But for an elf, developing loyalty toward an organization really was difficult. After all, every country to them was basically just something that disappeared after a while. The leaders changed constantly too, and most elves had very cold personalities.
The elves in the elf village all had a lazy feeling of lacking motivation, and Mili was pretty lazy too. Back then she spent all day zoning out doing nothing.
Since this elf was somewhat airheaded and also had strange tastes, Ash did not want to continue the earlier topic with her. After thinking for a long while with one hand on his forehead, he finally sighed, "Just stay quiet for now. I need to talk with them. If you're really that bored, just go find somewhere to kill time first."
"Hm? Am I being treated like someone unnecessary now? Thrown away after being used? You won't even drink with me?"
"No!"
'Why is there someone here who completely can't be serious in such a serious situation? Things are already basically over and should've been properly celebrated, but now he had a headache for some reason.'
———
After spending some time getting rid of Mili, who had been extremely bored lately and wanted to find something to do or someone to talk to, Ash finally adjusted his mood again and looked toward the ministers.
The ministers who had tried to get close to Mili earlier immediately became nervous again and all looked back at him with pitiful expressions, like dogs begging for mercy.
Honestly, the way this group bowed and scraped was disgusting, but... at least they still had value for now.
"I already know everything I need to know, and I also understand that all you want is to survive and make sure your families can continue on without being purged. I can understand all of that."
As he spoke, Ash climbed the stairs and sat on the throne, resting his chin on one hand as he looked below.
His gaze swept over the flattering ministers. The coldness in his eyes seemed able to freeze the air itself, and the ministers gradually quieted down.
They looked at Ash nervously, as though invisible hands were squeezing their throats, not daring to even breathe loudly.
After a long while, Ash slightly raised his chin and slowly spoke again. His voice was low and cold.
"I can understand your actions, but I cannot trust your loyalty, so, show me your loyalty."
Not a single minister below was stupid. Even though he had not explained it clearly, they immediately understood what Ash really meant.
After a short silence, several ministers exchanged looks filled with determination and cruelty.
They knew that if they did nothing now, total disaster awaited them. For the sake of surviving and securing their families' future, there was nothing left to hesitate over.
They immediately walked over to the Emperor and princes. At this point, no one even bothered talking anymore, nor did they use weapons. They simply surrounded them and started punching and kicking, making sure everyone had the chance to share in the crime of treason.
Meanwhile, Ash sat on the throne and coldly watched all of it. There was not a trace of pity in his eyes, as though he were watching a group of clowns performing a ridiculous play for him.
He knew these ministers would do anything to survive, and what he needed just happened to be this kind of loyalty driven by fear.
When he felt it was enough, he suddenly slammed the throne and shouted, "Enough!"
Even though one prince had already been beaten to death and the Crown Prince had collapsed in a pool of blood, the Emperor still had not died despite being covered in injuries from the ministers' attacks.
"Y-You are...", The Prime Minister sounded unwilling to stop and hurriedly asked, but Ash raised a hand and interrupted him.
"The Empire's overall power still exists. The regional lords still need the Emperor to keep them under control. If you kill him, the situation will immediately become unstable. Even if I could have the Kingdom wipe out those Imperial nobles acting independently, that would go against the original purpose of my actions. I don't want too much killing."
Even though what happened in the imperial capital would probably be impossible to completely hide from the Empire's major nobles, as long as the Emperor's orders were genuine, they still carried a certain level of authority.
As for what condition the orders were issued under... who could come to the imperial capital and verify it?
Of course, his original plan had been assassination. But now that they had already beaten the other side until they could no longer resist, simply leaving afterward would not be appropriate. If he still stubbornly followed the original plan now, that would just be stupid.
Compared to invasion by outside enemies, betrayal by one's own servants, beatings, and the killing of one's children were obviously much harder to forgive.
At the very least, neither side would trust the other anymore. So what he wanted now was naturally to use the Emperor to keep the ministers in check, and use the ministers to keep the Emperor in check.
"I'm not some demon either. In the end, you're still ruler and ministers together. How could I bear to really let you slaughter each other?", Ignoring the prince corpses on the ground and the Emperor covered in tears, Ash lifted a hand, and the cloth stuffed in the Emperor's mouth was pulled out through the air. He slowly announced his decision.
"You are still the Emperor after all. But from now on, most work will need to be assisted and decided by the Prime Minister and everyone else. Although there were some small misunderstandings and little conflicts just now, I believe that for the sake of your remaining children, you'll definitely be able to forget about these problems, right?"
"You... demon!"
The Emperor lay in a pool of blood. His red eyes were full of hatred, and the way he stared at Ash looked like fire could burst from them.
"Demon? Have you forgotten the things you've done yourself? And you still have the nerve to call me that? In terms of actions and character, I'm much better than you. At the very least, I've never betrayed people who helped me. Besides...", Looking down at the Emperor from the throne, Ash slightly curled his lips into a meaningful smile.
"Your Majesty, you should understand your current situation. From now on, cooperate properly, and maybe you'll still be able to keep some dignity and authority. At the very least, I won't continue harming your children. Otherwise, I can't guarantee their safety."
"I am the Emperor of the Empire, how can this happen.... how can it end up like this!"
"What? Your voice is too quiet. I can't hear you. Can you speak louder?"
"I-I understand! I will listen to you..."
The Emperor clenched his teeth tightly, a low growl coming from his throat, but in the end he still nodded weakly.
No matter how unwilling he felt inside, he clearly understood his current situation. He was like fish on a cutting board. Resisting now would only bring an even worse ending to the entire royal family.
"And you all as well, just like I said before, I know your earlier actions came from helplessness. Now we need to work together and lead the Empire back toward prosperity and create a new order for the world," Ash did not care about the Emperor's unwillingness at all and turned toward the ministers with a smile.
"You don't need to worry. I am not a tyrant, nor do I want to kill innocents recklessly. As long as you serve me loyally, your families and positions will be preserved. From now on, please continue assisting His Majesty well, and devote yourselves to the nation... no, to me."
As he spoke, he stopped pretending entirely and openly placed himself above the Empire.
Naturally, not a single minister objected. They all knelt together and swore loyalty. After all, anyone who would object was already lying in a pool of blood.
———
Inside the audience hall, upon the throne, the Empire's nobles, officials, and even the royal family were forced to swear loyalty under overwhelming pressure.
And Ash naturally understood that most of them were probably not truly loyal to him, but he did not care.
Ash spared the lives of the Emperor and part of the royal family. Although the ministers now controlled most of the power and had already begun taking over security for the imperial palace and even the capital, all of them were nobles and officials personally appointed by Ash.
More accurately speaking... they were all spies he had planted inside the Empire.
The city gates leading into the imperial palace had magic tools for inspections, making it impossible to infiltrate using obedience magic. So they were all people who had become spies through threats and temptation. Now they had finally gotten what they wanted and received promotions.
With his own spies mixed in and the Emperor, who now had a blood feud with these ministers, used to restrain them, Ash no longer needed to worry too much about the ministers betraying him or constantly switching sides.
He also warned everyone that if the Emperor were directly killed, he would wipe out the offender's entire family as well. The palace defenses were handed over to the Holy Wand Court, the group of mages under Mili, who had never participated in the battle from beginning to end, to ensure the Emperor would not be assassinated.
The Emperor and the Empire's ministers had now become like beasts trapped in the same snare, watching each other warily while unable to escape.
After placing certain restrictions on both the royal family and ministers, with the imperial palace now under his control, Ash had someone send word for Aura to come over.
Anyway, the situation was now under his control, so the mental inspections could simply be canceled. Or rather, the inspections would instead be controlled by demons.
Once Aura arrived, even the Emperor would obediently behave.
After all, he did not believe the ministers or Emperor possessed the kind of iron will needed to temporarily break free from obedience magic.
Afterward, he also had someone bring over the Archbishop of the Goddess Church in the imperial capital to heal his injuries.
However, for some unknown reason, the healing magic, which originally still had at least some chance of working, now completely failed to produce any effect.
No matter how the Archbishop used healing magic, nothing happened at all. Even the wounds he had already treated simply worsened instead, as though he had been struck by some strange curse.
Under normal circumstances, one would suspect the Archbishop was secretly trying to harm him. But the image of goddess magic was extremely positive, and it did not contain curse magic.
Even switching to dispelling magic from goddess magic still produced no effect.
It was as though the Goddess had completely refused to provide him healing. Even the tiny amount of fairness toward magic and the nominal freedom of believers had now been completely abandoned, turning healing magic used on him into a type of curse instead.
———
Inside one of the luxurious courtyards in the imperial palace that had not been affected, the Archbishop had just been escorted away by mages from the Holy Wand Court when Mili stared at the bandage-covered Ash with a curious expression.
Even after using magic to carefully inspect him, she still could not find the source of the problem.
"That's an extremely complicated curse. You're in serious trouble," While speaking, Mili even reached out and poked the edge of his wound before handing him a wine flask, "Still, it's really unbelievable. Goddess magic shouldn't even have curse types. So it really is because of your personality? Want some alcohol to calm yourself first?"
"Even if the target is a murderer or some terrible criminal, the Goddess's magic will still work. So this has nothing to do with personality."
"But you're not just a murderer, you're also a demon."
"Demons naturally just receive weaker healing effects with lower success rates. Also, I need to correct your misunderstanding. Both this country and the Kingdom are under my control, meaning I am the one who sets the rules. Since I make the rules, nobody can judge me for crimes, so naturally I'm not a criminal. Soldiers kill people on battlefields too, but that doesn't make them criminals, right?"
Halfway through, he paused before continuing confidently.
"In other words, not only am I not a murderer, I'm actually a hero. A great hero and savior destined to be recorded in the histories of both nations."
"That's sophistry," Mili curled her lips and casually took another sip of wine.
"Only the victor has the right to define right and wrong. But obviously, I'm the victor now. Even if I've done bad things, people in the future will make them sound good for me."
"I can't argue with you, but you should complain to the Goddess about that. Complaining to me just gives me trouble too," Mili did not intend to argue about the issue and casually pointed toward a goddess statue not far away that had two pure white wings and pointed ears.
"Then let's just assume this is discrimination against demons. But being discriminated against to my extent is still pretty shocking."
"Isn't that obvious? During the age of myths, demons and the Goddess were enemies to begin with. The Goddess has always helped humans. Now you've basically taken control of most of humanity's power, so if she doesn't target you, who would she target?"
Halfway through speaking, Mili sat down nearby and curiously asked, "But speaking of it, you're actually a demon? You never mentioned that before. I was really shocked."
"Your attitude of completely not caring is honestly more shocking to me."
"Mmm~ Didn't you save me before? So I think you're a kind demon?"
"You've lived over a thousand years and you're still this naive?"
"I'm just casually living life without much to do," Mili shrugged carelessly, then poured another mouthful of wine into herself before teasingly saying, "So, are you going to eat me now?"
"I just wanted to remind you to be more cautious around people."
"Forget all that unimportant stuff. Want some wine first? We finally reunited after all, didn't we?"
"I've wanted to say this for a while now. We're talking about something serious here. Can you stop drinking all the time?"
"You want some too? Why say it so indirectly? You could've just told me," As she spoke, Mili patted his shoulder and smilingly brought the wine she had already drunk from up to his mouth.
"What kind of interpretation is that? I seriously just wanted you to stop drinking! Not because I wanted some!", The corner of Ash's mouth twitched as he stiffly pushed the wine flask away.
Honestly, if she had not just helped him, he really might have smacked her on the head already and told her to stop constantly thinking about alcohol, and especially stop constantly trying to make him drink.
Since she had helped him earlier, Ash could only let out a long breath and release all those emotions.
He stared at the girl hugging the wine flask and smiling at him for a long time before finally saying seriously, "Compared to me being a demon, I'm more surprised you ended up in the Empire and even joined the Holy Wand Court."
"Couldn't help it. When people get too bored, they have to find something to do. And since I happened to live a long time, my hazy magic power unexpectedly improved pretty quickly."
"After a thousand years, even a pig should've become a great mage."
"Ah, you actually called me a pig. That's awful," Mili angrily slammed the wine flask onto the table, making Ash hurriedly explain, "That's not what I mea—"
"If apologies worked, why would the Holy Wand Court even exist? Drink this flask first! Otherwise I absolutely won't forgive you!"
"Hah.... huh?", As she spoke, the wine flask was suddenly shoved in front of him again, leaving Ash completely stunned despite feeling guilty a moment ago.
But Mili kept smiling as she pushed the wine closer toward him.
'This is bad. I really want to hit her. But if I do now, would that count as betraying someone after they helped me? Or kicking the donkey after getting off it?', Ash's serious expression almost broke apart, and his emotions fluctuated wildly, making the urge to beat this drunk grow stronger and stronger.
But in the end, he still held himself back. He even directly grabbed the flask. Under Mili's excited gaze that looked ready to applaud, he tilted his head back and took a drink, letting the harsh low-quality alcohol slide down his throat.
The taste was both ancient and familiar, making him unconsciously frown slightly.
"This is... Emperor Wine?"
"Yep! Back in the elf village, you forced this stuff straight into my mouth! Now we're finally even!", Mili nodded without hesitation, and the smile on her face became brighter than ever.
"No, wait... you..." Ash's face darkened, "That happened a thousand years ago, didn't it?"
"So what if it was a thousand years ago? Didn't you once tell me a gentleman getting revenge ten years later still isn't late?"
"That's off by a hundred times!"
"A gentleman taking revenge after ten years isn't late. For elves, taking revenge after a thousand years naturally isn't late."
"But you drank a few mouthfuls of it yourself just now, didn't you?", His mind was a complete mess. Mili's expression stiffened slightly, but she still acted unconcerned.
"Because I only had this one flask. To make you willingly drink it, that little bit doesn't matter~ Mhm, doesn't matter."
"...", Looking at her smug expression, Ash finally truly understood the meaning behind the saying that women and petty people are the hardest to deal with.
And there was one more thing, elves were all narrow-minded and extremely vengeful, especially female elves.
But while this drunk kept bothering him, his gaze accidentally swept toward the goddess statue nearby again.
The unease he felt before beginning this operation, after discovering the Holy Sword was missing, still had not disappeared even after taking control of the imperial palace. In fact, it had become even stronger.
Originally, he thought that in the worst-case scenario, the Hero, whose traces could not be found no matter what, might be hiding inside the imperial palace.
But... this result made him relieved that the Holy Sword was not in the palace, while also troubled over where exactly it was hidden.
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