The Demon Lord Decarabia and his demons were annihilated, and the threat to the Taliant Continent vanished.
The people believed this without question, sharing their joy with neighbors, acquaintances, and friends.
“It was amazing. There was such a tremendous sound, and the ground shook so many times,” recounted a resident of Hordia who had evacuated from a village near the Vayuta Forest.
“I thought it was the end of the world,” a senior who had evacuated with them murmured.
“But, but, the war is over now, right?! The bad guys were all defeated by someone named Marius, weren’t they!” exclaimed one of the children, eyes sparkling, eliciting wry smiles from the adults.
“Yes. I hope so,” replied the child’s mother with a gentle smile.
There were demons, a Demon Lord, and wars between nations. People were utterly weary of the endless battles and began to yearn for peace.
This was not confined to Hordia. Therefore, Marius’s existence and his achievements were seen as divine mercy.
If Asteria had heard their voices, it would have said, “The world isn’t that kind.” While the threat of the Demon Lord had passed, and a peculiar phenomenon of hot springs erupting from the Vayuta Forest ruins occurred, problems abounded when one looked outward.
In the Republic of Mithra, a recall led to Frederick’s downfall, and he was imprisoned with his family as a war criminal. Rebellions erupted in Barshark and Vester, leading to civil wars. In both cases, the kings were blamed for their foolishness and held responsible.
Ironically, the armies that should have suppressed these rebellions were devastated in Hordia, leaving the royal armies at a disadvantage. Still, the conflicts didn’t end quickly for several reasons: the rebel forces were inexperienced amateurs, loyal knights still remained on the royal family’s side, and the Royal Capital was reasonably well-fortified.
Indeed, in the western part of the continent, where the demonic threat had vanished, humanity had begun to fight amongst itself. Asteria watched this state of affairs with cold detachment, while anger towards it spread to other nations.
“Enough is enough…” Marius was no longer even angry upon hearing the news. He merely thought that this was what Asteria had meant.
If Marius were to intervene, suppression itself would be easy. However, that would solve nothing. The current situation arose from an explosion of public discontent, and Marius had no means to resolve that. Simply defeating the king would accomplish nothing. Many things in the world cannot be resolved by strength alone. That is what nations and royal families are for… Even though he understood this, seeing it unfold brought a sense of futility.
Even nations that had been considering punitive action against the three nations, starting with Filat, had no room to interfere. Frankly, they were overwhelmed with dealing with the fall of Berganda.
“Unfortunately, we have no room to meddle in other people’s affairs,” Lovisa stated plainly to Marius. Her seemingly heartless demeanor was a strength, allowing her to make calm judgments without being swayed by emotion. Such a trait was indispensable for a royal family.
“Let’s tackle what we can, one step at a time,” said Barra. She, Lovisa, Emma, and Marius had gathered under the guise of discussing wedding arrangements. Barra’s “what we can do” was to announce the marriage and stabilize public sentiment. A majority of people would be thrilled by the wedding of a princess and a hero, and believe the nation had a future.
While Marius’s official position and title were yet to be determined, it was decided that Barra would be the first consort and Lovisa the second. The issue of Filat’s princess being the first consort did indeed cause some friction. However, since Lovisa accepted it silently, no major incident occurred. Upon learning this, the people of Filat praised her, saying, “As expected,” and boasted to the people of Ranleo. The people of Ranleo, who often clashed with Filat, felt proud simply that their own princess was marrying the hero of the age and could afford to overlook Filat’s bragging. In this way, small changes began to appear among the people of both nations. This marriage alone could be considered significant. Emma, appointed as a caretaker, performed her duties as usual. Her role was set to end upon Lovisa’s marriage. Both Marius and his master regretted this, but Emma was already at the age of nineteen. Considering she was a noble lady, she needed to think about marriage.
“To think that Lady Lovisa, whom I’ve come to see as a younger sister, will be married, my role will finally conclude,” she said with a beaming smile. Both Lovisa and Marius found it difficult to persuade her to change her mind. Although they knew this day would come, they couldn’t help but feel a sense of sadness. She had become a part of their daily lives, for Lovisa and Marius alike.
“Please invite me too when you get married,” Emma said, her request bordering on presumption, yet it was accepted without any sense of incongruity – a clear strength of Barra’s. Emma readily agreed.
“But if Emma-san retires, who will be her successor?” Marius wondered, finding this to be a problem. Emma was a great understanding companion to Lovisa, and Marius had also received considerable help from her. While saying, “If you make Emma cry, I’ll blast you with magic,” might be too overstepping, he genuinely wished for her happiness. Given her importance, he wondered if finding a successor wouldn’t be difficult.
“I think it will be Aina or Remika,” Emma stated nonchalantly, surprising Marius. It seemed their acquaintance and interaction also involved such introductions.
“No. She’s my directly subordinate maid!”
“If it is directly subordinate to the couple, there will be no problem,” Emma stated calmly, and Lovisa and Barra nodded. Could this be considered magnanimity? Sensing Marius’s confusion, Lovisa explained, “There is the concept of joint property. This is only applicable when the couple agrees, and in the case of servants, the consent of the individuals involved is also necessary.” This was to prevent the risk of houses and property being usurped if it were compulsory. It also considered that servants often return to their families, move to other workplaces, or even get married to align with their master’s circumstances upon the master’s marriage. In particular, maids had to be members of nobility or individuals of good standing. Treating such individuals carelessly would only lead to the complete loss of respect. Calling them “property” was merely a formality. Moreover, it wasn’t uncommon for those with existing relationships to be preferred. Of course, as one person couldn’t handle everything, several might be brought along. Marius nodded in understanding and then realized something.
“Joint property, right? What happens if we get married?” The royal families of Filat and Ranleo had other heirs, so their dowries wouldn’t become the “nation.” However, it probably wouldn’t amount to nothing. Furthermore, Marius, though only recently aware of it, was a noble possessing vast territories. What would happen then? Marius felt no sense of crisis about his property being usurped; instead, he was filled with anticipation that he might gain some “helper personnel.” Sensing his thoughts, the three women’s lips curved into smiles, and Lovisa, with a teacher-like expression and tone, said,
“First, Marius will be ennobled. However, he will not be granted the right of succession to the throne.” This was expected, so he nodded. To claim he wouldn’t become royalty even after marrying a princess, he would have to elope.
“However, it will be granted to our children. To avoid disputes, it would be best to stipulate in advance that the children of concubines belong to Filat, and your children with Barra belong to Ranleo.”
“Is there an option not to succeed either?” Marius’s question was met with Lovisa furrowing her delicate eyebrows.
“That would not be wise. To prevent succession disputes, it would be best to limit the number of heirs and clearly define the order of succession. However, if there are too few, there will be anxieties in times of need.” Emma, fearing her words might be insufficient, added, “Once the right of succession is lost, it’s lost for good. We cannot entirely discount the possibility of unscrupulous individuals emerging who might interpret that anyone stripped of their succession could have it restored if they reform.” Marius could agree with this. It was a concept he could never fully grasp, but the intense struggle for succession and wealth among relatives of heirs, not just in royal families but also in prestigious houses, was far from uncommon. He felt he had changed considerably from his past self, not being interested in wealth, even if he was in status. At least in the past, he had been interested in money. He reminisced about his previous life with a mixture of nostalgia and bittersweetness.
“I don’t think anyone would try to usurp Marius-sama’s territory,” Emma said, tilting her head, and Lovisa agreed.
“Indeed. If Marius-sama willed it, one or two countries would be easy to take. No fool would dare oppose someone who easily defeated a Demon Lord and his army,” Barra added, her eyes shining like a girl of marriageable age.
“If there were any, it would be those who wish to exploit Marius-sama’s power. In a way, we are of the same kind…” she added with a self-deprecating tone. Marius felt an urge to defend them.
Still, it’s fortunate that I can entirely delegate troublesome matters to others.” While he wouldn’t lie and say he didn’t enjoy being treated as a hero and praised, it wasn’t all positive. In fact, he often felt more annoyed. The three women exchanged meaningful glances. Lovisa broke the silence to resume her explanation.
“Regarding territories, the concubine and Lady Barra will each have her own domain.” There would likely be territories directly subordinate to the royal family, so individual royal territories would not be entirely out of the question.
“As I mentioned earlier, you can choose whether to share them or keep them as individual property.”
“Individual ownership seems fine, wouldn’t you say?” Marius voiced his inner thoughts of being unwilling to take on more responsibility with more territory, causing the three women to smile wryly. Although the territories would be detached, it wouldn’t be a problem in this case. Lovisa then tilted her head slightly.
“However, Marius-sama will be inheriting the former Berganda, so perhaps it would be better to assist in gathering personnel.”
“If possible, I would be deeply grateful,” Marius replied without hesitation. All he could discern was whether someone was trustworthy or not; he couldn’t judge their competence at all. He had to rely on the royal family for that and would be grateful for their help.
“Poaching within limits that do not hinder state administration… Finding people who wish to work under Marius-sama should not be difficult,” Emma’s words were reasonable, as Marius’s reputation among the people was sky-high. Marrying princesses would only further enhance this. However, if the number of people decreased, even if they weren’t particularly useful, it would inevitably hinder the economy. Balancing both would be an arduous task.
“…This makes it even more clear that now is not the time for fighting,” Marius muttered, uncharacteristically displeased. It was obvious he was referring to the chaos in the west.
“Indeed. However, it cannot be resolved by force, nor can it be specially excused. The punishment for them will come after the confusion subsides,” Lovisa replied firmly. There was no rule that required cooperation when demon armies appeared. It was a shared common sense among the majority. The era before the appearance of Melinda Guilford was described as the “Dark Ages,” the “Era of Demon Lords,” or the “Era of Mankind as Beasts.” As the descriptions suggested, in the past, humanity was forced to live in hiding in small groups, fearing demons and trying not to be discovered. Because she ended that era, Melinda is always counted among the foremost heroes. Even with the emergence of a new legend like Marius, her achievements would not fade.
“However, before we can punish them, we seem to be in a situation where we need to provide them with aid,” Barra grumbled, sounding troubled. It was a paradoxical situation where, to punish, one must first help, but they couldn’t abandon them either. In Misra, where politics were conducted by the will of the people, it was possible to say that their demise was due to the foolishness of the people. However, the people of Vester and Barshark were merely caught in the crossfire. While it was tempting to think, “What are they doing when their nation’s survival is at stake?” it was also cruel to expect people struggling to survive each day to realize this.
“Isn’t a realistic compromise that their sins are lessened because the people punished their king and president?” Emma offered her prediction.
“The problem arises if the royal army wins.” If the king loses and is captured, he can be judged by the people for his foolishness. If they go too far, it will come back to haunt them. But reality doesn’t always work that way, and we must also consider that possibility.
“In that case, shall I go and capture him?” In truth, he wanted to go and capture him right away, but that would constitute interference in state affairs. Doing so would surely lead to a strong retaliation later. If Marius were present, he could defeat them with his strength, but what if he wasn’t there when such actions were taken? Considering that, he hesitated to resort to force. He should refrain from behaving selfishly when he was about to be married. The three women exchanged glances again, and Emma replied,
“Then there should be no problem.” If the king wins, the Eastern nations can jointly condemn him, and Marius can be sent as an envoy. He would surely tremble. Thus, Marius wanted to tell them not to be foolish from the start. However, it was likely that all countries harbored similar sentiments.
The time shifts back slightly to the border between Hordia and Barshark, late at night on the day Asteria was brought to its knees by Isabella’s tears.
“【Reincarnation】” A grotesque voice echoed, and a shadow materialized. “Good grief, I’ve had a rough time.” It was Mergen, who was supposed to have been defeated by Vlidra. The reincarnation magic, “Reincarnation,” is a forbidden spell that resurrects the caster as a monster known as a Lich. The feature of this spell is that it must be cast before death. “Fufu, it seems to have succeeded perfectly.” He had felt a flicker of unease about whether it would be effective on a demon, but he had won the gamble. The reason he hadn’t fled when encountering a superior opponent like Vlidra was that he had secretly used reincarnation magic beforehand. Originally, it was intended for use against Marius. He meticulously examined his own body and was satisfied to confirm that his physical abilities and magic power had significantly increased due to becoming a Lich. Mergen’s miscalculation was that he had been instantly enhanced to the level of an intermediate demon.
“Now then, what happened to that foolish and bothersome Rubens? I hope he’s already dead and buried,” he muttered, his persistent questioning of Mireille being a manifestation of his hope that Rubens might be dead. He began to walk slowly, then stopped.
“From the depths of hell, I summon a demon! 【Summon Ogre】” Evil magic swirled, and a large, monstrous being with black skin and horns growing from its forehead appeared. It was an “Ogre,” the strongest species of ogre, said to dwell in hell and grow by devouring other ogre races.
“You’re just a weakling, but you’ll serve as a shield. Consider it an honor.” Even the strongest ogre was still inferior to a demon. If Rubens were alive, he would need some excuse. Even as a Lich, he couldn’t match the combat power of that demon. However, it seemed too quiet for a Demon Lord to be revived, and Mergen secretly held out hope.
“Wandering souls, obey my will! 【Ghost Control】” Mergen’s power as a necromancer far surpassed that of Gastark. It was easy for him to control wandering spirits and use them for reconnaissance. “Come now, my dear undead, tell me what I wish to know.” The wandering spirits flew to various parts of Hordia as blue orbs of fire and returned after several tens of minutes. They conveyed the information gathered from the spirits in each region to Mergen.
“Fwahahaha!” Mergen burst into loud laughter at the unexpectedly perfect outcome. Demon Rubens, Gerik, and Demon Lord Decarabia were all dead. For him, it was the best possible result.
“My era has finally come.” Many misunderstand humanity’s misunderstanding of necromancy; it is not a shallow magic that merely manipulates the undead. Mergen was determined to show them its true power, its true terror. Asteria’s concerns were indeed valid. She had lacked certainty due to her lack of knowledge regarding reincarnation magic.
