This happened at the same time as the guild masters conference. The demon king, Delphine McNair and the queen mother, Dahlia McNair, had arrived at the Kingdom of Themis.
Their intention was to have a good discussion with the king of Themis. Both the demon kingdom and the Kingdom of Themis were at odds for a while. But Clive interfered and stopped the war.
Since then, an unpleasant silence had remained until this day. They had fixed a date and agreed on meeting with as minimal forces present as possible.
The place chosen for this meeting was the Fort Ichor. It is a fort that has existed since before the Kingdom of Themis was founded. Only a few people were participating.
From the Kingdom of Themis, the king, his minister and General Louis. From the demon kingdom, Delphine, Dahlia and Rudolf Eustass. Only 6 of them were present in the room.
A meeting only between the top brass of both countries.
"It is a pleasure meeting you."
The king of Themis, Andrew Vader, greeted Delphine. Albeit young, she is still a queen.
"It is a pleasure, king Andrew. This is the first time we are meeting." (Delphine)
It's awkward. Because no human and demon have sat face to face for a civilized talk. The moment one spots the other, fighting ensues.
"It feels quite weird, doesn't it? Just a few months ago, both of us were trying to take over the other kingdom. But now, here we are, talking about something that isn't remotely helpful." (Delphine)
"Indeed. Now that the fighting has stopped, I asked myself this. Why was I trying to take over the demon kingdom?" (Andrew)
"Indeed. It was as if we were under some sort of manipulation. Even so, Clive has broken that manipulation. Now, we don't have to fight each other." (Delphine)
"I hope so. I don't want to continue a war that has dragged on for centuries as well. Then let's get to the chase." (Andrew)
"Yes."
Delphine gestures to Rudolf and brings out a scroll. He opened it and presented it to Andrew.
"This is our proposal to the kingdom. Clive Belmont has asked us to conduct an experiment. But that can't be done on its own. Your cooperation is necessary." (Rudolf)
"I see. But he did not mention it to me." (Andrew)
Clive forgot. That's all! But Fay appeared all of a sudden. General Louis and Dahlia were prepared to attack but upon seeing Fay, they eased up.
"Fay, why are you here?" (Andrew)
"Clive often forgets about things. But since Delphine has not forgotten, I came here to smooth things out." (Fay)
She takes a seat at the middle.
"I am here to give you some concrete ideas. Clive told you to arrange for a display where fighting prowess, magical abilities, intelligence and technology are taken into account. So I thought I would give you some ideas." (Fay)
Delphine thinks. She already knows that Fay is way stronger than them. And Fay seems to have a good idea of what Clive is thinking. That's what Delphine thinks of Fay.
"That would be most helpful. But I have a question for you first. You spent time in the other world, didn't you?" (Delphine)
"Yes. It was when I was sent to investigate Gaia. I did spend quite a few months there." (Fay)
"Then can you tell us, how advanced that civilization was? From what I understand, Clive wants to compare both of our civilizations, right?" (Delphine)
"Yes. That would be correct. He wants to know if Jupiter had attacked head on, would he have won?" (Fay)
"I am a bit intrigued as well. You never told us about your time on Gaia." (Andrew)
"Gaia or Earth, is a planet similar to ours. But it has a lot more landmass than our Jupiter. That planet was dominated by humans. Other races did not exist or went extinct.
Humans had practically no enemies. So they became their own enemies. And in the end, they destroyed themselves. Almost. Only a select few survived who were killed by Martin on Jupiter's command." (Fay)
Delphine and Andrew gulp.
"Humans of Gaia had no mana. They could not use mana to control the elements. So they found a different way. A method that is still beyond me. Clive tried explaining it to me a few times but I couldn't understand it.
Through this method, they dominated the planet. They produced electricity, fire, water, light and even controlled the weather without the help of mana or spirits." (Fay)
General Louis ponders. He was taken to Gaia by Clive and he did question Clive about that. Clive just gave him a general idea without delving deep.
"Louis? You look like you have a few ideas." (Andrew)
"Yes, your majesty. I was taken to Gaia by Clive a few days ago. He showed me around his hometown and took me to a training facility called a gymnasium.
I could not believe what I was seeing. That structure had a metal roof and light. I didn't sense any mana but it was fully illuminated. Some strange objects were rotating and it was breezy.
He showed me how they trained their bodies. It absolutely shocked me. They lifted heavy weight by one hand and trained for hours. I was honestly wondering if they were weak at all." (Louis)
"Ah…he took you there as well. My first time was similar to yours as well. But it's a fun place. Once you get the hang of it, it's a good place to be. That was a facility that the civilians used to train at.
Military facilities were separate and completely different from that. In front of their military training, our knight training looks like child's play." (Fay)
Andrew's face grew dark. If Louis couldn't even complete a civilian's training, the army soldiers were hard to beat.
"They had no mana. So they had to resort to physical weapons. Like this." (Fay)
Fay brings out a Beretta M9 handgun.
"What is that strange object, Fay?" (Andrew)
"It is a common weapon from that world. It's called a handgun. It shoots a small metal ball called a bullet at a speed which normally humans can't react to." (Fay)
"A metal ball? Isn't that a cannon? But why would it be so small?" (Louis)
Rudolf nods his head as well. Cannons are not that rare in Jupiter. Those are used for physical damage.
Fay takes aim and shoots at the wall. A loud sound was heard. Everyone was startled.
The bullet was lodged into the wall. It made a hole and smoke was coming from it.
"This is how it normally works." (Fay)
"I can see why it is harder for humans to react to. Even I would have trouble if I was caught off guard with it." (Dahlia)
Fay just wanted to demonstrate the basic weapon of that world.
"This is just a regular handgun. The powerful weapons are capable of more destruction than this." (Fay)
"Fay, which weapon destroyed their civilization?" (Andrew)
"Cutting right to the chase, aren't we? Unfortunately, I do not have that weapon with me. But I assure you, it can certainly destroy this continent all on its own." (Fay)
Everyone gulped.
"They were far more advanced and ancient than us. I have seen it. The amount of knowledge Clive has, it's mind boggling. More than ten thousand years of knowledge. Clive has it all. What if they were abandoned? They made their own ways.
But a small mistake cost them dearly. Clive does not wish to make the same mistake. Which is why, he wants to know the extent of this civilization." (Fay)
Delphine and Andrew had gotten a good idea.
"Your demonstration gave me a clear idea of what to do. Thank you, Fay." (Andrew)
"Yeah. Now I know what to do." (Delphine)
"That's good then. With this I'll be taking my leave. Prepare to your heart's content. There is no time limit. Prepare the best you can offer. And in turn, Clive will probably spread some useful knowledge in this world as well." (Fay)
Saying that Fay left. After she left, General Louis goes to check on the hole.
"What do you think, Louis?" (Andrew)
"A normal shield will most likely be pierced. Thicker shields might be able to stop it but our mobility would be grately reduced. A physical barrier might do the trick.
The hard part is the speed. I couldn't follow it at all. If someone sneaks up on me with this, I would most likely die." (Louis)
"I see. So, if we had chosen to confront them, we could have lost." (Andrew)
"We all stepped on a lion's tail. Now, we have to accept our fate."
The minister of Themis laments. Delphine and Dahlia also understood the meaning. Clive Belmont and his family are not to be messed with. They all took that to the heart and started preparing for the display.
I am having fun writing these intermissions. They are easier to write since so much has happened off screen. I will fix the time issue as well. But I am still sick. My house is all gloomy and my graduation is coming. So many things happening that I can’t figure it all.