"Send word only to the leaders of allied nations. Not to their underlings—only to the rulers themselves. But make sure you include a warning: if they speak of this to anyone outside themselves, we will cut all diplomatic ties immediately and absorb their land. They are free to refuse, of course—but if they do, they should be prepared to be left with nothing but barren wastelands."
Somnus said it smoothly, without any hesitation, even as the words he chose were filled with nothing but threat and intimidation.
At those words, the third and final subordinate—who had remained silent up until now—let out a long a sigh. Covering his face with one hand, he looked up at the ceiling and muttered dryly.
"I know how deeply His Majesty cares about the 'Prince of Darkness'... but perhaps we should begin preparations for a military expedition just in case?"
Somnus let out a small snort through his nose in response to that. Then, with a calm but chilling smile that contrasted his strikingly handsome face, he replied.
"This world continues to exist only because of Del Delatia's kindness. It is his use of magic—his power to hunt and destroy magical beasts—that keeps the destruction of this world at bay. If anyone spreads unnecessary rumors, and he, in his current powerless state, is harmed because of it… then it'll be interesting to see how long this world manages to survive after he's gone."
That last statement was something Del Delatia himself had once shared only with a small number of high-ranking individuals: the hidden truth of this world. Until now, even Somnus had chosen not to share it with his subordinates. And understandably, hearing it now shook the three of them to their core.
But Somnus didn't blame himself. He had never felt it necessary to reveal this secret until the current situation made it unavoidable.
It was precisely because of this truth that the few people who knew it had been desperate to learn about Del Delatia's condition—ever since he had fallen into a coma after sustaining serious injuries during the last great battle. Even if there was nothing they could do, they still clung to the hope of knowing whether he would ever wake up again.
Even so, sharing the current state of the "Prince of Darkness," was nothing more than a small show of kindness—and a major warning. For Somnus, who held Del Delatia—no, who held Li Shen—in his grasp during such a precious and irreplaceable time, it was simply a way of saying: Don't stir up unnecessary trouble.
"…That's a very interesting message to send," one of the subordinates said carefully, "but wouldn't that make those who do receive it even more anxious? If that's the case, why not make it clear in the message that once the time is right, they'll be privately informed of his full recovery?"
"Good point," another chimed in. "Those of us in the magical community can't help but be curious about what's going on with Del Delatia. I'm sure his followers all over the world are the same. As for the memory loss issue, why not keep that part limited to those personally chosen by Your Majesty? For the rest, we could just say that he's still recovering peacefully here in our empire—and that when he's better, he'll make a public appearance."