Charles and Izelia stood in the middle of a field, surrounded by both the Coalition Army and the Demon Army, who had all come to witness the negotiations at Charles' request.
The negotiations should have begun a while ago, but a messenger from the Demon Army said that the Demon King needed a few minutes to prepare. Thirty minutes have already passed since then.
The waiting made the morale of the Coalition Army drop due to the delay in the negotiations. Some Coalition soldiers were even trembling in nervousness and fear that the Demon Army were luring them into a trap and preparing a secret weapon to wipe them out.
Contrary to their beliefs, the Demon Army stood rigid still in their formation, not twitching a single muscle.
The Demon Army was quite diverse. It ranged from common monsters like the Goblins or Orcs to Demons that came in many different forms and sizes. The army even has legendary entities like Fafnir, The Evil Dragon of Eternal Flames. Fenrir, The Devourer of Gods, or Acerak, The Defiler of Life. Oh, and not to mention the Four Generals that directly serve the mighty Demon King.
[Author's Note: Will someone tell me why every flippin' isekai novel, the Demon King, will always have four generals!?!]
Besides the Demon Army, the only individuals not intimidated by the Demon Army's non-action were Charles and Izelia, the representatives the Coalition Army agreed should handle the negotiations with the Demon King.
Right now, one of them is displeased.
"Tch, those sneaky Demon b*stards! They're making us wait on purpose, so we get stressed out and make a mistake that will only serve to benefit them! Well, too bad! I've already had experience dealing with greasy fat nobles ten times worse than these sh*ts!"
That person was Charles.
"When the Demon King comes out, I'm going to rip off those proud horns of his and shove them up his-!"
Exasperated by her Commander's rants, Izelia attempted to calm Charles down.
"Commander, please calm down, you will only be playing into the Demons' hands if you continue to shout like that."
Charles huffed in annoyance.
"As an old man, I have the right to complain about this matter. It is terrible etiquette to keep your elders waiting."
Izelia gave a small amused smile.
"So does that mean every time you are late for a conference, I'm allowed to complain as much as I want? After all, I'm older than you by over a century."
"..."
Charles was temporarily dumbfounded, and if it weren't for his enormous mustache, one could see his mouth slightly agape.
If Charles had been thirty or forty years younger, he would have been fumbling for a come-back to Izelia's not-so-amusing remark. Fortunately, age has made him a great poet and a master of words, transforming the young, hot-headed glory-seeking Charles of the past into a sweet-tongued literary giant, a renowned warrior of great fame, and a specimen desired by nearly all women. Hopefully, by Izelia as well.
"In my eyes, Lady Izelia, thou art a maiden so fair that no force mortal nor divine could blemish your beauty. A child blessed by the world and a star in everyone's lives that brightens their day and lights the sparks of hope. You, The Knight of White Flowers, will forever remain eternal in my mind until my dying breath."
It took a second for Izelia to register what he said, but when she did, it was instantaneous. Izelia let out a cute cry and her face became beet red in embarrassment.
"Where on Solaris did that come out of, Commander!?! Didn't I already promise that I'll give you a response after this all over!?!"
Charles simply chuckled at her words.
"My dear Izelia, though you have not given your answer, know that no matter what happens, I will always-"
*SLAP!*
"Please stop talking!! You're only making me even more confused!!!"
Izelia attempted to slap Charles again but after the initial wave of surprise faded, Charles kept dodging her and the pair began playing a game of tag.
Everyone just stared at the pair in disbelief as they watched the two have fun without a care in the world while they were engaged in a middle of a potential battle that will decide the fate of the planet.
After a few minutes, Izelia stopped chasing Charles, after seeing that none of her slaps managed to hit except for the first one.
All Izelia can do is throw in the towel on this round.
"Hmph! You better sleep with one eye from now on, or else-"
"You'll be in my bed? I warmly welcome that."
"SHUT UP!!!"
After a few minutes of arguing, friendly banter, lovers' quarrel or whatever you want to call it, the Demon King had still not arrived.
By this time Izelia and Charles (mostly just Charles) were annoyed by how long the Demon King was taking his time to prepare.
(Dangit! Will the Demon King start negotiating or start attacking already!!! As patient and gentlemanly as I am, I want to know if she accepts my proposal or not!!! It is every man's dream to have such a beautiful spouse! On the other hand, I also don't want to know in case she rejects it.)
(ARGH!!! WHY IS LOVE SO COMPLICATED)
[Author's Note: Course it's complicated, be grateful that you aren't one of those typical dense isekai MCs who remain a virgin for the rest of their lives despite swimming in women.]
Suddenly, as if on cue, the sound of horns and drums rang out across the battlefield.
When the instruments sounded, everyone in the Demon Army stomped their feet, clapped their hands or banged their weapons in a steady intimidating rhythm.
The Coalition Army (except for Izelia and Charles) jolted in fright from the sudden movement of the previously inactive Demon Army.
As the monsters and demons continued their beat, a section of the Demon Army parted way for five figures, just like the Red Sea did for Moses.
Four of the five were the Four Unholy Generals of The Demon King.
Somnumia Extenebri, the Queen of Nightmares and Matron of the Succubuses. A devilish woman who exuded beauty, mystery and sexiness. Those who fall to her charms will find themselves trapped in a never-ending nightmare that only death could release them from. She is commonly dressed in a dark, thin dancer-like outfit, while her appearance constantly changes depending on her whims. If there's one thing that could be used to identify her, it would be the purple magic crystal ball of unknown otherworldly powers that allows her to control dreams and reality to a certain extent. Right now, she is in the form of a sharp, crimson-eyed woman with short, dark, curly brown hair, with a slim body of average height. Although not her most attractive appearance, in her current form, she is able to use her powers to their maximum potential.
Nilvenum Erugal, Lord Pestilence and King of Flies. A gigantic, monstrous caterpillar and cobra crossbreed. He is rumoured to possess an incurable poison that can melt even a dragon's scales once it comes into contact. If one were to name the ugliest creature in existence, Nilvenum would be near the top of the list. Who wouldn't with his giant disgusting long, thick purple body that periodically emits gas and oozes out insect eggs and poison? Besides that, he had four limbs and an ugly-*ss scaly face. Two of his four limbs were muscular and looked like it could rip an adamantine golem in two, while the other two looked like large warms with oversized mouths that spit poison at their targets.
Vilitor Prodred, the Demonic Swordsman and the Fallen Saint. A once-famous Saint renowned for his bravery, loyalty and prowess on the battlefield who betrayed the Coalition Army for unknown reasons. His swordsmanship is unrivalled, and the only opponents who could beat him in swordsmanship were Charles, Izelia or the Demon King's second in command. The former Saint wears a white suit and overcoat dyed purple around the edges. After his fall, Vilitor grew waist-length long black hair tied in a ponytail and two black horns signifying his allegiance to the Demon King. He carried with him a sword of unusual thinness that was said to come from the Eastern continent Atasian continent.
Finally, Kayritus Interon, the Destroyer, leader of the Death Walkers and the Demon King's second in command, an evil spirit of destruction whose sole goal is the end of all of existence. No one knows where he comes from or why he serves the Demon King, and no one has lived long enough to know. In his humanoid form, he appears as a plain-faced, dark and crimson-haired man in dark armour with dark purple highlights carrying a simple black rapier housing a portion of the Demon King's powers.
These Four Generals walked behind their leader, the Demon King Notoros. A tall cloaked man that wore dark evil black armour and carried a large crimson sword whose blade resembled serrated teeth. To add to the creepiness, a large, blinking orange eye the size of a football could be seen in the middle of the handguard. The Demon King's face was covered by a helmet which only revealed bloodshot crimson eyes that bordered on insanity and a large pair of long curved jet-black horns that marked his status as the Demon King.
The Demon King and his entourage confidently walk toward Charles and Izelia. As they reach closer to the pair, the horns, drums and all the other noises begin to fade away.
When Demon King Notoros was within ten feet distance, he gestured for the Four Generals to stand by and walked the rest of the way by himself.
*THUD!*
*THUD!*
*THUD!*
Three steps was all it took for him to stand face to face with the two representatives sent by the Coalition Army.
Charles personally thought that he was quite tall even for an old man nearing his retirement age. However, the man that stood before him quashed all thoughts of that.
Charles and Demon King Notoros had a silent staring contest. Although it only lasted for a few seconds, to everyone else, it seemed like an eternity as they waited in nervousness to see how things will go down. The tension in the air was so thick that a sword rather than a butter knife is needed to cut it.
Finally, Demon King Notoros broke the silence, his words made everyone but Charles and Izelia stiffen in fear from the power and malice that emanated from them.
{Creations of Ishta!}
As he said that, he planted his cursed crimson greatsword in the ground and pulled out a scroll.
{Before I lay out my terms, to prove that I am not lying about coming here for negotiations, here in my hand is a Scroll of Ouranos! Anyone of you may come up and inspect its legitimacy!}
The Scroll of Ouranos, also commonly known as the Death Contract. When two parties with bad blood between them wish to have peace and not be afraid of getting backstabbed by the other party. This is the tool that is used to establish peace and some trust between them, if one party were to break the contract, they would receive a severe penalty.
Death.
One could also change the penalty to affect multiple individuals as well, so if any of them break the contract, everyone the one who broke the contract will die alongside his team members/comrades/friends/family blah blah blah.
They could also only be obtained from the Apostles of Death. Grim Reaper-like entities that serve as Ouranos proxies on Solaris and help ferry souls to the Underworld.
Charles took a step forward and inspected the scroll.
The Demon King even held it closer to Charles' face so he can look at it more carefully.
"This is indeed a Scroll of Ouranos, and a high-ranking one that could tie the lives of entire countries as collateral."
Charles went back to his spot and began the negotiations.
"Demon King Notoros, what exactly are the terms you offer."
{HAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHA!}
The Demon King gave a sinister laught that froze the soul of nearly everyone present.
{Never would I imagine that the Chosen of Ishta would be willing to negotiate with me! The Demon King Notoros! Bane of the Gods and the Scourge of Solaris.}
Charles was not amused by his comment.
"Get on with it, this isn't a tea party, we don't have all day to talk about how great you are."
{HAHAHA! Very well! Forgive me for getting off-track. This is the first time I am able to hold a constructive conversation with a Chosen! Many of the others that came before you all tried kill me in the name of your damnable Goddess and everything they said was either pure religious sh*t or telling me to die!}
"And I will be the last Chosen you will ever meet."
The whole field went silent at Charles' provocation. After everyone registered what he said, both the Coalition and Demon Army readied their weapons and prepared for battle seeing that negotiations have broken down.
To everyone's surprise. The Demon King just-
laughed.
{HAHAHAHAHA!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!}
{Oh, this is-}
{HAHAHAHAHA!}
{Too-}
{HAHAHAHAHA!}
{FUNNY!}
{HAHAHAHAHA!}
{Boy! If you weren't the Chosen, I would have attempted to recruit you into my ranks!!! Never had I had such an entertaining conversation with anyone else in existence!}
A vein popped on Charles' head.
"Who are you calling boy!?! I'm nearing the retirement age!!!"
{Compared to me who has lived for over several millennia, you are but a child.}
"Touche."
{Now enough wasting time! Let's commence the negotiations!}
(You were the one that kept everyone waiting you b*stard!!!)
And so,
Negotiations between the two warring factions began between the Goddess' Chosen and the surprisingly talkative Demon King.
[Author's Note: Will continue in Prologue Part 3, I promise I'll finally release the chapter soon.]