Chapter 444

Alley somewhere in Hwangdo. "Ephenhauser, why aren't you following the decision of the Order?" Ephenhauser was listening to a woman in a black robe who was leaning against the wall and speaking quietly. "It is almost certain that the Council has Akasha. They would have told us to track Akasha through the Demand's lineage." "We still don't know what Akasha is." The woman in the black robe flicked her white fingers quietly at Ephenhauser's short answer. "Isn't it something we can think about after we secure what Akasha is?" "The Council, who felt the crisis after meddling with the Demand's lineage, could use Akasha." The purpose of the Black Order was not originally to secure Akasha, but the extinction of Kantus Magna. After the battle of Lich's Tomb, the Council cut off contact with the Black Order. It was impossible to continue the alliance any longer. Soon, it was certain that they would take action at an appropriate time since their goal had already been achieved. It is not particularly unreasonable since alliances only last until interests are combined. However, now the Order was trying to respond to a new threat called Akasha. The only clue at present was the Demand's lineage, Lucinil, who was infiltrating the Temple as a first-year student. However, Ephenhauser, an internal force of the Temple, was ignoring the Order's decision to track Lucinil and find out Akasha's whereabouts. "Ephenhauser, you're not leaning towards the demon king, are you?" Therefore, the Order could only doubt Ephenhauser's mind, which remained silent. "The Order fully agreed with your opinion that the demon king is more necessary for the Empire's cohesion and maintenance than anyone else. That's why we kept the demon king alive instead of killing him." "But that was only a story that was valid when the demon king was weak and had too little power. Your opinion was right then, but the situation has changed now." Ephenhauser remained silent. "The demon king will soon die. No, it will be a bigger problem if he survives like this." "The demon king can no longer be weak, and he can cause numerous political divisions in the Empire and wield powerful forces according to his own taste." "In addition, he has Akasha." "The demon king himself is already a sign of a huge division, and he will be the starting point for the collapse of the Empire." "The demon king will be left to die like this, and if he survives, the Order will take action." "So, Ephenhauser, focus on securing Akasha, the biggest risk factor at the moment. The only clue for now is the Demand's lineage." "The Order exists for the survival of the Empire and humanity. Have you forgotten the most important thing?" Ephenhauser lowered his head at the woman in the black robe's words. "I haven't forgotten." "Then why aren't you following the Order's decision?" The Black Order. They exist for order. Order for the Empire and humanity. They support the Empire by enduring dirty work in places the Empire doesn't know, and sometimes by committing socially unacceptable and heinous acts. Therefore, cooperating with the demon king for the Empire was one of the contradictory things the Order did. The demon king can only be a huge threat to the Empire. However, an excessively weak demon king is useful. The Empire, which showed signs of division after the Great War, needed such an abstract enemy. A demon king who does not have any special hostility or evil towards humanity has been confirmed according to Ephenhauser's reports. A demon king who does not antagonize humanity, but clearly exists. Such a demon king was the most necessary existence for humanity and the Empire. However, as the demon king secured the relic, the atmosphere began to get strange. Kantus Magna, another member of the Order, changed the story. The usefulness of the demon king disappeared. To be precise, the existence of the demon king itself has become too dangerous. Lienhardt was a suitable existence for the Order because he was a weak demon king. Whenever the crisis of Empire division intensified, frightened humanity would stick together if he appeared in a suitable place. The Order knows that the demon king does not actually have a great deal of hostility towards humanity and is even trying to coexist, and that he does not have a great deal of enthusiasm for rebuilding the demon world. However, contrary to such intentions and perspectives, the demon king is now the champion chosen by the gods and has even acquired the very dangerous artifact, Akasha. Even a faction of demon worshipers, the Masin religion, has emerged. The Order knows that the demon king is not a harmful existence, but they do not approach the incident with such a concept and perspective. The demon king has become a symbol that is too dangerous in itself. So now he must be eliminated. Akasha is dangerous. So it must be secured. The first of the two will be done by the Empire itself. So the Order must focus on the second task of securing Akasha. It was a situation where Ephenhauser, one of the most important personnel within the Temple, did not listen to what he had to do. "You have to approach it carefully, knowing that if you touch it recklessly, you don't know where the bomb will destroy the world." Ephenhauser's words are reasonable. If you try to forcibly find out the location of Akasha by grabbing the Demand's lineage and torturing them, the Council may make extreme choices. "Remember, Ephenhauser, the longer time passes, the worse it will be for us." "I will remember." -Swoosh. When the woman in the black robe disappeared, Ephenhauser came back to himself and headed towards the Temple. As always, Ephenhauser, who was expressionless to the point of being excessively bleak, only headed towards the Temple in neat attire. Regardless of the morality of existence and intention, eliminate the threat to the Empire and promote the revival of the Empire. Even if it is not the intention and will of the Empire. "The Black Order exists to support the Empire from the shadows. Some lower members only follow orders and seek the power given by the Order. However, Ephenhauser is not like those parasites. He walks through the Temple correctional facility, where the atmosphere is still chaotic. The demon king and his faction were weak and small, suitable for the Order to use during times of crisis. But now the situation has gone too far. The Order sees the demon king as a dangerous symbol that must be eliminated, along with securing Akasha. Ephenhauser meets with Lucinil, who is tense as they are the only contact between the Council and the Order. The Order has ordered Ephenhauser to use force to find the location of Akasha. Lucinil cannot leave the Temple as they need to inform Ephenhauser of Vallie's situation. The Black Order may not always act for the greater good of humanity, and Ephenhauser knows this." "I saw him grow while having nothing, struggling to not break in the face of petty justice and beliefs. I knew he was the Demon King, yet he did not hate humanity despite what he had been through. Instead, I saw him love humans and sometimes even try to save them. I did not watch from his side, but as his teacher, I watched his growth. The Order is a group that performs evil deeds in the name of the Empire, working in secret and unrecognized by anyone. Therefore, the most important thing to the Order's agents is their pride. Even when committing acts that cannot be rationalized, they must have the pride and belief to carry them out. However, I saw someone who did not hate humanity, who loved them more than anyone else, even though it was physically and logically impossible. The Demon King, who should have been impossible, had pride and beliefs that I cannot fathom. Someone who does not hate humanity must bear hatred and die without achieving anything, without receiving anyone's sympathy or understanding, and without their pride, beliefs, and dreams being known to anyone. A world where such pride must be broken, where such beliefs must be insulted. If such a being must die miserably without achieving anything, without anyone's understanding, and under the stigma of a traitor and deceiver, what is the value of pride and beliefs? What meaning does it have in that world? I have lived my entire life with only my beliefs and pride. If someone who tried to act not with evil but with forgiveness and reconciliation, with a greater pride than mine, must die in this way, without anyone's understanding, under false accusations and infamy, then that world, and even the gods who created it, are worthless. Misunderstandings of others can make a boy hate, and misunderstandings of others can inspire a boy. "The Order may not be able to help you, but I may be able to help you." That's why Ephenhauser said that. * * * Due to Olivia Lanche's expedition, the Empire was in a situation where they could not touch the Demon King. Whatever punishment they decided for the Demon King, they had to discuss it with the Five Great Gods first. Ultimately, Olivia's "time-buying" plan was a great success. And according to what Olivia said, rumors spread rapidly throughout the entire Huangdo. The Demon King had been captured. A while ago, it was revealed that the chosen one of Alspringer was the Demon King himself. Rumors spread that the Demon King had infiltrated among humans. The truth that the Demon King had been chosen by Alspringer brought shock and confusion. Although the Demon King's capture should have been a relief, it was impossible for the gods not to know about it, and the fact that the gods bestowed a relic upon the Demon King meant that they intended it. Even more, the relic was the most valuable relic to humans at the moment, the sword of the warrior who killed the father, now in the hands of the son. What is Al's plan? Does the War God really want a massive war? What do the gods want? Have they abandoned us? Why did people choose the demon king instead of humans? People were confused and frightened even though the Demon King had been captured. And at the Temple during breakfast time, Rianna de Grants said to Herriot, "You knew, didn't you?" Herriot just bowed his head like a criminal and said nothing. Rianna nodded her head as if she could finally understand the strange behavior of Ellen and Herriot lately. The Demon King who killed Duke Grants was Reinhardt. He even came to the funeral. Rianna nodded her head slowly when she heard that fact. "Herriot, let's talk later," she said. Herriot was silently watching the end of the fork Rianna was holding, which was turning purple.