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“It’s the crisis of a fallen nation.”

The Demon King’s declaration was so sudden that the Succubus Queen, sitting in regency, flinched at the words that had just slipped from the Demon King’s mouth.

“Why do you say that, Your Majesty? We have… for now, expelled the Eramenia army, and they appear to be immobilized for quite some time. Without Eramenia’s support, the Hero’s army can’t advance either. Isn’t this rather an opportunity to counterattack?”

“Is that so? But my plans have gone awry. The political crisis of the Empire should not have unfolded like this. I should have taken more action, but the Great Sage of the Magic Tower moved faster than I anticipated. It was a situation where I could have torn the Empire apart completely. What a pity. A long-cherished plan, wasted in an instant.”

Violet Moriarty’s expression was one of discontent. The Demon King had believed that once Arthur Harker was eliminated and Eramenia was repelled, the southern lords would surely unite and push for independence from the Empire. But now, the unexpected emergence of Harker’s only daughter, whom they had hardly considered until recently, had completely derailed that scheme.

With so many variables, even the Demon King couldn’t intervene directly in the details of the situation. Sally Jeffrey didn’t just move according to the Demon King’s thoughts either. If the Demon King had swiftly deployed Succubi to manipulate the situation in the south, things would have turned out more positively. However, sending spies in the face of the Hero’s golden glasses and Reina’s red eyes proved too great a risk.

Ultimately, the Demon King’s attempts were thwarted by Harker’s bold move. The Succubus Queen, perhaps trying to find some positive aspect in the situation, cautiously proposed to the Demon King.

“However, there are reports that Janis Harker’s recent actions have stirred the Royal Family’s emotions. This is a positive sign. The conflict between the South and Central has deepened. Perhaps there might be a way to leverage this…”

“Ha, leverage. Well, let’s drop the formalities. Mother, can you manipulate both the Crown Princess of Audrich and the Great Sage of the Magic Tower at the same time?”

“That’s… I can’t just answer that on the spot…”

“Let me speak for myself. I cannot. Even I, Violet Moriarty, fear that meddling between the two might inadvertently lead to their unity. But can you do it, Mother? Well, they might end up fighting each other, which could weaken the Empire. However, this Demon King is expected to simply watch while sucking her thumb. How could I leverage a situation where I can’t do anything?”

The Demon King clearly understood her place. Despite holding the most powerful force in the world, she was afraid of her opponents more than anyone else. She feared Walter’s northern advance and was terrified of Rose’s immense combat power.

Worried about when Margaret might rise again, she shivered at the realization that Jeongjae’s magical power surpassed her own. She simmered with frustration at Janis’s sudden emergence and even pulled her hair over the fact that she couldn’t control Bernard’s secret arrests of the Middle Commanders of the Demon King’s army.

“However, it is true that there is conflict, and that fact certainly holds significance. Just leaving things as they are will lead the Empire to face more severe growing pains.”

“Isn’t it obvious that the moment we move, they’ll unite? Do not underestimate the enemy, Mother. When the full-scale civil war breaks out between Harker and Caprice, it will likely be a situation where our Demon King’s army is smashed before fighting for the dominion of the continent. That’s not really positive news for us, is it?”

“I-I apologize.”

The Succubus Queen bowed her head and mumbled in front of the Demon King. The Demon King drummed her fingers against the armrest of her chair with a look of disdain.

“Let me explain why the situation is more serious than what you think, Mother. The Great Sage hasn’t accepted the Southern Allied Forces for the purpose of defense. This army is clearly a force for conquest. And I see plainly the route they’re aiming to take for the advance.”

“What route are they taking?”

“The sea route. Our navy is already beyond repair, and the only means of securing the area is a single Kraken. But, Mother, how many of our Dragons have the enemy killed so far? Can we really sit back and relax, thinking the Kraken is our unbeatable weapon? No, I don’t believe so.”

“Are you predicting that the enemy will open a new front through the eastern coast of the continent?”

“If I were Janis Harker, that’s exactly what I would do. And once they succeed in landing, that’s when our Demon King’s army will be plunged into the crisis of a fallen nation. We must absolutely prevent them from stepping foot on our shores.”

“The Southern Army only consists of 40,000 troops. Even if they were to conduct a landing operation, the actual number of forces they could mobilize would be much less. Why are you so concerned, Your Majesty?”

“Look at the situation clearly, Succubus Queen.”

The Demon King’s gaze turned fierce. While she usually didn’t care for her underlings’ overly pessimistic views, she sternly criticized those who presented too optimistic assessments in her eyes.

Violet Moriarty was almost always more of a pessimist than an optimist. Especially since the Empire’s strategy of division had failed, she couldn’t help but be more downcast and pessimistic than usual.

“Can’t you see what kind of paths will open if the enemy lands on the eastern coast of our territory?”

“You’re asking me what paths will open…?”

“If I were the Great Sage, the first thing I would do is head south and secure the border region with the Eramenia Kingdom. Why can’t the Eramenia army advance north? Because after their defeat at the ambush in the canyon, they fear crossing the same region again. But what if the enemy secures the northern border of Eramenia and guarantees that the canyon route is safe?”

“So you mean the Eramenia army would begin to intervene again?”

“There will be a total of three armies rushing toward my castle. The Hellhound’s Northern Expeditionary Force, Eramenia’s Royal Army, and Harker’s Southern Army. Assuming I block one, and a Gargoyle blocks another, do we have any commanders left in our army to deal with the third? If we cannot fend off even one of those three, my ambitions will be over. What else could indicate the crisis of a fallen nation if this isn’t it?”

While there was a bit of exaggeration in the Demon King’s predictions, she had accurately pinpointed the terrifying reason behind Janis planning a landing operation. The purpose behind Janis organizing this landing operation was clearly to secure a safe route where they could lure out the Eramenia army.

The act of orchestrating a foothold on Eramenia’s land was calculated to strengthen military ties with the Fairy Kingdom for that very groundwork. By slightly suppressing her jealousy and asking Jeongjae to support Margaret’s revival, she hoped that Margaret would intervene appropriately when the time came.

The Demon King was reading between the lines of the sketch Janis was drawing with limited information. Janis Harker’s sketch was set in motion by a single advance, intending to breach the Demon King’s defenses and conquer the Demon King’s Castle. It was truly a drawing aimed at “ending this war.”

The Demon King’s concerns weren’t unfounded. She too needed a countermeasure.

“Do you know what I will command, Succubus Queen?”

“I will immediately fortify the coast along the eastern continent that is likely to allow for large-scale landings and deploy the Gargoyle Queen. As the Hero’s army pulls back to defend, a large Orc legion will be sufficient to stop them. I will instruct the Gargoyle to absolutely prevent enemy landings.”

“That was my thought as well, Mother. Now that I’ve spoken up to this point, it seems you understand the situation. Just doing that alone should ensure that the enemy can no longer move freely. Even if they manage to get past the Kraken, as long as the Gargoyle Queen builds and guards the fort, they won’t be able to find a way to Eramenia after landing.”

“You’re saying they’ll be trapped on the eastern coast with no means of supply?”

“That’s right! Mother, my thoughts just shifted a little. I feel like I was unfairly criticizing you. I humbly apologize for bowing my head like this.”

After the Demon King clapped her hands, she bowed her head to the Succubus Queen. The Succubus Queen was startled and mirrored the bow to the Demon King.

“I-What have I said, Your Majesty? It was all what you thought of, after all.”

“No, that’s not the problem. It’s my thought that we cannot leverage the conflict between Rose Caprice and Janis Harker. It’s a foolish thought. In reality, it was the best card we could use right now.”

“You mean we could hold their conflict in our hands and manipulate it?”

“It’s simple. All we need to do is stop Harker’s advance.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you mean, Your Majesty.”

At the Succubus Queen’s words, the Demon King burst into a cheerful laugh.

“Rose Caprice will not be feeling quite so good. A royal who values her honor, like her, would not find it pleasant to see an unknown stray dog make significant achievements under a wholly independent operation. But the problem is this: if Harker actually makes a performance, Caprice will have to follow suit. She is not foolish enough to sabotage an operation that is producing real results. But what if there are no results? Let’s say she starts something despite being isolated, only to bungle it and waste supplies while doing nothing?”

“Then Rose Caprice would resume her political assault on Janis Harker.”

“She will prepare to crush Harker while seizing the opportunity. In that case, the one torn apart will be them, and the crisis of a fallen nation will loom over them, not us. The chance to exploit our enemies’ division is still alive, Mother. Be well prepared. Once the enemies start their internal strife and my Moriarty Machine reaches its completion…”

The Demon King rose from her throne, clenching her fist tightly. In an instant, she read the hope of overwhelming victory amid the dismal tide of destruction. Her eyes sparkled with a near-manic intensity.

“We shall take the world, Mother. An achievement that no demon lord has ever achieved before me is now within our grasp.”

 

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