完 (4)
Chapter 313
While being guided by Adoia,
Ray met Ernst in front of the Imperial Capital.
Looking dejected, Ray quickly changed his expression and exchanged greetings with Ernst.
Ernst stared at Ray with a peculiar gaze.
He had noticed that Ray’s aura had changed since returning from the Elven territory.
Though Ray hadn’t reached the Transcendent level yet, there was an unsettling chill about him that was hard to define.
Still, this didn’t make Ernst wary of Ray.
“What is your opinion?”
As they entered the palace together, Ernst asked Ray.
Though it wasn’t an easy question to answer, Ray declared firmly:
“We must attack the Demonic Realm.”
“It’s a perilous task. The risks we must bear are too great. There’s a high probability that it will only hasten our downfall.”
“Even so, choosing to slowly wither away would be foolish. If we don’t resolve this now, future generations will criticize and blame us for missing the only opportunity. We cannot become the sinners of history.”
“…Do you have confidence that the expedition will succeed?”
“Yes, I do.”
“…”
Ray wasn’t one to boast without basis when it came to such critical matters. However, even after considering it carefully, Ernst felt the cost of failure for an expedition into the Demonic Realm was too immense.
Seeing the complexity in Ernst’s thoughts, Ray asked:
“May I freely express my opinions during the meeting?”
“You may proceed as you wish. His Majesty the Emperor will listen carefully to everyone’s views, so if you have something to say, there’s no need to hold back.”
“Is that so…”
Ray nodded lightly.
Ray held considerable influence within the Empire, but only because the Emperor and Ernst supported him. Without their backing, Ray lacked substantial personal power. In a negative sense, he was essentially powerless—but this was by his own design.
Because he hadn’t accumulated much real power, Ray had been able to act arrogantly without much burden until now.
Thus, regardless of Ernst’s hesitation, Ray intended to speak freely during the upcoming continental conference. Fortunately, he had received permission.
Soon, Ray arrived at the conference room inside the Imperial Palace.
Ernst paused and gave Ray a brief warning before letting him enter first:
“In formal settings, I shall address you respectfully. Do not undervalue yourself once inside.”
“I understand.”
Ray nodded and entered the meeting room.
A servant escorted Ray to one of the upper seats closest to the Emperor.
Shortly afterward, the Continental Conference began.
*
Six nations participated in the Continental Conference.
All major powers were represented, and the conference was convened only for significant issues requiring extensive coordination. Even in the long history of these conferences, none had dealt with a matter as serious as this one.
Representatives included powerful figures or their proxies, along with numerous bureaucrats.
Not all participants were physically present in the palace conference room.
Tzzz!
High-ranking mages activated a magical circle pre-inscribed in the room, which allowed distant participants to appear clearly within the space.
The phenomenon reminded Ray of “augmented reality.”
Even for someone like Ray, who had experienced the magic of the 21st-century Earth, this world’s sorcery provided quite astonishing experiences.
Fortunately, the magical circle functioned properly, enabling seamless communication between those in different locations.
Among the attendees were leaders of magic towers, renowned knights’ orders, and even elves.
After verifying the identities of the participants, everyone except the elves paid respects to the Emperor.
No one doubted that the Emperor was the true master of this continent.
It wasn’t that the Empire lacked the strength to unify the continent—it simply understood that such unification might lead to division and inefficiency. Thus, it maintained its position as the central human power.
With solemn respect, the participants bowed deeply, and the Emperor opened the session.
“Let’s begin.”
The Continental Conference commenced.
First, professional mages, scholars, and officials from each nation began their discussions.
If we abandon eliminating Preches the Dragon, who will resurrect within a year, how much damage will we endure?
If the Demonic Realm expands, the frontline will widen uncontrollably. It will no longer be possible to monitor and contain it as we do now.
Demon creatures will invade the human continent more easily, causing chaos.
Once the World Tree’s domain is eroded, we’ll have to continue providing support to the elves.
El-Lam’s blessings will weaken, and even lands unaffected by demonization will degrade environmentally.
While scholars’ opinions varied slightly…
Ultimately, we’re doomed.
Some minorities, initially thinking that the erosion wouldn’t affect them much since it would primarily impact Alimo and the Empire’s territories, started realizing the gravity of the situation.
Listening to the scholars’ debate, Ray sighed.
‘There are still relatively many complacent opinions regarding environmental changes.’
Predicting such problems isn’t easy.
How could anyone truly grasp the horrifying despair brought by red skies, sticky air, and barren lands unless they experience it firsthand?
Nevertheless, concerns over the ferocity of demons were significant.
As the discussion went on, optimistic voices became increasingly rare.
Even when the Demonic Realm occupied just a corner of the continent, it posed a massive threat to humanity.
What horrors await if it consumes half the continent? The outlook was bleak indeed.
The problem was that humanity had no way to solve this issue unless it committed to a full-scale expedition into the Demonic Realm.
Moreover, based on current evidence, there was a strong likelihood this was a trap set by Preches.
If our forces were decimated upon entering the Demonic Realm, the consequences would be catastrophic.
“…”
Most of the leaders remained silent as the mages, scholars, and officials reached a consensus on the dangers of the Demonic Realm’s expansion.
Then Ray spoke up first.
“There’s no other choice. We must attack the Demonic Realm.”
*
A week had passed since the start of the Continental Conference.
Progress on stopping the expansion of the Demonic Realm was slow.
Opinions differed within each nation, and the Emperor still maintained silence.
If this continued, the topic of the conference would shift from “preventing the Demonic Realm’s expansion” to “preparing for its expansion.”
“…”
Many powerful figures, including Alexander, were highly skeptical that the expedition into the Demonic Realm would ever happen.
The risks were simply too great, and the atmosphere inevitably leaned toward conservatism.
An expedition into the Demonic Realm, should it fail, couldn’t be resolved by any single person taking responsibility.
However, Alexander expected the internal sentiment of the Holy Church to differ.
After all, most of the Sacred Order’s foundation was concentrated in the southern region, where countless devout followers also resided.
If the entire south were lost, the church would suffer enormous losses in both human and material resources.
Therefore, he assumed there would be a strong public opinion favoring the defense of the south.
But that wasn’t the case.
The church sent one cardinal to the Continental Conference while convening a separate meeting with high-ranking clerics at the Vatican.
From the very first day, the meeting led by the Pope, multiple cardinals, and key administrators focused on evacuation plans.
They treated the option of penetrating the Demonic Realm to kill Preches and save the south as irrelevant from the beginning.
Alexander found the atmosphere within the Vatican extremely difficult to understand.
However, the high-ranking clerics had clear reasons for their stance.
The roots of the Sacred Order were ancient, far deeper than even the Empire’s.
Throughout its long history, the order underwent name changes, structural transformations, schisms, and shifts in its center of power. It solidified into its current form around the time the Empire was established.
Though the order had lost much of its historical records, quite a few still remained.
Among these surviving records, one could frequently find accounts of fanatical periods when the order or certain nations launched large armies to purify the Demonic Realm.
And from this history, the order learned a crucial lesson:
[You must not step into the Demonic Realm.]
This was practically a taboo—pure insanity and suicide.
Content related to this was classified as forbidden texts, accessible only to a select few. Technically, Alexander could have read them if he’d wanted to, but he wasn’t that fervently religious.
In any case, the high-ranking clerics enthusiastically discussed how to minimize losses during the evacuation.
Minimizing losses would allow them to prepare for the future, even a century ahead.
“The sealed artifacts must be moved first, before the expansion begins. This must not be delayed.”
“Soon, candidates for suitable new Vatican sites will be shortlisted. Please wait a little longer.”
“A new Sacred Maiden must also be chosen. Perhaps…”
“I’ll look for a suitable candidate among the nominees.”
So far, the Vatican had not made any official statements.
However, even without an official stance, discussions on the expedition would naturally falter over time. Then, they could bring the underground discussions about relocating the Vatican into public discourse.
“…”
After several days of sitting through the conference room discussions, Alexander frowned.
In their deliberations, the safety of believers and citizens seemed secondary.
While they were prioritizing what needed to be prioritized, it still left a sour taste for those merely listening.
Finally, Alexander stood up from his chair and declared briefly:
“I cannot agree.”
“Alexander Cardinal, what do you mean by that?”
“I cannot abandon the south. It’s my homeland, the place where my people live.”
Few in the conference room were deeply moved by Alexander’s words.
One cardinal even sighed openly, seemingly catching on to something.
Regardless, Alexander turned his back brazenly and walked out of the conference room.
