Chapter 234
“It’s been about three weeks already,” Nahun muttered, and Ersha nodded beside him.
“Today, the 6th Legion will go to the 35th floor. Commander Rexion has been preparing since early this morning.”
“Mm.”
Nahun spoke. “They need to do well.”
“Certainly, they’re not to be underestimated. Even after the previous leader’s death, they’ve maintained their rank…”
Nahun nodded. It was said that Asmodeus had carried out a massive purge immediately following his succession. One might argue it was unnecessary to purge when they barely managed to retain power, but in reality, it was about removing the rotten cancerous cells.
He had driven out the useless old-timers who flattered Asmodeus and held crucial positions in the Demon King Castle, replacing them entirely with competent individuals.
And while the power of the ruler might have weakened, some even evaluated that the strength of the faction had actually increased. Reflecting on that, Nahun spoke.
“We need to establish a system so we can expand our influence more stably, right?”
“Yes. I was in the process of drafting a proposal for system modifications.”
“Impressive as always.”
Currently, the Debata faction was overburdening Seere with too many tasks, and even those assisting were simultaneously serving as head maid and butler for the Debata faction. At least there were clever aides like Cecili and Eldein supporting her…
“We should start dividing the work. Interior officer, finance officer, legal officer, administrative officer… Anything else we might need?”
“The military has an established system, so that’s fine. Besides what you mentioned, we also need someone to consolidate opinions from each department and gather initial recommendations. That person should filter them first before they are presented to Your Majesty. That way, your workload will decrease.”
Nahun thought that sounded similar to the role of a Prime Minister.
“But I’m already doing that.”
“Not in every aspect. Right now, you’re only handling internal and administrative affairs.”
“Then that means we need to find someone who can handle everything comprehensively…”
Where could he find such a person? While pondering, Ersha spoke up.
“It would work out if you took on the comprehensive role yourself.”
“But I have quite a few external obligations.”
“Exactly. That’s why we need someone else.”
Seeing Ersha express disappointment, Nahun inquired casually.
“Ersha, how would you feel about trying it out yourself?”
“You know, the girl came to serve and assist you, not to pledge allegiance to Seere, right?”
“Isn’t Seere a decent Demon King?”
“I won’t deny that, but I’ll fulfill my contract.”
It was unavoidable. He couldn’t force someone who was unwilling to sit in such a position. Nahun slightly tilted his chair and spoke.
“Then we’ll need to publicly recruit talent.”
“So you want to assess their abilities through some tasks?”
“Exactly.”
First, he intended to create various departments while retaining the power for both Seere and himself… and reform the system centered on competent individuals.
“We obviously need to create a test.”
“I can handle that.”
“What kind of questions are you planning to ask?”
“We can evaluate their work proficiency based on their respective departments. It shouldn’t be hard.”
“A personality test is essential too.”
“Of course.”
Ersha smiled brightly and asked.
“Will you trust me with that?”
“…Alright, I’ll ask Seere.”
“Yes.”
Nahun stood up and headed to Seere’s office. Since he wasn’t occupied with work anyway, he went straight to ask, since it’s better to grab the bull by the horns.
“Seere.”
As he called her name and entered, Seere, who was diligently scribbling with a pen, looked up slightly. The moment her slightly dazed blue eyes found Nahun, they sparkled with energy.
“Teacher!”
Her reaction was consistently delightful. It had been several years since they first met, and her bright smile never failed to cheer him up. A smile crept onto his face as well.
“What brings you here?”
“I came to ask you something.”
Nahun approached Seere and subtly shared the conversation he had with Ersha a moment ago. Seere listened attentively and nodded.
“It certainly seems necessary. When my father was around, the duties within the Demon King Castle were well-divided.”
“I figured as much.”
The reason those departments no longer existed was due to Seir’s death, which caused a rapid decline in Debata’s faction power.
“Then shall we proceed with public recruitment?”
“Since we need a bit more time for the conquest of Astharoth, we can carry out the recruitment in the meantime. And…”
Upon hearing Ersha’s request to be entrusted with the role, a somewhat mysterious expression crossed Seere’s face.
“Teacher, I believe you can handle her well, but… I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to assign such an important role to Ersha Scarlet.”
Nahun tilted his head at her skeptical reaction.
“Why is that?”
“I’ve actually heard some things about Ersha Scarlet in the Assembly. From Marbas and Phynox.”
“…About her dealings with the original Demon Kings.”
“Yes. You were aware.”
Nahun certainly knew. As the progenitor of her bloodline and considered equal to the original Demon Kings, Ersha Scarlet was exiled from the Demon World, causing her bloodline to leave as well.
And why Marbas referred to her with the derogatory title “Mad Princess.”
“Yes, I’m aware. So let me reassure you. It’ll be fine.”
“…Really?”
“Ersha Scarlet can’t act recklessly as long as I’m here.”
This was pretty much factual. Moreover, in Nahun’s view, it seemed better for Ersha to handle the workload than for Seere, Rea, and Cain, who already had too much to do in the Demon King Castle.
“You can have her pick candidates, and you can review them afterward, can’t you?”
“That’s true.”
“I’ll help as well, so it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to give it a try. You’re busy as it is, right?”
Persuaded by Nahun, Seere nodded slightly. She didn’t want to show a weak side, but it was indeed true that she had been quite busy lately, to the point where she had to spend less time with Nahun.
“Please keep a close eye on how it proceeds, Teacher.”
“Of course.”
Nahun readily nodded and asked her.
“Has Commander Rexion arrived?”
“Yes. He was sent straight to the 35th floor and I received word that he has joined Lord Gremony.”
Nahun had informed Seere in advance about the gate magic. Rexion and the 6th Legion needed to pass through the 30th and 31st floors to get to the 35th, and he was concerned it wouldn’t go smoothly.
“It seems he understood well after just one lesson.”
As Nahun praised her and ruffled her hair, Seere broke into a beaming smile.
“Hehe…”
“Is he about to start?”
“Yes.”
Seere replied.
“There’s no reason to delay.”
#
At the 31st floor, a letter had arrived. The letter stamped with the seal of Gremony von Due and Citri contained a declaration of war.
Upon confirming it, the young ruler, Asmodeus, let out a hollow laugh.
“After my father’s passing, the insignificant ones are starting to swarm.”
“Your Majesty, we must not let our guard down.”
“I know. However, these are merely those who rely on the blessings of Seere von Debata. They have not proven themselves anywhere.”
Asmodeus declared.
“I will not yield to such whims. I’m not someone weak.”
Asmodeus rose from his throne and spoke to his subordinates.
“It is war! I will protect my realm! I will eliminate all intruders and stain this land with their blood!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Long live the Emperor!!”
Asmodeus’s decision was only natural. The enemies were but the Demon Lords ranked 35th and 36th. There was no way Asmodeus, who not only retained his power but also strengthened it after Asmodeus’s death, would be insecure about fighting.
However, Citri and Gremony clearly understood this and still sent the declaration. That meant they were confident they could win.
The day after the declaration was sent, the portal on the 31st floor began to operate, and a large legion bearing two banners arrived. It was the legion of Citri and Gremony von Due.
Since Asmodeus’s forces could have awaited this invasion, they chose not to carry out a surprise attack to avoid risking their strategy by acting too hastily.
Asmodeus’s legion was stationed on the ridge where the tallest walls stood on the 31st floor. Citri nodded after sending scouts to ascertain this fact.
“Alright, let’s move out immediately.”
“Yes, let’s do this. Commander Rexion, please execute as planned.”
“Understood.”
Under the leadership of Rexion and Murciela—the 6th Legion assigned by Seere—began to move separately from the main force, which was heading toward the walls waiting for Asmodeus.
“…They’ve arrived.”
Asmodeus commanded his generals.
“To your positions. Do not be deceived by any of their tricks, and maintain a solid defense of the walls. Only those who are meant to move will do so according to the plan.”
“Yes, Sir!”
As they began to move busily, Citri spoke to Belkarus, her most powerful and trusted general.
“Belkarus, let’s begin.”
“Yes.”
Though he currently went by the name Belkarus, in the past, when Citri was in a proper rank, he had once earned himself a name as the mightiest of the Basilisk clan known as Elias.
The most notable trait of the Basilisk clan was indeed their “Ma’an.” Belkarus locked eyes with those looking over the wall.
As his enormous fangs were revealed, Belkarus’s Ma’an began to glow. As soon as the soldiers who met his gaze started turning to stone, the war began.
“Bring down the walls!!”
At Gremony’s command, her subordinate, the Platinum Knight Kaya, gave the order.
“Fire!”
The siege artillery began to spout flames. Simultaneously, the similarly ranked Vitalis summoned his magical energy and shouted.
“Break down the gates! The magic units concentrate fire!”
The siege had commenced. While it started boldly, to no one’s surprise, Asmodeus’s side did not sit idle.
“Prepare to respond; commence counter-fire!!”
Cannons on the walls fired their flames. However, due to Belkarus’s Ma’an, the precision shots of Asmodeus’s artillery often landed in the wrong places.
“Is the protective barrier up yet?”
“It’s almost done! Ah, it’s ready now!”
To protect the soldiers from Belkarus’s Ma’an, Asmodeus’s magical unit spread a massive protective barrier across the entire wall. Since the capability of Ma’an was essentially linked to magic and properties, the soldiers no longer turned to stone as the barrier was established.
Additionally, the bombardment coming from Vitalis and his legion diminished in power, failing to significantly affect the gates.
Since Belkarus had kept his Ma’an open for too long, he felt a rapid strain on his eyes and barely managed to close it while looking back at Citri.
“It’s time, Your Majesty.”
“Alright.”
Citri drew her sword. Then, rather than a violet hue, she ominously mounted the blackened Bicon and shouted.
“I’ll take the lead; follow closely! Baphomet, I’m leaving the command to you!!”
“Yes, your Majesty!”
“Please enjoy it to your heart’s content!”
Citri was preparing to take the front. As she began to gallop with Bicon, her cavalry charged forward.
“Is she planning to break down the gate? That cannot be allowed.”
Asmodeus opened the gates. With the power of a mid-ranking Demon Lord, breaking through the barrier to shatter the gate was possible, so he had to intervene directly.
“Deploy him. Also, bring the support troops.”
“Yes!”
Avoiding countless bombardments, Citri darted toward the front of the barrier and slightly raised her gaze. With a creak, the enormous gates swung open, revealing a giant who towered like the wall along with Asmodeus’s soldiers.
“An ogre, huh?”
The massive demon with an enormous frame and a single eye, the Ogre. The overwhelming strength and durability radiating from its massive frame demanded respect from anyone.
However, Demon Lords generally did not employ such ogres due to their shabby temper, extreme greed, and lack of loyalty. They were unstable beings, easily causing internal discord and capable of betrayal at any moment.
“To command something like that—this is no small matter. There is something at play here.”
Boris, the general leading cavalry in Citri’s legion, cautiously suggested. Citri briefly looked up at the ogre and grinned.
“An ogre. In the past, it wouldn’t have dared to stand before me.”
Citri stated.
“Now I find myself in a position to challenge it.”
With those words, Citri spurred Bicon even harder. Boris recognized her intent and raced on without slowing down to assist.
The ogre, Baison, raised its colossal axe. As a result, Asmodeus’s soldiers had stepped back, wary of the impending shock.
“I’ll stomp them.”
Baison muttered briefly before striking down with the axe.
THWAAANG!!!!!!!
Having only swung the axe down, an immense gust was unleashed. The sheer strength emanating from the giant frame created a significant impact on the air, extending its influence broadly.
However…
“…Hmm?”
“Quite… heavy!”
Citri managed to catch that axe purely with her raw magical strength. While she did this, the cavalry led by Boris surged in to clash against the soldiers of Asmodeus who came to assist Baison.
Since the supporting soldiers had been engaged, Baison became tethered solely to Citri. As irritation took hold, Baison began swinging the axe wildly.
“Like annoying insects!!”
BAM!! BAM!!! BAM!!!!
Despite its size seeming incompatible with its speed, the axe was swung down repeatedly. However, as it struck indiscriminately, it inflicted massive damage not only to Citri’s cavalry but also to Asmodeus’s soldiers.
Especially since the cavalry had speed and could quickly evade, the infantry of Asmodeus’s army found themselves unable to escape.
However, watching this from atop the walls, Asmodeus seemed unfazed by their deaths as he commanded.
“Dispatch the cavalry. Prepare to launch our cavalry as well.”
“Yes!”
In truth, Asmodeus had anticipated Baison’s reaction to some extent. The soldiers who came to assist were coordinated to be the least useful ones. Primarily, Baison alone was sufficient for the power.
Nevertheless, due to the ogre’s significant size, the forces pressing in from below needed to be removed by the support troops. To achieve this, they needed to shake off the enemy’s cavalry.
Just then, as Asmodeus was about to dispatch his cavalry, a brief chant resonated, and an unusually vast amount of magical power began to accumulate.
“Rise! Flames of the heavens!”
【 Empyrean Burnt Flame 】
A tremendous fireball burst forth. Asmodeus was astonished at its sheer size.
“Wait a minute…”
“Y-your Majesty, Baison’s head…!”
The ogre, Baison’s head had been blasted away. It had completely vanished as if it melted down to nothing. Underneath, the wielder of this magic, Citri, spoke with a refreshing smile.
“This is more than enough!”
