing any interest in that side?”

“Are those two places valuable enough for me to pay attention to them?”

“Until now, they were not. But the circumstances have changed.”

Rex tilted his head as if asking what that meant, and Archduke Pearl, looking at his son, began to release the information.

“You should know that Amodeu was anxious to match his granddaughter with you.”

“I told you that I refused that on my side, did I not…?”

“Ah, I am not telling you to get engaged. I grew interested because that Amodeu changed his stance.”

It was an unexpected story, so Rex’s eyes shone, and he became curious as to who Amodeu thought was more valuable than him.

“It seems you are interested.”

“It is only curiosity about a person evaluated as more valuable than me.”

“I suppose it is. That old man’s eyes are fairly accurate, after all. Your pride may be hurt, but there is no reason to be too discouraged. He is a man who recently became a ‘king.’”

“…Are you speaking of the King of the Minor Kingdom of Ingrad?”

“That is right.”

Since it was an unexpected subject, Rex was puzzled, but Archduke Pearl began to calmly explain the information he knew.

“He was of Free Citizen status, and for some reason, even through investigation, nothing about his life before becoming a Free Citizen could be uncovered. He was like a floating cloud who appeared in the Empire overnight. But tell me… how long do you think it took for him to become an Imperial noble and then a king?”

“I was not so ignorant either, so from what I heard in passing, it did not take even a year… Is that correct?”

“That is right. To be exact, it was nine months. Do you think that is possible? That it took not even three hundred days to find freedom from the power of this enormous Empire?”

Rex could not imagine it, and he could understand why the greedy and wise Amodeu had turned his eyes toward him, but there was one part he did not understand.

“I still do not quite understand why Amodeu withdrew his interest because of that.”

“Of course. But if you see this, you will understand.”

Then Archduke Pearl handed over documents, and Rex received them, read them, and nodded. He was able to understand.

Rex also knew about the Black Gold Merchant Company.

He was also aware that the owner of that place was the King of the Minor Kingdom of Ingrad. But after looking over the enormous profits earned through cooperation with the Dust of Sands Trading Company, the new weapons, and the enormous quantity of support supplies sent to the war against the Demonic Tribe, he simply could not believe “his” course of action.

“What… exactly is this man?”

Rex thought he was a man in a category that could not be understood by his common sense, and perhaps Archduke Pearl had also been thinking something similar.

He smiled gladly and spoke.

“You must learn that from now on. He is a man who may directly threaten the Empire’s safety in the future, but it is also clear that he is a man who can bring enormous benefit. If it is a good connection, that is one thing, but if it is an ill-fated connection, you must meet him with a thoroughly prepared stance. Do not let your guard down, do not ignore him, and you must consider it worrying to be excessively wary of him as well.”

Rex also recognized that a cautious approach was necessary. But this and the reason he had to go out to the battlefield after being appointed Commander-in-Chief could be seen as separate matters.

However, he thought there must be a reason his father was giving him information not about Ishtain, where he had to go on campaign, but about the master of Ingrad.

‘Could Father possibly be recognizing the master of Ingrad as an enemy…?’

He briefly thought that might be the case, but he thought it would be foolish to determine friend or foe using only information seen on paper.

On top of that, since the man had accomplished achievements of standing, Rex wanted to approach him and learn about him rather than make him an enemy.

It was the moment the driving force that allowed him to grow raised its head. Curiosity, and the desire to rise. Those were the powers that had made Rex what he was now, and that was the part that Archduke Pearl trusted in his son without doubt.

Thus, Count Rex de Pearl came to accept the proposal to become Commander-in-Chief of the expeditionary force.

And around that time, one piece of news was also delivered to the Demon King’s army.

“The Demon God… commands you to withdraw.”

At the unexpected command from the Demon God, who usually made no sound and merely watched, Demon King Jin So-hee’s head began to throb.

“The reason?”

“He says it is premature. He says this is not the time to wage war against the Empire.”

“Is he saying I should swallow fear before that mere Empire?”

“Please refrain from careless words. I fear that He may be listening.”

After hearing the words of “Archduke Belfast,” one of the five Demon Realm Archdukes called the Demon God’s servants, Demon King Jin So-hee asked.

“If there is no proper payment as the reason for my withdrawal, I will not obey the command.”

“He told me to deliver this to you.”

As if it were only natural, Archduke Belfast took a small bead out from his breast, and Demon King Jin So-hee received it and immediately tossed it into her mouth.

At that moment, explosive “demonic energy” poured out from Demon King Jin So-hee’s body and swept through the area. While most of the Demonic Tribe who directly faced it struggled, Belfast endured it with an expression as though it were nothing, and seeing that, Demon King Jin So-hee thought that, as expected, he was one of the Five Great Archdukes called the Demon God’s servants.

“I have received the intention well. I will order the army to return. However… be sure to deliver the reply that he should know there will be no such thing as retreat next time.”

“He may become enraged at the irreverence.”

“It is fine. I am someone allowed to say such things. So withdraw.”

Archduke Belfast respectfully bowed his head and vanished into the darkness, and Demon Duke Kaldrian, who was beside her, carefully asked about it.

“Is it all right to treat him so strongly?”

“Do not worry. The Demon God and I are merely in a contractual relationship. If one side first makes an excessive demand, the contract becomes invalid. If that happens… I no longer need to be bound to the seat of Demon King.”

Kaldrian did not know what that meant, but with the intuition that it was certainly not a light story, he asked no further and bowed his head.

Afterward, Demon King Jin So-hee ordered the army to return, briefly thought of someone who might be beneath the distant sky she looked at, and turned her steps back.

Afterward, the continent was growing noisy at the news of the Demon King’s return march. That was because people thought the isolated Demon King had been driven into a corner, but the rumor born from misunderstanding gradually grew in size, and soon, under the grand name of “defeating the Demon King,” it led to the kingdoms and empires forming a border being united.

An allied army of the Mirkas Federation, the Atoon Kingdom, the Terakan Empire, and the Dradnos Empire was formed, creating an enormous military force of no less than five million, and a tremendous amount of powerful people that could be called nothing short of miraculous—nine Heroes, eleven Masters, and three Archmages—gathered in one place and began steadily preparing to face the Demon King’s army, which had turned direction and was advancing to pass through them.

Historians busied themselves saying that the Demon King’s army’s March of Hardship would now continue in earnest, but the powerful people who had actually stepped onto the battlefield had no choice but to be tense.

That was because they had to face an existence called the worst and strongest Demon King in history. Thus, as the flow of the battlefield became strangely tangled and all attention focused on the “Human-Demon War,” each day was passing like an arrow.