The Demon Prince goes to the Academy

Ludwig headed towards the 17th District Guard again the next day.

While Heinrich and Ellen had the freedom to patrol the outskirts of the Imperial Capital on their own, Ludwig could not do such a thing, nor would it be permitted.

He might feel a sense of deprivation, but he was not oblivious to the difference in their absolute abilities.

He could not dare to overstep the tasks Heinrich and Ellen could do.

So Ludwig headed towards the guard.

It was a difficult and painful job, but even in that line of work, he could find small tasks he was capable of doing.

Even such little tasks as returning a lost child to their parents' hands were certainly not meaningless.

Hoping for such tasks, Ludwig went to the guard.

"Ludwig, sir, we have an important mission for you."

"…An important mission?"

"A task suited for you, Ludwig."

A task suited for him.

Both the archer Sontein and the captain of the guard respected Ludwig.

However, they were also aware that Ludwig could not handle witnessing the cruel acts of the guards in the refugee camp.

A task suited for Ludwig.

"Your task is to escort."

With a baffled look on Ludwig's face, the captain of the guard spoke softly.

"An escort…?"

"Aren't you aware of the epidemic?"

"Yes… I saw it yesterday."

"For the purification process, a priest has been dispatched."

An epidemic.

And purification.

Ludwig's eyes widened.

"Please escort the dispatched priest."

A task to eradicate the epidemic.

A task absolutely necessary to save people.

"…Thank you for your consideration."

They assigned him this task because they knew what Ludwig found difficult and what he wanted.

------

To purify an epidemic, a priest from the Tu’an Order is needed.

However, due to the Demon King, the Tu'an Order and the Als Order faced persecution.

In such circumstances, it was impossible for priests of the Tu'an Order to move openly, even if they had come to treat the epidemic.

Not only the followers of Tu'an faced persecution, but the priests also suffered worse fates.

But they couldn't just ignore the epidemic. If it spread from the refugee district to the Imperial Capital, the situation might become unsolvable even with divine power.

That's why the priests of Tu'an risked their lives to purify the epidemic in the refugee district.

They had to move secretly, of course, so they couldn't wear their priest robes.

They also couldn't receive a large escort. They needed to move discreetly to avoid drawing attention.

Even though their purpose was not to cause harm, but to save people.

"Priesstes, this is Ludwig, who will be escorting you today."

Ludwig bowed his head as he looked at the priestess wearing a gray, weathered robe.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Rowan."

"Hello."

The priestess, who appeared to be about Ludwig's age, smiled at him.

"I know this may not be much, but I will do my best."

Ludwig added this, thinking that Rowan might be unhappy with the only escort from the 17th Guard being one-armed.

"Thank you, I'll be relying on you."

However, the priestess didn't seem to mind at all, as she gently smiled and nodded her head.

------

Ludwig and Rowan left the 17th District Guard headquarters together.

The task of purifying the epidemic. Ludwig felt a sense of clarity in his mind for the first time in a while.

It was a simple task that didn't require deciding what was right.

They weren't wearing the uniforms of the guards to move discreetly, and Rowan was also wearing a hooded robe, her face concealed.

It was a situation where neither her identity as a priestess nor him as a guard was apparent.

It was merely a matter of purifying a plague-stricken area.

However, if an unforeseen situation arose, they might have to resort to force. Rowan glanced at Ludwig walking beside her and tilted her head.

"You're not an official guard, are you?"

"What? Oh... How did you know?"

"Because the captain of the guards mentioned it..."

It wasn't a particularly impressive deduction.

"Ah... Actually, I haven't been back from the allied forces' garrison for long. So..."

"You're a war veteran."

"Yes... I ended up in the rear due to an injury, but..."

"You're an admirable person. I respect you."

At Rowan's words, Ludwig seemed to feel his face heat up.

It wasn't embarrassment or shyness, but shame.

Ludwig thought he had no right to hear such words, feeling only shame.

Shouldn't people like Rowan, who were truly admirable, hear such praise?

Despite the countless people who despised and hated the priests and priestesses of Tu'an, they tried to save others.

The truly admirable and great people were them, weren't they?

Ludwig only thought of himself as someone who had failed and been driven away, not deserving of such words.

"We'll be moving covertly, so there shouldn't be any arguments or disturbances. Ludwig, only step in if it's an extremely unlikely situation."

As if she had performed purification work more than once or twice, Rowan told Ludwig the points to be cautious about.

"Ludwig, are you good at running?"

"What? Oh... Yes, I'm confident."

Running.

It was one of the few things Ludwig was still confident in, even in his current state.

"What about carrying someone while running?"

It was clear whom he would be carrying without even mentioning it.

"I'm also confident in doing that well."

"If there's a problem, pick me up and run away as fast as you can."

Rowan smiled brightly as she said that.

If they ever had a conflict with the refugees, they would avoid the confrontation, not kill them.

"Yes, I'll make sure to do that."

Ludwig liked Rowan's approach.

------

Today, Ellen went on a patrol of the main road with Heinrich again.

Listening to their conversation from yesterday, it seemed like they didn't need to go, but they both left hastily after breakfast, unable to bear the itching feeling.

So, there was nothing left to do but roll around in bed for a while. Gathering information within the temple was also blocked for now.

How long had he been lying there?

-Tap tap

Turning his head while sitting on the bed, he saw a single sparrow.

A cat and a sparrow.

-Tap tap

-Chirp!

The sparrow tilted its head as it looked at him.

-Tap tap

-Chirp!

It had been a long time since he'd seen that sight.

Sarkegaar, indeed.

------

Outside the royal class dormitory.

Sarkegaar and I pretended to be returning students as we talked.

To be honest, there was no need for camouflage.

The temple's interior was almost desolate. There were people, but they were extremely rare. Those who could be seen were just guards.

Our blockhead had found Sarkegaar and sent him here in the meantime.

He had also heard the results of the council of elders' meeting.

It was strange that alchemy was unrelated, he said.

It wasn't as simple as creating undead like us.

Alchemy is a magic discipline that combines elements of both chemistry and biology.

Dealing with corpses, strictly speaking, is a matter of dealing with life. So, it's not strange for an alchemist to be involved.

On top of that, the research list of Antirianus I heard about further confused me, who was already bewildered.

The Empire is not conducting research or experiments.

They must be in the middle of a task with a clear outcome. There's no way they'd invest in pure academics in the midst of war, with shortages of supplies and resources.

"…That's right, there were no remains of Mullerun either."

Additionally, it was important to note that the Empire might know the method to revive a mage as a lich.

A lich is originally an undead created by a living mage who undergoes the process themselves. In other words, it's a procedure the mage performs on their own body while they're alive. Olivia said that even in the case of a death knight, their ego is maintained.

But the work we did this time was to revive a dead hero, or rather, a knight, as a death knight.

What if we revive a dead mage as an undead?

The range of options would significantly expand, and the force would undoubtedly be immense.

Furthermore, the role of mages in war is crucial.

Mages who take on large-scale attacks, barrages, and support roles indeed dominate the battlefield.

"Your Majesty, the Council of Elders has said that we may need to use force to prevent the Empire from securing such power."

"…That's true."

"I think so too."

I understand what everyone is worried about.

There were remains of mages in the Hall of Heroes. However, most of them were warriors.

But there are separate tombs for mages who left great magical achievements in the royal mausoleum. And not just there but in many other places as well.

What if they revive the remains of great archmages who left their names in human history and command them as an army?

It would be as if they had a massive mage force far surpassing the royal mage corps.

Reviving the warriors and mages who left their names in human history.

All of them would become an army to save humanity.

It's a very plausible scenario, but the problem arises when their blades are pointed at us.

There's no guarantee that there won't be a war just because Bertus has no intention of fighting us.

Wars can break out due to external factors, after all.

It's frightening that master-class forces would be greatly replenished, but the real problem is the addition of archmage forces.

Titans can't cross the sea, but a massive army could invade Edina if the archmages are reinforced to that extent.

They may not know the current situation in Edina, but if our location is discovered, such an event could really happen.

No.

It's not the army that's the problem, but the fact that about a thousand archmages equivalent to Vampire Lords might be able to drop a Titan on Edina.

I didn't want the Gate Incident, but it happened because of me.

Bertus doesn't want a war, and neither do I, but there's no way of knowing why a war might break out.

I'm convinced that I have some sort of curse that keeps encountering situations I don't want to happen.

Whether it's fate or a trickster's prank.

If we leave the Empire's research alone, we might be able to end the Gate Incident with less damage.

But if that destroys the world I've worked so hard to build.

I cannot be certain that losing everything isn't my given fate.

However, if I ruin all the projects currently in progress just because the Empire is conducting dangerous research, wouldn't that also serve the trickster's intent?

If I destroy the core project of the Empire with my own hands, war will likely break out because of this very incident.

If I attack the Empire now, war will definitely ensue. In fact, my decision on this matter may prevent the Allied Forces from advancing any further.

If I leave the Empire alone, the Gate Incident might be resolved more easily, but I could lose everything in the process.

I know that both Bertus and I have no hostility toward each other; we just haven't had a conversation about it.

If the situation changes later, it would not be due to Bertus's will but because of external factors.

No, Bertus, who doesn't want war, might be assassinated, and the new emperor may want to wage war against the Demon King.

No matter where I go, I only see a future of waging war against the Empire.

If I attack, this incident will be the justification.

If I stay silent, the world's demands will be the justification.

If I'm bound to wage war anyway, perhaps it's better to face a weakened Empire.

But if the Empire becomes stronger, I can prevent unexpected deaths like this time.

Delphin's death and Ludwig losing his arm could be avoided.

What about the countless Allied Forces soldiers I don't know?

If I leave the Empire alone, hundreds of thousands of people might survive, and if the Gate Incident ends sooner, the extra resources can be used to help refugees.

But my people in Edina.

I also have a responsibility to a nation.

Just because there are more citizens in the Empire, it doesn't mean that my country should disappear and let them live.

I cannot make such a choice.

I felt like I was standing at a crossroads of destiny.

The choices I make now will greatly change the future.

One thing I do know.

No matter what choice I make, I will surely regret it greatly.

I will suffer from nightmares for many long days again.

The issue raised by the Council of Elders is not a false alarm this time.

Revived warriors and revived mages.

The possibility of reviving mages as liches.

The problem starts with all of that.

But if this matter helps end the Gate Incident, I must also consider the option of leaving it alone.

If that army actually helps destroy the final Gate, I might have to use the Alsbringer against the otherworldly dragons when confronting them because I destroyed the Empire's new power.

In that case, obstructing the Empire's project would essentially be a suicidal act.

"And there is the most important issue."

"The most important issue?"

"There is a possibility that the Empire has joined hands with the Black Order."

"..."

I couldn't help but fall silent at Sarkegaar's words.

The Black Order.

Yes, if it involves alchemy and the undead, they would be involved.

No matter what the Empire does, the source of knowledge could be the Black Order.

Although the power of the Black Order itself has weakened, their knowledge remains, and it's not impossible that they've found a group that can use that knowledge more valuably than themselves.

However.

The Black Order tried to kill me.

They had believed that my death was necessary for humanity.

Therefore, the remnants might still desire my death.

If a hostile force has joined hands with the Empire, I must see for myself what is happening as soon as possible.

There were two ways to do this.

Either I risk meeting Bertus directly and dig into the whole story, or I send Sarkegaar to gather information.

Having a conversation with Bertus was a very dangerous thing. It was not only dangerous for me but also for Bertus.

However, Sarkegaar was not omnipotent.

Moreover, the projects the Empire is currently working on might be in a place that is difficult even for Sarkegaar to access.

"I have to meet the emperor in person."

I had no choice but to conclude that I needed to meet Bertus directly.

"Your Majesty, it's dangerous."

Naturally, Sarkegaar could only express his concern.

"There might come a time when it becomes dangerous, but that time is not now."

Just as Bertus wouldn't attack me immediately, even if he knew my whereabouts, he wouldn't try to attack me if we face each other.

We could have a conversation. I didn't know about later, but for now, a conversation was definitely possible.