Chapter 284: Shadow Part 10

Conference for World Peace.

The name was laughable, but the content was anything but that.

“How are the Under Chain moving?”

“They’ve been quiet so far. If nothing else, they’re remarkably patient.”

“And the barbarians?”

“I’d like to say it’s almost over, but unfortunately the remaining ones are extremely persistent. We’ve even deployed mercenaries to crush the front lines, but since each of them is a monster worth a hundred men, it’s dragging on.”

The substance of the discussion was serious.

This was a meeting to devise countermeasures against those who were throwing the Empire into turmoil.

Since there are no other nations left in this world besides the Empire, in a sense, it really was about world peace.

“More than half of the hired mercenaries have been killed, and the knights’ losses are considerable as well. Rather than forcing them down immediately, it may be better to take a more strategic approach and buy time.”

“That would be wise. Maintain the front lines as much as possible and prioritize cutting off their supply routes. If necessary, setting fire to the forest wouldn’t be a bad option either.”

There were largely two main topics in the meeting:

The movements of the Great Sage and the Under Chain, and how to deal with the remnants of the barbarians.

“So we’ve roughly settled on policies for the immediate issues. Let’s move on to the next matter.”

The results of the meeting:

Continue investigation and surveillance of the Under Chain, and with the barbarians, establish defensive lines and hold out.

The name of the conference might have been questionable, but the contents seemed fairly reasonable.

But why am I here?

I didn’t see anything in the discussion that required my involvement.

Just as that thought crossed my mind—

“How is the casino these days?”

“……?”

An unexpected sentence slipped from Emperor Abraham’s lips.

That was close. I almost failed to control my expression.

What on earth is this man talking about now?

“Given that it’s right after the war, business isn’t exactly booming. However, perhaps because of that, the divide has become quite stark.”

I couldn’t make sense of it.

Still, judging by the solemn atmosphere, it must have some kind of significance.

Meanwhile, the meeting continued smoothly.

“For now, that will suffice. What about the matter I told you to look into separately?”

“Right here.”

At Abraham’s words, Count Python began circulating a single document.

The moment I realized that man was in charge of it, I already had a bad feeling.

As soon as I received the document, I quickly skimmed through it. Then my gaze was caught by one particular section.

“……”

An unidentified magic circle.

No, is this even a magic circle?

Its form was different from anything I knew. And above all, just looking at it gave off an ominous feeling.

“It’s a magic circle created using the barbarians’ shamanistic arts. As you can see, merely setting your eyes on it feels ominous.”

That was exactly how it felt.

What on earth did they create? Forcing myself to ignore the strangely captivating diagram, I continued reading the document.

The function of the magic circle was—

“It’s simply ominous.”

There was none.

To begin with, Count Python wasn’t a mage, and the fusion of shamanism and magic was a technique that had never existed before.

He had merely created a magic circle that looked atmospheric.

What on earth was he thinking, proudly presenting something like this…?

“Good.”

Yet Abraham nodded in satisfaction, as if pleased, and I found myself completely unable to follow the direction of the meeting.

Up until the beginning, it had made sense. But the moment they moved on to the next agenda, I couldn’t understand a single thing.

“Then let us conclude today’s meeting here. Johan Damus, remain for a moment. We have much to discuss between us.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After the meeting that felt as though something crucial had been left unsaid ended… Abraham called for me.

Come to think of it, nothing had been mentioned about the Guillotine Knights.

Nor had the reason for summoning me to this meeting been revealed.

From this point on, many things would change.

I had a feeling of that.

***

“First, have a drink. I’ve been talking for a while, and it’s made me thirsty.”

With that, Abraham summoned a servant. The servant brought in a bottle of wine with a strangely familiar label.

It was the same one I drank last time.

An unpleasant memory surfaced…

Last time, I nearly died after a single glass of that. Could it be the same this time?

“Will you have some?”

“I-It is an honor beyond measure, Your Majesty.”

Damn it. I never thought the day would come when I’d voluntarily drink poisoned liquor again.

Last time, I had at least stuffed myself with whatever antidotes I could find beforehand. This time, I might really be done for.

But refusing to drink was even more terrifying with the Emperor standing right in front of me…

All I could do was hope that I’d somehow developed an immunity after the last incident.

I squeezed my eyes shut and swallowed the poisoned wine Abraham offered.

“……?”

“Isn’t the aroma quite nice?”

“Ah, it’s wonderful.”

But it was different from the one I drank before. Even from the moment it touched my throat.

It was smooth. And sweet.

Not poisoned liquor, but genuine elven wine.

The fact that he handed me something without poison suggested that Abraham had no intention of killing me.

“Johan Damus. I’ve looked into you in various ways.”

“……”

Abraham smiled softly as he gazed at his wine glass.

And yet, no matter how gentle that smile seemed, the oppressive weight of his presence never lessened.

No matter whom I had met, I had never felt fear like I did before Abraham.

A monster truly was a monster.

“When the Prophet fell, that was when I first took notice of you.”

That was why he had summoned me and tested me…even going so far as to make me drink poison.

On the surface, it had been because of the scandal with Lobelia… but of course, that wasn’t the real reason.

And was it around that time? When I first heard about demons and the Demon King.

Perhaps even then, Abraham had already begun to suspect the true nature of what resided within me.

“When you persuaded the Judge and made her abandon her own will, I was watching from the darkness.”

“Yes…?”

That was something I hadn’t expected.

Tillis had successfully awakened once and plunged the world into darkness.

I had believed that I was the only one who could move within that space. Because I carried the soul of the Demon King.

…But to think that Abraham had been able to move as well.

“It was then that I became certain. I recognized the existence of the Demon King dwelling within you.”

“……”

“Your thoughts are sometimes flexible and sometimes rigid. As if you came from a world different from this one. Thinking about it, that would only be natural. After all, the Demon King was a being that had not yet appeared in this world.”

And Abraham seemed to have roughly grasped even the truth about my previous life….something no one else could have noticed.

Should I expect anything less from the Emperor who rules the world? His level of insight was extraordinary. We hadn’t even exchanged that many words, yet I never imagined he had seen that far.

“Johan Damus. Do you know why you came to this world?”

“…I do not.”

I don’t know. I can’t even begin to guess the reason for my reincarnation.

The will of a god?

That would be the most plausible possibility, but somehow it feels different.

“Your birth into this world was by no means a coincidence.”

“……”

“As the world draws near its end, it naturally calls forth its own destruction.”

In other words, my reincarnation was not someone’s deliberate intention but something closer to a self-correcting force. I was born to lead the world to its end.

Absurd.

In a way, my mistakes had indeed been things that could have directly led the world to ruin.

Though I ended up cleaning up every one of them and steering things away from destruction…

How does the Emperor see me?

“The Oracle said we should watch you rather than kill you immediately.”

That was unexpected.

It seemed the Oracle had already defended me long ago.

“And in the end, you led the world toward destruction, yet at the same time pushed it away from that very end.”

I didn’t really do anything.

I did nothing, yet the world refused to leave me alone and kept throwing ridiculous, unfair situations at me. But what if it wasn’t a coincidence? What if all of it happened because of the Demon King within me?

Among all the grave thoughts racing through my mind, there was one sentence I absolutely couldn’t suppress.

Get out of my body, you bastard!

All of those ridiculous misfortunes….were they because the soul of the Demon King resided within me?

To think that I became a victim just by breathing, all because of the Demon King who symbolizes the end of the world. It’s enough to bring tears to my eyes.

“Your existence points toward the end, yet your will moves in the opposite direction. How fascinating.”

“…There’s nothing strange about a person wanting to live.”

“Yes, it is only natural. However, there are many in this world who do not even fear death.”

At those words, the Great Sage Faust came to mind. One who does not fear death… no, one who has lost the very meaning of death itself. A true apostle of death.

“The world has faced crises time and again. Not a single one was easy.”

“…Yes.”

“But each time it overcame one, the world gained time. The threat of annihilation was harsh beyond measure, yet the more it was overcome, the more time humanity was granted.”

When plague was overcome, medicine advanced, and the number of those who died from disease dropped exponentially.

When the food crisis was resolved, the number of those who starved likewise decreased exponentially.

“Plague, famine, war.”

And when the war that had lasted for centuries finally ended, there were no longer any true external enemies left in this world.

This world had already faced and overcome three great crises.

“And beyond those countless trials, even the meaning of ‘death’ itself.”

Eden, Lemegeton, the Speartip of Snow Blossoms, Ex Machina.

All of those organizations had been dismantled.

Each one had possessed enough power to bring about the world’s destruction.

And now, only a single organization remains with that level of power.

“If you defeat the Great Sage, the apostle of death, this world will reach a turning point. When that time comes, how will you choose to conclude this apocalypse?”

“…I’m not thinking of anything so grand. As I said before, my only goal is to survive.”

“Hmm. Is that truly so?”

“……”

“I’ve gone on with idle talk for too long. It would be best to move to the main point.”

“Huh? Ah… yes, Your Majesty.”

Wait….that wasn’t the main point?

No, that’s not it. How should I put it? I feel like something like this happened before.

Back then too, he talked at length about all sorts of serious matters, and then at the very end—

“I placed you in the Guillotine Knights for Lobelia’s sake.”

He brought up Lobelia.

“You may or may not know, but the current succession structure is rather fractured. Frankly, I believe Lobelia should become the next heir. However, others think differently.”

“Forgive my boldness, Your Majesty, but is that a problem for you?”

The strongest tyrant in history.

If Abraham set his mind to something, no one could stop him.

“It is not a problem for me. But what I must decide concerns the one who comes after me.”

“Ah…”

“Theseus was already someone who had the support of countless people. Even when he cast aside his imperial name, he was still mentioned as one of the candidates.”

And now he had returned to the Imperial Palace.

The ripple effect must have been beyond measure.

“If he had returned for the throne, I would have remained silent. But that boy still has not the slightest interest in becoming Emperor.”

Abraham had originally declared that he would not interfere in the matter of succession.

The reason he was now taking action was because of Theseus’s attitude.

“Lobelia has gained the support of many. If she fulfills just one final condition, she will surely become a fine Emperor. However, with Theseus’s return, an unavoidable disqualification has surfaced for her.”

“A disqualification… for Her Highness?”

Abraham set down his wine glass and leaned back quietly in his chair.

“Power.”

At that single word, I recalled the image of Lobelia hurling lightning.

“…….?”

For some reason, the image of a guillotine blade flashed through my mind.

“Eden, Lemegeton, the Spear of Legend. Lobelia brought down three organizations, yet she failed to deliver the decisive blow in any of them.”

“Could it be…?”

Theseus personally executed the Scriptwriter. Even though we worked tirelessly behind the scenes to dismantle the Scriptwriter’s self-evolution system, in the end, it was he who struck the final blow.

“That is why Lobelia’s standing has been shaken more than expected.”

With Theseus’s return, it’s understandable that Lobelia was angered. No…if anything, the fact that she only scolded me verbally was rather restrained of her.

“I hear she was concerned that the Guillotine Knights might fail to remain neutral?”

“……”

“That is precisely what I desire. That is what you are to accomplish.”

Abraham spoke.

The Guillotine Knights, who follow only his commands.

“I grant you the position of strategist within the Order. Use them as you see fit.”

In other words, attach them to Lobelia.

“You will have freedom of action unlike the other knights, and you need not conceal your identity. There will be no need for a probationary period. Begin joining the Order on missions every weekend.”

I don’t want to.

Of course, I couldn’t possibly say that. This was the Emperor’s command.

“Who knows? Perhaps along the way, you may even uncover one of my weaknesses.”

With that, Abraham rose from his seat.

Startled, I hurried to stand and bow my head, but he gestured lightly and stopped me.

“Then I shall look forward to the conclusion of the apocalypse that you will write.”

Now I was truly trapped. There was no backing out of this anymore.