Alice Subjugation (16)

I realized that people were afraid of me. Even I realized I had gone too far.

However, I succeeded in saving Alice. The disappearance of the stigma of restraint on her neck was proof of that.

Additionally, I had preemptively mastered 7-star magic in anticipation of facing the Abyss and succeeded in defeating it.

All that remained was to resolve the situation with the Empire.

It was one of the reasons I had summoned Düpfendorf's army without hesitation. I wanted to prevent even one person from getting hurt and to achieve the status of "Ice Sovereign".

I had thought my very existence would serve as a powerful bargaining chip.

As expected, I had now become a figure of terror.

I composed myself. Even though the current situation made me angry beyond rational thought, there must be a valid reason for how things turned out. I tried to suppress my anger as much as possible in my spontaneous remarks.

However, It seemed that my voice had sounded quite threatening to the people.

"Isaac…"

Suddenly, someone embraced me tightly from behind.

Düpfendorf's army knew which side I was on. In other words, they let me be since I wasn't someone they needed to stop.

"Isaac… Isaac"

I turned my head back to look at her. Rose-gold hair. It was Luce.

"Luce, what are you doing…?"

"I really hate you…"

Luce buried her head in my shoulder and tightened her embrace as she continued to tell me how much she hated me.

It was then.

"Everyone, please calm down."

A gentle voice. A girl led a group of escorts into the Academy Square.

A veil on her head. A pure white saint's robe wrapped tightly around her body. Helize Church's Saintess and a first-year student at Märchen Academy, Bianca Anturaze.

The Imperial Knights, Slayers, and faculty members all bowed their heads in respect to the Saintess.

Bianca stood at a distance from me and clasped her hands in prayer, then smiled sweetly. She was blind, so her eyes remained closed.

[Bianca Anturaze]

Lv: 70

Race: Human

Elements: Light

Danger: X

Psychology: [Harbors favor towards you.]

"The divine guidance that led you here must be the will of the Lord, Manhalla."

The Saintess, Bianca, unexpectedly mentioned the name of the Lord while defending me.

"Greetings, Nameless Hero and the new Ice Sovereign. I am Bianca Anturaze. As the Saintess of Helize Church and a proxy of the Lord, I welcome you."

With the authority of the Holy Kingdom of Bardio and the Lord, Manhalla, backing her, Saintess Bianca preemptively accepted me.

How should I react?

It was an unexpected situation, so I just quietly observed her.

Gradually, the tension in the square had eased considerably. Perhaps it was because of Luce and Bianca.

The Lightning Sovereign, Jaul Dragoniac, closed his eyes and withdrew his magic circle.

"I have no intention of fighting you."

I turned towards Jaul.

It seemed that he had decided there was no need to keep up the hostility since the reason for the intrusion of the four Elemental Kings had all been resolved.

The Imperial Knights sheathed their weapons, and the Slayers continued to watch the situation cautiously.

"I agree."

The elderly Fire Sovereign, Andersen, also dispelled his magic circle and stroked his beard as he spoke.

"There's no need for unnecessary fighting here. Dorothy Heartnova's rampage and the demon in the night sky have all been handled by you."

[Andersen Versando]

Lv: 200

Race: Human

Elements: Fire, Wind

Danger: ???

Psychology: [???]

Dorothy went on a rampage?

Looking around, it seemed certain that an incident beyond Dorothy's control had occurred, which was why she looked so worn out.

…Let's prioritize the incident. Now that Dorothy has calmed down, it would be better to find out why she rampaged later.

"The excitement has died down. It was quite intense for a while, wasn't it?"

The Water Sovereign, an elegantly dressed woman, also deactivated her magic circle as she spoke.

[Siren Silivian]

Lv: 199

Race: Human

Elements: Water, Ice

Danger: ???

Psychology: [???]

"…"

The Wind Sovereign, who looked like a young girl, silently retracted her magic circle and wind bow.

[Erin Campbell]

Lv: 198

Race: Human

Element: Wind

Danger: ???

Psychology: [???]

Except for the Fire Sovereign, the Elemental Kings had each embraced the power of [Eternal Youth]. It was said that upon reaching the level of an Archwizard, one typically got the opportunity to acquire this power.

The elderly-looking Fire Sovereign had chosen not to accept the power of [Eternal Youth] of his own volition.

The ages of the other Kings could not be determined just by their appearances. Even in the ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ guidebook, the ages of the Elemental Kings were not disclosed.

Incidentally, a very small number of people, even those who weren't Archwizards, sometimes fortuitously obtained the power of [Eternal Youth]. Headmistress Elena was one such person.

"It's also not quite right to do this in someone else's land. I guess I'll have to settle with the fact that the new Ice Sovereign is cute, and I got a pretty good look at him."

The Water Sovereign, Siren, giggled, then turned her back and waved at me.

A sly grin crossed her face.

"I'll see you again, Ice Sovereign."

Puuuuuu!

Siren transformed into swirling water, whirling away in a beautiful spray of mana.

This was the realm of an archwizard. The ability to transform oneself into an elemental form, while still being human.

Suddenly, the Wind Sovereign, Erin, had approached and stood before me. She wore an eyepatch over her right eye and an expressionless face.

I lowered my head to look into Erin's left eye. Her eye, filled with wind mana, looked mystical.

"New Ice Sovereign."

"..."

"Arrogant."

"…?"

Whoooosh!

Erin pouted her lips and left those words before turning into a green whirlwind and left the Academy Square.

What was that all about?

"It seems we're out of place… Ice Sovereign, I'll formally greet you another time. Let's meet again soon."

Crackling!

The Fire Sovereign, Andersen, wrapped in blazing flames, turned into a fireball and shot up into the sky.

Soon, the Lightning Sovereign, Jaul, approached me. We stood close, facing each other.

"It's been a while."

"Yeah… remember you didn't pay me?"

"Pay? Hmm."

Last summer break, I had gotten involved with the Lightning Sovereign, Jaul, over a part-time job. He had dashed off without paying.

Jaul pondered for a moment before finally responding.

"...I'm afraid I forgot."

This guy, his brazenness was quite something.

As I narrowed my eyes, Jaul gently placed a finger on my forehead. There was no sign of an attack of illusion magic.

"I have a message for you."

At that moment, Jaul's message flowed into my head.

It was brief. Jaul quickly lowered his hand.

Luce, who was still hugging me from behind, sensed Jaul's mana and glared at him coldly. She was warning him not to mess with me.

However, the message Jaul conveyed to me was not something that would anger Luce.

Council of Kings?

I invite you to the Council of Kings.

Seek out Aichel Whiteclark of the Whiteclark Duchy.

She is the moderator of the Council of Kings.

That was the message.

"That's all you need to know."

Jaul turned away. His body transformed into purple mana and then, like lightning, he crossed the sea and left the island.

Where Jaul had passed, a trail of lightning remained like an afterimage. Luce and I watched as he disappeared into the sky.

…Were they conspiring among themselves? If this fact became known, it would undoubtedly turn the world upside down.

Informing me and inviting me to such an event meant they accepted me without question as the Ice Sovereign.

It seemed that I would merely make an appearance here, and the real discussion would take place during the Council of Kings.

"...Ah."

A sudden thought flashed through my mind.

I hadn't considered it before, but could I recruit the Elemental Kings as members of the Evil God Slayers?

Their psyches were unreadable, and they were all eccentric characters who couldn't be trusted hastily. However, if they could become a part of the Evil God Slayers, it would certainly be reassuring.

…Let's consider this matter carefully.

Ignoring Luce, who clung to me like a tortoise shell, I turned around.

I looked at Düpfendorf's commanding forces bowing to me, including Dorothy, Kaya, Alice, and the Thunderbird Galia.

I smiled awkwardly, trying to reassure them.

The reason things had turned out this way was largely due to the fact that I had been devoured by the Abyss.

There was no guarantee I could defeat the Abyss, so it was an all-or-nothing situation. Fortunately, my firepower exceeded expectations, and I managed to defeat the Abyss.

Even so… the fact I hadn't properly communicated with Dorothy or Kaya and let the situation escalate to this was entirely my fault. There surely could have been a better way.

I should apologize properly.

To Dorothy and Kaya.

And to Luce, who worried about me like they did.

"Sir Isaaaaac…!"

Seeing my smile, Kaya, wrapped in wind magic, flew next to me and clung tightly. Then, floating in the air, she wrapped her arms around my shoulder and rubbed her cheek against mine.

It was smooth and soft to the touch. She continuously sobbed "Sir Isaac," looking adorably relieved.

Dorothy staggered over and leaned into my embrace, saying, "Presideeent… I'm exhausted…" in a languid voice. She looked as exhausted as she sounded.

Like someone with the flu, Dorothy felt very hot. When I asked her what happened, she said she didn't know, and I couldn't help but be surprised as this was an improvement compared to before.

"I'm sorry, President. I caused trouble…"

"I'm sorry, too. I was late."

Emotions subsided, and my voice was subdued. I felt a sense of guilt pricking at my heart.

Although I was depleted of mana, I could still conjure a light chill in my hand. I placed my cold hand on Dorothy's forehead to cool her down. Dorothy closed her eyes and rested her forehead against my hand.

With Luce, Kaya, and Dorothy clinging to me, Alice watched us silently with a smile full of emotion.

However, that smile didn't last long.

"Alice Carroll."

Led by the Vice-Commander Magrio, the Imperial Knights approached Alice, but Düpfendorf's commanding forces blocked them. Magrio frowned.

"Hold on," I said, carefully separating myself from Luce, Kaya, and Dorothy to intervene in the confrontation.

Standing in front of Düpfendorf's commanding forces, I faced Vice-Commander Magrio. The atmosphere was tense.

The Imperial Knights placed a hand over their heart and the other behind their back, saluting me with knightly decorum.

"I formally greet you, new Ice Sovereign. I am Vice-Commander 'Magrio Halpent' of Fenrir, the Fourth Order of Knights."

Although I should use formal language as a student of Märchen Academy towards this person…

Knowing their intention, I decided to interact with them using my newly acquired status.

As the Nameless Hero and the Ice Sovereign.

"The incident involving Alice Carroll occurred within the borders of the Zelver Empire. Given the seriousness of the incident, our Empire cannot simply overlook this matter."

"Yeah."

"Thus, we request that you hand her over."

I frowned and glared at Magrio.

Alice Carroll's case against the Empire.

This was the challenge I had to face.