Even Illiya had been shocked when he saw Yaguk Theocracy’s Royal Knight Order appear under the banner of the Nubilian Union.
After all—who would have thought that the nation with the most indifferent reputation toward fa and fortune... was actually the biggest driving force behind the once-every-fifty-years war?
Thinking of this, Illiya let out a sigh.
"I was just like you," he said. "When I first found out, I was shocked too. When I saw the Royal Knights of Yaguk Theocracy at the border of the Nubilian Union, I had to admit—sotis, reality is just that damn screwed up."
Anos’s eyes widened, and the expression on his face turned downright comical.
He genuinely didn’t know what he should react to first: the fact that the Royal Knights of Yaguk Theocracy had shown up... or that the ever-so-elegant elf had actually just sworn.
Anos stamred, "Illiya, you... I..."
Illiya realized what had just slipped out of his mouth in a mont of emotion.
He had blurted out sothing completely unbecoming.
He cleared his throat twice, and the tips of his pointed ears were tinged with a faint pink.
Fortunately, he had at least mastered so beginner-level thick skin. His expression didn’t change in the slightest.
"Oh? What about ? And what about you?" Illiya seized the mont and asked the questions before Anos could fully process anything.
Completely thrown off by the sudden reversal, Anos’s mind tied itself into knots. His thoughts went blank.
It was a simple question, and yet he couldn’t co up with an answer.
Maybe it was because he was stunned... or maybe, deep down, it was because he couldn’t accept the shattering of the "refined and noble elf" image he’d always held.
Illiya pressed the advantage.
"Your Majesty the Demon King, were you going to say sothing?"
Caught off guard again, the Demon King instinctively replied, "...Ah? No, nothing I wanted to say."
Illiya nodded in satisfaction. "Then let’s return to the topic of Yaguk Theocracy."
Anos numbly nodded in agreent.
He still couldn’t co to terms with the broken image.
Since he couldn’t accept it, he might as well choose to forget it altogether.
After resolving that little interlude, Illiya returned to the topic of Yaguk Theocracy.
"Although the Demon Realm and the continent have this so-called Fifty-Year Accord, it doesn’t an that the two sides engage in so grand, earth-shaking war every fifty years. To put it plainly, the Accord is more symbolic than anything else—just a matter of going through the motions. Looking at the past events, no country has ever sent out its Royal Knights. A Royal Knight Order represents the will of the highest authority in a nation. If they’re deployed, it ans that nation is prepared to go to war."
"A sensitive ti, paired with a sensitive move—don’t you think that’s sothing worth being cautious about?" Illiya’s tone carried a trace of mockery, clearly expressing his disdain for such behavior, which he saw as a breach of the established pact.
Of course Anos knew what it ant for a Royal Knight Order to be deployed.
What he didn’t understand was why a seemingly symbolic Fifty-Year Accord was now being treated with such gravity.
All signs pointed to Yaguk Theocracy having greater ambitions.
Whatever the reason, they clearly needed to start making preparations.
If they hadn’t suddenly discussed this today, and had just treated the arriving continentals the sa as always, they might’ve ended up being stabbed in the back.
In fact, Anos had a hunch—Yaguk Theocracy’s "rule-breaking" move may have had sothing to do with him.
Illiya’s next words confird his suspicion.
"The reason isn’t that hard to guess. Starting five hundred years ago, the demons got lazy and stopped deploying troops. Instead, they ended the Accord by quickly handing over spoils of war. As a result, the continent’s side profited imnsely."
"While the things the Demon Realm gave away weren’t considered valuable here, they were rare and precious to the humans on the continent. So much so that it was worth it for them to show up every fifty years. That explains Yaguk Theocracy’s recent moves. Sending the Royal Knights is their way of trying to extract even more profit. And why would they think they need to send the Royal Knights to get those profits? Well... as an outsider, it’s not really my place to say."
Illiya intentionally stopped short, but it was more than enough for the sharp-minded to infer the truth.
Anos’s face darkened as if sared with soot. He had obviously connected the dots, and the realization left him visibly shaken.
Why would they send the Royal Knights?
Because they already knew that the Demon Realm wasn’t going to be as "generous" as it had been over the past five hundred years. That’s why they were taking desperate asures now.
And how would they know that? Because they were aware that a new Demon King had risen.
Rumors may have spread, but there was never any official confirmation. And yet, this remote nation with no direct ties to them—Yaguk Theocracy—was so certain that they even mobilized their Royal Knights...
It looked like there were leaks within the Demon Realm itself.
This news, to Anos, wasn’t exactly good—but it wasn’t entirely bad either.
The fact that there was a leak inside the Demon Realm was truly a headache for him.
News of a Demon King’s reappearance wouldn’t have spread unless soone deliberately leaked it.
Loyal demons wouldn’t go around blabbing about such things, and they certainly wouldn’t speak of it to outsiders.
That left only the less loyal demons—or worse, those who weren’t demons at all.
...Wasn’t that obvious from the start?!
After thinking things through, Anos realized he had just wasted a whole lot of brainpower on nothing. It was clear that he wasn’t the type people who is suited for thinking. He was better off just being a harmless mascot.
This kind of problem was best left to soone actually equipped to solve it—like his ever-loyal head steward, Sebastian.
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