Chapter 90

Chapter 90

Nahun, having assigned each of them a task, reached out his hand to depart towards the Northern Alliance.

“Gate.”

Līmen

Nahun’s immense magic power twisted the space around him. He headed towards the back alley of Delos Castle, where he had previously searched for Veronica.

The reason he had come to Delos Castle was simple. The lord of Delos was the current leader of the Northern Alliance. Previously, the lord of Keln had been in charge, but had stepped down following a defeat against the empire.

First, Nahun utilized the identity and attire of the priest whom Dein had rescued earlier. With a quick change of clothing through magic, he became Antonio, the priest. He styled his hair to change his appearance and exited the alley.

As he walked through the street after leaving the alley, he occasionally drew the attention of the people around him. The presence of a priest from the Heavenly God Church in the streets was indeed an attention-grabbing element, but Nahun ignored it and continued towards Delos Castle.

At that moment, he deliberately let some of his magic power leak externally. Then he began to perform something curious.

“Property Transformation.”

Constĭtútĭo immutátĭo

Ancient runes appeared in his mind, and the magic power he had radiated changed into something else. His magic, which pressured the surroundings merely by spreading, began to acquire a divine feeling.

This was a mimicry of the divine power he had seen from the angel, Dobiel, whom he had tossed as bait to Leviathan earlier.

However, it was so similar that people couldn’t discern whether it was real divine power or not. If he were a true priest wielding genuine divine power, they would have recognized it instantly.

As a result, the gazes surrounding him shifted. The citizens of Delos looked at him as if they were seeing a messiah.

While walking through the streets, having garnered a lot of attention, Nahun slowly approached the entrance of the inner castle. The guard at the door, upon seeing him, gulped nervously.

Nahun gave a friendly smile and said, “Greetings, brother. I am Antonio, a devoted follower of the Heavenly God from the Holy Kingdom.”

As he showed his identification, the guard, upon confirming the seal of the Grand Cathedral, gasped in surprise and replied, “Ah, greetings.”

The guard was also a follower of the Heavenly God Church. Thus, he felt immense faith upon seeing Nahun. Was this what every priest from the Holy Kingdom felt like? The guard thought that, and just then, Nahun spoke again.

“Is the lord inside?”

“Um… Did you not make a prior appointment with the lord?”

“Yes, I came urgently and couldn’t give prior notice, so I’m not sure if he’s available.”

“The lord is inside, but please wait a moment.”

“Understood.”

As Nahun flashed a bright smile, the guard felt it resembled a saint’s smile. He quickly entered the inner castle, and after a short time, returned.

And he was not alone. The guard came out with a kindly-looking elderly gentleman. The old man bowed respectfully.

“Welcome, priest.”

“Thank you for the hospitality. May the boon of the Heavenly God be with you.”

“Please, come inside.”

The old man led Nahun to the inner castle’s mansion. The seven castles of the northern region, including Delos Castle, had this type of layout: between the outer and inner castle were urban areas, housing for citizens, and agricultural lands, while the inner castle contained military facilities and the lord’s residence.

The lord’s mansion of Delos Castle was at the heart of the inner castle. Upon arriving at the mansion, the old man introduced himself.

“Oh dear, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Kayler, the head steward of Delos Castle.”

“Greetings, Brother Kayler.”

“The lord should be in the reception room. Please go in.”

Kayler guided Nahun to the reception room.

“Lord, this is Kayler. I have brought a guest.”

“Come in.”

A clear female voice echoed from within. Hearing that sweet voice, Nahun recalled her name, a character that had only been briefly mentioned in the Ebel Queen Maker.

‘So this is what she was like.’

Kayler opened the door, and Nahun stepped into the reception room. There, he faced the owner of the enchanting voice, the leader of the Northern Alliance.

She was a woman with striking black hair that reminded Nahun of his homeland. The crimson eyes peeking through her slightly obscured fringe enhanced the mysterious aura surrounding her.

Nahun bowed first.

“I am Antonio, a devoted follower of the Heavenly God. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Lady Isabella.”

“Nice to meet you, Priest Antonio. Please, don’t stand. Have a seat.”

“I deeply appreciate your consideration.”

Nahun sat on the sofa to Isabella’s left, and Kayler politely excused himself and left the reception room.

“So, why have you come to see me from the Grand Cathedral?”

“I come representing the Holy Kingdom to make a proposal to you, Lord Isabella, the leader of the Northern Alliance.”

Representing the Holy Kingdom. And he had a proposal for the leader of the Northern Alliance. Hearing these two points, Isabella’s expression changed.

“A proposal? Is the Holy Kingdom seeking to ally with us?”

“You are aware that the empire has been in turmoil recently, correct?”

“I am. I never thought the princess who tore down our Northern Alliance would end up ousting her father. And she has placed her brother on the throne? What ridiculous behavior.”

“You know Emperor Leonardo is a puppet then?”

“Do you think I would not know that? Although I lost in the war, I can still quickly gather information.”

It was clear that there were numerous spies of the Alliance within the empire. Nahun made a mental note of this and continued speaking to Isabella.

“And this is my proposal. Let us aid His Majesty Emperor Leonardo in ousting Charlotte von Bismarck.”

“…Huh?”

“If Princess Charlotte seizes actual power and governs the empire as it is, it will be impossible to halt the empire, which has already grown large due to the war. His Holiness the Pope has also stated that the empire must be kept in check before that happens and instructed me to extend this proposal to you, my lady.”

It was a bold lie. However, Nahun had a basis for making such a fabrication. If the Northern Alliance were to truly assist Emperor Leonardo, the stance of the Holy Kingdom was quite obvious.

The Holy Kingdom had already expanded its influence through the excommunication of the emperor. They had tasted the sweetness of pressure obtained by pushing against the empire, so they would undoubtedly seek to pressure it again if given the opportunity.

That opportunity would be created by the Northern Alliance. If they supported Emperor Leonardo and true civil war erupted within the empire, the Holy Kingdom would have only one course of action.

To strike at the already distressed empire. There was no reason for the Holy Kingdom not to do so.

Of course, should that happen, the hegemony of the empire would shift to the Holy Kingdom, and the Northern Alliance would have to face a new enemy in the form of the Holy Kingdom.

But…

“I do agree that I must keep the empire in check.”

The Northern Alliance had already suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the empire. Before they considered the emergence of a new enemy like the Holy Kingdom, it was a sufficient situation as long as they could deal a blow to the empire.

“Then…”

“But is there any guarantee that Emperor Leonardo would ally with us? The emperor definitely knows that if he brings in external forces to incite a civil war, he will lose the trust of the imperial citizens.”

“Do not worry about that.”

Nahun had anticipated that she might respond this way, so he had prepared accordingly.

“One of our brothers has already made contact with His Majesty the Emperor. His Majesty will undoubtedly agree to an alliance with the Northern Alliance.”

He had sent Dein to the emperor in advance. He had instructed Dein to use any means necessary to convince the emperor. If words failed, he would even resort to threats to instigate a civil war.

And even if both methods failed, it was okay. Nahun could step in then.

“……”

As Isabella hesitated, Nahun quickly took the lead, ensuring she wouldn’t think deeply and begin to feel anxious.

“If you cannot trust this, it seems we will have to seek other alternatives that do not involve the Northern Alliance.”

“…Wait a moment.”

“That’s alright, my lady. We may have overstayed our welcome here. You have suffered a great defeat previously from the empire, so it is understandable if you would be reluctant to engage them again.”

“What did you just say!?”

Isabella snapped, her temper flaring.

It was no wonder such a reaction arose. Nahun was effectively suggesting, ‘You’re scared, aren’t you?’.

He was cornering Isabella and the Northern Alliance into a place where they feared suffering another defeat against the Bismarck Empire, which naturally stirred up her defiance.

Isabella vehemently denied Nahun’s words.

“We are not afraid! The wolves of the North fight valiantly against anyone!”

“So, does that mean you will accept the proposal?”

“…I suppose so! However, I will lead troops to the northern border of the empire in three days. If the border gates do not open then, we will consider it a failure and withdraw!”

“In three days.”

Nahun smiled brightly.

“Two days will be sufficient.”

#

“Your Majesty.”

The leader of the most powerful legion under Seere von Debata, the strongest soldier, Brigade Commander Lin El Lazine, was fully armed. She entered Seere’s office and bowed her head.

“All legions are ready.”

“Good.”

The tiers that Gremory had provided to Seere ranged from the 56th to the 60th. The 66th to 61st were still occupied by each floor’s demon king.

Seere wore the bracelet given to her by Nahun, draped the cloak he presented, and strapped the blood-soaked sword he had gifted around her waist, turning to Lin.

“While the teacher is away, we will conquer up to the 60th floor. After that, we will ally with Gremory and Citri to attack the 54th floor.”

“Yes.”

“We will proceed very swiftly. Do you think that’s possible, Commander?”

At Seere’s question, Lin smiled lightly and confidently responded, “The path laid by His Majesty is the law, and we shall clear that path in advance.”

“…Good.”

While Nahun was absent, Seere planned to conquer the Demon World in his stead, gather blood, and prepare to elevate her status. That was what Nahun desired and…

‘…I will be able to impress the teacher even more.’

My teacher.

My one and only teacher.

For you, I will…

Accomplish anything.

Though still young, nonetheless, the demon king who was the embodiment of what a demon king should be, fluttered her cape and swept past Lin.

“Let’s begin.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

---