Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 324

324―――――

The Eve of the Storm

—Prince Zion, I’m delivering urgent news to you immediately.

The merchants stationed in the Holy Prussen [a powerful religious state] have either been suddenly expelled or have completely lost contact.

These are people who only worked in trade, every single one of them.

Moreover,

all trade routes, both land and sea, have been abruptly halted.

The Holy Prussen is suddenly locking itself down.

The royal palace will soon grasp the situation and seek solutions… but something feels very ominous.

—

Helen’s message was not long, but it contained significant information.

Blocking all trade, which had been mutually beneficial, closing off the routes, and locking all doors was not good news.

The Holy Prussen, which had been thriving, suddenly behaving like this could only mean one thing.

‘It’s not far off.’

To prevent internal news from leaking before the explosion, they’ve tied themselves down.

The Holy Prussen traded basic necessities like food, various luxury goods, novelty items, and high-quality iron (which they were particularly known for) with Hispania and Nudia.

In return, Hispania provided materials needed for magic, and Nudia offered wheat, barley, and gold dust. All these routes had suddenly been blocked.

‘The impact won’t be immediate for the kingdom’s citizens from the moment trade is cut off.

But the nobles will immediately notice the change, as trade that had been running smoothly is now blocked.

They’ll realize that something ominous is about to happen.

If they waver, the kingdom’s citizens will naturally waver as well.’

The noble lords were not just ‘nobles’ but also served as market supervisors and military commanders in their respective regions.

If these individuals suddenly show signs of unease, their subordinates will immediately sense it.

“What’s wrong?

You look terrible?

Why?

Did Helen run away from the royal castle because she missed you?”

“…I wish it were something like that.”

“Why, why? What is it?”

“Look at this.”

Lilith read the letter Zion handed her, and after a moment, she exclaimed, “Uh-oh?”

Then, blinking her eyes and frowning, she opened her mouth.

“This news must have reached Helen quite a while ago.”

“That’s right.

Magical communication isn’t like a dog barking or a cow mooing.”

“Considering the time it took for this letter to arrive via messenger bird… it’s been well over a week?

Why didn’t the Queen say anything?”

“The royal palace probably received the news just recently.

Merchants are usually the quickest to grasp the atmosphere and recognize the situation.

And even if she heard the news, the Queen was probably considerate of me.

She wouldn’t want to burden me with more work after sending me back to rest.”

It had been at least a week since the Holy Prussen suddenly locked its doors.

However, the news only began to spread to Hispania and Nudia a few days ago.

In any case, the Holy Prussen, which could be considered the stronghold of the Celestial pigeons [a derogatory term for the Celestials], showing such movements was definitely not for a good reason.

“Lilith, have you informed the remaining demons properly?”

“Yeah.

I told them to flee to the borders of Hispania and Nudia at all costs if those guys push in.

Honestly, I’m worried if Bahamut, that crazy bitch, will listen to me.”

“You came up with countermeasures for that, didn’t you?”

“For now.

I can’t completely trust her, but I hope Bell will somehow drag that wing-clipped girl along.

Honestly, I think she’d rather flee than die without even resisting against Bahamut.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Hey, Zion.”

Lilith’s voice was unusually worried, unlike her usual self.

Zion looked at her as if asking what was wrong, and Lilith hesitated for a moment before approaching him, gently hugging him, and opening her mouth.

“Are you really going to be okay?

I understand everything else, but that one thing seems really dangerous.”

“You mean bringing in the demons?”

“Yeah.

It’s just giving the pigeons an excuse.

Turns out, humans are really working with demons!

That’s why we’re judging you!

Something like that.”

Unlike the demons who were stuck in the Mortal Realm and staying still, if they approached humans, it would be the best justification for the Celestials.

Lilith knew that very well, which is why she had never stepped forward while being by Zion’s side.

A demon attached to a human?

The moment that word spread, no matter how much of a hero he was, he could be instantly buried in human society.

“That’s highly likely if the demons’ movements are detected.

But the Celestials now know that demons can’t be their match and probably won’t pay much attention.

We’ll use that opportunity to secretly slip out of there and wait nearby.”

“What if some of them invade the Mortal Realm?”

“There are monsters.

Leave them all behind and only bring those who can communicate.

This isn’t just about humans surviving, it’s also a chance for demons to live together.”

“It feels like they’ll be living, but not really living.

I doubt Bahamut or Bell would accept that…”

“No.

They will accept it.

Demons should live like demons.

Do you think I’d tell them, ‘From now on, think good thoughts, do good deeds, and live diligently!’?”

“…Huh?

Wasn’t that what you were thinking?”

“Not at all?

I never said that.”

If I were crazy enough to say that to the demons, I’d get slapped in the face right away.

Demons aren’t the embodiment of evil, but they are beings who are faithful to their desires.

That’s why they appear as devils to humans and other races.

Telling demons to live virtuously or to act rationally rather than following their desires is nothing more than a joke that even a passing dog would laugh at.

‘Rather, we should use that.

We need to exploit the psychology of humans and other races who believe that demons are evil and shadows.

When those you thought were wrong fight against those you ‘believed were right’ who are trying to kill you, which is truly right, and which is wrong?’

All living things naturally have a ‘survival instinct.’

And that survival instinct has a significant impact on rationalizing anything for their own survival.

That’s not a bad thing.

Rather, it’s the most essential and important thing to have because you’re alive.

Nothing is more precious than one’s own life.

If something gets in the way of that, even if it’s a close acquaintance, it’s defined as an enemy and competed against, eventually pushing them off the ring of survival, which is the way of the world and the natural order.

When the Celestial’s Great Cleansing Project was on track, unlike now, the continent, which was full of the doctrine of light, eventually began to resist them because the instinct to live was activated.

They didn’t care about the utopia that the fanatics were shouting about; they simply couldn’t accept the insane idea that those who wanted to enjoy their current lives until death should all be burned and started over.

“That part isn’t something to worry about right now.

As long as we don’t get caught, there’s plenty of time.

The problem is the slaves of light who will be thrilled by the news being delivered right now.”

The radical fairies are a problem, but even more serious are the fanatics hiding quietly.

They are maintaining silence now because the will of light is slightly faltering, but they are the ones who will raise the flames and rise up whenever they think the time is right.

When the Holy Prussen and the Celestials begin to actively move, they will surely be disguised as ordinary kingdom citizens, and then cause trouble at crucial moments or attack important strongholds and assassinate important figures.

‘More frightening than five enemies is one ally troll [a disruptive or unhelpful ally].’

Even if people from this world don’t know, ordinary people from the 21st century probably all know what this means.

“Even though you’ve put in so much effort, there are still guys who will go crazy and rampage if the pigeons shout, ‘You are the enemy!’?”

“Originally, the bugs of society pretend to be normal on ordinary days, but they betray you at important moments.

Even parasites don’t do stupid things enough to kill their hosts, but these guys are worse than those parasites.

What can we expect?”

Zion sighed and glanced outside.

The climax of the novel is about to begin, the peak.

The true 모습 [true nature] of those who had been thought of as light until now, and the flames rushing in from all directions.

Everything that had been believed in is overturned, and a person who had been diligent until recently shouts that everyone must be purified the next day and wields flames.

Having already experienced the wars between human kingdoms, the holy war, and the wars with other races, many named individuals were swept away, and every race declined rapidly, making it difficult to do anything about it.

At such times, some people despaired early on and thought, ‘Since there’s no hope anyway, let’s side with the Celestials and reach the utopia they speak of!’

‘The situation is better now than it was then, but it’s not a time to be relieved.

Instead of a holy war, the demons were moved to strike the Holy Prussen, but the damage was so great that the demons are almost out of the picture.

Nudia also suffered too much damage, and the only one that’s relatively intact is Hispania.

But these alone are not enough.’

To survive more, more people are needed.

So, he brought in the northern tribes, the beastmen, and the fairies.

Whether they like it or not, they’re now on the same boat, so let’s all suffer together and go to life or hell together at the end.

Zion got up from his seat and headed outside.

There, the hawk he had received from Zyan was resting, grooming its feathers. After confirming the hawk, he put on protective gear and carefully extended his hand.

The hawk lightly flew up, circled around for a moment, and then landed perfectly on Zion’s arm.

“…”

A small scroll of paper that had been written in advance is placed in the tube attached to the hawk’s leg.

And with a light lift of his arm, he tossed the hawk up as if throwing it. The hawk powerfully soared into the sky and quickly began to fly without delay to where it needed to go.

“…Do you really think that will work?”

“What do you mean?”

“What you emphasized to the northern tribes.

I’m wondering if that will work against the Celestials.”

“Even if they are pigeons, they will feel stinging if they keep getting poked with needles.

Besides, they’re not flying monsters who are more comfortable in the sky than on the ground.”

“That’s true.”

“To reduce even one more troublesome thing, we need to limit the battleground.

If the space widens, it’s advantageous for them and disadvantageous for us.”

The reason why Zion was trying so hard to bring in the northern tribes.

Zyan and Eos were named individuals, and they had horsemanship, but the biggest reason was different.

Archery that even the fairies admired, and the fact that they could do it on horseback.

And as a bonus, they didn’t care about the doctrine of light or anything like that.

After delivering the news to the north, Zion was about to return to his room when he met the Lion Knights Commander, who was looking for him, saying that magical communication had reached from the royal palace.

“Lilith.

Please gather all the others in my room.

Without exception.”

After asking her, Zion hurriedly moved his steps.

Soon after, a blurry figure of a person appeared in the translucent magic sphere.

“Your Majesty the Queen.”

“I apologize for bothering you when you should have been resting comfortably, Prince Zion Klausen.”

“Not at all.

I was actually getting restless.”

“The matter is so serious that I had no choice but to convey the message to you separately from the three marquises.”

“I understand.”

“Are you also aware?

About the current situation.”

“I have a rough understanding.

Although it hasn’t been long.”

“…Then, what about the fact that the Holy Prussen attacked and burned our Hispanian trade ships?”

At Vanessa’s words, Zion bit his lip without realizing it.

An incident that would drive the continental situation to the worst, different from simply closing the border.

The problem was that the other side had more ways to exploit this than this side did.

“The Holy Prussen is still silent.

But if others, especially the followers of the light, find out that their movements are unusual, it’s terrifying to even imagine what will happen.”

“The Holy Prussen wouldn’t have attacked all the trade ships and burned them without leaving any…”

“They will stop by Nudia and then return to Hispania to deliver the news soon.

Then those ominous stories will spread throughout the kingdom in an instant.

Not good.”

“…”

“It’s fortunate that there aren’t many people who are so engrossed in the doctrine of light that they are fanatically obsessed with it, like in Nudia.

Thanks to you and others, there are more people who are more interested in Hispania itself than those things.

We will be able to avoid the worst-case scenario where riots break out everywhere.”

“We must not be careless.”

“We must.

Because we don’t know how the Holy Prussen will react right now.

Zion Klausen, that’s why I’m saying this.

There is one thing I want to ask you.”

Zion waits for Vanessa’s next words, meaning that he will answer any question.

Vanessa nods as if she understands Zion’s intention and opens her mouth.

“Really, if the will of light discusses the end of this world.

If that is the right path.

Are we, who oppose it, evil?”

“…”

“Until now, I have heard that light is right, good, and trustworthy.

Not only me but everyone on the continent has grown up like that.

So, if we were to argue, would we become shadows?

Would we become unworthy beings?

Even I have these questions, so I’m worried about what others will be like.”

Unbeknownst to them, the influence of the Celestials was spreading everywhere.

Even Vanessa, who loves Hispania more than anything else and prioritizes the kingdom’s citizens, is showing a slightly confused 모습 [appearance/state] right now.

So, there were cases where others hesitated or gave up altogether, succumbing to the whispers of the Celestials, radical fairies, and fanatics.

But Zion could confidently answer that part.

“It’s meaningless.

Both good and evil, everything.

Your Majesty.

Please keep in mind.

The one who wins and survives is good, and the one who loses and dies is evil.

That’s all.

That is the ‘world.'”

―――――――Author’s Afterword―――――――

More frightening than five enemies is one ally troll.

If that evolves.