The Executed Sage Reincarnates as a Lich and Begins a War of Aggression

The Great Spirit and I flew over the capital.

The people on the ground wouldn’t be able to see us from this high up.

However, anyone who could percieve magic would notice the absurd amount of mana the Great Spirit possessed.

There ought to be some people who had fainted out of horror.

A strong wind blew through.

I would be feeling cold if I was alive.

Most hardships like that were greatly alleviated in this body.

I could see the moon just by looking up a bit. The half-moon quietly shone on the night sky.

I did think it was a beautiful sight, but unfortunately, I wasn’t in a situation where I could enjoy it.

The Great Spirit, who was ahead, looked down at the cityscape.

“It’s a good city. I can feel the will of its ruler.”

“I see.”

As I briefly replied, I was warily observing the Great Spirit.

At the moment, there was no sign she would do anything.

At the very least, she didn’t intend to deceive me and kill me here.

Although I knew she wouldn’t go that low, I was relieved for the time being.

The Great Spirit stopped, then turned around.

She stared into my eyes.

“Demon Lord, what is your goal?”

It was a sharp gaze.

The question of the Great Spirit contained its intention to judge me.

Therefore, I answered with a resolute attitude.

“— I’ll become the only absolute enemy, which will drive people to unite and maintain world peace through that.”

This was my purpose ever since I came to be in the Valley of the Dead.

I had always aimed to realize it from then on.

I also had no intention to change that intention in the future.

“…”

The Great Spirit heard my answer and stared at me for a while.

She eventually turned her eyes away.

Perhaps it was just my imagination, but her atmosphere became calmer.

“I see. I’ve talked to people who named themselves Demon Lord several times, but it is my first time to hear of one with such a goal.”

“Are you going to stop me?”

“No, I won’t. You might be an enemy of mankind, but you have no intention of destroying the world. I can’t interfere with it.”

The Great Spirit affirmed this as if it was the most obvious course of action.

I felt something off with the way she said it though.

She didn’t say she “won’t” interfere, but instead that she “can’t” interfere.

It didn’t seem like she said it in error.

There was a great difference between the two.

What does that mean?

As I silently wondered, the Great Spirit suddenly approached me.

She then acted as if she was putting her finger on her lips.

“Looking at your reaction… it seems that you don’t know the reason for the Great Spirit's existence.”

“The reason for the Great Spirit’s existence?”

I explored the memories I got from the Valley of the Dead.”

Most of them were vague things, maybe it had worn out as time passed.

I also didn’t know even back when I was a human.

“I’m sorry, I’m not so knowledgeable.”

“No, it can’t be helped. It must have been forgotten over time.”

The Great Spirit shook her head.

She didn’t seem to blame me for it.

She then talked authoritatively.

“First of all, this body of mine is not my true body. You should’ve already noticed this.”

“Ah. It should be an offshoot of some sort.”

“Indeed. I acted through this offshoot because, at present, I couldn’t manifest my true body.”

The Great Spirit confessed.

It was information I had never heard before, but it should be true.

There was no reason for the Great Spirit to lie here.

“The reason you can’t manifest yourself is related to the reason for the existence of the Great Spirit.”

“Yes. I’ll tell you about it now.”

The Great Spirit floated further above to where she could look down at me.

She began speaking in a dignified manner.

“The Great Spirits are defense mechanisms prepared by the law of the World. The world — in other words, this star, created such an existence to prevent its destruction.”

“The existence to prevent the world’s destruction…”

I repeat her words.

To think that the Great Spirits were created with such a purpose in mind.

It wasn’t mentioned in any literature of the past.

“There are other existences which were created for the same purpose. Other than Great Spirits, things like the Dragon God would be another example. There are also those who ended up dying throughout the long course of history. However, there are also new existences that came into being as well.”

The Great Spirit revealed new facts one after another.

All of this information was new to me.

Perhaps there were times where such knowledge was widespread, but then was lost over time.

“You might have noticed this, but we who were created as defense mechanisms of the world possess great power. However, there is also a certain restriction placed on us.”

“A certain restriction?”

“We can only manifest ourselves if there is danger that might lead to the World’s destruction, and we can only interfere once the situation reaches that point.”

The Great Spirit easily revealed her own weakness.

There were theories about this which had been proposed in the past.

That theory stated that the reason the Great Spirit rarely appeared was because they were under a restriction of some sort.

They failed to reach a conclusion due to a lack of conclusive evidence, but apparently, they had been correct.

I came to know the truth in a way I didn’t expect.

“During the age where the Great Spirits and Dragon God were active, was the situation that bad?”

“Some of the descriptions are mixed with fiction, but the interpretation itself isn’t wrong. Perhaps they also used offshoots to do their duties back then. This is because the offshoot is generally less restricted, unlike the main body.”

“Generally less restricted… so obliterating imperial capital did not fall under the restriction clause.”

I pointed out the event that happened a few days ago.

The obliteration of imperial capital was done by the Great Spirit.

While it was weird for me to criticize that, that event produced countless deaths in its wake.

On the other hand, the Great Spirit just nodded calmly.

“Indeed. While I am restricted from doing anything that may end up causing the world’s destruction, that’s not related to the obliteration of imperial capital. I can also drive humans to extinction if I feel like it.”

She nonchalantly told me something terrifying.

While she “didn’t feel like it” right at this moment, she could very well do it depending on her mood.

I was glad I contacted her early.

While we could converse like this, the Great Spirit was, as expected, a calamity in and of itself.

It wasn’t something that humans could do anything about.

…Well, I am also a kind of calamity too.

In terms of damage we caused, what I’ve done has caused greater damage compared to what the Great Spirit did.

And the damage would likely spread even more in the future.

In the eyes of humans, we wouldn’t be much different.

I changed the topic while I was entertaining these self-deprecating thoughts.

“I understand what you’re talking about. However, as a defense mechanism of the World, won’t my very existence be very disagreeable with you?

“As I said earlier, you have no intention of destroying the world. Therefore, your existence is not enough for the main body to manifest. I had a slight feeling about that when we first met, but now I’m convinced after confirming your purpose.”

The Great Spirit immediately responded.

There was no hesitation in her words.

Apparently, it wasn’t even worth considering for her.

Certainly, she only attacked once before we met.

And what she did was closer to random rage, like throwing a tantrum.

Since then, the Great Spirit never showed any hostility to me.

It seemed that she had no intention to fight.

It was a favorable result for me.

If we ended up fighting, I would have to go all out to even have a chance against her, all without considering the damage it would cause and the aftermath of the battle.

I really didn’t want to fight against her if possible.

“The defense mechanism is by no means an ally of humanity. They merely ended up getting saved as a result.”

“I see.”

I was convinced by the claim of the Great Spirit.

She prioritized the World itself, humanity just happened to be part of it.

As they accomplished their duty, perhaps humanity just ended up being saved by them.

That was just how little humans were worth to them.

From the Great Spirit’s perspective, humanity wasn't something to be protected.

Rather, they were closer to parasites.

They wouldn’t kill them without reason, but they found no worth in humanity.

In some cases, they were even willing to destroy them.

However, this made me curious.

I questioned the Great Spirit.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“I’d like to say it’s merely a whim, but it also serves as a warning. If you end up moving to destroy the World, the defense mechanisms, including myself, would be activated. Do not forget this.”

“…I understand. I’ll keep it in mind.”

I meekly nodded.

She definitely meant what she said.

While she didn’t see me as an object to be purged at the moment, this might change according to my future actions.

If that were to happen, I might end up fighting to the death against a Great Spirit.

I would be careful about this, but I didn’t need to be nervous.

I had no intention of destroying the world.

I might reign as Demon Lord, but what I wished for was the World’s peace.

It was the exact opposite.

I wouldn’t become hostile to the defense mechanisms.

As I convinced myself in my mind, the Great Spirit descended in front of me.

“That’s all I’d like to say. I’ll be waiting for you at the place we first met.”

She turned around and flew at high speed.

She went beyond the horizon and disappeared.

At that time, another hole appeared on the barrier of the capital, so I repaired it with my magic power.

I felt a little weak as I floated in the sky.

I tried to sigh, until I remembered that my body couldn’t do so.

I was wondering what might happen, but it ended without incident…

As expected, I was mentally exhausted.

I couldn’t let my guard down against her after all.

While it was clear that she was not an enemy, she was still not an ally.

I wanted to recover the mystic stone soon and break off all ties with it.

It wasn’t an existence that ought to be frequently contacted.

However, I also gained some useful information.

It was regarding the concept of the World's defense mechanisms.

I must take caution to not have any conflicts with them.

As I calmed down, I glanced at the royal castle in the distance.

The assault was scheduled for this night, so it was about time the preparation was completed.

I would also need to prepare myself for departure.