Chapter 188
“What command could I possibly give right now?”
I pointed at Suiroti with the blade of the Mistcatcher.
“That long-held grudge of yours, that vengeance you’ve desired for centuries—unleash it now to your heart’s content. That’s the order I’m giving.”
“I shall obey your command, our Leader.”
Akkion answered with a smile before rising to his feet again.
Then, facing all the other races that had gathered here, he shouted loudly.
“You all heard him! Fight to your heart’s content! Fight as you wish, and carry out your revenge in the way you’ve each long desired!”
The moment Akkion finished speaking, hundreds of other races roared in unison.
Suiroti, watching the scene unfold, instinctively took a step back.
“This is absurd…”
“You look rather frightened, Suiroti. Well, I guess that makes sense—you barely managed to defeat us even three hundred years ago.”
“Don’t talk nonsense!”
At Veron’s words, Suiroti shouted furiously.
Then she once again attempted to activate magic—but just as she did, a wind imbued with radiant light began to blow once more.
When Suiroti was struck by that wind, the magic she had been casting vanished instantly.
“You haven’t forgotten the power of mystery that we possess, have you?”
Perched once again upon my shoulder, Veron smirked as he looked at Suiroti.
“Listen carefully, Suiroti. For the past three hundred years, we’ve studied the power of mystery within the Protected Zone solely to defeat you. We’ve analyzed every spell you use and prepared ways to nullify them long ago.”
“…What a useless effort.”
“Really? Let’s see if that’s true or not. Now, everyone! You know what to do, right?”
The elves and the fairies.
They raised their hands toward the air from the rear and began chanting in an unknown tongue.
Soon, several luminous orbs appeared around Suiroti.
When beams of light shot out from those orbs toward her, Suiroti let out a groan of pain.
“What are you doing to me…?”
“We’re absorbing your mana, tweaking the gravity that allows you to fly… Oh, and I might’ve slightly stiffened your muscles too, so moving around should be quite difficult now.”
Veron looked at the suffering Suiroti and smiled leisurely.
“By the way, Suiroti, you seem much weaker than when we last met. I guess the injuries Lord Nawiwo left you with still haven’t fully healed. But more than that… I can’t feel the power of the Ancient God from you anymore.”
“Sh-shut that mouth of yours.”
“Don’t wanna. But seriously, what happened? You said before that you were the closest subordinate to Bedir, didn’t you? So why can’t I sense Bedir’s power in you anymore? Did you two fall out? Maybe Bedir got sick of you and cut back on the power he granted?”
“Silence! How dare you speak of me and Lord Bedir in such—!”
“If that’s not it… Oh, I get it now.”
Veron showed a sly grin full of mockery.
“Bedir’s power itself has weakened, hasn’t it? That’s why he doesn’t have much left to give you. Am I right? That’s it, isn’t it?”
“How dare you! How dare you speak such blasphemy of Lord Bedir!”
With a furious roar, Suiroti lunged toward Veron—who was sitting on my shoulder.
In other words, toward me.
But perhaps because of all the mystical forces restraining her, her movement was slower than ever before.
And the moment Suiroti began to move…
“Attack!”
At Akkion’s shout, all the other races began their assault on Suiroti.
The giants were the first to charge, slamming their fists down upon her, while the centaurs followed, swinging their blades.
Then came the dwarves, the beastmen, and many others—all attacking Suiroti with weapons thrown or wielded.
Unable to exert his full power, Suiroti could only be beaten down one-sidedly.
“How was that, Gideon?”
“You’re really good with words. If I were Suiroti, I’d be furious too.”
“I spent three hundred years teasing your mother. I’ve gotten quite good at getting under people’s skin.”
Veron chuckled, then turned back to the raging battlefield.
“Leave this to us and go get some rest. We’ll deal with that lizard and return soon.”
“No. I’ll stay and fight too.”
“There’s no need. You’re exhausted.”
“I’ve caught my breath a bit, so I’m fine. And… I’m supposed to be everyone’s Leader here, aren’t I?”
With a smile, I lifted the Mistcatcher.
“A leader can’t just sit out of a war. Don’t you think so?”
“Ha, just like your mother—I can’t win an argument against you.”
“Hehe. And if I join in, maybe we can end this a little sooner.”
“You’re right about that. Then, Gideon—shall we go kill that black lizard?”
“Let’s go.”
With the King of Fairies on my shoulder, I charged at Suiroti once more.
The battle against Suiroti ended sooner than expected.
It had to.
Because Suiroti vanished midway through the fight.
While being relentlessly attacked, flames suddenly erupted around her.
Those flames engulfed Suiroti, and in the next instant—she was gone.
Veron’s conclusion about that situation was simple.
“I just felt the power of the Evil God.”
It meant Bedir had directly intervened to pull Suiroti away.
It was our best chance to capture her, so naturally, there was some frustration at letting her slip away.
But we couldn’t dwell on regret when there was still much to do.
So I moved immediately—and soon arrived at…
“Looks like we’ve caught nearly all of the rebel forces.”
“That’s good.”
“Well… it’s good, but…”
Inside the Emperor’s office.
Jason explained the situation to me.
“The other races were really strong. The moment the centaurs, dwarves, and beastmen appeared on the battlefield, the tide completely turned.”
“Now I understand why the Empire struggled so much against them.”
Lisa, who had just returned from the battlefield, nodded.
“Even ten soldiers couldn’t subdue a single centaur. Their basic physical power was on an entirely different level from humans.”
“No wonder they fought evenly with the Empire despite their smaller numbers. By the way, Noona, are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine. What about you? You fought a dragon, didn’t you?”
“As you can see, I’m fine. There were a few dangerous moments, but I made it thanks to the other races showing up just in time.”
I looked at Veron, still perched on my shoulder.
He smirked and turned his gaze toward Lisa.
“The red-haired woman wielding the greatsword… You must be Lisa Balmuth. Gideon told me about you. You’re the one who promised him your future, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. By the way, may I ask your name…?”
“Veron. I’m Veron, the King of Fairies. Call me whatever you like.”
Veron flew over and perched on Lisa’s shoulder.
Lisa nodded silently with an expressionless face.
“Nice to meet you, Veron.”
“Nice to meet you too. Oh, and if you’re going to marry Gideon, how about holding the wedding in our Protected Zone? There are many beautiful places there, filled with mystical energy—perfect for receiving blessings.”
“…That sounds nice. Then, for the engagement ceremony this winter, perhaps we could—”
“Noona, let’s think about that later.”
At my words, Lisa quietly nodded.
Seeing that, Veron chuckled softly. He seemed to have already figured out what kind of person Lisa was.
“Oh, right. Now that I think of it, there’s someone I need to thank.”
From Lisa’s shoulder, Veron took flight and flew toward someone.
The King of Fairies flew over to the blonde Princess, who had been silently gazing out the window at the other races.
“Your name was Layla, right?”
“Oh? Ah… yes, that’s right! I’m Layla Arium!”
“I heard earlier that you convinced the Emperor to release us. I was too busy before to say it properly, but—thank you.”
“Oh, not at all! To be honest, it wasn’t really persuasion—I just pestered my father until he gave in… If anything, I should be the one thanking you.”
Layla turned to me as she continued speaking.
“Thank you for saving Gideon. When I heard he was in danger, I begged my father to void that treaty you made with him… and you really did save him.”
“Hmm… did we? When we arrived, Gideon was doing just fine on his own.”
“Huh? W–wait, Gideon, weren’t you dragged into some kind of subspace? I heard it was impossible to escape from there alone, that it was extremely dangerous!”
“Well… if you try hard enough, you can always find a way.”
I smiled faintly and gave a vague answer, and Layla didn’t press any further.
“Anyway, I’m just glad you didn’t die. You still have a lot to do with me, you know? There are still so many places we need to go, and you promised to teach me more about potion-making. And for your wedding, I’ll definitely—”
“Understood. For the sake of my promise with you, Lady Layla, I will never die. And… thank you, Lady Layla, for persuading His Majesty to annul the treaty.”
“Ah, like I said earlier, I didn’t really persuade him—it was more like throwing a tantrum…”
While I was talking with Layla, Andrew—who had been receiving reports from his family—spoke up.
“…The nomads have appeared. We should prepare for the second battle.”
“Then, Andrew, contact Kafka right now and mobilize the troops—”
“Hold on a moment. You’re the Head of the Hawkbat Family, right?”
At Veron’s sudden question, Andrew looked startled but nodded.
“Y–yes, that’s right?”
“Hmm, you do resemble the previous Head I met before. Anyway… you said new enemies have appeared. Do you know roughly where they are?”
“There are three locations marked on the map here.”
Andrew pointed out the enemy positions on the office map.
Veron nodded.
“Good. Then… if I send them roughly like this… yes, that should do it.”
He lightly waved his hand in the air, and several orbs of light appeared around him—then disappeared.
Everyone in the room tilted their heads, watching Veron curiously.
“Hm?”
Andrew’s Crystal Sphere suddenly began to ring again.
When he checked it—
— My Lord! Giants and beastmen have suddenly appeared here! And now the nomads are being completely overpowered—
“…Could you explain the situation a bit more clearly—”
“No need. I’ll show you directly.”
Veron waved his hand again.
An illusion appeared in the air within the room.
They could see the nomads being attacked by giants and beastmen.
The nomads fought desperately, but the overwhelming difference in size and strength left them no chance—they were being crushed.
“Veron, you sent them there, didn’t you?”
“I only sent a small number. If that’s not enough, I’ll send more later.”
Veron said it casually, as though it were nothing.
I couldn’t help but chuckle, while the Emperor let out a faint, helpless laugh as he watched everything unfold.
Then, looking between Veron—who stood as the representative of the other races—and Akkion, who remained silent, the Emperor spoke again.
“Gideon told me the other races would turn the tide of the war, but I didn’t expect it to be this easy. It seems the strength of your people is far greater than I imagined.”
“Thank you for the compliment. Your Majesty the Emperor, it seems there’s something else you wish to ask—feel free to speak your mind.”
At Akkion’s words, the Emperor chuckled again.
Then, speaking earnestly this time, he asked,
“Will your races truly not threaten this Empire after the war ends?”
“Thank you for asking so directly. Thanks to that… I can now answer clearly.”
Akkion glanced briefly at me, then spoke firmly to Nazar.
“On behalf of all other races, I declare this: As long as the Empire does not first show hostility toward us, we will not pose any threat to the Empire. And regarding this matter, our Leader—Gideon Kyrgram, the true descendant of the Pure-White Mainac—any attack against him will be considered an attack against us all. Keep that in mind.”
At Akkion’s words, Nazar fell silent for a moment.
Then he smiled faintly and looked at me.
“The Baron who commands all other races… In the history of the Empire, there’s never been a Baron who built a force stronger than yours, Gideon.”
“Yes, I agree with that.”
“Heh. Given how things have turned out, it seems any further interference from me would just be a nuisance. So, Gideon, proceed with your plans as you see fit. I’ll only intervene when absolutely necessary.”
“Understood. Then, let’s move on to the next plan.”
“And what exactly is that next plan?”
At Nazar’s question, I couldn’t help but smile.
“To capture the mastermind behind all this. Now that the nomads have been dealt with… it’s the perfect time to go after Rage.”