The Raid on Thebes
The assault of the wicked demonfolk. The city of Thebes, located in the northern part of the Falcon Empire, had a population of ten thousand. While it could not be called large in scale, its position at a vital strategic point within the empire meant it saw a considerable amount of transient traffic. And right now, on the outskirts of this city shrouded in thick darkness, a group of black shadows had appeared, cautiously surveying their surroundings.
“What about the city’s defenses?”
“Exactly as you anticipated. The perimeter is utterly lax at the moment.”
“It appears that, just as Lady Shude said, the majority of their forces were pulled away to support the war against the elves.”
“As expected… Everything is proceeding precisely according to plan.”
At her subordinates’ reports, Shude’s lips curved into a satisfied smile.
This operation had been ordered by the Demon King himself. As the chief architect of the plan to disguise themselves as demonfolk and launch a surprise assault on the Falcon Empire, Shude had selected Thebes over numerous other cities. Its position in the empire’s north made it easy to draw troops away in response to the southeastern conflict, and its high volume of transient population meant its defenses were inevitably more relaxed than other regions.
Yet those were merely secondary factors. The true reason she had chosen Thebes as the primary target lay elsewhere.
In the residential district at the city’s center stood the house where the high priestess Aileen and her lover, Torare, currently resided. Given Aileen’s duties that required her to travel across many regions, settling in Thebes offered her relative convenience. And because Shude, as a former comrade, understood these details perfectly, she had designated this location as the objective—allowing her to complete her mission while simultaneously kidnapping the man she desired.
Having fully prepared for the assault alongside roughly a hundred witches—including herself—all transformed into demonfolk using magical tools, Shude now spotted one of her subordinates rushing toward them in haste.
“The eastern rampart has also completed preparations.”
“Then let us begin at once.”
“Good. We move immediately.”
“Yes!”
After the final inspection, Shude and her subordinates sprang into action. Beneath a sky so dark that even the moon refused to shine, they vaulted over the wall with effortless magic. The witches of the Magic Kingdom then moved with blinding speed, their footsteps completely silenced by sound-dampening spells.
Though they could see the guards standing watch with lazy, undisciplined postures, the witches deliberately left them untouched. Their objective was not a pointless skirmish with sentries that would only create unnecessary noise—it was something far greater.
“Hoo…”
“Thankfully, we remain undetected.”
The witches had reached the warehouse district, located a fair distance from the wall. Realizing that arriving here meant the operation was already half complete, they let out small sighs of relief.
After glancing over her subordinates, the squad leader entrusted with Shude’s authority issued her orders in a firm voice.
“Begin.”
“Yes!”
The moment permission was granted, the witches began raising their mana. They leveled the staffs in their hands toward the warehouses before them. And then—
-KWAGWAGWANG!!!
A cataclysmic explosion erupted from the simultaneous detonation of over a hundred witches. The deafening roar shook the entire city. Residents who had been sleeping peacefully in the darkness scrambled from their beds and rushed outside, desperate to discover the source of the commotion.
“Wh-what in the world was that sound?”
“L-look! Over there!”
“What is that…? What the hell is…?”
The shocking sight that met the citizens’ eyes was the warehouse district engulfed in vivid crimson flames, belching thick black smoke that remained clearly visible even in the dead of night. As they realized their precious belongings stored inside were being reduced to ashes with every passing second, the people began moving frantically to salvage the situation.
“Damn it! Hurry! If we delay any longer, everything we own will turn to nothing but ash!”
“Put out the fire! If you can’t, at least save whatever you can carry!”
Some grabbed buckets while others pulled carts, all of them racing desperately toward the warehouses. But the moment they arrived, an entirely unexpected scene froze them in place.
The figures blocking their path were a group of demonfolk—complete with black wings and horns.
“Th-this can’t be…”
“How…? How are demonfolk here?”
The citizens fell into chaos and terror at the appearance of beings they had never anticipated. Watching their panic, the demonfolk adjusted the staffs and swords in their hands and unleashed their mana. Then—
“Gasp!”
“It’s… dangerous…!”
-KWAGWAGWANG!!!
The demonfolk’s attacks rained down upon the defenseless civilians. Blazing orbs of flame that glowed with horrific light in the darkness instantly claimed the lives of everyone at the front of the crowd.
“Uwaaaaaagh!!!”
“Run! It’s a demonfolk assault!”
“The devils of hell have invaded us!”
Because of the long racial war, ordinary people viewed demonfolk as nothing less than absolute enemies—devils who harbored nothing but hatred for humanity. And now, exactly as that common belief dictated, the demonfolk were slaughtering these ordinary civilians without mercy.
After massacring people who possessed neither combat intent nor weapons, the demonfolk did not pursue the fleeing survivors. Instead, they melted back into the darkness and vanished.
By the time soldiers finally arrived after grasping the situation, neither the demonfolk nor any other culprits remained. The only traces left behind were weapons from the Demon Kingdom scattered across the ground and a few tokens that identified the attackers as demonfolk. Naturally, the lord and generals overseeing Thebes concluded that this was an act of revenge by demonfolk who had crossed the sea.
And so they never reached the truth. They never learned the true identities of those who had orchestrated the attack, nor what additional events had unfolded during its execution. With the power available to them, they could discern nothing accurately.
It’s cutting things rather close.
Shude moved alone through the darkness with secretive grace. She was pouring every ounce of her mana into reaching her destination as quickly as possible. Although she had managed to slip away from her subordinates with a suitable excuse, the time she had left was not generous.
Soon her subordinates would begin causing chaos in the warehouse district according to the plan. Once that happened, a large portion of the city’s residents would undoubtedly rush outside to investigate the explosions. Among them might very well be the man she had come to claim… Torare.
If that happens, searching for Lord Torare inside this city would be like trying to find a needle in a desert. I must reach him before then, no matter what…
Driven by urgency, Shude flew swiftly toward Aileen’s house, which had finally come into view. But at that exact moment—
-KWAGWANG!!!
“!”
Shude stifled a grunt as a violent explosion rang in her ears. Worried that Torare might be coming outside, she focused every ounce of her attention on the house. If he emerged, she vowed she would not let him slip away.
Fortunately, there was no sign of the door opening. Shude exhaled in automatic relief, having successfully reached her target.
Could they have already fallen asleep so deeply that they didn’t wake up? If so, that would be incredibly convenient for me…
With that thought, she approached the house with extreme caution. Yet the moment she drew near, her eyes caught the glow of lamplight leaking from behind thick curtains. Doubt immediately rose within her.
What is this? If the lights are on, they must still be awake…
One might assume Torare simply wished to avoid involvement in the disturbance and had chosen to remain indoors. However, knowing how sensitive he usually was to danger, this behavior felt distinctly abnormal.
What on earth is happening…? Are they doing something inside?
Pushing the question aside for now, Shude carefully unlocked the door with magic and slipped into the house. What greeted her was a pitch-black hallway and, at its far end, a room emitting a faint, hazy light.
“Torare… my lord?”
A strange, ominous feeling washed over her. Recognizing the unease, Shude cautiously called his name as she reached the illuminated room. She slowly opened the door. And the moment she did—
She was struck by an overwhelmingly intense shock at the scene before her eyes.
Two figures were visible. One was Torare—the man she knew well. No… the man she had believed she knew well. The other was a woman she had never seen before. A woman wearing not a single thread of clothing, locked in an intimate act with Torare.