Frondier, with his knowledge of the game, also understood what "giants" meant.
Ancient beings. Those who appeared in actual myths, such as "Titans" or "Jotuns."
Contrary to the term "giant," their physique wasn't necessarily large.
It is said that the size of their visible bodies was meaningless to the beings of the ancient era. For them, the word "giant" didn't refer to the size of their bodies.
Giants were all those who threatened the position of God.
Even among Gods, there were rebellions, coups, and uprisings.
Those who reached for the neck of God in the distant past, the archenemies of God.
"...But that's not all."
Frondier remembered what Merlin had said.
The sentence written in the ancient language that King Arthur had given to Merlin.
─For the giant that will topple the gods.
'That word appears here again.'
Baal's recent statement that devils cannot kill giants.
Frondier didn't know what it meant. Whether it was due to some law, or if giants were simply that strong.
But Frondier's intuition told him.
The "giant" Baal spoke of, the "giant" Frondier knew, and the "giant" King Arthur left in the ancient language.
They all referred to the same being.
'The sentence left by King Arthur was written as if he were on the side of the giants.'
He expressed support for the giants, and the prophecy of bringing down God was exactly as Frondier knew of the giants.
Frondier was a human who had gone through all sorts of hardships because of Gods. He wasn't surprised that the hero was on the side of the giants, not God. It was unexpected, though.
But there was a different problem.
'Whether Jotun or Titan, they are beings of too ancient a time. I can't imagine King Arthur meeting them.'
The time period didn't match at all. King Arthur was a very recent figure compared to giants like the Titans.
What did King Arthur see to leave such words?
In the first place, how could King Arthur leave behind the ancient language that even Merlin couldn't read?
After pondering for a moment, Frondier asked Baal.
"...Satan retreated after hearing that?"
"Yes. It seemed like there was something only the two of them understood. But there was a problem."
"By then, a considerable number of devils had already flown to the Empire. Most of them were Satan's subordinates."
Belphegor had stopped Satan, but he was a little late.
Satan had already given the order to deploy to the front lines.
"The devils who took the lead were among the most skilled and trusted of Satan's subordinates. But of course, it was difficult for them alone to bring down the Empire. At that time, the individuals who came to be called 'Zodiac' were already on par with those devils in terms of individual skill."
"So did Satan order them to retreat?"
"He left them as they were."
"Yes. And then he returned to the Demon Realm. After fulfilling the contract with the man who summoned him. Of course, it goes without saying that the human who made a contract with Satan didn't meet a good end just because the contract was fulfilled."
That would be the case. There was no way Satan would simply comply with the contract. He had used the contract to open the gate in the first place.
But that wasn't the problem right now.
"Then what happened to the devils who were deployed earlier? Did they just charge into the Empire and meet their deaths?"
"You should know that's not the case, Frondier. They forgot all their memories related to the Demon Realm as Satan went through the gate and returned. They forgot why they were in the human world, even how to return to the Demon Realm."
"...And those devils who lost their memories are."
"Yes. The devils currently hiding in the Empire."
As Marco answered, Frondier's face crumpled.
His ominous guess had hit the mark.
Frondier held his head.
So, in the end, all the devils hiding in the Empire and the devils sent by Satan this time were originally Satan's subordinates.
'Is that bastard pitting his past subordinates against his current subordinates? Just because he wants to ruin the Empire?'
He wasn't just crazy.
"Why did that happen? Is it that simple to make someone lose their memories?"
It was Frondier who asked suspiciously,
"Yes. I can't believe that either."
But it was Baal who agreed.
"I can't believe those bastards lost their memories. They're lying. They planned to infiltrate the Empire from the beginning. They used us!"
Murderous intent filled Baal's eyes.
Seeing that, Frondier said,
"...Did Baal and the other 72 devils cross over from the Demon Realm with Satan?"
"Yes. Including Belphegor. It was a kind of alliance. In the Demon Realm, they formed a temporary alliance with the intention of swallowing the Empire together. And they all arrived in the Western Lands through the gate opened by Satan's contract. But."
"...Satan alone left all of them behind and returned to the Demon Realm. Closing the gate."
And at that time, the devils were divided. The devils who had already headed to the Empire, and the devils who remained in the West due to Belphegor's intervention.
The Western devils were truly betrayed by Satan. The only way back to the Demon Realm was closed, and the land belonged to humans. They didn't have enough numbers to attack the human lands, and Belphegor blocked their way to the Empire.
In other words, the devils in Agoris were in a similar situation to the "Manggot."
"...So the devils in Agoris now believe that the devils in the Empire know how to return to the Demon Realm."
"Yes. Belphegor and Satan joined hands from the beginning! They planned to devour the Empire from within. Otherwise, why would they tell such an absurd lie! Losing their memories is just a way to deceive us! In fact, none of the devils in Agoris have forgotten Satan!"
Marco sighed at that.
"Baal. The reason the devils in the Empire have lost their memories is because they are Satan's subordinates."