Dawn of a New Era

The vaulted chamber of the King’s Council felt all the more vacuous than it did the day before, as even fewer of the seats were filled. Most of the seats that were occupied were not the ones reserved for the heads of prominent noble families of ministeries, but their assistants or trusted advisors.

The King, however, was present, though his stern features were subtly creased with irritation as he listened to the Champion and Saintess report what they had learned.

“...as such, Your Majesty, it would appear that this new Demon Monarch, König Geistdunkelrustung, will resurrect at an unprecedented speed than any the kingdom has had to face before,” Lylia said, not lifting her gaze to measure his. “It could be every few days, it could be every day. But what is certain is that, due to the Purification Array, we have unintentionally been aiding the Demon Monarchs of the past to present in resurrecting faster and faster.”

As her words hung in the heavy silence, the majority present not nearly influential enough to speak up, a low whistle cut through the tension, drawing all eyes to the blue-haired Wizard. “Well, that was quite the monumentous oversight on our part.” He said nonchalantly, more amused than concerned by the unexpected ramifications of their actions.

“Th-This is preposterous!” One of the lesser nobles who just so happened to be in the castle when the emergency Council meeting was called said.

“Absolutely! Perhaps a slight deviation from the past is to be expected with each new Demon Monarch, but this? This is absurd!” A representative of another noble house added.

Her eye twitching at the implication of doubting her word, Lylia defiantly lifted her head, not enough to meet the king’s gaze, but enough to glare at the ones indirectly accusing her of lying. “Is that so? Then would any members of the Council like to accompany the Champion and myself when next we must go and slay the Demon Monarch?” She asked, a dangerous smile curling up her lips.

“That shall not be necessary.” The Minister of Magical and Natural Assets said, his voice cutting the mounting tension. Placing the Mana Crystal he had been inspecting on the table before him, his gaze passed over the other nobles and ministers in the chamber. “This is, once again, undoubtedly a Legendary-rank Mana Crystal of equal quality and potency to the one we received yesterday. So, we must either accept the Saintess’ report that this Demon Monarch will resurrect far more frequently than any who came before, or we must consider that other Legendary-ranked Corrupted can now just spontaneously spawn in the Badlands.”

The portly man’s words silenced any argument that the other, less mindful people in the room could muster. Especially with a Golemtide occurring so recently, if Legendary or even Superior-ranked golems had been amongst their ranks, it would have been a catastrophe.

“With that said, and I apologize to the Champion and Saintess for not saying so yesterday, but the Mana Crystals that König Geistdunkelrustung drops are of far lower potency than that of any of his predecessors.” He continued, turning his attention to the two in the center of the chamber. “For the sake of expediency, your payments were prearranged on the assumption that the quality would be consistent, and even then, as a sign of good faith, I was willing to continue to grant the standard pay under the assumption that this Demon Monarch would not resurrect more than once a month. However, I hope that two heroines as reasonable, virtuous, and intelligent as you understand the position this… unexpected yet wonderful new puts me in. The budget just cannot accommodate–”

“Say no more, Minister Lovaniston. Both the Champion and I understand new arrangements must be made in response to this unprecedented situation.” The blonde said, politely cutting him off to expedite the proceedings. “Ten, no, five percent of the usual payment should suffice, no?”

Dabbing the sweat on his brow as he calculated the arrangement, Oscar Sr. wanted to get the price down a bit more to maximize profits and not strain the budget too much. “Oh, a very generous offer, Saintess Lylia, but factoring in the frequency of such payment, assuming the Demon Monarch resurrects each day, perhaps we could–”

“Open up the market for certain, trusted individuals to purchase Mana Crystals from the Champion and Saintess directly?” Mars interjected, a sly smile on his face as he looked up at the king. “With priority going to the Ministry of MANA first, of course.”

“Is that acceptable, Minister Lovaniston?” The regal, purple-haired man asked, nodding his head sagely.

“O-Of course, Your Majesty,” Oscar Sr. said, unable to refuse. “I shall set up a meeting with the Ministry of Finance to work out the details once Duke Rajuloew’s banquet has concluded. The Ministry of Magical and Natural Assets should be able to purchase the Mana Crystals from Champion and Saintess until then.”

“Very well. The Council will have much to discuss with this new information, but if there is nothing more to report, the Champion and Saintess may take their leave.” The king said, waving a hand authoritatively.

Once more, the two divinely-chosen women left the chamber, with all those left to discuss politics and national issues keeping silent until the doors sealed behind them.

“A Demon Monarch who resurrects every day? How is that possible?”

“It’s the Array’s fault? I thought the Array purified Corruption.”

“But think of the Mana Crystals. I must inform Father of this right away.”

“Did the Ministry of MANA predict that this would happen back when the Array was first proposed?”

The chatter and whispers that filled the chamber were as to be expected. The loyalties of everyone in the room were to serve their king first, their families second, themselves third, and the kingdom fourth. Some saw the opportunity in the new development they had been informed of, while others were more wary of the precedent it set.

However, with a loud, resounding thump, the king tapped the scepter by his side on the floor to enforce order and quiet once more. “So long as Facide has the Champion and Saintess, how often the Demon Monarch resurrects, as well as the hand we have had in expediting the process, is irrelevant. The true concern should not be in securing Mana Crystals, but in binding the otherworlder’s loyalty to Facide as quickly as possible.” He announced wearily. “My Queen was rather upset that the Champion teleported away on their way to Fort Dawnbreak. Mars, you have visited Duke Rajuloew before, yes? We would ask that you escort the Champion to the banquet so that she may attend.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty.” The younger man replied, bowing respectfully.

“Very good. With any luck, Goddess Lini willing, the Champion will select a partner and marry soon.” The purple-haired monarch said, maintaining a regal air but relaxing some of the tension in his body. “Female otherworlders are always so difficult to please.”

“Your Majesty, if I may?” Oscar Sr. spoke up, facing the king but bowing deeply.

Raising an eyebrow, the king nodded. “Speak, Minister Lovaniston.”

“The increased frequency of the Demon Monarch’s resurrection may be an even bigger windfall than we anticipated, if used correctly.” The portly man said. “Even with their poorer potency, procuring so many Mana Crystals in such a short time would allow us to conduct the ritual far sooner. Since the current Champion is female, there is a greater chance of summoning a male next time.”

“And how would we justify summoning a new Champion so quickly to the public?” The king asked, not denying the idea outright.

“Public opinion of the Champion is already tenuous at best. Even without making a public statement, any perceived negligence of her duty will be blamed on her.” He continued, motioning to the Mana Crystal. “By restricting the distribution of Mana Crystals…”

“The people would blame her.”

“They may even demand that she step down and a new Champion take her place.”

“If they see her and the Saintess returning to the castle daily, naturally, it will bring more attention to the shortage of Mana Crystals.”

Knowing how to manipulate narratives and information, a skill shared by all the most influential individuals of the kingdom, Oscar Sr.’s scheme was simple, but they could see how effective it would be. The room quietly exchanged ideas of how to subtly shift blame for other, tangentially related duties of the Champion onto Inessa, all in the hopes of getting her to accept being replaced. The consensus gradually concluded that she would either relinquish the position of Champion or settle down and produce successors in an attempt to get out of the public eye.

“Replacing the current Champion with one born of this world as quickly as possible is of the utmost importance, but ensuring Our kingdom is protected against the Demon Monarch is paramount.” The king said, ensuring that nobody lost sight of the danger that threatened their world for the short-term benefits they stood to gain. “Previously, there was time to train a newly-summoned Champion, or for one to recover from labor. This Demon Monarch will grant no such grace.”

“With all due respect, Your Majesty, I have to question just how powerful this Demon Monarch truly is,” Maxine commented from her family’s position, one tier below the royal family. “I have been training Champion Inessa for a few months now, and without her Divine Artifacts, she is not that strong. Stronger than a seasoned knight or adventurer, but with teamwork, three or four combatants can handedly defeat her. If this König Geistdunkelrustung can be so easily defeated by the likes of her, we may be coming to an era where the Champion is no longer needed.” She stated confidently, sure that her mother would have approved of her analysis had she not been escorting the queen’s procession to Fort Dawnbreak.

“Hmm… You said something to the same effect yesterday, did you not, Mars?” The king asked, considering the opinion of one of the best warriors in his court.

“Indeed, Your Majesty,” Mars replied confidently. “Perhaps a lack of strength could also explain why this Demon Monarch resurrects so much faster than Sturmblut Nachtkrieger. After all, it is not as if the Purification Array was only completely after his last defeat.”

While not entirely convinced, as prudence was essential for a ruler leading a nation that had prospered for thousands of years, the regal man considered the opinions. “This is something We must consider.” He said, looking to the muscular redhead. “In the meantime, instruct the former Champion to select ten of the best warriors he can find and begin training them. If a new era is dawning, We must be ready to greet it.”