Tilea's Worries

Squelching sounds echo in a dimly lit room.

"Hah... hah... S-stop..."

"Hmm, I see. You came from the Arcdas Kingdom. You went to great lengths to search for Aria."

"Hah... hah... Why is my mouth moving on its own..."

Aria interrogates the captured demon, making them talk.

"So the supreme commander is Tilea, and Camilla manages the army. What about Hidler?"

"Hah... hah... Who would tell you! Guh. Ugh, H-Hidler is with the Demon King's Army, we're the Evil God Army. Different organizations. Hidler is the governor of our hypothetical enemy state."

"Oh~ That's interesting. You'll keep talking for me."

"Hah... hah... Y-you, don't underestimate demons, you weak human!"

"Hmph!"

"Gahh!"

Enraged by the demon's words, Aria accidentally used too much force.

The demon's scream echoes in the room.

The demon's arrogant way of speaking is as irritating as ever. It was impossible to endure.

"Hm? Did I break it?"

Aria looks at the cold body with dispassionate eyes.

It seems to be a low-ranking demon, but she obtained quite a bit of information.

Did it say it belonged to the 4th Division?

It's quite a large organization.

The Evil God Army...

It seems there's an army that has split from the Demon King's Army.

The Evil God that the ancient powerful being, Camilla, is devoted to...

Interesting. Very interesting.

Comparing this with the reports from the infiltrated Jasmer...

Kukku, I've finally found it!

Years of wishes are coming to fruition.

I can't hide my smile.

You demons, I'll exterminate you all. Let's have an all-out war!

And then...

"Aria-sama, I have a report. The Knights of the Round Table have arrived."

"They're here."

She summoned the strongest warriors of Decarabia, scattered across the five continents.

They are the elite of the elite that Decarabia boasts. Of course, to maintain secrecy, they're unknown in the public world.

However, even S-rank adventurers would flee barefoot before these guys.

"Aria-sama, we have come at your summons."

"Gawain, you're early."

"Yes! If I can see Aria-sama's noble countenance again, I would rush here like the wind even if it were a secret realm in another world."

"Kukku, you haven't changed a bit."

The strongest warrior of the Round Table gazes at Aria with an enraptured expression and kneels on one knee. As evident from his arrival before the other executives, his devotion to Aria is unmatched by other warriors.

Then, a few moments later, a beautiful woman with black hair rushed into the room.

"Aria-sama, I apologize for being late."

"Lancelot, good of you to come."

"Being late is extremely discourteous. You're negligent, Lancelot."

"Kuh. Sir Gawain, you were already here."

"Of course. It's Aria-sama's order. A loyal retainer drops everything to rush here."

"Y-you're right. Aria-sama, I truly apologize. The handover of the Roche Wiei front took longer than expected."

"I see. You've had a hard time."

"U-um, Aria-sama?"

"What is it?"

"Yes, is it true that you summoned all the Knights of the Round Table?"

"Yes, it's true."

"Why? There's a danger of the front lines collapsing with our return. In fact, at Sir Bors and Sir Erec's locations, due to interference from the World Nation Alliance—"

"You! Are you dissatisfied with Aria-sama's orders?! I'll make such a disloyal person rust on my sword."

"Gawain, that's enough. I won't allow you to draw your sword."

"B-but..."

"Do you understand?!"

"Y-yes!"

As Aria was having this exchange with Gawain and Lancelot, Percival appeared, and coinciding with her arrival, Tristan, Mordred, and the remaining members... all the Knights of the Round Table assembled.

Twelve warriors in total surround Aria, bowing their heads.

"Everyone, thank you for coming."

"We, the Knights of the Round Table, are Aria-sama's sword. Use us as you see fit."

"Hmm. I'm truly grateful for everyone's loyalty."

After receiving the greetings from the Knights of the Round Table, Aria and the others sit at the round table.

Everyone seems to have questions about the sudden summons.

"Aria-sama, why did you summon us?"

Percival, the youngest of the Knights of the Round Table, spoke up immediately. Perhaps due to his age, he can't seem to suppress his curiosity.

"Sir Percival is right. And since it was urgent, we hurriedly left our posts. Our subordinates are fighting bravely, but the demon forces are probably pushing back our front lines."

Lancelot chimed in with slightly critical words, piggy-backing on Percival's statement. Other members seem to have their own thoughts, with several nodding in agreement.

"It's fine. It doesn't matter anymore who wins or loses. It's meaningless. We're going to have a final battle with the demons now."

"A final battle?!"

"Yes. We'll fight demons far superior to the ones we're currently battling. Be prepared for death."

"Hmph, we are the Knights of the Round Table. We'll crush any enemy, no matter who they are."

"Very reassuring. I look forward to seeing your gallant figures firsthand."

"Eh?! Does that mean..."

"Yes, I'll be joining the battle too."

"Please don't! We can't risk anything happening to Aria-sama. You're an irreplaceable existence for the world."

"I understand your concerns. But this is already decided. I've waited for this, going almost mad with anticipation. I won't let anyone interfere. Understood?"

"Y-yes!"

Yes, I'll show them the culmination of years of work. I won't let anyone interfere, even if they're my close aides.

"By the way, Aria-sama."

"What is it?"

"Why are you leaving that rat be?"

Lancelot's sharp gaze pours down on the back of the room.

"Tch!"

After clicking their tongue, dozens of magic bullets are fired, and that thing jumps out.

Aria skillfully shoots down all the magic bullets.

"You scum, I won't let you lay a finger on Aria-sama!"

Gawain steps in front of Aria, trying to shield her.

"Wait. I'll handle this one."

Aria stops him with her hand and takes a step forward.

Aria's abilities have been perfected. She needs to practice in actual combat. Aria activates a measurement spell on the intruder.

Magical power is over 25,000...

Oh, can they control their magical power?

I thought they were small fry and left them alone, but this one is an unexpected harvest. They're superior to the demon that infiltrated before.

However, even those with magical power of 20,000 class, which is among the strongest in humanity, are meaningless before my space-time magic.

"Be crushed. Seventh Rank Space-Time Magic!"

May you be crushed in the gap between dimensions.

Aria activates space-time magic, interfering with the space around the infiltrating demon.

"Guooh! The space is w-warping?!"

The infiltrating demon is astonished.

Their eyes are wide open, and their breathing is rough.

It's because the space is constricting the demon's body.

"Th-this level of magic... Y-you're the one who killed my subordinates, aren't you?"

"That's right. You're more lively than the previous one. You'll spill plenty of information for me."

"Kuh. Who would give you informa— Guhaaaaaa!!"

Squelch, squelch, squelch...

Fufu, let the interrogation begin.

"Was the infiltration here on Tilea's orders?"

"Hah, hah, hah. W-why, ugh! I-I don't know Tilea-sama. Th-this was information from a half-demon named Edim. Moreover, it was treated as an off-duty task, so they had a rookie investigate. But when that rookie didn't return, I took over the investigation."

"Hmm, I see. Besides you, who else knows about this investigation?"

"Hah, hah, who would tell— Uguaah! E-Edim and Belnandes-sama."

"What. The upper echelons of the Evil God Army don't know. This makes things easier to move."

"Hah, hah, hah. D-damn... Magical power and skill on par with Camilla-sama... Wh-what are you? What on earth are you?"

"Me? I'm a demon hunter."

"Haha, that Edim. She's picked up quite a bomb. Hah, hah, hah. Y-you're dangerous. A dangerous one. Hah, hah. I-I'll end this here!"

The demon's body begins to glow.

Probably a self-destruction spell.

Since their magical power is going out of control, this one's death is certain. I can't get any more information.

"...Are you going to die? I might have spared you if you had spilled the information."

"D-don't be ridiculous. Hah, hah, rather than being used as you please... I choose death. And I'm taking everyone here with me."

The demon's glow intensifies further.

"Hmm. Indeed, with your magical power, you could probably destroy not just this room, but this entire base."

"H-heh. Serves you right!"

"But if you're going to die, die in another dimension!"

Aria further expands the distortion of space, pushing the demon into that gap.

"Hah, hah, d-damn it! Camilla-sama, Tilea-samaaaa!!"

The demon vanishes.

There are no gaps in space-time magic. No matter how high their magical power, it's useless. Even if they had a hundred times Aria's magical power, they couldn't break through this space-time magic.

It's complete.

This is the final battle.

It seems Jessica was the trigger, but I didn't want to involve her.

Reality is merciless.

Jessica... this time for sure.

Under Aria's command, the strongest assassins begin their march towards the Arcdas Kingdom.

■ ◇ ■ ◇

"Governor, we need your decision!"

"Governor!"

Hidler quietly closes his eyes.

In the Chishima-Karabuto Exchange Treaty, we agreed that Chishima would be Demon King Army territory, and the southern half of Karabuto would be Evil God Army territory, forming an alliance.

Although the treaty terms were disadvantageous to us, it was the best we could do in negotiations without Zorg-sama present.

It's just a matter of enduring until Zorg-sama revives.

That's what I told myself, deciding to take the path of endurance, but...

First, the Evil God plotted against the Six Demon General Zanza.

While Zanza sometimes acts on his own, he's basically a general overflowing with loyalty. I was surprised when he suddenly rebelled.

Moreover, he was equipped with a powerful and vicious sword, which was unbearable. While causing unimaginable damage, we somehow managed to imprison him. It was the worst incident where even I suffered no small injury.

Poaching during a ceasefire is a grey area, no, it's tantamount to a hostile act. Moreover, Zanza is one of the Six Demon Generals. They poached one of our most important retainers. No, they even instigated a rebellion, so this goes beyond mere plotting.

It's enough to spark a war.

Well, to be honest, I was impressed beyond friend or foe at the Evil God's skill in turning the highly prideful Zanza.

The Evil God can be said to have charisma rivaling Demon King Zorg-sama. It's the height of foolishness to wage war against such a terrifying enemy.

We should conduct military activities with the utmost caution, but...

"Yoze. What are the Evil God Army's movements?"

"Yes. The Evil God Army that occupied Chishima is advancing with unstoppable momentum."

Yes, not only did they plot, but they've even started an invasion.

"Grnnn. They're doing as they please, taking advantage of our army's withdrawal."

"Indeed, not stationing troops was a mistake."

"But it was you who advised against stationing troops, saying it would provoke the Evil God Army."

My subordinates are also voicing their dissatisfaction.

Shifting blame is unsightly, but I fully understand why my subordinates are agitated.

Until now, we've had Camilla's betrayal. Killer and Garm's defeat. Zanza's rebellion and Luxembourg's disappearance.

Currently, Po is the only one left of the Six Demon Generals. It's no wonder they're unsettled.

"Who is the general of the advancing army?"

"The flag is of the Second Division. The general appears to be Ortissio of the Second Division."

Ortissio, huh...

He was one of the most belligerent men in Camilla's unit, rivaling the top two. Due to his hot-bloodedness, he's called the fuse of a bomb.

It's common sense not to station such a man in sensitive areas like the border with an enemy country.

Evil God, you're making quite an interesting move.

As I was worrying about the Evil God Army's actions,

"I have a report!"

A messenger rushed in.

It's a subordinate I had asked to investigate Ortissio, who occupied Chishima.

"Hmm, speak."

"Yes. According to reports from surviving guards, Ortissio occupied Chishima the very next day after our army withdrew."

To think the alliance was only upheld for a single day...

"Moreover, he invaded the treasure vault through the transfer formation we left in Chishima. It seems he stole a large amount of the Demon King's Castle's treasures."

Y-you scoundrel... He even took the important treasures entrusted to us by Zorg-sama.

"Furthermore, I-I have more to report. Ortissio, claiming to raise morale, burned our Demon King Army's flags."

To think we've been disrespected to this extent...

Any further outrages will affect Zorg-sama's dignity.

"This is intolerable! Recall the armies deployed to various fronts. All forces, mobilize!"

"Ooh!"

"I will also take the field. Our target is Ortissio's head. And we'll destroy the royal capital in one fell swoop!"

"Uoooooh!"

[TL notes: end of volume so series break till 08/01]