Chapter 252 – Chapter 24 – Shimmering Flames
A group of people came to the academy after news came that those in charge of trade were suddenly arrested by the Western Union.
At a glance, you could tell that they weren’t ordinary people, because everyone was wearing flashy jewelry and clothes made of expensive fabrics.
Not only the kingdoms, but also fairies, beastmen, and even the greetings of the empire were included.
As if they had received permission from President Ruscal, they were unstoppable.
Ignoring the academy cadets, who wondered what this was all of a sudden, the place they moved to was in front of Yulia, who was sitting in the garden and enjoying tea time with Klaus.
“Meet Your Highness, the Demon King of the East.”
One of them, who appears to be the representative, puts his hand on his chest and bows roughly.
It was a very cheeky act, but this is not the Eastern Demon Castle, but the Western Continental Academy.
Since there was no reason to be angry at all, neither Klaus nor Yulia said anything in particular.
However, they first greeted me by calling me His Highness the Demon King.
He is not showing proper courtesy to a demon king.
So, I just show a little displeasure while being greeted.
“What are the people of the Western Union suddenly doing? They even came to the Continental Academy to find me.”
“It’s because something very important has happened this time that can break the harmony between the West and the East.”
“It is a serious matter. Did someone gather troops and launch a surprise attack?”
“… That’s not it.”
“Otherwise, nothing matters to me. Let’s hear it sometime.”
Even though she already knew everything, Julia sipped the coffee that Klaus brewed herself.
She gestured to speak to the Western Union.
The figure is quite alluring, but there is something indescribable awe-inspiring.
For those who had only known the Demon King as a very beautiful woman.
Among them, those who thought that because she was just a woman, she bewitched her servants with her beauty.
I trembled and avoided Yulia’s gaze.
“Klaus. Just one more cup of coffee.”
“All right.”
Even Klaus, who was feared by the demons and called the war hero a devil, is ordered to pour coffee as if he were dealing with a maid.
Everyone knows that Klaus left the West and went to the East.
Many people believed that they were enchanted by the beauty of the demon king, but seeing them like this made me wonder if they were just the faithful limbs of the demon king from the beginning.
“Come on, let’s talk about everything. I wonder what the hell happened.”
“Wasn’t there a trade group that crossed over from the East to the West this time? A surprise inspection of their luggage revealed that it contained items other than handicrafts that should never be taken carelessly.”
“What is it?”
“It was salt from the East.”
As she spoke, Western Union officials secretly looked at Yulia.
Salt was a very valuable resource in both the East and the West, and both sides strictly prohibited it from being leaked out and being brought in.
Salt is so important that it can be exchanged for silver of the same weight.
It is not just a simple seasoning, it is an essential resource that is the driving force for everyone to live.
However, the reason why this was not a problem was that Dongbu used the salt produced by Dongbu and Seobu, and only Dongbu was importing salt from the West.
Conversely, salt comes in from the East, and if the price of salt in the West falls or the salt trade in the West is damaged, damage beyond imagination will return.
That is why the Western Union had no choice but to react so sensitively.
However, if the East really secretly inserted something that was not a trade item and planned to do something else.
“Strange. The trade corps sent to the west are made by those I directly manage.”
“They said that if you put your mind to it, you can fool even the gods and the sky. Your Highness the Demon King.”
“I made such a mistake because I couldn’t even manage the servants under me properly. However, ordinary soldiers in the west found such a thing, is it? Hmm, those in the west are in really good shape.”
Although Yulia was just muttering in passing.
Upon hearing the Demon King’s words, the expressions of Western Union officials shook slightly for an instant.
Did Julia see that? She doesn’t even seem to see it from the look on her face.
Klaus held out her glass just in time, and she was holding hers.
The western allies stood for a moment and waited for Yulia’s next words.
He said that the case should be investigated in a little more detail.
Otherwise, I thought of things like saying I can’t believe it.
The demon king in front of me was surprisingly relaxed.
As if I knew you would come like this.
At the moment, the thought of ‘Could it be?’ Passes through some of them.
The reaction was like that, so maybe he already knew what the West was going to do.
My people who are being held right now may be going through hardships, but aren’t they too carefree?
I wonder if he is indifferent to the people under me, but how can such a king suppress a large-scale rebellion in two months and deal with a man like Klaus like that.
“There is a difference of opinion about the disposition of the members.”
“Is there a difference of opinion?”
“Yeah. There is a conflict between the claim that since they entered the West, they must be dealt with according to the law of the West, and the claim that, since they are demons from the East, they must be placed under the stern judgment of the Demon King.”
“Whatever conclusion you choose, it’s the same as really assuming that they’re guilty.”
“… They brought things that should never have been brought out west.”
“You don’t know if it really came from them, or if it came from nowhere.”
Yulia still muttered that in a soft voice.
But that word means ‘Isn’t this a play made up by you West?’.
There was no way that the Western Union figures who had immediately gathered in front of Yulia were not aware of it.
“You are too rude.”
As expected, the first to show hostility was the fairy.
No matter how well you treat them, they’ll just be members of the family.
It’s too stiff in front of the king who controls everything in the east.
Klaus wanted to break the fairy’s knee, but since this was all a play, he decided to endure it.
Anyway, after a little more time, when this play is ripe.
You will be able to sweep away everything that has bothered you so much.
“I want to find out more. Did you bring any investigation data or a report on the interrogation?”
“I’m sorry, but unfortunately there is no such thing as we came here in a hurry.”
“That’s right.”
Nodding her head, Yulia quietly pressed her temples.
As Klaus said, now they are trying to gain a just cause by provoking themselves and the east.
He shouts at Dongbu for violating trade laws and taking goods, commits rudeness, and tries to do something that should never happen again.
We’ve been through something, so this time we shouldn’t take it lightly.
Perhaps the moment the harsh words come out of one’s mouth, such stories will spread all over the place.
So, what should we do?
Now they are forcing you to do either way.
If they show hostility here, the West will also show hostility, and on the contrary, if they take a low attitude, they will also take a low attitude, but in that case it would be like admitting their guilt.
Whatever it was, the ending was not pleasant, so Julia bit them first.
“… What should I do, Klaus?”
Klaus sits across from him as a sign that he has confirmed that no one is around.
At that, Julia put her glass down and asked him for his opinion.
Klaus is still above himself in a fight of a huge and terrible scale called war.
Now she knows there’s nothing better than asking her expert for her opinion.
“No matter which one you choose, the outcome will be the same. There would be no benefit to the East at all.”
“… How can they be like this from beginning to end?”
Yulia let out a sigh and slowly rose from her seat.
Then, as she walked to her room, Klaus followed her.
Stepping inside her, she sat down at her table and nodded her head.
It means that now that you have finished organizing her mind, you can start slowly.
Chew-.
At Yulia’s gesture, Klaus took out her map, which she had hidden somewhere, and spread it in front of her.
Maps with everything in the west, strategic points and roads for troop movement, canyons, and plains, which were considered very important in battle, were written in great detail.
A map like this doesn’t even exist in Demon Castle, and even if accurate, it’s too accurate.
Naturally, it was Klaus who was active in the West who made this map.
“Yulia, as you know, the closest to the East is the Kingdom. Among them, the central and southern regions are right in front of you. Of these, the South is the kingdom’s most fertile land, and much food is produced there. And in the middle, roads have been built that can reach all over the kingdom as well as the empire beyond.”
“If not, the focus will be on occupying the central and southern regions?”
“This is the strategy the demons used during the Continental War. That’s why when I shut down the South, all the strategies went wrong and I had a hard time. You’re probably thinking the same thing this time around. If we block the first attack, we will be able to dampen the momentum.”
After saying that, Klaus pointed to the edge of the map, the border.
He placed pieces at two locations near the border and said that those two would be the starting points for the attack.
One was to the central region, and the other to the north.
“The roads in the north are rough and the topography is not good, so it would be perfect for an ambush.”
“I’m going there to do that surprise attack. So, we plan to disguise our troops as if they were dragging their time there and couldn’t advance.”
“Then, the Duke of Jugong is also advancing to the central region…”
Klaus shook his head again.
Because the kingdom is closest to the east and has many advantages when occupied.
The Continental War was like that, and so were the previous fights, and it is always the first battle with the kingdom.
However, the place Klaus pointed to was a place far away from the kingdom.
“… Are you serious?”
“That’s right.”
“There is a vast forest nearby. Its breadth alone is unfathomable. You’re going to lead an army there and advance? To that place where even if there were millions of rangers, ten thousand would be ridiculously slaughtered?”
Despite Yulia’s words, Klaus vigorously nodded his head.
Then Yulia smiled and told me to do whatever I wanted.
If that man is so confident, there must be a reason why he can’t help but be like that.
No matter who sees it, it is a terrain that should never lead an army.
Still, he didn’t feel like stopping himself if the man said he would.
“When?”
“As they move. I am holding on to that time.”
Saying that, Klaus smiled.
The last of them is really not long now.
