The shock emanating off the eyeball in Gaius’ pocket was more than enough to tell him the answer. Oculus knew that too, so it refrained from speaking or making any comments, leaving Gaius alone to ponder this revelation alone.

A Boundless One…it was the state of perfection the great gods yearned for. They, as Bounded Presences formed from the remains of the Eternal Presence and the Epochal Boundary, could only think and act in accordance with their falsified nature. They were never free the way Soldiers and Squires were.

There was some irony in how they were more shackled than the weakest of the Five Lands, but the latter, in turn, were shackled by the rules and whims of the strong.

He’s close, but not quite there yet. Do not worry.

“So,” said Gaius, tossing aside those thoughts, “what do you want to speak to me about?”

He glanced at the huge army of semi-divinities that were following behind Asteria. “And is it really a request when you bring an entire army to talk to me?”

The Demon Sovereign glanced at the Demigods behind him. “Get back.”

“Lord—”

“You guys are useless against him anyway,” the Demon Sovereign continued. “I would rather not have you guys disabled or injured once more. Save that for more productive efforts instead.”

A ripple ran through the assembled semi-divinities, and they began to retreat. Gaius could sense some reluctance radiating off them, but from this, he could at least tell that the Demon Sovereign was sane…and sincere in wanting to talk.

“Done,” Asteria replied. “Shall we begin?”

“Ask away.” Gaius dispersed the build-up of power around his Zeroth Armaments. “But I might not answer.”

If he wanted to understand the man behind the Wildlands, Gaius had to interact with the Demon Sovereign. Fortunately, Gaius himself had no clue about what the War Council was thinking, nor did he have any objective save for ensuring the unity of the Five Lands. The Demon Sovereign was probably someone with near omniscience and unparalleled reasoning capabilities, but all that was useless against someone who was not involved in the overall direction of the war.

After all, Gaius had chosen this path of his own volition. He had people and things to protect.

That was just it.

“Good enough.” The Demon Sovereign withdrew his presence, and for a moment, he looked like a normal person. A man in his late twenties, who looked like a salary man, instead of the person behind an entire side of this war. “I shall begin, then. As you are probably already aware, I have been observing you throughout the entire war. You want to prolong the war, but you do not want people to die. Do you not know how contradictory all these actions are? Do you not know that war is fundamentally about killing people?”

“I believe you’re the last person who is qualified to tell me how a war is run,” Gaius replied. “Last I checked, you’re the bunch that’s refusing to kill anyone.”

“Are you encouraging me to kill off everyone from the Five Lands?” Asteria asked, his eyes piercingly bright. “You really do not make sense at all. How odd.”

That probe was a bit too subtle for Gaius’ taste, so he decided not to respond. Instead, he asked, “What are you trying to tell us, then? That you don’t want to fight? That the Five Lands are unable to win, and it is by your mercy that there haven’t been many casualties yet?”

“Maybe,” Asteria replied. “But I seek peace. The Demon God may have been mad, but I’m not. There’s no reason to fight. To that end, I’ve chosen to spare as many people as possible, starving them out and trying to force them into a retreat. Is this not a noble goal?”

“Peace…for the Wildlands, I guess.” Gaius shook his head. It was a goal of a hero. Which, considering the base material which the Demon Sovereign was made from, was actually entirely appropriate. After all, they were called the Constellation Heroes. The fact that the Demon Sovereign, who occupied the body of Constellation Gemini, had such a thought was both fitting yet amusing.

“Yes.” The Demon Sovereign let out a small sigh. “Why do you insist on interfering with my plan? You prolong this needless, senseless conflict, but prevent the loss of life where possible. I’ve seen you hurtle through the skies, grievously wounded people in tow…why?”

“You’re not alone in seeking peace,” Gaius replied.

“Preposterous. Your actions are not…” Asteria’s words trailed off. “Unless…you…”

An incredible tranquillity radiated out of the Demon Sovereign. The sudden stillness was frightening, to the point that Gaius readied himself to defend against incoming attacks at any time. Demon Sovereign Asteria had worked out what his true goal was, despite having exchanging words for a few minutes, and he didn’t like it.

“You intend to use the Wildlands as a shared target,” Asteria stated flatly. “To force them to band together, as a means in which unity can be achieved. That’s…your peace. Isn’t it?”

“You’ve really worked it out,” Gaius muttered. “Impressive.”

“It’s a shame, really.” The Demon Sovereign held his head. “Both of us want the same thing, but they’re truly mutually exclusive. In this case, we are fated to be enemies. But before we fight, are you really sure that your course of action will work?”

“What do you mean?”

“The Five Lands are divided. Even if they were to temporarily band over a common enemy, there is too much enmity at stake. In the last decade, a huge war occurred. Smaller wars followed, and a new nation formed. Your ideals are too optimistic. What makes you so sure that simply having my nation as a target will bring peace?” The Demon Sovereign stared at him evenly. “More importantly, the true cause of any conflict is greed. Could you, alone, change the hearts of others?

Gaius tried to ignore his words, but Asteria’s words had ripped open a doubt he had been harbouring. To make matters worse, the Demon Sovereign had a point.

Wars for gain was not impossible, especially since each of the Five Lands were separate entities. And…he hadn’t forgotten the time when Paragon Shizo had sold him out to the Human God, which resulted in a needless sacrifice.

Could he really say that the Five Lands would be at peace after this war?

He wasn’t sure anymore.