The Max Level Hero Has Returned!
chapter-356

After the war ended, the tasks at hand were to recover from the damage, eliminate the remnants of the enemy, and take care of post-war rewards.

The landscape had started shifting oddly five days prior when the war abruptly came to an end. An old proverb stated that too many cooks spoil the broth. Whether the cooks spoiled the broth or the broth spoiled the cooks, what mattered was that these individuals, each with their own agendas, began contemplating how to exploit the war's outcome. This seemed to apply to the Holy Empire as well.

Apart from the Three Empires, the Holy Empire was essentially the largest country. With its formidable military force, its status couldn't be casually disregarded even by the Three Empires. Its already exceptional power was further reinforced by the fact that ninety percent of the continent's believers worshipped the Goddess Freyja, spanning across all countries.

Would the Holy Empire, which had endured for over a thousand years, be without any issues? Perserque could only firmly shake her head.

She slowly raised her head and glanced out the window once more. If it weren't for the horns adorning her head or the color of her pupils, there would be no suspicion that she was a demon. However, considering the nature of the Paladins, they would easily identify her as such.

Indeed, when she was sealed in Caldeiras, she had witnessed Illyna's outrage upon hearing the tale of a woman and her entire family being burned at the stake—a woman who was branded a witch for her bewitching beauty. As a result, the Emperor of the Pallan Empire was infuriated, completely withdrawing support for the Holy Empire and quelling the Paladins' momentum within it.

If the Paladins were to become active again, it would spell trouble for her. Currently, she was not powerless, but she couldn't erase her existence. Feeble illusion magic would only arouse suspicion. Perserque was about to quietly raise her head and assess the situation when she realized that the knights of the Alliance, who had been joking with Chamberlain Bernile, had vanished.

Simultaneously, Aeonitia's eyes widened as she leaped up and made her way outside. "Stay here! You absolutely cannot come out!"

Perserque wanted to prevent Aeonitia from rashly venturing outside, but in a situation where even standing up was challenging, she had no choice but to remain silent.

"What do you think you're doing? This is the imperial chambers. How dare you intrude upon the castle without an appointment!"

"We apologize for coming so abruptly, Princess. But we also need to verify," the man's voice said.

Tanya swiftly arrived, her somewhat subdued protest echoing from behind the door. "That is outrageous. This is the bedroom of the saint that you yourselves recognize. Is it permissible for someone from the Holy Empire to come in so brazenly?"

Perserque closed her eyes slowly as she listened to the conversation. She then opened her eyes once more, and it was as if the door was gradually turning transparent, revealing the scenes happening behind it.

"We know that very well. How could we not know that this is the bedroom of the Holy Empire's saint? However, we had no choice because there was a report. Please forgive us."

"What you are doing right now is extremely rude."

"Why won't you move aside? If there really is no problem, you could just show us."

"There has never been such a thing. Even if you call yourselves the Paladins of the Holy Empire, it's unprecedented to brazenly invade the room where a member of a foreign imperial family stays, isn't it?"

Following Tanya's voice, Aeonitia's protest continued.

"If there is no precedent, then this will become one."

"We will definitely protest this to the Holy Empire. The moment my brother returns, you are doomed." Aeonitia gritted her teeth, evidently livid.

The Paladins and Holy Knights of the Alliance, who appeared to have intentionally come looking for trouble, took another step forward.

"Do as you please. I'll even give you my head if there are no issues. But you must know this: what we are doing is by decree of Goddess Freyja," the man asserted.

Perserque clenched her fist. If her demon existence were to be discovered here, it would be troublesome. Thus, she needed to find a way to quickly escape from here.

She still couldn't use spatial transfer magic, and if she used magic to hide herself, she had a high risk of being detected. How should she handle this? Maybe if she just hid her horns...

‘No, that's not going to work,’ she thought.

If these men who seemed to have come with a clear intent were to cast a suspicious eye on her...

‘Then, maybe...’

Upon making a decision, she began to gather her demonic energy. While she was unsure about many things, she did not want the people here to suffer because of her. In that case, she should boldly reveal that she was a demon...

"No... No... How should I handle this...?"

Just as she was in the throes of her dilemma, a physical altercation had begun. Perserque bit her lower lip.

"Excuse me, please step aside. If you continue to be uncooperative, we will have to use force," warned the man from the Holy Empire.

"Do as you please. The moment you draw your swords, the entire territory will turn against you."

"We are the Paladins of the Holy Empire and also the leaders of the Alliance. It seems you're not fully aware of the current situation... The Saint, Davey, is currently being sought within the Alliance for the crime of desertion. Are you aware of this?"

Tanya and Aeonitia recoiled at the man's threatening words. Immediately, the Holy Knights moved to physically restrain the two women.

"Hey, let go of me!"

"What are you doing? How dare you lay your hands on the princess of a country, especially within her own territory!"

Their struggle intensified. Tanya, though proficient in archery, lacked physical strength. Aeonitia, being a young child with virtually no physical abilities, was even more disadvantaged.

"No!"

Tanya's scream incited an uproar within the castle.

Woosh!! Clang!

"Unhand her! How dare you to lay your hands on a princess in her own territory?" Dozens of soldiers, led by Captain of the Guard Monmider, appeared.

In a tense standoff, the Holy Knights swiftly drew their swords.

"This is the territory of Prince Davey! How dare a member of the Holy Empire intrude upon the dwelling of the only Saint on the continent! Aren't you afraid of divine retribution?"

"How many times do I have to repeat myself?" The Holy Knight advanced toward Monmider and…

Bam!!!

He kicked Monmider away.

"Ugh!"

The kick, imbued with holy power, was too much for Monmider, who had only just started to harness mana. He groaned, "Ugh...!"

"Captain!"

"You… You bastards!"

Clang!! Clang!!

With swords clashing, the atmosphere turned frosty. Aeonitia's eyes widened in shock, and Tanya covered her mouth in surprise.

"Ugh… Ugh..." Monmider coughed up blood.

As Monmider tried to get up, the Holy Empire's Paladin slowly approached him, gently pushing down on his shoulder and meeting his gaze. "Look here, Captain of the Heins Territory."

"..."

"Should I stop for a sword wielded by someone of your mere rank?"

"I will repay this insult..."

"Do as you please. Oh, it seems like I've forgotten something..."

With a sigh, he drew a thin, needle-like knife.

Whoosh!!

Without hesitation, he stabbed Monmider's shoulder.

"Ahhhhhh!!"

"Noo!"

"Monmider!!"

The cries of the two princesses and Monmider's scream of pain echoed around.

"It seems like they're hiding a demon. Arrest the guards and take the two princesses into custody with care. Send a message to our home country and initiate the trial as soon as we received a response."

"Hey, let me go!!"

Clank! Clank!

The room was filled with the sounds of armor colliding as the Holy Knights overstepped their boundaries, restraining the two princesses and subduing Monmider.

Perserque, who had silently observed the situation, slowly rose to her feet with her fists clenched tightly. She took a short breath, propping her body up with her staff. There was no choice. The Paladins' "trial" was not a trial, but a process of conviction.

She couldn't understand why the Holy Empire was doing such a reckless thing. But now that it had come to this, she would protect those three people.

Slowly, demonic power began to gather in her hand. Yes, she was in a withered state, but she had once been the Demon Lord. She was anything but ordinary.

Suddenly, the monotonous creak of a wooden window opening echoed in her ear.

Creak... Creak.

Quiet footsteps that seemed to take control of the surrounding space began to echo. Perserque was frozen in place, surprised, and then slowly turned her head. She felt a slender hand lightly stroking her head.

"Patients should stay in bed. If you ignore the doctor's words, you might get a painful injection."

It was a leisurely and quiet voice. Perserque looked up with a blank gaze at the person who had spoken to her.

The intruder had long, black hair and stood about 160cm tall, with a slender physique. She had never seen this person before.

"Who..."

But she couldn't finish her sentence. It was hard to tell whether the slender figure was male or female, and her eyes widened as she looked at them through the power of the abyss.

‘This can't be. He's not supposed to look like this.’

"Da... Davey?" After pondering for a moment, Perserque called out to the figure walking past her toward the bedroom door. "Davey?! Is that you, Davey?!"

"Yes."

The voice was softer than usual, but the feeling was unmistakable. What had happened while Davey was being punished by the gods?

Regardless, she couldn't hide her joy. It meant that he had returned safely. Who cared if his appearance had changed a bit? They had spent more time together, joking and conversing for several months, than most people would in several years.

Creak...

Davey opened the door without hesitation and looked straight at those trying to break into the room using the hilts of their swords. Perserque, in turn, looked at Davey's back—a smaller back than she was used to. But then again, only his appearance had changed. He was still Davey.

"Who the hell do you bastards think you are, crawling in here?"

Boom!!!

With a strange noise, a couple of holy knights were flung out through the wall.

"Huh?"

Visible perplexity appeared on the faces of the people outside. Among them, the most dumbfounded was the Paladin of the Holy Empire.

Davey turned his head nonchalantly, noticing Monmider bound by ropes and the two princesses being dragged out. After a moment of silence, he spoke to the Paladin.

"Hey."

"Who...are you?"

"None of your business, bastard."

Swish!

A red flash was the only visible sign of his swift movement. The next moment, the Paladin's head was flying. Despite being a Paladin with significant power, his end came disappointingly quick and clean.

"Who dares to lay a hand on them?"

His voice was chillingly cold, and he seemed genuinely furious.

He had never been this cold, even in similar situations. Perserque, sitting on the floor, watched him with wide eyes from behind.