Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Episode 249
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Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Episode 249
55. Expected Scenario (3)
After the Heavenly-Demon Great War of the Mythic Era, the Heavenly Tribe was expelled from Rondel along with the demon race and forcibly relocated to another planet.
After that, like the demon race, they became beings unable to descend to Rondel of their own will but unlike the demon worshipers who supported the demon race, the Heavenly Tribe could descend with only the backup of the Sepia Order, which shared their disposition, so their descent difficulty could be considered somewhat lower.
However, the Heavenly King's number of descents was actually fewer than the Demon King's, because his descent required the sacrifice of a Holy Son and a Saintess.
So even if the Demon King descended, the Heavenly King's descent attempt remained a last resort.
The most recent descent of a Heavenly King was 1,200 years ago, when Rondel fell into great crisis at the hands of the Crimson Demon King, Arc Scarlet.
The famous tale of how the Saintess and Holy Son of that time gave their lives to bring down the Heavenly King and defeat Arc Scarlet is very well known.
In other words, a Heavenly King's descent is an even greater event than a Demon King's descent... but.
"Are you truly Heavenly King Heriel?"
The problem was that neither he, the Holy Son, nor Ibril, the Saintess, had ever wished for the Heavenly King's descent.
That was why, despite the enormous news of a Demon King's descent, the Holy Son had no choice but to raise this doubt.
They hadn't summoned him, yet the Heavenly King descended to Rondel on his own?
No matter how much the Demon King was invoked, this was by no means a normal situation.
"Oh? Do you doubt me?"
The Heavenly King spread his four pairs of wings wide to both sides.
At that, a vast divine power surpassing even him, the Holy Son, emanated from Heriel.
A sight that made one realize his self-introduction as the Heavenly King was no bluff.
That said, the Holy Son had no need to bow his head unconditionally.
After all, the Holy Son was also a special being directly appointed by the goddess.
"I acknowledge that you are Heavenly King Heriel. However, I must ask you to explain how you were able to descend alone."
At the Holy Son's audacious response, Heriel's eyes twitched.
Then he approached the Holy Son and, using his height, looked down on him as he spoke.
"Lady Sepia is currently very busy. Because of this, the barrier surrounding the heavenly realm and the demonic realm has temporarily weakened. Weak enough that the Heavenly Kings could descend on their own if they pooled their power."
Though uncertain, the Holy Son, believing the Heavenly King was not the sort to lie, accepted his claim and asked.
"Then that would mean the Demon King also used the same method to descend to Rondel?"
"That is correct."
Nodding, the Heavenly King folded his spread wings and curled up the corners of his mouth.
"So you're not a complete fool."
With that, he once again displayed an attitude of thoroughly belittling the Holy Son, just as before.
At that, the Holy Son's anger simmered inside him, but he couldn't help but ask about the Demon King.
"Can you tell which Demon King has descended?"
"I cannot know for certain. But I have narrowed it down to two candidates."
"And those two would be?"
At the names of the Demon Kings that followed, the Holy Son had to harden his expression.
"Dark Square and Arc Scarlet."
Because among them was the name of Arc Scarlet, who had pushed Rondel to the very brink of annihilation.
"There is a very high chance one of those two has descended. In the worst case..."
-Gulp.
"The worst case?"
"It's possible the two of them have descended together."
But even that was nothing compared to what followed.
Arc Scarlet alone was terrifying enough, yet now there might be two Demon Kings together...
Naturally, the Holy Son grew serious.
"Come to think of it, where has the Saintess gone?"
"Pardon?"
"How infuriating. The Holy Son ignores my descent, and now the Saintess as well."
The Holy Son was about to retort that it was his fault for appearing unannounced, not theirs, when
"Actually, the Saintess has lost her mind over some man."
He said this, thinking it was his chance to get back at Ibril.
Naturally, the Heavenly King's face couldn't help but frown.
But what happened next froze the Holy Son in place.
"My apologies. I was out on duty. Let's converse with me instead of a Holy Son of such low caliber as to sow discord."
Because at that perfect timing, Saintess Ibril stepped into the Holy Son's room and said those very words.
"You're the Saintess?"
"A pleasure to meet you, Heavenly King Heriel. I am Saintess Ibril Barnet."
Interest flickered across Heriel's face as he saw the sharpness in Ibril's eyes beneath her innocent-looking features.
"At least you seem more decisive than the Holy Son."
"Thank you."
The Holy Son instinctively averted his gaze as he saw the Saintess striding toward him, reminded of Adrian, while Heriel looked Ibril up and down and spoke.
"How about it? While I stay in Rondel, spend your nights with me."
To anyone listening, that could only be offensive.
Yet Heriel, the Heavenly King, spoke as if bestowing a favor, seemingly unaware of that.
Ibril replied with composure, her expression unchanged.
"I'm sorry, but there's someone I hold in my heart."
"Surprisingly pure."
"I have no choice. I've only been a Saintess for a year now."
With that, Ibril shifted the topic.
"So, how do you plan to catch the Demon King?"
"I hear the Holy See possesses a compass that tracks demons. I want you to make use of it."
Even a Heavenly King apparently couldn't immediately locate the Demon King, who was hiding his identity, so he showed interest in the Holy Relic.
But Ibril shook her head with an apologetic look.
"That has already returned to its rightful owner."
"Rightful owner?"
"Yes, there was someone who donated it, but when a conflict once arose between him and the Holy Son, he took it back out of spite."
The Heavenly King looked at the Holy Son with disdain.
"Then have the compass retrieved. There's no need to search the hard way when an easy method exists."
The Heavenly King's response was simple.
Not a discussion of borrowing, but a definitive statement of taking it back.
It was a glimpse into how he viewed the members of Rondel.
"I'll see what I can propose."
But the Saintess's answer was vague.
As a result, the Heavenly King looked baffled.
"The Demon King has descended. Don't you know that only by eliminating him will your lives return to stability?"
"Of course I know that. But the compass's owner isn't the kind of person to act on mere hearsay."
"What? Hearsay?"
His expression said, "What nonsense is this?"
Ibril shrugged.
"It means he's no easy opponent."
"And who is that?"
Heavenly King Heriel narrowed his eyes, determined not to let this go, certain that anyone the Saintess described that way must be immensely arrogant.
"Grand Duke Adrian El Lawrence. The ruler of the Duchy of Lawrence."
The ruler of a mere duchy, not even an Empire?
Heriel tilted his head, apparently unfamiliar with Rondel's personnel.
"The man the Saintess adores."
"Huh?"
"I keep business and personal matters separate."
He had thought the Saintess might be a slight improvement over the Holy Son, but it seemed that wasn't quite the case.
The Heavenly King looked back and forth between the two, as if asking whether they were joking.
"For now, we'll request the compass from Grand Duke Lawrence on our end."
"Enough. I'll just go and take it myself."
The Heavenly King, displeased with the situation, declared he would act personally.
He spoke coldly to the Saintess.
"You will follow me."
"I'm sorry, but please consider the Holy Son instead. I have far too much work."
"What?"
Having never expected the Saintess to be so uncooperative, the Heavenly King let out a hollow laugh of disbelief.
No matter how admirable a woman with strong convictions might be, wasn't there a limit?
As a result, the Heavenly King's gaze, which had been filled with goodwill toward Ibril, turned frigid.
"Then I'll take it that the Heavenly King's first course of action is to go borrow the compass from Grand Duke Lawrence."
The problem was that Ibril offered a formal bow with a businesslike air and turned away without further explanation.
As she leisurely left the room, the Heavenly King couldn't hold back a remark.
"Once all is said and done, you will surely pay the price for this rudeness."
With high-ranking clergy and Holy Knights swarming around at the commotion, the Heavenly King's eyes sharpened.
Such humiliating treatment.
"Then lead the way. To this Adrian."
The Holy Son flinched at the Heavenly King's murderous aura.
'Why are you taking it out on me, you bastard.'
As a result, the Holy Son was having a miserable time.
* * *
Long black hair with bangs cut straight across.
Dark Square, sporting the hairstyle commonly called a hime cut, faced Arc Scarlet, who had tied her red hair into cute twin tails, casting a gaze filled with mixed emotions.
Arc Scarlet felt the same way when she faced her old comrade after the stage was over.
As a result, an awkward silence flowed between the two, and Dark Square pretty-faced but male upon closer inspection was the one to speak first.
"What are you doing?"
Naturally, the reply he received was far from pleasant.
"What do you mean, what am I doing, you bastard? I'm going through this humiliation because of you lot. You damn bastards."
In other words, the root cause was the fellow Demon Kings who had messed around with Arc Scarlet's descent.
Dark Square conceded that point with a "fair enough" and nodded, but then shook his head.
"No, but for all that, you looked way too lively up on that stage."
"Th-That's..."
Arc Scarlet had been forced into it at first, but lately she'd come to genuinely enjoy the idol work.
Still, she couldn't bring herself to confess those feelings outright to Dark Square.
After all, she was a charismatic figure and a symbol of the demonic realm.
So Arc Scarlet desperately changed the subject.
"Well, you seem to have managed your descent somehow too. And you don't look much better off than I do."
"..."
Indeed.
Following Arc Scarlet, Dark Square had also been sternly warned and threatened, yet he couldn't escape the fellow Demon Kings' antics either.
As a result, his current power level wasn't much different from Arc Scarlet's.
"Oh? Who's this? A friend?"
And with Dark Square catching the eye of someone he absolutely should not have encountered, his fate from that point on would likely mirror hers as well.
Having appeared from who knows where, the black dragon Brangish was walking over.
"Adrian told me to hurry over, so I wondered what was going on. And here you are again."
Arc Scarlet realized belatedly that his appearance was due to the master-servant contract binding her and Adrian, but at this point she couldn't help Dark Square escape.
Brangish, having seen through Dark Square's identity at a glance, curled the corners of his mouth and spoke.
"Well, well. I'm glad our Asuka (Arc Scarlet) has gained a new companion."
"Wh-What?"
And so, strung along like sausages, Dark Square was caught by Brangish right after Arc Scarlet.
Arc Scarlet had to let out a deep sigh because of it.
It was the first time the nature of demon-kind felt so pathetic to her.
* * *
The ducal palace of the Duchy of Lawrence.
I set a schedule with my aides, Gregory and Count Elfried, to overhaul the leadership of Lyseth Island.
Lyseth Island is a country with a noble system, but what's peculiar is that it's a nation without a king.
It could be described as a city-state alliance where powerful noble families divide the land among themselves and govern cooperatively.
However, because Lyseth Island sits between the Tetatron Continent of the Prius Republic and the Triton Continent of the Six Eastern Nations, it had amassed wealth through trade, and despite being an ambiguous class-based nation without a king, it possessed considerable military strength.
The problem is that this nation is overly wary of external powers approaching.
Despite growing through trade, it had a very closed-off political disposition.
"Do we attack without warning?"
"No, we should still issue several warnings first. If they keep responding with silence, we'll have no choice but to take a hard line to protect that nation's citizens."
They may claim it's for their own sovereignty, but in emergencies, it's the innocent citizens who suffer because of the rigid upper echelon.
That's why we didn't hesitate to interfere in other nations' internal affairs.
The political and military pressure we're about to apply to Lyseth Island will serve as a good example.
This was no time to be leisurely weighing every justification.
"Understood. Then I'll issue a warning in the name of the Rondel Peace Organization, and also send a warning in the name of the four great Empires that are member states."
"Yes, please do."
Most would cave under this level of intimidation, but in any world, there are always stubborn old fossils who won't listen to reason.
I judged the leadership of Lyseth Island to be exactly that kind of people.
"If they don't yield after the warning, what do you plan to do?"
I answered Gregory's question without hesitation.
"I'll go myself."
"That will be a definitive warning."
After that, we continued exchanging various conversations.
How much time passed like that?
"Y-Your Highness the King!"
An unexpected guest had come to see me.
"The Holy Son of the Sepia Order and one who calls himself the Heavenly King have come to visit together!"
I tilted my head and had to look at Gregory and Count Elfried, asking whether I had heard the Minister of the Royal Household correctly.
And then.
-KWAANG!
With a violent explosion, the ducal palace shook.