Chapter 504

Charlotte, Heriot, and even the elders of the Royal Court realized that Reinhardt's condition was not good. As time passed, Reinhardt's condition was getting worse. Vomiting, fever, and chills. Physical symptoms were eating away at Reinhardt's body along with the demon's mind. In addition, the succubus queen, Ailey, began to reside in the palace at Olivia's request, as Reinhardt could not even sleep properly. Everyone knew that Reinhardt was dying. The consciousness is like a rubber band. I felt that the moment the tense consciousness string broke would be my last. The hatred and resentment of humanity towards me were replaced by my spiritual pain, and it was affecting my body. I could not even live a normal life, let alone fight against the souls forever. When I loosened the string of consciousness a little, words of hatred hit my head. I was afraid to fall asleep. What if Ailey could not protect my dreams forever? What if I could not regain consciousness after falling asleep? Then what would the grudges that had taken over my body do? Would they destroy the things I love with my own hands? The royal court was convened, except for the demon king. Liana de Grance, Ailey, Olivia Lanche, Heriot de Saint-Futuan, and the entire Elder Council attended. And all the elders. Sarkagar, Elerys, Lucinil, Luruen, Gallarsch, and Antirianus. All the most important powers in Edina were gathered except for the demon king. Although he is enduring it with his superhuman mental strength, if things continue like this, the demon king will become a completely different being from what he was before. If the grudges that hate and despise the demon king take over his body and merge with his mind, no one knows what will happen. However, it is important to note that everyone hopes that such a situation will not occur, as it will undoubtedly lead to terrible consequences. "We need a plan," Charlotte said with a stern expression. Although Charlotte is not as important as Reinhardt, she has had similar experiences. As a result of merging with a part of the demon king's soul, Charlotte's body underwent permanent changes. Even in a one-on-one merger, it is difficult to expect Reinhardt's mind and body to survive in such a large-scale merger. "The top priority is to separate the grudges that have attached themselves to His Majesty's soul," everyone considered Reinhardt to be important, but Sarkagar was the one who could not hide his anxiety and unease at the thought that Reinhardt's consciousness might disappear. "If that is possible, what should we do about what happens afterwards?" Luruen asked. "I heard that those grudges separate and dominate the minds of paladins and priests, or those with weak mental strength who cannot withstand the domination, die," Gallarsch said, looking at Olivia, who had seen the scene firsthand. "Yes, that's right." Even ordinary people could resist to some extent, but Olivia was only a small part of that. When the grudges' main body infiltrated her mind, she eventually succumbed. "Even priests and paladins who are proficient in sacred power are dominated to that extent. If such a thing were to happen in Edina, not only ordinary people but also we cannot be sure if we will survive," Gallarsch's doubts were reasonable. To save Reinhardt's soul, the souls that have already entered his mind must be extracted. But the problem is what happens next. "So, should we just leave His Majesty in this state?" Sarkagar glared at Gallarsch with a snarl. "You need to calm down a bit. I just wanted to point out that if we act recklessly without proper preparation, bigger problems may arise." Sarkagar's anxiety was felt by everyone. However, Gallarsch's opinion was correct. If they acted recklessly to save the demon king, the demon king might end up with the worst possible outcome. In fact, the demon king himself had accepted those grudges into his body, and it was not unlike sacrificing himself to prevent those grudges from causing any further damage. "Is it impossible to separate the soul from Reinhardt's mind and either destroy it with sacred power or elevate it?" Heriot looked back and forth between Lucinil and Olivia. Heriot knew that Lucinil was proficient in magic that dealt with souls, and the Council's Lord Vampires were also aware of this. "It's still in a state before becoming one entity... Theoretically, it's not impossible, but the scale is too large. We can try, but the problem is what happens after it's split." Lucyneil found it difficult to give a definite answer. "I want to say confidently that I can destroy it, but I don't have the confidence. I was also dominated in the yard because I couldn't handle it..." Olivia also thought it seemed impossible. "What exactly are you enduring, Your Highness?" Elellys muttered in despair. Charlotte looked at the faces of the elders sitting in the council. The Lord Vampires of the Council are powerful magicians who can be counted on one hand in the world, and they have existed for a very long time, so the amount of knowledge they possess is different from that of ordinary people. Olivia Lance can handle a level of sacred power that is impossible to compare with anyone else at the moment. If they can't find the answer here, there is no answer. The possibility of soul extraction is also slim. The scale is too huge to have any way to destroy it with magic or sacred power. Charlotte thought of one other way. One of the ancient magics, shamanism. If it's Daitomorian, there might be a way. However, shamanism is a power that is difficult to predict the intention and conclusion of. It is uncertain whether the power of Daitomorian can help the Demon King, and there is no guarantee that he will help the Demon King. Almost everyone has lost their homeland, and Daitomorian is no exception. The desire to harm the Demon King may be greater than the desire to help him. The conclusion is that they may end up in another danger to save Reinhardt. Therefore, Charlotte couldn't discuss shamanism. "Do we have no choice but to hope that Reinhardt's mind is okay?" Everyone had a bleak expression at Charlotte's words. Especially Riana, who could be considered the cause of this situation, had the most dismal expression. She couldn't even shed tears and just stared at the table with a bitter expression. Lucyneil spoke up. "Reinhardt is already doing the impossible. Originally... if an equally sized soul is mixed in, it's natural for the body to collapse, as we heard last time." Priests and paladins who were dominated also had tremendous mental strength. Olivia, who was able to resist it, had even stronger mental strength, and Reinhardt, who was suppressing it within his own soul, was doing even more impossible things than Olivia. Reinhardt has already achieved too many impossible things. "It's too naive to believe that Reinhardt can do even more impossible things here." Charlotte nodded her head quietly at Lucyneil's words. It's too naive to leave Reinhardt alone, believing that he will achieve the next impossible thing after achieving the impossible. So, they have to do something. "What if we release the spirits that are attached to Reinhardt's soul from a faraway place on the continent, not Edina?" said Airee, breaking the silence. They would perform a dangerous ritual in a remote location on the continent and then flee before the spirits could seep into someone else. It would be like leaving a dangerous bomb in the world and returning to Edina. "Those spirits will wander the continent, absorbing other spirits and growing larger and larger until they eventually attack Edina," said Elellys, and everyone agreed that releasing the spirits on the continent was only a temporary solution that would turn into an absolute threat in the long run. They were all desperate and hopeless as they struggled to find a way to purify or remove such a huge soul with magic or divine power. Then, Antirianus suggested, "What about transfer?" If someone else could bear the burden of those spirits, they could save Reinhardt. The atmosphere in the room froze at Antirianus's simple and brutal conclusion. It was better for someone to be a sacrificial lamb than to lose their leader here. Liana raised her head and said, "I'll do it." She felt responsible for the problem that originated from her and believed that she should bear the burden. The guilt and self-blame for not being helpful in solving this situation were tormenting her. "It's not something anyone can handle. You might even die in that position," Olivia shook her head at Elellys' warning that the spirits would eventually attack Edina. Antirianus suggests transferring the burden to someone else, but Liana volunteers to be the sacrificial lamb. However, Antirianus warns that the sacrificial being cannot be in Edina. Liana decides to bear the burden and relieve Reinhardt of his suffering. The group is left in a frozen atmosphere as they contemplate the consequences of Liana's decision. Antirianus looks at Charlotte's pale face and chuckles as if he can't bear the joy. "Hero." Everyone in the conference room turned blue at his words. "Wouldn't Ellen Artorius be willing to willingly shoulder this burden?" Everyone was amazed at Antirianus' evil laughter.