The Demon King Subjugation Army advanced.
The sight of the entire empire in motion was spectacular.
Even before the final assembly was complete, the sheer number of soldiers joining along the way drew people’s attention.
They showered the army with flowers and played music on the streets, wishing them luck.
With over a million soldiers marching, the ground trembled with every step, and the animals and beasts of the forest, regardless of size, shuddered and hid in fear.
As they passed the outer walls, Kalian spoke.
“The day has finally come.”
“Did you sleep well last night?”
“I was too nervous to sleep a wink. Actually, I’ve been restless for months. If you think about it, all of this started because of my own ambition.”
“This has nothing to do with your ambition. It was bound to happen anyway.”
I patted Kalian on the shoulder.
Evelyn, who was with us, nodded.
“It is time to redefine the relationship between humans and demons. From the moment they crossed the border and killed our soldiers, this became inevitable.”
Yesterday, at my house, we talked as if it were the final farewell, as if everything would end soon… yet here I was again with Evelyn.
It was only natural—Kalian, Evelyn, and I were leading the vanguard alongside Baldric.
“Ahem, forget about yesterday,” Evelyn muttered, clearing her throat awkwardly when we met in the morning.
Aside from us, Elia and Lumia were also at the frontlines.
Serena, as a merchant, was in the rear, handling supply logistics.
As the subjugation army passed through the empire’s outer walls and crossed into neutral territory, the demon race’s fortress walls gradually came into view.
Evelyn gazed at the walls and spoke.
“It’s nice to see you again, but I regret that we can’t just chat idly like yesterday.”
“We can still talk plenty during the war. It’s not like we’ll be fighting all day.”
“Don’t die. You need to stay alive to keep talking and enjoy good food.”
“Don’t worry about me. As long as you survive, Evelyn, that’s enough.”
That was the end of our brief, lighthearted conversation.
The subjugation army formed their ranks before the demon fortress.
Not only were knights and mages gathered, but above our camp, dragons, floating fortresses, colossal golems, and titans filled the sky.
Even having just one of these would be enough to obliterate an entire territory, yet we had an entire arsenal of war machines at our disposal.
But we weren’t the only ones.
The demon forces had dragons and floating fortresses lined up along their fortress walls as well.
A floating fortress, simply put, was an airborne battleship, and from within it, all sorts of demons and monstrous creatures poured out.
The demons had been anticipating our approach and were fully prepared for a siege.
“Hear me, demons!”
Evelyn amplified her voice with mana.
As the daughter of Baldric Rose, the supreme commander of the subjugation army, and his lieutenant, she was speaking on behalf of the entire force.
“The empire has come to sever the long-standing enmity between humans and demons. If you wish to speak before war breaks out, open your gates and come forth.”
It was a customary offer of negotiation before battle.
Mobilizing an army required immense resources, but an actual war would bring even greater losses, so diplomacy was always proposed as an alternative.
Of course, no one expected this to end with a mere handshake.
Such negotiations often broke down due to excessive demands or were outright ignored.
Today was the latter.
For ten minutes, the demons remained silent.
And then they answered.
Not with words, but with magic.
A cluster of fireballs soared over the fortress walls and crashed right before the subjugation army.
Boom!
There were no direct casualties, but their message was clear—”We have no need for words.”
Evelyn opened her mouth once more.
“This war will be the largest battle in the past 200 years. The entire imperial army has gathered here, and I assume the same goes for you.”
“If war breaks out, the losses on both sides will be immeasurable. Are you willing to lose your families and homeland? This is our final ultimatum. If you have any intention of negotiation, open the gates and come forward.”
Evelyn chose to overlook the demons’ initial rejection.
Most of the subjugation army had no idea, but our true objective was not victory in war—it was securing Victoria.
Creeeeak—
At the empire’s final ultimatum, the fortress gate slowly opened.
Only one person emerged.
The Four Heavenly Kings, Lucrecia.
The same demon I had fought before.
She scanned the subjugation army before stepping onto the edge of her blade and soaring toward us.
“Let’s go as well.”
Kalian, Evelyn, and I stepped forward as representatives of the commander.
We met Lucrecia halfway.
I waved casually.
“Been a while, Blade Girl.”
“Ugh, you devil!”
“Relax. We’re here to talk, not fight.”
Lucrecia flinched at my gaze but quickly straightened up, remembering her role as the demons’ representative.
She glared at me and asked,
“What do you want?”
Kalian, Evelyn, and I exchanged glances.
The subjugation army had prepared negotiation terms in advance, but what we were about to propose had nothing to do with them.
“We want to meet the Demon King, Victoria.”
“You plan on challenging her to a duel?”
“No, we just want to talk. We’re acquainted with Victoria.”
“Talk…? Pfft.”
She scoffed at my proposal.
“I don’t know what scheme you’re planning, but don’t spout nonsense.”
“You might not understand, but if we can talk to her, we might be able to end this war peacefully.”
“If you’re that desperate for a conversation, fine. But there’s a price.”
Lucrecia folded her arms, still smirking.
“In exchange for meeting the Demon King, the entire imperial army must disarm. Additionally, nine noble houses, high-ranking knights, mages, and priests—each of you must surrender 1,000 of them, restrained with mana-sealing cuffs, as hostages.”
“What kind of bullshit is that?”
“If you won’t comply, we have no reason to accept your proposal either. If we’re done talking, I’ll take my leave.”
“Hey.”
As she turned to leave, I stepped forward.
She flinched but didn’t retreat.
I had no intention of using force.
I hadn’t planned on revealing this, but…
Leaning in close, so only she could hear, I whispered,
“Did you know Victoria is in love with a human?”
“What are you talking about?”
“When she lived among humans in disguise, there was a man she had feelings for. That man… is Kalian.”
I pointed at Kalian.
“The Demon King—Victoria—loves Kalian as much as her own life. If war breaks out, it will deeply wound her.”
“Lies. There’s no way she would love a human.”
“If you don’t believe me, go and tell her yourself. Tell her that Kalian has come and wishes to speak with her. Then you’ll see for yourself whether she truly desires this war.”
Lucrecia stared at me in shock before swiftly flying back to her stronghold.
I hope this works.
If Lucrecia properly delivers the message and Victoria comes out on her own, that would be the best outcome.
Because there’s no way Victoria would want to fight a war with Kalian right in front of her.
Moreover, aside from Alcatraz, the other Three Heavenly Kings are absolutely loyal to the Demon King.
If Victoria doesn’t want war, they’ll likely follow her will, reducing the chances of bloodshed.
Even if we can’t completely stop the war, as long as we can take Victoria away, the Demon King’s army will lose its central command and fall apart.
At that point, I’ll handle the Empire’s army myself, so there’s nothing to worry about.
A while later, Lucrecia returned from the castle.
“The Demon King wishes to see this man, Kalian.”
“That’s great.”
“But.”
She turned her gaze toward Kalian.
“The Demon King will not come here. Instead, you and Kalian must enter the Demon King’s castle. No one else will be allowed entry.”
“Just the two of us? That’s basically a death sentence. Who in their right mind would agree to that?”
“If you don’t like it, you can refuse.”
“Then in return, your Three Heavenly Kings and 3,000 high-ranking demons must surrender as hostages to the Empire.”
“I refuse. That means the negotiation is over. I’ll be leaving now.”
Lucrecia shook her head, completely indifferent.
I questioned her,
“Did you really relay the message to Victoria? There’s no way she would make such a demand of Kalian.”
“I delivered the message correctly. But this condition wasn’t from the Demon King—it was from Alcatraz.”
She shot us a sharp glare.
“Alcatraz said there were two people who would try to deceive the Demon King with cunning words and tricks. He told us not to fall for your schemes.”
“Tsk… You’re the ones being deceived. It’s not us trying to control Victoria—it’s Alcatraz.”
“He is our comrade, someone who has fought and suffered alongside us. He is also the supreme commander of the Demon King’s army. Why should we doubt him and trust you instead?”
“Damn it. That’s exactly his trick. Don’t come crying to us when your precious Demon King suffers because of him.”
“The only ones who will regret this are you. Mocking the Demon King is a crime worse than death. You will drown in despair.”
Lucrecia stepped onto her blade again.
Before she left, she spoke one last message.
“Alcatraz wanted me to tell you this— ‘Why did you come before you were invited?'”
With that, the negotiation was over.
She coldly turned her back and flew back to her army.
Now, a siege was inevitable.
Still, after speaking with one of the Four Heavenly Kings, I think I’ve found a new path.
Even in this situation, they remain unwaveringly loyal to the Demon King.
If I exploit this properly, it could be useful.
Evelyn turned to the main Imperial army and signaled that the negotiations had failed.
Vwoooom—
The moment the signal was given, a surge of magical energy erupted from the army’s ranks.
Nervas, one of the great family heads, prepared an attack spell.
The other mages beside him followed suit, rapidly constructing their magic.
Hundreds of spells formed and shot toward Lucrecia’s back as she returned to her stronghold.