It is said that the soldiers of the Empire attacked the Demon Church and wiped them all out. Did they say that the religion called Demonism reached the level of extinction because they killed all those who seemed even slightly related to it?
The estimated number of survivors was very small. For Paul, who was struggling to get Sheia out, the news was like a thunderbolt.
Bang! A fist hit the desk, causing the documents piled next to it to shake.
It was pobably not the case, but Iram, who was watching Paul with anxious eyes, was wondering if he might get angry and tear up the documents, so he quietly took the documents off the desk.
"Now, calm down first..."
"Calm down? Calm down?"
A spark flashed in Paul's eyes.
In a way, it can be said that she ended up in this situation because he hid Sheia's whereabouts, so why would he dare to speak out in front of him? Anger soared.
"Others may not know, but you shouldn't say things like that."
"..."
"Who made this happen now! How dare you say something like that?!"
There was no way to even check whether Sheia was alive or dead, let alone where she was.
The anger that suddenly exploded and wandered for a while finally found its target and aimed its blade. It was natural that the target was Iram. There was nothing to say about the current Emperor Elpidius's response.
In a situation where you are at war with the Emperor, you cannot just leave alone or respond moderately to a group that attempted to summon demons and eventually succeeded. He should have set an example to prevent the same thing from happening again. To do that, they have no choice but to take extreme measures.
Therefore, from the perspective of the same leader, Elpidius' actions could not help but be understood, even if they were extreme.
So who will be the remaining target?
"Mr. Iram..."
The background of Demonism has not yet been revealed.
It's not that there are no guesses at all, but it is inevitable that anger will be more focused on a clear target that is directly in front of you than on a distant person that you can only guess at.
A voice as cold as frost fell towards Iram.
"... Find her."
"..."
"Find her at all costs. Find her and bring her back safely. If she is dead, bring her body back for a funeral."
Put everything aside and prioritize finding my sister.
Iram, who was silent, nodded slowly.
"... Okay."
Paul rubbed his face and sighed. The child's face, blurred by not seeing it for a long time, shimmered in the background of his closed eyelids.
A moan as if in pain came out.
'Hahaha...'
There is a degree of being possessed by pseudo-religion, but what is it that will spill over into demonism? I don't know what the hell is going on with this kid. I think she's past the age where I can just pass her off as a child.
It doesn't matter that she didn't join the Revolutionary Army because it's her freedom. Living each day in a daze... yes, it was okay. But anyway, isn't this the case?
'When I come back, I will definitely have to bring her into the Revolutionary Army...'
He's so anxious that he can't just leave her there. Is this how parents feel when they release their child into the world?
As the current times were set against the backdrop of war, it would be better to keep her inside the fence, and he was pledging to keep her safe, not incarcerated. Paul, who noticed that Iram, who was supposed to immediately moving to deliver the order to find the child, was still not out, raised his head.
There was a hesitant look in his eyes filled with sharp emotions.
"What are you doing if you're not going?"
"... I have something left to report."
"Ha... speak quickly and leave."
I don't feel like working anymore today... but what time does a leader of the Revolutionary Army have for leisure? It's just that when new information comes in, it's time to work.
Information has an expiration date. Knowing that fact well, he relaxed his clenched jaw as if he was about to scream and sighed again. The look of exhaustion was clearly evident in the rough movements of his hands.
"The Demon World side's support troops were annihilated while moving."
"... I beg your pardon?"
Even though he had to jump up for a moment.
"I heard that one of their forces was very skilled, but they were suddenly wiped out like this? I heard that they crossed one of the walls of Shanguk not too long ago? So I expected that guy to be a 'contract demon'? But they went in vain like this?"
This was closer to an argument rather than a question.
Iram, unable to find an appropriate answer, made an awkward expression. Only then did Paul realize that he was so agitated and calmed down.
It's understandable to be shaken by hearing surprising news in a situation where emotions are already heightened by the news about Sheia, but this was no excuse. He reminded himself from what position he was listening to these words, consoled himself, and calmly opened his mouth.
"Any witnesses? Can you figure out what happened?"
"They were wiped out while moving to the next castle, so unfortunately there are no witnesses."
"Oh my..."
Paul touched his forehead.
Iram closed his mouth, as if to give him time to control his emotions again. A heavy silence fell.
News of the annihilation of the demon side's reinforcements. This was a good thing from a human perspective, so some people may wonder why he reacted so sensitively.
'... Yes, it's only good news from the perspective of 'humans'.'
However, unlike demons, humans have many sides within.
And Paul himself was the leader of a faction called the 'Revolutionary Army'. As a 'human', he was naturally fighting against the demon world, but at the same time, he was the leader of the Revolutionary Army who also struggled for power with fellow humans. In particular, the Revolutionary Army was in a position to be particularly wary of the monarchs of each country, so as the leader of such a force, it was impossible to just laugh this off as good news.
He rubbed his forehead and was lost in thought.
'The absence of witnesses means it was handled quietly.'
It was said that they were wiped out while moving to the next castle, so it was expected that there would be few witnesses due to the nature of the skirmish, but... when you think about it, that means either a very large number of people moved and were wiped out in an instant without even leaving witnesses, or a very small number moved secretly. It made sense.
'If a large number was quietly annihilated, it would mean that they were not one of the forces of either side. I guess it's going to be like a third force.'
In a situation where each force was keeping a close eye on each other, there was no way that news would not have reached them when that number of troops were moving.
The only situation where one can move without being caught by the other side would be a third force that was not in their field of vision in the first place.
'If not, it's something that a few people did.'
Maybe it was an individual's act.
To be honest, I think I've gone too far with the third force...
He muttered slowly.
"... A small elite unit? Or maybe a 'hero'?"
It may be rather surprising that there are still 'heroes' that can be utilized in this era.
If it was sent from another power, it means that they were hiding a lot of military power, so they must be on guard, and if not, they must first attract new talent to this side before other powers take away the new talent that appeared at the right time in the current situation where talented people are dying every day.
So, as he was quietly lost in thought, Iram, who had been quietly observing Paul's emotional state, opened his mouth.
"Probably a 'hero'."
"... I remember you saying there were definitely no witnesses."
"There were no witnesses, but there were people who seemed to be involved. There were rumors."
"...?"
Rumors aside, they were involved, but they weren't an eyewitness. What does this mean?
Perhaps he read the doubt on Paul's face... He continued.
"Rumors about a 'true hero' who wanders the continent and raises his sword for villages that have not yet been taken care of. Recently, mercenaries have been talking about this. A request has been received from a person presumed to be the hero to surround and deal with demon soldiers. He said he received it and carried it out."
"..."
"They surrounded the client from so far away that they couldn't be seen, so they didn't even know what had happened and just killed the demons trying to break away from the siege. It was only after everything was over and the rumor had spread that the client they were entrusted with was..."
Thorough, too.
Anyway, he's heard of the wandering hero. He told him to gather information half out of curiosity and half out of intention to draw on it later. By combining the information he received, he inferred his identity, and the predicted person that came out at that time was probably...
"Stigma Primero..."
"He has green hair and an aristocratic demeanor. The mercenaries say he had a lot of money and the commission fees were high, so this is probably true."
"... A combination of the Empire's second hero and a. mercenary that suddenly appeared... It's a little absurd, but this makes one thing clear."
"...?"
Paul grinned and cracked his fingers playfully. His low mood had improved significantly.
"Stigma Primero is no longer a hero of the Empire."
Besides using mercenaries instead of the Empire's troops or his own knights, there was no way the Empire would send its precious manpower to a place like this if it weren't for that.
A talented person whose skills have been proven has become free. Looking at what he's doing now, it's as if he has given up on himself the title of nobility. In other words, it means that he is a person who deserves to be honored with a carpet in the Revolutionary Army.
"Try to contact him."
Iram, who realized what Paul was trying to do, stopped to nod and then hesitantly opened his mouth.
"But if he decides to avoid us..."
"Then it's unfortunate, but it can't be helped."
"...?"
"How can you catch a hero who is so determined to avoid you? You have to be persistent, setting up traps, and then back off when he gets offended. Just try to talk moderately and politely, and if it doesn't work, just give up."
"Okay."
Iram nodded and turned his back as if to leave, but stopped for a moment when he noticed a document in the corner of his eye.
"..."
"What are you doing that you're not going out?"
"That's..."
The document that Paul had put down on the floor moments before, as if he was going to tear it up as his emotions grew stronger.
When he saw that, something came to mind and he hesitated, unable to leave. He took the time to think by putting the documents back on the desk.
'... Can I ask?'
In fact, he had already tried to ask several times. But he just can't figure out if it's okay to ask.
As he was glancing around, he was urged to do it quickly if he had anything to say, so he uttered the question he had been harboring.
"... The document you tore up back then."
"... Ah?"
A document that Paul tore as a warning when he was caught hiding Sheia's whereabouts.
"This... did you write it?"
... Ah, he was wondering why he didn't ask.
Paul, realizing what he was saying, let out a laugh.
It was only natural that the cause of revolution is more important to Mr. Iram than a mere girl named Sheia. It's been a while since then, so it's probably worth asking about now. He already expected it and understood it in his head... but why did he feel low again?
'... Anyway, since I heard the question, I should answer it.'
We can't pressure you to reflect on yourself forever.
It was a mockery mixed with bitterness.
"I conceived and wrote it myself."
"That means..."
"It's natural to remember."
This means that if you put your mind to it, you can recover it with documents.
Iram's face brightened.
"May I ask what it is about?"
"... It's the same as what I explained last time. Daniel's policy is difficult to implement right away, so it is a policy that can be implemented in the interim. In addition, it may be the ultimate and ideal goal, but it is a goal that can never be achieved as long as humans are 'human', so it is a policy that must be limited to an intermediate process."
Iram's face was filled with doubt and frustration.
What was the content of that policy? He probably wants to listen to it in a clear way. But looking at that expression, the thought of telling him about it disappeared even more easily.
Paul chuckled and spoke in a whisper with a little grumpiness.
"If what Daniel invented is called democracy, then I invented this. It would be something like socialism."
Of course, it was only a name, and it was not complete 'socialism' as it was only a stepping stone and an intermediate process for democracy.