The expedition had seized every realm except the Realm of Void.
"...Why do you not persecute us?" a former slave asked.
"Protecting civilians is the right thing to do," a member of the expedition replied. "If you cooperate with us, we have no reason to be hostile. Our target is the Demon King of Void and the ones that follow him—no one else."
"...Thank you! Truly, thank you!" another cried.
Those who had lived as slaves for so long didn't trust the expedition at first. But when their kin who had already cooperated with the expedition joined them, they quickly opened their hearts.
The Realm of Lust, the Realm of Havoc—after suffering terrible tyranny for more than three hundred years, they were finally given freedom.
They had been treated like animals because they failed to awaken dark mana. The first thing the expedition had done after taking most of the Demon Realm was to begin purifying it.
"There were installations everywhere that emitted dark mana," one engineer reported.
"We will install dark mana purification facilities immediately, following the blueprints distributed by Lord Shiker," another added.
Their task was to make the Demon Realm normal again—to erase traces of dark mana. So long as the Demon King of Void lived, dark mana would continue to leak out, but regions far from the Realm of Void were less saturated. The expedition's goal was to preserve the altered ecosystems created by the dark mana while reducing its toxicity as much as possible.
Fortunately, with the help of the many races in the expedition, work began on removing primarily the dark mana itself. During that process, Caron had cast a single spell.
"Caron, I always thought this, but your ability to solve problems without getting your hands dirty is the best. You've easily surpassed me," Fayle said through the communication orb.
"All of it was learned from my father," Caron answered. "By the way—have many investors assembled?"
"Most of those who invested in the Desertus development have agreed to join the Demon Realm project as well. A supply convoy headed this way is carrying vast amounts of goods. That will be a huge help in the stabilization work," Fayle answered.
"You've done a lot," Caron said.
"...Not as much as you," Fayle grumbled.
Instead of forcing the Ducal Family of Leston's or his own money into the project, Caron had attracted investments from the wealthy across the continent. Now that the continent—once riven by mutual distrust—had been brought together by Revelio's open policies and the formation of the expedition, merchants traveled between nations and races more earnestly than ever, gathering fortunes. New wealthy elites were appearing everywhere, and those were exactly the people Caron courted.
Power naturally craved wealth. Just as the empire's merchant houses exerted considerable influence over the nobility, other countries had similar dynamics. He didn't think the merchants would abandon their ventures and call off their investments because someone proposed ending war.
"Things that involve large sums aren't easy to give up," Caron said.
He knew that merchants wouldn't leave a vast investment half-recovered and ignore the enormous threat of the Demon King of Void.
Ordinarily no sane person would risk such enormous danger for profit, but the situation itself had gone mad. Dwarven exploration had uncovered a quantity of an unbelievable alloy in the Demon Realm that the continent had come to call "Raelnium." In the Realm of Havoc, they had even found facilities producing Raelnium. Technology and resources that could change the continent's future lay dormant here, so the risk was worth taking.
"Still, please keep whispering in their ears, Father," Caron requested.
"Don't worry," Fayle replied. "By the way, Caron, I heard that your core was destroyed once."
"Ah—I told them not to tell you that..." Caron said, his voice small.
"...Whatever happens, there is nothing worse than you dying," Fayle said. "Your mother fainted when she heard that news."
The thought didn't sit well with Caron. His mother, who had loved him without end since the day he was born—she had fainted at the thought. There could be no greater failing as a son.
He answered in a low voice, "...I'm sorry."
"If you understand, that's enough. When you return, be prepared for endless nagging, almost to the point of death. Ah, but there is one thing I truly want you to remember," Fayle said.
His voice dropped to a low, tender tone, then he added, "You are our precious son. You are not planning to commit the greatest sin of all—dying before your parents, are you?"
The words carried warmth, gentle yet heavy with meaning. Caron smiled faintly, a little bitter. He replied, "That would never happen. I promise I will outlive both you and Mother."
Fayle, not wanting to burden him, had phrased it playfully, but Caron instantly caught the unease hidden in his father's voice. To be loved without limit by someone—Caron thought that his parents' love was the single happiest thing he'd known in this life.
So he answered calmly and proudly. Caron wouldn't allow himself to create sorrow for his parents. To finish his revenge, then return to Azureocean Castle and live as their good son. He thought that would be a fine life.
When Caron replied with a smile, Fayle finally sounded satisfied.
"Yes, that's how it should be. I've kept my busy son tied down for too long already. Eat well, and cut back on the drink a little—" Fayle said, but was cut off.
"Father," Caron interrupted.
"Hmm?" Fayle responded.
"I'll take care of myself. I'll contact you again, so don't worry," Caron said.
"So even my son hates nagging, just like every other son," Fayle chuckled. "Very well. This father has work to do. The documents needing my approval are already piled like mountains."
"Then go ahead, Father," Caron said.
And with that, the communication ended.
Caron lowered the device and let out a quiet breath. Then he murmured to himself, almost whispering, "...This time, I have too many reasons not to die."
Cain Latorre's life had been the opposite—too many reasons not to live. He had been the Malevolent Emperor's knight, a hound despised everywhere, mercilessly suppressing rebellions, a slave from birth scorned and hated. Never once had he longed for life. He had lived only because he couldn't die.
But this life was different.
"You're enjoying it," came a voice.
"Did I say I didn't like it?" Caron asked.
"Owner, I want you to live long too," Guillotine replied.
"...Really?" Caron asked.
"I think after being with you for three lifetimes, even I've grown attached," Guillotine said.
Indeed, their bond was stubbornly long-lived. Once, it had been Rael Leston's sword. Then, Cain Latorre's demonic sword. And now, it was Caron Leston's sword.
He'd lived three lives. And in all three, he'd carried Guillotine. Though in the second, Guillotine's form had been different.
Caron wondered why Havoc and Void had meddled with his reincarnations, and what dream Rael Leston had yearned for.
"I'll learn once I cross the Veil," he said.
He would find the answers in the Realm of Void, the place where all things ended. The place where his long vengeance would conclude, and where he could perhaps be reborn anew. The Realm of Void was bound, without question, to both the beginning and the end of Caron himself.
That was why he would cross the Veil and reach the Demon King of Void. He couldn't know if victory was certain, but he knew only this. He had to win.
"Perhaps by then your memories will be unsealed too," Caron said.
"Old memories aren't really necessary," Guillotine replied.
"Why not?" Caron asked.
"Because I've already enjoyed myself enough traveling with you. Whether I regain them or not, it doesn't matter. As long as I'm with you, there will always be plenty of fun ahead," Guillotine replied.
"For a demonic sword, that's a touching thing to say," Caron said.
"How long are you going to keep calling me a demonic sword?" Guillotine snapped.
"If you're a Demon King's sword, then you're a demonic sword. Don't complain," Caron said.
"...Shut up and pour me some liquor. Once we cross the Veil, I won't get to drink properly, will I? I'd like the imperial whiskey, if you have it," Guillotine said.
"Your tastes are getting expensive, you brat," Caron grumbled.
He poured liquor along Guillotine's blade, then glanced out the window. A crimson moon hung in an ashen sky. This twisted world, for once, seemed almost peaceful.
And with that faint tension in the air, Caron raised his glass and drank.
***
While the expedition threw itself into stabilizing the conquered regions, the commanders turned their focus toward investigating the Veil of the Void in earnest.
It was then that the mages and priests uncovered a truth that shook them.
At the round table, Cor, the Imperial Magic Tower's Master, presented the findings.
"The Veil of the Void was not created by the Demon King of Void," Cor said gravely. "Around the barrier, we found magic circles inscribed with dark magic, infused with the power of three Demon Kings."
"Then the ones who spread the Veil were..." a commander began.
"It was the Demon Kings themselves," Cor confirmed. "Setting aside Lust, who only recently ascended to a Demon Queen, the dark mana of Havoc, Slaughter, and Sloth formed the Veil. In other words, they themselves created it to isolate the Realm of Void from the rest of the Demon Realm."
The implication was clear. The other Demon Kings had rejected the Demon King of Void.
"...Which means," another commander muttered, "that even those mighty Demon Kings feared him."
The Demon King of Void was a being on an entirely different level. A Demon King feared even by other Demon Kings. The realization darkened the faces around the table. Only Vice Commander Hollander remained unmoved, his tone steady.
"There was never a real strategy for dealing with the Demon King of Void to begin with," he said. "Nothing has changed. All we can do is prepare thoroughly."
Unlike the other Demon Kings who had shown themselves across the continent time and again, the Demon King of Void was the sole one who had never appeared.
Caron, listening in silence, glanced at the Dark Magic Tower Master Libre, who smirked beside him.
"What are you listening so intently for?" Caron asked. "Planning to run off and tell the Demon King of Void everything?"
"Ah, now, that's a cruel thing to say," Libre replied smoothly. "Especially from the man holding my Life Force Vessel. If you wished, you could smash it and kill me instantly."
"Then tell me—why do you think the Demon Kings erected the Veil?" Caron pressed.
"Because they feared him, of course," Libre answered without hesitation. "The Demon King of Void is unlike any other. Personally, I wonder if calling it a Demon King is even correct... It's something more abstract, almost conceptual."
According to Libre, the Demon King of Void was closer to an idea than a being. Lacking a clear form, vague yet undeniably real. In fact, all the dark mana suffusing the Demon Realm had originated from the Void itself.
"I didn't make a pact with Void," Libre continued, "so much as being lucky enough to draw dark mana from it. Void has always desired only one thing since the beginning of time."
"And what is that?" Caron asked.
"To return to itself. In short, the Demon King of Void has always desired its own annihilation," Libre answered.
"...What a lunatic," Caron muttered.
"If it were human, I'd call it a death seeker," Libre said with a light laugh. "But that's all I know. Nothing more."
"As a dark mage, shouldn't you at least be useful?" Caron said. "How about throwing away that body of yours right here? Isn't it every dark mage's dream to leave his bones in the Demon Realm?"
"Haha, I quite like my current look. Call me a narcissist, perhaps? Haha," Libre replied.
Every time Caron spoke too long with the man, he felt his mind spinning. Yet he couldn't deny that Libre had been invaluable to the expedition. At first, Caron had been wary, but no one else had been so zealous in cutting down demons. For a dark mage, Libre was surprisingly tolerable.
With a lazy wave of his hand, Caron rose to his feet. The commanders conducting the meeting looked at him with thinly veiled dread.
What is he going to say this time?
Please, not another one of his insane remarks...
They knew all too well Caron's habit of speaking madness.
Caron strode confidently to the front, slammed his palm onto the table, and declared, "Let's focus on the Demon King of Havoc first. We already pried information about his forces out of the prisoners."
To fight two enemies at once would be suicide. The logical course was to crush Havoc first, absorb his power, and then strike Void with the combined might of Halo and the other strong ones.
"When nothing can be predicted, simplicity is best. Don't you agree, Commander?" Caron asked with a smile, fixing his eyes on Halo.
Halo exhaled heavily, then gave a reluctant nod and replied, "That isn't wrong."
"We've secured additional hatchery facilities in the Realm of Havoc. Raphael is summoning phoenixes tirelessly—they'll be a major help in open battle. Oh, and I don't mean my uncle Raphael, I mean the archangel," Caron added with a grin.
"...I can hear you, Caron," Raphael, his uncle, voiced his displeasure plainly.
"Ah—my apologies, Uncle," Caron said quickly, bowing low.
Several commanders barely managed to smother their laughter. The tension in the chamber eased, if only a little.
Caron swept his gaze across them, then continued, "Let's not overthink it. We crush Havoc, then we crush Void."
At that, Hollander asked in a slightly softer tone, "Do you have any good ideas for the battle against Havoc?"
"Vice Commander, didn't you ask me the same question last time?" Caron asked.
"I did," Hollander replied.
"Then you know my answer," Caron responded with a smirk.
"...That we should come up with the strategy ourselves?" Hollander asked.
"Exactly. Well then, I'll take my leave. Work hard, everyone," Caron said.
As always, Caron shoved the troublesome parts onto others.
And so, the expedition began preparing for its final stage in earnest. Time flowed faster than ever.