The internal cleanup was concluded swiftly.
The Demon Realm was in an uproar — literally boiling over. In the short span of a single week, an assassination attempt and a purge had taken place. At first, everyone had been bewildered, wondering what on earth was going on, but once the official announcement was made, outrage erupted in an instant.
— A coward who tried to murder his own kind through the vilest method of all: assassination.
— That the title of Demon Lord was ever bestowed upon such a creature is a stain upon the entire demon race.
— He nearly ruined the Crescent Alliance Army and jeopardized the recent expedition as well. He is a cur who knows neither shame nor honor.
Across the cities of the Demon Realm, the six flags that had symbolized the Demon Lords were burned. Among them, Ipos had been both a Demon Lord and an exceptionally talented sculptor, and his works were publicly destroyed.
Even though all eleven Grand Dukes of the Demon Realm had been killed, the reaction to that was surprisingly muted. After all, from the perspective of ordinary citizens, the Grand Dukes were less "representatives" and more "rulers."
The role of representative was actually closer to that of a Demon Lord. In the old Roman Empire, emperors had apparently claimed to be "representatives of the people," and it was something similar. Why did the common folk regard a ruler who had climbed to the very apex of the caste system as their representative? It was something one could never quite understand, even while knowing the answer. Well, if they were happy to entertain that illusion, I certainly wasn't about to complain.
In any case, the tide was firmly on our side.
Whether they had read the mood or not, the private armies of the unaffiliated Demon Lords surrendered one after another. They came begging for mercy with pleas of "Please, show us compassion," and we granted it coolly. However, roughly a thousand held out to the very last and continued to resist.
"It was a meaningless act of resistance."
Beleth said with a bored air. As commander of the subjugation force, he delivered the verdict without the slightest enthusiasm.
Just as he had said, it was a completely meaningless resistance. With the Demon Lord dead, the only thing they could do was self-destruct along with the Demon Lord's Castle that was already beginning to crumble.
The Demon Lord's Castle of Valefor, the mobile fortress Labyrinthos, met a magnificent end.
Normally, this Demon Lord's Castle stood in the middle of the sea like an island. Its outer walls were slowly carved away, as though a landslide were taking place. In the end, it caused a massive spray of water and a tsunami, submerging the entire fortress.
"That was quite a spectacle, wasn't it."
Beleth said with admiration, recounting the tale to me.
We had rented out an entire bar on the island and were drinking beer to our heart's content.
"Ah. What a shame I didn't get to see it myself."
"Well, you've only got yourself to blame for holing up in your room all the time."
Honestly, I couldn't quite remember when we'd started drinking. Beleth had grabbed me by the scruff of the neck while I was handling paperwork in the imperial palace. By the time I came to my senses, I already had a beer mug in hand. Well, no matter. Days like this come along once in a while.
Beleth spoke in a gentle tone.
"There were three hundred Imperial Guards left behind, every last one of them burning with the will to resist. They could have escaped whenever they wanted, but…"
"They stayed until the end."
"Yeah. A meaningless death. Still… there was a trace of beauty in it."
Beauty. I suppose it only looked beautiful because he'd watched it from afar. I tossed back the beer in my mouth and said.
"They lived and died a life like a waterfall."
"Heh heh. Who on earth lives a life like a waterfall? Maybe Heracles in the myths, but that's about it."
Beleth laughed.
"Listen here, little brother! All any of us can do is strain up on tiptoe trying to live like a water droplet flying around the edge of a waterfall. Trying to look, just for a single moment, like you're suspended in the air, out of the path of that crashing force."
"Mm."
Beleth stopped there.
There was a kind, soft light lingering somewhere in his eyes. I understood his words well enough, so I didn't push the conversation any further. The two of us clinked our glasses, and the topic shifted naturally.
"So, about time we swallowed the Habsburg Republic, wouldn't you say? That woman— the one you really can't stand, I seem to recall she's over there."
"The woman I really can't stand?"
The words slipped out with a laugh before I could stop myself. Once-in-a-generation genius, savior of Habsburg, dictator. There were countless epithets for Elisabeth, but I doubted anyone else in the world phrased it quite the way Beleth did.
"No. I'm planning to wait quietly."
"Why? We've already subjugated Helvetica. That puts the Republic on three sides. At this point, even if that woman puts up a hell of a fight, she shouldn't have any way out."
Helvetica referred to the confederacy of Elf and Dwarf tribal nations.
The Crescent Alliance Army spent a full two thousand years engaged in nothing but futile struggles, and growing thoroughly disillusioned, declared itself a neutral nation.
When I launched a massive purge, they apparently got cold feet and submitted to us, begging forgiveness for their past transgressions. Thanks to that, Elizabeth is now surrounded by us on three sides — west, north, and east. The Demon Realm was, naturally, thrilled by this voluntary submission all over again.
In truth, I had also intimidated the Helvetica Confederation's representative rather thoroughly. Well, that was yet another story entirely. I looked my brother straight in the eye.
"That's right. If we launch an attack now, we'll almost certainly win. The Republic will fall as well. But after that, the worst-case scenario will be waiting for us."
"The worst-case scenario? What would that be?"
Brother Beleth tilted his head.
"Elizabeth will abandon her country."
"……!"
I took a swig of beer and spoke bitterly.
"Brother. Do you know what happens to a person when the thing they hold most dear is trampled?"
"……They'd fall into despair."
I nodded.
"Most people would lose to despair. But even in the depths of despair, there are those who maintain an iron will. Such people devote the rest of their lives entirely to craving vengeance."
Elizabeth would most likely flee to some foreign country.
A monarch of a fallen nation is politically useful. Especially one who carries Habsburg blood — they'd marry her off to some prince and use her as a broodmare. And Elizabeth knew better than anyone that she had value as such……
"The reason Elizabeth can't move right now is because she has things she must protect. The Republic's citizens, its ideology, its righteous cause. Those are the chains binding her. But once the things she must protect are gone—"
"I see. A ghost of vengeance is born."
I gave a bitter smile.
"Everyone knows that Elizabeth possesses extraordinary military talent. They'll use her as a guest general. And Elizabeth will mobilize every last bit of authority and troops given to her to make our lives miserable……"
She truly was a troublesome young lady.
If left alone, we're the ones who suffer. But if we completely crush them, they'll come back as vengeful spirits and attack. It's incredibly annoying—far more so than small fry like Valefor.
I reached my conclusion.
"The best option is for us to hold an overwhelming advantage while maintaining a defensive stance."
"Ugh."
Brother Beleth groaned, clearly dissatisfied with the overly passive approach.
But this really is the best option. At least, that's what I think.
Fortunately, Elizabeth currently has no Hero. Daisy is bound to me by oath, and Luke, infected with revolutionary ideology, sees Elizabeth as a tyrant.
Since the piece called the Hero is gone, Elizabeth will probably hire assassins. If she could just kill the Demon Lord, the situation would improve. No matter how vast her army, if the Demon Lord dies, it's over. She must be thinking exactly that.
In <Dungeon Attack>, the Demon Lord had only two options: hole up in the Demon Lord's Castle and fortify indefinitely, or lead the entire army out for battle.
If you hole up in the Demon Lord's Castle, the risk to your life might decrease, but your room for maneuver shrinks drastically. Strategically, you're pushed onto the defensive. And there's no greater folly than handing strategic initiative to Elizabeth.
Even jumping out of the Demon Lord's Castle wouldn't improve the situation. Elizabeth is the most brilliant field commander in history. Even Barbatos was defeated and killed in a direct confrontation with her.
In the end, there were only two possible endings: wither away and die of attrition in your home base, or be completely annihilated in the field. It's a rather agonizing choice between two evils...
But the situation is completely different now.
Elizabeth doesn't have the ultimate weapon capable of killing the Demon Lord single-handedly. At the same time, it's nearly impossible for ordinary assassins to kill Demon Lords.
Therefore, Elizabeth has no choice but to use a traitor from our side.
If I had done nothing, within a few years, Elizabeth would have allied with Valefor. She would have thoroughly investigated who among the Demon Lords held grievances against Dantalion. Perhaps—or almost certainly—that investigation is already underway.
For someone like Elizabeth, roughly how long would it take to sketch out a plan? No, she'd manage it within a year. I needed to move a bit hastily. So I crushed the factions dissatisfied with us early, even if it meant rushing slightly...
"Elizabeth's only remaining option is to stir up trouble within our ranks. If she can't attack from the outside, she attacks from within. It's an extremely natural next step."
"Mm. So you moved to prevent that preemptively."
Exactly.
Call it a paranoid obsession if you will. Even the great Elizabeth might think I'm worrying too much. But I'm the only person in this world who knows that Elizabeth was destined to kill every single Demon Lord. How could I not worry?
"Say, brother. The fact that you insisted on going personally when preparing the invasion of Politunia..."
"Yes. Politunia was Elizabeth's ally. But not anymore."
"..."
Beleth downed his beer in one gulp.
He set his mug down on the table with a thud and let out an oddly wistful sigh.
"Now that's quite amusing. It's like you and that woman are playing chess with the entire continent as the board, just the two of you going at it. That woman moved kingdoms, got Demon Lords and Grand Dukes killed. If she knew all this, how thrilled she'd be! Kuhuhu. It's like you're courting her with the whole continent as your dowry."
I refilled my brother's empty mug. Beleth downed that one too. He looked to be in such high spirits that I couldn't help but ask.
"Brother, what's got you in such a good mood?"
"Oh, I was just worried you might actually be dating Lord Barbatos. Ahaha!"
Beleth burst out laughing. I flinched.
For the record, Beleth still mistakenly believed that my relationship with Barbatos was that of SM partners. And specifically, that I was the one getting beaten.
"Th-There's no way! To Barbatos, I'm nothing but a simple flesh slave—a piece of meat he uses whenever it suits him. He had me whipped half to death just yesterday."
"Of course, of course! So the woman you're actually fond of is someone else!"
Beleth poured beer into my glass without stopping. Hey, brother. It's overflowing.
"Come to think of it, if you married that woman and took over the Republic, you'd conquer the continent in no time! Ahahahaha! Brother, I wholeheartedly support your love!"
"No, under no circumstances would that ever—"
"Come now! Let's have a toast!"
I had been about to explain that the Republic wasn't inherited by bloodline, but decided against it. Outside of a few specific areas, Beleth was a complete blockhead. Well, it seemed I'd gotten myself caught up in an absurd misunderstanding, but it was probably best to leave it be. For my sake, and for poor Beleth's.
"Cheers."
In the end, I raised my glass to Beleth with a bright smile.
Hang in there, brother. I sincerely hope you break free from a thousand years of virginity.