The banner of Ga’al, ranked third in the demon realm, fluttered wildly in the middle of a human territory.
His subordinate monsters, who had occupied the square, knelt in armor stained with blood.
The voices of those reporting the battlefield situation were cautious, and behind them, the rising ashes and destroyed castle walls spoke of the ruined village’s fate.
The air was thick with the scent of rotting blood and the foul stench of burning flesh, while the wind carried the village’s remnants into the air.
The location they had conquered boasted a natural defensive position and abundant resources, making it the most crucial stronghold for establishing a military base near Masan.
Even the great demon king, Beal, likely could not establish her domain in a better territory than this.
Ga’al nodded in satisfaction as he surveyed the desolate square.
His crimson eyes turned toward the mid-tier and lower-ranking demon kings in the alliance.
“Even Beal herself could not fully conquer Masan while turning her back on the human empire.”
They had long harbored discontent toward Beal’s unreasonable orders as a great demon king.
The incident where they confronted dragons to protect Drak on the airship was just the spark.
Ga’al also glanced over the noble monsters who had joined his alliance.
“Some high-ranking demon kings, including Aishi, still follow Beal, but a demon king without monsters is meaningless.”
Monsters from the Reaper family, including Lauro, and from the Eunho family, including Roshi, lined up under her banner.
“Our alliance will surely win, and regardless of merit, the spoils will be shared. I swear this in the name of Ga’al.”
Demon kings and monsters who lacked confidence in their abilities cheered in unison, responding.
Among them, Lauro and Roshi remained silent, subtly turning their heads to search for someone.
The demon army of Rupia was nowhere to be seen.
The reason they joined Ga’al’s alliance, rather than following Beal, the demon king who the higher-ranking demon kings followed, was not simply because of Drak’s fall.
Above all, it was because they trusted the variable that was Kan.
At that moment, Ga’al also realized that Kan, the Death Knight he had seen on the airship, was not present.
“…There shouldn’t have been a better choice for the lower demon kings than this alliance. Strange.”
He had received reports that Rupia had already stationed her army in another territory, but as the third-ranking demon king, he would surely be welcomed and swayed if he personally intervened.
“I don’t know about the little demon kings, but that Kan will surely be of help, so I’ll bring him into the alliance. Keep guarding the military base.”
At that moment, Lauro and Roshi stepped forward at the same time.
“Please wait for a moment. I will assist you, Your Highness Ga’al.”
“The girl will follow as well.”
All eyes turned toward them.
Two S-rank monsters, both noble-born young ladies who could be called flowers with their hands, gave Ga’al a look that showed they were not displeased.
Even the noble monsters would surely recognize who the leader of this alliance was.
“I permit it.”
They used the teleportation circle to reach Rupia’s military base, which was located on the far outskirts.
However, the scene they encountered was quite bizarre.
A massive ogre was pulling a cart of food, distributing it to the humans, while winged harpies played with children in front of a shop.
The village seemed like a peaceful space for coexistence rather than a battlefield on the brink of war.
“General Kan…? We have guests.”
Sofien, with a tired face, reported. She had been serving as a mediator between the villagers and monsters for the past few days and hadn’t been able to sleep properly.
“I’ll handle the rest, so please go inside.”
“Yes…”
The guests Sofien spoke of were familiar faces.
Lauro and Roshi.
“Ah.”
And Ga’al, whom they had seen at the demon king meeting. He was the third-ranking demon king, or something like that.
“I heard you were looking for us.”
While he tried to show some courtesy, it seemed that Ga’al felt his behavior was disrespectful.
He frowned slightly and spoke.
“Don’t you know the proper etiquette that a monster should show in front of a demon king?”
“I don’t bow unless it’s my lord, Rupia. That’s the military law I created.”
“…Are you planning to take on Beal and the human empire alone? If you’re coming to propose an alliance, this attitude won’t make it easy.”
I couldn’t help but smirk inwardly.
“We have no intention of joining your alliance. If it’s a battlefield, that’s one thing, but I have no interest in spilling human blood in a human territory.”
I had heard that Ga’al and his alliance had already conquered and massacred three territories near Masan.
The ones who flinched at my words were not Ga’al, but Lauro and Roshi standing on either side of him.
Ga’al narrowed his eyes.
“Neutrality, huh? The best option for the weak to choose. But, don’t you know the end of a bat, who is neither a bird nor a beast?”
“If it’s a dragon, I wouldn’t mind.”
“…!”
Dragons are actually classified as monsters, but they do not follow demon kings nor are they friendly toward humans.
Nonetheless, neither humans nor demon kings can casually provoke dragons. It’s simply because they are so strong.
Ga’al’s voice grew cold.
“Just because you were recognized by a dragon doesn’t mean you become one. It would be wise to learn humility.”
“Before death, and even after, no one could teach me such things. I’ve never lost.”
The history embedded in this body proves that.
Gai’l turned his back, as if there was no more value in continuing the conversation.
Lauro and Roshi did not immediately follow Ga’al, but approached me instead.
“…What exactly are you thinking?”
“Do you really plan to isolate yourself?”
I nodded slightly, responding.
“It would be best for both of you to decide now which side you’ll take. You probably heard in the meeting, but within Masan, humans are not the only enemies.”
“…!”
Lauro nervously fiddled with the ends of her robe’s loose sleeves, looking back and forth at Ga’al and me. Roshi, on the other hand, shook her white tail wildly and chewed her claws.
Their decision was almost instantaneous.
Rather than maintaining an unstable neutrality, they decided to follow Ga’al, who had gathered many smaller factions.
Ga’al, now flanked by Lauro and Roshi again, glanced back at me with a sneer.
I ignored his gaze, turning my head.
“They say being too smart is a problem, but both of you are overthinking things.”
“…Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
The one who asked with a worried face was Damon.
“Damon, you’ve seen Beal’s magic on the Sky Island, where you couldn’t use magic. It was brief, but even I was deceived by it. So within Masan, the alliance is meaningless.”
As long as Ga’al is in the opposing camp, Beal will likely be scheming something unimaginable.
This was also a rule mentioned during the demon king meeting in Masan.
“The goal is probably the artifact sealed in the S-rank zone, right?”
“That’s likely. Since it’s still an undeveloped area, who knows what treasures are hidden there. It’s the same for us, though.”
I immediately gathered the monsters with Rupia and explained the strategy for the Masan conquest.
“The shortest path to enter the S-zone of the Demon King is through the A-zone, but since Ga’al and other demon kings will head there, we will take the B-zone route to enter the A-zone’s narrow path.”
After scouting with Evil Eye’s magic, the B-zone was confirmed to be a complicated maze, so the human knights would certainly avoid it.
“The only place in the B-zone without a maze is the quarry, which has already been developed, and since mineral carts need to pass through, the path is easy to open.”
If we’re lucky, we might even find mana stones among the ores left by the miners.
At the very least, I needed to ensure that Rupia’s powers would be restored to a usable level.
That would be the most crucial variable in this conquest.
“The point is to minimize combat and enter the A-zone. From there, the maze begins again, and there will be fewer encounters with other forces. It’s almost like treasure hunting.”
I looked at the map of the interior of the Demon King’s territory, and then gazed at Rupia.
The combatants involved are myself, my lord, Rain, and 200 elite orcs. Damon, Sofien, Golem, and others will stay behind to protect the rear.”
Rupia nodded solemnly with her arms crossed.
“Hmm, excellent strategy. I understand perfectly.”
Her expression, however, was more like “I don’t quite get it, but bring me some cream bread.”
Rupia’s inexperience as a demon king was one of the reasons why this conquest was so important.
I had felt it when restoring Golem previously, but her stats, including intelligence, had greatly increased after absorbing mana stones.
If Rupia can fully restore her magic with the treasures and mana stones found in Masan, our demon king army will experience exponential growth.
Like a storm that covered the entire mountain range, the day of the final battle was slowly approaching in the darkness.
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