The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 88

The city of Thebe, located in the northern part of the Falcon Empire.

With a population of 10,000, its size could hardly be described as large, but it still occupied a significant position within the Empire, making it one of the places with a considerable flow of people.

And right now…

In the thick darkness surrounding this city, a group of Black Shadows was cautiously surveying the area.

“How are the city’s defenses?”

“As you expected, they are incredibly weak right now.”

“It seems that most of the troops have been deployed to the war against the Elves, just as Shude mentioned.”

“Of course… Everything is going as predicted.”

Shude began to wear a satisfied smile at the words of her subordinates.

This operation was initiated under the orders of the Magic King.

As the main planner for the surprise attack on the Falcon Empire while disguised as Demon Races, Shude had chosen Thebe specifically, setting it apart from other cities.

The primary reason was its location in the north of the Empire, making it easier to redirect troops from the southeastern war.

Moreover, with a relatively high population flow, it was inherently more vulnerable than other regions.

However, these reasons were merely supplementary.

The real reason she targeted Thebe was more significant.

In the heart of this city lies a residential area.

There resided Vice Minister Eileen and her lover, Torare.

As Vice Minister, moving to various regions was part of Eileen’s duties, so for her, settling right here in Thebe was inherently advantageous.

And, with her understanding as an old comrade of such facts…

Shude had designated this location as her target to accomplish her mission while also attempting to capture the man she secretly admired.

Thus, with magical items at hand, Shude, alongside over a hundred witches disguised as Demon Races, had perfectly completed preparations for the attack.

Then, she noticed a subordinate hurriedly running towards her.

“The preparations at the eastern castle wall are complete.”

“Now, let’s begin.”

“Alright! We’ll charge in right away.”

“Yes!”

With their final checks completed, Shude and her subordinates sprang into action.

In the thick darkness devoid of moonlight, they efficiently leaped over the castle wall using magic.

The witches of the Magic Kingdom began moving swiftly while completely muffling their footsteps with sound-canceling spells.

Though they could see the soldiers slacking off and on guard, they chose not to provoke them.

Right now, their goal was far grander than just causing a ruckus with the patrols.

“Phew…”

“Thankfully, we haven’t been spotted yet.”

Arriving at a warehouse area, well removed from the castle wall, the witches exhaled a sigh of relief, feeling that reaching this point was half a success.

After casting a glance at her subordinates, the squad leader who had been entrusted with Shude’s orders gave a firm command.

“Let’s start.”

“Yes!”

As soon as her permission was granted, the witches began gathering their magic.

Then, they aimed the staffs they held at the warehouse buildings visible before them.

And…

-BOOM!!!

A tremendous explosion erupted as over a hundred witches triggered their spells simultaneously.

The noise from the blast shook the entire city.

Residents, deep in slumber within the darkness, abruptly leaped from their beds, rushing out to investigate the source of the chaotic sound.

*

“What… what on earth is that noise?”

“Look… over there!”

“What is that? What on earth…?”

A shocking scene began to present itself to the citizens’ eyes.

It was the warehouse area, brightly illuminated by the fiery red flames and belching thick black smoke even at night.

Engulfed by eerily bright flames, the warehouse area was being consumed.

Realizing that their possessions stored there were perilously turning to ashes, the citizens scrambled to react, desperate to salvage the situation.

“Damn it! Hurry up! If we linger here, everything we own will turn to dust!”

“Put out the fire! If that’s not possible, salvage whatever you can!”

The panicking residents rushed toward the warehouse area, some carrying buckets, others hauling carts.

But just then…

They found themselves frozen in place, confronted by an unexpected sight.

To prevent them from minimizing the damage were a group of Demon Races, complete with black wings and horns.

“W-What is…”

“How… how are the Demon Races here?”

Fear and confusion washed over the citizens at this unforeseen appearance.

As they observed this chaotic scene, the Demon Races readied their staffs and swords, releasing their magic.

And…

“Ugh!”

“It’s… dangerous!”

-BOOM!!!

The Demon Races unleashed their attacks on the defenseless citizens.

The assault of flaming projectiles, glowing ominously in the darkness, instantly claimed the lives of those standing at the front.

“AHHHH!!!”

“Run! It’s an attack by the Demon Races!”

“The demons from hell have come this far!”

For the citizens who had witnessed years of racial wars, the idea of Demon Races immediately conjured thoughts of enemies who were nothing more than malevolent devils to them.

Now, in accordance with this belief, the Demon Races were indiscriminately unleashing attacks against ordinary civilians.

After horrifyingly slaughtering unarmed people who hadn’t even intended to fight…

The Demon Races ceased pursuing fleeing civilians and began to vanish into the shadows.

Moments later…

When the soldiers finally arrived on the scene, realizing what had occurred, the Demon Races and anyone else had already vanished.

All that remained were the remnants of the Demon Kingdom’s military gear scattered on the ground and a few tokens indicating their identities as Demon Races.

Consequently, the lord and generals managing Thebe concluded that this incident was an act of vengeance committed by the Demon Races who had crossed the sea.

And thus, they reached no clarity regarding the true nature of this event.

No understanding of who had orchestrated it…

Nor any awareness of what additional side events had transpired during the process.

With their limited power, they had achieved nothing of significance.

*

‘This is getting a bit precarious.’

In the darkness, Shude moved silently.

At this moment, she was exerting all her magical energy to reach her destination as quickly as possible.

Although she had successfully slipped away from her subordinates with some excuse, time was running short for her.

Soon, her subordinates would create a ruckus in the warehouse area as per their plan.

This would definitely draw many citizens outside to figure out the source of the explosion.

Among them could very well be the man she was currently searching for… Torare.

‘If that happens, finding him in this city would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. I must arrive there first…’

Feeling increasingly anxious, Shude quickly flew towards Eileen’s house.

But then…

-BOOM!!!

“Ugh…”

The next moment, a loud explosion echoed in her ears.

Shude worriedly focused all her attention on Eileen’s house, fearing that perhaps Torare might also emerge.

She resolved that if he came out, she wouldn’t let him lose sight of her no matter what.

However, contrary to her concerns, no sign of anyone exiting the house could be seen, allowing Shude to exhale a sigh of relief as she successfully arrived there.

‘Could it be that he fell asleep already? If so, that would be quite fortunate for me…’

Pondering such thoughts, Shude cautiously approached the house.

However, just then…

She noticed a faint light seeping through the thick curtains, causing her to instinctively feel a surge of curiosity.

‘What? If the light is on, that means someone must still be awake…’

It could be understood that Torare might be reluctant to get involved and simply stayed inside.

However, considering Torare’s character, who was usually quite sensitive to danger, this was undeniably odd.

‘What on earth is going on? Is something happening inside?’

With these thoughts, Shude carefully used magic to unlock the door and entered the house.

Upon entering, she was greeted by a dimly lit corridor, with a room at the end from which the light flowed.

“Torare…?”

A strange sense of foreboding washed over her at that moment.

Recognizing it, Shude cautiously called out Torare’s name until she reached the source of the light.

Then, she slowly opened the door.

And at that moment…

She was struck by a profound shock at the sight before her.

In front of her were two figures.

One was Torare, whom she thought she knew intimately.

And the other was a woman she had never seen before—

A woman who was entirely unclothed, entwined with Torare.