excel三国杀

Chapter 223: Alice Subjugation — Interlude (2)

As the escort soldiers formed a formation around the carriage, an elderly man in luxurious attire stepped out. It was none other than Emperor Carlos.

The people gathered in front of the carriage bowed their heads in unison before the Emperor.

Emperor Carlos, guided by Headmistress Elena Woodline and the Imperial Knights, proceeded to the multi-purpose building, Marzio Hall.

The Royal Guard Jacule Calix, three skilled Imperial Knights, and an Imperial Wizard who accompanied the carriage joined as escorts.

They entered the conference room of Marzio Hall, which was spacious, luxurious, and pristine. A large, long table occupied the center of the room.

At the farthest end from the entrance, a bespectacled boy in a school uniform, as well as a formidable-looking knight of ice, greeted Emperor Carlos.

“Pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. I am Isaac.”

A heavy tension hung in the air.

Isaac, being a student of Märchen Academy and a citizen of the Zelver Empire, was expected to bow his head.

However, given his status as the Ice Sovereign, he merely stood and gave a slight nod in greeting.

Isaac was accompanied by a single Ice Knight who was clad in platinum armor and stood over 3 meters tall.

Pale blue cold air seeped through the gaps of his armor. His name was Morcan, and the captain of Düpfendorf’s Knights.

Everyone in the room immediately recognized the mighty presence of the Ice Knight.

“P-please, have a seat, Your Highness…!”

Headmistress Elena’s voice trembled with nervousness.

Emperor Carlos took a seat opposite Isaac, and Royal Guard Jacule stood behind the Emperor to protect him.

The Imperial Knights, Imperial Wizard, and Headmistress Elena waited near the entrance.

The discussion between Emperor Carlos and Isaac would determine the future direction of the academy. Therefore, Headmistress Elena had agreed to remain in the meeting room after consulting with them beforehand.

“First, let me congratulate you on becoming the new Elemental King of Ice”

“Thank you.”

“I hear you’re a second-year student at the academy. Is it true that you’re 18 years old?”

“That’s correct”

Isaac smiled kindly.

Emperor Carlos was struck by the fact that such a young boy was the Nameless Hero and the new Elemental King. He exuded an air of innocence befitting his young age.

Considering that the world’s most powerful individuals were often eccentric, his first impression did not align with his reputed strength.

Moreover, an investigation into Isaac’s past revealed nothing remarkable.

He came from the barony of Ropenheim and had led a life of poverty. Both of his biological parents were deceased and his only sibling was and his only sibling had been adopted by the Baron of Ropenheim when she was a child.

Additionally, the boy had entered Märchen Academy based on his academic abilities, not his magical skills.

His ordinariness made him all the more mysterious.

Nevertheless, it was undeniable that this boy was the strongest human among mankind, possessing the power to destroy the world.

Emperor Carlos felt both a sense of incongruity and awe.

“Ice Sovereign, let me state the Empire’s position clearly. Our Empire welcomes you. We wish to maintain friendly relations with the Ice Kingdom, Düpfendorf.”

The fact that Emperor Carlos had personally attended this meeting indicated his willingness to conciliate.

Isaac adjusted his glasses, maintaining a genial smile. There was a stark contrast between him and the intimidating and stoic Ice Knight behind him.

“We feel the same.”

“That’s good to hear. Then let us begin our discussion.”

Emperor Carlos began speaking earnestly.

You are known as the Nameless Hero and have resolved various incidents involving demons at Märchen Academy. It is hard to believe someone like you attends the academy solely for academic purposes. Hence, I would like to ask.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“Is there… some secret hidden in this academy? I’ve heard that the spell Alice Carroll had attempted to use was also mysterious. I wonder if there is a connection between that and your purpose.”

Isaac had consistently resolved the various incidents caused by the appearance of demons as far back as last year. His ability to handle them despite their increasing frequency was akin to the ability to see the future.

Emperor Carlos wanted to resolve his doubts about this.

“Well, I could roughly predict when demons would appear. It’s difficult to explain, but you can think of it as having some foresight into dangerous futures.”

“…”

It was an unbelievable statement, but Emperor Carlos did not question the validity of it.

Despite his appearance, he was the youngest archwizard in history. Debating his mysterious and incomprehensible abilities would be pointless.

“So, I enrolled in Märchen Academy after realizing that demons would appear here. I wanted to uncover the source. Naturally, I also discovered that there was an informant.”

“I see… that makes sense.”

Hearing this, Emperor Carlos surmised that Isaac had many reasons for keeping his identity hidden.

There were many other questions he wanted to ask.

The goal of Alice Carroll and the demons, why Isaac had made Alice his minion, and the issue with Alice’s treatment.

But first, he wanted to ask Isaac.

“...You have protected the people of the Zelver Empire at the Academy. We are grateful for that. However, I cannot help but wonder about a fundamental issue. Why did you come to the academy to deal with the demon problem ‘personally’?”

Was it due to a sense of sacrifice or justice?

Or was it related to the extraordinary individual with the light element, Ian Fairytale?

At the time when demons began appearing frequently, an exceptional individual with the light element named Ian Fairytale appeared. Is this a coincidence?

Emperor Carlos wanted to understand this point.

“Do I need a reason to protect my home?”

Isaac replied calmly, without changing his expression.

Is he evading?

Emperor Carlos stared at Isaac, then decided to change the subject.

He judged that it would be wise to refrain from probing the Ice Sovereign further at this point.

“Understood. Next, I’d like to discuss Alice Carroll. What exactly was she planning to do at this academy?”

“She intended to resurrect the Evil God.”

“…?”

Several people gasped.

“Evil God…? Are you referring to the Evil God spoken of in legends?”

Emperor Carlos stared at Isaac with a wary expression.

There was only one being referred to as the “Evil God”.

It was the Evil God of Destruction, said to rule over demons.

It was sealed a very long time ago, with no information about who, how, or where the seal was placed.

The limited information that was known came from ancient records and traces of preserved mana over the ages.

“…”

Isaac found their reaction to be very natural.

Just like in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, players only learn about the resurrection of the Evil God and the legend of the Primordial Elemental Kings in Semester 2 Year 2.

“Alice Carroll attempted to resurrect the Evil God prematurely. She inscribed the magic circle on the rooftop of Bartos Hall and had the catalyst necessary to make it possible.”

“‘Prematurely,’ you say…?”

“The Evil God will resurrect eventually. I don’t know the exact date, but I’ll be able to sense it before it happens. The catalyst has already been destroyed, so you don’t need to worry about an early resurrection anymore.”

“What grave treason…”

Emperor Carlos murmured to himself.

He recalled the testimony of the Imperial Knights. They mentioned that the unknown spell Alice Carroll had tried to cast involved an astronomical amount of mana.

Add to that Alice’s collusion with the demons and the frequent demon appearances since last year.

It would be easy to convince anyone that all of these actions were aimed at resurrecting the Evil God.

Detailed investigations would be needed, but Emperor Carlos found it hard to believe that Isaac would be lying.

Emperor Carlos took a deep breath and calmed his emotions.

“Are you saying the Evil God could resurrect at this Academy?”

“It’s hard to say for certain. Alice was merely following the demon’s orders. The demons might have simply wanted to make this place their sanctuary.”

“You’re being evasive.”

“Personally, I hope the academy remains as is, so please don’t misunderstand me. Since Alice’s capture, the demons’ movements have slowed down. There are no signs of demon appearances like last year. If something crucial were here, Alice’s capture wouldn’t have changed the situation so drastically.”

“Is that also something you learned through your foresight?”

Isaac nodded.

He couldn\'t tell if Isaac was telling the truth or not.

However, he had been fighting demons and protecting the people all this time. Considering his actions, his story wasn’t hard to believe.

“Then… why did you take such a treacherous individual as your minion?”

“Alice Carroll is also a victim.”

Isaac answered calmly.

“She was threatened and forcibly used by the demons. The terrorist acts she committed at the academy weren’t done of her own volition.”

“...Even so, it doesn’t change the fact that Alice Carroll attempted to cause great harm to the Empire. Cold as it may sound, if she was threatened by the demons, she could have chosen to sacrifice herself. You must remember that Alice Carroll tried to take the lives of many citizens of the Empire.”

He implied that while there might be extenuating circumstances, being threatened and used by the demons did not absolve her of her crimes.

“You must be aware of this. How do you propose to make Alice Carroll atone for her crimes?”

“I’ll use her as reinforcement.”

“Reinforcement?”

Isaac continued.

“As I mentioned, the Evil God will resurrect someday, and when that time comes, I plan to have Alice risk her life in the subjugation of the Evil God. That’s what I’ve decided.”

“...That’s hard to accept. While I appreciate your sense of justice, saying that you’ll use Alice Carroll to subjugate the Evil God, which may appear at any time, it sounds like you won’t punish her at all.”

Isaac’s eyebrows twitched.

“Then, are you saying you’ll imprison Alice Carroll in Düpfendorf until the Evil God appears?”

“She will continue to attend the academy and graduate safely.”

“New Ice Sovereign, we need to discuss this issue further. Alice Carroll’s welfare, to be precise.”

Emperor Carlos propped his chin on his hand, his voice mixed with a sigh.

“Alice Carroll is a key witness with information on the numerous demon appearances in our territory. Our Empire cannot easily give up the chance to extract that information by handing her over to you immediately.”

“...So what are you proposing?”

“We need to interrogate Alice Carroll about the incidents in our territory. We also have the right to punish her. So, we will impose the minimum penalty according to the Empire’s laws and extract the information before transferring her to you later. I’ll make sure that Düpfendorf doesn’t suffer any loss. And if it does, we will compensate for it.”

“I already mentioned that Alice Carroll is a member of Düpfendorf and my minion. I cannot hand her over. I ask for your cooperation to allow Alice Carroll to attend the academy without any issues.”

Emperor Carlos furrowed his brow and involuntarily let out a snort, finding the situation absurd.

“Hmm, letting a woman guilty of such treachery attend the academy as if nothing happened… Ice Sovereign, you seem to be mistaken. That’s…”

Before he could finish, Isaac swiftly stood up and swung his arm.

Thud!

“…?”

There was silence after the sudden burst of sound.

Emperor Carlos looked down at the table. Right next to him, a dagger was deeply embedded in the table.

Isaac had thrown the dagger.

Royal Guard Jacule had drawn his sword and held it out to block the dagger from reaching the Emperor.

Emperor Carlos looked at Isaac in shock, while Jacule’s face was filled with displeasure.

“You seem to be having trouble understanding the situation. Seeing as you’ve made me repeat myself.”

Isaac had abandoned his friendly smile and was now removing his glasses with a cold, stern /genesisforsaken