Chapter 685: The Best Candidate
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 685: The Best Candidate
"Gutons Fortress... a city appearing out of nowhere... sounds like some weird rumor you could buy for two Emiels on a street corner."
"Indeed. It is bizarre, yet not entirely beyond the realm of possibility. For the Demon Race, erecting a city overnight is not an impossible feat."
"Given the sheer scale of the Demon Race, I suppose that's true."
Muen nodded.
In an era of magic and fighting spirit, building a city in a single night wasn't something to lose sleep over.
"But from what I've seen, the demons don't seem particularly adept at magic?"
"The Demon Race is indeed poor at magic. Aside from a small portion of the royal bloodlines, they possess almost no magical talent. However, that doesn't hinder their ability to raise a city in a night."
"Then what you're saying is, Mr. Verner..."
"What is truly concerning... is the purpose of Gutons Fortress," Verner said.
"Its purpose?"
"The demons within the Abyss do not have a tight, regulated system like the Empire. Their way of life is actually closer to a tribal system. Various demon tribes revolve around powerful High-Class Demons, carving out their own territories within the Abyss and fighting one another for survival resources."
Verner drew his sword and traced a large circle on the ground. "This represents the Abyss."
Then he drew several smaller circles inside. "And these are the individual demon tribes."
"In the past, whenever the demons attempted to break through the defensive lines of the various nations and emerge from the Abyss, it was usually a Grand Duke summoning his Demon Generals, who would then rally their respective tribes to form a demonic army."
"So, despite there being five gaps in the Abyss, the demons were always fighting their own separate battles, which is why they could never break through any of them?" Muen asked.
"While geographical advantages played a part—the Empire's gap is the largest, and we have always borne the brunt of the pressure—I believe the primary reason the demons haven't left the Abyss in centuries lies in their internal structure."
Verner drew more scattered circles, representing the chaotic and fragmented state of the Abyss in the past. These demons lived in a jumbled mess throughout the Abyss; even with ferocity and physical capabilities far exceeding humans, they simply couldn't find a way out of their cage.
"They really are like nomads."
"Nomads? Yes. The demons' former way of life was nomadic—nomads without horses. They lived by chasing the resources of the Abyss. In such a barren environment, every powerful demon is extremely selfish and cold. Consequently, it is difficult for a ruler to emerge who can command everyone's respect."
Finally, with a flick of his blade, Verner drew a perfect circle right in the center of the others.
"But now, that city—Gutons Fortress—has appeared. It’s as if the entire Demon Race suddenly found a backbone and became united. Or rather, the High-Class Demons have united. As for the Low Demons... they have always been nothing more than livestock to be driven. The only difference now is that more livestock are being driven to the same place."
Under Verner’s sword tip, arrows began to point from the scattered circles toward the central one.
"All of this—the strange movements of the demons, their newfound cooperation—began the moment we received word of Gutons Fortress. But the most unsettling part is that before we could fully investigate the city, our intelligence sources within the Abyss suddenly went dark."
"...Something happened to them?"
"We don't know."
A flash of sorrow crossed Verner’s face.
Every person brave enough to venture deep into the Abyss was a hero of humanity. From the moment they stepped into that darkness, their lives were forfeit to uncertainty.
Muen’s lip twitched. The Abyss was indeed perilous for ordinary people... but he remembered two young ladies who were currently "speed-leveling" in there. He wondered if this Gutons Fortress would catch their attention.
"However, in the final message we received, our people mentioned two words that caught our attention." The sadness on Verner’s face vanished quickly; as a soldier, he didn't have the luxury of grieving for long.
"What words?"
"Demon King."
Verner looked Muen in the eye and slowly spoke the title.
"What? The Demon King?"
Muen was startled, his expression instantly turning grim. "Are you certain?"
"I am certain, because I handled that intelligence report personally. However, based on those two words alone, we cannot know if this 'Demon King' refers to a mythical figure that exists only in demon legends—a false king with no record in Imperial history—or a new king who has recently risen among them."
"..."
Muen opened his mouth but said nothing.
No, that wasn't right.
The Demon King wasn't a myth, and the demons wouldn't just "birth" a new king.
If Gutons Fortress truly was related to a Demon King, then that demon could only be...
The King of the Demon Race who appeared as a late-game boss in the original story!
Connecting this with his previous suspicions, the sense of foreboding in Muen’s heart grew stronger.
If that Demon King had truly made an early appearance, then the demons' current unity made perfect sense.
"Why wasn't such vital intelligence sent back to the Empire?"
Unknowingly, Muen’s voice had grown raspy. Since he hadn't read the "Demon King" chapters of the original work, he didn't know much about the entity itself.
"We wanted to. But the Empire two months ago... Young Master Muen should know better than I what kind of period that was," Verner said, shaking his head.
"...Fair point."
Muen thought about it and closed his eyes helplessly.
It had been the right call not to send it back then.
That was the height of his and Celicia’s struggle against the Inner Council. The Inner Council was clearly in league with the demons; that intelligence would have only made the situation more precarious.
"At that time, neither I nor the Duke knew who in the Empire could be trusted. Even if we had told you or the current Empress, it wouldn't have helped. Therefore, we suppressed the information regarding Gutons Fortress; only a handful of people know of it.
"But then, the Duke made a decision. He believed that regardless of whether a 'Demon King' had appeared, we could not allow a city that unified the entire Demon Race to exist within the Abyss.
"The Duke already suspected that a unified demon force would launch a total assault on the human realms, and the most likely breakthrough point would be our Empire."
"So that's why Father chose to take the initiative and attack?"
Muen suppressed his turbulent emotions and whispered, "That's just like him."
"Yes, that is the Duke... that is the way of the Lion King."
Verner sighed. "Unfortunately, we were still a step too slow. Or rather, we didn't expect the demons to move so quickly. In just over a month, they gathered five Grand Dukes and an army of hundreds of thousands... Caught off guard, the advancing Imperial army suffered a crushing defeat. I believe that was the most bitter loss the Duke has faced in his entire life."
"That doesn't count as a failure." Muen lowered his gaze and said seriously, "It's only a temporary setback."
"Ha... you're right. It's not a failure."
Verner smiled at those words, his hand brushing against the still-sturdy stone of the fortress wall.
"As long as Dolonslei Fortress stands, how can we call it a failure?"
But then, Verner’s eyes dimmed again.
"Actually, my greatest fear right now isn't that the demons will take this fortress. It's that those bastards are brewing something even more terrifying... and we are completely oblivious to it. The Empire is powerful; it won't fall just because one fortress is lost. But the unknown... the unknown is always frightening."
"The unknown... huh?"
Muen chewed on those words.
"It is indeed frightening."
Knowing the enemy is plotting something but being unable to do anything except wait for the blow to fall... anyone would feel uneasy.
"Ah... my apologies. I shouldn't have said all this, but I ended up rambling to you, Young Master Muen."
Verner suddenly wiped his face, clearing away his worried expression. He sheathed his sword and smiled at Muen.
"Please don't take these words to heart. Just consider it me venting a little."
"Just venting?"
Muen raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, just venting. No one blames a man for venting, and no one blames the person who listens. Wouldn't you agree, Young Master Muen?"
Verner looked at Muen calmly once more.
His gaze was like the Lion King's—very infectious—but it lacked that aggressive edge, appearing much gentler.
And standing before him was the Lion King's son, possessing the same deep, azure eyes.
The two of them stared at each other in silence.
"Well then, I shall say goodnight once more, Young Master Muen."
Verner placed a hand over his chest and bowed. "This time, I truly wish you a good night's sleep."
"Yeah, goodnight."
Muen nodded, watching as Verner bid his farewell and quickly vanished into the night.
On such a busy night, it must have been incredibly difficult for him to carve out this time without anyone noticing.
"I will. I'll have a good dream."
Turning around, Muen felt the wind—thick with the scent of blood—as he gazed out over the vast expanse of the Abyss.
The war was still ongoing, and it wouldn't end anytime soon.
Endless Low Demons would charge this wall today, tomorrow, the day after... and presumably every day until the city fell, throwing their lives away without fear.
But...
To be honest, Muen’s personal impact on the war itself was now very small.
He had already fulfilled his role. He had boosted morale, cured his father’s poison, and rooted out the mole... effectively making the fortress several times stronger. That was essentially everything he could do for now.
As for the battle itself, he couldn't actually help much.
He couldn't charge into the demon army and slaughter his way through them seven times over, nor could he stand on the wall and challenge a Grand Duke to a duel.
From here on, he would likely be like any other soldier, boringly and tediously defending this spot, killing one Low Demon after another as they scaled the wall.
"But you can never kill all the Low Demons."
Muen’s gaze swept over the dense swarms of demons below, then lifted toward the vast horizon beyond...
*
"Oho, the first shipment of supplies from Her Majesty has arrived?"
In the conference hall, Lorne finally looked a bit more energized as he read the rare bit of good news.
"Look at this, there's even a greeting from Her Majesty. Dammit, I'm out here fighting to the death with demons and I only get a few formulaic words of greeting, but this kid... Tsk tsk, two whole pages dedicated to him. What is this? Is she greeting us, or is this a love letter to the boy? It's infuriating!"
"Duke, your smile is practically reaching your ears..."
"Donnik, shut up!"
"Oh..."
"Verner, look at this. Her Majesty actually sent an extra hundred siege magic cannons. It's clear she's supporting us with everything she's got."
"Yes. I heard Her Majesty has personally gone to the border to oversee things. It seems we don't need to worry about the Kingdom's side," Verner replied.
"Hmph, whether it's these demon scraps or those cowards from the Kingdom, they're far from being able to shake our Empire... Hahaha..."
Lorne laughed heartily. Infected by his laughter, the heavy atmosphere in the conference hall cleared, and everyone couldn't help but smile.
"Duke, there's a letter for you."
"What? More good news?"
Lorne took a letter from his personal guard and laughed.
"See? The good news just keeps coming, one after anoth—"
Suddenly.
Lorne’s expression changed.
It was like a sunny day suddenly being swallowed by dark clouds and lightning.
The atmospheric pressure in the room plummeted. The laughter died instantly; everyone was suddenly afraid to even breathe loudly.
"Wha... What? How can this be?"
The hand Lorne used to hold the letter trembled slightly. With his level of composure, even if five demon Grand Dukes teamed up to attack again, he wouldn't have been this rattled.
But he was rattled now.
And after the panic came extreme fury.
In an instant, he pieced together the cause and effect.
It wasn't hard to guess—at least, it was easier to guess than finding the mole in the fortress.
"Was it you?"
Lorne whipped his head around to look at Verner.
"Did you tell Muen?"
"...Yes," Verner answered calmly and frankly. "I told Young Master Muen."
"You motherfuck—"
With a thunderous punch, Verner was sent flying, crashing through the conference hall and slamming into the silver cliffside behind the building.
This ferocious strike didn't kill Verner, despite his modest cultivation, but it shattered his bones and left him in agonizing pain.
Looking up, he saw the enraged Lion King already before him, gripping him by the throat.
"Why? Verner, do you dare to disobey my orders now?"
"Cough... I wouldn't dare."
"Then how the hell did you dare say those things to my son? You should know that if he found out, he would definitely..."
"I know... cough... It's precisely because I knew that I said it, isn't it?"
Facing the Lion King's fury, Verner actually smiled through his intense pain.
"The Duke understands as well... Just like me, after seeing that battle, I knew. The current Young Master Muen is the best candidate."