Chapter 167

Maybe not. She merely felt a heartache for someone she cherished, who was trying so hard...

“Sheffy, I told you before.”

“I won’t let you bear everything on your own.”

The red rose bloomed before the splendid blue.

The valiant, determined voice of the Hero gave this discussion its final note.

“The Demon Clan Princess has spoken the truth—every word of it. What she said, I too have seen with my own eyes. In the name of the Hero, in the name of the Holy Sword Sylatrella, I swear this: 【Human God】Aimeris has already awakened and betrayed the Kingdom of Aurus. If we continue trying to curry favor with the Holy Theocracy of Coreia, it is already utterly meaningless!”

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75. Confusion! (4K)

Shifting blame, falsehoods and truths interwoven, redirecting disaster eastward, unpredictability, deceit controlling reality.

In her past life, Sheffy didn’t have many hobbies. When she had nothing better to do, she quite enjoyed reading The Art of War.

Not that it made her achieve anything from it. In the end, she still studied advanced mathematics.

But this life—was different!

Things she had read in the past could now actually be useful. The saying “books are useful” wasn’t just empty talk after all.

By this point in the sudden negotiation, the situation had already turned overwhelmingly one-sided.

Some nobles were now boiling with rage.

Resentment that had been hidden for years against the Theocracy burst out with furious curses.

Some nobles squatted on the ground, covering their faces and weeping. It seemed that among them were also faithful believers of the gods, and now their faith was being deeply shaken.

They hadn’t believed it at first.

But when examples were given, followed by corroborations, and everything matched—then it became solid evidence.

The Demon Clan Princess’s examples were all persuasive, spoken with a compelling clarity—each a fact the kingdom’s nobles couldn’t refute.

And the Hero had directly declared it all as truth, hammering the final nail, solidifying everything.

As heated debates and waves of despair spread throughout the hall—

The king’s state of mind was also undergoing immense turbulence.

Sheffy first cast a subtle, concealed glance of gratitude toward Xiarette. That charmingly mischievous look, as if laced with enchantment, nearly made Xiarette stumble forward.

Coincidentally, that stumble gave Sheffy a clear line of sight to look straight at the king.

Alright, alright. Now that things had reached this point, it was time for Sheffy to unleash her final, killing blow.

“See? Even your own Hero says the same. Moreover... regarding the existence of gods, regarding whether I lied or not—Your Majesty, shouldn’t you be the one who understands this the most?”

Hehe, even if I don’t know whether you know or not, I’ll just assume you do. And if I make you think that I know—then I’ll never be the one at a disadvantage!

“......”

The king’s silence said it all.

Some nobles, driven to desperation, had already begun to question him.

“Your Majesty! Is this all true? The gods truly exist... and we are forsaken by them?!”

“Please make a decision, Your Majesty! If this is really true... then our kingdom is doomed!”

Livra supported her father, whose hand was trembling slightly. Amidst her worry, it felt as though she could sense the powerlessness despite all effort her royal father had endured over the years.

All of the king’s children gathered closely around him.

On one hand, they too wished to confirm the truth of the revelations. On the other, they sought to support and encourage this monarch who had devoted his life to the kingdom.

Sigh... Celt was not entirely ignorant of all this.

But he also hadn’t known everything.

From the moment he inherited the throne of Aurus, he had also inherited many secrets—ones passed down solely within the royal line, shrouded in dust and silence.

For instance... the truth that gods had once descended upon this land.

——【The phoenix concealed its wings, returned to the mountains and rivers, transformed into the stars in the sky, and would forever illuminate and protect its people in peace.】

And more than that—

When the Demon Clan invaded the frontier strongholds and war raged across the snowy plains, the king had received a secret letter from the Pope.

Its contents were full of riddles, yet steeped in unmistakable threat.

【The stars have chosen us, not you. No matter how you argue, the result is already set. If you are wise, we may preserve the fate of our kin. If not—the outcome remains uncertain.】

The king burned the letter right after reading it.

As for what the “stars” in that message referred to... the king knew all too clearly.

At first, he’d clung to a sliver of hope, thinking perhaps the Theocracy was only bluffing. But the strange items they had proactively sent, the curious magics—they made Celt’s thoughts grow ever more chaotic. Amid the torment, he could not help but feel a kind of despair... that the gods had truly taken sides.

But he was a monarch. Words that might shatter the people's trust, he could never speak.

And so... came the string of concessions he had made toward the Theocracy afterward.

To preserve the nation. To protect the people. It was done out of necessity.

But now...

All those concessions. That humiliation. That helplessness—

Was it finally time... to turn the page completely?

Could mere survival bring true happiness to the people?

Celt believed in the courage of the kingdom’s citizens.

And he believed that the soldiers of Aurus understood the weight of righteousness.

“Father...”

“Livra... don’t blame your father for being rash. Whether this decision brings fortune or calamity... the consequences of this gamble might be yours to bear in the future...”

Before Livra could agree or object—

King Celt made, at this flickering twilight of his life, a decision even more resolute than those he had made in his days of riding across battlefields.

He stretched his arms out to both sides, trembling, refusing to be supported by his children.

Celt did not respond to the nobles’ inquiries.

Because—

The words spoken by the Demon Clan Princess, which he now faced head-on—

Were already his answer.

“Friends from a foreign land... I, on behalf of the entire Kingdom of Aurus, hereby declare that from this day forth, the Kingdom of Aurus wishes to establish a temporary alliance with the Demon Domain, to jointly discuss countermeasures against the Holy Theocracy of Coreia, which bears divine blessing, and—shall never go back on this decision.”

....................................

Heh, bet you didn’t see that coming. In just a matter of minutes—the tides had completely turned!

Sheffy had suddenly become a public enemy earlier, and she'd thought she wouldn’t even be able to pack up the food from the table.

But now! She had been reinstated as a guest of honor and returned to her seat!

While discreetly nudging some peanuts into her 【Storage Magic】 from a cunningly hidden angle, Sheffy listened to the civil official on stage loudly announcing the king’s conferred rewards.

“Her Highness Sheffy Harl, First Demon Princess—rescued our royal family at the arena, delivered aid amidst crisis, and acted with righteous valor. Therefore, to express our gratitude, I have decided to bestow the border fortress city of Kolutes upon our friend. Her Highness Sheffy shall be named Lord of the Border Fortress, granted the honorary title of Duke of the Kingdom, not subject to kingdom command, and shall exercise complete autonomous authority in an independent capacity!”

After the proclamation, the hall erupted in astonishment.

Th-this... even looking through the entire history of the kingdom, bestowing title and land to a foreigner—wasn’t this a first?!

Why had there been so many unprecedented events lately? Just think—only a few days ago, that girl named Shaya was granted the title of Earl, becoming the youngest countess in history. And now an even more outrageous record had been set!

And the king directly handed over Kolutes, a border fortress city, to the Demon Clan Princess?! Wasn’t that essentially surrendering a key defensive territory?!

They had countless thoughts and worries racing through their minds, but none had the chance to voice them.

After all, the Wright Family stood like a pack of fierce wolves... clearly not allowing anyone to question the king’s decision.

Xiarette had already returned to stand among the Wright Family’s formation.

Her cousin—Nona Wright, who had become much more reserved after her battle with Jeffriel, the Six-Winged Demon—quietly shuffled closer and asked curiously.

“Cousin Xia, um... about what you said earlier... the part about the gods—was that really true?”

“It is. Absolutely. Uh... cousin, you’re not thinking about challenging the gods now, are you...”

“No, no, no! I was just asking! Aha... you know me, I used to be way too reckless... but I’ve learned to be smarter now.”

“Let’s hope so...”

You better have learned. Just look at that thick bandage wrapped around your arm—it still hasn’t fully healed even now.

Actually, more than whether the whole divine thing was real or not, what Xiarette was more curious about—

Was the king’s recent decision.

She had expected him to give some extraordinary reward, but never imagined... he’d actually gift Sheffy an entire border city?

Eclight’s gaze shifted slightly downward, catching the confused expression on his daughter’s face. Seemingly guessing her thoughts, he spoke.

“His Majesty is likely showing the kingdom’s determination to seek cooperation...”

“Huh? Father, what do you mean by that?”

“The Theocracy has already torn off its mask with the kingdom. What happened at the arena is ironclad proof—they can no longer be trusted. On top of that, the matter of the gods you all mentioned... sigh, there are too many uncertainties. If the kingdom wishes to survive now, it can only gamble everything and seek cooperation with the Demon Clan. But with two nations that have been at war for so many years... expecting cooperation without either side first showing sincerity is unrealistic. The Demon Clan will not concede—so the gesture must come from us.”

“I see... so in other words, if it’s decided that we’re cooperating with the Demon Clan, then the border city will no longer be a key defense point, since hostilities with the Demon Clan will temporarily cease.”

“That’s correct. It seems His Majesty has made a firm decision this time... no matter. The king’s command is final. As his subjects, it’s our duty to obey.”

Everyone had their own thoughts.

And how did Her Highness Sheffy Harl, the newly-appointed Lord of the Border Fortress, feel right now?

She was very displeased!!

Hey, hey, hey, no way—did Xiarette really call it?

Was this old king actually that stingy? No money, just tossing around empty titles and lands? Wouldn’t it be more sincere if you just threw a pile of gold coins on the table?!

Sheffy’s expression was just about to show her displeasure when—who knew—the announcements hadn’t finished yet. The voice rang out again.

“All specialty crops, trade goods, food resources, fish and fowl, mountains and rivers, and lakes in the border city shall fall entirely under the authority of Her Highness Sheffy Harl, without needing consent from the Kingdom.”

“Approved.”

This “approved” came from Sheffy—decisive, firm, and resonant.

In truth—she really did approve!

Alright, old man king! This actually counts as doing a fine thing!

Alright, alright, most of the food on the table had been packed up anyway. This “celebration banquet,” which had long lost its celebratory flavor, could finally come to an end, right?

But just as Sheffy stood up—

The king tapped the document in the official’s hand with his scepter, signaling him to stop reading.

And then—he stood up himself.

Huh...?

That posture—was there more?

Was he about to start throwing gold coins?

The little money-grubber’s eyes already lit up in anticipation.

The king raised a half-clenched fist to his mouth and gave a few light coughs to clear his throat.

He did indeed have more to say.

Forget the money. The Kingdom of Aurus's treasury was already running dry.

“Your Highness the Princess, our kingdom is currently struggling to make ends meet. You understand our national condition... but to demonstrate sincerity in our cooperation, I can promise you one more privilege.”

“I’m all ears.”

The king’s gaze swept across the hall full of nobles.

There was some guilt in his eyes—but in the face of national interest, it was insignificant.