Chapter 234 – Propaganda
After the previous hero, Artorius, was murdered in the dungeon of the Demon King’s Castle, Sophia von Glorious is a new hero chosen by the Goddess of Courage.
And Princess Gloriana von Alfheim, the last descendant of the High Elf royal family that was cut off 500 years ago, and who once served as the general of the Elven Wood.
Upon hearing the true identity of the two people, the Demon King looked as if he had literally been hit in the back of the head by someone.
“What happened?”
“Well… It’s a bit long to explain.”
I smiled shyly and told the Demon King about the things I had kept secret.
A story about the rebellion of the independence army in Colony Oz, how it was suppressed, and a story with the hero who appeared on the day of the execution ceremony.
In the end, we even managed to turn the hero to our side using hypnosis magic.
After hearing this grand story, the Demon King gave a single comment.
“… Do you have devil’s blood flowing in your body?”
“No, the Demon Lord cannot say such things.”
When I tackled him semi-automatically, the Demon Lord said, “I was just kidding,” And looked at Glinda standing next to him.
“I didn’t know that you were the Valkyrie of Alfheim in the famous legend.”
“A legend, isn’t it? To me, it’s just a thing of the distant past.”
Glinda smiled bitterly as she said that.
Apparently, the concept of time between elves and demons, which are long-lived species, is different.
“The reason I am here now is to correct the mistakes I made in the past. I am ready to sacrifice my life for that.”
“Hmm.”
The Demon King must have sensed her strong resolve as he opened his mouth with a sombre expression.
“Good. Then, do whatever you want. This time, let’s follow the strategy suggested by Kaldrashu.”
“Thank you!”
As Glinda said that and lowered her head, the Demon Lord pointed at me with a troubled expression.
“Please say thank you to my son-in-law rather than to me. It is Kaldrassh who put you in an important position in this operation, not me.”
“Thank you, Kaldrashu.”
I shrugged my shoulders and joked.
“Honestly, this is a good thing for a sister and a brother-in-law, right? Normally, we help each other in difficult times.”
At that time, Sophia, who had been quietly listening to our story, opened her mouth.
“… Then are we now starting the propaganda operation you mentioned earlier?”
“That’s right. In other words, it’s called incitement and fabrication.”
I said that and smiled evilly.
***
People can do anything when they believe they are doing the right thing.
Whether it is a right belief or a wrong belief, having beliefs on the battlefield is an act of granting oneself indulgence.
Moreover, if the subject of one’s beliefs is the ‘nation’, everything one does is packaged as patriotism.
One thing I felt when I went to Elven Wood as an envoy was that the young people of Elven Wood today are living quietly in a highly civilized society, in a situation where their family circumstances do not improve no matter how hard they try, there are not enough jobs, and they are oppressed by a government that pursues policies only for the nobles and the rich. He was angry.
Mayer Griffith, the 5th Archon, caught that point sharply, and with the help of his absolute support base of blue color (workers), he expressed the anger that was seething within elf society outside the forest.
The result is the ‘war of restoration’ by self-proclaimed patriots.
Nominally, they were the indigenous people of this continent and were waging a crusade to regain their original territory, but the story behind it was that the elves, who had no land by expanding their territory outside the Great Forest, divided the land and divided it with those lower than themselves. The desire to dominate the tribes was evident.
According to Glinda, the ideology of the chosen people was not this severe 500 years ago, but it appears that the descendants of the ‘Serpent of Wisdom’ who barely escaped Glinda’s wrath and survived took control of the upper echelons of Elven Wood and did a great deal of behind-the-scenes work.
Eugenics, which was only spread to some high-ranking people, was taken for granted among the lower classes.
In other words, the elf army we are dealing with now has a ‘perfect justification’.
The battle they are currently engaged in is to regain the land of their ancestors, and it is right for superiors to rule over a genetically inferior race, and by fighting for their country, they can acquire land, slaves, and property that could not be obtained in Elven Wood. It can be put in.
How can an army armed with such strong beliefs and patriotism be defeated by a hastily constructed allied force?
In a way, it was expected that the combined forces of the Demon King’s army and Nidavellir were greatly broken in the first battle.
Up to this point, the strategy I had developed after understanding the overall situation was simple.
‘Breaking the beliefs they hold.’
The trump card for that was a being called ‘Glinda’.
***
[Ah, ah, microphone test. Can you hear me well?]
A loud voice suddenly rang out across the Desmond Plains.
Mayer Griffith, who was sitting in the barracks thinking about his next move, looked outside her with sharp eyes when a noise suddenly broke the peace.
“What’s going on?”
Then the SS soldier standing guard outside the barracks answered.
“It appears that the Demon King’s army used loudspeaker magic.”
“Tsk, you barbaric guys.”
Mayer Griffith clicked her tongue and muttered before turning her eyes back to the map.
But the next moment, she was startled by the familiar voice she heard and stood up.
[Hello. To the soldiers of Elven Wood, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you. No – should I say, nice to meet you?]
“What!”
There was a huge illusion floating outside the sky.
And what that illusion reflected was the cursed princess who destroyed the Serpent of Wisdom 500 years ago and mercilessly slaughtered her parents and compatriots.
Upon seeing her, Mayer Griffith instinctively sensed something ominous and shouted in a nervous voice.
“Erase that illusion from the sky right now! Or block the mana of the ley line!”
Then the SS member waiting outside quickly answered.
“It’s impossible! The illusionist magician is in the enemy camp, and ley line control is only possible within a 10 km radius of the World Tree…!”
“Then, find a way to stop it, even if it means consulting with Septentrion! Right now!”
“Yes!”
As the SS soldiers under his command rushed out, only then did her excitement subside a little and Mair Griffith looked at Gloriana’s face still floating in the sky with her hateful eyes and muttered.
“Don’t look down at me with those eyes, Gloriana…!”
***
[My name is Gloriana von Alfheim, the last high elf who disappeared 500 years ago, and the only legitimate descendant of the Alfheim royal family.]
The moment she used her loudspeaker magic to reveal her identity, unrest spread not only among the soldiers of Elvenwood, her target, but also within her allies.
“What! If it’s Gloriana, it’s the legendary one who was famous for her absolute defense…!”
“Shh! Quiet! Quiet!”
I grabbed the muzzle of Deverg, who was trying to enter the explanation session without notice, and then signaled Glinda, who was speaking on the podium, to say the next line.
Then Glinda, who was holding the speech I had written in her right hand, quietly read the lines and continued speaking with a calm expression.
[The reason why I, who gave up all the power I had and handed over all responsibility to the Senate, appeared here again despite my shame, is to reveal one truth.]
Glinda, who had said that far, took a pause and then opened her mouth to give weight and persuasiveness to her words.
[You are now being deceived by Mayer Griffith. The area outside the Great Forest was not our land in the first place, and it was the ‘Serpent of Wisdom’, a secret society to which that man belonged, that created inequality in your society in the first place. Falling in love with the ideology of the chosen people, they assassinated the fiancé of Titania, my sister and the 7th queen of Elvenwood, 500 years ago, and then manipulated her sister, who was greatly heartbroken, behind the scenes, causing a great war in Elvenwood.]
Because the Demon King’s camp and the Elf army’s camp were far away, it was impossible to spy on the soldiers’ reactions in real time.
However, if they believe even a little bit of what Glinda is saying right now, their beliefs will collapse very easily.
This speech was for that purpose.
[I, the general at the time, killed all those associated with the Serpent of Wisdom to prevent her sister from going on a rampage. After killing, killing, killing until the leaves of the World Tree, which seemed to be forever green, turned red for just a moment, I even ended my sister’s life with my own hands. Most people praised me for making such a decision, calling me a hero. But those whose families were killed on my orders called me a slayer. I was afraid of such criticism, so I locked myself in my room and was banished outside of Elven Wood by those who were afraid of me.]
The story of her own past, which she revealed in her calm tone, made it persuasive as a narrator how difficult it must have been for her to come to this point.
[To be honest, I’m fine with anything. However, I could not stand by and watch as the country that my people and my sister saved with their blood was once again played by a group of evil snakes.]
In a huge illusion floating in the sky, Glinda looked down at the Elven Wood soldiers in the distance with a benevolent expression and whispered.
[Children of the forest, do not be deceived by the whispers of the evil serpent. All the glory they promised will come true only on a land where blood flows like rivers and corpses pile up like mountains. Originally, we elves lived together with nature, drinking the dew of the forest, exchanging and discussing wisdom with each other. Don’t get hung up on material abundance and forget what’s most important.]
At the end of her long speech, Glinda closed her golden eyes, placed her hand on her heart, and said,
[May the teachings of the Goddess of Wisdom always be with you.]
With those words, the huge illusion floating in the sky disappeared.
It’s like a midsummer night’s dream.
