The Son-in-Law's Conditions (1)
The large-scale subjugation operation, which had mobilized the empire’s most elite knights, had finally succeeded. The demons who had infiltrated the imperial palace were slain. And every last cultist in the Branon villa was wiped out. By eradicating the vicious cultist faction, the Valtaria Empire had proven itself a great and righteous power that revered justice.
The imperial ministers, who had been anxiously awaiting the outcome, let out thunderous cheers the moment they received the victory report.
It was a magnificent triumph that would put an end to the anxiety and terror caused by the bombing incident. The culprits behind the terrorist attack—the vile lackeys of evil—had all been slaughtered.
Yet Emperor Barbarosa Imperator Valtaria placed the safety of his youngest daughter, who had fought on the front lines, above even this great victory.
Elizabetta, who had bravely volunteered to act as bait to ensure the success of the subjugation, was returning in high spirits despite the grave concerns of so many. Though she had thrown herself into a brutal battlefield, she had not suffered a single injury.
Only after hearing the messenger’s report from the villa multiple times did Barbarosa finally set down the crushing weight of worry that had burdened him. A deep sigh escaped him, as if releasing the emotions he had kept hidden.
To successfully lure out the demon disguised as Dagilek Branon, Elizabetta had needed to draw him into the area where the knights lay in ambush. Had she not shown herself at the villa, the demon would have sensed something amiss and fled immediately. There was no denying that Elizabetta’s courageous act as bait had been decisive.
The Prime Minister, who oversaw the intelligence bureau, delivered his report. Barbarosa’s face twisted with open displeasure.
Once again, Edanant von Hohenberg had slain the enemy’s leader. The emperor’s resentment from the broken engagement still lingered. It was a very emperor-like display—his grudges ran deeper than anyone else’s.
Still… he did save Liza from that horrific bloodbath. I suppose I should at least give the hero who saved the imperial capital twice the proper treatment he deserves.
But this time, things were a little different. When the demon launched a surprise attack on Elizabetta, Edanant had stepped forward to confront it. Had he not faced the demon, the danger would have reached his daughter. Taking that into account, Barbarosa had come to regard Edanant as a benefactor of the imperial family. Of course, his hatred for the Hohenberg family remained unchanged.
“Your Majesty… there is something else.”
“What is it?”
The Prime Minister, who had taken a step forward, hesitated. Barbarosa frowned with a fierce expression and gestured for him to continue.
“All of them?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
It was only natural for the young nobles, who had been dragged into the crisis without any prior notice, to feel resentment toward the Valtaria imperial family. In a situation where even ten lives would not have been enough, they had barely escaped with their own. If one considered the matter from their perspective, it was not entirely incomprehensible.
However, the emperor took their actions as an insult to the imperial family. Every single suitor had turned away. It meant that his youngest daughter’s marriage talks had failed once again. The nobles who loved to gossip would surely begin wagging their tongues about the broken engagement.
“What?”
Who was supporting whom, and for what exactly…? The emperor’s expression hardened in an instant. He looked beyond incredulous—utterly dumbfounded.
His youngest daughter, who had received a notice of broken engagement from her fiancé, had in fact been secretly involved in a passionate affair with that same fiancé’s younger brother. It was the kind of plot one would only find in the most trashy romance novels.
Barbarosa clutched his throbbing temple and collapsed back onto his throne.
He recalled the scandal that had shaken the entire empire not long ago. The scandal between the Valtaria imperial family and the Hohenberg family. The tragic romance of a man and woman who had met because of a broken engagement between a younger sister and an older brother had become widely known. And now, not satisfied with the second daughter, he had even laid hands on the youngest…
That son of a bitch. How dare he two-time my precious daughters, whom I raised like priceless jewels?
Even if he was the hero who had saved his youngest daughter from a cruel and merciless demon, Barbarosa could not forgive him. The emperor began to regard the scoundrel who had achieved the feat of scandalizing both imperial princesses as his mortal enemy.
“Pardon…?”
“…….”
The emperor’s furious command rang out. The royal guards who had been protecting the audience chamber stepped forward to carry out the solemn imperial order. Edanant von Hohenberg—the lecher who had simultaneously ensnared two noble princesses. The man at the center of the empire-wide scandal was about to be dragged before the throne by force.
The Saintess Party, which had traversed the continent and thwarted the ascension of evil, was nothing short of a mortal enemy to the Demon King’s army and the cultist forces. That was why the surviving remnants, burning with vengeful resolve, began obsessively destroying every region and location connected to the Saintess Party.
The Fugh Kingdom—the homeland of Sword Saint Madvey. A small, peaceful nation that had lived quietly in barren wilderness without any military conflicts suddenly found itself facing a crisis of absolute doom.
Black mages who harbored a grudge against Sword Saint Madvey had opened demonic magic circles connected to the demon realm along the kingdom’s borders.
A total of fifteen portals had opened across the Fugh Kingdom. An absurdly merciless wave of evil had been unleashed upon a small nation whose entire population did not even reach fifty thousand. Countless monsters poured out. They sniffed the scent of terrified humans while gazing at the blackened sky.
The number of monsters summoned from the portals quickly surpassed several thousand. For a weak nation that lacked even a proper standing army, it was a nightmarish offensive. How long could they possibly hold out? A day? No—they would not last even half a day. Once the ravenous monsters charged like a tidal wave, the kingdom would be helplessly swept away.
The sky had turned black, and monsters descended. The citizens of the Fugh Kingdom placed their last shred of hope in the flimsy castle walls and the incompetent ruling class. But it was a futile expectation. The walls would collapse the moment the monsters’ assault began. The king and nobles, who had done nothing but strut around and collect taxes, had already fled to a nearby fortress.
They desperately called for Sword Saint Madvey. They cursed the king and nobles who had abandoned the kingdom and fled. And they prayed to the Earth Mother, letting go of their attachment to life. In a situation where only death and despair existed, hope was a luxury.
Just as the abandoned people of the Fugh Kingdom despaired over their fate and waited for death—
A flash of crimson appeared. It was a truly beautiful, flame-like scarlet. The vivid red that illuminated the blackened sky for a single instant fell straight to the ground like a meteor.
KWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA———!!!
A powerful shockwave erupted, kicking up thick clouds of dust. Immediately afterward, wings of red energy formed from pure power spread wide to the left and right, proudly displaying their immense size.
A woman with flowing golden hair appeared. The citizens stared in awe at her beautiful features and majestic presence, completely lost for words.
Someone shouted. It was a cry filled with intense hope. Color began to return to the faces of the crowd that had been spewing nothing but despair.
The forces of evil finally revealed themselves. The countless monster legions that had charged from the border had at last surrounded the city. There was no hope. The demonic beasts summoned from the portals roared for prey. They were already drooling at the prospect of a feast of fresh meat.
Ludmilla extended her hand. A scarlet haze bloomed in the sky. The dazzling haze transformed into countless fireballs and rained down. The Red Dragon’s punishment dyed the earth in flames. The monsters caught in the inferno were incinerated, leaving only ashes behind.
The citizens who witnessed the hellfire before their eyes regarded Ludmilla as a demigod. After all, only an omnipotent deity could possibly annihilate several thousand monsters in a single stroke.
Ludmilla’s eyes flashed. Her pupils were long and slit, exactly like a dragon’s. The brilliant red eyes that had once sparkled like jewels now burned fiercely like raging flames. She truly lived up to her reputation as one of the Seven Strongest of the Warring States.
Ludmilla Draig Valtaria, the Red Dragon of the Empire. With a single strike, she turned the ground into a sea of fire. The space engulfed by the dragon’s flames vanished without a trace. Even massive boulders melted instantly, transforming into lava that radiated intense heat.
The Red Dragon does not tolerate evil that threatens humanity. That was the sacred duty given to the successor of the Red Dragon.
Hoo—.
When Ludmilla exhaled, sparks of flame flowed from her lips.