With the three of them leading, the border defenses of the Kingdom of Aezera wouldn’t last half a day.
“Listen up, you three.”
Lilisi’s tone was cold.
“Immediately go and round up all the demons in the surrounding territories. Gather an army of three hundred thousand. Each of you will command one hundred thousand and attack the Kingdom of Aezera’s border from three directions.”
“Xuezhu, you take the mountain route and flank them from the side.”
“Fanjia, you take the troops to attack Tattle Town and the surrounding plains. Raze that place to the ground.”
“Shisu, you take the basin route and cut off their retreat. Don’t let a single person escape.”
The three Demon Generals accepted the orders in unison.
“As you command!”
Then, they turned around and strode out of the great hall to muster their respective troops.
On the wilderness of the Kingdom of Aezera’s border, fierce winds howled.
Nine royal scouts were lying on a high mound, holding monocular telescopes engraved with far-sight magic, routinely observing the northern movements.
Suddenly, one scout’s hand began to tremble violently, almost dropping the telescope.
“C… Captain…”
The scout’s voice was filled with fear, barely able to speak.
The captain snatched the telescope and put it to his eyes.
On the northern horizon, a black line appeared.
That line grew wider and closer.
It wasn’t a line at all, but a dense, endless army of demons!
In the sky flew flocks of gargoyles and venom-wing bats, and on the ground ran all kinds of half-orcs, ghouls, and giant monsters.
“Oh my god…”
The captain gasped, cold sweat instantly drenching his back.
“This number is definitely over a hundred thousand, maybe even hundreds of thousands!”
“Quick! Get the communication stone! Report to the royal capital immediately! Inform the border army that the demon army is pressing the border again!”
The captain roared.
Soon, this terrifying news was transmitted directly to the royal capital of Aezera through the magical communication stone.
In the central hall of the royal capital, the atmosphere was extremely tense.
Old King Richard sat on the high throne, his face dark enough to drip water.
He gripped the communication stone, his knuckles white.
The nobles and ministers below whispered to each other, panic written all over their faces.
An invasion of this scale by the demon race hadn’t occurred in centuries.
The raid a few days ago was only a few tens of thousands of demons.
But this time, the scouts observed a full three hundred thousand!
“Silence!”
The old king slammed the armrest of his throne, and the hall fell dead silent.
“The demon army is pressing the border, and the frontier is in imminent danger. Who is willing to lead the troops into battle?”
Richard scanned the crowd below, his voice loud and clear.
The First Prince, Atticus, immediately stepped forward from the crowd.
His face was full of excitement, eyes gleaming with fervor, and his breathing became rapid.
“Father King, I am willing to go.”
Atticus declared loudly, his voice echoing in the hall.
“They’re just mere demons.”
“I will personally lead the kingdom’s most elite army and annihilate those monsters, to raise the majesty of our kingdom!”
Atticus’s mind was calculating rapidly.
In the past, the royal family and local nobles would tacitly join forces.
The war funds would get passed down layer by layer, with everyone taking a cut.
Sell the weapons and equipment, share the spoils.
In the end, only a tiny fraction would reach the border.
Losing territory didn’t matter.
After all, it was the border; the kingdom was huge, losing some worthless land at the edge wouldn’t hurt.
When important cities were attacked by the demons, they could just bring Crimson Grade magical tools from the treasury to fight back.
When the time came, they’d report that the border soldiers were useless, and the king couldn’t do anything about it.
That’s how it had been for centuries.
However…
Standing beside the old king, Saint Freya had a chilling truth floating in her mind.
‘Look.’
‘My elder brother’s smug demeanor probably thinks he’s grasped a perfect opportunity?’
‘Everyone in the kingdom is but a frog at the bottom of a well, only seeing the deliberately limited combat power of the demons.’
‘No one knows that if not for the Demon King’s true goal of waiting for the Primrose Goddess…’
‘…otherwise, in less than a day, Aezera, no… the entire world, would be completely destroyed.’
This truth had flashed before Saint Freya’s eyes when she signed the contract with the Withered Ancient Power.
Though they were just fragmented images and snippets.
But she was born with a frighteningly keen perception.
She had extremely accurate deductions about the meaning a series of images and things combined wanted to convey.
Her scrutiny of human nature and the deeper meaning behind micro-expressions had almost never failed.
At this moment, First Prince Atticus felt this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Zeweier, that pig, had already returned in disgrace.
Now was his chance.
As long as he could achieve a great victory at the border, his prestige would reach its peak.
Then, who would dare question his status as the first heir?
As for how strong the demons were, Atticus had studied the scale of demon attacks in history, and he didn’t take them seriously at all.
Moreover, now they really needed someone of substance to stabilize the army’s morale at the border.
Richard nodded.
The First Prince was impulsive and reckless, but he had pursued strength since childhood, had high talent, and his strength was beyond doubt by now.
“Alright, Atticus, since you have the determination, I appoint you as commander-in-chief. Immediately muster the troops and head to the border to face the enemy.”
Richard stood up, waved his hand, and announced loudly to everyone.
clap clap clap
Atticus let out a cold laugh and strode away with a flourish of his sleeves amidst the applause of the ministers.
A few ministers exchanged glances and whispered to each other.
“Hey, did you notice? Why isn’t the Third Prince here today?”
“No shit, this is a military meeting. Prince George knows he’s not good at this, so why would he come?”
“What about the Second Prince?”
“Ah, don’t even mention it. That day, wasn’t there a small meeting? In the end, the Second Prince won, but somehow, he was ambushed on the way by an organization called the Night Demon Society.”
“When the Second Prince was escaping, he accidentally fell off his flying dragon. It was tragic…”
Meanwhile.
In the Second Prince Zeweier’s bedchamber, a heavy smell of herbs and blood filled the air.
Zeweier lay on a large bed, his entire body wrapped in white bandages, looking like a freshly unearthed mummy.
His right leg was in a thick cast, suspended high in the air, and any slight movement sent piercing pain.
A young maid was holding a bowl of warm meat soup, carefully feeding him with a spoon.
Zeweier barely opened his mouth and took a sip.
But it pulled the wound on his face, making him grimace in pain.
“Get away! It’s burning me! Are you trying to scald me to death?”
Zeweier suddenly erupted in anger, slapping the soup bowl out of the maid’s hand.