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Chapter 557
Chapter 557
Chapter 557: The Scent of Covert Maneuvering
"---that's how it is."
I told Clyde the story I heard from the elder.
I simply relayed what I heard, but the shock for Clyde was tremendous.
Even without directly seeing the scene, he was clutching his head.
"So, in other words... if you don't solve the demon problem before you die from the poison, humanity is doomed?"
"More accurately, the Amsberg family will be gone."
"That's practically the same thing. Moreover, we would also lose Silver. We could potentially lose other SS-ranked adventurers as well. It's unlikely that the situation will improve."
I nod at Clyde's words.
There's no doubt that the more time passes, the more disadvantaged we are.
However...
"Judging from your reaction, you're hearing this for the first time... Hasn't the Guild heard anything? Haven't you heard anything from Linares?"
"I haven't heard anything. Not even from Linares. There's a possibility that she's keeping quiet... but most likely, Linares herself doesn't know."
"Can that be possible?"
"Linares' grandfather, Anaclet, entrusted everything to his son before he died of old age. But that son, Linares' father, died before he could entrust everything to Linares. He was attacked by an unidentified assassin. Linares was raised by her mother, who wasn't of Anaclet's bloodline. There must have been a limit to what she knew."
Linares comes from a unique lineage.
She was attacked by an assassin?
I felt a sense of unease about this, but nodded and moved the conversation along.
"If that's the case, it can't be helped. The fact that things won't improve from here means, on the flip side, that our forces are currently at their strongest. If we're going to end it all, there's no better time than now."
"Indeed, we're at our full strength. But, will the demon that has waited five hundred years show up?"
"I don't know if Wepar will show up. However, the other demons are beginning to move. Demons are arrogant. If the other demons push humanity to the brink, they will likely show themselves. I can't imagine them forgetting the humiliation of fleeing by the skin of their teeth."
"That might be true, but if that happens, we'll have to be pushed to the brink, right?"
"The Kingdom and the Empire are in conflict, and humanity is in chaos and weakened. The demons in the demon realm aside, I can't imagine the demons already infiltrated into the continent will miss this opportunity."
"That's true. Since the virus couldn't wait to kill the Hero, it's already come to the continent."
Wepar's authority is rightfully nearing the Hero's bloodline.
However, that has taken a long five hundred years.
The elder called the demons arrogant. Therefore, they likely wouldn't approve of a drawn-out battle with mere humans.
Fortunately, compared to five hundred years ago, humanity's forces have declined.
They don't have to wait for the virus to reach the Hero. That's probably why they thought they could make their move onto the continent.
It's not a decisive weakening. But, the demons might see it as an opportunity.
"So... they might make their move during the war between the Empire and the Kingdom?"
"Nine out of ten times, if they're aligned with the Kingdom. The course of action remains the same. Deploy forces. If it comes down to it, we might have to send forces from all over the continent to the Kingdom."
"A decisive battle in the Kingdom... I'd rather not think about it."
If the forces from all over the continent are gathered, the terrain itself will change.
The Kingdom is one of the three strongest nations on the continent.
If the decisive battle takes place there, the damage would be unimaginable.
People will die, buildings will be destroyed, and logistics will be affected.
Moreover, the existence of the Kingdom itself will be at stake.
The continent will probably fall into a chaos similar to five hundred years ago.
"If only they would choose the place for us."
"We can't expect much from the enemy... The Guild is already doing everything it can to prepare for the chaos. We've played all the cards we can play at this point."
"That's enough. If the demons act when they see the weakening of the Empire and the Kingdom, we'll annihilate them. That's all we can do right now."
"What if Wepar doesn't show up?"
"We'll think about that when it happens. But there's something I can't stop wondering about. The demons are basically a force to be reckoned with. There was one exception, who was said to have been purged by the Demon King. However, looking at the movement of the demons over the last five hundred years, I can't help but see traces of that one."
"The Demon King's chief strategist, Dantalion?"
"It's strange that the demons waited five hundred years and it's strange that nothing about the virus was passed down to later generations. Even if only a handful knew, it seems like there should be some traces, but there was nothing."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I feel like the demons are operating under Dantalion's command. If you think about it, there were organizations that operated covertly. Organizations that were searching for magical literature, for example."
"The Grimoire Magic Society..."
"If they wanted to pass it down to later generations, they would use oral transmission or valuable magical artifacts. Assassinations can stop oral transmission, and magical artifacts can be recovered if they are sought. Even if they are valuable magical artifacts passed down from generation to generation, humans will sell them if they are in a bind."
An organization seeking the mysteries of magic.
They were collecting magical artifacts and magic books.
Their faces appear here and there.
"If Linares's father was assassinated as part of that, it would make sense. If they are an organization connected to demons, they would want to get rid of Linares's family as soon as possible."
"Isn't that a big leap? It's all speculation."
"It's a possible story. Everything is conveniently manipulated from behind... I sense the smell of my own kind in this situation."
"I wish you wouldn't say such convincing things..."
As I nodded at Clyde's words, I stood up.
I've said what I needed to say.
The rest should be left to Clyde.
"Please pass on this information from you to those around you. Especially to the Emperor, I absolutely want him to know."
"Don't you have the option to tell him yourself? You... are his son, right?"
"The demons know the terror of the Hero and the terror of the Adler family. If I was just an extraordinary magician, they wouldn't be afraid, but since I am of the Adler's lineage, it's a different story. I can't afford to be lax and I have no intention of increasing the number of people who know my secrets. Even if one of them is my father."
"You have a difficult personality, don't you? So, you're going to reveal your true identity when all the demons are gone?"
"That's a foolish question. If all the demons are gone, an SS-ranked adventurer possessing the Adler's bloodline would be the most dangerous existence remaining. At that time, I'll quietly disappear."
With that, I used a teleportation spell to leave the place.
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