The Devil Does Not Need to Be Defeated

With the arrival of the imperial delegation and the beastmen Priest Corps in the Royal Capital, more and more human factions also entered the city, making it increasingly lively.

It could be said that all the forces in the human world capable of influencing the global pattern had gathered in the Royal Capital.

The Divine and Demon Races would arrive on the day of the Tripartite Conference.

Therefore, with all the human factions assembled, the Royal Capital was ready to welcome the arrival of the Tripartite Conference.

Under such circumstances, not only the high-ranking officials and leaders of various human nations arrived one after another, but also the forces of other races.

From the beastmen, in addition to the Priest Corps and the Tiger-people tribe led by Nobu, other prominent tribes had also arrived in the Royal Capital.

The Dwarf King was said to have led a cavalry force into the Royal Capital yesterday.

The elves arrived today, descending upon the east gate accompanied by emerald green natural light.

The Elven Queen entered the Royal Capital with the entire Elven Corps, and Lia personally went to welcome them.

The Royal Capital became unprecedentedly lively today.

After all, compared to the dwarves and beastmen, the elves were undoubtedly much more popular.

Their population was the smallest among the human races, and each of them was a natural-born mage, famously beautiful, each more stunning and lovely than the last. The Elven Queen was even hailed as the most beautiful human woman in thousands of years, her beauty comparable to a goddess, rivaling Roselucia Mitra, the Kingdom Treasure known as the most beautiful woman in the human world.

As a result, not only the citizens of the kingdom but also people from other factions couldn’t help but come out to watch.

It was said that the main street from the east gate to the palace’s lake island remained crowded all day, forcing the Royal Knights to maintain order and allow the elves to pass.

And when the Elven Queen and the entire Elven Corps appeared on the street, heading towards the palace, the citizens of the Royal Capital cheered excitedly along the way.

Although the scene wasn’t as astonishing as when Shafney arrived, it was still a rare sight.

After all, nearly a hundred breathtakingly beautiful elven maidens parading in unison was no different from nearly a hundred top-tier celebrities walking down the street together.

When the Elven Queen arrived at the palace, even Ancil personally came out to greet her.

This wasn’t Ancil showing favoritism.

One must know that the Elven Queen had lived for thousands of years, and she, along with her two close aides, Leia and Nia, had personally participated in the final battle a thousand years ago.

They were the only three long-lived Elven Grand Mages left in the world, companions of the former Hero Mitra, and also three of the legendary Thirteen Heroes.

Moreover, Hero Mitra had once pursued the Elven Queen, a fact known throughout the land.

For Ancil and the others, the Elven Queen’s arrival was equivalent to a visit from an ancestor’s friend, a companion of the founding king of the Mitra Kingdom, and also a visit from a hero etched in human history.

Sometimes, seniority was the best qualification.

Therefore, even Ancil had to personally come out to greet her.

Shien had heard about all of this.

However, he didn’t go to the palace to meet Elven Queen Sophie in person.

Such formal occasions weren’t suitable for him, and he naturally wouldn’t want to join the commotion.

But, starting today, the Buztout House began receiving guests.

Yes.

The Buztout House, which had previously shut its doors to almost all the leaders and powerful figures of the human race, finally began receiving guests today.

Three parties were received.

One was the Ragna Imperial family.

One was the members of the beastmen Priest Corps.

The last one was the entire Elven race.

When these three factions sent invitations to the Buztout House, expressing their desire to visit, the Buztout House, under Shien’s instruction, readily opened its doors.

Thus, after many days, several factions finally approached the Buztout House again, and they weren’t stopped by Yulin, who was lying in the plaza, successfully entering the Buztout residence.

This situation made people exchange glances and sigh with emotion.

No one expected that in the end, it would be these three factions that were accepted by the Buztout House.

But upon careful consideration, this didn’t seem so surprising.

The beastmen Priest Corps had interacted with Shien during the Cosmos incident, which wasn’t a secret, and many people knew about it. Now it seemed their relationship was quite good, so their successful visit to the Buztout House wasn’t strange.

The imperial delegation went without saying. The coup had just happened recently, and Shien’s presence was involved in it, where he also revealed his identity as the Hero. Therefore, it wasn’t surprising that the newly enthroned emperor would have a connection with Shien, or rather, would seek to establish a connection with him.

As for the elves, during the Peace Festival, quite a few humans were invited to the Elven Homeland.

Although those people didn’t know what kind of events Shien had participated in or what had happened in the Elven Homeland, as the only foreign man accepted into the Elven Homeland in the thousand years since Hero Mitra, Shien’s presence at the Peace Festival was no longer a secret.

Since that was the case, it seemed understandable that he would have a close relationship with the elves.

Thus, the three factions successfully visited the Buztout House.

Harvis personally came with Capeline, Tilly, and Rockto.

Elise also came with Oz and Maeve.

From the elves, it was naturally Elven Queen Sophie, along with Nia, Leia, and even Carol and Jenom.

Thanks to this, the three factions gathered in the reception hall of the Buztout House’s main residence, eventually even alerting Riley and Vivian, who also came over.

Naturally, as the head of the household, Shien had to appear.

Not to mention, these people had originally come for him.

Therefore, Shien sat in the main seat, glancing at everyone present.

“It’s been a while, everyone.”

Shien said with a smile.

“Has it been a while?” Harvis shrugged, smiling. “For me, it’s only been a little over a month since you left the Imperial Capital.”

Behind Harvis, Rockto stood with his arms crossed, flanked by Tilly and Capeline, sitting upright.

“It’s been about two months since you left the Elven Homeland, hasn’t it?”

Sophie sat there holding her scepter, smiling reservedly at Shien, her posture and speech both extremely elegant.

Behind her, Leia and Nia attended as always, Carol stood silently, and only Jenom stared at Shien, occasionally muttering something softly, no one knew what.

Finally, there was Elise.

“It’s definitely been a long time since we last saw each other, hasn’t it?” Elise said with dissatisfaction. “At least half a year?”

Behind Elise, Oz and Maeve were also standing, but one looked at Shien with hostility, while the other’s gaze was filled with goodwill, their attitudes completely opposite.

“Half a year?” Shien blinked. “It shouldn’t be that long, right?”

Indeed, if one carefully calculated, it hadn’t been half a year since the Cosmos incident.

But in this less than half a year, Shien had completely changed.

Everyone looked at Shien, who sat before them not like a host receiving distinguished guests, but like a friend among friends, his posture casual and relaxed, their hearts slightly apprehensive.

At first glance, Shien seemed to be the same as before, unchanged, but upon closer inspection, one would find that his presence had become more restrained, a faint sense of pressure emanating from him. Magic power, like a giant beast, lurked within him, initially imperceptible, but increasingly alarming, making one feel oppressed, as if facing not a human, but a deity.

At least, this was how Sophie and Elise felt.

One, an elven royal, favored by the Goddess of Nature, the other, a beastmen saintess, favored by the Goddess of Life, both had met their respective goddesses.

And yet, to these two, the feeling Shien gave them was faintly similar to the feeling they got from those two goddesses.

Perhaps Shien wasn’t as divine as Anima and Nadue, but he possessed the same transcendent quality.

What did this indicate?

It indicated that his life level might have truly reached its limit and touched upon the realm of transcendence.

Both of them felt some emotion about this, but they weren’t surprised.

Because Shien had already displayed his divine power before them.

Elise had witnessed Shien going all out in Cosmos, directly confronting the Evil God Lilith.

Sophie had witnessed Shien activating [Samsara of Heaven’s Decree], entering a half-step Transcendent state, and slaying the demonic spirit Machi.

Even Harvis and the others had seen Shien withstand the attack of Mara, who had reached the Transcendent realm, and defeat her.

Therefore, in their view, it wasn’t surprising at all that Shien possessed his current level.

“It hasn’t been a year since Sir Shien came to this world, has it?” Sophie sighed. “To be able to touch upon the Transcendent realm in less than a year, this aptitude, this potential, even Hero Mitra couldn’t compare.”

“Indeed, even our imperial ancestor, Hero Ragna, couldn’t compare.” Harvis deeply agreed. “No wonder even the Demon Lords acknowledge you and have betrothed you to the Dragon Demon.”

These words instantly darkened the expressions of several people.

“Dragon Demon…”

Capeline frowned, feeling slightly troubled.

“Womanizer!”

Elise snorted coldly, her gaze towards Shien full of indignation.

“I must tell Melika!”

Jenom was also indignant for her childhood friend.

As for the others, although their expressions were a bit strange, their eyes were full of amazement.

After all, being able to marry a Demon Lord was an honor worthy of admiration.

Even Riley and Vivian looked at Shien with a mixture of amusement and something else, making him feel uncomfortable.

“Well, it’s nothing special.” Shien coughed, quickly changing the subject. “You all came here, it can’t be just to praise me, right?”

Hearing this, everyone exchanged glances.

“Well, I do have something to discuss with you.”

Harvis said with a chuckle.

“I… I’m here to settle the score with you! Who told you to always bully me before?”

Elise seemed a bit embarrassed to admit that she was curious about Shien’s home and couldn’t help but come and see.

“I’m just here to visit a friend recognized by our Elven Race.” Sophie nodded. “And also, to give Sir Shien a warning.”

Sophie’s words drew everyone’s attention.

“A warning?” Shien asked curiously. “Your Majesty, please speak freely.”

“This…” Sophie glanced at everyone present, thought for a moment, and finally decided to speak. “I want to advise you to be wary of the Old Demon Faction.”

These words made everyone present frown.

“The Old Demon Faction?”

Harvis, Capeline, Riley, Vivian, and the others all furrowed their brows.

“The Old Demon Faction!”

Elise, Oz, and Maeve’s expressions changed, their eyes turning slightly cold.

The “Old Demon Faction”—these four words evoked undeniable disgust.

Naturally, Shien was no exception. His eyes narrowed slightly, his smile remaining, but it no longer held much warmth.

Seeing this, Sophie carefully chose her words, then spoke solemnly.

“Although there’s no concrete evidence, I personally believe that during the Tripartite Conference, the Old Demon Faction might make a move.”

This was the reason why Sophie chose to warn Shien.

“What?” Elise quickly asked. “Could it be that the Old Demon Faction plans to attack the venue of the Tripartite Conference?”

Elise’s statement wasn’t met with denial but with a positive response.

“It’s not impossible.” Harvis tapped the armrest of his chair, looking thoughtful. “With the leaders, high-ranking officials, and powerful figures of the three races all gathered together, such an opportunity is indeed rare.”

“That’s right.” Maeve also agreed. “The Old Demon Faction has always been against the current peace. Now that the three races have chosen to sit down and negotiate to maintain peace and address the matter of the Hero, with the Old Demon Faction’s crazy ideals, it’s absolutely impossible for them not to seize this opportunity to attack the venue, disrupt the smooth progress of the talks, and worsen the relationship between the three races.”

“That’s also what I think.” Sophie nodded. “For the past thousand years, I’ve been observing this world. I basically understand the Old Demon Faction’s methods. Therefore, I believe it’s highly likely that they will appear at this Tripartite Conference.”

Although there was no evidence, her words carried weight.

However…

“Are those people really that foolish?” Capeline frowned. “Can they really afford to attack the Tripartite Conference?”

That was the question.