115. The Betrayal

The conference continues with Rudolph questioning if anyone goes against this peace, and how Eveam will respond. Eveam answered without any agitation.

"It's true that even if we form an alliance, those who can't accept it will surely feel uncomfortable. However, if we continue to fight like this, Edea will be further wounded, everyone will suffer, and the places where people can live will disappear. As this has actually occurred in the past, I'm sure you also can understand what I mean!"

Everyone silently listened to her words, yet, Rudolph merely closed his eyes. Eveam continued with her speech.

"Peace cannot be easily restored. However, our joining hands may become the foundation for it. I'm sure that there will be many problems, but one day, without fail, it will become a world where anyone can live and laugh!"

Judom looked at her with a slightly sober expression. While Izumi just shook his head in disappointment.

It was a beautiful dream. A pure ideal. An ideal that anyone would think to be sweet. However, she had not properly answered Rudolf's question. The resistance would be birthed by the alliance. With regard to how to deal with those problems, she had simply enumerated her ideals. As if, she wouldn't worry about those resistant because if the alliance was made up, she would have thought that there would be no more contradiction. She just seemed to be showing baseless self-confidence.

Even Izumi himself who was on Evila's side wanted to yell "You idiot!" to Eveam. This is a conference, and the other party was the representative of a whole country, someone who was shouldering the fate of an entire human race.

They had to come to know each other better at first. Trust was something that was gained gradually over time. But she was only looking at the pretty parts of the alliance. Honestly speaking, it was dangerous.

"From what I've seen, you are pure, too pure. The previous demon lord seems to be your brother, but your way of thinking is completely different. I will ask you one last time. Have you ever lost anyone important to you?"

Eveam frowned.

"No." She replied shortly.

Rudolph silently opened his eyes and sharply gazed at her. It felt as though he intended to not let her get away with only a small amount of effort. From the way Rudolph gave question after question, it was clear that Rudolph didn't want this alliance to succeed.

Rudolph suddenly raised his hand. Then, as if to say it was a signal, one out of the five guards swiftly ran from the place he was standing.

The one being targeted was Portnis. No, to be exact, it was the staff that Portnis held. As the guard had simply moved too quickly, Portnis's staff was stolen abruptly without her being able to do anything about it, and then, the staff was thrown onto the ground afterward. The round ball fitted on its tip shattered into pieces.

Seeing that, Judom immediately raised his voice.

"Oi Rudolph, What the hell are you thinking?"

"Are you not aware of exactly what that staff is?"

Portnis continued after Judom, Rudolph gave a smile as he replied.

"I know, that's why I destroy it!"

Eveam finally began to speak.

"What are your intentions, King of Victorias!??"

Rudolph chuckled, then he said.

"With this, for 24 hours, this place has become a completely isolated world from the outside."

Eveam trembled when she heard those words. Judom explained.

"The sacred room is a place where an ancient hero sacrificed his body and is the place where holy power is the most strongly concentrated."

"Hahahaha! As expected, humanity is always playing a dirty trick, whether in this world, or another world. Is this your so-called scheme, King Rudolph?"

Suddenly, everyone in the Sacred Room heard laughter. Their gazes were fixed on someone on Evila's side. He is a young boy with long white hair wearing a kimono.

"I've been watching you during the conference, and you seem to be holding back your laughter. What does that mean? Have you probably guessed what Rudolph wanted to do?"

"Izumi?"

Judom asked Izumi who seemed to sense something odd about his attitude. Eveam herself looked confused while turning her head at Izumi.

The barrier that enveloped the Sacred Room was not some kind of Divine Magic. This was because Izumi had analyzed it with his magic destabilization. He already understood the concept of the barrier and could destroy it at any moment.

Izumi replied to Judom's question.

"Isn't it obvious? That stupid king wanted a war. He purposely destroyed the crystal ball that was on the priestess' staff to lock us up for 24 hours. And let me clarify one thing. I don't believe any heroes you summoned to this world are willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of you, Humas. I believe you fool them by "giving some of your magic power to get you all back home" or something like that. Or perhaps, you brainwashed them. Or the worst case scenario, you killed them in this "Holy" temple."

"Nonsense!! There's no way we could do that. Your words are just baseless accusations." Portnis angrily denied it. However, Izumi replied.

"I'm not talking about the heroes of now, but the heroes of old. I've heard all kinds of stories about heroes. But none of them managed to return to their world and instead disappeared. I became suspicious of what the past kings did to the heroes. Besides, Portnis, supposing you were forcibly summoned to another world to save that world with no return, would you gladly give your life to save that world?"

Portnis didn't answer. She didn't know how to respond to Izumi's question at all.

Izumi carried on.

"And while we were trapped here, the Gabranth attacked Xaos who managed to get a route to Xaos. In fact, that stupid king secretly made a pact with the Gabranth to destroy Evila." Izumi explained to them while pointing at Rudolph.

Izumi's words naturally scared Eveam.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She looked restless while angrily glaring at Izumi who kept it a secret.

"Eh, wasn't Your Majesty the one who didn't want to hear my explanation? At that time, I wanted to say about this stupid king's scheme. But Your Majesty actually said not to worry because the Humas race was only anticipating if Evila would betray them, just like when Avoros still held the throne."

Hearing Izumi's explanation, Eveam stiffened and also felt guilty for not listening to his advice. Judom, who heard Izumi's words, frowned. Then he asked in a slightly fierce tone.

"If you knew Rudolph's plan, why didn't you say anything?"

"Why, you said? Of course, I let that stupid king carry out his devious scheme so that Her Majesty Eveam would come to her senses. Her Majesty should have been wiser in making decisions. If she only thought of an ideal world for her without paying attention to the pros and cons. Yes, this is how it becomes, getting caught up in the opponent's schemes so easily." Izumi paused for a moment, then continued.

"In the first place, if you want peace, there must be a neutral party besides Evila, Humas, and Gabranth. And secondly— well, never mind. More importantly, the fact that we are trapped here means the war has already broken out." Izumi crossed his arms while saying. He just closed his eyes while waiting for Kiria to act.

Judom felt that the young boy named Izumi was dangerous. Based on what he said, Judom understood that Izumi was so crafty to even use someone's plan to wake up Eveam and let her learn from her mistakes because she only thought about her own ideals. What's more, Izumi looked very calm despite being trapped in an unbreakable prison and didn't seem worried even though he said that Xaos was being attacked.

At this moment, Rudolph said with a chuckle.

"So what? Even though you know my plan, you will be imprisoned here for a whole day. The demon lord will only see her country destroyed after getting out of here."

Eveam gritted her teeth. She couldn't help but worry if a lot of her people died because of an unexpected war.

"Young lady, I think it would be impossible if we didn't have the hero relic which is the key to opening this barrier."

"You are?"

"My name is Judom, we have met before."

Judom walked toward Eveam without showing any hostility.

"Ah, you are that Judom, Aquinas' rival?"

"Yeah, it seems like the young lady remembers me."

Eveam remembered when she was ten years old, she indeed met Judom, but her memory was a little hazy and she couldn't remember what Judom looked like.