## Chapter 1296 – Capital

“Hoo.”

That was Kadia’s reaction to the story.

“Interesting.”

She found it interesting.

—Hoo.

With her arms crossed and smoking a cigarette, she exhaled.

“Tell me again.”
“The princess wants to have a political marriage with me.”
“That’s very interesting.”

—Rustle.

Naked, Kadia crossed her legs the other way. The glimpse of her vulva was very tempting. Indeed. Kadia looks her best when sitting on that luxurious bed. Especially when she’s naked.

Anyway, Kadia continued to smoke and said,

“The princess herself brought up the topic of a political marriage?”
“King Karuga said the same thing. He’d give me the title of Grand Duke and a direct fief.”
“Haa…”

A slightly dumbfounded reaction.

“They’re very realistic, aren’t they.”

Kadia, holding the cigarette, touched her forehead and growled as she closed her eyes.

“Well, it’s a plausible story. Rather, it’s obvious. If they can tie up a strongman like Paladin with just marriage, a title, and a bit of land, wouldn’t that be a good deal for them?”
“I guess so.”

But I wouldn’t be tied down just because I received that.

My absolute power.
That’s my leverage.

“But how dare they.”
“Hmm?”
“Without even conveying their intentions to this Saintess… to try to proceed with the story on their own. My, my. It’s difficult to anger the Saintess with anything other than wicked deeds, you know.”
“What? Ah.”

I wondered what Kadia was talking about, but I understood immediately.

“They must know the relationship between this Saintess and Paladin. This Saintess has already shown such gestures. How many people do you think witnessed this Saintess being held in Paladin’s arms and entering this house?”

Right now, Kadia is furious that the princess requested a political marriage with me without saying a word to her, in a situation where it has been announced that she is my wife.

This is understandable from Kadia’s perspective, who has a strong sense of pride.

“Of course, there are many witnesses. And the princess asked what kind of relationship you and I have, Kadia.”
“She did it knowing that?”
“Well, Kadia.”

I went next to the furious Kadia and said,

“This is more of a… that kind of issue.”
“That kind of issue?”
“The royal family probably prioritized talking to me first.”

Instead of seeking Kadia’s permission first and then requesting a political marriage, the royal family naturally thought of and did it to me first.

It’s natural that they would judge it that way.

“Rather than talking to you first, they prioritized talking to me directly first. So, they called me and suddenly brought up the story.”
“…Hmm.”

At those words, Kadia stroked her lips and nodded as if she understood.

“I see. If that’s the case, it would be right to convey it to Paladin himself first, rather than telling this Saintess first. I must have been mistaken in my thinking because I was briefly angry.”
“From Kadia’s perspective, it’s understandable that you’d think that way. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Heh, is that what you’re saying.”
“Anyway, I rejected the offer.”

This is the most important thing.

“…I thought so.”

Kadia hesitated for a moment.

She smiled and replied.

“It’s not just that you thought so, it’s the truth.”
“Of course, I know.”

A firm attitude.

“I already know that Paladin isn’t a barbaric man who wants to stick his heinous stick into every woman he sees. He completely rejected this Saintess’s seductions, you know.”
“Hehehe, what’s so obvious.”
“Princess Einphel is beautiful, but Paladin isn’t the kind of man to jump at that.”

I’m a man who has nothing to regret about women. Once you have eight beautiful wives with kind hearts and big breasts, everyone will think like me.

Besides, I already think I have enough.

“That’s right. So, when I refused, they were quite surprised. I think they thought I would definitely accept it.”
“It must be because of the rumors that you’re fond of women.”

Kadia smiled and continued,

“It’s only natural that they misunderstand you as a peerless warrior who sleeps with all the beauties and has to possess them as much as he wants. Think about Paladin’s behavior.”
“I have nothing to say even if I’m misunderstood as a rogue.”
“It can’t be helped.”
“I guess so.”

Anyway.

“Next time I have to go to the royal family, I’ll tell them that Kadia complained about it.”
“No. I will say it myself.”
“Really? Then I’ll do that. But more than that.”
“Hmm?”
“How’s work going these days?”

Today, I saw the heavens through a dream, confirmed the possibility that the demons might invade, and had a conversation with Risha.

The demons’ invasion.

It’s such a classic concept, but if it becomes a reality right now, it’s more threatening than the lich who is plotting. I have no choice but to prioritize it. Because the demons who have invaded are more urgent than the guys who are plotting an invasion.

Whatever it is, it’s something that will give Kadia a headache.

“Work, as always, is going well. Recently, we’ve agreed to organize an army in the name of the Order.”
“An army.”

We’ve been talking about it for a long time.

“Is that helpful?”

As a superhuman, I can’t help but be skeptical about the idea of a conventional army.

Protecting the country with an army is just an outdated way of thinking from a previous era. About 500 years have passed since the Idol War ended. Until recently, ordinary armies and knights and mages were able to deal with enemies.

But now, in this era.

Now that the enemies have become transcendentally strong. What is needed is not an army of ordinary people, but a small number of powerful superhumans.

The ideal form would be to turn the army into civil security and have superhumans with powerful strength deal with powerful enemies.

The reason I think this way is purely because I repelled the allied forces of the dark elf lords in the desert with one blow of the Heavenly Demon Advent. Who among them would oppose me?

I didn’t find it difficult at all, and I can repeat it as many times as I want, and even if my strength is exhausted, I can recover in just a few days and return to the front lines. Everything is just weak trash. No sane person can challenge me. Only a few madmen challenge me.

Let’s assume that I focus on massacring the army for a month. No one can stop me. Only destruction is destined. That is. The same will be true of the powerful enemies that will appear from now on.

“Helpful? It sounds different when Paladin says it.”
“It’s a serious opinion. You can’t protect the country or people’s lives with armies anymore. The same goes for mages and knights. Even clumsy superhumans are no different from children in front of powerful transcendents.”

No matter how many ant armies gather, they will all die when the Sesco shoulder brothers come. Look at the huge colony built by that mighty queen ant. When the giant superhumans in blue clothes descended with smoke, everything disappeared.

“…”

At my words, Kadia looked at me with a serious face.

“…I have no choice but to admit it. It goes without saying that it has been proven that the emergency cannot be resolved only by the holy knights and church branches dispatched to each region.”

I nodded.

“Until now. Until this moment today, when humanity has rebuilt after the Idol War. The brave crusaders have fought for this land with all their lives. But the times have changed. They are no longer very powerful beings.”

With the development of firearms, feudal nobles and knights fell. They trained all their lives, wore expensive weapons, and showed near-divine equestrian combat skills on powerful warhorses, but with the development of firearms, they simply became people who were a little stronger.

This is like that.

“That’s why reform is needed. Of course, only true heroes like Paladin can deal with transcendent enemies. But while Paladin is fighting, other trashy monsters will ravage this land.”

That’s right.

“Now, the Order’s army must focus on dealing with those things. That’s why we’re implementing reforms.”

The current organization of the Brass Celestial Angel Society is not a good way to annihilate large-scale enemies.

We dispatch professional clergy trained in the center to various parts of the kingdom to investigate and destroy trends related to heretics and demons. The nobles of the territory build and operate the church branch. Of course. A large number of clergy do not enter this branch.

A few holy knights. And a few priests. These are very wide. And there are many of them, but these cannot be called professional armies.

Until now, it was possible because the enemies appeared in small numbers, and it was a fixed method.

“Are you thinking of gathering the scattered clergy in one place?”
“It would be better to do so.”
“I see.”

Compressing the thin and wide branches.

“I understand roughly. Yes. Kadia. You’re doing well.”

I have no choice but to praise Kadia, who is working hard. I put my arm around Kadia’s shoulder and reached out to gently stroke the back of her head and ears.

“Hoo… I’m just doing what’s natural, but I’m being praised.”

Kadia, who seemed to be in a good mood, closed her eyes and entrusted her head to my hand.

“I will gratefully accept it.”
“Don’t just accept it. Kadia has to praise mine.”
“I understand.”

Kadia, sitting next to me, also reached out and grabbed mine and rubbed it.

* * *

After that day, I concentrated on mental training while thinking about the demons’ invasion.

Moving my mind to the heavens and observing the intersection of that dimension. It is definitely possible. It only manifests randomly because I don’t have the knack. I repeat mental training to make it mine.

“But it’s not working out well again.”

There is no progress at all.

I’ve been doing it continuously for a long time, but I haven’t even caught a clue. I continue to achieve and progress in terms of power, but things in this area are too far behind. That makes me very angry.

“It’s okay, Kat. It’s not something that happens in a few weeks.”
“Thanks for the comfort, Hilde.”
“I just said the obvious!”

I touched Hilde, who came next to me, and gave her a simple kiss.

“Yes. It’s obvious. I will definitely succeed someday. It’s just not the time yet.”
“As expected!”

As Hilde came to see me, I thought about taking a break, and Hilde brought up that story.

“But. The demons’ invasion.”

Demon.

“Really. A lot of strange things are happening.”
“It hasn’t happened yet.”
“But if Kat witnessed it, I can only think that it’s soon. Maybe it’s coming soon?”
“Yes.”

That’s right.

“It’s coming soon.”

I witnessed and judged it myself.
That means that it will definitely happen.

Of course, now that I’ve just made a hole, I’m preparing to cross over. So, I can think that it might take several years, but anyone knows that there’s no one who will delay with a hole that’s been made in hundreds of years.

How strong will they be?

Stronger than the hero Ludencor?

“Hmm… But. According to the speculation, the demon king’s army that fled to another world during the Idol War. Is it returning after hundreds of years?”

Hilde, with her arms crossed, pressed her forehead with her finger.

“What have they been doing for hundreds of years?”
“Of course.”

I was thinking about it too.

“It’s an improvement in combat power.”

The guys who invaded for the demon world, which was depleted of resources, felt defeated while carrying out the war and fled to another world. But that is not a permanent retreat. It’s just a reorganization for victory.

They must have strengthened their power while reorganizing. To return and win.

“Yes. I think so too.”
“The demon king’s army, which has accumulated power for hundreds of years and become transcendentally strong.”

That will definitely be our opponent.

“And there’s a possibility that they’ve completely gone crazy because they’ve wandered around another world for hundreds of years.”
“It’s natural. There’s no way that beings who have had such an experience can be normal! They’re literally creepy madmen with crazy ways of thinking and inhuman obsessions.”
“Good choice of words, Hilde.”
“My eloquence is also progressing day by day under Kat’s influence. Ah, but Kat! There’s something more important than that!”

Hilde, who stood up abruptly, stood in front of me and grabbed my shoulder as if she was about to tell me something important.

“What is it?”
“Now, please take a good look at this.”

—Paat.

Hilde raised her index finger.

Then.

—Whirr!

Moment.

White flames blazed like a lighter from Hilde’s fingertips.

“This is Kat’s power!”