The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn as a Typical Nobody - Volume 6 - Chapter 79

CHAPTER 79

The Ex–Demon Lord Launches Forward

After the attack on the border, Ireena and I decided to return to the village for the time being. A few days later…Olivia decided to drop in and visit us during our summer vacation.

There at my doorstep, she had on her usual sour expression.

“First things first… Elrado showed up to summer school.”

“Oh. No way. That makes me happy to hear.”

Summer school was for students who had to take a leave of absence during the school year, and it allowed them to make up for missed credits. Elrado must have decided he wasn’t going to flunk out. Now I was looking forward to the new school year even more than before.

Good tidings weren’t the only thing Olivia brought with her, however.

“The queen has summoned you to discuss the battle from the other day.”

“To confer another medal upon me?”

“No. It is a feat worthy of national recognition, but we’re still in the thick of it. We can’t even afford a second to commend you.” She shrugged. “The queen and I are going to hold a meeting with the other influential aristocrats. Join us.”

“Okay. …Can Ireena attend as well?” I didn’t have the heart to leave her back in the village.

Olivia nodded silently, and the three of us were in her carriage in no time, heading to the royal capital. Upon arrival, we made a beeline for the castle. Beside Olivia and Ireena, I walked down its vast corridors and stepped into the meeting room.

“Oh! Thou hast come! You were most splendid in this last battle, Ard!” Queen Rosa lavished praise on me from her seat of honor at the round table. Settled in next to her was Prime Minister Valdr, who glared at me in silence.

This was usually when he’d make a scathing remark or tell me off in some way…but the incident at Megatholium must have changed his opinion of me. He eventually turned away and focused on the two across from him… Duke Gerald and his son, Elrado.

“I would expect no less of the Spencers,” Valdr said. “Any other family would have failed miserably, but you’ve led us to victory. It’s a feat worthy of the highest honor.”

He was trying to stress to the other aristocrats that the duke was to thank for all this. It seemed like he was brushing my contributions under the rug…but that wasn’t exactly accurate. This was Valdr’s way of helping me out. If a commoner stood out, they’d end up on the watchlist of the aristocrats. They felt the need to hammer anything that sticks out back in its place.

Valdr must have been trying to save me from that. Present at the meeting, Elrado, Ginny, and Sharon said nothing, apparently all on the same page. Ireena, Olivia, and I joined in as the meeting began to decide our next steps.

Queen Rosa got the ball rolling. “Even the enemy understands how this battle came to pass. Though they have been defeated…Asylas refuses to negotiate or retract their declaration of war. Our foe intends to fight until the very end.” She looked around at all of us and pressed a slender finger against the table. “I am asking for your opinion on how to proceed.”

This was serious. It would steer the fate of the nation. They couldn’t just say anything.

An elderly noble raised his hand. This man was the head of a long-established marquis. His intelligent eyes narrowed. “A nonaggression pact may be wise.”

“Oh? What makes you think that?”

“I don’t think this is a case of Asylas being reckless. Even their savage king would not act so foolishly.”

Rosa nodded…but Valdr looked conflicted as he fiddled with his beard. He spoke up.

“…I have some doubts on the matter.”

“Hmph. Do you mean to say you believe Asylas has gone wild?”

“Yes. I shared your sentiment until only recently, but after witnessing their behavior at the Meeting of the Five Powers…my opinion has changed.” Valdr frowned. “I cannot help but think his recent actions have been spurred on by some sort of madness. It would not be strange if he went crazy.”

…Hmm. I could work with that information. I had come face-to-face with Dread Ben Hurr during the summit, but he seemed like a crazed king to me.

And what if his madness wasn’t innate but something he had acquired over time? It was looking like we were better off assuming there was a mysterious puppet master pulling his strings.

The marquis cleared his throat. “Even if Asylas has acted in an irresponsible way, my opinion still stands. I want a nonaggression pact,” he replied. “Whether or not the main perpetrator of this incident was the Anti-Laville faction spearheaded by Megatholium, it would be unwise for us to act with violence. We’ve already established that Asylas is battle ready. And if we fight on their home turf, I must say it’ll be quite sobering.”

“Thou means to say that violence would only result in more casualties?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. So while it might place Duke Gerald and the other families under more strain to defend our borders, we must not fight back. And…we have a Legendary Apostle on our side,” replied the marquis, turning his gaze toward Olivia.

My guess was that she was relieved there was no one from the Black Wolf Order around. They would be totally against their living god being dispatched to the battlefield to protect her country. Seeing that the participants here were either nonreligious or followers of Verda, however, they all looked at her with hope.

Olivia crossed her arms and sighed. “I’m basically one of the nation’s rulers by this point, so I guess I’ve got a duty to meet your expectations. But I can’t help you right this second. I’ve got other things to take care of.”

Heads tilted in the meeting room. I was no different. What could be so important that she’d put our current situation aside? I had to know the answer.

“What sort of business might that be?” I asked. “Nothing potato-related, I trust?”

“Obviously not. Prioritizing potatoes over a situation like this would be……ridiculous.”

Hey. Why did you pause? And why are you sweating?

“…Don’t tell me this is actually about potatoes. At a time like this?”

“I said it’s not. I got a call from Verda. Wants me to help out with some magic device she’s working on or something.”

Verda called her? …Well, this was a surprise. I never imagined Olivia would prioritize a request from Verda in these circumstances.

“I know what you’re thinking. I know it’s not like me. I should ignore her.”

“Then why are you going?”

“My soldier senses are screaming danger. That’s why I decided to go help her.”

…Huh. Then, that was that.

Her intuition was seldom wrong. If there was trouble afoot, she could almost always tell. So if Olivia was saying she had a bad feeling, I had no choice but to respect that. And the aristocrats didn’t have the leverage to stop a Legendary Apostle, so…

“Very well. As a house that protects these borders, I’ll make sure my deeds go down in history,” Gerald stated.

The vibe in the room changed. It was clear there was now a definitive course of action.

…A defensive strategy wasn’t necessarily a bad one. Laville and Asylas were almost matched in terms of national strength, though we had a slight advantage. After all, when armies were on par with one another, the assailant was often considered the weaker one. Assuming we would be fighting on our land, Laville would have leverage, even if only a little. Under prolonged conditions, the attacker’s resources would dwindle, and they would no longer be able to continue the fight.

If we focused on defense, it would all end eventually. And everyone knew it.

There weren’t any problems with this plan, but…

“I’m against it.”

Everyone’s attention turned to me as I quietly raised my hand. My friends—Ireena, Rosa, Ginny, and Elrado—looked upon me with goodwill…but most others scowled, as if warning the commoner to stay quiet.

Even so, I would say my piece. “Waiting them out is one plan of action, but it will take too much time… More time means more victims, and I cannot stand for that.”

Their reaction wasn’t good, to say the least.

“Tch… Spitting out childish dribble of all things…”

I wasn’t trying to seem childish. I was just saying that staying on the defense would be a waste of time.

“If I fight, this will all be over within ten days. I swear this on god. I promise to end this war in that span.”

They sneered at me.

“Hah! You think you can do that in ten days?”

“A son of the Great Heroes, huh. I guess he doesn’t think the same as we unenlightened mortals.”

“And how exactly do you intend to pull that off? Are you saying you’ll march into the enemy nation and speak with them directly?”

I grinned at the man who uttered this last statement. “Bingo.”

They looked at me, skeptical, but the participants familiar with me started to warm up to the idea, starting with Ireena. The others glared at me with scrutiny, thinking the same thing: Now’s not the time to be joking around. Don’t be ridiculous.

I looked around at each of them.

“I, Ard Meteor, will walk into Asylas and end this war.”

To drive my point home, I made a bold declaration.

“This isn’t just some farfetched dream or delusion. I know it can happen, and I won’t be deterred by anyone.”