Chapter 471. The Kingdom's Lies, Second Princess Norn
Observers on Earth and in the world of Emilia were beyond the point of complaining.
Although everyone had started out as perfectly normal heterosexuals, by now, they had grown accustomed to seeing "perverted fanboys" everywhere. There were simply too many of them.
Whether Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had promoted it or not, this second world was already teeming with such individuals; Ayanokouji had merely provided them with a stage to showcase their "talents."
In the world of Keyaru, the "Ultimate Four"—who had been chosen in the future but were currently scattered in different locations—felt a jolt of inspiration.
Seeing their future selves stand out, the four were deeply moved and made a swift decision... To encounter a monarch with such an eye for talent meant they had nothing left to fear. Even if it meant rebelling against the Kingdom, they would follow the Earth Emperor to the ends of the hellish earth!
From all corners of the land, the four packed their belongings and rations, heading toward Keyaru's village with hearts pounding.
Before they could arrive, however, the area was already echoing with the thunder of the Kingdom's cavalry. What followed was a chorus of despairing wails and screams amidst terror; severed limbs were scattered messily across the ground, and blood sprayed everywhere.
The people currently remaining in the village being slaughtered by the army were essentially the same lot who had tried to extort Ayanokouji Kiyotaka only to be thrown into the slave pens.
The villagers with a shred of sense had neither the courage to threaten Ayanokouji nor the desire to delay their escape for the sake of a few coins.
As for the senseless crowd, though they wanted to flee, they insisted on scavenging every bit of their property first. Once greed took root, disaster arrived on schedule.
By the time they had packed their large bundles and were ready to run, the Kingdom's vanguard had descended... transforming the village into a living purgatory.
"Search! Search every inch! We must find those escapees and the Keyaru siblings! If they aren't here, hunt them down! If a single one is missing, we're all dead!"
The lead General shouted irritably.
Although he loathed the First Princess now that her true face was exposed, he intended to strictly execute the order to massacre the village; otherwise, the Kingdom would never forgive him.
Even if Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was invincible in the future, the General did not believe Ayanokouji could succeed in a rebellion now that he had lost the advantage of surprise and concealment.
Therefore, he had no intention of betraying the Kingdom. He remained a loyal hound, serving as the Kingdom's executioner and obeying orders.
Even if the First Princess was a waste, there was still the Second Princess. This Kingdom would not fall!
.
.
.
「Once all internal threats were resolved and his faction was flourishing, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's newly formed intelligence department delivered the latest news.」
「"Second Princess Norn, leading 'Eagle Eye'—one of the three Great Heroes—and the Blade Hero Blade, is marching a massive army toward the city of Buranikka!"」
「Buranikka was once a major metropolis of the Kingdom, until it faced an invasion by the Demon Race twenty years ago.」
「At that time, the Kingdom's garrison fled the moment they saw the demons approaching. No one stayed to evacuate the residents; the Kingdom didn't care for the lives of the people, only for preserving its military strength.」
「Fortunately, the demons attacking Buranikka were not actually cruel. Most of them had risen up in arms only because they could no longer endure the Kingdom's oppression.」
「Their malice was directed solely at the Kingdom, and they did nothing to the innocent residents. Thus, through a consensus between the City Lord and the demon leader of the time, humans and demons began to coexist in harmony.」
「Twenty years had passed, and the city had prospered, its reputation spreading far and wide.」
「The Second Princess's move to subjugate Buranikka was perfectly logical. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka didn't even need to use his brain; based on instinct alone, he could instantly think of three or four reasons for it.」
「To the Kingdom, Buranikka's existence was an unbearable eyesore. On one hand, it silently mocked the Kingdom's "hit and run" cowardice; on the other, it proved that demons could live peacefully with humans, tearing a hole in the web of lies spun by the Kingdom.」
「For years, the Kingdom had propagated a narrative to brainwash the world, claiming that the Demon Race was inherently evil and loathsome, and therefore the Kingdom had to fight them to protect the people.」
「Since fighting demons was for everyone's protection, it was only "logical" for taxes to increase every year, right? After all, war requires weapons and supplies.」
「...Under this brainwashing, the commoners showed immense patience toward unreasonably high taxes. This was why, despite the Kingdom's tyranny, rebels were pitifully few.」
「The nobles also constantly proclaimed, "We nobles are fighting demons in such-and-such place," providing a "justification" for their terrifyingly vast powers.」
「Even if they executed innocent civilians at a whim or discarded virgins after defiling them, the brainwashed populace saw it as a right the noble lords had earned.」
「After all, the noble lords had supposedly stained the battlefields with their blood to protect humanity, the Kingdom, and pariahs like them.」
「...Granted, even without this brainwashing, the awareness of commoners in a world resembling Medieval Europe wouldn't be very high; most wouldn't dare resist the nobility or the Crown anyway.」
「But with these lies, things were simply much easier to manage.」
「Therefore, demons must not coexist peacefully with humans—and Buranikka broke that iron rule and shattered that lie.」
「Even though the Kingdom had spent twenty years trying to blockade information regarding Buranikka and banning outsiders from entering, private merchants saw profit and ignored the risks, sneaking in to conduct trade.」
「Consequently, intelligence about Buranikka flowed out alongside the merchants, gradually becoming common knowledge.」
「Seeing that the secret was about to become public, the Kingdom finally made its decision—massacre the entire city of Buranikka, then announce to the world that the "evil demons" had bewitched the residents, forcing the Kingdom to send heroes to "liberate" them.」
「Such a move might seem incredibly cruel to others, but Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's eyes lit up; he quite liked this kind of decisiveness and initiative.」
「However, if it had been him in charge, he wouldn't have withdrawn the troops in the first place. The Kingdom's vision was ultimately too narrow.」
「"Ho. The Kingdom attacking this city was entirely expected, but the lineup is surprisingly lavish."」
「"One doesn't need to bring Eagle Eye and Blade just to take a city... Heh, it seems that after that stupid pig Flare died, the King is protecting his remaining offspring quite well."」
「Ayanokouji Kiyotaka spoke in a mocking tone, letting out a disdainful chuckle.」
「So what if they have Heroes and Great Heroes? Since she dared to step out of the Royal Capital away from the King's presence, Second Princess Norn's fate was sealed from the very beginning.」
Read ahead (160 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting