Chapter 2 - If you want it, fight for it
Chapter 2 - If you want it, fight for it
After leaving the Combat Magic lecture hall, Yulia moved on to attend her next class.
It was a class schedule crafted not by her own will, but by her uncle and those watching over her.
It felt strongly like they were determined to prevent her from doing anything of her own volition. While it was deeply frustrating, they had cleverly included classes she was actually interested in, so she couldn't just ignore it.
"Greetings, cadets. I am in charge of Continental History..."
"I will be teaching Magic Theory this term..."
However, even while listening to those lectures, Yulia couldn't focus at all.
These were classes she was supposedly interested in, and the professors were decent, too.
No matter how hard she tried to concentrate, it just wasn't happening.
'...That woman.'
She was annoying. Very, extremely annoying.
She was definitely an elf cadet. The kind of elf woman who supposedly looked down on human men so much.
Yet, someone like that had approached Klaus, radiating her charm to an excessive degree.
The way she acted, as if she were dealing with her lover or paramour, really got on Yulia's nerves.
'The elf woman is one thing, but Professor Klaus's expression...'
Yulia wasn't just angry because of Natasha.
She had clearly seen it: Klaus's face flushing with momentary fluster when that elf woman approached him in an outfit that revealed her cleavage.
Anyone could see that Klaus's expression was that of a man blindsided by a woman's sudden seduction.
That was exactly what bothered Yulia so much.
When she had tried to seduce him with the exact same outfit and the exact same vibe as that elf woman, he hadn't even pretended to fall for it, had he?
Yet why did he have that look, that vibe, for that elf?
Why! That man who hadn't shown even the slightest hint of wavering in front of her!
'What's the difference! What on earth is different between me and that elf that makes his reaction so different!'
This was a matter of pride—pride as a woman, and pride as a demon.
She had no desire to brag, but Yulia knew she was beautiful.
She had used that as a weapon before, and she had tried to emphasize that part to Klaus, but it hadn't worked.
While she had failed so miserably, the elf had succeeded in shaking that man up.
And it didn't even seem like there was that much of a difference!
'...Is she bigger than me?'
Sseuk-.
Yulia stopped walking down the hallway and stealthily looked down at her own chest.
She couldn't really tell from this angle, so she walked up to a glass pane and gave her chest a subtle touch.
'There isn't really a huge difference...'
To be honest, the elf woman's chest was a bit bigger.
Her cadet uniform was bulging as if it were about to burst, and the space between her breasts looked so narrow that even a single stick would be wedged tight if inserted there.
She even wondered if Klaus was the type to be weak to that sort of thing.
But if that were the case, why had there been no reaction in her own case?
She definitely wasn't on the small side, either. If anything, as the Demon King, her chest was something she could be more confident about than any other demon woman.
'Or was that woman more beautiful?'
Examining her reflection in the glass, Yulia thought for a moment before shaking her head.
The elf woman was certainly beautiful. Should she say she looked like a flower blooming in a forest?
However, Yulia could confidently say that her own charm was by no means lacking compared to such a woman.
Smart as she was, Yulia couldn't possibly be unaware that the nobles on the demon side, starting with her own uncle, were secretly eyeing her.
With the immense power of the Demon King and the beauty befitting that position, she would be the ultimate prize they would absolutely want to get their hands on.
'It's not this, and it's not that. ...Ah, could it be?'
Another possibility popped into Yulia's mind.
It was none other than the difference in race—that is, the fact that the race Klaus had fought alongside might be the deciding factor, as opposed to the race he had risked his life fighting against.
Yulia herself was the monarch of the demons, whom Klaus had fought while losing his own subordinates.
Conversely, that woman was an elf who had fought with all her might on the side of the Western Alliance.
Yulia thought that if it were between her, the very embodiment of his enemy, and someone who could be considered a comrade-in-arms, Klaus would unconditionally choose the comrade.
'So that woman must be an elf trying to seduce Professor Klaus.'
She had figured out the identity of her rival when she saw her face while buttoning her shirt earlier.
Natasha Belarus, a woman from the Belarus family, well-known in the elf world.
Why on earth was an elf woman, who supposedly lived for her own vanity, clinging to a human man like that?
They should have just thoroughly ignored him like they usually do; the fact that they were treating him differently just because he was a war hero was something that really irritated Yulia.
Although the elf had fought in the Continental War as a member of the Western Alliance, she had no connection to Klaus.
They had mainly fought on the Northern and Central fronts, so one could say there was almost no connection to the humans who had been in charge of the Southern Front.
Above all, seeing an elf woman, who looked down on humans and men so much, act like that left Yulia dumbfounded and incredulous.
'But then again, humans, and men in general, have many fantasies about elves. Even among our demons, there were many who considered elf female slaves to be top-tier goods. Professor Klaus might not be any different. After all, he is human and a man.'
When her thoughts reached that point, Yulia bit her lip in frustration.
If her uncle really was in a relationship where he was secretly talking to the elves, and if the elf side recruited Klaus to solidify their power and joined hands with her uncle, she would have no chance.
Why did Yulia think she had no chance?
If the Western Alliance, with the elves as the main axis, were to shake things up by demanding that the Eastern demons take responsibility for the whole situation, that the Demon King step down, and that a new Demon King capable of leading the continent to peace be installed, her uncle would act as if he were swayed by it.
And then he would incite the demons, claiming they must oust the Demon King who symbolized the horrific era and install a new king worthy of the new era.
'It would be the most disgraceful event in the history of the Demon King family. I wouldn't be able to face my ancestors.'
Before the war ended, the previous Demon King, Yulia's father, had died, and the Demon King who succeeded him was none other than herself.
In other words, from the Western Alliance's perspective, whether Yulia was a Demon King who ascended at the beginning of the war or at the tail end, they would think she was involved in the war, so they would clamor that it was only right for her to take full responsibility and step down.
'That kind of sentiment has been subtly circulating for a few years now. At least until then, there were some Loyalist Faction members from her father's time left, so it hadn't surfaced, but...'
The position of Demon King was clearly a noble and great position, signifying the monarch of the demons.
It was literally the supreme power of the East, before whom no demon dared to raise their head.
However, the meaning behind the name "Demon King" had faded significantly over the past few decades.
Especially during the time when Yulia's father was the Demon King, the power of various noble families grew rapidly, while the authority of the Demon King shrank significantly, causing the former strength to disappear completely.
In the midst of that, Yulia's uncle, whom she had naturally assumed was on the Demon King family's side, took the lead in keeping the Demon King in check, causing the Demon King to lose his most reliable card and eventually die of illness while living in a state of near-confinement.
Yulia was the one who succeeded him as Demon King, but she was someone for whom even the title "King" was ambiguous.
'The Western Alliance doesn't know our situation yet, so they'll try to keep me, the Demon King, in check. In reality, I've had all my actual power and influence stripped away, and I'm so fragmented that I can barely protect myself.'
Yulia gritted her teeth.
To restore the authority of the Demon King, which had truly fallen to the ground, she needed something that could leave a deep impression on the demons.
Some would try to fill that void with economic policies, others with internal purges, and some with a new war.
And Yulia had been trying to win back the hearts of the demons by focusing on new resource development after creating a true atmosphere of peace and reconciliation between the Western Alliance and the Eastern demons.
That was why Yulia had to pull Klaus under her wing even more.
If she, the Demon King, stepped up and took a war hero under her command, the evaluation of her would change.
If the hearts of the demons returned to her because of that, the current Demon King intended to first oust her uncle and his faction, who were the biggest obstacles, and head toward a true atmosphere of peace.
'I need power. And I also need absolute fame and authority. Half of the participants in the Continental War are allied with my uncle, and the rest are staying neutral, just watching the situation. Only a very small number are loyal to the Demon King family. This alone is not enough. I must have something that shows my power and authority.'
Thinking that, Yulia finished listening to the last lecture of the day and returned to her room.
How on earth could she pull in that Klaus, the Devil of the South, the hero of the Continental War?
She pondered that question seriously.
"...Huh?"
Then, Yulia noticed her door was slightly ajar and looked around.
However, she didn't feel anything in particular, and no suspicious presence was detected inside the room.
'What is this? Did I not close the door properly when I left this morning?'
But she soon shook her head vigorously, as if that were absolutely impossible.
She already knew that several watchers sent by her uncle were attached to her.
They were probably checking her every move and reporting it.
If she tried to escape their surveillance, it was clear that she would invite greater suspicion and vigilance, so Yulia had intentionally continued a life where she was exposed to them.
However, thinking she had to recruit Klaus, she had shaken off their surveillance twice.
Perhaps that had acted as a negative factor, leading to what was happening now.
Kkiiik-.
She carefully opened the door and drew up her magic power in preparation for any contingency.
But there was still no presence felt, and the room was exactly as it had been before she left.
Just as Yulia closed the door and was about to take a step, wondering what on earth was going on.
Hwirik-.
Peoeok!
Her vision went dark, and her body went limp.
She didn't even have the thought of what was happening.
Barely managing to scan her surroundings, Yulia soon saw a familiar face.
One of the subordinates who had guarded her uncle's side. A person who had been pushed out due to excessive loyalty.
This had happened before. He had tried to forcibly take her to her uncle.
However, she had heard that because there was no justification, he had been immediately cast out by her uncle after the action was reported.
'This crazy bastard, he actually went this far.'
The problem was that this subordinate was also a skilled individual.
She hadn't expected that assuming there would only be a few watchers would be the deciding factor.
Kkiik-.
As her consciousness faded, Yulia vaguely felt the sound of the door opening again.
"Tsk."
The sound of someone clicking their tongue felt familiar for some reason.