Dekan Could Never Be a War Criminal

"Stop, A Lei..."

Dekan leaned back on the sofa, covering his eyes and muttering in pain.

The most frightening thing now is not what Clay actually did or what honors he gained in the Holy Kingdom.

However, at this point, Clay had disappeared from the map.

If he could, Dekan would really like to put a few question marks on the map.

Croix couldn't even contact Clay using communication magic; Clay lost contact as soon as they entered the Shadow World.

Dekan felt a little dizzy.

He even suspected that if there was a human in the history of the Holy Kingdom Demon Realm who could make Delois dizzy, it must have been the predecessor of the Holy Kingdom of Clay.

Humans are not as simple as you think.

This was probably Delois's true feeling at the time.

"What are the specifics? Did he really kill the Holy Emperor?"

Dekan was both amused and exasperated, and asked Croix.

"Clay attempted to assassinate the Holy Emperor some time ago, and his arrest warrant was sent to all the territories. However, the communication magic in the Holy Kingdom is not very convenient, and it only recently reached the Clan Territory."

Croix walked to the desk, opened a drawer, took out a document, and brought it to Dekan.

The wanted poster prominently featured Clay's image, while the name field simply read "Ray".

Clay, dressed in a cloak and hood, resembling a wandering assassin, still exuded a sharp aura, but his eyes had lost their light.

Seeing the vacant look in Clay's eyes, Dekan felt a pang of pain in his heart.

Clay lost his prized dynamic vision in order to help him.

In the previous Shadow World Demon Realm Prison, after Clay killed the Seventh Floor Jailer, Azukasa of Silence, he was blinded by Azkaza's death curse. This curse was lifted when Clay returned to the mortal world.

However, in the present world, during the final battle between the Philoven Kingdom and the Resurrection Church, Clay, in order to help Dekan win the Bishop Vote, spared no effort to kill Azkasa's present incarnation— the Bishop of Silence —and was once again cursed with the same death.

This time, Clay, who was cursed in the mortal world, was truly and permanently deprived of his sight.

It was as if fate had struck again.

Clay reenacted the experiences of "Ray," the Holy Kingdom's ranger.

"Clay ..."

Dekan unconsciously tightened his grip on the arrest warrant in his hand.

He had originally wanted to criticize Clay again, but now he couldn't bring himself to say those words.

I can only pray that Clay doesn't encounter any danger and manages to escape the Holy Capital's pursuit.

Clay actually wants to do is no longer important.

It's good that you're back safe and sound.

Having learned about the connections between these several Shadow World, Dekan now realizes that in the last Demon Realm Prison, the identity that Clay portrayed was probably that of the human hero Ray, who was imprisoned on the Seventh Floor of the Demon Realm Prison. Later, Ray was taken to the eighth or ninth level of the prison by Delois as a temporary partner, and they eventually escaped from the Demon Realm Prison together.

Whether in a past life or this one, they had already forged a bond of shared joys and sorrows.

Croix clearly sensed Dekan's emotions and comforted him:

"Before Clay parted ways with us in the mortal world, he said that there was a way to cure his eyes, but he would need our help."

Upon hearing this, Dekan sat up straight and looked at Croix.

"Yes, I will lift Clay's curse."

Dekan said firmly.

I can't guarantee anything else, but when it comes to curses, he's a grandmaster!

For some reason, Dekan felt for the first time that his long-standing research into curse magic had finally found its true meaning.

"By the way, Croix, did you bring the [Shadow World Spectator Program]?"

Dekan knew that because Croix had more space in her inventory, some of the strange things that would normally be placed on Cat Teacher might be taken by Croix this time.

"I brought it, but it's a recorded version, not a live one. Our operation this time is quite secretive, and it's not appropriate to reveal to the Empire that you're still alive."

Croix nodded.

Dekan, as a hidden card, is far more powerful than as a revealed card.

The Empire's biggest hidden danger right now is that they have no idea that Dekan is still alive and can return to the mortal world.

"Very good. This time in the Shadow World, we might be able to track down the [Chaos God]. At this point in time... perhaps they have already begun to make their move."

Dekan then recounted to Croix the specific details of his battle with the former Pope Agamemnon, as well as the Chaos God that he and Sion were investigating.

There are probably several other Chaos God like Agamemnon, each possessing a power that is insurmountable for mortals.

A single [Chaos Unleashing] spell is enough to destroy several countries or kill several ninth-tier beings within half an hour.

In the present world, there are only a handful of ninth-tier beings, far fewer than in the Holy Kingdom and the Demon Realm.

Most importantly, the Chaos God is also inextricably linked to the ultimate Shadow World [the Heaven-Piercing World-Destroying Battlefield].

In the Master's memory, it was in this Shadow World, which filled both the Holy Kingdom and the Demon Realm with despair, that they encountered the Chaos God.

Worst of all, the existence and information about the Chaos God, and even the true history, have long been completely concealed by them.

If it weren't for the speculation of a hypothetical enemy like Sion, no one would have been aware of their existence!

If one wants to obtain information that could threaten the Chaos God, this history of the Holy Kingdom and the Demon Realm is probably the only way.

The current state of war between empires and kingdoms, with internal strife and mutual attrition, may be exactly what the Chaos God want to see.

Besides stopping the war, Dekan needs to make the world recognize the real enemy.

Once Dekan returns to the mortal realm, it will be time to announce the existence of the Chaos God to the entire world!

Of course, Dekan also had a personal motive in wanting to record the subsequent events of this Shadow World.

The background story of the Shadow World has already been revealed. This time, the Shadow World is different from the previous ones. It is no longer the story of Delois's demonic growth, but will be a legend of heroes from a Holy Kingdom.

Since Delois is wholeheartedly devoted to good, his good deeds will eventually bear fruit.

The inevitable ending in the Shadow World is that Delois becomes the true hero, ending this long war between the Holy Kingdom and the Demon Realm!

Dekan was determined to record this wonderful moment.

This is very beneficial to Dekan's personal reputation.

He didn't want to return to the real world only to be called the Painful Pope all the time.

That's all.

Dekan and Croix, having been separated for a long time, chatted.

Before we knew it, it was almost evening.

"Oh right, it's almost dinnertime. I should take Tata and the others out for dinner."

Croix suddenly remembered that they had left Talomati and Eve waiting in the drawing room.

He habitually called Dekan's sister Tata.

Fortunately, Talomati and Eve shouldn't be hungry now, as they are being served by the Lord's Mansion's servants, which has probably already caused the Lord's Mansion considerable expenses.

"Well, you can just call her Tata. The name 'Legion Commander 'Talomati' is too frightening. And in this Shadow World, you can continue to call me Dekan, just consider it an alias for Delois. After all, the name Delois can also easily scare demons."

Dekan and Croix were so engrossed in their conversation that they almost forgot the time.

Just as they were about to leave the steward's office to find Talomati and the others.

The previously dormant mission information suddenly popped up.

[Mission objective 1 has been achieved; mission objective 2 is now available.]

Both of them became aware of this change at the same time.

"It seems that, apart from you who was already in Clan Territory from the beginning, the three of us arrived at roughly the same time."

Dekan sighed and smiled.

Since Morion is negotiating with Lunn, he must have already arrived in Clan Territory, just like Dekan.

The one who just successfully arrived in Clan Territory must be Clay.

He successfully evaded the manhunt and blockade, and infiltrated the Clan Territory.

"My task was the easiest this time."

Croix said with a smile.

He gained Lunn's trust directly without even having any personal missions like Dekan's.

For Croix, all she had to do was get her job done each day.

Soon, both Dekan and Croix will be able to see the second phase of the mission objectives.

[Mission Objective 2: Without crossing Lunn's bottom line and while Lunn's average trust level towards the four challengers remains above 60, ensure that the population mortality rate in the Clan Territory located on the northern border remains below 10% for the next three months.]

[Current mortality rate: 0.000%]

[In the special relationship calculation program, refer to the following: Trust level 0 is mortal enemy, 20 is extreme suspicion, 40 is suspicion, 60 is trust, and 80 is extreme trust.]

[Lunn's current level of trust in each challenger is --]

[Dekan:69]

[Croix: 100]

[Morion:58]

[Clay: 50]

[After completing Task Objective 2, Task Objective 3 will be determined based on the completion status.]

[If objective 2 fails, the storyline of the Holy Kingdom and the Demon Realm will take a different direction from history, and the Shadow World related to the Holy Kingdom and the Demon Realm will no longer be available.]

"So Lunn trusts Delois that much already...?"

Dekan stroked his chin and muttered to himself.

He originally thought that Lunn was more suspicious of Delois, after all, cooperating with Delois could be a double-edged sword – success meant keeping a tiger by your side, failure meant raising a tiger to cause trouble.

Moreover, this was the first time Dekan had ever seen a mission in the Shadow World.

Almost everything revolves around the character of Lunn.

As expected, Lunn holds a crucial historical position in the storylines of the Holy Kingdom and the Demon Realm.

The punishment for this mission seems light, even lighter than any previous failure in a lower-level Shadow World.

But for Dekan and his team, failure is absolutely not an option.

Otherwise, there might be another final chapter of the Holy Kingdom Demon Realm Shadow World, which would then completely disappear.

The core objective of mission objective 2 is actually quite simple and clear: protect civilians.

The slightly more complicated part is ensuring Lunn's level of trust in their group.

Fortunately, Croix's absurd level of trust provided them with the space to boldly test Lunn.

Otherwise, if you just try it out casually, your credibility could plummet, which would be utterly disastrous.

"By the way, Croix, so you mean that when Lunn wasn't around, you were practically all-powerful?"

Dekan suddenly seemed to have thought of something and asked.

He discovered that Croix's authority seemed to be greater than he had imagined.

"Yes, before leaving the Clantes City, he entrusted almost everything to me."

"Croix replied."

Dekan nodded and began to analyze the current situation.

This task will be sent directly once the winter finals between the Holy Kingdom and the Demon Realm begin.

With Irenos of Ruin the Demon Realm's First Army, present, if a real battle breaks out, the death rate in the Clan Territory cannot be less than 10%.

Don't ask Dekan how he knows.

He had no desire to face the Bishop of Ruin Evans, who was said to possess the power to "destroy nations," in the war.

According to the intelligence that Dekan investigated in the Demon Realm, this Irenos of Ruin is actually the ninth-tier Evans, possessing monstrous magic tank attributes and a powerful army of summoned creatures.

Evans is the most outrageous enemy Dekan has ever seen besides the Chaos God. Not only is his mental attribute growth rate SS, but his Magic Power and physical strength are also S.

If Evans hadn't underestimated his opponent, allowing Dekan to seize the advantages of timing, location, and support, Dekan wouldn't have been able to kill Evans despite being five ranks above him.

However, on the other hand, any other bishop would probably have underestimated him, since apart from Dekan, no one could have imagined that Dekan could kill Evans so easily.

Another problem that could easily lead to a significantly higher mortality rate is the availability of supplies and the weather during winter.

Years of fierce fighting in the north have kept the supply reserves of the Clan Territory below the red line.

If it weren't for the continuous support from Italian merchants from central and southern Taiwan to the Northern Front, the situation would probably have collapsed long ago.

Even if the supply problem is solved, the harsh winter on the northern border of the Holy Kingdom will still freeze many civilians to death.

We need to find a way to solve the heating and energy problems.

Therefore, the primary task is to deal with the Demon Realm's First Army, which is threatening the Clan Territory.

Next, we must address the issues of supplies and energy, ensuring that our people do not starve or freeze to death.

Furthermore, we cannot use any underhanded, war criminal-style tactics.

Otherwise, Lunn's trust level will plummet, possibly even to the point of being irrecoverable.

Um...

It seems like as long as Lunn doesn't find out, there won't be any problems...

So it can definitely be played like a Paradox Interactive game...

No, no!

Dekan shook his head violently.

This isn't the Demon Realm! It can't be "all extraordinary" anymore!

However, there's probably no need to do anything particularly outrageous; he really doesn't want to cause any more trouble this time.

He wants to portray himself as a respectable person, without a doubt.

The overall difficulty of the task appears to be not high at present.

For Dekan, Croix, and Morion.

As long as Dekan manages to deal with the Demon Realm's First Army and Morion finds a way to solve the supply problem, Croix can use her authority to assist Dekan and Morion in operating behind the scenes.

Mission objective 2 should be largely completed smoothly.

Based on Dekan's experience, mission objective 3 is usually not too difficult. After mission objective 2 is accomplished, the finishing touches in the Shadow World can often be completed smoothly.

The only thing that made Dekan uneasy was...

There's this guy in the team whose role is unclear.

What exactly is Clay here for?

It feels like assembling a machine and then finding there are extra parts...

That's so weird...