The Prince Wants to Retire

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Chapter 54: The Gates of War!

“I want to retire!”

The Crown Prince declared, his eyes wide with determination.

Finally, the Supply Line Defense operation was over.

The results were half-hearted, but it was a victory for Ignit.

Most of the buildings were in ruins, and finding intact supplies was a daunting task, but they managed to protect the supply routes, so all was not lost.

“…You were victorious, I see.”

Despite the fierce battle, Glen wore a satisfied smile as he received the news that Talion had held them off.

Though he had to stay on standby in the rear, he wasn’t just lounging around.

The Knight Order stationed to the west began to rally around Glen, and additional troops crossing the Frigid Canyon started to join him one by one.

And thus a formidable army was formed.

Now, this army could be directed not just to defend the supply line but also to engage the Main Forces in battle.

“Can we stop them this time?”

As Glen pondered this, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

When Glen first appeared in the North, he was rated as a ‘Master with little experience.’

He was revered in Ignit, but the evaluation from the East Continent was rather bleak.

However, things changed once he stepped into the North.

As the Leader of Dark Mages, he boasted overwhelming power through battles at Giant’s Fortress and elsewhere in the North.

Despite the Dark Mages working alongside their Leader to stop Glen’s Detached Unit, they suffered a crushing defeat.

What was the reason?

It was simple.

Glen was just overwhelmingly strong.

If his battle experience in the West had elevated him to Master, then his combat experience in the East profoundly enhanced his manipulation of power after becoming a Master.

“Ready to go.”

“Let’s set off.”

Glen emerged from the barracks to see the Legion Commander reporting that preparations were complete. The Detached Unit moved into action.

Behind the Detached Unit rode three legions that had come over the Frigid Canyon.

All were elite forces rapidly advancing toward the point where the Demon Gate was located.

Following the cavalry of the Detached Unit were thousands of magical vehicles, and airships generated power in the sky.

“I can’t see the Dark Mage.”

“Perhaps he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop us.”

As Glen’s aides reported that the Dark Mages had vanished, he nodded thoughtfully.

The Dark Mages who had failed to stop the Detached Unit once before certainly couldn’t prevent an entire army.

In fact, when the Dark Mages initially attempted to block the Detached Unit, they had a certain rationale behind it.

Despite their belief that Glen could not rival their Leader’s power, the combined strength of Dark Mages and demons significantly outmatched the Detached Unit.

The only thing that covered such a gap was Glen’s sheer strength.

BEEP!

“What’s going on?”

“There’s a strong magical wave coming from what is presumed to be the Demon Gate!”

Glen’s expression hardened at the Legion Commander’s report.

“We need to get there as quickly as possible.”

After speaking, Glen paused for a moment, then began explaining his thoughts to the commanders.

The main army he led was the Detached Unit.

So instead of joining the main army, he suggested they attack the Gate first, and all the Legion Commanders agreed. Their solid faith in Glen’s power made this possible.

As the Detached Unit shifted direction to directly assault the Gate, the Main Forces also rapidly advanced northward, smashing through the demons.

With the supply line stabilized and units led by Achelio and Duke Welch pressing Roman, they pushed forward with overwhelming might.

However, despite successive victories, the Main Forces couldn’t smile.

Instead, it was the Demon Army that was smiling, albeit through great sacrifice.

Although they were losing, they had partially completed their designated missions.

Kariyel, upon receiving this information, grew serious.

“This is moving faster than expected!”

In response to Kariyel’s query, the Mages and Priests began explaining their findings based on the intel they had gathered.

“According to the records, when the Gate is completed, a column of purple magic erupts into the sky.”

“We found the same.”

“Does that mean it’s not in the completion phase yet?”

Nodding to Kariyel’s question, both the Priest and Mage replied in agreement.

“Definitely not in the completion phase.”

“That’s a certainty.”

With their confidence, Kariyel nodded slightly.

The descriptions matched across nearly every historical record where demons had appeared.

Kariyel also recalled seeing the site of the Demon Gate in his previous life. While he hadn’t witnessed the reported purple columns, he remembered the sky filled with black clouds tainted by magic.

However, according to reports, only the magical waves seemed to have intensified, and none of the documented phenomena materialized.

“Then if it isn’t complete… what does this phenomenon mean?”

At Kariyel’s question, everyone gathered in the meeting fell silent.

It was understandable why they didn’t know. The most recent appearance of demons was recorded long ago, requiring old books to explore.

“Could it be that they’re trying to summon high-level demons forcibly?”

At the Mage’s words, everyone turned to stare at him in confusion.

Kariyel shrugged, silently prompting the Mage to elaborate.

“According to records of previous summons, similar phenomena have been documented.”

“But that’s not a gate, is it?”

One Priest frowned at the Mage’s statement.

Summoning magic and a gate were entirely different concepts.

Unlike opening a disconnected space between worlds to summon merely the mental essence of demons, a gate facilitates the passage of everything from the Demon Realm.

Therefore, the Priest and other Mages exchanged puzzled glances.

“However, the concept of demons crossing from the Demon Realm to here isn’t all that different, is it?”

At his remark, Kariyel gazed at him intently, urging him to continue speaking.

Then everyone else quieted down, ready to listen.

“Records show that when demons were summoned, similar occurrences were documented. The common denominator is that it’s tied to hastily summoning.”

Kariyel nodded slightly as he reviewed the records the Mage showed.

Descriptions of a sudden surge in magical energy coinciding with the disappearance of magic in the surrounding areas.

“Did the disappearance of magic cause this?”

“It seems so. It looks like even a small amount of magic was absorbed by the summoning circle.”

Upon hearing the Mage’s words, Kariyel granted another Priest the floor.

“Your Majesty, if you look at these records, you will see that various forms of environmental contamination occur during demon summoning.”

“Indeed. Reading these records reveals variations in outcomes despite identical conditions.”

Other Mages and Priests located different phenomena under the same conditions to present to Kariyel.

It was apparent that, even under the same circumstances, different outcomes arose.

Moreover, there were cases reported where magic emerged from the very site of the Demon Gate.

Despite having dealt with countless demons in his previous life, Kariyel was lacking in information relevant to gates or summoning. A large-scale demon army had already been summoned, leaving no time to spare.

He needed to find at least one more weakness of the demons.

“…Let’s consider the worst-case scenario. If what you say holds true, what might we expect?”

As Kariyel posed his question, the Mage who had speculated about high-level demon summoning sifted through materials.

“…It may be possible for the Demon King to be summoned as well.”

The Mage’s statement was met with immediate rebuttals from the others, as they scoffed in disbelief.

“Impossible. The magic wave is far too weak for the Demon King to be summoned.”

“Yes. Even when an incomplete Demon King was summoned, the surrounding magic was swirling heavily.”

With the Mages and Priests’ objections, Kariyel remained silent, pondering the Mage who claimed it was possible.

As everyone awaited his response, tensions eased, and the gathered Mages and Priests resumed their seats.

After a brief silence, the Mage who had found supporting data opened his mouth quietly.

“If you review these records, you’ll see that summoning a Demon King for a short time is feasible.”

Kariyel nodded slightly at the Mage’s words.

“As others noted, even when a Demon King arrived with most of their powers sealed, the wave was considerable. Applying that precedent, it may indeed be possible.”

“What’s this?”

Kariyel tilted his head in confusion.

It was a summoning circle of a form he had never seen before.

In the center was a cocoon-like structure covered in bizarre symbols everywhere.

Furthermore, the summoning circle seemed to be layered with blood-painted sigils.

“Records show that in the past, voodoo practitioners attempted to create demons by sacrificing many.”

“They attempted that?”

“Yes. They intended to transplant the hearts of several high-ranking demons into one individual to fill them with the spirit of a sealed Demon King, making a ‘Demon King’ without restrictions.”

Upon hearing this, Kariyel raised an eyebrow.

“Guess it didn’t work. If it had, I would have known about it.”

“Yes, but they didn’t wholly fail. According to records, despite their experiments failing, someone ingested the remnants.”

“Who?”

“The Demon Dragon King.”

When he spoke, Kariyel immediately turned to the Priests.

The Demon Dragon King was a disaster-like existence he had heard of before. If such an entity was actually born from humans, it was grave news indeed.

“Such conjectures exist, indeed.”

“After the temple that sealed these remnants collapsed, the Demon Dragon King appeared.”

The Priests of the diocese spoke, causing Kariyel’s expression to grow serious.

“To sum it up, could we say that using this methodology increases the likelihood of a Demon King appearing?”

“…There’s a reasonable chance of that.”

“In addition, if we offer sacrifices to lessen the burden on the Gate….”

As the Mages and Priests exchanged suggestions, they began estimating the probabilities of the Demon King’s appearance.

“A 30% chance of the Demon King being summoned. However, even if summoned, the chance of retaining full power is almost nil, perhaps only 10%?”

“Indeed!”

“Then let me ask one final question. If a Grand Master with that 10% of power were to appear, what would that look like?”

At Kariyel’s question, the faces of the Mages and Priests turned grim.

“That’s the answer.”

In the silence of the chamber, Kariyel immediately called for the Attendant.

“Immediately relay this information to the Main Forces. Attendant.”

“Yes!”

“Summon the others.”

“Understood.”

The possibility of the Demon King being summoned alone was enough to force the Empire back into a state of emergency.

Without delay, he communicated this news to the East and sent secret letters to the Main Forces engaged in battle.

“There’s a possibility that the Demon King may be summoned.”

The Southern Commander’s brows furrowed as he read the secret letter.

Though the chance of it being an incomplete summoning was high, the mere fact that an entity over the Grand Master level had crossed over was a serious issue.

“Summon the Sun Blade and the Pope immediately.”

Hearing this, the High Priest looked puzzled.

Why would they be summoned when they were fighting tooth and nail against the demons on the front lines?

But upon showing him the secret letter, the High Priest’s face drained of color, and he rushed to call for them in a panic.

*

While the mere mention of the ‘Demon King’ sent the leadership of the Main Forces into chaos, the imperial capital was engulfed in panic over other matters.

“Your Majesty, this is not right.”

Within the Grand Council Meeting, all the dignitaries were bowing in opposition to Kariyel’s decisions.

But this time he showed no signs of backing down.

“No. This time, I will hear no arguments. Call my siblings back.”

With that, Kariyel spoke firmly, commanding the dignitaries.

“I must personally cross over to the East Continent.”

The expressions of the dignitaries twisted into dismay.