Chapter 285
Chapter 285. And the Dice are Cast
――In the night sky, dragons took flight.
At the forefront was Emelgias, riding a familiar Green Dragon. Clad in bone armor atop a Bon-Degie style and wielding a magical spear, he looked every bit the part of a seasoned warrior.
Behind him trailed three dragons, each carrying two warriors from the Izanis Tribe. Including Emelgias, there were a total of seven demon race warriors.
Normally, dragons wouldn’t get involved in the quarrels of demon races, but considering Zilbagias’s white dragon, the four dragons could technically be counted as reinforcements.
――Yes, reinforcements.
Emelgias intended to confront Zilbagias. His goal was to uncover the details of the high-speed communication technology and, if possible, seize it for himself.
That youngest brother would no doubt put up a fierce resistance.
He would also take the opportunity to absorb Zilbagias’s strength…!
(That guy is probably at the fort now.)
As far as Emelgias knew, his youngest brother was heading toward Aurora Fortress with his favorite concubines.
Though he hadn’t received a proper education and his ego had been shattered by the daughter of the White Dragon chief, the High Elf Saint standing alongside Zilbagias was a serious threat. Each individual’s potential was daunting, and in his previous state, it would have been a challenging fight—but now—
“You should be fine now, right?” whispered Zyria, stifling a laugh.
Thanks to having absorbed his mother’s magical power earlier, Zilbagias was now at a disadvantage. He wouldn’t lose in a magical duel. Although Zilbagias would likely enhance his magical power during his announcement, Emelgias could do the same…!
Glancing over his shoulder, Emelgias noticed the tense expressions on the faces of Hysidia and his other subordinates. The dragons also seemed to lack their usual vigor in their wingbeats.
His subordinates were feeling the pressure of participating in the Demon Lord Prince conflict. The dragons looked as though they wanted to say, “Guess we’ve gotten ourselves into a troublesome situation.”
Basically, Emelgias was planning to shoulder all the blame alone.
For the dragons and his subordinates, it was a necessary task, after all.
(Breaking the prohibition on direct conflict and interfering in a business that involves Father. Surely suitable punishment will follow…)
But it’d most likely just be house arrest. Based on past examples, about 30 to 40 years confined to his room. If he accidentally killed his youngest brother, it could stretch even longer, so ideally, he’d wring out just enough power to let him live.
For a typical demon race, not being able to appear on the battlefield for 30 or 40 years would be a fatal blow full of suffering, but Emelgias realized that after a recent period of isolation, he had no trouble growing his magical power.
Just envying his father would allow his power to grow, and during house arrest, he could envy the residents of the Demon Lord Castle living freely, gradually siphoning their magic away. Subtly, yet surely…
(If I can even absorb my youngest brother’s magic, I’ll surpass that damn older brother of mine.)
Even Aiogias would be overtaken using raw magical power. From there, if he continued to grow, becoming the next Demon Lord wouldn’t be just a dream.
Once he returned to the battlefield after his house arrest, he would surely achieve overwhelming results. The position of Grand Duke would also come easy.
The only downside would be if his father fell ill during his house arrest, triggering the Demon Lord succession war—but he couldn’t imagine his vibrant father collapsing in just 30 years or so.
“And then, you’ll become the strongest Demon Lord, and even then, your growth won’t stop.”
Zyria said.
“Because all the demon race will envy your immense power. I’ll feed off that too. Just imagine, everyone directing jealous and envious gazes at you…”
Everyone— even that insufferable older brother, that fiery older sister, the aloof and composed second brother, and of course, that damn cheeky youngest brother—would feel jealousy toward him.
Emelgias would mercifully allow his siblings to live in the battle for the Demon Lord title. It was more efficient to let them live and drain their power, allowing them to taste the feeling of helplessness and despair rather than simply killing them. And above all—
It felt good.
Having always been the one who envied others, he would finally be the object of envy—his whole body tingled with goosebumps at the sweet sensation. Emelgias quickly cut off those thoughts, as that imagination was just too intense.
Now was not the time for that. He couldn’t lose his desire in complacency. Until he could properly toast to victory, he had to endure—
“Hehe, you’re so serious. That’s also what makes you great.”
Zyria, wrapping around him, felt like she was hugging him from behind.
“With you, I’ll become even stronger… Hey, don’t you think we’re truly the best partners?”
“…Guess so.”
He couldn’t deny it.
Zyria was indeed the best partner for Emelgias.
“Hehe…”
She chuckled merrily.
And then—
“I can see it.”
“Aurora Fortress…!”
It was rapidly approaching—figures could be seen at the entrance of the fortress.
“Seems like they finally noticed.”
Emelgias licked his lips like a snake eyeing its prey.
He could feel their gazes upon him.
His youngest brother, with a hand on the hilt of his sword, wore a stern expression—
The red eyes of Demon Lord’s Prince No. 7 Zilbagias clashed directly against his own gaze.
