Parallel Memory

Chapter 742: The War That Refused to End

For several minutes after the pressure disappeared, nobody in the meeting hall spoke.

The frost remained on the edges of the stone floor, thin enough to be mistaken for decoration if one did not know what had just happened. The guards slowly returned to their positions. The mages who had instinctively prepared defensive spells lowered their hands.

Yet the tension did not disappear.

If anything, it had become heavier.

The representatives of the Church exchanged quiet glances.

They had seen fear in the eyes of several people inside the hall.

They had felt the pressure themselves.

And rather than making them reconsider the treaty, it reinforced something they had already believed.

The Devil Kingdom was still dangerous.

Lord Aamon had been defeated.

The palace had fallen.

The previous regime had collapsed.

But the strength of the devils had not disappeared with their king.

The Church representative who had demanded the harshest conditions slowly leaned back into his chair.

"Now you understand," he said quietly to the man beside him.

The other representative nodded.

"They are not as weakened as people believe."

"Exactly."

His fingers tapped against the table.

"The defeat of Aamon does not mean the destruction of the Devil Kingdom."

Across the chamber, the Authority representatives were still discussing how to reduce the demands.

But the Church had begun thinking differently.

If the devils still possessed enough strength to produce an aura capable of frightening even SS-ranked warriors, then humanity could not afford to lower its guard.

And if the Church’s support remained necessary to protect humanity from another war, then the Church’s position remained indispensable.

One of the older Church leaders leaned forward.

"We must not allow sentiment to dictate policy."

The younger members looked toward him.

"The Devil King has fallen," he continued, "but the kingdom remains. Their armies remain. Their hatred remains. Their power remains."

He paused.

"And therefore, humanity must negotiate from a position of strength."

A few members nodded.

The Authority representative across the table heard him.

"Or from a position of mutual interest."

The Church leader smiled faintly.

"That is what you call weakness."

The Authority representative’s expression hardened.

"And that is what you call faith."

The two stared at each other.

The War Council sat between them.

Again.

Always between them.

Commander Rurik rubbed his forehead.

They had spent weeks arguing over the same problem.

Every time one side moved forward, the other pulled it back.

And now, after everything that had happened, neither seemed willing to surrender even an inch.

But the Church had gained something from the incident.

Confidence.

They now believed that the treaty did not place them at a disadvantage.

They believed humanity still possessed enough strength to continue the war if necessary.

Perhaps Aamon had been defeated.

Perhaps the Devil Kingdom had lost its strongest leader.

But the Church believed that if the treaty failed, humanity could return to the battlefield.

They had soldiers.

They had powerful adventurers.

They had the Authority.

They had the War Council.

And, most importantly, they had the Church’s holy mana.

The war had not destroyed humanity.

Therefore, in their minds, the war could continue.

That belief would soon be tested.

Far away from the meeting hall...

The first border town fell before anyone in the capital understood what was happening.

*************************************************

The town of Edris had never been important.

It was a small settlement near the outer human border.

Merchants passed through it.

Farmers sold their crops there.

Adventurers occasionally stopped to rest before continuing toward more dangerous territories.

There was a small watchtower near the northern road and a modest defensive wall surrounding the settlement.

Nothing remarkable.

That morning began like any other.

A baker opened his shop before sunrise.

A group of merchants argued over the price of grain.

Children ran through the streets while their parents shouted after them.

A pair of guards stood near the eastern gate, complaining about the cold.

Nobody expected an attack.

The war was supposedly over.

The Devil King was dead.

A peace treaty was being discussed.

That was what everyone believed.

Then the northern watchtower stopped responding.

One guard noticed it first.

"Did you see that?"

His companion looked up.

"See what?"

"The signal."

There was supposed to be a light burning at the top of the tower.

It had gone dark.

The second guard frowned.

"Maybe the flame went out."

"During the middle of the morning?"

Neither man liked the answer.

One reached for the communication crystal.

"Tower, respond."

Nothing.

He tried again.

"Tower, this is Edris Gate. Respond."

Silence.

Then the crystal cracked.

A voice came through.

Barely audible.

"Something..."

The guard leaned closer.

"What?"

Static.

Then—

"Something is here."

The connection died.

The two guards stared at one another.

Before they could react, a shadow crossed the wall.

Then another.

Then dozens.

The alarm bell rang.

Once.

Twice.

Then continuously.

The streets erupted into confusion.

"To the walls!"

"Close the gates!"

"Get the children inside!"

"Where are the soldiers?"

Nobody had an answer.

The first wave of devils appeared beyond the wall.

They were not ordinary soldiers.

Their movements were too coordinated.

Their mana was too dense.

Several wore dark armor marked with the insignia of Aamon’s former forces.

High-ranking devils.

Survivors.

They had not surrendered.

They had not accepted Lilith’s peace.

And they had no intention of waiting for a treaty.

A massive devil stepped forward.

He looked toward the human town.

"Remember this day."

His voice carried across the wall.

"Your king may have fallen."

The guards raised their weapons.

"But the war did not."

The attack began.

The defensive wall shook under the first impact.

Human soldiers rushed into position.

Mages began casting defensive barriers.

Archers fired from the walls.

The devils pushed forward.

There was no single great battlefield.

No legendary hero standing at the center.

Only frightened people trying to protect their homes.

A soldier grabbed a young boy and pulled him away from the street.

"Inside!"

"But my mother—"

"She’ll find you!"

The boy was pushed toward a shelter.

The soldier turned around and ran back toward the wall.

The fighting continued.

For a while, the defenders managed to hold.

Then one of the high-ranking devils released his aura.

The soldiers froze.

Their defensive formation broke.

The devil moved through the gate.

The town’s defenses collapsed soon afterward.

The attackers did not remain long.

They destroyed the military structures.

They damaged the communication stations.

They tore down the human banners.

Then they disappeared toward the border.

By the time reinforcements arrived, Edris was already silent.

The news reached the nearest military command post.

Then another report came.

A second town had been attacked.

Then a third.

The attacks were not random.

They were happening along the border.

One town after another.

The message was becoming impossible to misunderstand.

The devils were testing the human defenses.

And whoever was commanding them understood exactly where to strike.

*********************************************

In the capital, the first report arrived during the afternoon session.

A messenger entered the meeting hall with a pale face.

"Commander Rurik."

Rurik looked up.

"What happened?"

The messenger swallowed.

"An attack."

The room became quiet.

"Where?"

"Edris."

Several people immediately began speaking.

"How many?"

"Who attacked?"

"Was it a rogue group?"

The messenger shook his head.

"We don’t know."

Rurik stood.

"Give me the report."

The messenger handed it over.

Rurik read it.

His expression changed.

"How many other towns?"

The messenger hesitated.

"Three more."

The room went silent.

The Church representative slowly stood.

"Three?"

"Yes."

"At the same time?"

The messenger nodded.

"Not exactly. The attacks occurred within a short period."

The Authority representatives exchanged looks.

Rurik read the report again.

"High-ranking devils?"

"Yes."

That single answer changed the atmosphere.

The Church representatives immediately looked at one another.

One of them whispered,

"So they have begun."

The Authority leader turned toward him.

"Don’t jump to conclusions."

"What other conclusion is there?"

"That rogue devils are attacking."

"Then why are they attacking several border towns?"

The Authority representative didn’t answer.

The War Council understood the danger immediately.

The peace treaty had not even been signed.

And already, someone was trying to destroy it.

Rurik looked toward Lilith.

She had gone completely still.

Her face had lost its color.

"No..."

The word escaped her quietly.

She knew exactly who was responsible.

The former followers of Aamon.

The people who had refused to accept her father’s dream.

The people who believed peace meant weakness.

"They weren’t supposed to..."

Lilith stopped herself.

Zero stood behind her.

His expression was unreadable.

Mia looked toward Lilith.

"You know who they are."

Lilith slowly nodded.

"They are devils who believe the war should continue."

The Church representative immediately spoke.

"Then this proves our argument."

Lilith turned toward him.

"What?"

"The Devil Kingdom cannot control its own people."

His voice became firmer.

"How can humanity trust a treaty when hostile forces are already attacking our borders?"

Lilith’s hands tightened.

"I did not order this."

"We know."

"Then don’t blame me for it."

The representative’s expression remained cold.

"We are not blaming you, Your Majesty."

He looked around the hall.

"We are recognizing reality."

Another messenger rushed into the room.

This time, he was breathing heavily.

"Commander!"

Rurik turned.

"What now?"

"A fifth border settlement has been attacked."

The hall erupted.

The Church representatives began demanding immediate military action.

The Authority called for more information.

The War Council attempted to regain control of the discussion.

Lilith sat silently.

Her mind was racing.

Everything she had worked for was beginning to collapse.

She had crossed the border.

She had entered the human capital.

She had stood before people who hated her race.

She had offered peace.

And now her own people were giving those people every reason to reject it.

She lowered her eyes.

"My father..."

She whispered.

Zero heard her.

"He wanted this."

Lilith’s voice trembled.

"He wanted humans and devils to stop fighting."

She looked toward the floor.

"And now, because of people who claim to fight for our kingdom, his dream may die before it even begins."

Zero had nothing to say but did not doubt lilith.

There was nothing simple he could say.

The situation had become more dangerous than either side realized.

The Church had been waiting for proof that peace was impossible.

The attacking devils had just handed them one.

But somewhere beneath all the shouting, one truth remained.

The attacks had not been ordered by Lilith.

And they had not been ordered by the human government.

Someone else had decided that peace was too dangerous to allow.

The meeting hall descended into chaos.

Outside the capital, military orders began moving toward the borders.

And far beyond the walls, hidden among the shadows of the frontier, the high-ranking devils who had launched the attacks watched the human forces mobilize.

One of them smiled.

"Now they will blame the Queen."

Another looked toward the distant capital.

"And when the humans reject her..."

His smile widened.

"...the war will begin again."