It Seems the Demon King Has Returned to a World Where Gender Roles Are Reversed - Chapter 69

 Chapter 69 :

Deep in the Night

The fervor of the banquet grows ever more intense.

However, no matter how lively the atmosphere, a banquet cannot remain filled with excitement indefinitely. Three hours after the festivities began, those who had initially danced and reveled in the mood started to gradually step back, taking seats to rest, enjoy meals, and engage in conversation.

Amid this, some began to quietly leave their places and move elsewhere. Some held the hands of women of the same sex, while others grasped the hands of refined-looking young men. It goes without saying what they were slipping away to do in various corners of the garden.

“…”

Watching these people from behind, Karen let out a sigh.

She pulled a pocket watch from her bosom to check the time.

Three hours had passed since Christine had spoken to her earlier.

It was time to go to her.

To be clear, Karen had no such inclinations.

Or rather, it would be more accurate to say she was indifferent to matters of passion. Her only experience was that one time with Ragna, forced upon her a memory she considered nothing more than a harsh act disguised as punishment, devoid of any affection. She had buried it deep in her heart, ignoring it ever since.

Yet, to think she would have to face such an experience again.

With that thought, Karen sighed, her expression less than pleased.

What should she do? Should she leave a word of refusal and return to the mansion?

No, that wasn’t an option.

Karen knew better than anyone that such a choice was not available to her.

Following the king’s orders was a knight’s duty.

No matter how unreasonable those orders might be.

With that in mind, Karen followed Christine’s instructions and, guided by the attendant at the entrance, headed toward Christine’s room inside the castle.

Upon arriving, Karen took a deep breath and, with a tense expression, stepped through the open door.

“Oh, you’ve finally arrived.”

“I’m sorry for being late.”

“Hehe, no worries. So, what should we do? Shall we start right here? Or perhaps change the location…”

Christine said with a seductive expression. Seeing this, Karen’s face stiffened slightly—

“…Ha, Lady Christine, please stop joking.”

Annerose entered through a side door, speaking as she did.

At this, Christine burst into laughter, as if finding something immensely amusing.

Karen, caught off guard by their interaction, showed a slightly flustered expression.

Annerose sighed lightly and said,

“Really… I apologize on behalf of Lady Christine for her prank, Karen.”

“Haha, my apologies. I just thought it’d be fun to tease you a bit.”

Christine said, waving her hand playfully.

Realizing the situation, Karen let out a sigh of relief.

Then, suddenly worried that her reaction might have been rude, she hurriedly apologized.

The two women looked at Karen with amused expressions.

“Well, let’s put the jokes aside. The real reason I called you here is something else,” Christine said.

“Me…?” Karen asked.

“Yes. Annerose, could you explain?”

“Of course. …Lady Karen?”

“Yes, Lady Annerose.”

“I believe you’re aware of the ecology of magical beasts and the fact that their invasions have occurred periodically since the Warring States era.”

“…”

At Annerose’s question, Karen’s expression turned serious. Memories of history lessons from her academy days surfaced in her mind.

_________________

The Warring States Era.

It was yet another tragic event for humanity, barely surviving the invasion of magical beasts.

Swords honed to fight these creatures.

Weapons crafted to combat them.

Yet, the blades were turned not on the beasts but on former comrades who had once fought side by side.

In an instant, the six nations fell into chaos.

The kingdoms that survived the turmoil descended into extreme disorder, plagued by suspicion and distrust.

In such a state, the Union kingdoms could not possibly endure.

They all knew one thing.

In this situation, the most critical asset was weaponry.

And the greatest of these weapons was none other than the golem.

The key to obtaining golems lay in controlling the place where their creators gathered the Papal Kingdom of Tanga.

In no time, the Papal Kingdom was surrounded and besieged by the attacking kingdoms. Faced with such assaults, the Papal Kingdom found itself in a desperate situation.

Despite its ability to manufacture golems, the Papal Kingdom was merely a small city-state in the Far East.

It had no means to counter the armies of the kingdoms that ruled vast territories.

But then, at that critical moment, something no one could have anticipated occurred.

A renewed invasion by the magical beasts.

_______________

“Year 1400. The dawn of a new century. Everyone thought they no longer needed to worry about the invasion of magical beasts, that they could ignore them. But that’s when the beasts struck,” Annerose continued.

The Warring States era ended because of this invasion.

The main forces of the kingdoms, gathered to dominate the Papal Kingdom, were thrown into disarray by the sudden onslaught of magical beasts from the rear. The one who resolved the situation was none other than the Lord of Tanga, commonly known as the Pope.

The Pope called for a reassessment of the crisis, emphasizing the need to revive the Union Kingdom and for humanity to unite once more to face the magical beasts.

Following the Pope’s words, the kingdoms signed a truce and, under the leadership of the Papal Kingdom, reestablished the Union Kingdom to fight the beasts.

Fortunately, despite the renewed invasion, the damage to the kingdoms was not as severe as it could have been. Although the border defenses were breached quickly, the key cities of each kingdom were located in the east, close to Tanga.

The lands to the west consisted mainly of less prosperous frontier cities established for territorial reclamation.

While it was unfortunate for those who perished, from the perspective of those governing the kingdoms, it was a fortunate outcome.

It was also fortunate that the kingdoms’ main forces had been gathered in the east to seize Tanga.

Thanks to the participation of these intact forces, humanity managed to fend off the magical beasts, albeit barely.

But the problem didn’t end there.

To the kingdoms that had narrowly repelled the beasts, Tanga issued a warning.

This might not be a simple matter.

The existence of magical beasts in the east.

While they had managed to fend them off this time, this great invasion might not be a one-time event.

If another war between nations broke out during such an invasion, it could lead to total annihilation.

Having suffered significant losses from the beasts’ invasion, the kingdoms understood and accepted Tanga’s warning. They ceased their wars of aggression, returned occupied territories, and reverted to the state before the Warring States era.

However, when it came to strategically critical locations tied to the fate of nations, the kingdoms were reluctant to relinquish control.

This is where Tanga stepped in.

Tanga proposed that such strategic resource hubs be jointly owned rather than controlled by a single nation.

Furthermore, border defenses would not be handled individually but collectively.

After deliberation, the kingdoms accepted this proposal.

They couldn’t trust neighboring kingdoms.

But they could trust a neutral entity closely tied to them to manage such operations.

Thus, centered around Tanga or rather, the Papal Kingdom a joint defense system was established.

This marked the beginning of the Papal Kingdom’s resource extraction sites, such as mines and lumberyards, and the White Knight Order, representing the Papal Kingdom’s military.

Over time, as the warning of the magical beasts faded from people’s minds and the kingdoms began to question the necessity of this joint defense system, the very event the Pope had foreseen occurred once more.

Another great invasion by the magical beasts.

---

“Over 500 years, the great invasions of magical beasts occurred seven times, roughly every 40 to 80 years since the Warring States era,” Annerose said.

Karen nodded. She was familiar with this history.

“And the last great invasion happened about 50 years ago. We’re now approaching the average interval for such events.”

“…You don’t mean?” Karen’s eyes widened.

“Yes, exactly. We suspect… it might be time for another invasion,” Annerose confirmed.

“Then we can’t just sit here! We need to contact the Papal Kingdom immediately and prepare defenses—”

“Hold on, calm down, Lady Karen,” Christine interjected. “This is just our suspicion. We don’t have concrete evidence yet.”

Karen looked at Annerose, who nodded in agreement.

“As Her Majesty Christine says, we haven’t received reports of significant beast activity at the frontlines or defenses. But… there’s one concerning matter, which is why we called you here.”

“What is it?” Karen asked.

“It’s about reports from the frontier villages. As you know, Shreid, like other kingdoms, has been working to turn beast-ravaged frontier lands into its territory.”

Karen nodded in acknowledgment.

Since the great invasion pushed human territories eastward, the Papal Kingdom established defense lines using fortresses and bases once built by the Demon King’s army as key strongholds against the beasts. Though time had worn them down, it was better than starting from scratch.

Moreover, if defense lines were built around current territories, there would be insufficient land for future population growth.

Thus, the defense lines were established further west, centered on the Demon King’s fortresses and bases.

These lines, called the Western Front, became critical bases for combating the beasts.

Another point of interest was the unclaimed land between the Western Front and the kingdoms’ territories.

Commonly known as the frontier, the question of who held rights to these lands arose.

The Papal Kingdom declared that while these lands belonged to no kingdom, whoever successfully pioneered and governed them could claim ownership.

As a result, kingdoms began efforts to turn these frontier lands into their own territories.

However, pioneering these lands was no easy task.

Already turned into wastelands by beast invasions, and unlike the developed eastern cities, these areas were roamed by beasts, making them highly dangerous.

“But no matter how dangerous, we can’t stand idly by while other nations actively claim these lands. Shreid has been diligently working to turn these frontiers into its territory over the years…” Annerose trailed off, her expression darkening.

Karen remained silent, sensing the shift in mood.

Looking at the two, Christine scratched her head and sighed.

“Well, the results haven’t been great compared to the effort. And every time a great invasion occurs, it’s like watching a carefully built tower collapse we have no choice but to abandon the land and retreat.”

“And if we hold on, the beasts break through the Western Front’s gaps, isolating and annihilating us,” Annerose added.

It was like a game of chicken.

If the other side does it, you have no choice but to follow.

Yet, just as success seems within reach, it’s disrupted, forcing a return to square one.

Of course, it’s not entirely fruitless. The kingdoms’ territories have been slowly expanding.

But the results are far too meager compared to the effort.

Still, they can’t stop, because if they do, other kingdoms might surge ahead. It’s truly a game of chicken.

“And…” Annerose hesitated.

“What is it?” Karen prompted.

“The reason we called you here is because of recent events in the frontier. We need your help to address them, which is why we’ve brought you here.”

“What’s happening?” Karen asked.

“A few days ago, an urgent message reached the royal court. It came from one of Shreid’s frontier cities. The contents of the letter were as follows.”

Annerose took a deep breath and spoke clearly:

“The western frontier city is currently under attack by magical beasts. Numerous in number. Signs of a massive beast outbreak detected nearby. Requesting urgent assistance…”

“...!” Karen’s expression hardened at the words.

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Translated by Reversalnovel.web.id