Chapter 44: War Pretext: Here for Peace

The blood-soaked holy icon suspended in mid-air began to tremble violently.

Mysterious power distorted the space around the icon, sending out ripples like a stone thrown into a lake.

Suddenly!

A flash of dark purple light flickered.

The distorted space cracked open into a gap the height of a person’s waist.

A small, fair hand reached out from the rift.

*Crack!*

The small hand gripped the icon firmly and crushed it.

A ball of white light was exposed within the shattered icon.

The orb was held tightly in the palm of that hand.

A demon in the guise of a human girl slowly stepped out from the rift.

The demon flicked her hand downward, and the ball of light transformed into a long red sword in her grip.

Burgundy hair cascaded down her back, and she wore a red leather bodysuit.

Her shapely legs were exposed to the air.

Her pupils were dark gold, and her eyebrows were sharp.

The only shortcoming was that her chest was as flat as Vivian’s…

In terms of height, she looked even shorter than Vivian; she barely seemed to reach 1.3 meters.

The messenger of the Demon God was actually a little red-haired girl!

Vivian rubbed her eyes in disbelief and looked at the spatial rift again.

The little girl messenger also turned her head and met Vivian’s gaze.

A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as her bare feet stepped onto the soft sand without a care.

She kicked aside Carlyle, who was lying on the ground, his fate unknown.

She slowly walked toward Vivian.

Stopping not far from Vivian, she actually spoke in human tongue:

“I am the commander of the Third Regiment of the Eternal Crusade, the messenger of the Wrath Demon God, Lord Zafira!”

“State your name, small fry!”

The voice was crisp and pleasant, yet it carried a sense of lofty superiority that provoked irritation.

Vivian’s expression grew solemn, adopting a cautious attitude as if facing a formidable enemy.

This demon not only looked decent but could also speak the human language.

She seemed much stronger than those previous creatures that did nothing but shout at the top of their lungs.

“I… I am Vivian, a housewife and a resident of No. 302 Black Rat Street in Ma’en City…”

She racked her brain but couldn’t think of a prestigious title to announce, so she could only speak weakly.

‘Damn! I feel like I’m being completely overwhelmed in presence!’

“Oh — so you’re just a nobody ~”

A hint of playfulness appeared at the corner of Zafira’s mouth as she tilted her chin up arrogantly.

She looked like a defiant brat, acting as if she wanted to look down her nose at everyone.

“In that case, let me put an end to your miserable life.”

With that, she raised her long sword and pointed it at Vivian from a distance.

“Wait, I have something to say.”

Vivian waved her hand at Zafira.

Having finally encountered a demon capable of communication, Vivian was unwilling to give up this rare opportunity.

She could take the chance to understand what these demons, who were causing trouble everywhere, actually wanted.

Perhaps she could even use her silver tongue to persuade this little girl demon and avoid a fierce battle.

Anyway, the demon she was supposed to crusade against had already been slain.

This demon named Zafira looked like someone who wasn’t to be trifled with, and there was no money to be made from defeating her…

‘Wouldn’t that make me a laborer working for free?’

“Are those the last words of a dying person?”

“Hmph ~ Then I shall be merciful and give you, small fry, a chance to speak your last words.”

“Be grateful for Lord Zafira’s great mercy, hahahaha!”

Zafira thrust the sword into the ground, placed her hands on her hips, and laughed arrogantly with her head held high.

“I’ve always had a small doubt about you guys from hell.”

“What is the reason for the demon invasion of this world?”

“Is it to compete for faith? To spread chaos? Or some other strange, evil reason?” Vivian asked curiously.

“What invasion? What are you talking about?” Zafira tilted her head, her golden pupils fixed on Vivian.

“Naturally, we have come to recover lost territory and for world peace.”

“We are here to end your chaos and bring you order.”

Zafira pointed at Vivian and spoke with righteous indignation.

“And the result? Not only are you ungrateful, but you even bite the hand that feeds you!”

Vivian was stunned by Zafira’s attitude.

She hadn’t expected the demon to spout such high-sounding rhetoric.

These demons were poisoning the world, causing destruction and chaos everywhere.

They messed up my wedding, causing the celebration for Nolan and me to end prematurely.

They also attacked the Blue Whale Chamber of Commerce and killed so many people.

They even kept the price of bread sky-high, meaning the residents of Ma’en City couldn’t even fill their stomachs.

And now she claims they’re here for peace?

They truly have no damn shame!

Vivian suppressed the urge to rush forward and punch her in the face.

A forced smile appeared on her face.

“That’s just twisted logic!”

“It was your arrival that broke the peace and brought war!”

“You are the invaders,” Vivian retorted fiercely.

The Twilight Church held free public history classes in Ma’en City, and Vivian had attended them for a whole month.

She knew a bit about the history of this world.

‘Does she think she can distort the facts so recklessly just because I haven’t read many books!’ Vivian muttered discontentedly in her heart.

The public history classes were designed to improve the cultural level of the residents.

Most importantly, after finishing a class, everyone could receive a piece of rye bread from Priest Derek.

Even though that bread was hard enough to be used as a weapon…

“Hmph ~”

Zafira chuckled, spread her hands helplessly, and shook her head.

“Oh dear… it seems that church for dead people has played you stupid small fry like fiddles.”

“You call this world ‘Kailan,’ right?” Zafira asked in return.

“Yes…”

Vivian nodded silently.

In the last era, there was an elven adventurer named Kailan.

She successfully circumnavigated the world, returning to the starting point of her exploration.

She drew the first world map in history and shared it publicly with all races and factions in the world.

But after that, the legendary adventurer disappeared, and no one ever saw a trace of her again.

Some said she was assassinated, while others said she returned to the forest to live in seclusion.

Others said she had completed a great feat and ascended to godhood…

To commemorate her achievements, all the intelligent races in the world reached a consensus to name the world after her.

Since then, this world has been called Kailan.

This was what Vivian had learned in the church’s history class.

For those pieces of rye bread, she was frequently scolded by Priest Derek in class because she was a vampire girl who easily got sleepy during the day…

Zafira continued:

“The Lord of the Abyss and the Creator God created the world of Kailan together.”

“Now that the Creator God is gone, the world of Kailan should rightfully belong to our Lord of the Abyss.”

“Besides, the world of Kailan has been plagued by constant wars for years.”

“Whether it was the Magic War and the Undead March of 1,000 years ago, or the recent Red-White War, it all proves that this world is too chaotic under your management.”

As she spoke, she pulled the red sword from the ground and gave it a casual flourish.

“So, for the sake of world peace and order, you resisting small fry…”

“SHOULD JUST DIE!!!”

Zafira held the sword with one hand, her bare, smooth feet stepping heavily on the sand.

*Boom!*

Endless flames spread outward with Zafira as the center.

The entire wilderness seemed to transform into hell!

In that instant, the sky lit up…