The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 55

“Hmm…”

“Cough…”

Two groups of people sat facing each other, openly showing their discomfort.

At that moment, their faces clearly reflected their dissatisfaction with the current situation, yet none dared to voice those feelings.

Achilles Decliment, representing the Falcon Empire, and Scipio Afnus, representing the Elf Church Country.

In that moment, the two men and their subordinates, who sat here as representatives of their nations, maintained a heavy silence amidst the awkward and chilly atmosphere.

‘If only I could teach those arrogant elves a lesson during this opportunity…’

‘To think that our noble elves, devoted to the Divine Will, would have to bow down to such humans…’

Just days ago, each had sharpened their blades, planning to take the other’s head.

However, at this point, they had no choice but to put down their swords, even if temporarily, and engage in conversation.

Over 40,000 of their main forces had been decimated, and the Racial Alliance Army had suffered an unprecedented defeat, losing more than 70% of their occupied territories in an instant.

Preparations to recover from the losses in Rob hadn’t even begun; in just a few weeks, the damage they incurred was devastating.

As a result of this war, they had lost significant territories including Antioch, Galadia, Dimode, Ephesus, and Philippi, while their troops had drastically diminished.

This was the worst possible scenario; the fruits of years of warfare had evaporated in the blink of an eye, and the Falcon Empire and the Elf Church Country, which had been divided, were forced to resume conversations urgently.

However, having already drawn their swords against each other, there was no trace of past bonds between them.

There was merely a ‘foe’ to negotiate with due to the circumstances.

While a standoff continued for a brief moment, it was the Elf Church Country that spoke first, as they were disadvantaged both geographically and in terms of national power.

“Well then, let’s start our discussion. Since we’ve come this far, isn’t the right thing to resolve our matters quickly?”

“…Indeed. You are likely aware of how the situation is unfolding. Let’s cut to the chase and talk about the main issue.”

Achilles responded calmly to Scipio’s words, knowing full well that even if they were to battle again in the future, they needed to extinguish the immediate flames first.

The Racial Alliance Army was currently in a precarious position, facing existential threats due to their previous defeat.

Although they hadn’t lost all their occupied territories, the severity of their loss made it nearly impossible for them to maintain their front lines.

In this situation, the Falcon Empire and the Elf Church Country, as the biggest investors in the war, had to make swift decisions to prevent further losses.

Should they receive massive support from their home countries to stabilize the situation and continue the war?

Or should they abandon their recent achievements and press for a retreat to salvage any remaining troops and resources?

‘In a typical scenario, the answer would certainly be the former… Losing the landing point we obtained through countless sacrifices would be a bitter loss.’

‘If it were normal times, Your Holiness the Pope would choose to continue the war. The sacrifices our elves have made until now have been too substantial.’

From a strategic standpoint, the value of maintaining a landing point in war was significant, thus normally, even if they didn’t engage in a large-scale invasion, it would be right to at least provide support to protect their territories.

However, at this moment, both of their masters—the Emperor and the Pope—had already made their decision.

“We shall retreat.”

“I agree. Let us immediately set sail to bring back the troops stationed in the Demon King’s territories.”

The declaration from both nations’ representatives to abandon all the achievements they had built over the past several years seemed foolish at a glance.

Although the damage from one failure was severe, to return everything to square one would be idiotic.

However… at this moment, they were aware of what was urgent.

Their focus was not on the Demon Kingdom, which had been ravaged for years due to the war and would need to concentrate on internal matters for a while.

They were aware that their immediate ‘enemy’ was right before them.

‘The country that suffered the most damage in this war is the Demon Kingdom. They won’t have the capacity to scheme anything beyond their territory for a while.’

‘Thanks to the Racial Alliance having beaten them down, the Demon Kingdom is no longer the stronghold it once was. Moreover, placing them as the actual villain, they cannot pose a threat to us anymore.’

Originally, the largest reason for gathering the Racial Alliance to demonize the Demon Kingdom and its races was to deflect domestic dissatisfaction externally.

To restore public sentiment, which had soured due to continuous famines, diseases, and corruption among the nobility, they had declared a so-called holy war, and this had continued until now.

However, with the recent stabilization of domestic situations and the resumption of national power, the necessity for this external war had significantly decreased.

With the political necessity for continued warfare diminishing, they had incurred further losses.

In this situation, what they needed was a swift severance rather than pitiful placation.

And…

Decisively, the greater and more powerful danger positioned before them was not the weakened Demon Kingdom, but the real threat known as the Falcon Empire.

‘If we attempt to continue the war and send reinforcements, surely these elves would seize the opportunity…’

‘Before us lies not the illusion of the Demon Kingdom, but the actual enemy known as the Falcon Empire. The moment we send reinforcements, they will surely launch an all-out offensive.’

Both factions, having decided to draw their swords against each other, were particularly ready for the Falcon Empire’s emperor, who had decided to eliminate his long-standing rival, the Elf Church Country.

Faced with the imminent large-scale war, there was no reason to endure losses for a resource like the Racial Alliance, which had outlived its usefulness.

“Well then, since we have already received the permissions from the Magic Kingdom and Beastman Kingdom, let us proceed immediately.”

“I concur. Let’s return our weary soldiers to their families as soon as possible.”

And thus, with their minds aimed at each other’s necks, Achilles and Scipio exchanged smiles as they shook hands.

With thoughts of someday claiming the other’s head firmly set in their minds…

*

A few days after stabilizing the situation in Antioch.

The 30,000 Demon King’s troops stationed there had to make a decision.

“Shall we wipe out the remaining enemy remnants in this opportunity?”

“I agree. Our morale is soaring, while the enemies are thoroughly demoralized. I believe it’s right to take advantage of this momentum and eliminate every last enemy in this land.”

Samson and his men insisted on continuing the battle with resolute voices.

In contrast, both Elias and Beelzebub maintained that they should exercise a bit of caution.

“Your Majesty, although we have achieved a great victory, our soldiers are still quite fatigued from the battle.”

“Moreover, the enemies are cornered and filled with malice. If we recklessly attacked now, it would backfire. I believe it would be better to induce their overconfidence and give our troops a chance to rest, at least for now.”

“Elias, what are you saying! War is about flow! If we don’t finish this while we have the momentum, who knows how things will unfold from here?”

“Do you not realize that getting swept away by that flow could lead to falling into the abyss?”

The scene playing out was reminiscent of a similar one from before, as Samson and Elias clashed.

In connection to this, I began to feel an uneasy premonition that something I didn’t want would happen again…

“Hero! What is your opinion on this matter?”

Unfortunately, this ominous feeling was not misguided.

“You must have something to say, please share it with us.”

‘No… I don’t really have anything to say.’

“Aren’t you the hero who has accomplished great feats before? I’m sure you have good ideas, so please share them.”

‘No, there’s nothing like that. Don’t redirect the arrows like this.’

Both Samson and Elias pressed me for an answer.

Meanwhile, the Demon King was also watching me, giving a hint to say something…

In regards to this, I let out a sigh internally, scrambling to come up with an appropriate response.

Feeling a heavy burden as I realized I had naturally become the key decision-maker…

“Your Majesty, my thought is…”