The Extra Can't be A Hero

Alrock began his explanation promptly and relayed all the information he knew.

It summarised what Amon and Yue had been doing over the past eight years. Naturally, Alrock would hide Yue's prophetic dreams, Amon's absurd powers, and Yval's existence from the High Council until they are confident that none present worked for the Demon Cult.

The scale of the Demon Cult's activities made the members of the High Council furrow their brows. All of them were experienced veterans at the top of their fields. Many of them had encountered Demons, but they'd never anticipated how deeply enrooted the Demon Cult had become.

Particularly those with the highest combat powers in the round table. The President of the Demon Hunter League, the Grand Marshall of Hyades and the Archmagister of the Realm.

They were all stone-faced as they realised the implications of the Demon Cult's influence.

A Second Great Demon War was brewing.

"Your claims are bold, Solaris Lord. I expect for you to provide evidence."

"We have the evidence."

Alrock gestured to Amon, who nodded solemnly and approached the table. He took dozens of recording crystals from his bag and sequentially placed them. Replying to the beginning, he showed explicit scenes of Greater Demon corpses, monsters that hadn't been seen in Hyades for the longest time.

Next, he showed the Demon Cult's bases, including the remnants of human sacrifices. Demonic symbols and cultists from various outposts, each growing in size, signifying the Demon Cult's increasing influence.

And finally, he showed the encounter with the Apostles, including the battle between Alrock and the Prophet.

These were all concrete evidence that the Demon race had infiltrated Hyades, and were growing a threat from within.

"Oh goddess from above…"

The Prime Minister gasped for air while the Archmagister's face turned solemn. No, everyone could hardly believe their eyes. When summoned for an emergency meeting, they thought the Solaris Lord was exaggerating, and the threat was overblown. But clearly, he was underreporting the issue.

"And that's the tip of the iceberg. We have no idea how many bases the Demon Cult has, and how many organisations they have encroached. We're still unable to locate their headquarters too."

"... so, the Solaris House has been hunting this enigmatic organisation in secret? Without telling the High Council?"

A low growl was emitted from the corner of the room. A woman in her late forties folded her thick thighs over each other and leaned back on her chair. Unveiling her commanding presence, which led with fear and admiration, the formidable woman spat the tobacco gum she had been chewing onto the ashtray and gave it a sharp look with her grey, ashen eyes.

Her raven-black hair, streaked with silver at the temples, fell on her sharp, angular face even though it had been neatly tied in a ponytail. Dressed in reinforced leather armor lined with silver and etched with ancient protective runes. Scars lace her arms, and one runs from her jawline down to her collarbone—a reminder of battles that were hard-fought and enemies that were vanquished. A long black coat, embroidered with the sigil of the League, drapes over her shoulders, adding to her imposing presence.

Lady Katarina Voss. The President of the Demon Hunter League.

The only association in the Hyades Republic that specialised in hunting Demons. While her day job kept the public safe from Demons, her night job was far more sinister. She led Hyades' leading intelligence agency and the fact that the Demon Cult's existence eluded her was a source of shame.

Hence, her apparent antagonism against Alrock for withholding the information.

Naturally, it wasn't Alrock who decided to keep it from the High Council. He himself had only learnt of the Demon Cult's existence a few days ago. But, he couldn't just divulge the truth of the matter and reveal Amon and Yue's true identities, now could he?

Breaking into a wry smile, he replied to Lady Katarina: "As shown before, without any evidence, the High Council won't believe us. Before presenting it to you, we had to be certain of the Demon Cult's activities."

"If so, why now?"

"As you can see, the Demon Cult had finally revealed themselves. Even their apparent leader, the Prophet, had shown himself. With all this undeniable evidence, the Solaris House would like to implore the High Council to consider placing the Hyades Republic into a national emergency."

"!!!"

Alrock's words send shockwaves among the council members.

The last time the Hyades Republic was placed in a national emergency was over two centuries ago, when a supervolcano blew and destroyed thirty percent of livable land. Tsunamis and earthquakes decimated much of society, and it took the government decades to rebuild the world.

It was a calamity that lasted decades, yet Alrock said the Demon Cult's situation warranted the same level of care.

"We can eradicate the Demon Cult if we act immediately, to nip it in its bud. And to do that, we need the full cooperation of the government. We must investigate entire agencies to filter out the traitors, gain full access to any facility, and…"

"Solaris Lord… those responsibilities exceed anything we had ever given to any organisation. Are you seeking a coup to gain a full dictatorship?"

Almost immediately, there was pushback.

The Chairman of Hyades United Bank was the first to express his opposition. A lifelong merchant and banker, he never trusted anyone, even if it were the mighty Solaris House. No, especially if it was the Solaris House. They had inherited their extraordinary gifts and had never once fallen from the rankings, wielding power and influence that a commoner like himself could only dream of.

And when the Solaris Lord tried to declare a national emergency and personally take over the government, it set alarm bells ringing in the Chairman's mind.

"Dictatorship? Not in the slightest! The Solaris House doesn't aim to overthrow the government!"

"Yet, you are proposing a deal that would unilaterally give you absolute power to depose elected officials that worked their way up through merit. Who is to say that you're not taking advantage of this situation to take down your rivals in the government?"

"You…"

The Chairman's words cracked a vein in Alrock's forehead. This was the reason why he hated dealing with politicians. Rather than looking at the big picture, they were too stuck in their old ways of self-preservation.

He wasn't even seeking to expand the Solaris House's influence and was accused of being a dictator. Given how the Solaris House was always content with their land in Solfea, it was a laughable notion.

What Alrock didn't know, or rather, what he ignored all these years, was that with great power, comes jealousy and fear. People were already discontented that the Solaris House was held in such prestige, and they feared the day if the monolithic giants pointed their swords at the Republic.

While they weren't strong enough to topple the entire government, if the Solaris House wished to conduct a purge, they would be able to do so with great success. Hence, Alrock's suggestion sounded more like a well-hidden dagger to the members of the High Council.

"Chairman, watch your words. Your accusation of the Solaris Lord has no grounds."

Fortunately, not everyone was on the United Bank Chairman's side.

Gerrick Ironblood, the Grand Marshall of the Army, furrowed his brows in displeasure while chastising the Chairman. He and Alrock were cut from the same cloth as he spent a lifetime on the battlefield. The world of politics was cumbersome for the Grand Marshall, and he would often recluse himself from these annoyances if possible.

But, the Chairman went too far with his statements.

"I apologise, I retract my accusation. I went too far on that one."

Knowing he had pushed too far, the Chairman was the first to back down even without anyone nudging him. After all, he wasn't a master diplomat for nothing. But his stance remained firm.

"I vehemently object to the Solaris Lord's request. The national emergency must not be called. Not when we don't know the full extent of this Demon Cult threat."

"So you're saying we should let them fester and grow amongst our ranks while we sit back and do nothing?"

Alrock was headstrong too. After hearing the details from Amon and Yue, he knew this was the best time to eliminate the Demon Cult. If they waited any longer, the Demon Cult would grow into a juggernaut force rivalling the forces of the entire Hyades Republic. Eventually, humanity would fall to their encroaching claws.

"No, not everything must be resolved with force."

The Chairman continued as the Prime Minister of Hyades caught onto the man's thought.

"You want to resolve this diplomatically?"

"Yes," the Chairman replied. "As the person in charge of the Republic's finances, I would prefer not to see a war that could dry our coffers. If we can open a dialogue with the Demon Cult and their representatives, we can hear their requests and perhaps find a compromise."

"You want to negotiate with Demons?!"

At this point, Alrock reached his breaking point. If not for the fact that he was in front of his juniors, the man would have slammed his fists onto the table, shattering it into smithereens.

"From what you presented, the Demon Cult has more humans than Demons. We could guide them on a redemption path, or even exile them to a corner of the globe that is out of our reach. Either way, we have multiple options to explore rather than immediately calling a national emergency."

"They are essentially terrorists, worshiping Demons from another dimension! The only negotiation we would accept is how they want to be executed!"

"..."

Alrock and the Chairman stood on two sides of a coin.

Alrock wished to eradicate the Demon Cult, a future threat that would destroy the world. Meanwhile, the Chairman wanted to preserve the Republic and prevent economic loss.

The Grand Marshall, the Archmagister and the President of the Demon Hunter League joined Alrock's sentiments. This made sense since they were all combat-oriented individuals, and their main goal was to eradicate any potential threats to humanity, including the Demons.

On the other side of the coin are those who lived in politics: the Chairman of the Hyades United Bank, the Director of scientific research, and the Prime Minister of the Hyades Republic. Their goal is to run the country fairly, prevent dictatorships from happening and preserve the pillars of government.

Both sides were equally justified in believing in their cause, and it was no surprise that they'd been in conflict multiple times in the past. But this time, one of them had to give.

"How laughable."

The silent tension in the room was shattered by a monotone and scornful snort. The council members turned their heads rapidly and watched as the black-haired youth, whom they'd deemed an accessory of the Hero, walked out of line and addressed at the seven members of the High Council.

"If this is how humanity's highest authority runs, we're all doomed."