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Side Story Chapter 102

When Joshua did it again, the air itself clamped down on the paladins of the Hubalt Empire. The immense pressure forced their swords out of their hands; only Raphael and Gabriel could even still stand, but not without their legs shaking.

‘What the shit. The Sword Emperor is a kid compared to him.’ Raphael’s face crumpled.

‘If this is what the Martial God is like, then no one else in the Hubalt Empire other than Bel can challenge him. Maybe Michael has a chance…’

However, he couldn’t let his enemies know what was thinking, so he raised his voice even higher.

“You have come at the right time, Your Majesty. It would be best if you explain the situation yourself, as the emperor of Avalon!”

“Oh?”

“Lilith Aphrodite, once revered as a saint, has manifested a Demon King’s authority. Just like her, it seems that Kireua Sanders also has a Demon King’s authority. I’m very sorry to say this, but evil must be eradicated regardless of the reason.”

Joshua smiled. “People from Hubalt always make me repeat myself.”

“Repeat yourself…?”

“Uriel said the exact same thing when he raised his sword against me, but he has already died to my spear.”

Raphael, Gabriel, and the other paladins boggled at him.

“Uriel… is dead?”

“When you wreak havoc in another person’s house, it’s only right to be punished in kind.”

“Martial God! Do you mock me?!” Raphael growled.

“I warned him in no uncertain terms that Avalon will take care of any incidents within our borders ourselves, just as we did with the Demon Spirit incident in the past. I won’t tolerate any interference from outsiders.”

“Demons are threats to everyone on the continent, not just one country. They are the enemy of all mankind—can you really not tell how irresponsible it is of you to ask us to stay out of this?”

“No, I can’t,” Joshua shamelessly answered.

Raphael screeched with wordless anger and his face flushed crimson.

“It’s all about results in this world. The Demon Spirit descended in the flesh in Avalon, but the other countries suffered zero damage. It was Avalon that took all the damage and shouldered the blame.”

“Then are we supposed to ignore the seed of a Demon King sprouting right in front of our eyes? Nonsense!”

“Then is it okay to run berserk in another person’s home like monsters on the pretext of eradicating that seed?”

Raphael’s mouth clicked shut.

Joshua’s smile grew. “The world functions on the logic of power, so if you still have a problem with that, come at me. If the paladins of Hubalt are skilled enough to bring me to my knees, Avalon will beg you for your help.”

Even Avalon’s Imperial Knights didn’t dare to speak, much less the paladins of Hubalt. Everyone knew that the situation was over as soon as Joshua had appeared.

With circumstances beginning to escape his control, Raphael revealed his ace in the hole.

“…Do you know what this is?” Raphael asked. He held a recording crystal ball, invented from the Magic Tower, which he’d used to store every single detail of what was happening.

“This ball has recorded everything that has happened so far! Do you think the rest of the continent will sit on their hands once they see this? This is good—thanks to your tournament, all of the most renowned figures from all over the land have come to Arcadia!”

“Hmm, that is a problem,” Joshua remarked.

“Of course it—”

“Give it.” Joshua took a single step forward. “I don’t want to even bother quarreling with you people anymore. Give it to me now and I’ll spare your lives.”

“Y-You demon…!”

“Isn’t this what Hubalt wanted to see in Avalon? The Avalon Empire, the den of demons.”

“Do you intend to wage war against the entire continent!?”

“That’s another thing that you people from Hubalt wanted to happen. This is for the better. Thanks to you people pulling your little stunt first, I‘ll be able to put down you bloodthirsty maniacs with my own hands.” Joshua jerked his head at Cain. “Cain, take Kireua out of here.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Duke Tremblin, my subordinate is gravely injured, so can I entrust you with him?” Joshua asked.

“Of course, Your Majesty.” Tremblin nodded with a gentle smile. His eyes were filled with warmth as he looked at Joshua. Although two of Avalon’s greatest warriors were exiting the battle, Tremblin didn’t worry one bit.

Joshua turned to Selim.

“Selim, we’ll have to fight against the enemy on our own now, but you’re up for it, aren’t you?”

Selim trembled in excitement. How long had he waited for a chance to dominate the battlefield alongside the person he respected most?

“I’ll do my best to not get in your way, Your Majesty!” Seilm shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Good.” Joshua began to advance with a grin on his face.

“Stop, Martial God!” Raphael screamed.

“Shut your trap. You’re in my house; who do you think you are to tell me to stop?” Joshua growled.

And with that, he vanished from sight.

The paladins scrambled to prepare.

“B-Brace yourselves!”

A long, drawn out screech of metal against the marble flooring forced Raphael to clap his hands over his ears.

When it stopped, Joshua had drawn a giant circle around the paladins, and then slammed his spear against the ground again.

“Whoever leaves this circle will die,” Joshua declared.

“Tch…!”

“You don’t have any problems with this, do you? I heard that’s what the promise was.”

“What promise…?” Raphael blankly murmured.

“Lady Sersiarin, my official representative, made a promise, didn’t she?”

“...You’ll bring Lilith Aphrodite?”

“Avalon always keeps its word,” Joshua said, his gaze directed at the throne.

Sersiarin beamed back at Joshua with her eyes full of unconditional trust.

“…As the official representative of His Majesty, I declare that from now on, the Imperial Knights of Avalon shall not act without permission.”

“Y-Yes, My Lady!”

“The same holds for you, paladins of the Hubalt Empire.” Sersiarin’s eyes turned sharp.

Raphael quickly glanced to his side, and Gabriel quietly shook his head. Raphael grit his teeth.

“…After we’re finished taking care of the witch, the Second Prince is next, and I expect you to clear up all the doubts about him too.”

“You bastard won’t stop barking, will you?”

“What? Bark? —Ah!” A sharp pain from behind drew a gasp from Raphael.

“His Majesty told you to shut your trap.”

Raphael scowled. “Y-You arrogant brat…!”

Selim happened to be close enough that he could smack the back of Raphael’s head using his spear.

The paladins almost struck back, but a “Don’t move!” from Gabriel stopped them just in time.

And then the person everyone was waiting for stepped into the council chamber.

“She’s here.” Valmont slowly entered the chamber with Lilith by his side. However, Icarus was also with them for some reason.

“You wretch, you really have been hiding here!” Raphael roared.

“…I’ll go back to the Hubalt Empire, so long as you don’t cause any damage in Avalon. They have nothing to do with this,” Lilith calmly said.

“Hahahaha!” Raphael’s anger was unabated. “It doesn’t matter even if you say you’ll go back now. Look, Lady Sersiarin and Emperor of Avalon! The evidence that you’ve been harboring the witch in this country is revealed, so what are you going to do now?”

“What do you mean, ‘what am I going to do now’? She says she’ll go, so we’ll let her go.” Joshua shrugged.

“Martial God, are you seriously playing words with me right now?! The rumors of Avalon siding with demons turned out to be true! How are you going to explain this?!” Raphael shouted.

Lilith put her foot down. “Avalon is innocent. I’ve been hiding here without revealing the fact that I have an authority.”

“You’re crazy, woman. The entire country knows that you’re a witch, but you’re telling me that these people didn’t know? Do you think that makes sense?”

“So have I harmed anybody?” Lilith tilted her head with her eyes narrowed.

“Who knows? You might have already sacrificed countless innocent lives. Even if you haven’t, the whole continent could be drowned in blood because of you. No matter what anyone says, you’re a witch with the power of a demon!”

“That’s mere conjecture. All of you are making illogical claims to justify what you’ve done.”

Raphael raised an eyebrow. “I’m here for an explanation, not to waste my time on your excuses.”

Sersiarin slowly stood up from her seat. Icarus and Sersiarin’s eyes met, and Icarus nodded.

“…An explanation, you said?” Sersiarin asked with a faint smile.

Raphael flinched and his head slowly turned toward the throne. “So?”

“I think it’s the Hubalt Empire that needs to explain itself, not Avalon.”

“What nonsense are you talking about right now?”

“Your Majesty, if you may.” Sersiarin gestured at Icarus.

Before had a chance to interject, Icarus stepped forward.

“‘Her Majesty’… and that face… Wait, she’s the Heaven’s Mind?” Raphael murmured.

“We just received a report that an army who seem to be affiliated with the Hubalt Empire has surrounded Arcadia,” Icarus said. “The army numbers an estimated fifty-thousand men, which is almost equivalent to the forces of the Avalon Empire stationed in Arcadia. Isn’t that strange? We’ve been extra vigilant with the security around our borders because of the distinguished guests we’ve invited here, but I never heard about such a large army crossing our border. What does this mean? I think the paladins of the Hubalt Empire over here should be able to answer my questions…”

Icarus trailed off and gave Joshua a pointed look, cueing him to land the final blow.

Joshua jammed his spear into the floor. “I saw this coming ever since you brashly revealed that you’d partnered up with Carmen von Agnus, the head of the rebels. Hubalt is trying to cross a line where there is no turning back.”

“W-Wait.”

“I’ll do what you want,” Joshua declared, his voice thundering off of the chamber walls. “From now on, Avalon is officially at war with Hubalt.”