Somewhere in an alley of the Imperial City.
"Epinhauser, why don't you follow the Order's decision?"
"…"
Epinhauser listened as a woman in a black robe leaned against the wall and spoke quietly.
"The Council is almost certainly in possession of the Akasha. They told you to track it down through Lord of Wednesday."
"We still don't know exactly what the Akasha is."
At Epinhauser's short response, the woman in the black robe gently tapped her white finger.
"Shouldn't we figure out what the Akasha is after we secure it?"
"If we mess with the Lord of Wednesday, the Council might sense the danger and use the Akasha."
"…"
Originally, the Black Order's objective was not to secure the Akasha, but the annihilation of Cantus Magna. After the battle at the Tomb of the Lich, the Council cut off contact with the Black Order.
This meant that maintaining an alliance was no longer possible.
It was certain that they had chosen the right time to sever ties, as their goal had already been achieved.
It wasn't particularly unreasonable. Alliances tended to last only as long as their interests aligned.
However, now the Order sought to address a new threat called the Akasha.
The only clue at the moment was Lucinil, who had infiltrated the Temple as a first-year student.
But Epinhauser, an insider at the Temple, was ignoring the Order's decision to track Lucinil and find the whereabouts of the Akasha.
"Epinhauser, I hope you haven't taken a liking to the Demon King's side."
That's why the Order couldn't help but doubt the silent Epinhauser's intentions.
"The Order completely agreed with your opinion that the Demon King is essential for the unity and maintenance of the Empire. That's why we spared the Demon King's life."
"…"
"But that only applies when the Demon King is weak and has minimal power. Your opinion was correct then, but the situation has changed now."
Epinhauser remained silent.
"The Demon King will die soon. No, if he survives like this, the problem will only grow."
"The Demon King can no longer be weak, can cause numerous political divisions in the Empire, and can wield powerful forces at his whim."
"On top of that, he has the Akasha."
"The Demon King is already a sign of a massive division, and he could become the starting point for the collapse of the Empire."
"We'll leave the Demon King to die, and if he survives, the Order will intervene."
"So, Epinhauser, focus on securing the Akasha, the most significant threat at this point. The only lead we have right now is the Lord of Wednesday."
"The Order exists for the continuity of the Empire and the sake of humanity. Have you forgotten what's most important?"
At the words of the woman in the black robe, Epinhauser lowered his head.
"I haven't forgotten."
"Then why don't you follow the Order's decision?"
The Black Order.
They exist to maintain order.
Order for the Empire and humanity.
They undertake dirty tasks to support the Empire behind the scenes, sometimes committing heinous acts that are socially unacceptable in order to uphold the Empire.
That's why collaborating with the Demon King for the sake of the Empire was one of the Order's contradictory endeavors.
The Demon King is undoubtedly a great threat to the Empire.
However, an overly weak Demon King could be useful.
After the Great Demon War, the Empire showed signs of division, and they needed such an abstract enemy.
To humanity, it appeared another massive dark cloud loomed, but in reality, the Demon King had simply weakened.
The Order chose to observe the Demon King from a distance rather than eliminate him. It was most accurate to view the extent of the Demon King's power from the standpoint of an ally.
According to the reports sent by Epinhauser over time, it was confirmed that the Demon King did not harbor any particular hostility or malice towards humanity.
A Demon King who did not oppose humanity, but who certainly existed.
Such a Demon King was the most necessary existence for both humanity and the empire.
However, the atmosphere started to become strange as the Demon King secured a sacred relic.
The story changed when Cantus Magna shared a secret with a member of his him.
The Demon King's usefulness had vanished.
To be precise, the Demon King's existence had already become too dangerous in and of itself.
Reinhardt was a weak Demon King, which made him an existence suitable for the Order's taste.
Whenever the sense of crisis in the empire's division intensified, his appearance in a suitable place caused frightened humans to cling tightly to one another.
The Order knew that the Demon King did not harbor great animosity towards humanity and was rather seeking coexistence, and that he did not have much enthusiasm for the reconstruction of the demon world.
Despite such intentions, the Demon King was a champion chosen by the gods, and now his servants possessed the highly dangerous artifact called Akasha. Even a faction called the Demon God Cult, which followed the Demon King, had emerged.
The Order knew that the Demon King was a harmless existence, but they did not approach the situation with such a concept or perspective.
The Demon King had become too dangerous a symbol simply by existing.
So now, he must be removed.
Akasha is dangerous.
So, it must be secured.
The first of the two tasks would be taken care of by the empire.
Thus, the Order needed to focus on the second task, securing Akasha.
Epinhauser, one of the most crucial personnel within the temple, was not listening.
"One should approach a bomb, which can destroy the world from one end to another if touched recklessly, with great caution."
Epinhauser's words had a point.
If one were to forcefully find out the location of Akasha by torturing or detaining the Lord of Wednesday, the Council might make a radical choice.
"Remember, Epinhauser, as time passes, there is nothing good for us."
"I'll keep that in mind."
With a swish, the woman in a black robe disappeared, and Epinhauser stepped back onto the main road and headed for the temple.
As always, the overly emotionless Epinhauser wore neat attire and made his way to the temple.
Morality and intention are irrelevant to one's existence.
Eliminating the threat to the empire and promoting the empire's revival.
That was the purpose and intention of the Order, even if it was not that of the empire.
The Black Order, which volunteered to be the pillar supporting the empire from the shadows, exists for him. There were even lower-ranking members who did not know the true intentions of the Black Order.
Receiving orders and carrying them out, there were those who desired only the power given to them by the Order in return for executing the commands, like flies.
But Epinhauser was not one of those flies.
Crossing the temple gate, Epinhauser walked through the still chaotic temple corridor.
The Demon King himself, as well as his own forces, should have been weak and small in scale.
The reason the Order cooperated with the Demon King was to closely observe his growth and deal with him when he crossed the line.
Now, that line had been crossed.
The empire would handle the Demon King's life, so the Order needed to deal with Akasha.
Riding the tram towards the Royal Class dormitory, Epinhauser called out to Lucinil, a quiet first-year student.
The Lord of Wednesday.
A silver-haired child.
Epinhauser sometimes had such thoughts.
The forces of the Demon King, like the Demon King himself, seemed to consist of somewhat foolish fellows.
"...What's the matter?"
Lucinil, still at the temple to monitor its internal affairs, did not have a good expression given the situation. She and Epinhauser were the only points of contact between the Council and the Order.
Thus, Lucinil was tense.
She would have to respond if Epinhauser were to take an aggressive stance.
Unable to leave the temple because of his exposed situation, Lucinil had to stay there to report on Valier's imprisonment.
"Akasha, do you possess it?"
"..."
At Epinhauser's question, Lucinil remained silent, slowly retreating.
"What is Akasha?"
"..."
"With Akasha, what do you plan to do?"
Epinhauser did not approach Lucinil but simply asked from his position.
"Will you become our ally?"
Lucinil asked an entirely different question. Epinhauser shook his head in response.
"No, we can no longer be your allies, regardless of the Akasha issue."
Though it was unnecessary to say, Epinhauser felt compelled to do so.
"Then, there is no reason for me to tell you."
"The Order instructed me to use force to find out Akasha's whereabouts from you."
"...Do you think that's possible?"
The Lord of Wednesday.
An old vampire. Lucinil looked at Epinhauser with a gaze full of hostility.
"I don't think it's necessarily impossible."
In contrast to the wary Lucinil, Epinhauser simply gazed at her.
"However, this is the will of the Order."
"...What?"
At Epinhauser's unexpected remark, Lucinil's eyes widened.
The Black Order was a group intent on performing acts of good through evil means.
Their definition of good was not absolute but referred to the good and justice solely for humanity.
However, Epinhauser had seen it.
Though not for a long time.
A mere boy with a filthy temperament.
He had seen the boy grit his teeth and grow without possessing anything.
He had seen him struggle not to break within petty justice and petty convictions.
He had known the boy to be the Demon King and saw that he did not hate humanity despite his experiences.
On the contrary, he had witnessed his love for humans and his attempts to save them at times.
Though he had not observed this from the sidelines.
As a teacher, he had watched the growth of the Demon King.
He had seen a person not much different from an ordinary human, persistently climbing upwards, accomplishing the tasks he believed in.
The Order was a group that performed good through evil means.
It was an organization that had to work in the shadows for the sake of the empire, carrying out cursed tasks without recognition from anyone.
Therefore, pride was of utmost importance to the Order's operatives.
They had no choice but to possess pride and convictions strong enough to carry out irrational acts of evil.
However.
A being that should rightfully hate humanity.
Epinhauser had seen a being, for whom not hating humanity should have been physically and logically impossible, love humanity more than anyone else.
It was an impossible feat.
The Demon King, who had achieved what should have been impossible.
How strong were the pride and convictions of such a being?
Epinhauser could not fathom it.
A being that did not hate humanity was burdened with hatred and sentenced to death.
Unable to achieve anything at all.
Without receiving anyone's sympathy, nor the understanding of those they loved.
His pride, convictions, and dreams remained unknown to anyone.
Doomed to die bearing the stigma of a traitor and a deceiver.
A world where such pride must be broken.
A world where such convictions must be insulted.
If that is a world where such beings must die miserably without accomplishing anything,
What is pride and what are convictions?
If the world's greatest pride and convictions must be destroyed,
What value do they hold, and
What meaning is there in that world?
Having lived his entire life solely by his convictions and pride,
If the one who sought to act on a pride even greater than his own, in the name of forgiveness and reconciliation rather than evil, must die in such a manner,
If he must die in infamy and disgrace without receiving anyone's understanding,
If that is the world,
If that is the will of the gods,
Then even the gods
And the world,
Are worthless.
Someone's misunderstanding leads them to hate the boy.
Someone's misunderstanding leads them to be moved by the boy.
"Although the Order may not be on your side, I believe I can be on your side."
And so, Epinhauserer said as much.
—---
Due to the action of Olivia Lanze, the Empire found itself unable to act against the Demon King.
Any punishment for the Demon King would first have to be discussed with the Five Holy Orders.
Ultimately, the 'stalling tactic' Olivia Lanze intended was a great success.
And as Olivia had spoken, rumors spread rapidly throughout the Empire.
The Demon King had been captured.
Not long ago, Reinhardt, known to have been chosen by the Alsbringer, was the Demon King himself.
Rumors that the Demon King had infiltrated among the humans.
And the truth that the Demon King had been chosen by the Alsbringer.
These brought shock and confusion.
Though the capture of the Demon King should be a relief, the fact that the gods knew about it and bestowed a sacred artifact upon him implied the gods intended it.
Moreover, that sacred artifact now held the greatest value to humanity.
The sword of the hero who had slain the father is now wielded by the son.
What was Als planning?
Was the God of War living up to their name and desiring a great war?
What did the gods want?
Had the gods abandoned them?
Why had they chosen the Demon King of the demon race, rather than humanity?
Despite the capture of the Demon King, people felt confusion and fear.
And then,
At the temple,
During breakfast time,
"So, you knew about it, didn't you?"
Liana de Grantz said as she looked at Harriet.
Harriet, like a sinner, bowed her head in front of Liana, unable to say a word.
Ellen and Harriet had been acting strange lately.
As if Liana could now understand the meaning behind their strange behavior, she nodded quietly.
The Demon King who had killed Duke Grantz was Reinhardt.
And he had even attended the funeral.
Liana heard that fact and slowly nodded.
"Harriet, let's talk later."
"Huh? Ah... Yeah...."
Harriet quietly watched as the tip of the fork held by Liana turned bright red.
