Prologue - The Clowns' Decision
Word had yet to reach the Empire… But as far as the loyal subjects of that Empire were concerned, perhaps ignorance was bliss. The imperial generals who were supposed to be invading the Western Nations after storming their way through the Forest of Jura—in other words, their beloved fathers, brothers, their very family—were all killed without having any say in their fates.
Nearly a million troops had gone on the attack. Defeat was simply unthinkable. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Empire’s long-cherished dream of conquering the West would be accomplished in all its glory, the entire land united as a single nation under the lofty name of Emperor Ludora. The Forest of Jura was a formidable obstacle, no doubt—but now that the evil dragon Veldora had been weakened, there was nothing for anyone to fear.
That was how things were supposed to turn out.
And so in the reign of this greatest of emperors, the imperial army—considered the strongest that history had ever known—had finally begun its invasion.
That, in essence, was how the imperial citizens felt. None of them expected a hard fight, let alone a stinging defeat. None had imagined that the Empire would never even reach the Western Nations before their dreams of world conquest were crushed within the Forest of Jura. But that was exactly what happened—the imperial army was wholly eradicated without accomplishing any of their goals.
Thanks to an ambush at the hands of the Jura-Tempest Federation—a strike that wasn’t even on the Empire’s radar—these citizens would be reminded of just how vast and unpredictable the world could be. But now, for just a few more days, the Empire’s subjects would remain blissfully unaware.
In the headquarters of the Composite Division in the imperial capital was a large, ornate room where certain people were now gathering in secret. The meeting was chaired by Yuuki, with Kagali, Laplace, Teare, and Footman—the Moderate Jesters—accompanying him. Misha, one of the three leaders of Cerberus, was also present; her coleader Vega was not, as he was on a mission with the Magical Beast Division.
Laplace and Misha were currently delivering their reports, and their tales couldn’t help but make Yuuki chuckle a bit. He had pictured several potential scenarios in his mind, but these results were singularly unexpected. It was all too overwhelming—and all too soon. The demon lord Rimuru and his band had pulled off such a mind-boggling performance that they would need to rethink their entire strategy urgently.
The most astonishing thing of all, of course, was how the demon lord had actually expanded his army’s power since their last meeting.
“Impossible… Just wiping out an army that size without breaking a sweat, you know? I figured he would win in the end, but suffering zero casualties? That’s just too much.”
“It’s simply unbelievable. With the Empire’s force, they could have taken on three demon lord factions at the same time and still maintained equal footing…”
“Well, compared to the Ten Great Demon Lords, the so-called Octagram is on another level in terms of fighting ability. Guy still reigns over them all, granted, but Luminus and Daggrull have been fighting for influence with each other for ages now, haven’t they? We’re all aware of Leon’s power… And Milim, notorious for not even bothering to have anyone serve her, now has both Carillon and Frey—each former demon lords themselves. That leaves Ramiris and Deeno as the last solo acts, doesn’t it?”
Kagali wanted to fire back against Yuuki. But as his analysis continued, she began looking increasingly convinced. Certainly, things were different from back when Kagali lived among the demon lord ranks. No need to mention Guy again, but Milim now ruled over a vast territory south of the Forest of Jura. Luminus and Daggrull both governed large forces—armies that hadn’t thinned out even after several clashes against angelic troops. There were wild cards like Leon, yes, but this crop of demon lords was nothing at all like when they were the new guys, back in Kagali’s heyday.
Even if you had a decent-size legion serving you, after all, survival as a demon lord often came down to dumb luck—and that was just as true for Kagali, back when she was Kazalim the Curse Lord. That was why she tried to keep her wits about her back then and build cooperative relationships with the other demon lords, taking every measure possible to ensure she stuck around.
Even Roy Valentine, the Bloody Lord, was nothing but a stand-in. The One God Luminus was the true demon lord, and even Luminus couldn’t fully put down Daggrull’s force. I used to be so jealous of people like that—people who could rip me to shreds. Carillon and Frey played it smart by comparison. Would that I were that intelligent—then I wouldn’t have saddened so many others, and I wouldn’t have lost Clayman…
Looking back, all the effort Kagali expended forcing so many magic-born under her command seemed pointless now. Playing the numbers game didn’t really matter against someone who had more than a certain level of strength; Clayman’s failure made that pretty obvious. What Kagali’s side really needed was more friends she could’ve had frank, honest discussions with.
…Ah, but I can only say that now, can’t I? As many times as we’ve all been betrayed, it’s all but impossible for the likes of us to trust in others.
It was true. If she had never met Yuuki, she’d probably still be holding a deep-seated grudge against the whole world. But, she thought, it was too late—so she bottled up the regret in her heart.
But the conversation continued, regardless of how she felt about it deep down.
“You’ve had a hard time, haven’t you, Laplace?”
“Boy, you said it. And it sure didn’t get none better this time, either.” Laplace nodded, looking fatigued.
“Ha-ha-ha! You had to fight for ten days straight, I heard?”
“Yep. That Treyni lady—lemme tell ya, she’s gotten crazy strong. If I went easy—or hell, if I let up at all—she woulda killed me, no doubt. And I was fighting her in the middle of the forest, too! I think I put in a real good effort, if you ask me.”
Laplace continued to whine for a while longer. It was a likely story, coming from him—he couldn’t help how fishy he looked and acted—but for once, maybe he was actually right.
Yuuki raised a hand to assuage him. “But she believed you in the end, didn’t she?”
“Yeah, right. They had me bound up so tight that I couldn’t move an inch! The demon lord Rimuru’s own officers were watchin’ over me! You call that believin’ me?”
Yet despite that, Laplace had negotiated his way out of there and brought back some truly valuable information. Talk about living up to your reputation.
“I’m amazed they let you go unscathed, actually.”
“Well, supposedly, the demon lord Guy pulled a few strings for me. Not really trusting you, Boss, so much as takin’ advantage of the situation.”
If they were still clearly enemies, there was no way the captured Laplace ever would’ve been released. More to the point, Laplace wouldn’t have gotten that involved in the first place.
After Laplace finally stopped complaining, Yuuki breathed a sigh of relief. But it was too soon to be relieved.
“And I had a hard time myself,” Misha added. “This has been so exhausting. My job was to incite Commander Caligulio into prolonging the war, and I knew what I was getting into and all, but I swear to you, I seriously requested a withdrawal right in the middle of all that. When he turned me down, I was just about to really kill him and desert, even…”
The bitterness was evident in Misha’s voice. Of course, by the time she made that suggestion, it was already too late. Misha had only been spared because Yuuki had built a war alliance with Rimuru. If not, Diablo would have personally seen to her grisly death by now.
“Well, we’re all lucky, aren’t we? Lucky that Rimuru’s the type to keep his word.”
“That slime is just the most extraordinary thing. Because I remember some people in the Armored Division being demon lord caliber in their fighting skills, but…”
“Yeah.”
“You’re right. Of course, Rimuru’s forces dispatched them before he even had to lift a finger…”
As a still-shocked Misha explained, the demon lord had not just one, but several Demon Peers under his command. Not even she seemed convinced of the truth she was speaking, but there it was. The very height of the demon hierarchy, right here on the ground—fully unleashed—and still wholly devoted to serving a single demon lord.
“But the real surprise was seeing two Single Digits defeated before my eyes like cows at a slaughterhouse. Honestly, it’s silly to even think of challenging monsters like those.”
Everyone listened on in disbelief as she laid out the whole story. Yuuki felt it proper to change the subject.
“Bernie’s and Jiwu’s identities were another big surprise, weren’t they? Knowing that I’ve been dancing in the palm of Damrada’s hand is so frustrating.”
Yuuki fully meant that. Now he was sure that Damrada was a traitor, and that revelation was a great shock to everyone in the chamber. He had been Yuuki’s close confidant for many years, earning his sincere trust over that time, and he served as a top-level leader at the core of Yuuki’s camp. He had even entrusted him with the Cerberus secret society, their main foothold inside the Empire. His turning traitor required them to redraw their entire game plan.
Two of the Empire’s most powerful fighters had been attached to Masayuki, someone they dismissed as a peon to be ignored. That, too, showed just how much foresight Damrada had. He was influencing Yuuki and his cohorts, likely seeing matters from a much broader perspective than anyone else—and realizing that cut Yuuki’s pride to tatters.
“It certainly is,” Kagali added, lost in thought. “Thinking about it, I suspect Damrada was involved in Clayman falling out of control as well.”
Yuuki nodded. “I don’t think I can deny that, no. It’s really kind of strange, looking back, how all our plans have failed. But I don’t think Damrada benefits from that. It’s only with his help that we’ve become so powerful, after all. If he wanted to take it away from me, he shouldn’t have given it to us in the first place.”
“That’s what I’m wondering. I believe Damrada was quite fascinated by you, Sir Yuuki. That much wasn’t an act, I don’t think—the loyalty he showed you was the real thing. And think of all the projects we have completed, thanks to his assistance.”
“As a former colleague of his, I can tell you that Damrada really was working hard for our organization. He had some impressive accomplishments, and I imagine his loyalty to you really was sincere, Boss. But that man did have his more ruthless, coldhearted side. His obsessing over money is evidence of his more pragmatic side as well. So perhaps it’s possible that he could…betray you, for some reason.”
Misha seemed convinced. But Yuuki shook his head at her.
“He betrayed me, no doubt about it, but… You know, I’m not sure if that’s what he really wanted. Or maybe he did?” he asked, grinning.
“I agree with you, Boss. If all of it was just an act, then why would Damrada have done everything he did?” Kagali seemed to reach the same conclusion as Yuuki. “Allow me to explain. It was Lord Gadora’s report that made us aware of Damrada’s betrayal. Gadora was killed within Emperor Ludora’s palace, and the man he saw standing before him was Lieutenant Kondo—the man hidden behind the Empire’s shadow.”
“The palace…? I see. So Damrada had enough status to be allowed in there?”
Yuuki nodded at Misha, adding more information of his own. “That’s right. And based on the intel you brought back, I have an idea of who Damrada really is, too. There’s only a few people out there besides the emperor who can give orders to the Single Digits.”
Everyone looked taken aback.
“Yeah… Yeah, I’ll bet. It just takes a little thought, and it’s so obvious, huh?”
“Right. I don’t think it was Damrada betraying us…so much as following the emperor’s orders.”
“Maybe he didn’t intend to do any of it… But it doesn’t matter much at this point.”
Perhaps he was an enemy of Yuuki’s from the start. Perhaps not. Right now, all that mattered was Damrada’s traitorous behavior, and Laplace and his cohorts were out for blood.
“Yeah, you’re probably right, Boss. But y’know, if he was tryin’ to trick that idiot Clayman, too, then don’tcha think we oughtta make him pay for that?”
“Right! Right! Let’s go and kill him right now!”
“Hoh-hoh-hoh! For fixers like us, trust is our most valuable asset. No mercy must be given to traitors!”
Laplace was ready to stage the purge today, Teare and Footman eagerly agreeing to the idea. But Yuuki stopped them.
“Hold your horses. We know Damrada is actually a high-ranking member of the Imperial Guardians. Rest assured he’s a lot more dangerous than your run-of-the-mill demon lord. I’m not sure even you guys could beat him.”
“…True. I hate to admit it, but even in my own demon lord prime, I don’t know if I could have beaten Lord Gadora. And if Damrada’s good enough to stage a sneak attack on Gadora, I think it’s safe to assume he has the talent to back his reputation.”
“Okay, maybe, but…”
“And also—I think there might be a message hidden in everything Damrada did.”
The words came from Yuuki after a few moments of deliberation. He began outlining his thoughts, cautioning that it was all hypothetical for now.
“Damrada is a cautious man. He knows us well, and he also knows about the demon lord Rimuru in close detail. Someone like him would certainly have known about the Resurrection Bracelets.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that I think he was aware of the possibility that Gadora could’ve resurrected himself all along.”
“But then… Wait. Do you mean…?!”
Now it dawned on Misha as well. What if Damrada wasn’t trying to kill Gadora at all? What if, instead, he was offering him a way to flee the Empire?
“The last man to speak to him was Lieutenant Kondo, right? The ‘stalker of the halls of information,’ as they say. If Gadora had been left alive in there, he would’ve fallen right into the lieutenant’s hands. Then he would’ve been able to extract every bit of information Gadora had—by any means possible.”
“And then all our objectives would’ve come to light, you think?”
“Probably, yeah. But there’s still a few things I don’t understand. Keeping Gadora’s mouth shut ensured that the Empire remained oblivious about Rimuru. The Empire paid gravely for that, as we all know. But I don’t think Damrada dealt all that damage to them just because he wanted to do us a favor, you know?”
Yuuki grinned. “That, sad to say, I don’t have much explanation for.”
“I think that Damrada is more faithful to Emperor Ludora than you, Sir Yuuki,” Kagali replied. “There’s no doubt about that. But at the same time, he also saw all of us as friends…or not. What if he thought he could use us or have us play some kind of role for him?”
“Mm-hmm. Go on.”
“There’s a chance, perhaps, that the defeat of the imperial force was in accordance with Emperor Ludora’s wishes.”
“That’s absurd!”
“No way, man. That’s crazy talk.”
Misha and Laplace immediately denied it, but Yuuki was piqued by this hypothesis.
“What purpose do you think Damrada would have in this scenario?”
“It’s quite simple. A large number of deaths is essential for the performance of any large-scale ritual. The awakening of a demon lord requires many souls. Could it be that Damrada and Ludora were using the imperial army itself as a sacrifice?”
“It’s feasible, yes.”
“And if that’s the case, it’d make sense that they’d want to meddle with Lieutenant Kondo, given how he was expecting to win this war. And that also gives me a vague impression of why he wanted us to survive…”
Gadora was visiting the emperor in order to give him a warning. Damrada kept him from doing so. But what if Gadora’s information had been passed on to Kondo? The imperial army wouldn’t have been nearly as devastated, for one—and even before that, they would’ve taken on a far different battle strategy against Rimuru and his band. It was easy to believe that a man of Damrada’s intelligence would have noticed this, and thus it was safe to assume his actions were intentional.
But what was his purpose?
“Maybe he was testing the waters?”
“Perhaps, yes.” Kagali gave Yuuki’s suggestion a satisfied smile. “You have to tolerate a lot of sacrifices in order to create someone truly strong. Perhaps he was trying to use us as pawns for the creation of this force as well?”
“Or maybe he was trying to take us in.”
“…?”
“You know how Kagali and I were pretty much the only people Clayman accepted orders from, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Uh-huh.”
“No doubt about that.”
“So if he managed to set Clayman loose like that, maybe he had some kind of secret trick to accomplish that?”
“True. Brainwashing, for example?”
Yuuki nodded at Kagali. “I think he might have cast a Thought Guidance spell on him, even if it wasn’t all that powerful. Maybe that spell was driven by a magic item like what we had—or for all we know, he had some kind of mind-domination ability like Maribel’s.”
The reasoning hardened the faces of everyone in the room.
“Sounds like trouble,” Misha said to a nodding audience.
Looking at them, Yuuki smiled. “I wouldn’t worry, though. That kinda power doesn’t work on me. So what I’m gonna do right now is touch each of you in turn. Is that all right with everyone?”
They all agreed to it. Refusing would be akin to confessing that you were someone else’s puppet. Yuuki was giving everyone a chance to prove their innocence, and none of them were about to turn it down.
“Well, it looks like nobody here’s brainwashed anyway. I mean, I would’ve noticed if you suddenly started talking differently. I knew you’d all be fine, as long as none of you were out there alone.”
“So I was in even more danger than I thought, huh?” Laplace said, standing up and looking around. But Yuuki and Kagali both spoke up to deny it.
“Nah, nah, you’re fine.”
“Right. You’re the last person who needs to worry about that.”
That brought the grouchy Laplace back to his seat. “What the heck? You could at least pretend to worry a little more about me…”
It was more than enough to quell the chamber’s gloomy atmosphere. Everyone shared a laugh, their thoughts shifting away from darker topics. Yuuki, appreciative of that, spoke up to guide the conversation back his way.
“So regardless of what Damrada’s motivations are, the question is: What should we do now?”
“Yes… I’d like to ask him about how much our plans have been compromised.”
“Whoa, whoa, ya sure we have the time for stuff like that? He knows exactly what we’re up to already, don’t he?”
“Yeah, I told Damrada everything we were planning to do. We didn’t exactly keep it a secret.”
“Okay, so shouldn’t we be gettin’ outta here?”
“Well, that’s not too possible, either.”
Yuuki’s faction was now soundly based in the Empire. He still had a few people undercover in the Western Nations, but that was only a tiny handful. There was no way he could lie low over there, and preparing a new hideout wasn’t a very easy thing even in the best of times. Most of all, they had neither the time nor the right preparation to allow all the members of his faction to escape safely.
“One thing I can tell you for sure is that I can’t run Cerberus by myself,” said Misha. “I relied heavily on Damrada’s work skills for that, and I don’t even know everyone he had working for him.”
Vega, the third leader of that group, was good for little more than wanton violence. It was very unlikely that he could serve in any kind of managerial capacity. Misha’s point seemed valid there.
“Oh, I know that. This is one Cerberus that’s gonna have to make do with less than three heads. We can get rid of all of Damrada’s employees, maybe, but the biggest headache is the Composite Division. It’d be a real shame to let go of that force—or rather, to lose all its associated bases.”
They could cut their losses and run, maybe, but the losses were just too great to contemplate. There was no place in this world that could accept a force of one hundred thousand out of nowhere. That meant Yuuki would have to leave them all in the lurch—and that, in turn, meant those who didn’t escape somehow would doubtlessly be purged. Besides, given what they could guess about Damrada’s intentions, it didn’t seem like he was telling people about Yuuki’s secrets.
“Okay, so there are a few reasons why Damrada wanted to keep Gadora quiet, but I think one of them was to keep Kondo from learning our information. The Imperial Guardians probably aren’t a monolith, you know. And the coup we’re planning in the capital—I think Damrada wants that to succeed, right?”
“We don’t know what his intentions are, but if he wanted to keep us hidden, that would be the only reason why, yes.”
Yuuki and Kagali seemed to be anticipating each other’s thoughts. The rest of the group looked on in confusion. Then, as if unable to bear it any longer, Laplace interrupted.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a sec, Boss. The whole idea that he let Gadora go on purpose is just a guess on your part, huh? Ain’t it more likely that Damrada and Kondo are all buddy-buddy, and we’re gettin’ them all wrong?”
That sounded like common sense to most of them. But not to Yuuki.
“I doubt it. Look, the whole reason we planned this coup was because of the deal we made with the demon lord Guy. Damrada knows that, too. So instead of trying to meddle in our plans, wouldn’t he think it better to sow chaos in the capital and pull one over on Guy?”
“Mmm… Is that even possible?”
“I sure don’t know.”
“Hoh-hoh-hoh!”
Teare and Footman looked pretty lost, instead focusing on some juggling balls they had on hand.
“But would someone so close to the emperor want to see the capital in chaos?” Misha asked after organizing her thoughts. But she still failed to understand Yuuki and Kagali’s point of view.
In a way, that was a totally normal reaction. After all, Yuuki’s train of thought was feasible only from an absolutely rational perspective, where any sacrifice is fair game if it achieves your goals. It allowed Yuuki and his band to leverage their abilities in any way they wanted, and from Misha’s outsider view, it was as contradictory as it was insane. Asking her to understand it was ridiculous.
“Don’t think too hard about it, Misha. The important thing is to understand who Damrada had his eyes on as a potential hostile element. Damrada, you know… He never saw Sir Yuuki or Rimuru as his enemy from start to finish. For him, that was Guy Crimson—and nobody else. And once you realize that, it makes sense that he’d look the other way while we ran wild all over the capital.”
“Yeah. And Kondo’s different. To him, the enemy’s not just Guy, but anybody else who’s against the Empire. He serves Emperor Ludora with a completely different perspective from Damrada’s.”
That, Yuuki concluded, probably meant they were in conflict over assorted matters. It made sense to Kagali.
“Well, all right. If you and Lady Kagali say so, Boss, I’ll believe ya.”
Laplace was unhesitant in his agreement, Teare and Footman nodding along. Then Misha looped back to the core question.
“So, Sir Yuuki, what are your plans for the future? If Damrada turns out to be an enemy, then obviously we can’t trust him, regardless of his true intentions. So should we call off the coup and force our way out of here, consequences or not? Fortunately for us, we’ve got sixty percent of the Composite Division blockading the Dwarven Kingdom’s eastern city. Add the remaining forces in the capital to that, plus as much support as we ourselves can provide, and it’d be easy to seize a regional city or two. Use those as a base, and…”
“…And the conquered nations with a beef against the Empire will rise up and form a grand anti-imperialist coalition?”
“Y-yes. Wouldn’t that be the best way to secure an army and give us the highest chance of victory?”
“Not a bad idea, no. You don’t need to look for long to find regions oppressed by the imperial nobility. Maybe we could style ourselves as a liberation force instead of a rebellion in those areas.”
“So…?”
“But sadly, the answer is no.”
Misha was about to ask why. Yuuki continued before she could open her mouth.
“The only way for us to survive is to stage the coup as planned. Isn’t that right, Damrada?”
Before Misha could comprehend what he meant, the clowns immediately readied themselves for combat. Then the heavy chamber door opened, and in walked a man.
“Well said. I’d expect nothing less from you, Boss.”
It was Damrada, dressed in his usual merchant garb. But his demeanor was pure military, and he had no interest in hiding that. The air in the room grew tense. Laplace attempted to make a move, but Damrada stopped him with a quiet command.
“Don’t try it. My men have already surrounded the building.”
Yuuki, observing the situation, relaxed his body and sank into the sofa.
“Do you have time to talk a bit? If so, why don’t you sit down, too?”
“Boss, we can’t just sit here all day—”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. You just take a seat, okay?”
Yuuki enjoined the dubious Laplace to return to his seat, then eyed Damrada with a bold smile.
“So what do you want?”
“I’m afraid you’ve misread my behavior, Boss, so I’ve come to explain that I have my own problems to consider as well.”
Damrada took a seat as instructed. Seeing his perfectly calm, collected demeanor made Laplace’s crew nervously chuckle. Then, leaving everyone else in the room behind, Yuuki and Damrada began conversing.
“Problems, huh?”
“Yes. My thoughts, you see, are that I truly do wish you success in this coup, Boss.”
“Okay. Then why did you let Gadora go?”
“Heh-heh-heh… He’s safe, then? I took a gamble on that one, but he always was a very cautious man. I assumed he’d find a way to survive.”
“And you did it to keep Kondo from getting his information?”
“That’s right, yes.”
“Didn’t you swear an oath of loyalty to the emperor?”
“I did, yes.”
“You did? Then what about now?”
“I’ve said this many times before, and perhaps you may choose not to believe it, but my loyalties are to you, Boss.”
“Like I can trust you in that.”
“I suppose not.”
Both of them smiled as they let their tongues do the fighting.
“I can tell you that burying Gadora’s information has effectively destroyed the Armored Division. In addition, the Magical Beast Division is now outside the capital city. Even if word of the Armored Division’s status has reached them, it will take some time for them to turn back. The forces currently guarding the capital are greatly reduced in number. The time is now, don’t you think?”
“I do. It’s so convenient for us that it almost feels like it’s been set up.”
“Yes. I’ve been spending years setting this up for you.”
“Damrada, are you…?”
“Look, Boss, I have lived my whole life in order to defeat Emperor Ludora. That is the only path left for saving him. The best way to achieve that was by having you take over the Empire. My thoughts on that have not changed, and now everything has been put in place. The rest is up to you to decide.”
“Pfft…”
Yuuki snorted, not enjoying this topic at all. Everything was going the way Damrada wanted it, and he was deeply uncomfortable with that. But was rejecting him out of hand the right way, either? Just as Damrada said, the situation couldn’t possibly be better right now. The only question was whether to trust him on that.
“Let me ask you something.”
“Go ahead.”
“Why did you use Clayman like a pawn without consulting me?”
Yuuki and the Moderate Jesters had sworn to each other that no one would betray the other. To the members of this band, there were few others in the world they could even think about trusting. Clayman was one of them, a vital friend to Yuuki, and the question brought Kagali, Laplace, Teare, and Footman all to attention. Their gazes were focused on Damrada, as if they’d never allow him to deceive them. But despite the near-murderous atmosphere, Damrada remained calm.
“I had nothing to do with what happened to Clayman. I have an idea of who did it, but I hardly expected him to go to such lengths…”
There was a moment of silence. Then Yuuki broke it.
“Is that Tatsuya Kondo?”
“…”
“You seem to know a lot about Kondo. There’s a lot of secrets around, you know? So don’t you think us trusting in you is a little too convenient?”
Damrada listened to Yuuki’s theory silently, a pained expression on his face. Then, after Yuuki was done, he spoke up softly.
“…I cannot tell you everything, because it would be against the law for me. All I can divulge for the moment is that not even I am aware of all of Kondo’s capabilities. But even so, I still want you to believe me. His Majesty’s salvation is at stake, you know.”
The clowns’ cold gazes pierced Damrada. The looks on everyone’s faces proved it—he was well below their trust. Yuuki was among them.
However, there was no denying that the current situation wasn’t exactly rosy for them. Damrada’s forces were waiting outside the building; they all felt a presence from outside the room that couldn’t be ignored. He must have brought along some of the most talented Imperial Knights with him. Neither Yuuki nor his friends would have an easy time breaking through this siege.
If it were only me, I think I could manage it… But I don’t think I can bring everyone else to safety. That leaves accepting his proposal as our only choice, huh…?
Yuuki calculated his options. Then, suddenly, he noticed Damrada’s gaze pointed straight at him, unwavering. Those eyes hadn’t changed at all from the day they first met.
Yuuki closed his eyes, thinking back to the past. Ever since that moment, Damrada had been nothing but fearless and brazen, willing to accept any request—for the right price. But he was also a man of contradictions, willing to invest hordes of money for the sake of his friends. “I’m willing to make any sacrifice for the sake of those I believe in,” he once said. But who was Damrada picturing in his eyes when he said that?
It wasn’t me, I’m sure. But I really did like those eyes of his…
He called Yuuki his boss, swearing his loyalty to him. But there was always something about Damrada that made him seem somehow untrustworthy. Looking back, Yuuki realized, it made him feel unconsciously sad for his comrade.
So he opened his eyes, looking toward him.
“I sense lies in your words. Your allegiance is to me, but at the same time, it’s always been to Emperor Ludora. That much hasn’t changed, am I right?”
“Heh-heh… There’s no pulling the wool over your eyes, Boss.”
That murmured affirmation was, in its own way, motivation enough for Yuuki to trust Damrada.
“All right. Instead of fighting you guys here, why don’t we go out there and make this coup a success?”
Nobody expressed any dissatisfaction with this.
“Well, our hands are tied. If Sir Yuuki’s made that decision, it’s up to us to obey him.”
“Yeah. But if you two-time us, Damrada, I’ll see that you pay for it.”
“You have our support, Damrada!”
“Hoh-hoh-hoh! Don’t forget about me.”
So the clowns made their decision. They opted to trust Yuuki, their boss—a sign of their bonds of friendship, as true as ever. And Damrada was just as much a part of those bonds.
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