Gun of Ashes

Arthur had considered what might happen if he brought Lorenzo to see Queen Victoria, but in all his imaginings, he never expected Lorenzo to directly express his anger like this.

The power of the Demon Hunter was now revealed, brutal and terrifying, as if a creature inside Lorenzo was quietly roaring, gradually bursting through his mortal shell, from those shattered cracks, one could clearly glimpse the surging darkness.

Arthur’s first reaction was to stop Lorenzo, although the disparity in strength between the two was vast, that wasn’t the reason for Arthur’s fear, just as he was about to call the Royal Guard, the queen raised her hand, signaling Arthur to halt.

It was useless; at this moment, neither the Royal Guard nor Arthur would be of any use in such a situation, even the Armor of Original Sin within the palace could not change the situation in the slightest.

Lorenzo had enough trust in his own power, after retrieving Authority: Gabriel, he had realized his uniqueness, in these events, he increasingly resembled his mortal enemy.

The entity called Lawrence.

Correspondingly, he also possessed the strength to support his arrogance.

”Don’t worry, Arthur, I’m not dead yet, am I?”

The queen’s voice was devoid of any fear, she still wore that calm smile, as if this was her only expression.

”Even if it means death, let me first answer Mr. Holmes’s question.”

Lorenzo stared at her blankly, waiting for the answer that would satisfy him.

”Frankly, talking about ideals and morality, you wouldn’t believe any of it, after all, you’ve witnessed too much human baseness, so why not discuss something more tangible.”

Blood flowed from the sharp Iron Armor, under the influence of the King’s Curse, her body was far more fragile than Lorenzo imagined, in an instant, the blood stained the hem of her dress red.

Arthur, standing aside, said nothing, he respected the queen’s decision, but he also harbored anger, staring intensely at Lorenzo.

”Mr. Holmes, do you know, war is coming.”

The queen said this.

Looking at Lorenzo, the queen continued to smile.

”In the end, what’s more terrifying than Demons is humanity itself, you are too immersed in the battle against Demons, overlooking humankind’s own nature.”

”What war?”

”The Second Radiant War.”

As Queen Victoria, the supreme ruler of Ingwig, she was the most aware of the world’s situation, she could also foresee the upcoming threats.

”Demons exist across the world, whether in Ingwig or Gaulunaro, their shadows are present, and our recent intelligence indicates that Gaulunaro has established an institution to combat Demons, and they’ve secretly allied with Leiber, cooperating on setting up industrial zones.”

”So then?”

Facing Lorenzo’s question, the queen couldn’t help but laugh, she showed no fear of death, as if certain that Lorenzo wouldn’t kill her.

”Mr. Holmes, you are an excellent warrior, an expert among assassins, but you’re not a clever politician, just as you said, under the temptation of Demons, even Ingwig might fall into becoming an evil dragon, so what about other groups and countries with demon powers?”

The soaring flames suddenly paused, like some kind of transparent crystal, solidifying in the air.

This world is not just limited to Old Dunling beneath our feet; it’s vast, so vast that even with such industrial advancements, on yellowing maps, many regions remain blank spaces, those are unknown territories, and humans are surrounded by these countless unknowns, barely surviving within them.

”As we speak, countless people may be killed by Demons, as countless others pick up the power of Demons.”

The voices poured into Lorenzo’s ears like an enchantment.

”This world doesn’t only have us, nor just one Purification Mechanism or Demon Hunting Order; in that unmanned darkness, many conspiracies and schemes are brewing.

Just like our mortal enemy, Gaulunaro, we are now merely sustaining a pitiable peace, if they wish to continue expanding, there will surely be a Second Radiant War, and now we are already in the preparation phase.”

The queen reached out, grasping the sturdy Iron Armor, gradually moving away the sharp edges from her neck, Lorenzo remained unreactive, only staring directly into her eyes, seeking any possible lies.

”We can guarantee not to militarize the power of Demons, but who can assure that Gaulunaro has the same thoughts as us? Moreover, if war breaks out again and they, with militarized demon power, defeat Ingwig, who then will be able to stop them?

Pursuing power isn’t terrifying, what’s terrifying is the abuse of power, Mr. Holmes.”

The flames began to roll, like a swirling vortex, the light once became extremely intense, as if about to turn the entire area into a burning Hell.

But it suddenly extinguished, Lorenzo’s gaze returned to calm, and the dense Iron Armor fell piece by piece, scattering into dust on the ground.

The queen picked up her portable blood stopper, simply wrapping it around her neck, as she continued speaking.

”I know you might still not believe it, after all, none of this has happened, it only exists within my narrative, but what can be known is that Gaulunaro and Leiber are cooperating more tightly than ever, not only them, all surrounding countries, trade has become more intense these past years, they seem to maintain a unanimous tacit understanding.