CH 329

Chapter 329 – Winter King (Rex Hyemis) (17)

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I became bedridden again, but I also had a fever this time.

I ended up pushing myself even though I hadn’t recovered completely. The priest who was taking care of me panicked because he thought that I was suddenly having complications. I couldn’t tell him that I got a fever because I forced myself to make out with a woman, so I kept my mouth shut.

…… Even medicine isn’t enough to fix an idiot. I think that’s how the saying goes. That saying described me perfectly. Nonetheless, getting a fever was the only price I had to pay for capturing Paimon. I can confidently say that I got a bargain.

“I fully understand what kind of Demon Lord you are.”

Saintess Longwy seemed fed up. That was the first thing she said the moment she visited me.

“One mistake and we both could have died. You are absurd.”

“Did we not survive in the end?”

I smiled with my palms open. This seemed to annoy the Saintess as she raised her voice.

“A person’s body exploded before my very eyes. Do you know how shocked I was?”

“I am pleased since it seems like I was able to let you have a rare and precious experience.”

“O Goddess, please curse this devil……!”

Saintess Longwy gnashed her teeth.

I didn’t tell her beforehand who the terrorist was. I didn’t know how good Longwy’s acting ability was, after all. It was only natural that her reaction would be more genuine if she were attacked out of the blue instead of being attacked with prior notice. That was why I kept it a secret.

“The original plan was to wake up within five days. And yet, today marks the fifteenth day since the incident. Do you understand? It has been half a month.”

“Mm. My stamina was worse than I expected.”

“That is not what I am talking about!”

Saintess Longwy shouted in anger.

I have no idea what she’s getting at. If you want to say something to someone, then phrase it in a way that’s comprehensible. Even a goblin would tilt their head in confusion if you go around screaming like a gorilla. How did she graduate at the top of her class at the theology academy? I’m starting to think that she might have forged her academic ability.

Or go raise your Affection to 20. I’ll read your mental state for you if you do. Makes things easier for both me and the gorilla. A happy ending.

“……You are thinking of something strange right now, aren’t you?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about.”

I feigned ignorance. I am the most brazen-faced person on the continent. There was nothing to worry about.

The Saintess let out a strong sigh.

“What I am trying to say is that I was truly at death’s door. Demon Lord Dantalian, the Kingdom of Brittany and I have decided to cooperate with you, but……. If all of your plans hold a labile factor like this one did, then we will have to reconsider our cooperation.”

“I see. Labile factors, is it?”

That was definitely something worth considering.

The Queen of Brittany and Saintess Longwy are risking their lives to cooperate with us. We would both fall into ruin if it gets revealed that a terrorist attack happened because of our self-fabricated scenario. It wasn’t surprising that they would feel anxious since even their political partner was struggling to stay alive.

This is saddening.

“Saintess Longwy, do you know who you are talking to right now?”

“Pardon me?”

“I am Dantalian.”

I smiled broadly.

“The person who wiped out your army and gifted your queen with despair. I do not wish to brag, but the formidable knights of Brittany all turned into corpses under my boots. Were the knights of Brittany so weak that they could have been defeated by anyone?”

“No, they were not…….”

“Brittany had a powerful army. Please place the same amount of trust you had in that army onto me.”

The Saintess went quiet. It probably wasn’t enough to convince her, but she shouldn’t be able to refute me.

I cleared my throat since I figured I should change the topic now.

“I will not be revealing the culprit behind the attack due to being persuaded by you. Or, at the very least, this is what it must look like to onlookers. The problem, however, is the other saintesses.”

“……How would the other saintesses be a problem?”

“If we follow our script, then you will become an extremely ‘kind saintess’.”

To the masses who are exhausted due to the wars and the plague, Saintess Jacqueline Longwy would become a great individual who had blocked the terrible war between races. The voices praising her would increase in size exponentially.

“This will not sit particularly well with the other saintesses.”

“Are you saying that they will become jealous of me?”:

Saintess Longwy let out a snort.

“A wicked individual such as yourself might be unaware, but saintesses are chosen after strict screenings. Only those with exceptional character and faith can maintain their positions as saintesses. Jealousy? That is a needless concern.”

“O Saintess, needless concerns are rare in the world.”

I spoke jokingly.

“O Saintess Jacqueline Longwy, who became Athena’s saintess after getting through that rigorous screening, you must have quite the great character since you are sitting here scheming with a Demon Lord.”

“……This is for the sake of Brittany!”

“It is the same. The other saintesses will also seek out excuses. Similar to how we pick out our clothes every morning, people change into different excuses every morning.

I coughed. It was a real one this time.

“The saintesses have no reason to go out of their way to change their clothes with their own hands. Saintess Longwy, if you gain continental fame, then the Temple of Athena will also gain fame. Will the priests from other temples stay still?”

“…….”

“Even if the saintesses wish to stay silent, the people around them will not do the same. They will do whatever they can to obstruct you.”

Several saintesses were also cooperating with Elizabeth. This was the problem.

Elizabeth is currently being suspected as the culprit who carried out the terrorist attack. They wouldn’t cooperate with her openly, but there was a high chance that they would go on the offensive in secret. I was sure of it. I’m sure that Elizabeth will threaten them saying that they’re ‘already on the same boat’.

The Saintess let out a sigh.

“Is there a good countermeasure?”

“It is simple. You raise them all as your aides.”

I coughed lightly before continuing.

“As you are aware, the Habsburg Empire has no state religion. The saintess was executed during the Crescent Alliance war. We can take advantage of this fact. We will respectfully treat every temple as our state religion.”

“Excuse me?”

The Saintess blinked in surprise. It was a rather cute reaction, so I couldn’t help but show a fatherly smile.

“The symbol that represents the harmony between humans and demons, this is what the Habsburg Empire must become. It would be weird to have religious discrimination in a nation where there is no racial discrimination.”

Saintess Longwy furrowed her brows.

“But the temples have no reason to accept the Empire’s suggestion.”

“If there is no reason, then we just have to make one. We will grant every temple with a barony, free of charge. Do you think they would still refuse?”

The Saintess’ expression became serious.

“……I think it could be possible.”

“Very well, then. Please persuade the temples of each nation with this proposal.”

Unfortunately, I don’t have any sort of connection with the religious world. Saintess Longwy will have to handle this side of the business.

“Start with the temples that are friendly to us and make sure to approach the Temple of Hestia and the Temple of Hephaestus last. They will most likely be hesitant about cooperating with us, so we have to pressure them into thinking that they would be the only ones to be isolated…….”

It was at that moment that I broke out into a coughing fit. The coughs were dry. Damn it, this was unpleasant because it made me feel like a patient. Although I actually am a patient right now.

Saintess Longwy made a face.

“Are you truly okay?”

“My body has mostly recovered. This is most likely a psychological issue.”

For some reason, the body of Demon Lords easily started to hurt according to psychological factors. For example, when an arrow pierced my thigh shortly after I fell into this world, the wound itself healed quickly, but my right leg had a limp for about two months.

“In any case, this is not a bad deal for Brittany either. Our Empire will grant you an honorary title as a duke.”

“Haa. It does not make me happy to receive a peerage from a Demon Lord.”

Saintess Longwy immediately refused. It was only an honorary title, but it was still that of a duke.

“Do not be so quick to refuse. I told you that this is not a bad deal for Brittany either.”

The Saintess looked confused.

I spoke like a teacher who was considerately explaining something to a flunkee.

“Saintess Longwy, if you receive this imperial peerage, you will no longer be only the Saintess of Brittany. You will also become a noble of the Empire.”

“So what?”

“The Kingdom of Brittany cannot move their army due to the treaty that was signed between us. However, depending on the situation, an army can be mobilized by Jacqueline Longwy, a Duchess of the Empire.”

“……!”

The Saintess’ eyes went wide.

“A-Are you saying that you will allow military action!?”

“Depending on the situation.”

I smiled.

“For example, let’s see. If it does not go against the benefit of both the Habsburg Empire and Brittany, then we will acknowledge those cases as exceptions.”

“…….”

Saintess Longwy bit the nail of her thumb.

The Kingdom of Brittany is currently unable to set foot in Frankia for the next 14 years.

However, if you exclude Frankia, Brittany has no other land route they could use to enter the continent. Brittany’s navy was also wiped out in the last war. Therefore, it was basically impossible for Brittany to make any military action for the next 14 years.

If she accepts my proposal here, then Brittany would gain a new way to move their army. If necessary, it would be possible for them to use military force to meddle in continental affairs. This probably sounded like a devilishly sweet proposal to her.

Nonetheless.

“In order for us to move our army…… we would need permission from the Habsburg Empire first.”

“Precisely.”

“And the Empire’s diplomacy rests on your shoulders.”

Saintess Longwy’s gaze was gloomy but piercing.

“We would end up becoming subordinated to you. We would have to tell you whenever we move our army and put in an effort to get your approval……. In the end, this is how it will turn out.”

I maintained my smile as I quietly asked her back.

“So will you refuse?”

Saintess Longwy shut her mouth tight.

A tense silence fell over the room for a while.

The Saintess held back her desire to cry as she finally spoke.

“You are always like this. You throw out a proposal that seems advantageous for the other party, but you actually make it so that they are so ensnared to you that they cannot escape.”

“I am a coward, after all. It is difficult for me to trust in others.”

I shrugged.

“The harder it becomes to betray one another, the more ensnared you are. Does that not naturally increase your trust?”

“……You stopped being a person the moment you referred to something like that as trust.”

I didn’t deny it. I didn’t feel the need to, after all.

The Saintess left after saying that she would give me an answer after discussing it with Queen Henrietta.

It shouldn’t be a surprise, but their response later came as a ‘yes’. Henrietta has a huge obsession with setting foot on the continent. To the point that she didn’t care if she had to be managed by us in order to do so.

With this, I obtained a military card that I could use in the future.

Just as we planned beforehand, we carried out our performance.

Concern about another war breaking out swept over the continent as Barbatos started a military draft. In regard to this, the Saintess visited me personally in order to persuade me. I was then so moved by the Saintess’ words that I declared I would keep the culprit’s identity a secret for all eternity.

Saintess Longwy and the other saintesses praised me for making a ‘great decision’.

Adding to this, the Habsburg Empire declared ‘the equal treatment of all temples’. To the masses, this genuinely looked like the perfect peaceful conclusion.

One month after the terrorist attack.

I returned to my Demon Lord Castle with the title, <Pioneer who even overlooks an assassination attempt on his life for the sake of peace>.

Of all people, Dantalian had become an icon of peace.

—Winter was coming to an end.

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TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. This chapter arc has finally come to an end. This was probably the longest segment that I’ve translated so far. On another note, I apologize for the long wait between chapters. I’ve basically been working overtime the entire week and just wanted to relax. The new Pokemon game came out, so I’ve been chilling with that and trying to get my mind off work. It’s been rather stressful. I hope you guys don’t mind too much. I’ll try to get back to pace soon, but I’m still uncertain how work will be this week.

In any case, I hope you guys enjoyed this long chapter arc and I’ll see you guys in the next chapter.