Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Human Preparations

Shu... No, it had been twenty days since the declaration of war by the Dark Lord Arklight.

The capital of the Kingdom of Ramza was in chaos. Frightened citizens were fleeing the capital one after another, causing a visible decline in population. As a result, even the merchants stopped coming, and the economy deteriorated severely.

Troops were being called in from various regions, high-ranking magic knights were being assembled, and assistance was being requested from the Church. However, preparations were delayed in terms of logistics.

"How many guilds have rejected us?"

"Forty-six, Your Majesty."

"Are we offering a sufficient amount of compensation?"

"They do not compromise on the monetary aspect and, at the same time, value their lives. Even if they have money, it is only useful because they have their lives. That is why they chose to protect their lives instead of assisting the royal family. Currently, only a few guilds that have long-standing connections with the royal family are cooperating."

"...I see."

Upon hearing this, the King of the Kingdom of Ramza let out a sigh.

It was not an appropriate attitude for a king to take in such a conference, but other officials and military officers felt the same way.

The declaration of war by the Dark Lord was undoubtedly having an impact.

To break through this situation, it was necessary to somehow raise the morale of the entire population. They had to find a way to provide reassurance in order to fully utilize the gathered forces and secure sufficient logistical support.

"Is this also my inadequacy..."

The reign of the king had been both good and average. There was no doubt that he was a good king who implemented benevolent policies, but he had not made remarkable achievements to significantly develop the Kingdom of Ramza.

Numerically speaking, the situation had improved compared to the previous king's reign, but it was difficult for the citizens to perceive it.

That was the extent of it.

It was not that the king was at fault; it was simply that the impact of the declaration of war had been too strong.

"It's not like that, Your Majesty!"

"Your reign is excellent."

"It was just bad timing."

The ministers tried to comfort the king, but they could not dispel the gloomy atmosphere.

Everyone present knew that it was not the king's responsibility. However, knowing that didn't mean they could change the situation. More than twenty days had passed since that day, and there wasn't much time left until the Dark Lord would attack.

By the way, one year is divided into ten months, and each month is approximately thirty-five days.

In other words, the Lord of the Underworld will arrive in fifteen days.

It will be difficult to gather all the necessary supplies such as food, spare weapons, and medical equipment by then.

"First of all, there are very few records of battles with the King's monsters. Will it be effective with our country's S-rank Magic Knights like Ash Flamber...?"

"It is said that the Seven Great Demon Kings of the Diblo Continent to the east and the Undying King Xenon Life residing in the Slada Continent can easily repel even S-rank Magic Knights. However, the Lord of the Underworld, Arklight, was just born. The Church also says that it is not impossible to defeat him."

"Are you saying that about the Church in the capital? What does the main temple of the Holy Grinia say?"

"There is no answer yet. They are probably preparing for the prophecy."

In response to this incident, the Kingdom of Ramza requested reinforcements from the Holy Grinia. More precisely, they asked the Church to send Holy Knights belonging to the Demon God Church.

The Holy Grinia has multiple S-rank Holy Knights and even has Squires with special magical equipment. While it may be difficult for the Kingdom of Ramza alone, they believed that there is hope with reinforcements from there.

"The Lord of the Underworld, Arklight, claims to govern 'death.' We must also consider countermeasures for that."

"But apart from magic, how can we counteract against it?"

"Awakened Magic Knights... Maybe...?"

"I don't think any of our country's S-rank Magic Knights have awakened."

"Lord Ash Flamber has not awakened."

"If that's the case, we can only hope that awakened Magic Knights will be sent as reinforcements from the Holy Grinia."

Due to the lack of specific countermeasures, all discussions became mere hopeful speculation.

It was an unfavorable trend, but there was no other choice.

The power of magic used by the King's monsters can even erode concepts. Although death magic itself is only the ability to "absorb life," the power of death can kill its target based on the concepts it possesses. Even if someone had fifty years left in their lifespan, touching the power of death would ignore all assumptions and bestow "death" upon them.

Even magic equipment and spells would be nullified by the power of death.

It means that it affects concepts.

"There is no point in continuing the discussion. Let's adjourn for today."

The king seemed to realize that the discussion was becoming futile and declared the end of the meeting. If there were no further developments in the next few days, they would have to consider allowing the royal family to escape. The morale of the army would greatly decrease, but they couldn't afford to have the royal family present in a battle where defeat was possible.

As the meeting came to a close and the king was about to rise, the door to the conference room was knocked vigorously.

"What is it? The session has already ended!" exclaimed one of the ministers.

The knocking ceased when one of the ministers raised their voice. However, a response, akin to a glimmer of hope, came from beyond the door.

"We have received a response from the Holy Kingdom of Grinia!"

The entire conference room erupted in excitement, and even the king was taken aback. However, the king quickly composed himself and made another announcement.

"The meeting will resume. Open the door and let us hear the response from the Holy Kingdom of Grinia."

The large doors of the conference room were then opened, and messengers from the church entered along with the guards. The messenger, dressed as a priest, knelt before the king and greeted him.

"I am Elenos Friora, a priest of the Royal Cathedral in the capital of the Holy Kingdom of Grinia. I have come to deliver the prophecy of the divine princess and news of reinforcements."

"We have been waiting! Tell us immediately."

"Very well."

Priest Elenos Friora took out a piece of paper from his pocket and began speaking about the prophecy and the reinforcements.

As they listened, the atmosphere in the conference room gradually grew more enthusiastic.

After Elenos finished reading everything, everyone's attention turned to the king.

"I see. The prophecy indeed carries a terrifying message, but we have received reliable reinforcements. They will also provide us with food and weapons. The logistical problems are now resolved. The reinforcements from the Holy Kingdom of Grinia will arrive in a few days. Additional reinforcements will come later, and we will act accordingly! Excellent!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

That day, the meeting continued until late into the night.

◆◆◆

The time goes back a little.

In the sacred land of Grinia, far north of the kingdom of Ramza, the Oracle Princess was preparing for the prophecy. Her magical equipment had the power to see the future, but it couldn't be activated consecutively. It required a tremendous amount of magical power to use, so caution was necessary when using it.

However, this time it was an important matter that the king's monster had been born.

The bishops and the pope considered it worthy of prophecy.

"I can see a great black light."

While gazing into the void, the Oracle Princess uttered emotionless words.

"The cataclysm will bring destruction, and the frozen world will be left with despair."

The bishops gradually twisted their cheeks in response.

"Even a fragment of bone will become the flesh and blood of the king."

Finally, even the pope widened his eyes.

"All shall become a banquet offered to the king of the netherworld."

With those words, the Oracle Princess collapsed. And while the attending priestess took care of the fallen Oracle Princess, the bishops and the pope began their discussions.

Glancing at the Oracle Princess being carried away to the bed, the pope was the first to speak.

"...It's the first time such a prophecy has been conveyed."

The pope was of considerable age. He had heard prophecies many times before, and he had even heard prophecies warning of the crisis of cities being destroyed.

However, this prophecy, which was so ominous, was the first of its kind.

"So, this is the king's monster."

If we interpret the words of the prophecy as they are, it means that everything will be swept away by a terrifying power. It was not clear what the important word, the "great black light," meant, but it didn't seem to only represent ominousness.

"'The cataclysm will bring destruction, and the frozen world will be left with despair.' What does it represent? Is it some kind of magic?"

"Could it be a forbidden curse...?"

"Perhaps 'Flare Tornado of the Twelfth Staircase of Flames' or 'Glacier of the Thirteenth Staircase of Water' are likely candidates."

"Do you casually talk about such things!? It's a forbidden curse! A powerful magic spell said to kill over ten thousand people with just one activation!"

"It is said to bring even great cities to ruin and change the landscape. However, there is currently no individual among humanity who can activate it alone. If it were the Imperial Empire with a corps of great sorcerers, it might be possible to activate it as a unit."

"...Either way, the possibility that the military will be ineffective has increased."

The Eleventh to Fourteenth Staircases are known as forbidden curses, and there is no individual among humanity who can activate them alone. It is because they require immense magical power, concentration, and precise control of magic. It might be possible to activate them with the combined strength of dozens of people, but even then, it would take too much time.

Considering that forbidden curses can annihilate everything around indiscriminately, the Tenth Staircase, known as strategic-level magic, is easier to handle and more efficient.

However, this time the enemy is not the military.

It is the king's demon.

From the perspective of the Dark Lord Arklight, it would be more efficient to use large-scale magic and annihilate them all at once. Conversely, for the side of the Kingdom of Ramza, whose only targets to kill are the Dark Lord and the witch, it is somewhat disadvantageous.

Gathering too many troops would only complicate the operation.

"It is undoubtedly a crisis. We have already dispatched reinforcements in the form of holy knights... Do we need more?"

"The ones we sent were only A-rank holy knights and squires. We'll need S-rank as well."

"In that case, awakened warriors would be better."

"Even with body enhancement, it will take a month to reach the Kingdom of Ramza from here. Even the holy knights we sent earlier barely made it in time. It would be good if we can make it..."

Continuing to devise countermeasures despite hearing prophecies they would rather avoid is because prophecies are not absolute.

The prophecy of the Divine Princess is an expanded form of magic.

It simply extends the predictive ability inherent in humans. Therefore, if the underlying conditions change, it is possible to even overturn a bleak future. The prophecy shows not an absolute future but merely the most probable outcome at the present moment. By sending an awakened S-rank holy knight, there is room to change the future.

Not only this time but also in the past, they have continuously avoided the worst possible future in this manner.

"Now, if we consider awakened holy knights, the options become limited."

"If we consider their abilities, anyone should be fine..."

"But the enemy is the king's demon. It is an unknown territory for us as well."

The bishops do not actually have firsthand knowledge of the king's demon. They rely solely on written knowledge. It is only natural for them to be cautious.

Amidst this, a few bishops recommended a certain S-rank holy knight.

"I recommend Holy Knight Cellestar Altrein."

"I agree. With his abilities, he can easily fight against unknown enemies."

"He also has extensive combat experience. He is flawless."

"I see..."

"Now that you mention it, he seems suitable for the task."

The opinions of the discussing bishops seemed to have reached a consensus.

The Pope, who had hardly spoken, finally voiced his opinion.

"Then, summon Holy Knight Cellestar Altrein. Give his unit a special mission to defeat the new demon who calls himself the Dark Lord. Also, send a message to the Kingdom of Ramza, including the matter of the prophecy."

Shu... In other words, it would be impossible to send awakened warriors before the day of doom declared by the Dark Lord Arklight. However, the bishops and the Pope were determined to slay the king's demon by any means necessary.

And so, one month passed since that day.

The day of doom arrived in the capital city of the Kingdom of Ramza.