Chapter 25: Details Of The Mission
After studying magic with Evangeline since she had heard he could cast Soundbox, William found himself called to the Princess's chambers. He was curious what it was about. He wanted it to be Jovan apologizing, but he doubted it. That meant it was most likely one of two things. Or three things, maybe.
"Thank you for accepting my summons, Mister Baxter."
"I didn't have anything else to do than training anyway. And it's fine if you continue calling me William. Mister Baxter is my dad."
Princess Celia nodded.
"Then I will do so, William."
"Great."
"You must be wondering why I called for you."
"I am a little curious, yes."
"I thought it was about time I updated you on your mission—why we called for you heroes from another world."
"You mean…?"
"Yes. I have only told you that a Demon Lord threatens our continued existence. But for you and your comrades to prepare yourselves, it's only right you know what you're preparing for."
William nodded and waited for her to continue.
"But truthfully, there is not much to tell you at the moment. Further north, our scouts detected demonic energy, and upon further investigation, we discovered that a Demon Lord is constructing a portal to our world."
"..."
"..."
"I'm sorry, is that all?"
Princess Celia nodded with a grave expression.
"That is all the concrete information we have as of right now. We have records and magic that can give us estimates for when demons will start invading our lands and when the Demon Lord themselves will have stabilized the portal enough to pass through. But those estimates range from months to several years before the first demon even pops up."
"I see. Even with the time to prepare, you still aren't confident the Belterov Kingdom's forces are enough. The Demon Lord must be pretty strong, then."
"If they and their army are as strong as the Demon Lords of the past, the Belterov Kingdom's fate might have run out."
William's face darkened as he thought about how strong that might be when he couldn't even accurately estimate how strong Jovan was. He and his classmates were in for a challenging journey.
"Don't worry, William. I will not force you or your comrades to sacrifice yourselves for our country if that is not your desire. If this country is doomed, there is no reason for you youths from another world to waste your second chance at life defending it."
"Thank you, Your Highness. But looking at it another way, it was you and this kingdom who gave us our second chance at life. I can't speak for the others. But I will do my utmost. By the way, have you considered stopping the Demon Lord from constructing the portal or maybe interfering and slowing down the process to give us more time to prepare?"
"Attempts like those have been made in the past, to no avail. The demonic energy we can currently sense and the budding portal we can see have actually yet to reach our world. The demons and their activities are shielded behind the veil of the fabric of existence. Unless one is capable of, well, cutting through the very fabric of space or otherwise transcend it to interfere with the portal, it is impossible to interfere with the Demon Lord's portal. And if we had someone like that, we would not need to summon heroes from another world."
William nodded.
The Demon Lord was digging a tunnel, and until that tunnel reached their world, they couldn't touch it. Tricky.
Nacht wondered if he should post a Quest for William to get the gears in his brain to start turning. But he could see that William had latched onto a couple of keywords in Princess Celia's explanation and was already thinking about something, so he held off for now. Inappropriate interference might have the wrong effect. Nacht just hoped William wouldn't fumble the ball when he was so close.
"Thank you for telling me this, Your Highness. I might sound presumptuous, but I would appreciate it if I stay informed about the situation regarding the Demon Portal."
"But of course."
"Thank you. Also, if I may ask, how is it going with Marlin?"
Princess Celia raised an eyebrow and paused for a moment as she thought about what to say.
"He's…been undergoing rigorous investigation, and we are looking into the situation deeper before making any official decisions. But if you are worried about him being declared innocent, don't be. He has already gone past the point of no return."
"I see. It's a relief to know I won't need to worry about him coming back for revenge or trying again."
"Yes…"
Princess Celia hesitated and looked at William with a slight crease between her eyebrows.
"I do not wish to burden you further, but it's my responsibility to inform you that Marlin may not have been acting alone. It is also a worry, or rather, a fact, that people of this world are scared of otherworlders due to the potential danger they can pose. And as Marlin has already proved, the Royal Palace's security and safety are not watertight. It is shameful, but it is the truth, and you deserve to know it."
William nodded.
"Thank you for telling me, Your Highness. To be frank, I had already surmised as much."
Princess Celia also nodded.
"That is good. Situational awareness is a must if you want to get far. A Hero also needs to be aware of the dangers around him. I am looking forward to your future, William."
"I will do my best to show you a bright one, Your Highness."
William paused for a moment as if wondering whether he should say it.
Princess Celia noticed William's clear hesitation.
"If you have something to say, do not hesitate and say it."
"Well, I'm unsure myself, but I think I might have developed a unique ability."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, but I'm not quite sure what it is."
"That is a common occurrence. It's like learning how to walk all over again. Or so I've heard. But I assume it is what happened last night on the training grounds, before my fiance caused you trouble."
"It is."
"You do not need to worry. It will come to you eventually."
"That's a comfort. Oh, and one other thing. This is more of a request…"
Princess Celia raised an eyebrow.
"Go on…"
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