Chapter 226 The Imperial Conference
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Under the shadow of a national emergency, my sister and I made a frantic return to the capital, mounted atop Ruman-chan.
Once there, we delivered our report regarding the King of the Magic Labyrinth¹-dono and the sudden manifestation of the Flame Demon God², Lord Blazer. Seeing the gravity of the situation, the Empire has remained locked in a cycle of emergency summits, day after day.
”I still find it utterly inconceivable,” one official muttered. “How could two of the continent’s most elite Beastman Knight Orders-invincible units-suffer such a crushing defeat at the hands of only three opponents?”
”Indeed,” another interjected, leaning over the map. “The numbers simply don’t add up.”
My father, the Emperor, had summoned the architects of the modern Empire to this council to devise a strategy against these dual threats. The chamber was stifling; between the generals, the civil ministers, and their sprawling retinues, the room was packed to capacity. A summit of this scale is a rare sight. It was a clear sign that Father viewed this as a crisis that could no longer be ignored.
”The Beastman Knights are the shield of this nation,” a senior minister stated flatly. “I find these tales of ‘Demon Gods’ impossible to credit.”
”Hah!?” my sister barked, her hand dropping to her hilt. “You got something to say, you damn pencil-pusher? You think we’re just making shit up, is that it, ahn!?”
”N-No… but surely you see the absurdity…” the man stammered, shrinking back.
I know my sister. The last thing she wants to admit is that she was bested by an unknown entity. But the situation has moved far beyond the realm of personal pride. To have her greatest shame-her total helplessness before the Demon God-laid bare only to be met with skepticism from men who have never seen a battlefield… it was a bitter pill to swallow. Her heart must be a tempest.
”Please, sister, compose yourself,” I said, stepping between them. “The strength of the Demon God Blazer-and that of the Labyrinth King-dono who repelled him-was also witnessed by Glazheim-dono of the Imperial Heaven’s Eight Swords. Once he returns, the truth of our report will be undeniable.”
Glazheim-dono had remained in the Kaibel territory. As a precaution, we left my sister’s Purple Dragon Knights and Belius’s Black Dragon Knights stationed there as well. I believe things are under control with Clary on-site, but the Black Dragon Knights are a volatile lot. Glazheim-dono remained behind specifically to keep them on a short leash.
After all, that order had originally marched on Kaibel with the intent to ravage it. Now that their mission has lost its purpose, I have had to issue strict orders to keep them from treating the territorial capital like their personal playground. I suspect the men are reaching their breaking point. They set out for the frontier expecting a “working vacation,” only to have their entertainment snatched away.
More importantly, that land has now become the gateway to the Labyrinth King-dono. The last thing the Empire needs is a careless spark starting a fire we cannot put out.
”Bwahahahaha!”
Father’s booming laugh shattered the tension. He often indulges in these boisterous displays, but I know it is a performance. By projecting unshakable confidence, the Emperor settles the nerves of the room. It is a reminder that they are led by a man who fears nothing. He seized the room’s attention, steering the flow of the debate exactly where he wanted it.
”A Demon God that our finest knights cannot scratch, and a Labyrinth King who drives such a horror back with secret arts… If it were possible, I should like to have both of them serving under my banner!”
Father has always had a habit of wanting to collect the strong like trophies. But while a Hero might be tamed, bringing a Demon God or the Labyrinth King-dono to heel is an impossibility. A Demon God operates on values entirely alien to our own. And as for the King… I cannot imagine what the Empire could possibly offer a man of his power to entice him to submit. Attempting to force his hand would be suicide. Father likely knows this; despite his grand talk, he is no fool.
”I have taken the measure of this creature’s strength from your reports,” the Emperor continued, his voice dropping to a low rumble. “To truly slay a Demon God would require the full mobilization of our national might. It would be total war.”
”But Your Majesty,” a general whispered. “Why would such a nightmare appear so suddenly…?”
”Exactly,” Father replied. “That is the question.”
He caught the room’s gaze, holding it. “A ‘Flame Demon God’… I have found no mention of such a thing in our current records. However, it brought to mind something I discovered years ago, when we annexed the Ancient Kingdom of Rubis and I visited their Great Library.”
”The Ancient Kingdom?” I murmured.
Rubis was once a world power, one of the oldest nations on the continent. Its Great Library houses records that predate modern memory.
”There is a legend,” Father said, his eyes distant. “That in the primordial past, an Evil God waged war against humanity. I dismissed it as a nursery tale at the time, but the story claims the God who plunged the world into shadow was eventually struck down by four Saints and twelve legendary warriors.”
I am familiar with the tale. Any nation with a history has some version of that story. I suspect even Sirius, Father’s attendant, knows it.
”In Rubis,” Father continued, “they whispered that those four Saints were the very same ‘Radiant Sovereigns’³ spoken of in the Holy City.”
”Surely not…”
I felt a chill. It is a fairy tale, and the dots do not necessarily connect… but having seen a Demon God with my own eyes, the historical reality felt suddenly, terrifyingly close. The four Radiant Sovereigns are the mythic figures said to have founded the Holy City. Even now, in Ragnarond, four of the fifteen Great Houses serve as representatives in a rotating government. The four Saints of the primordial war… and the four founders of the Holy City. There is a certain poetic resonance to it!
”Regardless of whether the legend is literal truth,” Father stated, “I believe the Holy City of Ragnarond may hold the key. They have never fallen to an invader; their archives are unbroken. Furthermore, I recognize this Demon God as a threat to the entire continent. We must bridge the gap between nations. To that end… I hereby propose the convening of the Southern Continental Conference!”
The Southern… Continental… Conference…!?
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Summary:
Princess Sophia and her sister return to the Imperial Capital to report the threat of the Demon God Blazer and the mysterious Labyrinth King. The Emperor holds an emergency summit where skepticism among officials leads to a heated confrontation involving Sophia’s sister. The chapter concludes with the Emperor connecting the current events to ancient legends of an ‘Evil God’ and proposing a multi-nation conference.
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Trivia:
- The Black Dragon Knights were originally sent to Kaibel to pillage it, creating a tense situation now that they are stationed there peaceably.
- Glazheim is one of the ‘Imperial Heaven’s Eight Swords’, a top-tier power indicator in this world.
- The Rubis Kingdom was annexed by the Empire fairly recently (a few years ago).
- The ‘Radiant Sovereigns’ are the founders of the Holy City, which operates on a rotating government of four houses out of fifteen
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Character Insight:
The Emperor is revealed to be highly calculating; his laughter and boisterousness are carefully crafted masks to manage court morale and dominate discussions. Sophia shows her growth as a political observer by seeing through her father’s act.
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Behind the Scenes:
The author is using this chapter to transition from local territory management into grand-scale international politics and ancient lore, typical of mid-series ‘World-Building’ arcs.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Glazheim – Member of the Imperial Heaven Eight Swords. Known as the ‘Castle Slasher.’
• Belius – Leader of the Black Dragon Knight Order. A battle-hardened beastman.
• Clary – A rare beastman sorceress and follower of Judiette. Older than Judiette, she speaks bluntly despite the princess’s status. She has light purple hair split in the middle and reaching down to her waist. She is described as having a large bust and wears dresses with loose necklines.
• Sirius – A young servant in the service of Emperor Regdahl. Formerly a member of royalty from a small nation occupied by the Empire. He is currently in charge of the Emperor’s time management.
• Ami – A palm-sized fairy-like being from a world separate from both Earth and the isekai realm. She has light blue hair tied in a ponytail, mischievous blue eyes, and tiny wings that flutter behind her. Her outfit consists of a provocative high-cut leotard and a short jacket that looks like a miniskirt from the back, leaving her legs bare. Despite her playful appearance, she is actively searching for a contractor who can protect her from dangerous pursuers in exchange for the powers she offers.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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