The next day, a candidate for the Savior was identified sooner than expected.
The individual was a spy for the Demon King's Army.
Formerly an agent for the Kingdom, Luciana had reportedly recruited him after he was taken prisoner during our invasion. Since then, he had supported our operations from the shadows.
He was currently infiltrating one of the nations outside the continent, operating as a soldier under a false identity. Having undergone Henry’s training for a time, his skills were considered well above average. Furthermore, he was capable of wielding holy magic.
One could say he possessed more than enough aptitude to be the Savior.
All that remained was to have him play the hero on an appropriate battlefield. By bestowing time-delayed enhancement magic upon him, we could make it appear as though he had suddenly awakened his powers in the heat of combat. I intended to order the local units of the Demon King’s Army to stage a deliberate defeat.
This would allow us to manufacture a dramatic victory while minimizing unnecessary casualties. Once the spy achieved these great military feats, the people would naturally interpret his actions as those of a hero.
Depending on how things progressed, having him deliver a grand speech was also a viable option; he could simply proclaim himself the Savior at that point. Then, the Will of the World would converge upon him.
If this plan succeeded, we could suppress these irregular and irrational phenomena. This vast power would gather within our spy, elevating him to the position of Savior in both name and reality. Afterward, I planned to have him operate under the guise of leading the Demon King subjugation effort. We would exploit the Savior’s fame to manipulate the war and the political climate of the various nations.
In all honesty, it was a constant tightrope walk. With so many uncertain factors, the plan was far from perfect, but we lacked any other effective alternatives. Above all, it offered a chance to seize control of the Will of the World—a force against which we had previously been powerless.
The mere emergence of a possibility was a major step forward. Even if it failed, I would simply try another approach; I wasn't staking everything on this single gambit.
Even if the Will of the World manifested in a different form, I could still suppress it by force. Of course, given the current global situation, that was hardly a desirable outcome. It would spread excessive despair among the populace, so it remained strictly a last resort.
Regardless, the situation would not improve simply because I worried. For now, I could leave matters to my capable subordinates. We had overcome various difficulties together in the past, and I placed great trust in them. I was certain they felt the same.
Over the next few days, I devoted myself entirely to my regular duties. The Demon King’s Army faced numerous problems beyond the matter of the Savior, with wars of invasion breaking out on multiple fronts across various regions.
While we were barely maintaining sufficient manpower, I still had a mountain of matters requiring my direct instruction. If our progress stalled, it would cause significant issues in numerous locations. Stagnation could easily lead to massive casualties, making it work that demanded constant vigilance.
Swept up in these tasks, time passed in the blink of an eye.
One day, I found myself alone in the audience chamber. I was in the middle of deliberating on the distribution of forces based on information from the various fronts. While I was reviewing several documents, Grom knocked and entered.
Staggering slightly, he knelt before me with visible tension.
"I... I have a report to make."
"It is about the Savior matter, I assume."
I had heard it was nearly time for the spy to make his debut. I assumed Grom had come to seek my final approval.
Grom nodded, but his demeanor was ominous. I knew immediately that he brought bad news.
After a brief silence, he finally spoke.
"In various locations, self-proclaimed Saviors are appearing one after another... Our plan has failed."