#1123 A Saint Amidst State Affairs 

I am Armica, a minister of the Demon Kingdom. 

After what happened today, I’m feeling incredibly reverent. 

What happened, you ask? 
You dolt, have you already forgotten?! 

The great Saint himself descended before us, that’s what!! 

Until now, we weren’t even sure he truly existed and he was basically an urban legend. But the moment we laid eyes on him, he turned out to be the most marvelous being. 

Naturally, he’s got powers beyond anything we can comprehend, yet he’s humble and never puts on airs. 
He openly advocates unity and harmony, aiming to bring the entire world together; he’s a real paragon of virtue. 

If he felt like it, he could’ve just unleashed the dragon flanking him and that Lifeless King, and our whole Demon Kingdom would’ve been wiped out in a single day. 
But he chose not to. Instead, he urged everyone to join hands across the entire world. Seriously, what a saintly individual. 

“Who’d have thought someone that astonishing was quietly dwelling in our world…?” 
“He’s terrifying in a way. If you pick a fight with him, there’s no way you’d live to see the sunrise…” 

That’s how everyone felt. 
At first, people were saying, “Who does he think he is?” and, “How rude, trying that nonsense on us demons!” But by the time the gathering wrapped up, everyone was head-over-heels for the Saint—no, for Lord Saint. 

“That final bit about snapping the arrow was stellar!” 
“That’s it! I’m gonna break ten arrows a day from now on!!!” 

I bet this arrow-snapping craze is about to take off among the Demon Kingdom’s upper echelons. 
Well, at least it’ll be good training for the body, right? 

Honestly, if Lord Saint weren’t such a stand-up guy, he could’ve conquered the entire world ages ago. 
Every living being on the planet might’ve been enslaved, forced to obey unfair demands. 

The only reason that’s not how things turned out is because Lord Saint truly has a heart of compassion. 
In fact, he’s even offered to work with us to build an entirely new world order. 

Someone who could’ve been the worst threat in all of history ended up joining our side without us breaking a sweat. 
We really do have to thank our god of the underworld, Hades, for that. 

“Phew, at least we managed to wrap everything up nicely…!” 

I think I heard Lord Lucif Focale muttering something like that to himself…but maybe not. 
Anyway, I wonder how things will progress from here on out? 

*** 

A few days later, all of us high ministers were called in again to receive the Demon King’s words. 

“You all met with Lord Saint for the first time the other day, and it went without incident.” 

…Went without incident? 

“So now, I’d like to move on to the next phase. Since you, who stand at the core of our nation, already know Lord Saint, the time has come for even more people to meet him.” 

No way… 
You mean the citizens of the Demon Kingdom? 

“Of course, our land is enormous. It’d be impossible to personally introduce him to every single person.” 

If we were really going to do that, we’d have to launch a huge parade and tour the entire country. 
Even the Demon King’s never done something so grand. 

“More importantly, we can’t impose a ton of unnecessary trouble on Lord Saint for our own convenience. That’d be plain rude. So, considering everything, the best way to let our people know about him with the least strain on Lord Saint would be to hold a ceremony right here in the capital.” 

Ooh! A grand unveiling ceremony for Lord Saint! 

Indeed, since then, we scrambled to gather every scrap of information on Lord Saint we could, only to find that his name is actually more common among the citizens than it is among us. 

It’s like an urban legend, I guess. 
Nothing about him was ever officially verified, but from all sorts of scattered accounts across the globe, people hinted at the existence of a supernatural entity known as the Saint. 

Of course, the most famous tale is that time a dragon attacked during the war. 

But there are other rumors: supposedly, he restored an Elven forest or had something to do with that big expo we held. 
With so many rumors all jumbled together, it’s impossible to tell what’s fact and what’s fiction. 

Honestly, now that I’ve met him, I’d love to ask if any of that really happened. 

 
If I, a high minister, am that curious, you can imagine how much more the everyday gossipers out there want to pelt him with questions. Three hundred times more, at least! 

To ordinary folks, Lord Saint is this mysterious figure who’s part divine wonder, part idol, part gossip topic! 

“If he’s going to take a visible role in leading a nation, then of course people’s eyes will be on him. Word has already spread that he turned up in the new frontier region, so all the curious types here in the capital must be itching to learn more.” 

If we forged ahead without making some public announcement, random speculation and confusion could run rampant, and that might cause problems down the road. 

Which means that having Lord Saint himself come out and show everyone his bona fide, righteous self is absolutely critical, even if just once... 
Yes, that! 

“Yes, indeed, my faithful vassals. I’m grateful for your quick understanding. We’ve already discussed this with Lord Saint, so please proceed smoothly with the ceremony preparations. …Lucif Focale.” 
“Your Majesty!” 
“I’m counting on you to organize it.” 
“By your leave!” 

Ah, poor Lord Lucif Focale’s workload just ballooned again. 

All right! In that case, let’s give this ceremony everything we’ve got and make sure the whole Demon Kingdom knows about Lord Saint!!! 

Let the unsuspecting masses share in our awe! 
Hahahahaha!!! 

*** 

A few weeks later… 
The day of the grand unveiling ceremony has finally arrived! 

The venue is absolutely jam-packed with folks from all over the capital. 
The crowd is buzzing, excited chatter echoing everywhere… 

Because we announced the ceremony’s purpose outright, the curious city-dwellers just had to come see it for themselves. 

That’s the power of Lord Saint! 
Just his name alone can draw tens of thousands of spectators…! 

“It shows how well known Lord Saint has become, even among everyday people.” 
“They want to know who he is, where he’s from, what he’s like, basically everything. That speaks volumes about the power of his influence.” 

I say this while chatting with a colleague who helped organize the ceremony. 
Behind us, poor Lord Lucif Focale looks dead on his feet, chugging a stamina potion in one go. 
Apparently, he won’t get a single break until this entire event, cleanup and all, is done. 
Poor guy. 

Once the massive crowd settles in, the Demon King takes the stage first. 

“My loyal and valiant demon subjects, I’m overjoyed that we can experience this day together.” 

He’s giving a short address to smoothly pave the way for Lord Saint’s introduction. 
How very thoughtful! That’s our Demon King; he really gets his people! 

“Today’s gathering, you see, is about a certain person whom you all already know quite well…” 
“Stop teasing us!” “Bring out Lord Saint already!” 

Hey, you rowdy masses! How dare you interrupt His Majesty?! 

I know you’re excited, but have some respect! 
This is basically treasonous! 
Arrest them! 

“Heh heh… Looks like everyone’s at their limit. Very well, we’ll skip the formalities and get straight to his grand entrance.” 

Oh, Demon King! 
I’m awestruck by how you remain so unruffled in the face of these unruly citizens! Your magnanimous spirit never ceases to impress 

Right on cue, I give the prearranged signal. 
Suddenly, something hurtles through the sky! 

It’s moving unbelievably fast! 
Like a comet descending in anticipation of some cosmic upheaval! 

That comet is headed right for the middle of this huge crowd! 
If it actually smashes into the ground, it’ll be catastrophic! Hundreds—maybe thousands—might lose their lives! 

Everyone panics, but fear not. 
Just before impact, the comet halts in midair. 

At the same time, it lets out a shockwave that makes the crowd recoil in surprise. 

Then, moisture and ice crystals from its high-speed flight scatter in all directions. And from within that sparkling cloud emerges…someone mounted on a majestic stallion! 

Lord Saint! 

What an entrance! Could it be any more dramatic?! 
And how in the world is that horse galloping around in midair without wings?! 

In any case, the sight is both grand and full of mystery, and the tens of thousands who flocked here just to see him are utterly floored! 

This one spectacle alone makes it clear… 
This ceremony is guaranteed to be a roaring success!!!