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“The Kraken is dead, huh?”

The Demon King’s expression was complicated. It wasn’t that she hadn’t anticipated this outcome, but she had no proper way to respond.

The Demon King’s army had entirely relied on the existence of the sea dragon for maritime dominance. She had always feared that enemies would develop means to subdue the Kraken, but the timing couldn’t have been worse. The development of the HMS Victory had been thoroughly kept under wraps, and had its existence been leaked earlier, the Demon King might have reconsidered deploying the dragons to invade Eramenia.

Regardless of how excellent the Demon King was, how could she have predicted that someone would come at the Kraken tooth and nail, creating new weapons in the Magic Tower just to kill it?

“No, I should have expected this.”

The Demon King let out a deep sigh. Jenis Harker. In a way, she was almost akin to a relative of Violet Moriarty. Both were half-vampires, both bore the blood of humans from Earth. The Demon King had many rivals, but this one, who had only recently begun to rise, was a thorn in her side.

“I anticipated that the Kraken might die in this battle. However, I never thought it would die all alone without inflicting any damage on the enemy fleet. If it had any sense, it should have attacked the leading ironclad instead of submerging and attacking the rear fleet to inflict massive damage.”

“It must have underestimated the enemy. What a foolish octopus head. Has it really been bragging as the king of the sea while fighting like that?”

The last descendant of the diamond-gargoyle clan, Gargoyle Queen Diana stood before the Demon King, sneering. The Demon King addressed the gargoyle seriously.

“Be careful not to make the same mistake yourself, Gargoyle.”

“I will keep that in mind, Your Majesty.”

“Because from now on, the fate of our Demon King’s army rests on your shoulders. The enemy is likely coming this way.”

The Demon King placed her finger on the unfolded map. The gargoyle looked puzzled.

“Are you talking about Febria Bay? Isn’t that a bit too easy to land at?”

“Which means they’re headed there.”

“That’s strange, Your Majesty. The enemy would think we have taken proper measures there. Wouldn’t they rather aim for somewhere else?”

“If they aim for somewhere else, does that mean we cannot respond?”

“Not necessarily. Our scouting assets are outstanding. We can predict their position even before they attempt to land.”

“The enemy knows that as well.”

The Demon King’s statement was simple. Both sides could read each other’s movements. Thus, attacking the most easily assaultable location without tricks would be the best course of action. The gargoyle, who wasn’t entirely foolish but understood the Demon King’s words, nodded.

“Then should I go to Febria Bay and wait there?”

“No, stay back until the enemy’s movements are confirmed. I believe it’s unlikely, but we must prepare for every possibility. Get ready in a position from where you can rush to any fortress at any time. Then, once the enemy’s landing point is confirmed, go to the fortress best suited for defense and command the battle.”

“That’s a perfect plan, Your Majesty.”

“All that’s left is for you to execute a perfect war strategy. Remember, there are no tricks. The enemy will charge head-on, and you must face them head-on. You’ve already disappointed me in the canyon. If you disappoint me this time as well, I will take you with me to the afterlife, no matter what.”

“For Your Majesty’s and my own safety, I will fight with all my might.”

“Go, complete all your preparations. When the enemy’s ships move toward the shore, unleash your fight as you planned, Diana.”

At the Demon King’s words, Gargoyle Queen smiled brightly. It was a true sign of affection for the Demon King to call her by name rather than her title. The gargoyle was optimistic. Even the Demon King’s stern warning moments ago was taken as a confidence-filled piece of advice, saying, “I will keep you by my side until the moment of death.”

In reality, she wasn’t entirely wrong.

Meanwhile, news of the Kraken hunt spread quickly. Despite the battle taking place in the middle of the sea, Jenis, eager to boast of her achievements to cement her political standing, sent dispatches to announce the Kraken’s death to the Empire.

No one doubted the truth of the news. There was no need for Jenis to provide evidence. The Great Sage had proclaimed that she herself had captured the Kraken. That was enough.

The entire Empire began to sing praises of the Great Sage and the Grand Mage. The fame of Koesernis, who participated in the expedition, was soaring like never before. The opposition faction of the Harker family, which had been preparing for subtle movements since the last council incident, was swept away by the atmosphere of the Empire and completely abandoned their plans.

Naturally, news reached the northern frontline in no time. Alex, suspecting that his elder sister Rose would not be in a good mood, cautiously sought her whereabouts.

Surprisingly, Rose didn’t seem too upset.

“What a cheeky little brat! At least she kept her word! Impressive. I don’t care who you are, facing a Kraken in the sea would be tough. I’d rather face a dragon in the sky!”

Rose said, looking genuinely pleased. Alex, with a concerned look, tentatively spoke up.

“Um, sister, are you okay?”

“Hm? Am I okay? It’s a huge victory after a while! What else is there to be happy about?”

“But… weren’t you sensitive about losing the honor of being a war hero?”

Only then did Rose seem to understand Alex’s words, clapping her hands with a joyful laugh. After a moment, Rose’s expression turned serious, and she growled.

“Alex. We’ve been stuck in this tiny frontline for ten years, unable to do anything. If she pulls off a mission in just a few months that we couldn’t even dream of, that means we’re the has-beens and she’s the true ruler of the Empire. My anger was because I was irritated that she seemed to dream beyond her station. But if she truly opens a new landing frontline that even the Demon King couldn’t prepare for and crushes the Demon King’s army, then…”

Rose snapped her fingers.

“It wouldn’t even be a game. She won, and I’d be cleanly defeated. There’d be no reason to be angry or feel unjust. Only the most despicable humans would belittle someone who achieved great merit.”

“I really think she can do it.”

“If you really believe that, little brother, you still have more experience to gain.”

Rose rummaged through the papers on the desk and grabbed one letter. Alex lowered his head.

“Please teach me, sister.”

“I’ve faced Gargoyle Queen in the battlefield for nearly ten years. I’ve consistently overpowered her, yet I’ve never succeeded in killing her even once. I’ve shattered her formations time and again, but I’ve never even breached the fortress she guards. No, I didn’t even try.”

“Is she really that strong of an enemy?”

“I, Rose Caprice, guarantee that she is.”

“A formidable foe.”

Alex nodded immediately. Rose sighed, shaking her head.

“Killing the Kraken and attacking the Demon King’s army from behind? It’s a good strategy, but it’s also one the Demon King can prepare for. Once the preparations start, the enemy will never let their guard down. The supply routes through the sea are far too long, and the number of ships is few. Due to supply issues, the expeditionary forces won’t have much time, and their time and resources… will never allow them to face off against Gargoyle Queen directly. If it happens, I’ll gladly pass the crown of the next Emperor to the Great Sage instead of wearing it myself.”

“Is it really that much?”

“If they win, I’ll be grateful. Regardless, that would end the war. We just have to respond from the south, scooping up the glorious crumbs left behind by the Great Sage. But if she fails to attack the frontline within the allotted time, the chances are very high…”

Rose tightened her grip on the documents in hand. It was an administrative document written in her own handwriting. At the very top, the title read “Emergency Normalization Act” in large letters.

“The council will reconvene. This time, to preserve the interests of the royal family.”

Around the same time, Jenis Harker’s flagship boldly cut through the waters at the forefront of the fleet. The hull of the HMS Victory was stained red, as if it were the guillotine of justice freshly executed.

However, that red was a glorious mark that this ship had killed the Kraken, a massive symbol in its own right. Jenis was secretly considering repainting the ship’s bow red again after wiping off the bloodstains.

“So, where are we headed?”

Jeongjae reminded Jenis of the practical issue. Jenis, waking from her reverie, looked up and answered with a far-off expression.

“To Febria Bay. It’s the only place we can bring our 200 ships.”

“Then the enemy will know we’re going there.”

“They’ll be prepared, without a doubt.”

“And yet, we’re going?”

Jenis shrugged.

“It’s the same no matter where we go. There’s just the difference of being a bit more inconvenient terrain. Besides, it’ll be harder to suffer supply losses anymore. The fleet is smaller than anticipated. If the battle drags on, we may struggle to secure food and fresh water. We need to concentrate our forces in terrain where we can push through to the enemy lines as quickly as possible.”

“In that case, the enemy commander will probably…”

“It’ll be the gargoyle. Unless the Demon King steps in directly. After all, only one of them can show up. If I were the Demon King, it’d be reckless to focus on her own territory at a time like this. The Demon King is the only one with a proper strategist in her army. If she’s too preoccupied with the east, she risks missing the southern offensive, which would lead to catastrophe.”

“Is she confident?”

“Who knows? But… if we keep banging away, something’s bound to break through somewhere. What I mean is… there shouldn’t be a force capable of obstructing me on the frontline after achieving such great merit, right?”

“That makes sense…”

By prematurely revealing the news of the Kraken’s death to the institution, Jenis aimed to suppress hostile factions in advance and root out any dissenting opinions regarding her war effort. With this, Jenis was free from public criticism for the time being. While that privilege likely wouldn’t last forever, it seemed it wouldn’t vanish as long as she didn’t suffer a crushing defeat.

“What do you think about the tension with Rose?”

“The Crown Princess is busy with her own matters. And she’s not foolish enough to attack me while I’m on a rising streak. After all, she knows that would only hurt herself.”

“Well.”

To Jeongjae’s knowledge, Rose was not someone to be called ‘foolish.’ While she could be described as arrogant or stubborn, the term ‘foolish’ did not suit Rose Caprice. However, Jeongjae began to have doubts about whether Jenis was overly optimistic about all situations, basing everything on her own standards.

While Jenis was calculating many things accurately, she had a tendency to underestimate only one person: Rose Caprice.

 

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