There were people accused of following the Demon Sect.
The crowd was furious, and the guards were blocking the enraged masses, warning them not to take matters into their own hands.
What had happened in the three hours since we had left? All of the accused were already executed.
This wasn't a rural village, but the capital city of a small country, and the incident took place in the main square, where the warp gate was located.
The alleged Demon Sect followers were dead, and the angry crowd was screaming for their corpses to be burned.
I didn't know if the Inquisitor had arrived in the meantime, branded them as heretics, and executed them, or if the guards had taken matters into their own hands and hanged them.
But it was unlikely that this swift execution had followed due process.
"It's madness... all these people..."
Olivia had expected something terrible to happen, but she seemed to feel horror that went beyond disgust and contempt, not knowing that people could be killed without even a proper trial.
Fear resembles anger.
That's why the fear of the Demon King turns into anger towards one's neighbors, seeking a scapegoat.
Olivia averted her eyes from the gruesome execution scene and the angry crowd, heading towards the Special Investigation Headquarters.
"What on earth are the Levaina royal family and the Holy Order doing?"
I couldn't say a word.
"Could they be doing this on purpose?"
It wasn't that the royal family and the Holy Order had done nothing. Rather, they might have tolerated this situation.
Those people could have been ordinary citizens instead of Demon Sect followers. The crowd could have believed that, or not.
But if a scapegoat isn't executed, the fury and fear won't subside. Whether they were actually Demon Sect followers or not, their deaths would temporarily quell the anger.
The crowd, intoxicated by the feeling that something had been resolved, executed the scapegoats with unnaturally swift speed.
If the furious crowd turned into a mob, massive chaos would ensue. Releasing the ones suspected of being Demon Sect followers would only serve to fuel the crowd's anger further.
In order to control the situation, innocent people were killed.
Olivia deduced such circumstances.
Reaching the truth wasn't the most important thing.
The senseless violence of the crowd, already engulfed in fear following the Demon King's attack, would undoubtedly play a decisive role in making Olivia despise humanity.
—---
"Are you going to let this be?"
Upon returning to the Special Investigation Headquarters, Olivia asked Scottla Kelton, the head of the investigation department.
The middle-aged knight with an impassive expression seemed to fully understand what Olivia was talking about.
"Miss Olivia, I trust you know what you're saying."
"I know that this could be considered interference in internal affairs and that the Investigation Department doesn't have that kind of authority. But still... this is..."
No matter how much Olivia felt disillusioned with humans, she was not someone who would agree to killing them indiscriminately.
"I understand that if we leave this situation unattended, it could escalate into a large-scale riot and turn into a witch hunt against nonbelievers. However, the Special Investigation Bureau has come here not to interfere in the internal affairs of the Levaina Kingdom, but to investigate the truth behind the demon invasion. We cannot get involved in anything else."
Olivia was no fool. She was well aware of what Kelton was saying.
However, it was frustrating to witness a heresy trial unfolding right before her eyes, where people were hanged in an instant, knowing that this trend would continue for a while or even escalate into a riot and not being able to do anything about it.
But the Special Bureau had to operate within the scope of their mission, and what was happening in Rajeurn was clearly beyond their jurisdiction.
That's why Olivia knew that she was asking too much from Scottla Kelton.
But could they just leave this situation unattended?
Olivia still had some compassion for humans to think that way.
"Of course, even without any special authority, if you were to express concern about this situation, it could have a meaningful impact."
Captain of Shanafel's Third Division. The position was already more prestigious than a king of a small country. Moreover, they were currently taking orders from the Empire and in charge of field operations. Although it was interference in internal affairs, there wasn't much they couldn't do.
"But if I were to take such action, it could be seen as interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign nation. That's why the focus should not be on Levaina."
"Do you mean... other vassal states?"
"Yes."
Levaina could be interfered with, but if other vassal states found out about the interference, they could become very uncomfortable. No matter how small a country's sovereignty, it was still a breach of a vassal state's sovereignty.
Although all countries belonged to the Empire, the Empire was ultimately a coalition of many nations. There were places governed by the Empire, such as the Imperial Capital, but vassal states had their own laws and sovereignty.
In this case, it would be investigators from the Empire, who came to investigate an incident, interfering in internal affairs – actions that were inconsistent with their purpose.
There were too many potential issues for Scottla Kelton to step in, even in such a chaotic situation, and both Olivia and I could not help but understand his position.
"Besides, I don't think the current response is all that bad. If you force the truth onto an angry mob, they will only become more enraged. Although some innocent people may be killed, the situation will eventually calm down."
Scottla Kelton casually spoke while reading a report, marking something, and moving his pen.
He was right.
Even if you tell those searching for a scapegoat that their target is innocent, they would either look for another scapegoat or become even angrier. Anger needs to be resolved, even if its cause is misplaced.
A choice had to be made: face chaos from the ensuing riot or find scapegoats to kill and regain stability. The Levaina royal family and the church had simply chosen the latter. Olivia watched Scottla Kelton with a distant expression, as he absentmindedly rolled his pen.
It wasn't that she resented his cold conclusion, rather, it seemed she was at a loss herself, unable to find an answer.
"Of course, I don't have the authority, but there is one person who does have the power to interfere in domestic affairs..."
He glanced at me.
"Reinhardt."
"Yes?"
"If you claim to be here as the representative of the royal family, you could discuss an appropriate response with the Levaina royal family."
"Even if it means interfering in domestic affairs?"
"That's under the assumption you're willing to take responsibility. I don't want to, but Reinhardt might feel differently. After all, you're not under my command, are you?"
It seemed that even though he was a mere knight, I was a semi-royal with the crest of the imperial family.
Although meddling in the affairs of the Levaina royal family would be beyond the scope of an investigation, a representative of the royal family could have a conversation with them. Of course, it would still be considered interference in domestic affairs, but dialogue with the Levaina royal family was not out of the question.
However, in that case, not only I but also the imperial family would have to bear responsibility for any consequences arising from my careless words.
The crest of the royal family was not merely for privileges like priority access to warp gates.
It became clear why it was never given lightly to anyone.
Why did Turner send me here?
Had I finally grasped the meaning - to try and stabilize the chaotic situation in Levaina if I could?
It wouldn't be life-threatening, but if successful, it would be a significant achievement.
It didn't necessarily have to be a solution. It could also be a test to see how I would react to such a significant issue.
But how could I possibly?
No.
But I must admit, the empire is infuriating.
I mean, they caused a terrorist incident in the southern small countries and then acted as if the aftermath was not their problem, right?
And on top of that, they falsely accused the demon king and expected me, the demon king, to clean up their mess?
—---
Levaina's capital, Rajeurn, was currently in chaos due to the aftermath of the demon king's attack – people were going mad with fear of the demon king.
The result was the expulsion of the demon believers. Of course, those who were actually expelled and killed were mostly innocent people who had little to do with the demon believers.
It seemed that even the royal family and the church, who knew of their innocence, were trying to sacrifice these innocents to quell the angry public sentiment.
In the first place, the demon king had never intervened in this location.
In the end, it was also because Levaina was a weak country that the Empire had driven the revolutionary forces into the small southern kingdom and killed them. Moreover, the investigation headquarters was likely focused only on covering up the incident, pretending not to know about the repercussions that could arise from meddling in the internal affairs of another country.
It was an age-old truth that the atrocities committed by the ruling class were too numerous to count. However, this truth felt even more chilling now that it was hitting so close to home.
The Empire, which had caused this situation and now stood idly by, was terrifying.
The Levaina royal family and the five great religious orders, who sought to stabilize the situation by hanging innocent victims they knew nothing about, were equally horrifying.
Even the crowd, who knew deep down that there was no reason for their fear and yet chose to channel that fear into anger, seeking scapegoats, was dreadful.
"Hell wasn't somewhere else."
In the VIP room, Olivia stood by the window, listening to the distant shouts of the people, and muttered with a gloomy expression.
Back when the demon realm existed, battles took place in that specific region. Consequently, fights, wars, blood, and carnage were contained within that area.
But now that the demon realm had disappeared, demons had infiltrated the world of humans, suddenly appearing and disappearing from anywhere.
Because of this, people were going mad with fear of an intangible enemy and terror that the demons might be living and breathing close to them.
Unable to find the enemy disguised as demons, they sought enemies disguised as humans, and those enemies were the demon-worshippers. But even the demon-worshippers were absent, so they were left to suspect and hate one another.
"What are we going to do, Reinhardt?"
At this point, I was the only one who could approach the Levaina royal family without causing too much of a stir. Reporting this matter to the royal court was an option, but the head of the Shanafel Knights, a knight of Charlotte, had a nonchalant attitude towards the situation.
Whether it was Charlotte, the Emperor, or Bertus, it was clear that they would tell me to leave the matter alone.
Was I any different?
Even if I were to tell the crowd that the person they found wasn't a demon-worshipper, they wouldn't believe me, and even if they did, they would eventually find another way to vent their anger.
There was also the option of strictly banning the witch hunts and declaring martial law-like measures to control the citizens.
However, doing so could lead to an even greater disaster if the angry mob were to incite a rebellion. The rebellion could overthrow the royal family, and if the crowd were to be suppressed by force, that would be another catastrophe.
It was a terrible thing, but Scottla Kelton's words were not wrong when he said that the situation calming down with the death of innocent people was the least bloody solution.
"Unless the real demon-worshippers are found and captured, or, to put it bluntly, the Demon King is killed... I don't know of a way to resolve this without bloodshed."
Did I have a brilliant plan? I was no genius, and politics was not my field of expertise.
Even if I were to meet King Levaina and do something outrageous, what could I possibly say? It's not like I have any brilliant ideas.
Olivia was standing by the window, silently gazing down at the street below.
She had come to dislike humans, but she couldn't bear to watch innocent people die. Was her nature really disappearing somewhere?
"People become like this when they're consumed by despair..."
There was no certainty that the Demon King would return, and the actual damage wasn't that great.
But fear spread among people regardless of reality.
The fear of the name 'Demon King' was circulated, reproduced, and inflated without substance among them.
In the end, it was no different from faith, just not called by that name. Just like how those who don't know about a deity would describe it and establish a common concept.
A faith in the name of the Demon King was being created among the people.
Although none of what they said resembled me, people added flesh to the vague entity of the Demon King, molding it into a form of fear.
A new faith in the name of the Demon King, generating only fear and despair through belief.
Find the followers of the Demon King!
They would be emerging throughout the continent now.
In Rajeurn, it was merely excessive, but since they couldn't find the demons across the entire continent, people would try to find the enemies disguised as humans - the followers of the Demon King.
This was just the beginning.
A large-scale purge and hunt for the followers of the Demon King would begin.
“Believe in Artorius!”
“The hero will resurrect and defeat the Demon King!”
And then, out of nowhere, I heard the words.
Olivia, who was looking out the window, turned her head towards me with a puzzled look.
"…?"
"…?"
What did I just hear?
“Hero Artorius will protect us!”
"Did I hear it wrong? It sounded like Artorius, didn't it?"
"Uh… Yeah… It sounded like it?"
No.
What is this nonsense out of the blue?
—---
Although it made sense for people to shout about the purge of the Demon King's followers, Olivia and I ended up hearing something even more absurd.
Believe in Artorius?
Olivia and I rushed out to the street and grabbed the person shouting at the top of their lungs.
"Excuse me."
"Artorius will save us…!"
The one shouting such bizarre words was an old man with a pale face.
"What's going on?"
"What are you talking about? Believe in Artorius?"
"Believe in the hero and be saved…! There's no need to be afraid of the Demon King at all!"
He yelled with a face full of faith and conviction. Olivia looked bewildered, and I was no different.
"But, Artorius… He fought the Demon King and… died, didn't he?"
At my stammering words, the old man shook his head vigorously.
"Hah! The young one knows not what he speaks! Artorius has not died, but ascended! After achieving the great feat of defeating the Demon King, he became a War God...! Yes, he rose to the ranks of the War Gods! So, it is only natural that with the Demon King's return, Artorius too shall return to complete his unfinished mission!!"
No way.
"Believe in the hero, and await the salvation that approaches...!"
What in the world is this nonsense?
The old man, with his fervor unabated, began to shout as he walked away from us.
“Believe in Artorius!”
“The time of salvation is near!”
“The hero shall return! Do not fear!”
As we blankly stared at the old man's retreating back, Olivia and I locked eyes.
"What's this Hero Cult?"
"How should I know...?"
While hunting the Demon God Cult and other similar matters were within the scope of our expectations, we could not have foreseen the emergence of a new religion that worshipped Ragan Artorius.
Taken aback by the unexpected turn of events, Olivia and I were left speechless.
