— Holy Amelia Kingdom, First Conference Room
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, waaaait a minute! Is that really true?!"
The King of Amelia—Edward Loto Amelia—bellowed at the top of his lungs, his voice bursting with sheer disbelief.
And naturally so. This made no sense. It was completely, utterly impossible. Normally, he would have roared at whoever said it to stop spewing such nonsense. In fact, the kingdom's dignitaries were thoroughly bewildered as well, none of them knowing how to react as they exchanged dumbfounded glances.
The only reason Edward believed it—or rather, was forced to believe it—was that the man who brought this information was none other than the ruthless Prime Minister of the Holy Amelia Kingdom: Johannes Roosevelt.
"Yes, it is entirely true."
"Gil defeated Aldebaran of the Four Great Demon Kings and the Great Blue Dragon, Cetus? And that same Gil has sworn loyalty and submitted to Rose?! How could I possibly believe such ridiculous nonsense?!"
It was true that Demon King Aldebaran possessed the least raw might among the Four Great Demon Kings. However, taking other diverse factors like cruelty and mobility into account, the balance of power among the Four Great Demon Kings was perfectly matched. Furthermore, the Great Blue Dragon, Cetus, was nominally the king of the Dragon Species. The two of them joining forces was an unprecedented crisis—a situation that, by rights, should have demanded the united might of all humanity to challenge. And that Gil had defeated them? If he could do something like that, there wouldn't have been any need to assemble a grandiose fighting force like the Hero party in the first place.
Above all else, it was utterly unthinkable that Gil would ever swear loyalty to Rose, whom he despised so intensely.
"If I may correct one detail, the loyalty he has sworn is strictly to Kai Heinemann alone."
"That man again?!"
It seemed that whenever Kai Heinemann was involved, common sense was thrown out the window. In all likelihood, Kai Heinemann had slaughtered the Demon King and Cetus, simply handing the credit to Gil. But Gil was steeped in the aristocratic world in the worst possible way. For him to swear loyalty to Kai Heinemann—who belonged to nothing more than a family of Honorary Nobles—was utterly unthinkable. Had he subjected Gil to some kind of intense ideological indoctrination?
"What Your Majesty is currently thinking is completely off the mark."
At Prime Minister Johannes's words, which sounded as if he had peered directly into Edward's mind, a jolt ran through the king's entire body.
"Off the mark?! Kai Heinemann orchestrated this entire affair, didn't he?!"
From Royal Guard Arnold to Johannes himself, the highest executives of Babel, and nearly everyone sitting at the apex of their respective fields in this world—all of them acknowledged Kai Heinemann's sheer strength. If it was Kai Heinemann, he could certainly pull off something this absurd. The real question was why he would throw his weight behind Gil.
"He certainly engineered it. However, this I can state with absolute certainty: those given the harrowing trial were only Prince Gilbert and his two retainers, Somni and Tetor. Everything else was merely incidental."
"A harrowing trial, you say?! In the first place, there's no way in hell Gil could defeat Aldebaran and Cetus! You don't call something an ordeal if it's utterly impossible to achieve!"
"Your Majesty harbors a grave misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding, you say?!"
"In this trial, the defeat of Aldebaran and Cetus was not of significant consequence."
"Don't give me that crap! We're talking about one of the Four Great Demon Kings and the King of Dragons!"
"The opponents were to be tailored to the prince's degree of growth. Aldebaran and Cetus merely happened to be the most suitable adversaries for him. Had the prince's growth been even more remarkable, he would surely have been pitted against an even more formidable foe."
"A hardship greater than Aldebaran and the Dragon King...? He's completely out of his damn mind!"
Who in their right mind would use the renowned Four Great Demon Kings as a mere tool to reform a prince?! He understood it clearly now. With Kai Heinemann, it wasn't a matter of being strong or weak. His very thought process transcended the boundaries of mortal existence.
"The prince grew into a true king, and Somni and Tetor recognized him as a master they could serve with their lives! And with the cooperation of those two, he successfully overthrew Aldebaran!"
Spreading his arms wide, Johannes declared in a melodious tone, as though a bard reciting the glorious deeds of a hero. Johannes, a man who seldom praised others, had acknowledged Gil as a true king.
Even for Edward, being treated as a king by Johannes was a very recent development. In his youth, he had agonized deeply over his lack of royal caliber. And yet, Johannes was now calling Gilbert a true king. Edward simply could not believe what he was hearing.
"I don't get it. That Gil, a true king? To begin with, aren't Somni and Tetor the very people Gil tried to kill?! Besides, there's no way he could defeat Aldebaran with just the power of those two greenhorns! His opponent was the Demon King Army!"
The reason Gil had been subjected to a punishment equivalent to a death sentence was that he had attempted to murder his retainers. Their rage and despair must have been immeasurable. It was utterly unthinkable for those two to serve under Gil. On top of that, they were so inexperienced they could hardly even be called Knights yet. If one could defeat Aldebaran merely by gaining their cooperation, the world wouldn't have any troubles. Above all, Gil and his companions lacked an army capable of facing the Demon King Army head-on. The only one capable of crushing an entire army single-handedly was that Hero with his severely warped ideals.
"The prince does possess an army."
"Are you trying to tell me some nobles helped him?! The high nobility has completely severed ties with Gil. The lower nobility despises him—no, they probably hate his guts. There's no way in hell anyone like that would lend him their strength!"
"It is the monsters of Northground. It seems the monsters, acknowledging the prince as their king, are advocating for the founding of a Monster Nation, Fiesta."
"Wh-Wh-Whaaaaat?!"
This time, a massive uproar erupted throughout the entire conference room. Naturally so. No matter how you looked at it, who could have ever imagined the creation of a nation of monsters—the sworn enemies of humanity?!
"Wh-What became of the defeated demon race?!"
One of the dignitaries cried out, his voice cracking.
"The Prime Minister, who was Aldebaran's close confidant and became the representative of the Crimson Demon Nation, held discussions with Kai Heinemann. It seems one of the demon realms, the Crimson Demon Nation, is set to be integrated into Fiesta."
Johannes answered in a buoyant tone.
"Ridiculous... If such a country is recognized, just how much military might will they possess?!"
"Not just that! If such a nation becomes a reality, the potential economic scale alone will be extraordinary!"
"Don't talk nonsense! The demon race aside, there is no way monsters could ever engage in commerce!"
"Silence."
At Johannes's flat, emotionless voice, the room instantly fell dead quiet.
"Does submitting to the Rose faction mean they will be integrated into our country?"
"Your Majesty, do you believe that is possible?"
"Don't be ridiculous! That is the one thing I can never permit!"
If that were to happen, the balance of this world would be unequivocally shattered. That was out of the question. If they allowed that now, there was no telling what actions that deeply ambitious Hero and his younger brother, Knut, might take. In particular, the Hero would never acknowledge a nation of monsters. He would undoubtedly demand they be treated as slaves. And Kai Heinemann was not the kind of man to allow that. Nine times out of ten, it would lead to civil war.
"Then our only choice is to govern them as a suzerain state. Though, the king is ultimately Prince Gilbert. I highly doubt the current prince would permit our nation's intervention, however."
"Is the current Gil truly trying to become the king of monsters and the demon race?"
"That is something you must confirm for yourself, Your Majesty."
Johannes's words carried a deep nuance. It was something that held no meaning unless Edward confirmed it with his own eyes.
"So, what happens to the Throne Succession War? Will Gil, whose succession rights were suspended, be disqualified?"
"Prince Gilbert has indeed lost the right to fight in the Throne Succession War."
"Well, I suppose so. He's claiming he'll become the king of monsters and demons. He probably has no intention of pursuing it anyway, so it amounts to a voluntary renunciation."
Johannes formed a wicked smile.
"Now then, I wonder. Your Majesty, why not reflect once more upon the true nature of this game?"
Offering a statement that wasn't even an answer, Johannes gave a respectful bow to Edward and took his leave.
"Gather all information on Fiesta at once!"
Edward roared, and the civil officials sprang into motion.