"Why conquer the Great Labyrinths?"
"As you all know, beyond the 100th floor—the deepest part of the western Great Labyrinth—there is a space where the labyrinth core was located. Unlike ordinary labyrinths, that space is inscribed with geometric strings completely different from magic formulas. Are you aware of this?"
About a year and a half ago, the party led by Prince Felix accomplished the great feat of conquering the western Great Labyrinth.
Afterward, the explorers' guild continued to investigate the western Great Labyrinth, which had lost its function as a labyrinth.
The results of that investigation were made public, including the fact that geometric strings were inscribed in the place where the labyrinth core had been.
I had already heard part of the truth about this world from Orun while in Daruane.
According to Orun, these are part of the sealing technique for the evil god, so Belia must have known about them.
However, externally, the explorers' guild still claims that the meaning of these strings has not been deciphered.
…It is entirely possible that no one in the guild except Belia knows the truth and that they are being mentally guided by Philly Carpenter.
"I have heard of it, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"Even while the labyrinths around the world were overflowing, our explorers' guild was working hard to decipher those strings. And at almost exactly the same time as the overflows are believed to have begun, those strings began to glow."
""—!?""
Shock ran through the participants at Solda's statement.
Given the current situation, it is only natural that people would assume some connection between the worldwide overflows and that glow.
—Even if that assumption was intentionally guided.
The Great Labyrinths are actually sanctuaries—similar to labyrinths yet fundamentally different.
"The incomprehensible strings at the deepest part of the Great Labyrinths… Does that mean the Great Labyrinths are related to the overflows occurring around the world!?"
"We have no definitive proof of that. However, if similar strings are inscribed at the deepest parts of the other Great Labyrinths, increasing the number of samples may advance our analysis. And that could become the key to answering the long-standing question of 'what exactly are the labyrinths?' If we can solve that, we may also find a way to stop these overflows."
"—Then it's decided."
At this timing, when the future course of action had been loosely tied to conquering the Great Labyrinths, Gunnar Stern of the Rudain Federation—the representative of a major power—spoke up.
"Even if there is no guarantee that conquering the Great Labyrinths will stop the overflows, if these are the only clues we have, then we should devote our full efforts to conquering them."
With the representatives of major powers agreeing, Gunnar's words carried the weight of authority.
Thus, humanity set the conquest of the Great Labyrinths as its goal in order to break the current crisis.
Conquering the Great Labyrinths is synonymous with releasing the evil god who once drove humanity to the brink of extinction.
The unsealing of the evil god is now all but certain.
That is precisely why Orun and the rest of Amuntsāsu have begun preparations to slay the evil god.
If even one of the four Great Labyrinths—technically three remaining—still stands, the seal on the evil god will be maintained.
If all the Great Labyrinths are conquered before Orun and the others finish their preparations to defeat the evil god, it will be over.
Therefore, what I must do from now on is seize the initiative in conquering the southern Great Labyrinth.
And one more thing—
"—May I make one proposal?"
Just as the summit meeting began to wind down after Gunnar's statement had set the general direction, I raised my voice.
"A proposal?"
Gunnar frowned slightly.
What I must do here is to clearly define the enemy.
Our enemy is the demons who are trying to break the seal on the evil god and destroy humanity.
According to Orun's speculation, the demons have already infiltrated "that country" deeply enough to influence national affairs.
I agree with that assessment.
I have a fairly good idea which country it is, and making that clear here is what I must do now.
"It concerns Orun Dura, the mastermind behind the current situation. He is the one who simultaneously triggered labyrinth overflows across the world and murdered the previous Grand Master, Lord Belia."
About half of the attendees widened their eyes in shock.
Those who are surprised now can likely be excluded from the list of enemies.
There is no reason to fake surprise here.
"Why do you believe this Orun Dura caused the overflows…?"
"Because I personally witnessed him killing Lord Belia, who had come to our country. At that time, he said, 'It would be inconvenient if the explorers' guild dealt with the released magic beasts too quickly.' From those words and actions, the possibility that Orun Dura is involved in the current overflows is extremely high."
While feeling apologetic for forcing the villain role onto Orun, I continued.
"Therefore, I propose that he be placed on the international wanted list. If he is the one who caused the overflows, he may know how to stop them. We should capture him and make him reveal the method to prevent the labyrinth overflows."
This was a proposal suggested by Orun himself in order to divert the church's attention away from Tsutrail.
He had already caused an incident to help Oliver and the others escape and is wanted within Tsutrail.
By expanding that to the entire world and having me propose it, we can clearly show the church that Orun and the Nohitant Kingdom have completely parted ways.
It will also reinforce the impression that I am on the church's side.
(Now, who will be the first to support this proposal?)
My proposal would further socially isolate Orun, who is a troublesome opponent for the church.
For the church, it would be a welcome development.
"I support it. If that man killed Lord Belia and caused the labyrinth overflows, then he is clearly an 'enemy of the world.' Moreover, we are currently suffering from a severe lack of information. If he possesses any knowledge we do not, then capturing him is necessary for that reason as well."
The first to jump on my proposal was—Gunnar Stern of the Rudain Federation.
"I agree as well. If he is an enemy of the world, there is no reason to oppose it."
Following Gunnar, Prince Felix of the Sauber Empire voiced his agreement.
"I-I also… think… that we should do that…"
Next, the girl wearing a white kimono with a red hakama—Nagisa Asagiri, the current head of the Kyokuto royal family—spoke with a trembling, apologetic voice.
(…Just as I expected.)
The three countries that supported my proposal were the Rudain Federation, the Sauber Empire, and the Kyokuto region.
This matched exactly the countries I had predicted were under strong influence from the church.
With the major powers of the Rudain Federation and the Sauber Empire agreeing to my proposal, countries with close ties to them followed one after another, and in the end, my proposal was approved.
"Orun Dura, the enemy of the world… Shouldn't we give him some sort of symbolic title?"
Gunnar of the Rudain Federation, clearly in a good mood after my welcome miscalculation, made an additional suggestion.
"A title… You mean something like an alias?"
"Yes, something along those lines. How about… the enemy of the world who commands the magic beasts—the Demon King?"
The proposal was accepted without much resistance.
Thus, Orun Dura was officially designated as the "Demon King," the enemy of the world.
I had successfully completed the task Orun had asked of me.
Now, the church's attention would be even more strongly focused on Orun.
At the same time, by proposing this myself, I had clearly shown that the Nohitant Kingdom was taking a hard line against Orun.
This would make it easier for me to act from within.
(Orun… Please stay safe.)
While maintaining a sorrowful expression on the surface, I prayed silently in my heart.
The real battle was only just beginning.