Chapter 280

"That demon is very dangerous," said a woman dressed in white whose face was hidden by a red veil.

"Ancestor Mariet," Emperor Richard sensed the presence of that powerful Archmage of the human race.

She was known to all as the wife of the first Emperor of the Venrac Empire.

She was also called the "Empress of the Red Veil."

Following Emperor Venrac’s words, that woman appeared before his desk, radiating an imposing aura.

"You know, when the first Emperor decided to conquer this continent, he encountered great enemies—enemies far stronger than he had expected. Those demons could not be underestimated, and that’s based on what we were able to learn. No one knows just how strong the first Demon Emperor was; we only know that he unified those powerful demons. Do you think he achieved that with words alone?"

Richard Venrac looked at the woman whose captivating face was hidden behind the red veil.

"No, no one can achieve anything without having at least some means to reach their goals. Ancestor, I understand your concerns, but do you want me to sacrifice my daughter?"

The Emperor’s power fluctuated subtly.

"Emperor, before you are a father, you are a ruler. If you choose poorly, you will lose everything we have achieved," the Empress of the Red Veil said, vanishing from the Emperor’s sight after those words.

The Emperor struck his elegant desk with the side of his fist, causing cracks to appear, and then sighed.

"In the end, they dragged me into war. They are very persistent and insidious," thought the Emperor as he recalled all the acts through which Inquisiderian had covertly attacked the young and talented demons of the Argariz Republic.

...

The door to the princess’s room opened.

She looked very downcast.

One of her arms was resting on the window frame as she gazed at the night sky.

"Father," she murmured in a weak voice.

Her face was marked by dark circles under her eyes and a pale complexion due to her depression and the little she was eating.

"Daughter, you must eat better; in the future, you will be a powerful magical archer and an even more radiant princess," said Richard, sitting down across from his daughter on a wooden chair he pulled out of a magical storage artifact.

"Father, I don’t want to be a burden—I don’t. You must go to war," she said, tears streaming down her beautiful, now fragile-looking face.

Richard stroked his daughter’s pink hair and pulled out a red strand in which he sensed two forms of energy.

He knew it immediately.

A curse cast by a human sorceress; the other form of energy belonged to a demon he knew well.

Alice Venrac looked at the red strand that had neutralized the curse.

"Father, trust Edgar—he’s very talented," Alice said as she looked at her father.

"I will," he said.

After talking a little more with his beloved daughter, he left the room and walked through the castle gardens, thinking about the future even though he had already made a decision.

...

In the Republican Council of the Argariz Republic.

All the councilors wanted to speak at once, whether out of the anger they felt upon realizing that the Marquis showed no restraint or respect for the Republic,

or because there were some conspirators among them who were manipulating the rest,

or simply because they were afraid of the tyrannical power the Marquis had demonstrated.

Some of the Councilors looked warily at the two Senior Councilors while wondering to themselves whether those two imposing figures would be capable of defeating the Marquis.

Hours passed, and the Councilors realized that the Marquis had used some method to temporarily take possession of Councilor Granz’s body; and that was why one of the Senior Councilors decided to act.

In other words, as far as the councilors were concerned, the Senior Councilor’s actions were legitimate.

But the disproportionate act by which the marquis annihilated the troops of the Argariz Republic that were stationed near the marquisate was reprehensible and worthy of condemnation.

Finally, after lengthy deliberation.

The other Senior Councilor spoke in a deep voice that made the spirit tremble.

"On the ... day of the ... year, it has been decided to declare war on the rebellious marquisate that acts against the laws and customs of the Argariz Republic. Is that correct?"

"That is correct," replied almost all the Councilors in unison.

From his own box, Councilor Balnud flashed a smile.

He was satisfied that war had been declared against that demon who had thwarted most of the plans of the "Remnants of the Cudernic."

...

It was midnight.

A cardinal dressed in a sacred white-and-red robe.

Apparently in his 40s, bald, and fair-skinned, he stood guard at the three-meter-high door of a secluded room.

The cardinal was reading a grimoire when he suddenly saw that two torches, placed on either side of that large door, went out.

"That’s strange—he’s failed again," the cardinal murmured in a firm voice.

Inside that chamber were gems and potions, and only a single candle that seemed to burn indefinitely.

Arian, with a somber expression, struck a wall, causing cracks that were soon repaired by a power that safeguarded the integrity of the Temple’s Chambers of Seclusion.

"Why haven’t I been able to make any progress since leaving the Great Mountain Range? What has changed?" Arian asked himself as he tried to calm his frustration.

He looked at the high-rank potions and the mana gems.

Realizing once again just how much the "Temple of Endless Sky" and the Venrac Empire had invested in his growth, he decided to push himself a little harder to overcome that obstacle.

"I have the hero’s blessing; I am the hero; I just need to be patient," Arian told himself as he drank another potion and then sat down in a meditative posture.

This time, he felt a little more motivated.

He stayed calm and made sure the powerful energy the potion gave him circulated effectively.

But then, suddenly.

Cough! Cough! Cough!

Arian coughed up foul-smelling blood mixed with a yellowish liquid.

"Was I poisoned?" Arian wondered, his face pale and an excruciating pain coursing through his body.