How exactly did the Kingdom of Magic establish itself on the most fertile land on the entire continent?
The monarch of the Kingdom would tell you the answer: every Demon King ascended the throne by stepping over a sea of blood and corpses, including Denif Weer Sephalu.
“Your Majesty, the southern defensive line has been breached. If we do not send troops soon, I fear…”
Reporting to the Demon King was the Minister of Military Affairs, Flandre Croissant.
War reports from the front arrived one after another.
Every neighbor wanted to take a bite of succulent meat from this kingdom while it was still in its infancy.
The newborn Demon King was still busy dealing with the Old Nobles who had lost their support and influence, as well as helping the New Nobility find their footing.
Now was the perfect time to strike.
If the neighboring countries could coordinate with the disgruntled Old Nobles inside the Kingdom, they could surely deal the Kingdom a heavy blow.
Or at least, that was the fantasy of the neighboring rulers.
The Demon King frowned deeply.
It seemed that if she continued to let things slide, her subjects would start suffering casualties.
She had originally thought the Kingdom’s Knight Order could hold off those bandits, but she hadn’t expected the bandits’ military strength to be so high.
Failing to properly assess the combat power of another nation’s soldiers was a failure of her duty as the Demon King.
“There is no need to transfer troops to the south. Continue supporting the north.”
The Demon King slowly stood up.
It had been one year since she last truly stretched her muscles.
“Your Majesty, are you — please reconsider.”
“They are at our front door; what is there to consider?”
“I fear they will unite to condemn us.”
“They invaded our territory first, and yet they want to condemn us? What a joke.”
“Your Majesty likely knows their faces better than anyone.”
Within this past year, neighboring countries had tried to reap benefits from the Kingdom of Magic more than once, but they had all been politely declined by Sephine.
“It does not matter. Whoever comes, I will strike.”
The Demon King walked out of the palace and stood on an open terrace.
From here, one could see the entire Royal Capital.
“Record the names of the fallen knights, create a list, and properly console their families.”
“Yes.”
Denif Weer Sephalu unleashed all her restrained mana.
The wings hidden on her back and the horns that had disappeared from her head all manifested.
The Demon King, Daphne Weier, was never a pushover.
Her wings fully unfurled as she took to the sky, their span blocking out the sun high above.
The entire Imperial Palace was blanketed in shadow.
Flandre Croissant only heard a loud boom, similar to an explosion, before the Demon King vanished.
The hurricane winds kicked up by her wings nearly knocked him to the ground.
*Rumble —*
*Rumble —*
At the Kingdom’s border, knights and Goblins riding Magic Beasts were locked in a desperate struggle within the forest.
These were the soldiers of the Monster Nation.
Specially trained Goblins and Magic Beasts could crush any enemy on the battlefield relying on their powerful self-healing abilities.
“Fall back! They are about to use large-scale area-of-effect magic!”
A lone girl knight, the only one still mounted on her horse, shouted toward her comrades ahead.
However, they didn’t seem to hear anything, continuing to fight the Goblins relentlessly.
Specks of starlight had already appeared in the nearly white sky.
The enemy mages had completed their chanting.
If they didn’t retreat now, they would undoubtedly be torn to shreds by such powerful magic.
“Damn it!”
The knight’s teeth ground together, making a harsh sound.
If she didn’t run, she would die here, but running would be no different from betraying the companions she spent every day with.
The knights in the group had come here for various reasons: some to protect their faith, some for money, and some for revenge.
*Toooooot —*
That was the horn for a charge.
But why?
The other side was clearly releasing their strongest magic; why were they being ordered to their deaths?
It was too late.
The sky turned blood red—the precursor to the release of Explosion Magic.
“Run!”
The girl screamed desperately, steering her pegasus in an attempt to grab someone and escape, even if she could only save one person.
One second, two seconds.
The sky grew redder, and the temperature rose rapidly.
In an instant, a white light flashed.
The entire forest was shrouded in shadow.
‘Am I dead?’
The girl looked up.
A woman with demonic horns hovered in the air, her wings constantly flapping, large enough to block out the sun.
“That tickles.”
The Demon King rubbed the spot that had just been hit.
It had turned slightly black, as if she had been singed by a match.
“That is…”
“Lord above… the Demon King is here!”
All the knights stopped what they were doing and looked up in unison.
Demon King Daphne flapped her wings with force, and the entire forest was uprooted.
Trees torn from the earth went flying toward the monster army outside the border.
“It is too late to surrender. Find a spot you like and lie down.”
There was no need to aim.
The Demon King raised her left hand, the concentration of mana in the center of her palm rising rapidly.
With a casual toss, the monster army that had just been struck by the tree trunks was turned into dust.
The once imposing monster army was now reduced to only the vanguard still fighting the knights.
It took only ten seconds for them to go from being unstoppable to a total rout.
“Brave knights of the Kingdom of Magic! Tear apart these enemies who dare to defile our land!”
The long-repressed knights directed all their fury toward the defeated remnants.
Their rage over lost companions and the blood spilled on this land were all poured onto the losers.
The girl knight, having narrowly escaped death, looked up at the sky along with the others.
This was the ruler of their Kingdom of Magic, a monarch above ten thousand people, who could wipe out all enemy soldiers with a casual wave of her hand.
“Alphalia! We won! We survived!”
Her companions swarmed toward the girl knight as she dismounted.
As the most heroic female knight, she would surely receive a personal reward from the Demon King.
The Demon King flapped her wings again, leaving only a sonic boom behind.
Alphalia stood frozen in place, a question appearing in her mind.
‘Since the Demon King can annihilate these enemies alone, why let us come here to die?’
The scene of her companion’s limbs flying everywhere continued to flash through Alphalia’s mind.
***
The Demon King returned to the palace.
The Minister of Military Affairs was still waiting for the results.
“Your Majesty…”
“The issue in the south has been resolved. They shouldn’t invade again for a short while. What about you? Have you finished what I asked of you?”
“Here is the list of knights and soldiers who fell in battle. Please have a look.”
The Demon King took the list, glanced at it twice, and handed it back to Flandre.
“Proceed with haste. Go.”
“Yes.”
Flandre withdrew.
The Demon King was exhausted, both physically and mentally.
Her work for today ended here; any urgent matters would have to wait until tomorrow.
Pushing open the door to her Inner Palace, she saw Sephine sitting by the desk, quietly reading a book.
Hearing the door open, Sephine turned around and saw the disheveled Daphne.
“Welcome back.”
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