VOLUME 12: CHAPTER 1

VOLUME 12: CHAPTER 1

Two cities.

One town.

Three villages.

This was the number of territories destroyed by the demons within two weeks after the portal in Cattlewood Plains opened.

After taking over the City of Meredith, killing all of its inhabitants in the process, the demon army made a beeline for the City of Volkheim, the place where one of the two Magic Academies of the Empire and the Fifth Tower of Mages were located.

The imperial army sent twenty thousand soldiers from the western territories as reinforcements for the city, but even this did nothing to repel the demons’ advance. Despite the Fifth Tower of Mages and the Magic Academy working together, the City of Volkheim fell in just two days.

The demons mercilessly slaughtered its citizens, and those who’d managed to survive were parasitized. A fleshy obelisk, similar to what was seen in Meredith, was also erected at the heart of the City of Volkheim.

The obelisk sucked the life of the land it stood on, turning the soil dry, barren, and non-arable.

At this point, the citizens of the empire already knew of the existence invading their land. They’d learned of their identities – they were no simple monsters, but demons.

Now that Meredith and Volkheim had fallen, only the City of Kreceir stood between the demons and the imperial capital.

For the first time in centuries, the Great Empire felt its existence threatened.

Even Emperor Sylvius hardly slept these days, knowing that the threat of the demons was looming ever closer.

The situation was so dire that he ordered the soldiers stationed at the border between the Empire and the Republic of Everfrost to return to the capital. He also ordered the military camps in the western and the eastern frontiers to send a large portion of their soldiers as reinforcement.

Never in his entire life had Emperor Sylvius felt so desperate.

***

[The City of Agriculture, Kreceir]

“Open the gates!”

“Make way!”

“His Royal Highness, Second Prince Quinn Lockhart Mavis, has arrived!”

Following the decree of the Emperor, Prince Quinn, together with his eighty-thousand strong army, arrived at the City of Kreceir as reinforcements.

The panic-stricken citizens of Kreceir were visibly relieved upon seeing the Second Prince’s army. Each of his foot soldiers was wearing chainmail and leather armor, the archers were equipped with a powerful bow and a quiver full of arrows, and the three thousand knights at the vanguard were all clad in full plate armor.

Moreover, they brought with them five royal court magicians, each with their own troops of mages. They also brought siege weapons and artifacts.

Unlike Meredith and Volkeim, the City of Kreceir did not have a proper military. It was an agricultural city that supplied the vast majority of the Empire’s grains.

Thus, it was indeed a relief when such a massive army finally arrived at their city gates. The citizens of Kreceir finally felt at ease.

There was nothing more reassuring than seeing tens of thousands of men wearing the insignia of the Empire, all armed to the teeth.

“Welcome! Welcome!”

The Lord of Kreceir, Jonas ‘Green Farmhand’ Vont, broadly smiled as he welcomed the Second Prince right at the southern gate.

“It’s an honor to be in the presence of His Highness, the Second Prince, the Empire’s hero!”

The Second Prince wore the same sharp expression he usually wore. His auburn hair was perfectly combed to the back, and despite being tall and muscular, he radiated an indescribable sense of elegance seen only from high-ranking nobles.

The Second Prince brought the glaive of the late General Alvaren with him. The blade of the maginus was almost as large as the Second Prince’s upper body, making it conspicuous even from afar.

Some of the citizens even wondered how the Second Prince could carry a weapon so large with ease, without compromising his posture and elegant bearing.

After repelling the parasitic demons before, the Second Prince rose to fame and gained recognition from the people, solidifying his already stable position. And the glaive he used back then became an iconic weapon.

Although the First Prince was several years older than him, the citizens believed that the Second Prince’s path to the throne was practically secured at this point.

Lord Jonas’ gaze moved to the massive man riding next to the prince. Unlike the Second Prince, the man was scowling. He seemed very displeased that he’d been sent here, and he didn’t bother hiding it on his face.

“And I am honored to meet General Moldark, the mighty protector of the Eastern Front!”

General Lazarus.

General Alvaren.

General Rizel.

General Anscoule.

General Moldark.

These five powerful men were from the same generation and served as the imperial army’s pillar. Before retiring, General Moldark used to be the Supreme Commander of the Eastern Front. But now, he simply served as sword instructor of the Second Prince.

His duties as a sword instructor aside, General Moldark had been enjoying his remaining years as a retired civilian. He was a doting grandfather to his grandchildren, and had it not been for Emperor Sylvius’ decree, he wouldn’t have come here in the first place.

He’d already done enough when he protected the Second Prince back when the parasitic demons invaded their land.

General Moldark was pissed that, once again, he was forced to take up arms.

“I am Jonas Vont,” the Lord of Kreceir introduced himself, “please allow me to escort such esteemed guests to the manor.”

“You’re the Green Farmhand?” said General Moldark.

The Lord of Kreceir was famous for his deep knowledge of cultivating the soil, growing crops, and raising livestock. There were even rumors that even dying plants would be revived once they were in the Kreceir Lord’s hands.

Jonas rubbed his palms with each other. His smile never slid down his face. “I’m honored that General Moldark knows of my insignificant title.”

General Moldark’s frown deepened, displeased of the obsequious personality of the Lord.

“Lead the way,” said Prince Quinn.

“Of course, Your Highness!”

Lord Jonas mounted his horse and led the army at the very front.

Due to the size of the army, only the three thousand knights were given entry into the city. Their squires, together with the infantry, camped outside. They would enter the city later on, once the preparations were completed. After all, it wasn’t easy to accommodate such a massive number of soldiers.

Luckily, due to being an agricultural city, it wouldn’t be a problem feeding all of them.

Harvest season had ended long ago, and they’d stored up a large amount of grains in the warehouses.

After arriving at the Lord’s Manor, Prince Quinn gathered all the army officers in the great hall. As the Lord of Kreceir, despite being a non-combatant, Jonas was also present.

A map of the Empire was spread on the table, and those present in the room gathered around it.

“Report,” said Prince Quinn.

The deputy commander spoke, “Our men have finished scouting the Kreceir Plains and sighted no demons within the area. I’ve ordered them to send men further north—”

The deputy commander placed his index finger on Kreceir Plains in the map, then traced it upward.

“—Until this marsh here, three kilometers east of Andelle Forest.”

The Empire had spent a considerable fortune mapping out their territories and its terrains. Despite governing over a humungous land, they had the most precise and accurate map among all nations in the continent.

And this was among the reasons how the Emperor, the so-called Devourer of Lands, managed to grab a firm hold over all of his territories, despite the frequent disputes and skirmishes with his neighboring countries.

Everything, from small villages, to streams and marshes, was indicated on the map on the table.

And this detailed map, privy only to high-ranking military officials of the Empire, was now being utilized against the demons.

“They have already been given orders to set an outpost, if they also do not see any demons within the area,” said the deputy commander.

Prince Quinn fell silent as he gazed at the map. He carefully scanned it, approximating their current positions and those of their opponents.

“It is strange,” said Prince Quinn. “After conquering Volkheim, the demons stopped advancing.”

Their army made haste with their preparations in order to come here early, to prevent the fall of Kreceir. But to their surprise, there were no sightings of demons nearby. It was as though someone from the demons’ side ordered them to stop their advance, the moment they took over the City of Volkheim.

Lord Jonas voiced out his thoughts, “But doesn’t this work to our advantage, Your Highness?”

The military officers turned their attention to him.

“I heard the demons sucked the vitality of all the lands they passed through,” said Lord Jonas. “The farmlands of Kreceir are located north, and to invade our city, the demons would need to pass through them.”

Everyone understood what the Lord of Kreceir was trying to say.

If the demons passed through the massive farmland, the biggest source of grains in the Empire would be wiped off this map. The land would turn dead and barren, and even if they survived this war, a great famine would befall this nation.

Well, with the deaths of so many people – particularly those from Meredith City and Volkheim City – the famine might not become as severe as they initially thought. But the issue was still something they needed to address later on in the future.

Luckily, the farmlands remained untouched even now.

“It’s really fortunate that the demons suddenly stopped their march,” said Lord Jonas. “I was so worried! Thank God!”

“I agree with you, Lord Jonas,” said Prince Quinn. “But this doesn’t change the fact that two major cities of the Empire had already fallen in the demons’ hands. We should deal with the immediate threats. The farmlands should be the least of our concerns right now.”

The words of the prince felt ominous, and the Lord of Kreceir couldn’t help but be worried.

“A-Are you planning on attacking the demons instead, Your Highness?” said Lord Jonas nervously.

“Until I have enough information about our enemy, I have no plans of moving my army from this city,” said Prince Quinn, firmly.

Lord Jonas heaved a sigh of relief.

Frankly speaking, he was also against the idea of the Second Prince’s army leaving the city. He’d heard that the demons numbered more than half a million, and they had several fire giants and flying beasts within their ranks.

Just the fire giants and flying beast were enough to lay waste to a moderately-sized army.

Lord Jonas believed that even the Second Prince’s army would be annihilated, if they fought against the demons without taking a siege advantage.

The walls of Kreceir City weren’t as high as the capital, but it should still be capable of blocking most attacks. It was better to utilize them than directly fight against an enemy several times their number.

As long as they made use of the walls, together with the siege weapons and artifacts the imperial army brought with them, it should be feasible to at least hold off the demons.

“Lord Jonas.”

“Your Highness.”

“I will leave the accommodations of my soldiers to you,” said Prince Quinn. “I will give you two days. Make sure all soldiers are given decent rooms to rest their bodies by then.”

“As you command. Please rest easy and leave it to me, Your Highness.”

Lord Jonas had already prepared for this the moment he’d heard from his vassals that the Second Prince’s army was coming as reinforcements to their city. He’d long asked the inn owners and even the citizens to allow the soldiers into their homes temporarily, and he’d made sure everyone who complied to his demands were recompensed appropriately.

Moreover, the temporary barracks inside the city were already nearing completion. With the number of grains stored in the warehouse, it should be possible for the Second Prince to fight a prolonged battle against the demons.

“Your Highness, I will go out and check the walls and defenses of the city,” said General Moldark.

Although General Moldark had already received reports regarding this matter, he wanted to see them for himself. After all, the walls were practically their lifeline at this point, considering they were greatly outnumbered by the demons.

“I will come with you, General,” said Prince Quinn.

“Of course, Your Highness.”

“Deputy Commander Gilbertus,” said Prince Quinn. “Pass along my orders to the scouts near the Andelle Forest. I want them to send out a small detachment of elites to check and see the current status of the City of Volkheim.”

The Deputy Commander replied, “Should I order them to enter the city itself?”

It was a command tantamount to suicide, but Prince Quinn didn’t hesitate regardless.

“Yes, if it’s feasible,” said Prince Quinn. “Any additional information we can gather regarding our enemies will improve the survival of our soldiers and this city. Tell the scouts I expect great things from them.”

Just like how it was the responsibility of the vanguard to take the brunt force of the attack or to open up a path in the enemy lines, it was the responsibility of the scouts to gather intelligence regarding their enemies. Their jobs naturally entailed such risks, and the scouts had been trained to make sacrifices for the sake of obtaining crucial information, if necessary.

Deputy Commander Gilbertus placed a hand on his chest and bowed his head. “Understood. I will send a messenger pigeon straight away.”

After the meeting, everyone went on to their separate tasks. Prince Quinn and General Moldark inspected the walls and defenses of the city, while the royal court magicians who came with them started installing magical artifacts.

Their plan was to fortify the defenses of Kreceir as much as possible, utilizing this opportunity while the demons weren’t on the move.

***

The Empire had one of the most extensive information networks in the entire continent, and this was due to the existence of the Silver Palace – the Intelligence Division tasked with espionage, reconnaissance, and assassinations.

In a sense, the group was similar to the Black Midas of the Kingdom of Lukas. The only difference was that they were far bigger, and that they were working directly under the Emperor’s command.

The Silver Palace was an organization out in the open, and they were publicly funded by the imperial family itself. Even ordinary citizens knew of their existence, and rumors that they were involved in assassinations were frequently talked about in taverns.

Still, the citizens had long accepted the existence and necessity of the organization. The Silver Palace was founded centuries ago, long before Emperor Sylvius was even born, making it one of the oldest groups within the Empire.

Currently, the head of the Silver Palace was the Chief Royal Advisor. And serving directly under him were the leaders of each division.

“Boss, we received a message via a messenger pigeon just now,” one of the scouts near Andelle Forest spoke.

The leader of the scouts from the Silver Palace took the letter handed to him by his subordinate. He opened it and read its contents.

After a while, he relayed the orders to his men.

“The Second Prince wants us to go to Volkheim,” said the leader of the scouts. “He wants us to check and report about its current status.”

There were currently seventeen scouts in the marsh near the Andelle Forest, and none of them voiced out complaints after hearing the order, which was practically akin to suicide.

Getting information regarding their enemies, no matter how dangerous the situation was, was the purpose of their group’s existence. And the scouts of the Silver Palace were proud of it.

From a young age, they’d been trained to live and die for the sake of the Great Empire.

“Draw lots, all of you,” said the leader of the scouts. “The five winners will come with me to Volkheim. As for the rest, you’ll stay here and continue scouting the area. Once you’ve confirmed there are no demons nearby, send a message to Kreceir.”

There were plans to erect an outpost in this place, and they needed most of the scouts to remain here to undertake this task.

Moreover, the leader of the scouts quickly judged that it would be better to go to the City of Volkeim in a small group, lest they were discovered by the demons.

The scouts drew lots, and soon, five winners were picked. Those who’d won were jubilant, while those who were forced to remain grumbled in dismay.

“Damn luck, I lost again!”

“Shit. I want to see Volkeim, too!”

“Again! Let’s draw lots again!”

“What are you talking about? We won fair and square!”

Everyone wanted to come with the scout leader to see the current status of the City of Volkheim. And those who’d lost complained that the lots were unfairly drawn.

The leader of the scouts said, “Stop yapping and get to work. There will be no redraws. The five of you, come with me. We’re leaving immediately.”

“Yes!”

After several minutes of preparation, the six scouts immediately departed for the city overran by demons.