Chapter 50: Victory and Peace

Dinner and nightfall passed without incident.

Although the food remained unpalatable for Lamia, she still feigned enjoyment, just as she always did, even smiling as she praised the chefs’ skill.

Perhaps all leaders were like this, always presenting a facade of approachability.

But was the Demon King also like this? Did the ruler of the demonic race truly need such ‘relatable’ behavior to curry favor with other demons?

Shouldn’t she just drag out anyone she disliked and execute them? At least, that’s how it was written in other fantasy novels.

Nevertheless, they finally seemed somewhat like an ordinary couple living out their days.

After a day of awkwardness and two or three days of growing accustomed, they were now quite used to this shared life.

Lamia had also fully grasped what humans did from dawn till dusk. For a Demon King who once worked from morning until the next year’s morning, this pampered life of eating when hungry and sleeping when full felt excessively idle.

Indeed, Lamia could now be considered a lady of leisure, especially given Wade’s substantial salary.

Moreover, if she ever needed money, a word to Wade’s grandfather would ensure the bills were discreetly routed through the church for reimbursement.

Naturally, Wade had never resorted to such measures. As a good young man of the new era, he would never casually spend taxpayer money.

That evening, Lamia, as usual, made her way to Wade’s room.

It appeared the bedroom prepared for her had been a needless effort; from now on, they would primarily share this one.

Having their own residence certainly had its advantages. At the very least, amidst the flurry of wedding preparations, they didn’t have to worry about decorating a bridal chamber.

“Husband~ Time for bed~”

As she did every night, Lamia patted the space beside her, signaling for Wade to lie down.

Wade, accustomed to the routine, shed his outer garments and expertly settled beside Lamia.

On the bed, their words were indeed few.

Typically, newlyweds were anything but idle in bed… in all sorts of ways.

Yet, the Demon King was surprisingly easy to trick. Wade’s simple declaration, “We can only do *that* after the wedding,” had truly made her docile.

For the past few nights, there had been no incidents of her maliciously seizing his magic.

Still… she was a Demon King, not a succubus, right?

Even if she truly needed magic, she wouldn’t require *that* particular method, would she? Surely not…

“Wade.”

“Hmm?”

Just as Wade was lost in a jumble of subtle, chaotic thoughts, Lamia’s voice once again reached his ears.

He turned his head, looking at Lamia, who had been steadily watching him.

Moonlight streamed through the curtains, bathing her in a soft, ethereal white glow.

“You are a knight… aren’t you?”

“Ah, of course. Though I serve as a civil official, I am indeed a knight.”

‘What did Lamia mean by suddenly asking that? Was she beginning to investigate his background?’

“—Then, for a knight—or rather, for you—which is more important: victory or peace?”

“Eh?”

Discussing such a solemn question late at night, Wade was momentarily taken aback.

He blinked, feigning deep thought, but in reality, he was waiting for Lamia’s inner voice to explain why she had suddenly posed such a question.

[As expected… she’s still thinking about that knight novel.]

‘A knight novel? Ah, she must mean *The Silver Knight* from this afternoon.’

The story in the book, of course, was heavily imbued with literary flair, often brimming with idealism.

Real life, however, was far heavier; some choices could not be simultaneously possessed.

In the book, the Silver Knight achieved victory and brought peace to the people, a perfectly happy ending.

But… reality was different.

Sometimes, even the concepts of victory and peace, which ought to coexist, were separated, placed on opposite sides of a scale.

Wade waited for a few seconds, anticipating Lamia’s inclination, so he could decide his response.

However, that familiar, arrogant yet awkward inner voice did not sound as he expected.

She was truly waiting for his answer; she was serious.

Seeing this, Wade could only drop his feigned expression of contemplation and genuinely ponder the question.

Victory… and peace.

For a knight—especially for him, for the White Knight, Wade Nairt—which was more important?

The answer seemed self-evident.

The Knight Order, in fact, had slogans; their chivalric etiquette had never been abandoned.

He still remembered the lines of those oaths, able to recite them flawlessly.

Knights—fought for protection.

Whenever knights were mentioned, that phrase came to mind, and the phrase itself was embedded within the Knight’s Oath.

The indispensable keywords in the Knight’s Oath were ‘protection’ and ‘loyalty’.

These two words were, of course, interconnected: how did one show loyalty to those they served? Through unconditional protection.

And what was this ‘protection’ but a means to ultimate peace? Victory was merely a form of peace, or perhaps, simply a means to an end.

With every swing of his sword against the Demon King over the years, what had he truly pursued: victory or peace?

Was it to defeat the Demon King and achieve victory? Or to purge the demonic race and bring about peace?

Often, these two were naturally equated, but… was that truly the case?

Exterminate all demons, achieve victory, and humanity would welcome peace—

But Wade felt that while victory was achieved and humanity welcomed peace, what of those beings originally belonging to the demonic race, those lives called ‘Demon Kings’ that were meant to exist in this world?

What of the ‘demons’ living on this continent, merely different from humans? Where did they go?

They simply vanished.

Did this world truly belong only to humanity?

Wade felt a tightness in his chest.

He placed his hands on either side of his helmet and removed it.

Beads of sweat trickled down his finely sculpted jawline.

His long white hair clung to his ears, slightly disheveled.

He set the helmet on the ground and sighed softly at Lamia.

She was still waiting for him in silence.

She knew Wade was deep in thought.

She was exceptionally skilled at waiting.

“Lamia.”

Wade softly called her name.

“I don’t know.”

Many humans felt this way, or rather, they had been educated this way since childhood.

Because the world was divided into good and evil, if one believed they stood on the side of good, then anything opposing them must surely be evil.

Wade couldn’t help but recall that night a few days prior, the night he first encountered the Demon King.

Lamia, clad in black armor, had not gone on a rampage. Instead, her primary focus had been on teleporting away the injured lesser demon, even taking several blows herself to do so.

Could someone with such a profound dedication to protecting her people truly be an unforgivable demon?

A somewhat terrifying thought suddenly surfaced in Wade’s mind.

‘If I were to kill Lamia right now, wouldn’t I have eliminated the Demon King? Would that not count as ‘victory’?’

But such a victory… could not bring peace.

“Victory…”

After much deliberation, Wade spoke slowly.

His voice, in the quiet night, sounded exceptionally clear.

“I think, victory—should be more tangible. The fall of a powerful enemy can bring immediate encouragement and a sense of security.”

Lamia remained silent, listening intently, her red eyes unblinking.

She knew Wade’s words were not yet finished.

“But peace…”

Wade paused, his contemplative gaze lifting to the hazy moonlight.

“The definition of peace is far more ambiguous—much like the word ‘happiness’ itself. It’s not merely the absence of war.”

“It could be… city walls no longer needing constant repair, farmlands not being destroyed at night, children sleeping soundly until dawn… it also includes…”

As Wade spoke, he drew his gaze back, letting it finally settle on Lamia.

“It also includes allowing those who were never meant to be together to spend a lifetime by each other’s side.”

He spoke those words aloud.

Before, they would have been the words of the ‘White Knight.’ Now, they were the words of a husband.

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