Chapter 177: Demon King’s Awakening

"Huh... Really?"

"Her original fiancé, the First Prince, abandoned his responsibilities in governing the country and set off on a journey with the free spirited Saintess. Naturally, people have begun questioning whether someone so irresponsible should really inherit the throne. Those concerns are being raised not only within the Church, but also by government officials involved in national affairs."

Ah... Well, that is understandable. Even he had heard the story and thought, "Is this country really going to be okay?"

"But her new fiancé, the Second Prince, is also reluctant to marry her because of her age..."

"Her age?"

"The Second Prince and Saintess Sherria are ten years apart. The Second Prince is not happy about that."

A ten year age gap? Is that really such a big deal? It is not exactly unheard of, but if they are that far apart in age, it would make sense for him to marry a Saintess closer to his own age.

More importantly, how old are Saintess Sherria and the Second Prince, anyway? He really wants to know!

"Saintess Sherria is descended from the First Saintess and also has elven blood in her lineage, so her age is not really an issue. Moreover, Sherria is currently superior to every other Saintess affiliated with the Church, both as a Saintess and as a potential royal consort. From the royal family’s perspective, there could hardly be a better marriage arrangement. Even so, the prince refuses to accept it."

"So Saintess Sherria has elven blood... Come to think of it, I did think it was strange that her appearance had not changed at all over the past three years. So that explains it. That makes sense."

*To be honest, I believe Lady Sherria herself would rather not enter into a marriage that nobody truly wants. Even so, she is a Saintess who was raised from childhood to marry into the royal family. She cannot simply change the way she has lived her entire life. I believe Lady Sherria is the one suffering the most from all of this."

I see... That’s why she called him the reincarnation of the First Saint and tried to take him to the Church.

Qiu Nuoya hated the idea of being tied down by the Church, so he ran away. But perhaps Sherria is the one who has truly been trapped inside the Church, like a bird in a cage. For Sherria, who has lived inside that cage since birth, the cage itself may be the safest and most peaceful place she knows. Perhaps that is why someone like Qiu Nuoya, who dislikes being confined within it, seems so strange to her.

But even the cage that should have been her place of peace seems to be losing its tranquility now. She must be under an enormous amount of stress.

"I believe she told you that she did not have much time. Do you know what kind of year this is?"

"Huh? Is something happening this year?"

Qiu Nuoya tilted his head, unable to understand what Kinana was getting at. Viktor then picked up the conversation.

"Speaking of this year, it marks the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Velikorya Kingdom..."

Huh, three hundred years? That’s shorter than he expected. He thought it would have been much longer.

Wait, though. Viktor was apparently already alive during that era. If you simply do the math, that means he is over three hundred years old.

When you think about it that way, three hundred years is actually a very long time.

"That’s right. The 300th anniversary of the kingdom’s founding is also a turning point when the Demon King’s power is said to awaken."

The Demon King’s power? Awakening?

Qiu Nuoya tilted his head, unable to make sense of what they were talking about.

Igor who had been listening to their conversation from the side tilted his head as well.

"Is this that thing about the Demon King’s awakening happening once every hundred years? I’ve heard stories about it myself, but didn’t nothing in particular happen one hundred or two hundred years ago?"

"It isn’t that nothing happened," Kinana replied. "Apparently, to avoid causing panic and confusion throughout the country, they simply announced for convenience’s sake that nothing had happened. In reality, the Demon King’s awakening occurs every hundred years, and both one hundred and two hundred years ago, the awakening of the Demon King was accompanied by a massive monster stampede. They simply managed to contain them somehow without letting the public find out. That’s all there is to it."

The Demon King has actually had a pretty huge impact on the world!

Qiu Nuoya had rarely heard anyone talk about the Demon King, so he had assumed it was harmless. Apparently, that was not the case at all.

But if there really is a massive monster stampede, wouldn’t this world be in serious trouble?

"The Demon King’s awakening in the three hundredth year, and the Hero Summoning performed by the royal family to prevent it. That is how that troublesome Saintess and the Hero who has gone into hiding came to appear. Surely you can understand why Sherria is so desperate, can’t you?"

That... is certainly true!

"I understand that it may be inappropriate for me to bring this up with you, but I believe the presence of a dragon could have a certain effect in stopping a massive monster stampede. You may think this has nothing to do with you, but this could potentially threaten the very survival of the Velikorya Kingdom. So..."

"But that doesn’t mean Nuoya has any obligation to help, does he?"

Viktor cut Kinana off bluntly.

"Wait, Viktor!"

"Any country that can only survive through the sacrifice of others may as well be destroyed. I am sick and tired of a world where honest and kind people are the ones who end up suffering."

"Viktor, that’s going too far!"

"No, I will say what I have to say. Cardinal Bedros was the same the other day. Everyone is thinking only about what is convenient for themselves. Nuoya is an exceptionally kind person. He is the type who cannot refuse when someone asks him for help. That is precisely why I am going to say this clearly. Nuoya has no such obligation."