Chapter 16 – The Prophecy of the Saint
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“Rest assured, everyone!”
Rufus and I walk into the conference room.
The King and other important figures of the Kingdom of Inglith were there.
Everyone must have gathered in a panic when they heard that the Arendt Front had collapsed, and we were among them.
All eyes were on me as soon as I opened the door and raised my voice.
“I heard that the Arendt Front has collapsed, I couldn’t predict it, but I can tell you what the demons will do next!”
My words brought a look of relief to the leaders and the King.
I have seen this look many times before.
Rufus hugged me.
“As expected of Yuri. As long as the Saint is in this country, there is no way the demons will win.”
“Exactly!”
Then he approached the table and looked at the map that was spread out.
“Let’s see, about the demons’ movements—…….”
Pointing at the map, I explain about the demons’ future movements.
In the original story, the Arendt Front collapses once, but the demons never invade the Royal Capital.
Also, because I give instructions like this, the battle always ends without the need for the Saint to make an appearance.
Of course, as a Saint, I have received training in magic.
In fact, there was talk of me becoming the adopted daughter of the Duke of Sheringham, and as the fiancée of the Crown Prince, I would have the backing of the Duke’s family and at the same time be taught the magic of the Saints of this world.
Since the First Saint was the one who sealed the Demon Lord, surely the magic she used would contain clues to breaking the seal on Demon Lord Faust.
…… Ah, Faust, wait for me.
I’ll definitely break the seal.
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“And so Saintess Yuri will foretell our movements.”
Lord Ewaldt and all the executives were gathered.
Alexia made a thoughtful gesture at my words, saying, “I see, hmm.”.
“Recently, I’ve noticed that the humans have been moving strangely quickly, but I never imagined that the Saint knew about our movements.”
“So you are saying that this has been the case ever since the Saint from Another World came to the Kingdom of Inglith?”
“As far as I know, yes.”
In the original story, Saintess Yuri did not do such a thing.
However, Yuri, the Saint of this world, was able to predict the movements of the demons in what she called prophecy, so she was probably familiar with the original story.
If she really had the power of prophecy, she would not have had me executed.
If she possessed the power of prophecy, she would know that I would resurrect as a lich and revive Lord Ewaldt.
“So, does that mean our movements are completely exposed?”
Alexia looks troubled.
“No, the Saint’s prophecy was merely the very first course of events she learned about. In that prophecy, Lord Ewaldt was not resurrected, and I did not become a demon. Therefore, the Saint does not know that Lord Ewaldt has been resurrected, and she does not know how we will act from here on out.”
“What do you mean?”
“Simply put, even if the present is a single path, the future branches into many paths. By choosing one of them, that becomes the present path. And so, the Saint only knows one future path, the one she prophesied while she was on the very first present path.”
“And so, you’re saying that the prophecy and the present are now different, is that it?”
I nodded in response.
“Yes. When I joined the Demon Lord’s army, I was already on a path different to the prophesied future.”
And so on and so forth.
“I know the prophecy of the Saint.”
“So, the Demon Queen can read our movements and anticipate how the humans will act in response!”
I nodded at Rodolphe’s cheerful voice.
“Exactly.”
Then I looked at the map on the table.
If we cross the Arendt Front and proceed onward, we soon come across a fort.
This can be considered a second front, built in case the main front collapses.
“First of all, we will destroy the second front, Fort Alphadia.”
Rodolphe tilts his head.
“But won’t it be hard to take a fort? Besides, reinforcements will probably arrive soon, right?”
“It would certainly be difficult to take it if we attacked normally. If reinforcements arrived, we would be at a disadvantage. However, reinforcements will not be coming. According to the Saint’s prophecy, this fort will not fall. Besides, we have dragons that fly.”
A fort is a good place to barricade yourself in.
If it had been a battle between humans, the fort would have been useful.
With its sturdy doors and outer walls, as well as bows and magic fired from within, it would block the path of any would-be attackers.
But that’s on the ground.
“I would like to ask Wilhelm and his dragon allies to transport soldiers under cover of darkness.”
“I see, are we to invade from the sky?”
Wilhelm put his hand on his chin as he pondered.
Demons generally fight individually, and even when they do fight together, they are usually members of the same race.
But it’s not as if they dislike anyone but their own kind.
“Normal bows and arrows are ineffective against dragons, and they can defend against magic to a certain extent, right?”
“Yes, no problem.”
“In that case, wouldn’t it be possible to put our allies in a large basket and carry them into the fort grounds from the sky?”
“…… Possibly. But there will be lookouts.”
That made me smile.
“Let’s have some of the vampires eliminate the fort’s guards first before the dragon team carries them in. Vampires have good night vision and can fly, so they can sneak in and kill the lookouts. What do you think?”
Alexia nodded.
“That’s easy enough to do.”
“Oh, then, please leave the task to this Fahlen, I will see to its success!”
I glance at Alexia and she nods back.
“Well then, Fahlen, thank you very much. There will be six units of two people each, for a total of twelve men. Please have each of them bring a small mirror. The most likely place for the dragon to descend is probably near the courtyard, so after eliminating the guards, once you have secured a landing spot for the dragons, please wave the mirror toward the sky. In four days, there will be a full moon. If you reflect the light of the moon in a mirror, even a dragon with good night vision will be able to see it.”
We need to make a basket for transportation within three days.
“Is anyone here dexterous with their hands? I’d like them to make the baskets to transport our fighters……”
“Then leave it to the lycanthropes. They spend a lot of time among humans, so they often learn crafting from them.”
What Hilde is saying makes sense.
In fact, lycanthropes are very good at mimicking humans.
When the demons want to obtain human information, they use lycanthropes, succubi, incubi, and vampires.
All of them can disguise themselves as humans.
“Then let’s get the remaining lycanthropes to make them.”
“I’ll take charge of that. If the dragons are going to carry them, we might as well join in.”
“Thank you.”
He nodded back at Wilhelm.
“You are free to select the troops that will invade the fort as you wish. Of course, the vampires can invade first and sneakily kill not only the lookouts but also the soldiers.”
Alexia laughs at that.
“The food has been getting weaker lately. I was thinking it was about time to get some new food.”
The food is humans captured alive.
Some demons eat humans.
Vampires like to drink human blood.
“Oh, in that case, I will bring you a good number of live ones, sister.”
“Hmm. My dominance is a little too strong for humans, and if I use it, they will go insane in no time. I’m counting on you.”
“We werewolves are going too.”
That’s how this operation was decided.
“Now everyone, please be ready to move in four days.”
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I returned to the top floor with Lord Ewaldt.
After becoming Queen, I moved to the same floor, or rather in the same room, as Lord Ewaldt.
To be honest, sharing a bedroom with Lord Ewaldt is bad for the heart.
Lord Ewaldt said that he would wait for my heart, and we became husband and wife, but we were still in a pure relationship.
“Rachel, you always come up with interesting ideas.”
We sat on the sofa and had tea together.
“Really?”
“Indeed. Attacking with dragons would be one thing, but we never thought of having the dragons carry the fighters.”
Lord Ewaldt took a strand of my hair and played with it between his fingertips, as if he enjoyed the feel of it.
Come to think of it, ever since I became Queen, Alexia and her subordinates have put a lot of effort into caring for my hair and skin.
That’s when I learned that even demons have a concept of beauty.
Apparently, demons do have a sense of aesthetics, after all.
“Ever since I first came into contact with the demons, I’ve been thinking that if they are strong individually, they could be even stronger if they worked together. However, demons like to act alone, so even if they could, this is probably the extent of their abilities.”
Lord Ewaldt nodded.
“That’s true. It’s best to only give general orders and let them do as they please on the battlefield.”
I nodded back.
Suddenly, Lord Ewaldt’s face came closer.
He occasionally kissed me on the forehead or cheek, and as I looked up, thinking it was that again, Lord Ewaldt gave a small smile.
“Rachel, you are not very cautious.”
“Huh?”
As I blinked, wondering what he meant, Lord Ewaldt’s face came closer, and something soft touched my lips.
Lord Ewaldt’s face moved away slightly.
“May I kiss you?”
He asked in a whisper, making my heart skip a beat.
“Y, you already have, haven’t you……?”
As my speech returned to normal, Lord Ewaldt kissed me again.
…… This time, it was longer than before.
Our lips parted, tracing a gentle arc.
“That wording is back. I thought I told you I didn’t need that kind of language?”
“That’s because Lord Ewaldt …….”
“What about me?”
He asked me teasingly and I remained quiet.
Lord Ewaldt is kind, but he can be mean sometimes.
But the way he smiles with his eyes squinting in amusement is so lovely that I can’t help but stare at him.
The fingers of the hand that touched my chin gently caressed my cheek.
I looked away with a huff.
“Even you, Lord Ewaldt, speak to me differently than to the others.”
When speaking to me, Lord Ewaldt is a little more polite, or rather, not so overbearing.
It’s different from how he treats executives and other demons.
“You are my Queen, and we are equals, so it is only natural that I treat you with consideration. Besides, my usual manner of speaking comes across as intimidating. It is not appropriate for a conversation with you.”
…… So you were aware of that.
“Above all, I don’t want you to hate me, Rachel.”
His lips were so close they were almost touching as he whispered.
“Allow me to kiss you.”
Surely no woman could turn that down.
Once again, my lips meet Lord Ewaldt’s.
…… It’s the first time I’ve ever kissed.
I am ashamed to say that I never had a lover in my previous life, and my current self has been engaged to the Crown Prince for a long time, so this was the first time I’d ever experienced something like this.
The Crown Prince didn’t want to get involved with me any more than necessary.
My breath trembled as our lips touched, then parted, then touched again.
I even felt as if my heart, which should no longer be beating, was pounding.
I was finally released and able to breathe.
…… I’m dead, so I don’t need to breathe, but why ……?
Lord Ewaldt smiled.
“You’re adorable.”
He hugged me and I felt Lord Ewaldt’s body heat.
Unlike me, who is dead, he is warm and his warmth is pleasant.
When I leaned in, he hugged me tightly.
The truth is, I am still a little scared.
Sometimes I wonder if I should truly trust him, thinking that I might be betrayed again, but every time I feel Lord Ewaldt’s body temperature, I feel like I should try to trust him.
“But, the Saint’s prophecy……?”
Lord Ewaldt chuckled humorlessly.
“If the Saint from another world makes a prophecy, then Rachel’s prophecy can also be said to be a Saint’s prophecy.”
“My prophecy?”
“That’s right, you are also a descendant of the Saint, and you should have become a Saint yourself. Then you might have been the one who made the prophecy instead of Saintess Yuri.”
I shake my head at that.
“No, it was only because I was executed that I remembered my memories from my previous life. If nothing had happened, I would never have remembered.”
“For that, I should be grateful to the Kingdom of Inglith. Thanks to that foolish decision, I was resurrected and was able to meet you, Rachel.”
His large hands gently combed my hair.
“Yes, I’m grateful for that.”
If I hadn’t been executed, the Crown Prince would have broken off our engagement, and I would have had to celebrate the engagement of Saintess Yuri and the Crown Prince.
I would have been looked upon as an abandoned woman, unwanted by anyone, and would likely have ended up as the second wife of some elderly nobleman or sent off to a convent.
Then they would call me back only when necessary.
I would have been treated as a disposable tool.
I was fortunate to be resurrected as Lich like this.
“But I can’t really call myself a Saint. I have Dark Attribute mana and I’m a lich, so I’d say I’m more of a Witch.”
“Certainly.”
When I was a human, I strived to become a Saint.
However, no matter my efforts, I was never recognized as a Saint. Because my mana was of Dark Attribute.
But I no longer need the status of a Saint.
“The prophecy of the Saint or the prophecy of the Witch, which will prevail?”
I smiled at Lord Ewaldt’s words.
“We, the demons, will win.”
Sads Translates 