A Status Report

"And that was how things ended up with him," a middle-aged man in white clothing reported to a boy sitting comfortably on a sofa. He was a priest from the church.

"Ah well, who would've thought that he actually was a demon, looks like we actually did something good this time," the boy said.

Haruto was sure to be declared a demon even if was not a demon. The sword which was given to him was enchanted with a spell that will burn any person's hand that holds it even if they were human. The man who gave Haruto the sword, wrapped it in a cloth carefully so that the sword don't touch his skin directly, but in the end, it turned out he really was a demon.

"I admit…it was quite unexpected," the priest added.

The priest who was respected by the citizens and had the trust of royalty stood in front of this boy with his eyes down. After all, the boy—broadly nodding his approval at the priest's report was the one who controlled the actions of the church from the shadows and was the leader of a group called Erebus. Because he controlled things from the shadows, he was known by the names Black or Kuro.

"How are things going on with that Zen—oh sorry, sorry, I mean our new king," the boy asked.

"He has decided to engage in a war with the demon kingdom. He will likely be attacking in one or two days since he has announced publicly that the previous king is dead."

"Raizen sure knows his work well huh," the boy said as he rested his head on his hand.

"The demon lord's army is on standby and ready for a counter-attack. Haruto, who was the only obstacle, has been cleared now. War is confirmed," said the priest as a little smirk appeared on his face.

"No…I don't think we are done with him," the boy objected.

"What do you mean?"

"He's been missing since he escaped from the castle right? I'm sure he'll try something."

"But now he's a wanted criminal in the Ronze kingdom, and prince Zen will not likely listen to anything he has to say now," the priest said, trying to prove his point.

"You haven't noticed, have you? Till now he hasn't made a real move, he was just using the pawns he had in his hand to turn the tables. He hasn't entered the game yet."

"…"

The priest didn't say anything; he thought of something for a while and then nodded like he now agrees with what the boy was saying.

"Anything else?" the boy asked.

"No, that was all for now."

"You can leave."

The priest turned back and left the room. Now the boy was alone in the room, he closed his eyes gleefully moving a mental chess piece around his brain.

"I was starting to get bored of this low-leveled world, but it looks like there's still some fun left. Now, what will you show me…Haruto," he said to himself as a smile appeared on his face.

***

IN THE ROYAL CASTLE; RONZE KINGDOM

"Your majesty, the second division is prepared and is ready to march any time," a man reported as he entered a room. He has a short beard and a good build body. He was the captain of the second division in the Ronze army.

There was a rectangular-shaped table in the room with ten chairs around it. Along with the current king of the Ronze kingdom: Zen Ronze, four other people were also sitting there. They were the captain of the other four divisions of the Ronze army.

The second division captain came and took his seat, now there's a total of six people there.

"Fourth division is also ready," said the fourth division captain.

"We are also ready to go anytime," this time the first division captain said.

"Third and fifth division is also set to march," said the fifth division captain, the third division captain nodded in his agreement.

"Okay, all forces are ready to go. We will leave for the demon kingdom tomorrow morning. It will take us a whole day to reach the borders so will leave as soon as the sun is up," said Zen.

"So we are finally doing this," the fourth division captain whispered.

"We will avenge our ancestors this time for sure," the third division captain joined in.

Meanwhile Zen is sitting quietly with his fingers interlocked. He didn't really want to go along with the war plan but the pressure from the ministers forced him to.

They had to confirm the previous king's death publicly because rumors were starting to spread. If they didn't wage a war on the demon kingdom now, there was a chance of riots and boycotts.

His sister Mary was strongly in opposition to this plan even now. But after all, he was still only an academy student. After his father's he was suddenly burdened with the responsibilities of a king, he was still not able to differentiate between his personal choice and the choice which is best for the kingdom.

Due to this, he was easily being used by other people without even realizing it. The decisions he was taking were neither his personal choice nor the choice, best for the kingdom. Those were the decisions of others that he was thinking were his own.

The sudden reveal of Haruto being a demon lowered his capability to rationally even more.

To differentiate between what's the truth and what seems like the truth was the thing he was lacking right now, he was trusting the people his father used to put his trust on without checking whether they are worthy or not.

"Be prepared, we are going to war," Zen announced