Chapter 61

With the Greater Daemon neutralized, I swept my gaze across the sea of horrified faces. Many had fainted from fright, while others remained frozen, struggling to process what they had just seen.

‘This reaction is about what I expected. Better to get them acclimatized to such horrors here than on the battlefield.’

From within the crowd, a certain aloof, blue-haired goddess pushed her way to the front, dragging her petrified companions behind her. Reaching the open floor, she pointed a wagging finger at me with a smug smile.

“I knew it!” Aqua strutted forward, halting a few paces away. “For a while, you had me thinking my Divine Sense was off, but I was right all along. You are a demigod, the son of that God Emperor those weirdos in the Imperium of Man worship with crazed fanaticism! Why have you been hiding among the mortals of this world?”

Kazuma bolted forward, grabbing his useless goddess by the scruff of her collar and dragging her backward over the cracked stone. “Aqua, what the hell do you think you are doing, you idiot?! Please stop provoking the fourteen-foot demigod—I don’t want to die again!”

Darkness and Megumin nodded in frantic unison. Neither possessed any desire to challenge a towering being who had just subdued a terrifying abomination without breaking a sweat.

As the party attempted to haul their Arch-Priestess toward the ballroom exit, Aqua wrenched herself free. “Will you stop and let me speak? Who said I was trying to provoke him? All I want is to ask a few simple questions. After I have my answers, we can leave, alright?”

“Swear to me you won’t say anything that will get us vaporized, please.” Kazuma rubbed his temples, reluctantly yielding.

Aqua thumped a hand against her chest, beaming with unearned confidence. “Of course! You have my sacred word as the Goddess of Water.”

“…I already regret this decision.” Kazuma leaned toward Darkness, whispering out of the side of his mouth. “Hey. If it looks like she is about to say something suicidal, tackle her and sprint for the door.”

“Understood,” Darkness nodded, her posture tense and coiled to spring.

The party crept forward once more beneath my exhausted gaze. I had no desire to be interrogated by a moron in the center of a shattered ballroom, but Aqua was not the type to let matters rest.

“To answer your first question, I have been quietly rebuilding my strength,” I said, crossing my massive silver gauntlets over my breastplate. “What else do you wish to know?”

Aqua puffed out her chest and held up three slender fingers.

“Three things,” Aqua said, her haughty facade wobbling slightly. “First, why can’t I contact the Heavenly Realm anymore? Second, what is your business on this world? Third, what was that creature just now? I’ve encountered high-ranking devils before, and that was not one of them.”

“The Heavenly Realm is gone, eradicated by an invader far beyond your power to fight. To my knowledge, your surviving kin are scattered across the cosmos. My personal business in this world is none of your concern. As for what that abomination was… I will address the entire assembly now.”

Aqua froze, her eyes widening in stunned disbelief as Kazuma quickly threw an arm around her shoulder and hauled her back into the ranks of the guests before she could wail.

I took a moment to collect my thoughts, letting my voice carry across the silent hall.

“I apologize for giving everyone a fright, but I—”

My words were cut short by a certain red-headed muscle brain. His heart hammered audibly against his ribs as he pointed a trembling finger toward me.

“See! I told you! He is a horrifying monster—I’m not crazy!” Greg collapsed onto his backside, frantically scooting backward over the cracked stone to put distance between us.

I gave him an annoyed glare. “Hold your tongue, Greg. If you interrupt me again, I will throw you out of this banquet hall. What I am about to share with everyone here is vital to the impending war.”

“Stay away from me, you mon—”

Thump!

Greg was abruptly cut off by Queen Mylene via a sharp strike to his temple with her ceremonial scepter. The concussive blow sent him sprawling across the marble floor, slamming into the base of a stone pillar with a hollow thud.

He slumped into an unconscious heap.

“Is… is that truly you, Leon?” Mylene approached with cautious steps, looking up at my towering form as though uncertain whether her senses were deceiving her.

“Yes, it is, Mylene.” I met her gaze with a reassuring smile. “The young nobleman you know and the giant before you are one and the same. I will explain the finer details to you in private. Right now, everyone must hear the true peril we face. Our world stands on the precipice of total annihilation.”

The time for secrets was over. If I wanted their cooperation, I had to be forthright with those who might perish following me into the fray. With a solemn breath, I walked the assembly through what the daemons were, and why they were targeting this world. The Guildmaster stepped in alongside me, presenting corroborating intelligence his clandestine scouts had gathered beyond our borders.

When our briefing concluded, a suffocating, hopeless dread settled over the assembly.

“Leon… how long have you known about this?” Duke Redgrave found his voice, stepping forward while countless other lords stood mute with terror.

“I have known about their daemonic invasion for some time now.” My expression hardened. “This information was kept a secret out of necessity. These creatures gain power from belief. The more people who knew about them, the deadlier they would become. Aside from my companions, only the Guildmaster, the Principality’s Black Knight, and a handful of others were informed.”

This revelation troubled Duke Redgrave, but the necessity of Leon’s silence was undeniable. With the veil torn away, he possessed countless tactical questions. Before he could voice any of them, a peer spoke up.

“Based on what you have told us… if the Alzer Republic, the Holfort Kingdom, and the Principality of Fanoss banded together, do we have any hope of weathering the coming storm?” Bernard looked up at me with a nervous expression. “Can ordinary people like us even kill them?”

The crowd grew restless as their senses slowly returned. Their glimpse of a Greater Daemon painted a harrowing future for their world.

Angelica pressed her way through the throng to stand by my side. “Has Leon said anything about ordinary men fighting them alone? No, he has not, because he already commands the power required to win this war. All he must do is rouse it from its ancient slumber beneath the Alzer Republic’s Sacred Tree.”

Clarice and Deirdre stepped in behind her, forming an unbroken wall of solidarity.

“When something sounds too good to be true, it almost always is.” King Roland approached, his trembling legs threatening to buckle with every step. “You will want something in return from us, right? Tell us…”

“Roland!” Mylene shot him a disdainful glare, but he paid her no heed.

“What is it you seek? Power? Money?” A sleazy grin crept onto his face. “Busty, mature women?”

Mylene’s fury erupted.

Crunch!

With every ounce of strength in her frame, she whirled her scepter around, driving the heavy metal cap directly into his jaw. Roland’s head snapped violently aside, and his body lifted off the marble as he sailed through the air, crashing into the banquet wreckage.

“This is neither the time nor the place for your filthy jokes.” Mylene ground out the words through clenched teeth.

The Queen drew a slow, deliberate breath, smoothing her skirts to regain her regal composure.

“My apologies. I do not know what came over me. You would not ask for such absurdities, would you, Leon?”

“Mylene, I have seven of the most wonderful women on this planet as my fiancées.” I gestured for the rest of our group to step forward. “The Crown permitting, that number will soon increase to eight.”

Hertrude flushed crimson, struggling in vain to suppress a soft, maidenly smile. Beside her, her younger sister cast a smug grin at the stunned Kingdom nobles.

“In exchange for my assistance, I request two things: first, full military cooperation in evacuating the Holy Kingdom’s civilian populace; second, sovereign authority to reshape this star system into a fortified refuge for the people of this galaxy.”

“The first request is commendable; we must make every effort to save innocent lives,” Mylene nodded. “As for your second request… I am at a loss for how to answer. What is a galaxy? What is a star system?”

“I assume everyone heard my proclamation a moment ago, yes?” I swept my gaze across the hall. “This may come as a shock to you, but I am a reincarnated soul from ten millennia ago.”

Not wishing to delve into the agonizing scars of my past life before a public assembly, I adhered strictly to the essential facts, providing a concise account of the Imperium and my true identity.

Upon learning that countless inhabited worlds lay beyond the clouds, the paralyzing dread that had gripped the assembly dissipated. In its place, an ancestral thirst for skyfaring exploration rekindled within their hearts, stirring the pioneer blood of their founding forefathers.

“Everyone, compose yourselves!” Vincent struggled to master the eager fervor creeping into his tone. “We will debate the merits of traversing the cosmos at a later hour. Right now, our swords must answer the threat at our gates!”

The bubbling excitement waned. Once a semblance of order returned to the hall, Mylene spoke with quiet dignity.

“So long as it does not endanger the lives of those who call this world home, the Crown gives its blessing to your second request.”

“The Principality of Fanoss also stands in full agreement with your terms.”

The two royal sisters spoke in unison, seconding the decree with calm, unwavering certainty.

I offered the three royals a respectful nod.

“As a Prince of the Imperium of Man, I swear upon my honor that no harm shall befall this world under my watch.” I held her gaze, letting the steady gravity of my aura calm the room. “And if any should dare attempt it… they will answer to my blade.”

“Now that we are all on the same page…” The Guildmaster stepped out of the crowd, turning a weathered eye toward the weakened noblewoman. “What do we do with Miss Marie Lafan? She is the primary culprit behind the recent attack on the capital.”

Pale and utterly spent, Marie remained slumped against the base of a support column. She wanted to plead for mercy, but lacked the strength to form words; she could barely keep her chin lifted from her chest.

“Execution is far too swift a punishment for her crimes.” Earl Roseblade’s eyes narrowed into cold slits. “Lifelong penance as a penal laborer?”

“Bah! You think a string bean like her can endure heavy manual labor?” A viscount stepped forward to press his demand. “I say we burn the wretch at the stake! Our people demand justice for the countless lives we lost because of this vile traitor!”

A furious debate erupted as the nobles bickered over how best to execute their vengeance. When it became obvious the shouting would lead nowhere, I drove the butt of my staff down against the cracked floor.

Crack!

A dull psychic resonance rolled through the stone tiles, silencing the squabbling assembly.

“There is an obvious solution that satisfies both requirements,” My voice resounding through the hall. “For the rest of her days, Marie will serve as an unpaid civil laborer, assigned to the foulest duties this capital struggles to staff. I speak of clearing gutters, dredging sewers, hauling refuse, and eradicating vermin. The Crown will provide her with basic coarse clothing, modest lodging, and three simple meals a day. Nothing more.”

“But…” The viscount’s expression soured.

I raised a massive silver gauntlet, cutting him off before he could protest.

“A swift death will not return the fallen to the arms of their loved ones; it will only grant a fleeting respite from grief. By compelling Marie to atone through grueling physical labor, the daily lives of your citizens will tangibly improve, and they may witness her penance firsthand.” My gaze shifted to Mylene. “Should the Crown permit it, the state funds normally budgeted for those posts can be redistributed directly to the grieving families and those maimed by the assault.”

A gentle smile crept onto Mylene’s face. In that quiet instant, whatever lingering doubt remained within her vanished; the compassionate young man she knew and the towering titan before her were one and the same.

“We will adopt your judgment, Lord Aremus,” Mylene said with regal grace. “It eases the suffering of our people and restores the capital’s sanitation—a victory for the realm, and a just reckoning for the culprit.”

Though certain lords felt the penance was too lenient, the Crown had rendered its decree; there was no room for debate. As the assembly turned toward the exit, Mylene struck the marble floor once more with her scepter, commanding absolute attention.

“Until the Palace issues an official proclamation, everything revealed within this hall tonight remains a state secret. Any soul who violates this decree will face summary execution on charges of high treason.” Mylene swept her stern gaze across the room, leaving no doubt that mercy would not be extended.

A wave of solemn compliance rippled through the gathering. Once the adventurers and lesser nobles had vacated the wreckage of the hall, Bernard approached with hurried steps.

“Lord Aremus, I believe it prudent that we relocate to the Palace council chambers to deliberate without interruption.” The Prime Minister rubbed his hands nervously. “The war will not halt while you unearth the ancient forces you seek. We require an interim defense strategy.”

“Lead the way,” I said, accepting his request.

The future was never set in stone. While I doubted the enemy commanders would delay their advance, my violent release of psychic power during the exorcism may well have forced their hand. Holfort and Fanoss needed to master every available doctrine for containing the daemonic horde until my legion stood at my back.

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