Although Lara sugar-coated what she wanted to say by stating that it was a prediction, what she said was a clear fact. In the future that Lara saw, Acerus was defeated. When Acerus, the last human hero, collapsed, the world fell into the hands of demons and quickly walked the path of destruction.
The aide seemed like he was not easily convinced. He looked at her with suspicion in his eyes, then looked at Acerus again.
"Your Imperial Highness?"
However, Acerus was nodding heavily as if he just heard the most serious and severe story in the world. He asked cautiously.
"Saintess, can we win with the Barbarians?"
"I can't tell. However…"
Lara properly opened her downcasted eyes and looked straight at Acerus.
"You have an opportunity to fight with the best demon slayers."
"Did you say…demon slayer? Can they be like that?"
"Yes."
Lara said confidently. This was also a fact. In the future that she went through and the future that she watched, Demian and the Barbarians were always at the front lines in the war against the demons. In Lara's opinion, the real last front line of humanity was not Acerus' Imperial army but the warriors of the lawless zone called the Barbarians.
Acerus made up his mind. Then, he nodded his head and said.
"I need to make a special troop made up of only Barbarians."
"Your Imperial Highness! That's impossible."
"Why?"
"The knights will protest. What do you mean special troop? Even if you select talented soldiers who have been training for more than 10 years, it would still feel out of place."
The aide was pessimistic. He judged that if a special troop was made with only the Barbarians, they would mix among the Tarragon's knights like water and oil. After feeling left out, there would be a problem eventually.
The aide's judgment was not wrong. The Barbarians were basically unwilling to understand politics. They did not even want to admit that half of the war was in politics. They openly refused when their superiors gave them strange orders. On the battlefield where top-down decision-making was the basics, Barbarians were a difficult existence to everyone.
They felt confident with them and they felt insecure without them. Even though they were the most reliable in the world when they fought with them, the moment the Barbarians turned their back, the knights and soldiers instinctively took a step back.
Acerus knew it too. He was not a Crown Prince who sat on a high throne and only gave orders, but a commander who directly jumped into the battlefield and fought.
"I'm not talking about creating a special troop and having the Barbarians as their superior."
"Then?"
"They would be operated separately."
"But, Your Imperial Highness."
"We will talk about this again when Demian comes back."
The aide's eyes shook anxiously. He glanced at Lara, then approached Acerus and whispered in his ear.
"He said this was the last time."
"Huh?"
"He won't take any more orders from you, this was the last time… He will never do it again."
Acerus looked at his aide in surprise. The aide continued with a perplexed look on his face.
"Even on the day he returned from Hautean, I saw him arguing with the knights at the entrance. So I went and took him in."
"These bastards…"
Acerus was furious. Then, he quickly looked at Lara and apologized.
"It's fine."
Lara was smiling subtly. She realized she had one more thing to do before the full-fledged war broke out.
She did not know that Barbarians were treated like that in the Empire. No one ever said anything about that, same with Demian. He never confided to Lara about his past, the treatment he got, or any dissatisfaction he felt.
The people of Tarragon would not change their minds all at once. Prejudice against one's identity had deep roots. But at least without improving this situation, it seemed impossible to ask them to go to the battlefield to fight.
Lara said.
"Crown Prince."
"Yes, go ahead."
"Barbarians are not born to be your slaves. They are warriors born to fight."
"Saintess."
"If you're going to treat people like slaves only because they are of different races or have different ways of thinking, you have to bear it when the demons treat humans as slaves."
Lara calmly said. But her voice sounded more firm and cold than ever.
"The demons will also think the same way. Humans die earlier than demons and are weak, so we will be treated as slaves or livestock. What's the difference from the Empire's view of the Barbarians? It seems the same to me."
Acerus raised his head, his eyes shaking violently. The aide had been opposed to her ideas, but now he looked at Lara with a blank face as if he had been hit in the back of his head.
The saintess in front of them was different from the saintesses they had read on the records.
Lara, the saintess chosen by the God of Fate. She was not affectionate, sweet, nor was she sacrificial. She was cold and sharp. She revealed their shameful faults and made them uncomfortable. She coldly pointed out the mistakes they wanted to hide.
"The human realm will face the worst crisis they have ever faced since the creation of this continent. How are you going to win the war without them?"
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
On his way back from the conversation with the saintess, Acerus bowed his head in the carriage without saying anything.
The aide looked at him anxiously. He knew that the saintess was a great being, but Acerus Elin Tarragon was the Crown Prince. He was the next Emperor to inherit the largest country on the continent. Ever since he became an adult, he had never been scolded like this, not even by his father the Emperor. The aide was worried about how he would react.
"Your Imperial Highness."
"Urgh."
Acerus shook his shoulders. Then he wrapped his face in both hands and spat out a heavy monologue.
"I was scolded."
"Yes, but…"
"I wanted to get complimented though."
"Pardon?"
"I observed the demon and talked to him all night yesterday to get compliments. That Valac or pollock or whatever his name is."
"You did."
"But I was scolded."
What's wrong with him?
The aide slowly moved back. Somehow he did not feel good. There was one thing he realized after becoming a subordinate of Acerus.
"I felt crappy when my dad scolded me…"
This guy always says crazy things at times like these.
"But she's so cool. My heart is pounding fast. I must be sick somewhere."
You're indeed sick. Sick in your soul.
The aide once again committed lèse-majesté against the Imperial family in his mind today.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
Lara did not know who gave Demian the title 'the Last Barbarian'. However, she could understand why he was the last Barbarian.
After Demian became the King of the lawless zone, the Barbarians were no longer the Imperial Army's war slaves.
King.
Demian was not made a King by lineage, he was made a King by the people.
While Lara was contemplating on how to correct the prejudices ingrained in the Imperial Army, Demian traveled out of Dandelion and was running towards the western mountain range to find his comrades.
As he took Lara across the border of the Tarragon Empire to Dandelion, he sent a message to his comrades. By now, everyone knew he was back. They might wonder why he came back so quickly. He told them that he would probably be away for about two or three years, so they might nag him for returning too quickly.
Lara said Demian became the King of the lawless zone in the future she saw. He burst into laughter.
"Crazy guys."
His comrades, the Barbarians, were people who did not understand the status system of the Empire. They said it was ridiculous to divide and segregate people into Imperial families, nobles, commoners, and slaves when they were all just weak people.
"After saying all that, you guys end up making me a King. Crazy guys."
Demian was heading toward the Gorgon Mountain Range in western Tarragon. His comrades said they would move there for demonic beast hunting. After leaving Dandelion and running towards the west, he heard a familiar sound on a deserted mountain path.
"Ooooiiii!"
Oi, oi, oi, oi.
An echo rang. The birds were surprised and flew high in the sky by the shouts that rang around the entire mountain.
Demian stopped his horse in a hurry. He comforted the horse that held its front hoofs high, unable to hide its excitement and quickly looking around. Demian could feel the presence in the mountain. Several men were running toward him at high speed.
As soon as Demian got off his horse, he pulled out his sword that he wore around his waist. Then, he lowered his posture.
"There he is!"
There were three men. As soon as they ran down the mountain, they surrounded Demian in three directions. Then, they asked seriously.
"Did you lose?"
Demian replied.
"I never lose."
"Can I check if it's true?"
"If I say no, does that mean that you'll surrender?"
"That's not right."
"Then, come at me."
The three men smiled savagely. It was a smile that resembled Demian. They smirked and burst into laughter. Then, they firmly secured their weapons. Fierce determination poured out of them.
At that time, Demian said.
"I found a girl that I love."
They all lowered their weapons.