Charlotte, Harriet, and the Council of Elders, including Eleris, realized that Reinhardt's condition was far from normal.
And as time passed, Reinhardt's condition gradually worsened.
Vomiting, fever, chills.
Physical symptoms were consuming his mind and body along with the Demon King's spirit.
That was not all.
"Ugh!"
Plagued by nightmares, the Demon King would wake up as soon as he fell asleep.
Unable to properly sleep, the succubus queen Airi began to stay in the castle at the request of Olivia, who was in charge of Reinhardt's care.
"Valier…"
"…"
Airi could not find words to say as she looked at the Demon King's bloodshot eyes.
A demon who controls dreams.
Airi tried her best to comfort the Demon King's dreams so he could get proper rest.
However, even with Airi's power, she couldn't fully restore the Demon King's sleep from the torment of the vengeful spirits consuming his mind and body.
Everyone knew.
The Demon King was dying.
Is consciousness like a rubber band?
I felt as if the moment the tense string of consciousness snapped, it would be my end.
What I thought was a temporary task turned out to be a permanent one.
Achieving the impossible by not being consumed was already a feat.
But as long as I am like this, the eternal battle against the souls does not change.
Is it even possible?
I could already feel myself being gradually dominated by the physical symptoms.
Crash!
"Reinhardt…"
"It's alright. My hand just trembled."
I stared down at the cup that had slipped from my grasp and shattered on the floor.
What fight?
Even daily life was impossible.
Humanity's hatred and resentment toward me have been transformed into spiritual pain, affecting my body.
As soon as I loosened the grip on my consciousness, the words of hatred invaded my mind.
Sleeping scares me. Airi may be protecting my dreams, but how long can she keep doing so?
After some moment of falling asleep, will I ever regain consciousness?
And what will the vengeful spirits do with my body once they take control?
Will they force me to destroy the things I love with my own hands?
"…"
I cannot allow such a situation.
I do not want to break like this, nor can I.
But how?
I could resolve, but no solutions came to mind.
A royal meeting was convened, excluding the Demon King.
Liana de Grantz, Airi, Olivia Lanze, Harriet de Saint Owan, and Charlotte de Gardias attended.
And all of the Council of Elders.
Sarkegaar, Eleris, Lucinil, Luvien, Gallarush, and Antirianus.
All the most important authorities in Edina, except the Demon King, were gathered.
Knowing that the situation was extremely serious, everyone's expressions were understandably somber.
The Demon King was holding countless vengeful spirits within his soul.
Though he was enduring with superhuman willpower, if things continued as they were, the Demon King would become a completely different entity.
If the spirits of those who hated and despised the Demon King took control of his body and merged with his mind, what would happen?
No one knew. But it was clear that it would bring about a horrifying outcome, and everyone wanted to avoid that situation.
"We need a plan."
Charlotte spoke with a stern expression.
Although Charlotte was not as powerful as Reinhardt, she had a similar experience.
As a result of merging with a part of the Demon King's soul, permanent changes had occurred in her body. It was difficult to expect Reinhardt's mind and body to be safe in a fusion of such a scale, when even one-to-one fusions led to such consequences.
"First and foremost, we must separate the vengeful spirits clinging to His Majesty's soul."
Everyone regarded Reinhardt as important, but the one who could least hide their anxiety and worry at the possibility of Reinhardt's mind being obliterated was Sarkegaar.
"Assuming that's possible, how should we deal with the events that will unfold afterward?"
That was Luvien's question.
"From what I've heard, when those spirits were separated, they either controlled the minds of holy knights and priests or caused those who couldn't withstand the control to explode. Is that correct?"
Receiving Luvien's words, Gallarush looked at Olivia, who had witnessed the previous scene.
"Yes, that's what happened."
Either being controlled, or unable to withstand the control and having their bodies destroyed.
Although Olivia had been able to resist to some extent, it was only a small part. Eventually, when the spirits infiltrated her mind, she couldn't hold on and succumbed.
"If even priests and holy knights, who have mastered divine power, can be controlled, it's uncertain whether ordinary beings, let alone ourselves, will be safe when such things start to run rampant in Edina."
Gallarush's skepticism was reasonable.
To save Reinhardt's soul, the spirits that had already entered his mind must be extracted.
But the problem lay in what would happen next.
"So, are you suggesting we leave His Majesty in this state?"
Sarkegaar gritted his teeth and glared at Gallarush.
"You need to calm down. I just wanted to point out that acting recklessly without proper preparation could lead to even bigger problems."
"…"
Sarkegaar's anxiety was something everyone felt.
But Gallarush's opinion was correct.
Acting recklessly to save the Demon King could lead to the very thing he least desired. In fact, the Demon King himself had absorbed those spirits into his body as a form of self-sacrifice to prevent them from causing further harm.
"Is it impossible to separate the souls from Reinhardt's mind and then either extinguish them with divine power or ascend them?"
Harriet looked back and forth between Lucinil and Olivia.
Harriet knew that Lucinil had mastered magic dealing with souls, as did all the Council's Vampire Lords.
"Since they haven't completely merged yet... it's not theoretically impossible, but the scale is too large. We could try, but... the real problem is what happens after the separation."
Lucinil found it difficult to give a definitive answer.
"I wish I could say it with confidence, but I don't believe I can extinguish them. I was even controlled myself because I couldn't handle them."
Like Lucinil, Olivia judged it to be seemingly impossible.
"What on earth... What must His Majesty be enduring...?"
Eleris murmured blankly with a despairing expression.
Charlotte quietly observed the faces of the people sitting in the Council meeting.
The Vampire Lords of the Council were some of the most powerful magicians in the world and had accumulated knowledge over a very long time, making their knowledge incomparable to ordinary beings.
Olivia Lanze had access to an unparalleled level of divine power, impossible to compare with anyone else at the present time.
If they cannot find the answer here, then there is no answer.
The possibility of extracting the soul is slim.
It is too massive to be annihilated by any method.
There is no solution with magic or divine power.
Charlotte then thought of another approach.
One of the ancient magics, incantations.
If it's a Dettomorian, there might be a way.
However, incantations are powers that are difficult to predict in intent and outcome.
Not only is it uncertain whether the power of the Dettomorian can help the Demon King, but there is no guarantee that he will help the Demon King.
Nearly everyone has lost their homeland, and the Dettomorians are no exception.
Their desire to harm may be greater than their desire to help the Demon King.
The likelihood of putting Reinhardt in more danger in order to save him is even higher.
Therefore, Charlotte could not discuss incantations.
"Does it mean that we can only hope for Reinhardt's mind to remain intact?"
At Charlotte's words, everyone wore a grim expression.
Especially Liana, who could be seen as the cause of this situation, had the most disheartened look on her face.
Unable to even shed tears, she clenched her teeth and glared at the table.
Lucinil opened her mouth.
"Reinhardt is already doing the impossible. Originally... as we heard last time, it's natural for the body to collapse when such a scale of souls mixes together."
The priests and holy knights who ended up being dominated already possess tremendous mental strength.
Olivia, who could resist it, has even more powerful mental strength, and Reinhardt, who is suppressing it within his soul, is doing something even more impossible than Olivia.
Reinhardt has already achieved too many impossible things.
"To believe that Reinhardt can do something even more impossible here is too complacent."
At Lucinil's words, Charlotte quietly nodded.
Leaving Reinhardt to handle the next impossible task because he accomplished the previous one would be overly negligent.
Therefore, something must be done.
"What if we release the vengeful spirits that inhabit Reinhardt's soul somewhere far away on the continent, not in Edina?"
It was Airi, who had been silent all along.
Conduct a risky ritual in a remote area of the continent, then flee before the vengeful spirits infiltrate someone else.
In other words, leave the dangerous bomb in the world and return to Edina.
"Those vengeful spirits might roam the continent, absorbing other spirits and growing larger, eventually attacking Edina."
Everyone agreed with Eleris's words that releasing vengeful spirits on the continent would only be a temporary solution that would postpone the current threat to a more absolute one later on.
It might be a short-term solution, but in the long run, the even larger army of vengeful spirits will overwhelm Edina and the Demon King.
If that happens, there will be no next time.
Edina will be destroyed, and the Demon King will not survive.
No one has any countermeasures. Charlotte stared blankly at the table.
She had always been helped.
Reinhardt had always saved her.
She even failed to trust Reinhardt, committed what was tantamount to betrayal, and had even cursed him to suffer the worst pain in the world and die.
Yet Reinhardt saved her once again.
But now, when Reinhardt is in danger, she cannot be of any help.
In the end, they could only rely on him for help, but when Reinhardt truly needed assistance, no one could provide it.
Charlotte and the others each felt a similar sense of despair, albeit in their own unique ways.
Souls.
So many souls, on an unimaginably vast scale.
How could they possibly purify or remove them with magic or divine power?
In that moment of utter hopelessness, an old vampire named Antirianus cautiously put forth a suggestion.
"Have you considered soul transference?"
"Soul transference?" Regent Charlotte inquired, and the lord of Saturday, Antirianus, smiled faintly.
"Isn't the crux of the issue that if we leave the souls as they are, they will invade the world and the Demon King, or that they will merge with the souls of the Archdemon? Therefore, if we can find an entity that can bear the burden of these souls, we can resolve the problem."
The atmosphere in the council chamber froze at Antirianus's brutally simple and violent conclusion.
To save Reinhardt, someone else would have to take on the heavy burden.
"Wouldn't it be better for someone to become a sacrificial lamb than for us to lose our leader here?"
His words made sense, but they were sinister and chilling.
To find a sacrificial lamb to bear Reinhardt's burden.
"I… I'll do it," Liana spoke up, raising her head.
Since the problem stemmed from her, she seemed to feel it was only right that she bear the burden. She was tormented by guilt and self-reproach for being unable to help resolve the situation.
"Not just anyone can bear it. You might die on the spot," Olivia shook her head in response to Liana's words.
It was true that they could find a sacrificial lamb, but how many could actually bear that burden? They couldn't just choose anyone.
Many were willing, but there was doubt as to whether any of them could actually succeed.
"I should do it. At least I didn't die."
Reinhardt had managed to endure, and although Olivia had been controlled, she hadn't died. Thus, her offer to bear the souls was met with silence in the council chamber, and Liana lowered her head again.
Olivia had once again been saved by Reinhardt, and she was more than ready to die for him.
Seeing her willingness to take back the burden, Antirianus smiled.
"Regardless of whether one can bear the transference, the sacrificial lamb cannot remain in Edina."
"…That's true."
Once the souls were absorbed, one's self would be distorted, and their soul would merge with the others. They could no longer be the same person as before.
"Even so, if I'm the only one who can bear it without dying, I must do it."
Determined to save Reinhardt even at the cost of her own life, Olivia was prepared to accept the consequences.
Although she would never see Reinhardt again, even if she was left to wander the world with that heavy burden, she was ready.
"However, you hold a very important position in Edina. The great one would neither allow it nor permit it, and even if he did, your absence would leave a significant void."
Antirianus shook his head as if to say such an idea was extremely problematic.
"Even if the Thunder King can manage this, who will then take the lead in our vanguard?" Antirianus asked calmly.
"The same goes for everyone else in this room. Each and every one of you is an irreplaceable and vital presence in Edina. There's no particular need to risk such a devastating loss of personnel."
The Four Heavenly Kings, including the Regent, and the Council of Elders – each one of them was essential to Edina.
So, regardless of whether they could handle it or not, even if they could, Antirianus believed they shouldn't.
Charlotte stared silently at Antirianus.
"Lord of Saturday, what are you trying to say? To resolve this situation, someone has to bear the burden of the vengeful spirits that Reinhardt is carrying. You say that no one in this room should do it. If it's impossible for those present, it will be impossible for anyone else in Edina. Are you suggesting that there is someone else who can bear it...?"
As she spoke, Charlotte's face turned pale.
She had realized why Antirianus brought it up in the first place.
Why he said that there was no need for anyone in this room to be sacrificed.
"Could it be... Could it be..."
Antirianus looked at Charlotte's pale face and smirked.
He laughed as if he could hardly contain his delight.
"The hero."
At his words, everyone in the conference room turned pale blue.
"Wouldn't Ellen Artorius willingly bear this burden?"
Everyone was appalled by Antirianus's malicious laughter.
