Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 256

The Devalis Territory. A land bordering the Demon World, it served as humanity's final line of defense, protected by a triple wall.

News that the war had resumed reached the Devalis family, the eternal guardians of this land.

Duchess Aslan Devalis let out a heavy sigh as she took the call from the Chairman. According to him, the great demon army was marching toward the final wall of the Devalis Territory. It was the first target of the newly mobilized Demon King, Roen.

Aslan listened intently to the Chairman's explanation and nodded. “Is that so?”

[Yes. I will leave command of the battlefield to you, Duchess.]

According to the Chairman, there would be no reinforcements. She would have to fend off the demonic horde with the strength of the Devalis family alone. They had defended the wall for hundreds of years, but never had they faced a crisis of this magnitude.

Standing atop the ramparts, Aslan closed her eyes and asked cautiously, “Chairman… what are your thoughts on the current situation?”

For the past two years, ever since Roen was dragged into the Demon World following the Glyphesi invasion, Aslan had been tormented. It was bad enough that her younger brother had been captured by the enemy, but the news that he had become their leader was a devastating blow. It was a series of unbelievable reports, but perhaps this had all been fated from the moment Roen was adopted into the Devalis family.

After all, their late father, Lord Kaiser, had entrusted the boy to her.

And so, Aslan had raised Roen with love. She had envisioned a future where he would grow up righteous, overcome the limitations of his bloodline, and stand not with the demons, but with humanity, fighting by her side.

But in the end, Roen had undergone the succession ritual and ascended as the Demon King.

Hearing the news, Aslan was plagued by deep regret and guilt. She believed that if only she had stayed closer to him, understood his heart, and guided him down the right path, her brother would never have become the Demon King.

But one year ago, Ciel—Roen's loyal maid and a long-time servant of the Devalis family—had come to the wall. She showed Aslan excerpts of a letter and a diary that Roen had left behind. They were records of Roen's true actions and thoughts.

Through them, Aslan came to fully understand Roen's past deeds—which she had only vaguely suspected—and the reasons he had been forced to act as he did. She also learned the circumstances that led to him becoming the Demon King—why he’d had no other choice.

That was why Aslan couldn't bring herself to stop Ciel when the maid decided to head into the Demon World alone to find him. She could only offer her the greatest support possible.

Then, several months later, Aslan was overjoyed to hear that Roen, now the Demon King, had declared a ceasefire. She had proudly boasted about it to the elders and knights who had been cursing Roen’s name, whether openly or in secret.

But now that he had declared war again—now that he was leading millions of demons to their very walls—she couldn't face them. All she could do was blame the cruel fate that had been forced upon him.

The Chairman replied to Aslan's question.

[Young Roen knows what he must do better than anyone. And he has Ciel by his side, his most loyal confidante and someone he can rely on. Though he now leads a demonic horde toward the wall, this is not the end, but a process—merely one part of a greater current. He will surely… guide us all to a better path.]

“Is that so?”

With war imminent, the words didn't quite resonate, but Aslan nodded silently. Even if she couldn't fully trust the Chairman, she understood the anguish and sorrow written in Roen's diary.

[Never give up, and do not lose your faith in Roen, Duchess Aslan. In time, you will understand everything….]

Ksshk, kssshk—.

The Chairman's voice faded into a burst of static. The powerful flow of demonic energy had severed the magic device's connection.

Aslan lifted her gaze. Far beyond the horizon, the demonic horde was gradually coming into view.

Gwoooo—.

From beyond the darkness, a tidal wave of demons surged toward the wall, drawing closer with every passing moment. Aslan put the communication device in her pocket, drew the sword from her hip, and raised it high into the air.

Shing—.

Then, she turned to the knights lined up along the ramparts and commanded in a powerful voice, “Listen up! The demon army's first target is our Devalis family—the Shield of Humanity and the vanguard against the demonic tide! This is only to be expected! Everyone, fight with the resolve to die, but do not die! You must survive, so that one day you can look back on this and tell the tale over drinks!”

“Ooooh!!”

Torches blazed in the darkness. A cry filled with resolute will echoed through the dark clouds hanging over the wall.

“It is over.”

A week after the assault on the wall began, Gilean came to Roen at the demon army's main camp to deliver his report.

“The Devalis family's triple wall has fallen, and the great demon army has successfully set foot in the human world.”

This was the result of halting all sporadic battles across the continent and concentrating the entire demon army on a single point. Consequently, the demon army had destroyed the triple wall—which the Devalis family had defended for hundreds of years—in just one week.

It was a monumental victory, one of the few of its kind in the history of the Demon World, but Roen merely nodded, his expression dark.

“…I see.”

For the leader of the great demon army, it was a report of victory, but to Roen, it was more painful than news of defeat. No one would be happy to hear that their former home, the place where their loved ones lived and fought to protect, had fallen.

As Roen struggled to hide his anguish, Gilean continued, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as if to ensure he heard. “However, there are pockets of resistance remaining. The head of the Devalis family is among them.”

“…”

Roen, who had been listening in silence, shot up from his seat. He then called to Ciel, who was attending him. “Ciel, come with me.”

“…Yes, Lord Roen.”

Ciel, also unable to hide her sorrowful expression, followed him.

Smoke rose from all corners of the city.

The three great walls and the Devalis main castle, Black Keep, were completely shattered. Its past glory was gone, leaving only the scorched and broken remains of brick and stone. Flames engulfed the once-prosperous city, which was now filled with nothing but death and screams.

Although the power of the Demon King's Territory and the covenant permitted only clean, direct killing in place of any other atrocities, the result was just as horrific. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The terrible landscape he had seen every time he played Myrillin Saga was now unfolding before his very eyes.

Roen felt a rage that made his blood boil, and a fear and guilt that made ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his entire body tremble like a leaf.

Stagger—.

As Roen swayed, nearly falling, Ciel quickly supported him.

“Hah, hah.”

He had braced himself for this, but facing the devastation firsthand felt like his mind was about to break.

But separate from those emotions, Roen could feel an immense energy gathering toward him from all over the ruined city. It was a powerful negative energy, released as beings of order perished—a power born from fear, sorrow, despair, and rage.

The power was so immense that it felt comparable to what he had gained during his first succession ritual. Roen silently looked down at his trembling hands.

So this is the power the Demon God desired.

The source of the great power it sought to obtain through the Human-Demon War.

Indeed, with this power, it seemed possible to remove the wedge that had stolen his race's potential and break the covenant.

Wooooong—.

With every step he took through the ruined city, the Orb of Life and the Karma Orb in his pocket vibrated intensely. Roen manipulated space to quiet them and headed for the location where the remnants of the Devalis family were said to be.

It was a place far from the main Devalis castle: Morepit Village, where Roen had once been attacked by the village chief. The village was completely destroyed, reduced to ashes.

In a corner, a blood-soaked Aslan and her knights were surrounded by several Venerables. Aslan, gasping for breath, spotted Roen and forced a smile.

“You’re here.”

Aslan was smiling, even as her life hung by a thread.

“…Sister.”

Aslan, who had always been so confident and beautiful, now lay fallen like a wounded lioness. Roen swallowed the heart-wrenching pain and forced himself to speak.

“Didn’t I send you a letter beforehand?”

Prior to the invasion, Roen had sent a letter to Aslan. It stated that if she surrendered immediately, the lives of the Devalis family and their retainers would be guaranteed.

To this, Aslan replied, “You fool, did you really think I would accept that? Do you still not know your own sister?”

“…”

That was right. Aslan was not the kind of person who would abandon her people just to save herself and her retainers. Roen knew that all too well. He had sent the letter clinging to a sliver of hope.

Aslan struggled to stanch the bleeding from her missing arm as she asked in a trembling voice, “Why on earth did you do this? What made you this way? Was it because I wasn't enough?”

Although the Grand Mage Ain Soph had hinted that this was all part of a plan, that meant little to her now. The city had fallen to the demon invasion, and tens of thousands of soldiers and citizens had been slaughtered. Aslan was far too righteous to dismiss it as a necessary sacrifice for the greater good or as part of some grand design.

But Aslan didn't resent or blame Roen. She knew that the person who was most heartbroken right now was likely Roen himself. She could tell just by looking at her brother's face.

That was why Aslan turned all the blame upon herself. Blaming him for the cruel fate he was born into would be far too cruel.

Roen shook his head at Aslan's question. “No. You’ve done nothing wrong, Sister.”

How could Aslan be at fault? She was the girl who had cared for Roen so devotedly since childhood and had struggled to take her father's place after Kaiser's death. She was his only family, the one who had silently endured his strange and wicked deeds while always supporting him. There could be no better sister than her.

“So… please rest for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a while.”

Shhhk—.

Roen manipulated space, and it swallowed the wounded Aslan.

Shwiiik—.

The Seclusion Space—a realm where time does not flow. In there, her wounds would not worsen. There, at least, Aslan could forget all the world's sorrows and worries and rest for a time. In the meantime, he could prepare a way to heal her, or even create a new body for her.

However, some of the Venerables were displeased by Roen's actions. To spare the enemy commander in their first battle since the war began—a battle that should have been a commemorative victory—was an insult to their efforts.

They had reason to be dissatisfied, but Roen paid them no mind. Of course, the Venerables also understood Roen's feelings to some extent, so they remained silent.

In the uncomfortable silence, Gilean bowed his head and spoke. “The first battle has concluded successfully. Congratulations, my King.”

At Gilean's words, Roen, who had been silently composing himself, opened his mouth.

“Congratulations?”

He lifted his head to glare at Gilean, red tears welling in his eyes.

“No. This is only the beginning.”

Roen gritted his teeth as tears of blood streamed down his cheeks.

“I will never forget what happened today. I will see it repaid.”

Although his words lacked a specific subject, Gilean and the other Venerables felt an inexplicable fear from his vow.