—An upscale residential district in northern Babel.
"Huh? Fiesta, a nation of monsters and the demon race? If I didn't mishear you, is that really what you just said?"
Hijiri, a refined-looking man with red hair styled in an undercut, knitted his brows and sought confirmation from the white-armored knight who had brought this absurd report.
"Yes. It appears the Crimson Demon Nation, formerly ruled by Aldebaran, has been incorporated into the newly founded Monster Nation of Fiesta."
"Hold on a second, isn't that completely backward?!"
Hero Mashiro, a beautiful girl with black hair who rarely lost her composure, shot back in disbelief.
"No, Demon King Aldebaran of the Four Great Demon Kings fell in battle during the recent war against the monsters. As a result, the Crimson Demon Nation surrendered unconditionally to them. The current Prime Minister personally conferred with the leader of the Monster Nation of Fiesta and officially agreed to the integration."
As the room erupted into a deafening clamor, Hijiri asked with an unprecedentedly solemn expression,
"You're saying one of the Four Great Demon Kings lost to mere monsters?"
It was so far removed from Hijiri's usual playful demeanor that the white-armored knight swallowed hard before answering.
"There is no mistake about that, sir."
He nodded heavily in affirmation.
"Do you have any intel on the monster that defeated Demon King Aldebaran?"
"About that... the reports are rather conflicted..."
As the white-armored knight hesitated,
"What do you mean, conflicted?! Spit it out clearly!"
Sage Satoru leaned forward, his voice rising in irritation as his fingers drummed impatiently against the armrest of his chair.
"The reports claim that Princess Rose supported the monsters, that Prince Gilbert led monsters and novice knights to defeat Aldebaran, and that that incompetent fool was pulling all the strings from the shadows—it is entirely comprised of absurdities not worth believing."
With visible reluctance, he relayed the utterly unbelievable claims.
"Ha! Gil led monsters into battle and slaughtered one of the Four Great Demon Kings? Pffft! That is seriously hilarious."
Presumably judging the report to be false, Hijiri burst into laughter and reverted to his usual easygoing, harmless demeanor.
"On top of that, claiming that incompetent fool was the mastermind—just how baseless can this intel get?!"
As Satoru yelled in mockery, the tension in the room dissipated, with those present declaring the information bogus one after another. Amidst the chatter,
"Something is wrong..."
Mashiro alone maintained a rigid expression, muttering under her breath.
"Hm? Mashiro, what's up?"
"Doesn't it strike you as odd, Hijiri, that they went out of their way to deliver information that's supposedly so unfounded to us?"
"Fair point. We're not exactly sitting around with nothing to do, so having gossip like that dumped on us is pretty annoying."
When Hijiri directed his gaze toward him, the white-armored knight flinched, his body stiffening for a moment.
"I still can't make sense of it. Tell me, where did this information originate?"
"From His Excellency Prime Minister Johannes."
"What?!"
This time, the room was thrown into an uproar like a poked hornet's nest.
"What does this mean? There's no way Gil could defeat Aldebaran. The same goes for that incompetent fool with no real power. If so, what reason would that monster of a man have to deliberately pass along such blatant lies...?"
As Hijiri fell deep into thought,
"Isn't it obvious?! The King is just doting on his precious son and trying to pave the way for his return to the upcoming Throne Succession War!"
Satoru shouted what seemed to him an obvious conclusion.
"No, the King isn't that type of person. Above all, there is no way that Prime Minister would ever indulge the King's personal parental sentiments."
Mashiro asserted firmly, weighing every word.
"Then what are you trying to say?! Are you guys actually planning to believe the nonsense that Gil defeated a Demon King?!"
"Of course I don't believe it. But the Prime Minister made a move. That means there's a reason behind it."
"So what does that even matter?!"
"I don't know yet. But it will undoubtedly have a major impact on the future course of the Throne Succession War."
At Mashiro's almost prophetic words, Hijiri asked,
"So? Mashiro, do you plan on recognizing this so-called Monster Nation?"
"Please don't ask me something so obvious."
A brief, intense emotion bordering on madness flickered across Mashiro's face. Catching a glimpse of it, Hijiri closed his eyes and murmured wistfully,
"Figured as much."
"Hijiri, contact the Central Church immediately. I'll negotiate with them directly."
"Understood. What about Gil? Prejudiced as Gil is, I doubt it, but there's a chance he might actually be siding with the monsters, you know?"
"If Gil is siding with monsters..."
Mashiro trailed off mid-sentence. Clearly grasping her intent, Satoru paled and shouted,
"That idiot! There's no way Gil would ever defend monsters! I'll go ask him what he's thinking myself! So just wait until then!"
He rushed out of the room in a panic.
"Satoru definitely has no idea where Gil even is right now. He's totally losing his cool, isn't he?"
Hijiri remarked with a faint, gentle smile as he watched the door Satoru had just bolted through.
"Were Satoru and Gil really that close?"
At Mashiro's question, Hijiri shrugged.
"You really don't notice anything, do you? That's why you're... No, never mind. Well, I'm heading out too."
With a resigned look, Hijiri raised a hand in farewell and left the room without looking back.
"Whoever aids monsters and the demon race, no matter who they are, I will slaughter every last one of them."
Just as Mashiro murmured those words and finished the black tea left on the table,
"The Prime Minister instructed me to deliver this letter to Lady Mashiro."
The white-armored knight respectfully handed her a parchment scroll.
"Hm?"
Taking it, she broke the seal, unrolled the parchment, and read through its contents.
"What?!"
She let out a cry of utter shock, unthinkable for the usually calm and collected Hero.