CH 629

Nighttime.

-Thunk

A wooden cup struck the table, emitting a dull sound.

-Thunk

Again.

-Thunk, thunk

And twice more.

-Thunk

The owner of the cup was tapping it against the table.

Sitting across from her was Rowan, the Commander of the Holy Knights, conspicuously showing off the fact that she had snuck in wearing a robe with the hood flipped over her head.

And the owner of the barracks.

Louise von Schwarz was idly tapping the wooden cup on the table.

It was an incomprehensible act.

Though she had invited the Commander of the Holy Knights who had suddenly shown up in the middle of the night, Louise only engaged in this inexplicable behavior.

"Shall I come back later?"

As if to say that she would return when it was more convenient for Louise if she wasn't up for conversation, Rowan looked at Louise with a bright smile.

Silently, Louise pushed the wooden cup towards her instead of answering.

"…?"

Rowan couldn't help but look puzzled as Louise suddenly pushed the cup toward her.

"Is this for me?"

"Take it as you please."

Louise saw that there was some liquid in the cup she had pushed in front of herself.

It contained an opaque, milky liquid.

A cup offered out of the blue, with an unidentified liquid inside.

Rowan picked up the cup and downed its contents in one gulp.

Louise quietly observed Rowan emptying the cup with a clatter.

"Ugh…"

After emptying the cup, Rowan placed it back down and covered her mouth, taking a few deep breaths.

"…I drank it, thinking I wouldn't mind if it were poison. But I'd rather it be poison. What is this?"

Gagging,

She pretended to retch.

"It's incredibly thick, sour, and sticky. It's very unpleasant… What is this…?"

Rowan, whose expression didn't usually change easily, appeared uneasy.

"Is this alcohol?"

In conclusion,

It was a strange liquid that couldn't be called anything other than alcohol, even though it was unidentifiable.

Louise nodded silently.

"The priests of the Tu’an have a rule about abstaining from alcohol too."

Malicious.

The taste of the alcohol itself was a problem, but the fact that she had offered it was as well.

"There's also a rule about not killing."

"That's true."

Rowan nodded calmly.

It was strange for an inquisitor who had tortured and killed countless people to bring up such a rule in the first place.

"There must also be a rule about chastity."

"You'd be surprised how well I keep that one."

Louise stared intently at the composed face of the Commander of the Holy Knights.

"Anyway, it seems the Commander enjoys this kind of alcohol? There are various local traditional liquors, so if my reaction earlier was rude, I apologize first."

There must be a village somewhere in the world that drinks such vile alcohol. Therefore, Rowan apologized first for frowning at the sight of the princess of Kernstadt drinking this repulsive liquor alone in the barracks.

However, Louise shook her head.

"I wouldn't know about any vile traditional liquors like that."

"Um… So it's not?"

"That's right, it's not."

"Then may I ask why you're drinking such a vile liquor?"

Rowan couldn't understand why Louise would drink such a strange liquor, especially since it wasn't a traditional one.

"It's a secret brew."

"Ah… I see?"

"Yes, I've confiscated the liquor the soldiers brewed themselves."

That's why she wasn't emptying the glass, but rather, staring blankly at the liquid inside.

"It's quite incredible. People's blood and tears are wrung out to support the army, and someone is brewing liquor with those blood and tears. Should we call that effort...?"

Louise bit his lip.

"Isn't it pitiful...?"

Even the horribly foul-tasting liquor was considered liquor, and they went through the trouble to brew and drink it.

"How do you think we should deal with the soldiers who brewed the illicit liquor?"

Louise looked intently at Rowan.

"They should be killed."

"Why should they be killed?"

"Because food is precious."

"Why is food precious?"

"Because without it, people starve to death."

"Are you saying they should be killed because they harmed resources related to life and death?"

"Exactly."

Louise continued to look at Rowan.

But she just looked, Louise said nothing.

When the moon was pointed out, one should have looked at the moon.

One shouldn't have scolded the finger pointing.

But that was impossible and meaningless.

Anyone could make empty talk.

So why was the moon, which everyone could point at, so important?

It didn't matter who pointed it out, the moon had no meaning to begin with.

"Do you want to save them?"

At Rowan's innocently asked question, Louise shook her head.

"What are you talking about? They're already dead."

"Then why did you ask?"

There was no meaning to the question and answer from the beginning, as the conclusion had been reached and executed.

There were soldiers who brewed the illicit liquor.

The soldiers who somehow made it.

The soldiers who secretly shared and drank it.

Louise ordered them killed.

And she confiscated all the illicit liquor they brewed and took a sip of it.

It was just a horribly tasteless and unpleasant white liquid.

They died while making this worthless thing.

"For these petty thieves who stole rations, we cut off their heads..."

Louise looked at Rowan.

"But the woman who stole countless lives and even the entire Order is parading around as the Commander of the Holy Knights, stirring up trouble here and there..."

"And."

"I, to such a despicable and evil thief..."

"Can't even pour a bucket of cold water, let alone a sword."

The small thieves were punished.

The heaviest punishment of taking their lives was imposed on the small thieves.

But she couldn't even question this great thief about her theft.

Then why did the small thieves have to die?

Why did they have to die?

Why were they killed?

Only the small ones were trampled.

No, only the small ones had been trampled.

In the end, Louise wanted to bite her tongue.

From the moment she killed her brothers with her own hands, she had no right to blame anyone.

In the end, what was the difference between having a different kind in front of the mirror and cursing at it?

Louise was miserable whether she spoke or remained silent.

Filled with self-loathing, sorrow, and indignation, Louise von Schwarz stared at the Holy Knight Commander with blurry eyes.

"Enough. Whatever it is, tell me your purpose."

Seeing Louise take on a posture of conversation, Rowan whispered quietly in the barracks filled with the bitter smell of the illicit liquor.

"The Demon King has chosen you."

"..."

Louise was silent.

She had suspected that she would face such a situation.

No, it must have been a messenger's choice, not the Demon King's.

The bright expression on the face of this Demon King worshiper, as if she was telling her to be grateful and happy, revealed that fact.

For a very long time, Louise did not respond.

How much time had passed?

Louise opened the barrel beside her, scooping up a bowl of the illicit brew.

And she drank.

As if she couldn't bear it without drinking.

As if she was downing a cup of poison.

‘Moonshine.’

Drinking the liquid that had been robbed of its name by something else.

Not poison but a strange brew.

After drinking a bowl of such a concoction, she wiped her mouth and muttered quietly with her clear eyes,

"Terrible… taste."

How could a drink made of blood and tears be sweet?

------

"Having Kernstadt is as good as half of the coalition forces coming over."

I couldn't help but tilt my head at Charlotte's words.

"…Isn't it less than half?"

"Don't you think I know that the actual scale is not that much? Yes, the real power of Kernstadt within the coalition forces is less than half, and strictly speaking, it wouldn't even be a quarter."

"So."

Charlotte and I were sitting alone in the Lazak Elder Council Chamber, talking.

"But look, say a small, provincial country with a force of about a thousand soldiers sided with us. What would happen the moment that insignificant ruler declares he will side with the Demon King?"

"…If they don't want to die, they wouldn't do such a thing. But if they do, they'd be lucky to die quickly, I guess."

"They would be killed instantly, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

It was obvious that the moment those with little power or influence unexpectedly declared support for the Demon King, their heads would roll.

Were they talking about something like too big to fail?

"If a small country's ruler does such a thing, people would think it's crazy and move on. But if a great power like Kernstadt makes that decision, people will naturally think. Why would a country like Kernstadt suddenly support the Demon King at this timing? Would they think the same way or not?"

"…Would they?"

If it isn't so, would there be smoke from a chimney?

If a great power like Kernstadt were to suddenly make such a decision, fierce criticism would surely follow, but of course, a tremendous shock would also accompany it.

Why on earth would Kernstadt?

What was it lacking?

"But would only Kernstadt stand up? We also have the Holy Order, don't we?"

"That's right."

Let's say that at the same time as Kernstadt, the Holy Order also declared their support for the Demon King.

The number one vassal state, Kernstadt.

The Holy Order.

Not one madman, but two.

Kernstadt was the largest nation, excluding the empire.

The Holy Order was a force that transcended nations.

If both groups began to openly support the Demon King, everyone would naturally feel that something serious was going on.

"Everyone will have to choose, whether to support the Empire or the Demon King."

It's absurd for humanity to support the Demon King in the first place.

However, the moment these two major forces reveal it openly, people will have to seriously consider whether or not to support the Demon King.

Of course, the deliberation would be carried out not by the majority of humanity, but by the leaders and the top brass of the powers.

They would have no choice but to do whatever it took to survive.

There would be forces that claimed they could never side with the enemy, even if it meant a desperate struggle.

Survival was the ultimate good, and there would be factions claiming to be on my side for that very reason.

The victory of the Demon King, or the victory of the Empire.

Those who wished to survive had to start making predictions.

Thus, Charlotte's statement that more than half had crossed over was not wrong.

The moment the other powers realized the two great powers were on my side, their leaders would begin placing their bets amidst immense chaos.

In reality, although Kernstadt was not exactly half, more than half of the shaken and rearranged power structure would be filled by those on my side.

"It's funny, not long ago everyone was frustrated that they couldn't kill me, and now this has become possible."

"How common is it to serve a king you hate enough to want to kill, just because he's a king?"

"…Well, if you put it that way, it doesn't seem like such a strange thing after all."

Just as there would be those who would fight me even at the risk of their own lives, there would also naturally be those who would crawl under the Demon King to survive.

Whether the former were the majority or the latter were, it was impossible to know, but it was clear that the latter would not be a small number.

"Anyway, all these assumptions are based on the precondition that Louise von Schwarz supports me…"

"That's right."

Louise von Schwarz.

Charlotte was the one who suggested that the first person I needed to bring on board for the upcoming events was her.

It was a ridiculous thing.

If I had done nothing, Louise von Schwarz would have died at the hands of Bertus, falsely accused of the Heinrich assassination.

In the end, both Louise and Heinrich survived.

And so, it became possible to consider the likelihood of Louise joining my side.

Ultimately, though the Holy Knight Order and the Five Great Religious Orders alone could shake the alliance, it would be impossible to secure any significant power without capturing Louise von Schwarz.

The precondition had to be met first, even if only to sketch out a plan.

I had left it to Rowan, but until I heard the confirmation, there was no way of knowing what would happen.

"Last year, I wouldn't have known, but now the situation has changed a lot, and Louise has learned quite a bit."

What the Empire was doing.

And that I had taken control of the Religious Orders.

I still didn't know if she knew about the Gate incident.

Louise knew that it was not strange at all for her to join my side at this timing.

There was no reason for her to fight me to the death.

And she knew that the scales were tipping in my favor.

However, in truth, it did not matter whether Louise knew such trivial facts and truths.

Putting everything else aside, Louise knew that she had to join my side to survive.

"Louise von Schwarz will join our side. She must."

Louise knew what the Emperor was thinking.

With that alone, Louise would join my side.

Because she already knew which battle would be won.

Because she knew that this wasn't even a fight in the first place.

------

Good and evil depended on who recorded them.

That was why the one who held the power to write history could always define something as good and something as evil.

So, the meaning of good and evil itself disappeared, and in the end, only who could hold the pen of power mattered.

So, who was the real good?

So, who was the real evil?

Talking about it would only fill the sleepless nights.

Those who held the pen in life would become the ones who wielded justice and righteousness.

Thus, surviving was the only justice and the true righteousness.

Losers would be recorded as evil.

Not because they were evil, but because they had been defeated.

"..."

Louise von Schwarz didn't have a long silence to contemplate.

The conclusion was reached, and the choice that had to be made was clear.

The question was whether she could handle it.

The situation had twisted in such a way that Louise von Schwarz had unexpectedly seen and learned things she should never have been able to see or know. This had unexpected effects in unexpected places.

Everything would belong to the Demon King.

Louise knew that.

Kernstadt, and the Holy Order.

By the time the Gate Incident was fully resolved, more than half of the allied forces would have sworn allegiance to the Demon King.

At the forefront stood Rowan, the commander of the Holy Knights.

For the heretical inquisitor, who had enforced order through evil, trampled on doctrine, and protected the order of the Church, establishing order through blood and deceit was nothing new.

Manipulation, extortion, conspiracy, intrigue, torture, brainwashing.

Such vile and filthy deeds were her lot.

Rowan stared silently at the princess of Kernstadt.

King Constantine was frail, so her decision was virtually the decision of Kernstadt.

After a moment of silence, Louise spoke up.

"I have a condition."

"A condition?"

"If you accept it, I will stand with you."

Louise didn't simply decide to join their side.

"I can convey that. What is the condition?"

"There's no need to seek the Demon King's permission. Your agreement will suffice."

"…Do I have the authority to decide?"

"Of course."

Louise's condition was simple.

"The condition is, your life."

"…What?"

Taken aback by the sudden request, Rowan furrowed her brow.

Asking for her life out of the blue.

"…I can't deny you that, but did you hate me that much?"

"I do hate you, and I do wish you were dead. But this is an entirely different matter."

"How is it different?"

Louise seemed to enjoy Rowan's perplexed face, taking a sip of her wine and smirking.

"Does the Demon King intend to rule through oppression or govern wisely?"

"I don't know the actual outcome, but I assume he would try the latter?"

"Then your life is all the more necessary."

"…?"

Louise began to laugh at Rowan's apparent inability to understand.

"Isn't it obvious?"

It was indeed, a reckless laugh.

"How could a madwoman who incited riots, encouraged massacres, and killed countless people as a heretical inquisitor help the Demon King's reign?

"…"

"Considering that there are many people who know these facts, do you think the commander's secret will be kept forever?"

"…Probably not."

"Even if you can help now, the last act of loyalty the commander can perform once the Demon King's world is complete is to stand on the scaffold of purging. No, that is precisely how the commander's loyalty will be fulfilled."

At those words, Rowan's expression hardened ominously.

Rowan's role was only for now.

Rowan had done too many things up to this point, regardless of her actual character.

Because of the sins she had committed so far, she would have to face judgment once the reign began.

When peace began, her very existence would become a burden.

Therefore, Rowan would have to die, ironically, the moment the world she wished for arrived.

She had to die to complete her loyalty.

Rowan's death was not necessary for Louise, but rather for the Demon King.

That's why Louise offered Rowan's death as a condition, even though it had nothing to do with her personal feelings.

Using the uncertainty of the Demon King's power in the future as an excuse, she convinced both Rowan and the Demon King that Rowan had to die.

"Having lived in the shadows, an existence of darkness met chaos and wore a badge, but did you really think you could live in the light? That's impossible."

Louise looked at her with an unbearable, grim smile.

Louise von Schwarz was the princess of Kernstadt.

She was the first princess of the first vassal state, and the successor to the second-largest country in the world.

It wasn't as if she wouldn't gain anything from a losing deal.

Deception, conspiracy, and intrigue were obviously more familiar to Louise.

"New commander, the situation may change and your position may differ, but will your nature change?"

No matter how much she was the envoy of the Demon King right now.

No matter how strong her immediate power was.

Her nature would not change.

Louise was a princess and heir of a great nation.

While she had to live in the shadows.

Like a cheap drink made by lowly people with inferior ingredients, forced together by circumstances, her ‘moonshine’ could only be repulsive.

Cheap is cheap.

"How could moss grow in the light?"

If a creature of darkness foolishly ventured into the light, it was bound to wither and die.