Chapter 656: Farewell
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 656: Farewell
"Father..."
Muen’s hand froze. For a fleeting moment, the veins on the back of his hand pulsed with suppressed fury before quickly subsiding.
"Is he alright?" Muen asked, his voice eerily calm.
Celicia turned to look at him. His handsome face showed no trace of anger or panic, but his azure eyes had grown as dark and inscrutable as a deep-sea trench.
"Rest assured, his life is not in immediate danger."
Celicia took Muen’s hand in hers. "The situation there is critical, but it hasn't reached the point of total collapse. Have faith in your father. The Lion King has repelled countless Demon incursions; he won't fall so easily from a single setback."
"I see..."
Muen let out a nearly imperceptible sigh of relief, his tense body finally relaxing.
"So, what exactly happened? What could cause such tension throughout the Empire?"
"The Demons made a massive move this time."
Celicia handed a report to Muen.
"Five Demon Dukes joined forces to force a breach through our army's ranks. Three of them coordinated an assault on Duke Lorne Campbell, leaving him severely wounded."
"Five Demon Dukes..."
Muen scanned the intelligence report.
Though the descriptions were brief, the sheer brutality of the battle bled through the parchment. To forcibly tear through an army of hundreds of thousands, pinpoint the commander-in-chief, and use numerical superiority to hunt him down... it was a terrifyingly precise maneuver.
And yet, facing an onslaught that should have been certain death, his father had emerged "severely wounded." Even Muen, who had faced several Evil Gods by now, couldn't help but marvel—the name of the Lion King was well-earned.
"If I recall, the entire Demon race only has eight Grand Dukes. And one was recently killed by the Indra King, so there should only be seven left," Muen noted, his expression grim.
"Correct. There are only seven now."
Celicia rose from her throne and walked to the center of the Throne Hall, stopping beside a massive map that had been prepared.
The Empire in the center, the Kingdom to the north, the various small nations and the Holy City to the south, and to the west... that jagged wound that seemed to split the very earth.
The map didn't show the entire continent, but it detailed every faction likely to be swept up in the coming upheaval.
The northern border between the Empire and the Kingdom, as well as the Abyssal region to the west, were covered in dense clusters of arrows. The bright red ink looked like fresh blood, jarring to the nerves.
"There are only seven Demon Dukes, and the Demon race is hardly a monolith. Even the Kingdom’s western border touches the Abyss; they have to station troops there to fend off Demon attacks. It’s only because of the terrain that the Kingdom doesn't face the same pressure the Empire does."
Celicia traced her finger along the length of the Abyss from north to south.
"Before I received this news, I didn't believe the Demons had the resources to pull five Dukes and a massive army away from other fronts to attack us... but it happened. Reports from the west say the current Demon offensive is incredibly fierce. Our legions have suffered heavy losses."
"So, the Kingdom and the Demons have joined forces?"
Following Celicia’s logic, Muen was left with only one chilling conclusion.
"I don't know. There’s no way to prove it, and the Kingdom would never admit to it."
Celicia’s hand slowly clenched over the map, a flash of irrepressible fury in her cold eyes.
"But the only thing that matters is that the worst-case scenario for the Empire has come to pass. We are now facing the one thing we wanted to avoid: a war on two fronts."
"I see..."
Muen recalled Seviel’s words. "Is this where the Kingdom gets its confidence?"
"Confidence? I suppose so. Turning the entire Demon race into a force to pin down the Empire certainly qualifies," Celicia sneered. "It’s exactly the kind of petty trick they excel at."
"Aren't they afraid of playing with fire?" Muen wondered. "The Demons don't just target the Empire. If given the chance, they’ll certainly take a bite out of the Kingdom too."
In this world, the Demons were, in a sense, much like the nomadic tribes of Muen’s previous life.
In terms of overall strength, they couldn't compare to a titan like the Empire with its population of hundreds of millions. Their production capacity was also far inferior due to the limitations of their land.
However, those monsters—forced to live in the Abyss due to the lingering corruption of the Demon God—grew up in a harsh, unforgiving environment. They survived through constant infighting and slaughter. They possessed an instinctive, primal hunger for fertile land and fresh meat—a hunger so great it made them forget the concept of death.
If the Empire’s Abyss Defense Line were to break, the Demons would be unleashed upon thousands of miles of fertile Imperial soil and countless defenseless civilians.
They would use that as nourishment to grow rapidly, greedily devouring everything in their path. Once that happened, driving them back would be an almost impossible task.
"Who knows? Perhaps to those fools in the Kingdom, as long as they can bring down the Empire, sharing the world with the Demons is an acceptable price," Celicia said tonelessly.
"Fair point."
Muen shrugged self-deprecatingly, feeling he had asked a stupid question.
Even with the end of the world looming, humanity was still prone to infighting. How could the Kingdom, blinded by generations of hatred for the Empire, possibly care about the distant future?
In their eyes, the Empire was the mortal enemy that had to be struck down immediately.
"It looks like I have to go," Muen sighed.
His father was severely injured, and the Demon offensive was relentless. More importantly, his father had been struck down in front of hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
The most urgent task now was to stabilize the army's morale.
And no one was better suited for that than the Son of the Lion King—the future successor of the Campbell line.
By every logic and duty, he had to go.
"This journey will be dangerous. And more importantly... I might not be able to give you much support."
Celicia looked into Muen’s eyes, a rare flicker of apology appearing in her gaze. "At the very least, the Empire currently has no spare troops to reinforce the Abyss Defense Line."
"Because of the Kingdom?"
"Not just the Kingdom. More importantly, we are currently in a state of internal weakness."
Celicia lowered her eyes. "We cleared out the leeches, but that didn't just leave us short on civil officials. Even the middle management of the military is severely depleted. After all, many of those positions were held by the sons and grandsons of those very same leeches."
"Junior and mid-level officers are the foundation of an army. We are working hard to promote capable people, but that takes time. If we move an army lacking a solid officer corps over a long distance, they won't just lack combat effectiveness—they’ll create chaos. That would put the Empire in even greater peril."
"And the Kingdom timed their move perfectly for this window," Muen added with a long sigh.
Looking at it this way, the Seventeenth Prince’s diplomatic mission seemed like it had been following a script from the very beginning.
The person pulling his strings probably never expected him to succeed. He was just bait, a pretext, a fuse to light the powder keg...
Whatever he was, he certainly wasn't a beloved son.
"The western provinces will do everything they can to mobilize the populace and transport supplies to ensure the logistics of the Abyss Defense Line. But for the rest... you’re truly on your own for now."
Celicia suddenly turned and hugged Muen, her warm breath hitting his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"You're the Empress of the Empire. You shouldn't be apologizing so much."
Muen smiled and stroked Celicia’s hair. "Don't worry. I've been through a lot. I might complain about my bad luck every time, but it seems my life is quite resilient."
"One year," Celicia said suddenly.
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"Hold out for one year. During this year, I will personally oversee the border."
Celicia looked up, the tenderness in her eyes instantly replaced by a terrifying, icy resolve.
"Within one year, I will utterly crush those Kingdom bastards."
"..."
As expected of Celicia—always so domineering.
Muen chuckled, his hand continuing to gently stroke her head. Celicia didn't pull away.
"And one more thing," she continued. "When you return, we will officially marry."
"..."
Muen’s hand stiffened. The melancholy of their parting vanished in an instant.
"That... so soon?"
"What? You're unwilling?"
Celicia narrowed her eyes, and a sudden chill made Muen shiver. "Or are you thinking about some other philandering cat?"
"No, no, no! I just mean... saying that right now feels like you're setting a massive flag."
Marrying after the war is over? That’s a ninety-nine percent chance of never coming back, Muen grumbled internally.
"You actually believe in such things?" Celicia gave a cold, dismissive smirk, showing her utter contempt for 'fate.'
"Don't worry."
She pulled Muen closer, as if to reassure him. "After we marry, our first child will be the next Emperor."
"The first?"
"The Imperial bloodline is thin. You didn't think one child would be enough, did you?" Celicia’s gaze turned icy again.
"No, no, you've got it wrong again."
Muen wrapped his arms around Celicia’s slender waist and said softly, "I'm just worried you'll be too tired..."
*
After leaving the palace, Muen stood in thought for a moment. He didn't return to his residence.
Instead, as the sun began to rise, he took a cheap carriage to a remote area on the outskirts of the city.
Deep within a somewhat dilapidated but clean alleyway, a wooden sign hung over a door.
Dawn Welfare Institute.
Following the recent crisis in Belland, many children had been left homeless. Muen had paid out of his own pocket to establish several orphanages in the Empress's name.
This was one of them.
A light mist still lingered in the early morning air, but the faint sound of children’s laughter could already be heard from the courtyard.
Muen knocked on the door.
Creak—
The old wooden door swung open. A withered old man stood there with his hands pressed together in a silent greeting.
"Get ready. You're coming with me."
"Where to?"
"The Abyss."
"Very well."
Without even asking for a reason, the Indra King simply nodded.
"Give me a moment. I have things to settle first."
Muen looked past the Indra King. A young girl, looking a bit slow but very adorable, was sitting on a wooden chair. One foot dangled as she struggled to put on a shoe, humming a vague, lullaby-like tune.
"No rush," Muen said with a smile. "There's always time for a farewell."
