Chapter 199: The Abandoned Demon King
"Another batch..."
Kal'tsit looked at the mountain of documents before her, looking as though she had been completely burned out.
It wasn't her fault; after all, she had truly spent the last few days leading people to settle tens of thousands of containers.
"Is this also food?" Beside her, Theresa pulled out a form with a truly shocked expression and looked toward Xia Yu.
"Let me see..." Xia Yu took it and glanced over.
Oh boy.
A container full of PPSh-41s.
"Is this an imitation of Laterano firearms?" Theresa leaned her head over curiously.
"Throw them in the warehouse," Xia Yu said helplessly. "If it really comes down to it, we'll just melt them down later."
Mainly because these PPSh-41s didn't come with any ammunition; otherwise, they could have been used in a pinch. But a gun without bullets is just a fire poker.
"The newcomers are already being settled as best as we can," Kal'tsit said at this point. "A work-relief program... this method is barely usable, but it's still not quite suitable for the current Kazdel."
"Too many Sarkaz have come to seek refuge with us these days. Babel is already operating at full capacity. If the Military Commission makes a move now, I'm worried..."
"Don't worry, I will handle this matter," Theresa nodded upon hearing this, then looked at Xia Yu.
"I will head to Kazdel."
"Going alone to a city controlled by a hostile faction is hardly a rational act for a leader."
The Doctor shook his head upon hearing this. "While the warriors accompanying you are strong, they are not enough to protect your safety in the face of an army."
"The status of the Demon King in Sarkaz tradition is beyond imagination, and Theresa's achievements are obvious to all. The Military Commission would not dare to take any radical action."
Kal'tsit, however, held a supportive opinion. "But the invitation Victoria sent to Kazdel is not a friendly signal. It means Kazdel has once again entered the vision of the nations of Terra."
"Theresa needs to appear in Kazdel to state her position. She will never agree to Kazdel being dragged into another war."
"Despite understanding how the Military Commission and Babel came to be..." the Doctor sighed. "In my understanding, the Sarkaz, who already face so many hardships, should not form opposition among themselves. This is a waste of the few resources they hold."
"The Sarkaz have a complex history, which has resulted in their differing attitudes toward foreigners," Kal'tsit explained. "Theresis and Theresa are like two banners; for the Sarkaz people, they have the right to choose the path they believe is correct."
"Besides, I'll be going along too," Xia Yu added. "Don't worry, with me there, nothing will happen to Theresa."
"Then can you take me—"
"No!" times three.
Before the Doctor could finish his sentence, he was vetoed by a unanimous vote.
Still, Kazdel... Xia Yu turned her head toward the horizon.
Before leaving, she had to completely snuff out the hidden danger of the Sarkaz Civil War.
For the Sarkaz who followed Babel, Theresa's movements were quite high-profile.
"According to gathered intelligence, Her Highness has set out."
The Royal Court Army was spreading the word. "Everyone! The only person we respect is Her Highness. As long as we destroy Babel, Her Highness will return to the embrace of Kazdel."
"We can bear the guilt of betrayal, but at this critical moment, the Regent's cause must not be hindered. Kazdel will reclaim everything it has lost."
"May it be as Her Highness said—that the Sarkaz can be united!"
Even as they departed from Theresa, they still regarded her as the faith of the Sarkaz.
Kazdel Region, Scar Market.
"Her Highness is here..."
"Which Highness? The one still in exile?"
A cold mercenary warned upon hearing this, "Keep your mouth clean. Neither Highness is someone you can just gossip about."
"By the way, did you take that commission?"
"Who would give up this opportunity? That's in Londinium, the nest of those dregs. They say that in those Feline palaces, even the stone pillars are inlaid with gold, and even the paths specially made for the Nobles are paved with glowing stones."
"That is the capital of a great Empire, a commission from a Duke. Think of how much profit there must be!"
The mercenaries greedily imagined how much treasure they could plunder in that imperial capital.
"The Scar Market welcomes your presence, Your Highness." Scarface looked at the small girl beside the Demon King in surprise.
Theresa spoke, "Lately, the Scar Market must be very lively."
"Why oppose the voice of the majority, right, Her Highness Theresa?" Scarface shrugged. On this matter, he was a firm supporter of the Military Commission.
Without war, there was no profit for the Scar Market.
"The voices of those few are equally worthy of respect, Scarface."
Theresa advised, "Many people know nothing of what is happening outside. Their lives will be changed overnight, and they will once again lose their homes and become displaced."
"I am just a merchant; my business is quite limited."
Scarface shrugged. "The mercenaries want to sell their lives, and I want to make money. Therefore, I have always respected the wishes of my big clients."
Theresa raised an eyebrow. "In that case, I should talk to your biggest client. He's in the room behind you, isn't he?"
Hearing this, Scarface sighed. "Your Highness, you should not step forward any further."
Theresa looked at him calmly. "Scarface, when did you gain the authority to interfere in Kazdel's resolutions?"
"Which is exactly why I cannot let you forward." Scarface blocked the way between her and that door.
Xia Yu scoffed at the sight. 'Choosing money over your life, I see.'
"Don't make things difficult for Scarface, Your Highness."
A horned Sarkaz opened the door and walked out slowly. He could not let the Demon King enter that door; now was not the time for the siblings to break their ties. "You should understand that if you and the Regent meet here, things can probably only end in one way."
Xia Yu looked behind that door; she knew Theresis was right there.
It just wasn't time yet. There was still a screening process.
Theresa's eyes narrowed slightly when she saw the figure. "...Confessor."
The Confessor bowed. "It has been long since our last greeting, Her Highness Theresa."
"It seems you have made your decision." Even though she had known it for a long time, Theresa was still deeply disappointed. "Is this Theresis's stance?"
The Confessor nodded. "Yes."
Theresa questioned again, "He has decided to abandon our city?"
"It is merely taking a step forward, an expedition away from home. How can it be called abandonment?"
The corners of the Confessor's mouth curled slightly, his words carrying a hint of mockery. "It is you who have kept us complacent for too long. We... all long to take that further step."
"The master Confessor is right."
Scarface chimed in, "I still remember more than sixty years ago, when you and General Theresis came to the Scar Market together. Back then, the two of you stood side by side, and even fate itself had to take a detour."
"But now, in this already divided Kazdel, look at the people here."
Scarface looked toward the market outside. "You can still command any Sarkaz as the Demon King, you could even kill all of us, but why don't you ask them—are they still willing to follow your ideals?"
The massive Scar Market lacked any of its usual bustle. The scattered mercenaries put away their weapons and stood with heads bowed respectfully.
Their eyes held a unified silence, but the Demon King could clearly hear every person's inner voice.
Confusion, excitement, longing, resentment.
"...Most of you have made your decision," Theresa said with disappointment. "Then there is no point in me stopping you."
A Sarkaz suddenly knelt.
He did not intend to change his mind, nor did he intend to give up Theresis's alluring plan.
He was just... feeling a bit of... shame for betraying Theresa, one of the Six Heroes who had built Kazdel with her own hands—their Demon King.
"No matter. Kneel. Neither His Highness Theresis nor Master Scarface will blame you for your actions."
The Confessor's tone was like a certain type of chant. "Ah... this ancient gesture does not only mean loyalty and submission. I am more familiar with another meaning..."
"Guilt!"
Xia Yu glanced at the masked Confessor. 'Oh, so it's you, kid.'
The white-horned Demon King, the One who Hammers at the Gate. He extended his life by possessing the bodies of his own descendants, surviving for thousands of years while coveting the throne of the Demon King, attempting to become the Demon King once more.
He was also the true culprit behind the tragedies of Nightingale and Shining.
Xia Yu looked at him carefully, memorizing his presence for the time being.
The latter, for some reason, suddenly felt a chill run through his body.
But the Confessor still gave an elegant bow. "Not yet, Your Highness."
As for the tiny Draco beside the Demon King, he didn't give her a second thought.
"Then go and absolve them of their sins, and absolve your own," Theresa said slowly. "The ones bearing the guilt are only Theresis and I."
"As you wish." Quisatustshtsh bowed again. "I, too, bow to you, Her Highness the Demon King."
In the tens of thousands of years of Sarkaz history, following the Demon King on an expedition was a warrior's glory.
They had struggled, they had been brilliant, and they had risen thousands of times from the land of blood and mud...
Simply because the Demon King stood before them, never having abandoned her people.
Where the Demon King pointed, there was home; cities rose from the ground.
But now, they had abandoned their Demon King.
"I promised that I would give you a stable home, so that the Sarkaz would be far from the flames of war."
Theresa looked at the mercenaries in the market. "Before stepping foot here again, I held a glimmer of hope... that perhaps someone would be willing to follow me."
"But I see fire in your eyes."
"I see that city, which none of you have seen with your own eyes, burning in the flames."
Theresa sighed. "That ancient city holds different forms in your eyes. A city of desire, a city of hatred, a city of wealth, a city of glory..."
"You all firmly believe that you will seize what you crave in that unfamiliar land, so I have given up on my initial thought. I have decided to see off the bravest warriors of Kazdel."
"After long years, the ranks of Kazdel will once again officially set foot on the path of conquering foreign lands. You deserve respect, although I do not wish for you to take this step at all."
"You have answered Theresis's call, throwing yourselves into another action drowned in hatred."
Theresa looked around. "Death awaits you in a distant land."
"Even so, will you still leave our home without looking back and go to Londinium?"
The sorrowful Demon King walked among her people; they lowered their heads under her gaze.
But their resolve never changed, even if it meant defying the Demon King's wishes.
"Go."
"We will go."
Voices rose one after another. In Theresa's ears, this sounded as if the warriors were singing a dirge for themselves before their departure.
"Your Highness, we respect you, but we are no longer willing to follow you."
"His Highness the Regent promised that Londinium would be our new beginning."
"The future of the Sarkaz is there."
"Our future is there!"
The white-clad figure passed through the crowd lined up on either side, and the Demon King's people remained unmoved.
No one followed the monarch they once admired.
The home filled with blooming flowers she was still working hard to carve out—another possibility for her people's survival—in the end, there hadn't been enough time to show it to all the Sarkaz.
No one followed behind her.
"Do you feel like a failure?" Xia Yu teased as she saw her dejected expression. "To think not a single person is willing to follow you."
"Yes, quite a failure," Theresa tried to force a smile. "So many mercenaries... and not a single person willing..."
"Actually, it's quite normal. Your power base isn't here," Xia Yu comforted her. "The people who truly support you aren't these mercenaries, but those tribes of all sizes scattered across the land of Kazdel."
"Opening factories, developing agriculture, raising education levels... the mercenaries don't care what these policies can bring. They've long been used to seizing everything with the swords in their hands."
"And those true producers, the laborers who silently support these millions of Sarkaz, are your true power base."
"I know that, of course," Theresa sighed. "It's just that, without enough military support... sigh, Babel is no match for the Military Commission."
"Which is why we must strike first to gain the upper hand," Xia Yu said, her eyes looking back toward the Scar Market with eagerness. "We'll beat Theresis up first, and then go door-to-door to punch those Lords of the Royal Court who aren't on our side."
"Since the only thing in the heads of the Sarkaz is violence, then I will use the most extreme violence to crush their will to fight!"
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T/N: If you spot mistranslation, do tell me.
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