New chapter of The Demon King is out! (1/1 chapter)


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    “Ah, that was fun. Today was pretty good.” (Enrique) Sёar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    “Well then, I have work to do, so I’m leaving.” (Enrique)


    “What kind of work?” (Yuri)


    “Throwing away broken toys.” (Enrique)


    “I mean, religious people are a first for me, so at the start, it was fresh and fun. But as their personality deteriorates, their reactions get dull, and it’s no fun anymore. So, I throw them away and let them do their final job.” (Enrique)


    “Shouldn’t they be sent back over there to rebuild their emotions?” (Yuri)


    “Emotions? Ahaha, no way.” (Enrique)


    Enrique laughed, as if brushing aside the naive concern of an amateur.


    “A boiled egg doesn’t turn back into a raw egg, right? Same thing.” (Enrique)


    “Well, it might end up a dud. But if I release them, it’s more convenient to do so inside enemy territory.” (Enrique)


    “I see. Do as you will.” (Yuri)


    “Alright then. Bye-bye.” (Enrique)


    Enrique, despite having nearly died just moments ago, left with a carefree demeanor, a bruise still visible on her neck.


    After she left, I finished listening to Melissa’s report.


    “So, Myaro stayed behind to protect the bureaucrats?” (Yuri)


    “Yes, that’s correct. She said that if she didn’t, we wouldn’t be able to maintain the eastern territories, including Shantinion.” (Melissa)


    “…Idiot.” (Protagonist)


    That’s completely meaningless. If they get massacred, we can just make new bureaucrats. Even if a rebellion breaks out in Shantinion and they declare independence, we can just take it back. Whether it takes five or ten years, it doesn’t matter. Both of those problems can be undone as long as we have time. ????Ａ?????????ê?


    “So, how did you escape from the royal castle?” (Yuri)


    “I escaped together with the members of Queen’s Sword. We used something like iron ropes with pulleys attached to flee from the island.” (Melissa)


    “So, you used that thing, huh?” (Protagonist)


    “It was terrifying… I thought I was going to die.” (Melissa)


    Melissa, recalling her fear, turned pale and trembled slightly.


    What Melissa and the Queen’s Sword used was an emergency escape device, a zip-line-like contraption where a thin wire rope was stretched from the royal castle island to an external building, allowing them to slide down using pulleys. However, the brakes were poorly designed. If they heated up, they would stop working immediately, meaning that no matter how fast they went, they had to conserve the brakes until the very end. If they gave in to fear and braked too early, they’d end up crashing into the cushion at the end at full speed.


    It was too dangerous for Shulika to use, and considering that a hawk could fly straight to the outskirts of Sibyaku, it was never intended as an escape route for the queen. The fact that Melissa was standing here without injuries meant she had endured the fear and resisted braking. During tests, even some Queen’s Sword members had ended up with broken bones.


    “Tell me about the current state of the Albio Republic. Just what you can report.” (Yuri)


    “None of this is classified, so I can tell you everything. The fleet that was supposed to occupy the city of Melkippur on Grand Albio Island has suddenly changed its target and is now defending a port town called Welkes. Their relationship with the Tyrellme people is quite hostile, but the defense itself is going well.” (Melissa)


    “We’ve built quite the debt with them.” (Yuri)


    “Indeed. I look forward to repaying it.” (Melissa)


    Melissa smiled pleasantly, like a merchant.


    “And Angelica is safe, right?” (Yuri)


    “Yes. She’s impressive. She managed to withdraw most of her forces from Welkes and is using eagles effectively to operate as a separate unit. Thanks to that, she’s been able to prevent a significant amount of territorial loss.” (Melissa)


    “She plans to exploit whatever she can to the fullest, huh?” (Protagonist)


    I glanced down at the map Melissa had drawn once again.


    “And what about this ‘unrest area’?” (Yuri)


    I had a hunch, but I asked anyway.


    “Just to go back a little,” I prefaced, “there must be spies, after all.” (Yuri)


    “Yes, I suppose so. We don’t know how deeply they’ve infiltrated the military, but…” (Melissa)


    The traitor Jano Ek was originally a prominent figure in the Hou Household’s vassal ranks. The families that were under the Ek Household weren’t all abolished. A considerable number of them were simply incorporated into the military system, and it wouldn’t be surprising if there were spies among them.


    “The plan is decided.” (Yuri)


    “Then, Your Excellency, what will we do?” (Melissa)


    Melissa said, her face looking like an audience eagerly awaiting a performance.


    “I’m good at figuring out what people dislike. I’ll start doing one thing after another that that fool hates.” (Yuri)


    I took a breath before continuing.


    “At any rate, everything will be after we return to Karakumo. I’ll send a messenger to announce our return. I have to reassure Satsuki.” (Melissa)


    —


    “This mission depends on your work. You understand that, right?” (Yuri)


    I said, feeling the night breeze from the southwest brush against my face. By my side was White Sunset.


    “If we had even a month, we could have prepared better, but this time, we have to do what we can with the cards we have. I’m asking you to bear with this unreasonable request.” (Yuri)


    “Even if it’s unreasonable, surely at least one of us can avoid breaking a bone.” (Knight)


    Said an experienced knight leading the troops.


    “As long as one remains, the rabble over there will be no match for us. We’ll turn them into rust for our spears.” (Knight)


    “I’m counting on you.” (Yuri)


    I called out to the captain, who had been looking worried behind me.


    “…You guys should jump into the sea before the shock hits. There’s no need to join in on the military’s madness.” (Yuri)


    This ship belonged to the Hou Household company. The crew, including the captain, were all civilians.


    “Yeah, we’ll do that. Once we finish turning the rudder in the crucial spot.” (Captain)


    I figured this captain would stay on the ship until the very end.


    “…Sorry.” (Yuri)


    “I used to be the captain of a ship traveling to Aisa Isle. I’m used to sailing for life and death with money. Well, reward me later with money.” (Captain)


    “Ah, that’s one of my specialties, second only to killing. You can expect it.” (Yuri)


    Under the cover of darkness, a single sailing ship, its sails folded, silently approached the port. The ship wasn’t aiming for the pier but was instead pointing its bow toward a gravel beach. Both the captain and I knew the structure of Suomi well.


    The coastline was slightly brighter compared to the surroundings due to the lights of Suomi’s city. Since the moon was visible, once my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could make out the silhouette of the coastline.


    The ship, with its sails still furled, turned using only the rudder as it curved toward the shore. The gentle curve was intentional to make the ship lean. When the anchor touched the bottom, the ship began to rotate, and with a loud rumbling sound, it crashed onto the gravel beach, leaning toward the side and falling over.


    Ahead of it, there was a building. It was a storage shed used for the tools required for securing and unloading ships. The ship, with its tilted body, crushed the roof of the shed, using it as a cushion while toppling over with a roar and a cloud of dust.


    From above, watching all of this, I lit a Molotov cocktail and dove into the darkness. Somehow, it felt unfamiliar.


    Normally, I would have done more sabotage. Suomi had many of my subordinates. I could have used an eagle to land in a nearby forest or somewhere, and then entered Suomi to carry out sabotage. It would have been much easier. I probably wouldn’t have had to do a dangerous dive-bombing attack at night.


    I dropped the Molotov cocktail from a high altitude. It was easy to misjudge altitude during a night dive. By good luck, the Molotov cocktail hit the stone pier and ignited. They were probably too focused on the elite forces that made the surprise landing at night and wouldn’t notice the fire breaking out on the unoccupied pier. But this was necessary. The city lights didn’t reach the far end of the long pier. No matter how skilled the sailors were, it would be difficult to dock the ship in a pier they couldn’t see.


    It was something that could be done during the day, but then the enemy’s eagles might spot us, and there was a risk of the ship full of soldiers being burned. At night, without lights, it would be extremely difficult for incendiary shells to hit the deck.


    I thought to myself.


    —


    Early in the morning, as the sky began to lighten, the streets of Suomi were painted with chaos and bloodshed. It could almost be called a one-sided massacre.


    Perhaps because they had believed the false information about us returning to Karakumo, the defenders were completely off guard. Once the surprise landing succeeded and the soldiers started pouring out from the gangplanks, the outcome was more or less decided.


    After the landing, the front line shifted from the port to the city streets. The battle evolved from a landing operation into a mop-up operation, with our forces hunting down the fleeing rebels like rabbits.


    Carrying a slender spear, I walked with a few guards. In various parts of the city, killing was happening without a fight. The military was shouting that I had returned, and responding to that, the citizens were using long sticks to hold back the fleeing remnants of the soldiers. I didn’t particularly want them to do that, but they must have had a lot of pent-up frustration from the enemy’s tyranny.


    My destination was decided. The government building.


    “Your Excellency!” (Knight)


    One of the knights, upon spotting me, immediately saluted.


    “How’s the situation?” (Yuri)


    “It’s almost over. They’ve barricaded themselves in the third-floor conference room.” (Knight)


    “They’re refusing to surrender?” (Yuri)


    “Apparently, the supreme commander is refusing.” (Knight)


    “Jano Ek is here?” (Yuri)


    “Yes, someone confirmed seeing his face.” (Knight)


    “Idiot, what is he doing?” (Yuri)


    “Well, that’s fine. The third floor then.” (Yuri)


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