The Gate Incident refers to the phenomenon of monsters pouring out of the Warp Gate.
The incident must progress to a certain extent for monsters to spread throughout the land. If some time has passed since the incident began, the outskirts of the city and even villages without Warp Gates can be relatively peaceful.
For there to be even a small Warp Gate, the settlement must be of city-scale.
In the initial stages of the incident, the most dangerous places are the capital and other large cities.
My companions and I, guided by Eleris, managed to reach the place where Gallarush and Luvien were casting Mass Teleport. We arrived in a remote forest area, far away from the capital.
I don't know what Antirianus is up to.
However, we arrived in a tranquil blue forest, completely unrelated to the calamity unfolding in the capital.
Myself, Olivia, Liana, Harriet, Eleris, Luvien, and Gallarush.
Upon seeing Luvien with long ears, and Orc Vampire Gallarush, the three who had followed me without hesitation to save me turned pale.
"You... you really..."
Liana, with a shocked expression, pointed at me.
"Am I really the Demon King all along? Did you not know this when you followed me?"
"No... I mean, I did, but..."
Liana stared blankly at the gray, massive Orc Vampire.
"Elves... they really exist..."
Harriet, in a different sense, gaped at Luvien, equally dumbfounded.
Although we didn't think we could escape the capital safely, we managed to do so. We now found ourselves in a quiet, peaceful forest, filled with the chirping of unknown birds. However, in reality, peace was an illusion.
Not only the capital but monsters were also emerging from Warp Gates all over the world. Many cities were destroyed, unable to cope properly, and their affiliated cities would face the same fate due to the spreading monsters.
Eleris, despite having caused this event in her efforts to save me, couldn't even lift her head.
Her efforts to stop the Gate Incident had actually triggered it.
But we couldn't afford to be bound by despair.
I looked at the people here.
In the end, these were the ones who believed in me and accompanied me to this point. I had to explain everything to them first.
"Alright. Since this is our first meeting, let me introduce you. These are ancient Vampire Lords, older than most countries, and my allies."
Eleris of Tuesday.
Luvien of Thursday.
Gallarush of Friday.
Upon hearing the unheard term 'Vampire Lord,' all three were inevitably bewildered.
"But... it's daytime, isn't it?"
"Yes..."
"Just let it be."
There was no time to explain what a Vampire Lord was.
"And there's someone not present... you know, Lucinil, who used to be close to me."
"Yes."
"...Why?"
"Oh... I just remembered, I saw her earlier..."
Olivia had seen the suddenly-appeared Lucinil.
"Lucinil is... one of the Vampire Lords who infiltrated the temple."
I couldn't help but worry about Lucinil's safety while speaking.
—---
Everyone was shocked to hear Lucinil's true identity, but there was no time to offer a satisfactory explanation.
There was too much to explain.
Assuming everyone believed me without doubting my words, I told them everything I could.
Just as I did with Eleris.
I remembered everything from the day the Demon King died at the hands of the Hero.
I knew about the Gate Incident, and I had knowledge of a certain extent of the future.
In order to prevent the Gate Incident, I had done everything up to this point.
Tracking down Akasha and Cantus Magna.
Discovering Akasha's true identity, and just as I was about to reveal everything, the situation became entangled like this.
And so, my subordinates caused the Gate Incident to save me, which is why I am here now.
Eleris had already known the story, but not only the three from the Temple, but also Gallarush and Luvien had widened their eyes upon hearing my words.
"So, in trying to prevent the Gate Incident, I ended up being the direct cause of it."
I don't know what kind of expression I had when I said that.
However, Olivia and Harriet were biting their lips.
As the mastermind behind the Gate Incident, Eleris couldn't say a word out of guilt.
It was obvious.
Sarkegaar and Antirianus must have been unable to resist their impulses.
Of course, that doesn't mean Eleris's sins would be erased.
"Anyway, just because the situation has become like this, I can't do nothing. I have to do something."
It's ridiculous that I, the cause of the Gate Incident, am going around cleaning up its aftermath.
But, I can't not do it either.
My life and the lives of tens of millions, or even billions, have been exchanged. Even if I didn't want it, it has already happened.
So even if it's just one person.
Isn't it my duty to save the life of even one person who might die because of me?
Antirianus must have wished for me to collapse in despair, but I have no intention of doing so.
I thought I would save everyone.
I tried to, knowing that I couldn't save everyone.
And if I ended up being the cause of a situation where everyone would die.
If it came to that.
If I was thrown into such a situation.
Did they think I would fall?
Did they think I would collapse?
Did they think I wouldn't be able to rise again?
If my death could save everyone, I would have done it.
However, my death now would be meaningless and achieve nothing.
Since I can't accomplish anything by dying, I will do what I can while alive.
If I can't find meaning in death, I will find it in life.
I am not a strong person, but I have thought a lot during the time I was captured.
In resignation, I wished that everything would end with my death.
But I didn't die.
I had to survive and witness the Gate Incident unfold, and then I was thrown back into the world.
The world wants me to crumble.
Out of spite for that malice, out of injustice, out of sadness.
I cannot simply fall apart.
I will not just wallow in regret in some corner of the continent, blaming myself for the Gate Incident.
If I must be strong, then I will be strong.
I don't know what is right in this situation.
But not getting up after collapsing must be evil.
I wished for good, but I can no longer realize it.
At least, I will avoid evil.
I have decided to keep evil at bay.
I cannot fall apart.
I cannot hesitate.
I must do what I can.
"Reinhardt... Do you really have to save the humans? Why?"
It was Olivia's question.
Those who didn't believe in you, who only hated you, and even when they found out about this day, in the end, they will only hate you, blaming the Demon King for everything.
Why do you have to save such humans? Olivia seemed unable to accept my words.
"Because I created this world like this."
If that was the reality.
That is the place where imagination became reality.
Try to solve the injustice you created, only to face even greater injustice.
Thrown into such a situation.
It's the world I created, and the injustice I created.
So I must solve it.
No one understands what I mean.
It's okay if they don't understand.
I do what I can in the given situation.
Even when I didn't know the cause of the Gate Incident, I did what I could in the given situation.
Now, as the Gate Incident has unfolded.
I still do what I can in the given situation.
There is nothing else.
"From now on, I must somehow calm this situation."
"I don't think I can do everything on my own. What I can do alone is very limited, and considering the scale, it might not be that valuable."
"I'm trying to do what I can, but I'll probably need a lot of people since doing it alone won't mean much."
"Nobody needs to cooperate with me. If they don't accept what I'm trying to do, they don't have to do anything. But I owe some responsibility to the people who trusted me and came this far. At least, a place where we can live safely. I'll provide that much."
"And I'm trying to do something I can't do alone. So, it has to be 'us,' not 'me.'"
"We need to secure a place where we can be safe, build our power, create followers, and grow stronger... That's what we need to do... So..."
The Gate Incident occurred.
Therefore, to solve this, I can no longer be satisfied with just myself or a small force.
"I will rebuild Darkland."
So now, I have no choice but to truly dream of rebuilding Darkland.
Me.
Now that everything has become like this, now that everything is broken.
I realized that I must become the king of a rebuilt Darkland, not just the prince of a ruined country.
—---
To calm the Gate Incident, I will rebuild the demon world. Jumping in alone, I could only destroy a few gates at most. The future of dying in vain is all too certain.
I am far stronger than ordinary humans, but I have limits.
Even if I'm a Swordmaster or a Grandmaster, nothing will change.
Even if Swordmasters are superhumans, can they save the world?
Through the power of those who follow me, I will save villages, districts, cities, and bring about the complete end of the Gate Incident.
So, it's better to use my political power and influence rather than my own strength.
"I haven't thought about who will follow me or how I can form my power. But for now..."
"I know."
As I was about to say something, Olivia spoke up.
"What?"
"People who will unconditionally support you. No, people."
I think I knew what Olivia was talking about.
"Regarding the Five Great Religious Orders... As long as I'm the confirmed cause of the Gate Incident, they won't support me even if I have the sacred object, right?"
"No, not them."
Olivia shook her head vigorously.
"Believers of the Demon God Cult."
Ah.
Only then did the proposition, which I had forgotten due to the events that had occurred, come to mind.
The Demon God Cult.
"I know where the Demon God Cult's followers' base is, where they are."
When did she find out?
"Believers of the Demon God Cult think they should die not just in pretense but in reality, according to your words. I saw it all."
Olivia had meticulously informed me that since then, the ruins in the Gelkorgis desert region had become a stronghold for the followers of the Demon God Cult, and that she had already identified all of their bases.
Originally, she intended to mobilize the Holy Knights to eliminate them, thinking they would become my enemies. However, she was caught by the knights of Shanafel before she could report to the Holy Knights, and she added this to her story.
The followers of Demon God Cult.
They are dangerous, but right now, I need allies.
Above all, I need power in this situation. The followers of Demon God Cult, who would worship me against my will and absolutely obey my words, are a force that must be secured in the current situation.
If the timing had been off, this would have happened.
Had the timing been slightly different, the followers of Demon God Cult would have already been wiped out by the Holy Knights.
This discrepancy turned out to be both a terrible event for me and a stroke of luck at some level.
Harriet and Liana seemed unable to understand how Olivia could have come by such information.
Because they didn't know that Olivia could wield the power of Demon God.
It must have been easy for Olivia to gain the trust of the Demon God Cult followers just by wielding their power. Reaching out to them would have been the easiest thing for her.
"Alright... securing the Demon God Cult followers as subordinates is important for now..."
Securing the power of the Demon God Cult followers as my own has also become a crucial condition.
Moreover, the Gelkorgis desert region is uninhabited. There are no warp gates there, so not only is the area unaffected by the gate situation, but they probably don't even know that such a situation is unfolding on the continent.
Fudududuk!
From somewhere, a swarm of black bats began to fly toward us from one side of the forest. Harriet pointed at them, her face turning pale.
"What... what is that...?"
"Don't worry."
Soon, the bats converged into one shape before us and transformed into an old man wearing a black suit and a wide-brimmed hat, leaning on a cane.
Antirianus bowed his head deeply, removing his hat as he looked at me.
"It is an honor to meet the great one."
Antirianus seemed genuinely delighted by the situation, smiling as he put his hat back on.
Yes.
He must be overjoyed by the mess I've created by finding the answer to everything.
"That old man is Antirianus the Lord of Saturday, the last of the Vampire Lords I mentioned earlier. He's insane, so don't get too close."
"Heh, your words are harsh."
Despite my harsh words, Antirianus merely chuckled.
The amount of information these three had to take in was overwhelming. However, there was no time to calmly explain everything now.
"Lord of Wednesday and Duke Sarkegaar have been captured, and Duke Loyar and Epinhauser have perished."
Antirianus had brought the news.
Master Epinhauser and Loyar were dead.
"Why... Professor...?"
"Our Professor?"
Both Liana and Harriet turned pale at the news of Professor Epinhauser's death.
I didn't know the reason either.
Professor Epinhauser had tried to save me and said it wasn't the will of the Order.
He had betrayed the Order's intentions to save me and died.
Loyar had died as well.
It was unlikely that the members of the Rotary Club had survived.
I wondered what had become of Adriana.
While there were survivors, there were too many who were dead or missing.
"..."
The crushing weight of despair was almost unbearable, as if it were squeezing my heart.
I couldn't comprehend why Professor Epinhauser had died for me.
I wanted to think about the deaths of Loyar and the club members, but there was no time to drown in those thoughts.
I never knew what it meant to be a king, nor did I ever desire to become one.
I had no intention of responding to Sarkegaar's wish for me to become a king.
However, I decided to become a king.
A king isn't someone who wallows in sadness and despair, confined to a corner, sinking into the depths of desolation.
What's done is done.
Who loved me and how much I loved someone.
The memories I shared with them, and what they meant to me.
Rather than reminiscing, I must be a being that embraces the future.
So, I put it off, endlessly pushing those thoughts back, and delaying them until everything was alright.
Eventually forgetting.
A being who can no longer remember what to reminisce about, who to remember, and what to grieve for.
That would be a king.
Loyar is dead.
Epinhauser is dead.
However.
Lucinil and Sarkegaar have been captured.
They are still alive.
I'll postpone my grief for the dead.
When I can grieve, I don't know.
Since I can't reverse death, I must delay the deaths of my people who are still alive.
"Antirianus, can you deliver a message to the Empire?"
"Of course, that's easily doable."
I must become a being that embraces the future.
I cannot be tied down by the past.
"Tell them that although the situation has occurred, we will deal with the Gate incident on our own, and we have no intention of fighting humans."
The Gate incident has already happened.
"But if they kill Lucinil and Sarkegaar, that moment will mark the beginning of a permanent hostile relationship."
This is not a joke.
"Deliver it like that."
I can't destroy the Empire as it is.
"I'm sure they know that if I absorb the power of the Demon God Cult, I could easily do so."
However, if I absorb the power of the Demon God Cult now, the problem wouldn't be the Empire, but the potential to bring about humanity's downfall.
The Empire could be foolish enough not to know that. Therefore, they might kill Lucinil and Sarkegaar.
If that happens, I will destroy the Empire and establish a new one on its ruins.
There's no need for humanity's master to always be human.
"Heh, hehehe... I will, of course, deliver your message, oh great one..."
Antirianus seemed delighted by my words and decisions, chuckling as he looked at me, and I narrowed my eyes.
He was undoubtedly the one who provoked Eleris.
"It won't be fun if you twist my words."
At my remark, Antirianus shook his head in feigned innocence.
"Hehe... Would I pursue such trivial amusement?"
Right.
I believe Antirianus when he says he won't engage in hasty pranks unless they offer extreme amusement.
-Squeak! Squeak!
-Whoosh!
Everyone watched Antirianus as he transformed into a swarm of bats and flew away, looking uneasy.
I threatened that if the Empire threatened Lucinil and Sarkegaar's safety, they would see a real disaster.
The Empire may hate me, but they can't ignore the consequences of making me an enemy.
It might be difficult to retrieve them immediately, but it could be possible in the long run.
"Archdemon, so from now on, do you plan to head to the Gelkorgis Desert?"
Luvien asked me with a glance.
It seemed like Gallarush and Luvien intended to continue cooperating with me.
Even if they decided to leave, I had no right to stop them. They had done so much for me, who had nothing to offer in return.
"The Gelkorgis Desert is my base as well. If I know the exact location of the Demon God Cult followers, I can relay your message."
"I see. But that's not our top priority."
There was something more important than securing power.
A base.
A land where we could be safe.
And before that.
I looked at Harriet and Liana.
"What are you guys going to do about your families?"
The two had tried to save me in some way. I didn't know their plan, but it was messed up due to the sudden Gate Incident.
However, it was clear that they were thinking their families would be in danger now that this situation had erupted. It wasn't just their lives at risk, but the lives of everyone on the continent.
"Arunaria... will be fine... I trust my father..."
The capital of Saint Owan Duchy, Arunaria.
Harriet clenched her fist and bowed her head, saying that the Grand Duke would be more worried about his daughter who had sided with the Demon King.
Of course, Harriet seemed to believe that Saint Owan Duchy would be able to handle the chaos of the Gate Incident.
Now, I looked at Liana. Liana gazed at the other side of the forest and spoke slowly, as if sighing.
"...I told my mother what I would be doing today."
Somehow, Liana knew that it wasn't me but the empire that was the target of her revenge. That meant her mother knew too.
Liana had decided to side with the Demon King to destroy the empire, and her mother had accepted it.
After the death of Duke Grantz, it was clear that the duchess had gone through many emotional changes.
The duchess had allowed Liana to risk her life for her father's revenge.
But now, the one in danger wasn't Liana but the duchess.
Unlike Harriet, who trembled in fear but trusted her father's safety due to the power of the Grand Duke and the Duchy, the duchess's life was in danger. Even if she were safe until the Gate Incident stabilized, as long as Liana was confirmed to be on my side, the duchess couldn't be safe.
Liana's fist trembled.
"So my mother... knows. We went there before..."
Huh?
Could it be?
"The Edina Archipelago?"
"Yes, she's hiding in a villa there. If I do this... it will become dangerous..."
Liana knew there would be consequences, so Duchess Grantz had fled in advance.
But the Gate Incident must have erupted in the Edina Archipelago as well, putting the duchess's life in danger. That's why Liana decided to help me for now, but she couldn't be at ease knowing her mother's life was in danger.
"It's a good thing."
But at my words, Liana narrowed her eyes at me, and Harriet shuddered as if asking what I was talking about.
"What? You think it's a good thing?"
"Of course it is."
I crossed my arms.
"From now on, we're going to the Edina Archipelago."
Starting now, that's where we'll make our base.
In rescuing the endangered Airi, we would travel to a place far from the continent, where news was delivered exceptionally late: the Edina Archipelago.
The isolated islands were the perfect location for us to evade the watchful eyes of the empire while we built our power.
"We shall conquer the Edina Archipelago."
That would become the starting point for the rebuilt Darklands.
We were going to save Airi.
And we would rescue Duchess Grantz as well.
There could be no better outcome than that.
