That's the route to the Demon King's Castle.

　I turn my attention once again to the problems under my feet.

　It had been neglected due to the inferno related mess........

　The truth about the world, the true identity of the Demon King, and where people are headed....

　This is a much more substantive issue than those grandiose propositions.

"Lasperda Fortress...

　How long has it been since I've mentioned this name?
　I remember it was a long time ago.

"...it's disappeared.

　I find it hard to believe that I'm going on like this.

　But Lasperda Fortress has disappeared.
You may say, "How is it possible for a single fortress to disappear?", but it was indeed gone.

　The reason for this is the inferno.

　The monster, which wanted the power to destroy the world in order to defeat the Demon King, wielded a part of it to achieve an unorthodox result.
　That has receded to the present day.

Although it doesn't look like much due to Inferno's rampage, the annihilation of Lasperda Fortress is an unprecedented event. If things go wrong, the aspect of the battle will change drastically.

　Rasperda Fortress was the keystone.
　It was the keystone that was the center of the battle between the brave and the Four Heavenly Kings for the past few hundred years.

''In order for the heroes to attack the demon territory, they must drop Lasperda Fortress. ''The support from the big stronghold is essential to attack deep into the enemy territory.''

　The demon tribe also knows this, so they will defend it to the death to prevent it from being taken.

　There is no base on the same scale as Rasperda Fortress on the border of the demon race territory of the human race, so their presence is becoming more and more important.

''The side that secures Lasperda Fortress will take the lead in the battle. As long as we have Lasperda Fortress, we can win. As long as we have Lasperda Fortress, we can't lose. With that mentality, the heroes and the Four Heavenly Kings have been fighting only for that fortress for the past few hundred years.''
That hurts my ears.

　Beside me, Lady Granberza said.

'Dariel is right, our active years were really a bloody battle for that fortress. How many times did the ownership of that fortress go back and forth between the two sides?
"It was always in your absence when we took Fort Rasperda.

　Mr. Alanziel says to his nemesis, Lady Granbaza.

'Well, I can't be stuck in there at all hours,' he said. I can't stay there all the time," he said. The moment you leave the front line, you'll lose your fortress.
''Then, when we let the fortress enter the Demon Clan's territory to Bridgehead Tamotsu, you will quickly take the fortress and cut off our rear. We have no choice but to make a detour and retreat.
'I've been through that a lot. Really over and over again...

　It's spoken of as something of a memoir, but it's a history of blood-soaked warfare.
　It's horrible.

But that kind of thing is no longer repeated.
Yes, now that the fortress itself is gone.

　The Rasperda Fortress, an important stronghold for both man and monster, was gone.

So this old hardened head can't imagine what's to come. Dariel, tell me. I'm not sure how the war between the heroes and the Four Heavenly Kings will change without Rasperda Fortress.
The most likely scenario is no different.

　Even many people in the world are accustomed to the conflict between the brave and the Four Heavenly Kings, with Lasperda Fortress as the reference point.

　Those who are unable to think flexibly will stick to this form.

　What such people will do when they lose the stronghold of the pattern is to prepare a new stronghold.
　And they will try to do the same thing again.

''Perhaps there will be a move to rebuild the fortress from either the human race or the demon race.

　Or both at the same time.

A new fortress will be built, and under that new fortress the fighting will begin again. And the battle looks the same as it did hundreds of years ago, and it will continue to do so again.

　It's not interesting, but it's probably the safest development.
　People are fundamentally conservative, so they don't care about random changes.

''What we need to be wary of at this time is how the human and demon race will perceive each other's movements.
If I'm wrong, we'll start building our own fortresses right under our noses and it will be a curious spectacle.

　Of course, it's not going to be fun to build a stronghold under the leadership of the enemy, so there will be interference.

　Building a fortress requires a large number of people to build it, and a large number of people will be needed to block or protect it.

　A large number of people on the site of the Rasperda Fortress, both friend and foe, are in a state of chaos....
　If I'm wrong, the worst thing that could happen is that we could start a new war on a large scale.

Now Bezalia should be at the site of Lasperda Fortress.

　Mr. Droyer reports.

''We've given him a hard role in dealing with the field, but at any rate, we can't leave that land unprotected. It seems that a significant number of adventurers from the human side have gathered there and the standoff continues.
I'll just sit in my room and drink my tea, leaving the annoying part to that sticky man. I'm just happy to have a nice cup of tea in my room.

　..........
　You guys can apologize to Bezzeria a lot later, okay?　Don't forget the candy bars.

Already a flurry of activity is forming in the air? What do we do, Dariel?

　and Lady Glamberza.
　The air is also forming when we get to the troubled point of decision-making and I'm talking to me.

''The most peaceful way to go would be to sign a ceasefire agreement until the fortress is completed.

　Anyway, the battle was cancelled for now.
　The humans and the demons, let's work together to build a new fortress.

If we could do that, we'd have no trouble...?
Is that practically possible?　The human race and the demon race are exactly the kind of people who have hated each other for thousands of years, you know?

　The human race and the demon race were informed of this new revelation by the Demon King, and they were originally of the same race.

　Even if this fact is known, it doesn't mean that the history of hatred between the human and demon races will be erased.
　Moreover, the majority of people in the world still don't know this fact.

　That makes reconciliation even more impossible.

I think you are being a little too optimistic, don't you, Dariel?　How can you serve as the head of a village with such a poor outlook?
Well, that's not much to ask. But I'm asking you to use a standing one, even my parents.
"?

　I look around at Lady Granberza and Mr. Alanziel in turn.

'Wouldn't things be better if you guys got out in the open and took the initiative to wave this idea around?

　They are, after all, two of the greatest men of all time.
　They were well-known and their influence was messy.

　The fact that these two former rivals were meeting at this time and place at this time and place was an absolute opportunity.
　It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to negotiate with people who are usually unapproachable, but also if you know that this is the place to build a bridge.


And most importantly, the successful completion of the new fortress is advantageous for both tribes. Even if there is psychological resistance, as long as there is a single point of breakthrough, they will eventually lean towards each other.
We're going to be the breakthrough...

　Granberza-sama made an itchy expression while........

"Dariel's proposal to make me work even after retiring is still as efficient and labor-less as ever, isn't it? I won't even make it easy for me, my nurturing parents.
"If this old man can run around and keep the peace, so be it.

　I'm glad you both have a positive attitude.

　But that's not really the point of this discussion.

"Radey, how are you gonna do in this situation?
''.........?''

　I turned to face Radey, who had been silent up to this point.

''As we've talked up to this point, Lasperda Fortress was the root of the battle for the brave. The once defunct fortress is on its way to being rebuilt.

　What would you do in this situation?
　I ask you repeatedly.

"You want to get to the Demon King, don't you?　Then we have to examine this situation more seriously than anyone else. Right now this situation is clearly confusing. Do you want to take advantage of that confusion and outsmart it?　Or do you want to behave and wait for the situation to clear up?

　After the new fortress that replaces Rasperda's fortress is completed, will you take control of that fortress and attack the Demon King in a fair manner?

If you're going to set a big goal, you've got to make a decision now, okay?

　So, what's the plan?
　What do you want to do?

Dariel?　Isn't that question mean-spirited?

　It was surprisingly Droyer who questioned him on behalf of his party.

'Mean-spirited?　Why?
''You said it yourself. You said it yourself: "The brave men of the human race can't attack deep into our demon territory without the support of a large base. And only Rasperda Fortress could fulfill that role!

　That's right.
　Good job remembering that, Droyer.

"So, after all, no brave girl can march in without a fortress. She has no choice but to wait for the new fortress to be completed!
No.

　It was another surprising Radie who refuted Droyer's claim.

'Thank you for interfering with my concern. But there is a mistake in your claim. There is already one more place on this ground that should be a support base in addition to the Rasperda Fortress.
What?

　Oh, really, Radey, you don't need me to tell you that.
　I guess I didn't need to know that.

It's a place called LUX village.