* * *

“And this was all achieved with the mana of Sir Lydon…….”

“Isn’t it amazing? Garuel wouldn’t be able to do it even if you die and rise again. Not that you’ll ever die anyway!”

A barrier of ice sealed the entrance to the Empire. Complete with staircases for soldiers to climb and descend, and delicate floral designs for reasons unknown, the ice barrier was so tall that one had to look hard to see the end of it.

Lydon smirked as he showed off his skills to his astonished comrades, carefully describing the floral designs to the blind Yozen.

Cadel left Lydon’s excitement behind and summoned Lumen.

“You go to the barrier and tell us what’s going on, because if there’s any damage to the ice barrier, we need to reinforce it in time.”

“I will.”

“Help in battle, but don’t exert yourself too much. Let’s save our strength as much as possible until reinforcements arrive.”

If anyone could work with the other Knight Orders and respond appropriately, it was Lumen. Apparently recognizing this, Lumen took Cadel’s new [Ullo] given to him by the Emperor and headed for the barrier without a word. The rest of the group decided to stay in Rania to help protect the people and maintain the barrier.

The first thing Lumen spotted upon arriving at the ice barrier was the captain of the 5th Battalion of the Knight Order. Dreff Enti. His eyes widened at Lumen’s unannounced arrival.

“Huh? Scarlet Scales Knight Order’s long-swordsman?”

“It’s been a long time, Sir Dreff.”

“Right. It’s been almost a year, hasn’t it?”

The youthful face was still there, and the tone of speech was still devoid of any trace of politeness. Dreff gave Lumen a brief greeting and then looked around as if looking for someone else.

“Leader is in Rania right now. I’m moving separately to check on the status of the barrier.”

“I, I didn’t specifically look for your commander.”

“Sure.”

He looked disappointed that he didn’t have an older brother to play with, and walked away. Lumen turned his impassive gaze away and looked out over the barrier. Below, the corpses of demons and monsters who had failed to cross the barrier lay in piles.

“This barrier, you said it was made by that fairy? Well, it’s a relief. If we can keep it up for the whole war, we’ll be able to beat the demons with confidence.”

“Our fairy is too immature to go that far.”

The Imperial Army’s tenuous gains were quickly reversed with the advent of the ice barrier. Even winged enemies would take a considerable amount of time to fly over the barrier, so the magicians, archers, and the sword energy of swordsmen was enough to keep them at bay.

Their attempts to breach the barrier were futile. Lydon’s mana had increased in both quality and quantity, so most attacks could not leave a scratch. It was as if Elvie’s ‘Tower of the Demon Realm’ had been replaced by a barrier.

“Just looking at the dead bodies down there makes me feel better. I hope the demons who saw that don’t get any ideas and get the hell out of here…….”

“I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

Lumen’s gaze stared into the distance. The smooth horizon twitched and shimmered like an illusion. At first glance, it looked like a mirage, but it was an enemy army marching in vast numbers. A feast of High Demons, blackening the sky like migratory birds. Everywhere he turned, he could see the enemy army growing by the second.

The only goal of these countless demons was the fall of the Empire. Once again, Cadel was not wrong. That was what Lumen thought, but there were two variables in this operation that even he hadn’t anticipated.

One was Emilia’s execution. What Cadel thought was a reckless choice had a solid plan and foundation behind it.

The other was Lydon’s potential: he was a genius magician with more mana than Cadel had realized, and had even inherited the powers of the previous fairy king, Hesonia.

These two facts were not to be overlooked.

* * *

The man’s cheeks were sunken without any moisture, and his limbs were stiff and dry as twigs. His intermittent breathing produced only an unpleasant rasp.

Emilia squinted at the giant mountain of a man in front of her. At nearly 3 meters tall, he was no longer intimidating. Instead, he was more like a lump of unnecessary weight. The dark demonic energy radiating from his blackened flesh was the only useful thing left of him.

“I’m so glad Father is still alive.”

With a soft smile, she stroked the demon’s cheek, rough as sandpaper. She patted him affectionately, cupped his broad shoulders, and ran her hands over his firm chest. And then.

“How tenaciously you continue to live your life even in the face of defeat…… What a disgrace. Many times I wanted to go to you and kill you myself, Father, but I restrained myself.”

Demonic energy glistened on her sharpened nails as her slender fingers dug into the hardness of his chest.

“I knew this day would come.”

Slowly, a hand pierced his sternum, groping inside. The arm fumbled wildly, as if searching for something, then stopped, and with a fresh smile, she withdrew her hand in one swift motion. Then, with a gurgle of thick blood, the thing in her tiny grasp was revealed. It was a heart.

An ugly heart, dangling with veins. She looked at it numbly as it beat softly, then took a bite out of it like she was eating an apple.

The sticky crunch made her white cheeks and the corners of her mouth moisten. With a graceful swallow, as if savoring the flavor, Emilia slid the heart down her throat. After repeating the act a few times, Emilia burst out laughing.

“Idiot. How does it feel to be in the belly of the youngest daughter you’ve been ignoring?”

With uncontrollable laughter, she chewed on the heart like a mad woman, sucking the blood from her fingers with relish. She took out a white handkerchief and wiped the corners of her delicate mouth, then muttered, her smile fading, her face cold.

“I will never fail like you.”

She left the room without hesitation and found Sellev standing outside with a cane. Emilia locked eyes with her wordlessly, then shuffled over and leaned forward to face her. Her dark eyes flashed as if she were trying to read Sellev’s mind.

“I just absorbed my father’s power. I chewed enthusiastically on his rotten heart. Do you think I made the wrong choice?”

“……Of course not. My monarch is you, Emilia.”

Emilia’s outward demeanor was calm, but her dilated pupils proved she was quite aroused. When Sellev held her gaze, she pulled away, the corners of her mouth curling up in satisfaction.

“I’m going to reactivate the great magic circle, and with my powers, I should be able to repair the broken magic circles in the Human Realm.”

“By now, they probably think we’ve retreated, those stupid humans.”

“Well, maybe. Maybe they’ve sensed it and done something about it. But it doesn’t matter, because whatever they do, it’s too late.”

The sheer power flowing through her body pointed precisely to victory. Her father, who had been defeated with such power, was truly a worthless piece of trash. Thinking to herself, Emilia unlocked her demonic energy, which was close to perfection.