NOVEL WEB Chapter 293 (Self Edited) – Receiving a Proclamation of War
Chapter 293 (Self Edited) – Receiving a Proclamation of War
This case seemed to be resolved easily, but it was rather harder to manage after defeating the Devils. Apparently, the Devils seemed to have finished taking control of the villagers very early, and the villagers had lost their memories for nearly two years.
Although there was no discrepancy between the memories of the villagers, not all of them were adults. There were children among them. Therefore, in two years, a child could have a big difference in appearance. That was certainly true for some people.
Above all, they all fell outside when they noticed. In such a situation, there was no reason not to be confused.
Even so, the confusion was minimal because there was Ingrid. The attitude that the villagers showed to Ingrid seemed to be an exact imitation of their own, and Ingrid’s arrangement allowed them to settle down relatively quickly.
Well, Ingrid was Ingrid, and she seemed to be concerned that she didn’t realize how she had been possessed by a Devil, and she had been taken over by its scheme. Was there such a switch to make that happen? She soon realized that it was the Devil that made her memory different from the villagers’ attitudes, and they weren’t acting when they said that they were relying on Eleonora. However, it seemed that she wasn’t confident in her power. Anyhow…
Although they were able to recover the villagers from the turmoil, there were still many other things to do. There was no problem between the villagers. It was true that there was a gap for two years, but more importantly, the Devils were lurking in a place that could be said to be right next to the Holy City. What happened before the incident wasn’t so related to Soma and Hildegard, but it was urgent to report after the incident. In order to do that, it was necessary to return immediately.
But Soma’s group had a slight complication. The villagers were divided into those who insisted that the report should be prioritized because the incident was unlikely to be happening soon and those who insisted that they should still investigate the village.
By the way, Ingrid chose the former while Soma and Hildegard chose the latter. It should be the other way around, but that might be the reason.
In addition to self-reproach, Ingrid had a part in the people concerned. So, she couldn’t play favoritism. If she thought calmly, she should have understood that although the villagers hadn’t realized the fact that they were possessed by the Devil, it would become more difficult if they realized from hereon… Well, somehow, Ingrid hadn’t completely recovered from the shock of what happened to her.
In addition, in regards to this incident, Ingrid was ultimately yielded… or was it rather being yielded? Although it was like this, to be honest, there was no need for Ingrid to make an honest report.
Ingrid was a Paladin and she was on an official mission, but she was undoubtedly under the influence of the Devil. She wasn’t suitable for making accurate reports, but rather she should stay with the villagers here just in case. When Soma said so, Ingrid accepted, albeit reluctantly.
However, Ingrid would have noticed that it was just for the public appearance. If Soma said something like that, she should be put on restraint. It was virtually outrageous to leave her alone without supervision.
But Soma and Hildegard knew that it wasn’t necessary. In short, it was just an excuse. By all means, the village still needed Ingrid, and… they were convinced that Ingrid needed it too.
Anyhow, that meant that only Soma and Hildegard would return to the Holy City.
“That’s the general idea of this incident.” (Soma)
After talking up to this point, Soma turned his gaze forward. This was the lord’s room, and the lord on paper, Eleonora, was here.
Soma and Hildegard had already returned to the Holy City.
They left that village when it was almost nightfall for various reasons, but it hadn’t been long since then. Almost all the time used to explain the situation had passed.
“I see… I wondered why you didn’t call us, but that was the case.” (Eleonora)
“I used ‘it’ because I thought it was necessary?” (Soma)
“Yes, now I think I know the situation. But I think it’s natural that I was surprised since it was so sudden.” (Eleonora)
With that said, Eleonora looked at him with a stern look, but Soma just shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t mean to surprise her, or he didn’t have a way to get in touch with him.
It was Eleonora who handed over that ‘thing’ in the first place. If she wanted to complain, he wanted her to say it this time.
“I don’t want to complain. Considering that it was useful to use it in this way, I would rather praise your judgment this time. It’s just that I was surprised.” (Eleonora)
“Well, I’m not going to take his side, but I was surprised. I was wondering what he wanted to do when he said he was going home now.” (Hildegard)
It was naturally Soma’s idea. When she was told that, she merely tilted her head. Since it was a situation that was appropriate to use that thing, it was normal to use it.
Yes, Soma and Hildegard were already in the Holy City because they used the magic tool given by Eleonora.
“Well, as I said, I have no complaints… Besides, it might have been good to do it in another sense. I was wondering if I should call you directly.” (Eleonora)
“Hmm…? What does that mean?” (Soma)
“Let me explain that. By listening to your story, I was able to grasp the situation in general.” (Satya)
When they turned around to the voice, it was Satya who was there.
And Soma was surprised by her because he thought ‘she’ would never come out of that room. Although they were in the same shrine, this room was much closer to the public area, where a lot of people were coming and going, compared to ‘her’ room. Just in case, ‘she’ shouldn’t be here and shouldn’t have to…
“I can almost predict what you’re thinking, but don’t worry about it. If someone comes, all they have to do is to withdraw.” (Satya)
“Hmm, if you’re alright with that, I don’t mind… By the way, I expect you will wake up tomorrow, right?” (Soma)
“I intended to do that too. I was struck up when I was sleeping in a good mood.” (Satya)
“…Will you stop saying that I am the bad one? Satya-sama must know that it was necessary, right?” (Eleonora)
“Of course. It was just a joke.” (Satya)
“…I would like you to stop that kind of joke.” (Eleonora)
It was a completely harassment exchange, but was it established between God and ‘her’ followers? Satya shrugged toward those two when they looked at ‘her’ with that thought in mind.
“Well, in short, something tedious and annoying has happened. And maybe it has something to do with the information you brought back.” (Satya)
“In other words, is it related to the Devil?” (Soma)
“I think it’s fine to say that at the end, but I can’t say anything whether I can assert it for now…” (Satya)
“…? What do you mean?” (Hildegard)
“Well, before I talk about that, let’s talk a little bit about the information you brought back. It’s better to connect from there.” (Satya)
It was a roundabout way to connect two matters, but it was fine since it was necessary. They nodded as there was nothing wrong in doing that. Then, Satya opened ‘her’ mouth after thinking for a bit.
“First of all, yes… I will have to apologize to you. I’m sorry, this is completely my mistake. That’s right… I can’t help paying attention when you’re recognized as the Demon King.” (Satya)
“Hmm…? What does that mean?” (Soma)
“Don’t you guys wonder about the Devil’s behavior this time? What they were doing was lukewarm.” (Satya)
That was certainly true. While lurking in the village near the Holy City, the Devils were in a state of doing almost nothing at all.
They were almost certain that they couldn’t find what they were doing except when they passed the job to Hildegard. They were about to conduct a more detailed investigation, but… they were sure the conclusion wouldn’t be overturned.
“So you say you understand what is the reason?” (Soma)
“I can be certain of the reason, and it’s not a mistake to say so. In other words, it is as it is. This time… no, maybe, the Devil possession that has been done in the last two years is to test you.” (Satya)
“Test Soma…? If you told me that, it’s certainly a convincing story.” (Hildegard)
“Is that so?” (Soma)
“The problem with the Devil possession was that we didn’t know much about it for two years, you know? The flow of events has been moving at an amazing rate since we encountered Ingrid. So, if you think about it, everything will be connected. I was wondering why Ingrid was the one who wasn’t possessed, but it’s probably a bluff if I say she can’t be possessed. The Devil probably intended to use her intuition skill from the beginning.” (Hildegard)
“Yes, I agree with that. I think the Devil was giving instruction to her in some ways. Or rather, according to the story, it seems that the Devil sneaked in unconsciously, and as a result, it would have come to feel that way. It’s something that I’ve thought is pretty good.” (Satya)
“Hmm… but that requires us to know that Ingrid has intuition skills, right? If not, it is doubtful that she somehow followed the Devil’s instructions. In addition, it seems that she didn’t know that she had that skill until Hildegard told her.” (Soma)
“It simply means that the Devil knew about Hildegard. And it probably expected Hildegard to move with you. Oh, incidentally, we knew that she had intuition skills. However, I didn’t know which one would work to give extra information, so I was just monitoring the situation.” (Satya)
When Soma was told that, he was convinced. Even though they trusted her, Soma often believed that they believed in Ingrid’s feeling of something. It was no wonder that they knew about her intuition skill.
“I would like to say that we’re not believing and relying on her skill, you know? Perhaps, even if we don’t know her skill, our response wouldn’t change much.” (Eleonora)
“Well, it’s true that it was a bit of a boost, and it’s good to have it. In short, she was a match-pump. So, yes.” (Satya)
“It might be that some of the information obtained came from the skill.” (Hildegard)
“That seems possible. It could be more ambiguous.” (Soma)
“Well, I’ll ask Ingrid for more details about that matter later. So, I wonder if this is the main subject of the discussion… I also wonder why we came to that conclusion…” (Satya)
Along with that word, Satya’s gaze was directed toward Eleonora. Eleonora, then, took a piece of parchment… No, she took it out of somewhere and she offered it to Soma.
It was strangely white, and he could tell at a glance that it was a luxury item. It should be something that should rarely be seen in this world… Hildegard, who saw it, had a disgusting expression for some reason.
“…Isn’t it a familiar piece of paper?” (Hildegard)
“I’ll tell you one thing first, we’ve nothing to do about this, you know?” (Satya)
“Maybe, but I want to tell you implicitly about my behavior. Goodness… it looks like there’s going to be a lot of work from now on… in many ways, seriously.” (Eleonora)
While listening to such exchanges, Soma took a look at what was written on the received paper… then, he nodded. He turned his gaze to Satya and shrugged his shoulders.
To put it simply, it was the empire which sent it.
There was only one country called the empire in this world. That was the country that existed in the central part of the continent, but Soma didn’t know much about the empire. However, he had heard that it was the oldest and most prosperous country. Perhaps because of that, it had a considerable influence on countries all over the world. It could be said that it was equal in standing or better than the Holy City.
The following was conveyed from such an empire by using a high-quality paper. This time, the empire caught the existence that could be called the true Demon King, and learned that the Holy City was hiding him. Therefore, the empire demanded the Holy City to hand him over.
“If it’s not fulfilled, they will use force, is it? I feel like this is almost a declaration of war…” (Hildegard)
“Actually, that’s what I mean. If we don’t hand over Soma, we can’t avoid clashing with them.” (Satya)
“Hmm… by the way, what if I go to the empire according to this?” (Soma)
“Perhaps, nothing will change? I think they will have some kind of difficulty and eventually do the same thing. From their point of view, my existence would only be an obstacle. That’s why it’s the same even if Soma leaves here… no, in that case, will the number of declaration of war increase to two? Perhaps, this isn’t just for us, but for you.” (Satya)
“To receive a declaration of war from the empire is a great thing for me. By the way, this means that the empire has something to do with the Devil, right?” (Soma)
“It seems so. I think I said something like that, and I was able to predict, but I don’t think they’re moving so fast… My bad. I’m completely falling behind. However, there will be no change in what I will do for a while… Well, at least for the time being.” (Satya)
Satya separated her words, and she had a sarcastic look on her face. Then…
“Congratulations, Soma. Apparently, you were safely recognized as a threat by the world.” (Satya)
“Is that so… it’s an honor.” (Soma)
‘Her’ mouth was opened as it was and Soma responded to her. Then, apparently, there seemed to be no other way but to get involved in earnest. While thinking of his own desire that was just moving further away, he let out a long sigh.
TLN: