Parallel Memory

Chapter 740: The Price of Peace

The Devil Kingdom had barely finished celebrating when the first whispers of rebellion began.

At first, they were nothing more than rumors.

A few soldiers speaking quietly in barracks.

A merchant mentioning something he had heard from a traveler.

A former supporter of Aamon asking whether the Queen truly intended to honor the peace proposal.

But as more reports returned from the Human Domain, the truth became impossible to ignore.

Lilith had not gone to the humans to deceive them.

She had not gone to the capital to create divisions among them.

She had not been waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

She genuinely wanted peace.

For some, the realization brought relief.

For others, it brought anger.

Inside a private chamber beneath the royal palace, several former followers of Aamon gathered around a long table.

The atmosphere was tense.

"We were fools."

The words came from one of the older devils.

Nobody immediately answered him.

He stared at the reports scattered across the table.

Every report said the same thing.

Lilith had entered the Human Domain peacefully.

She had spoken of her father’s ideals.

She had asked for cooperation.

She had not ordered any attack.

She had not attempted to manipulate the human representatives.

The young queen truly intended to end the war.

The older devil slowly closed his eyes.

"We spent weeks praising her strategy."

Another devil lowered his head.

"We thought she was using the humans’ division against them."

"We thought she was allowing them to destroy themselves politically."

"And all this time..."

The first devil opened his eyes.

"...she meant every word."

Silence settled over the chamber.

One of the younger devils clenched his fists.

"Then she has forgotten what humans did to us."

A few heads turned toward him.

He stood.

"My father died during the last war."

His voice trembled.

"My brothers died beside him."

He looked around the room.

"And now our Queen is sitting in their capital asking those same humans for peace."

Nobody interrupted him.

"I cannot accept it."

Another devil slowly stood.

"Neither can I."

A third followed.

Then another.

The atmosphere changed.

Their disappointment became something darker.

One of them placed both hands on the table.

"If the Queen will not defend our people, then someone must."

The others looked at him.

"What are you suggesting?"

His expression hardened.

"We stop the meeting."

"How?"

"By force."

The room went completely silent.

He continued.

"If the humans believe our Queen is willing to surrender everything for peace, then we will remind them that not every devil has forgotten the war."

Another devil frowned.

"You would attack the human assembly?"

"Yes."

"That would destroy everything Lilith is trying to accomplish."

He smiled bitterly.

"Perhaps peace was never possible."

The decision was not unanimous.

But it did not need to be.

A small faction had already made its choice.

They would not wait for the humans to reject Lilith’s proposal.

They would make sure the meeting never reached its conclusion.

And so, while Lilith sat inside the Human Domain believing she was taking the first step toward peace, several devils quietly began preparing for an attack.

They believed they were defending their kingdom.

They did not realize they were preparing to destroy the very future Lilith had fought to build.

Inside the human assembly hall, the meeting had entered a very different phase.

The initial greetings were over.

The introductions were finished.

The representatives had stopped pretending that everyone had gathered simply to exchange polite words.

Now came the difficult part.

The terms.

Lilith sat alone on one side of the hall.

Across from her sat representatives of the Church, the Authority, the War Council, guilds, and other political groups.

Zero stood behind her.

He had barely spoken since entering the chamber.

His role was simple.

Guard Lilith.

Nothing more.

But after listening to the first few proposals, even he began to understand that his job might become considerably more difficult than expected.

A senior Church representative rose.

"Before we discuss the finer details of this agreement, there is one fundamental matter that must be addressed."

Lilith looked toward him.

"What matter?"

"The cost of peace."

The words made several people uncomfortable.

Lilith remained calm.

"We are willing to compensate humanity for the destruction caused by the war."

The Church representative shook his head.

"Compensation will not be enough."

Lilith frowned slightly.

"Then what do you propose?"

The man unfolded a document.

"We propose that ninety percent of the territory currently controlled by the Devil Kingdom be transferred to human administration."

The hall became silent.

Lilith stared at him.

For several seconds, she genuinely wondered whether she had heard him correctly.

"Ninety percent?"

"Correct."

"And what would remain for my people?"

"The central territories."

Lilith’s expression slowly hardened.

"Those lands are home to millions of devils."

"We understand."

"Then where would they go?"

"That is something your government would need to resolve."

A murmur spread throughout the chamber.

Even some of the humans looked uncomfortable.

The representative continued.

"There are additional conditions."

Lilith stared at him.

"Additional?"

"Yes."

He raised another document.

"Human citizens must be granted unrestricted entry and exit into the Devil Kingdom."

Lilith’s eyebrows rose.

"And devils?"

"Devils entering human territory would be subject to strict inspection."

Lilith’s expression changed.

"Why?"

"Security."

"Then why would humans entering our territory not require the same security?"

The representative remained composed.

"Because humanity has demonstrated its ability to maintain order."

A few people exchanged uncomfortable glances.

Lilith almost laughed.

Not because it was funny.

Because the statement was so absurd that she did not know how else to react.

The Church representative continued.

"Human merchants, scholars, and adventurers should receive priority access to resources."

Lilith’s fingers tightened around the armrest.

"Priority?"

"Yes."

"And devils?"

"Would operate under human regulations within contested territories."

The hall became increasingly tense.

Lilith slowly looked toward Mia.

Mia’s expression was equally uncomfortable.

This wasn’t the treaty they had discussed.

This wasn’t peace.

It was surrender.

The Church representative placed the document on the table.

"These are reasonable conditions considering humanity’s victory."

Lilith stared at him.

"Victory?"

The word escaped her before she could stop herself.

The representative nodded.

"Humanity defeated the Devil King."

Lilith’s eyes narrowed.

"You are asking for ninety percent of my people’s land because you believe you won?"

"Yes."

Lilith leaned back.

"Then what exactly do you think this meeting is?"

The man frowned.

"A negotiation."

"No."

Lilith’s voice was quiet.

"This is an interrogation."

The room became silent.

She looked around.

"Your conditions do not describe peace."

Nobody answered.

"They describe what you expect from a defeated enemy."

The Church representative replied calmly.

"Your Majesty, your kingdom lost its ruler."

Lilith’s expression darkened.

"My kingdom lost a ruler."

She corrected him.

"It did not lose its people."

The Authority representatives began whispering among themselves.

Commander Rurik remained silent.

Finally, one of the Authority leaders stood.

"Perhaps we should slow this down."

The Church representative looked toward him.

"Why?"

"Because these terms are excessive."

A few Church members frowned.

The Authority leader continued.

"We cannot expect the Devil Kingdom to surrender ninety percent of its territory."

"We can."

"No."

The response was immediate.

"If we demand too much, there will be no treaty."

The Church representative folded his arms.

"They should be grateful that we are even discussing peace."

The Authority leader sighed.

"That is precisely the problem."

He turned toward Lilith.

"Your Majesty, the Authority proposes a much smaller territorial transfer, perhaps limited to strategic border regions."

Lilith remained silent.

Another Authority representative spoke.

"Human entry into the Devil Kingdom should also be regulated rather than unrestricted."

"Agreed," Rurik added.

The Church immediately objected.

"No."

The hall erupted into arguments.

"Humanity sacrificed too much!"

"We cannot allow devils unrestricted movement!"

"We are discussing a peace treaty!"

"They are still devils!"

"Then why invite her here?"

"Because the war is over!"

"It is not over until we are safe!"

Lilith sat in the middle of the chaos.

She had expected hatred.

She had expected suspicion.

She had even expected demands for guarantees.

But this...

This was different.

She had come believing that peace would require courage, as spoken by her father.

Instead, she was discovering that greed could be just as dangerous as hatred.

Her eyes slowly lowered.

For the first time since arriving in the Human Domain, she wondered whether she had made a mistake.

Maybe her father had been wrong.

Maybe humans and devils really couldn’t live together.

Maybe peace was simply an idea that sounded beautiful until people began deciding what they wanted from it.

Her thoughts drifted toward her father.

He had believed in humanity.

He had believed people could eventually see beyond race.

Lilith wanted to believe that too.

But sitting inside this hall, surrounded by people fighting over land and privilege, she felt that belief slipping through her fingers.

Behind her, Zero remained silent.

But Mia noticed something.

His hand had tightened.

She glanced back.

"Zero..."

He didn’t answer.

The arguments continued.

Another Church representative stood.

"At the very least, humans must have authority over all major trade routes."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because those routes are inside our territory."

"Territory which exists because humanity allows your kingdom to remain."

Lilith’s head snapped toward him.

Her expression was no longer nervous.

It was disappointed.

Deeply disappointed.

And that disappointment was not directed only at the Church.

It was directed at herself.

She had believed she could bring these people together.

She had believed her father’s dream could become reality.

But now she was beginning to understand why peace was so difficult.

Everyone wanted peace.

But everyone wanted it on their own terms.