Chapter 252: Demon City Laurentite
Our Silesie fleet was advancing up the Lawrence River, closing in on the demon city of Laurentite.
However, this is where things took an unexpected turn.
「Sensei, why isn’t the enemy resisting?」
「It’s strange. According to our prior investigations, the Eight Generals—each capable of taking on a thousand men—and nearly twenty thousand of the royal guard should be stationed in Laurentite.」
Even after bombarding the fortress near the port, the enemy barely resisted.
We were advancing quickly, so our ground forces were limited.
Our original plan was to lure them out with cannon fire and strike when they emerged, but that plan fell apart.
Perhaps the enemy anticipated our strategy and decided to hold their troops back deep within the demon city.
「For now, I’ll send out scouts.」
What they reported back was shocking. Most of the city’s military force had already disappeared, and the Eight Generals were nowhere to be found. Even when we interrogated captured enemy soldiers, they only babbled nonsense like ‘the Holy Mother is coming’ giving us no useful information.
At least it was clear the enemy had no real strength left.
Admiral Drake, who now had nothing to do, could only laugh.
「What’s this? We prepped for a desperate, all-out assault, and there’s not even a fight.」
We shelled the port facilities from the Great Lake where the Silesie fleet was anchored, but the lack of counterattack confirmed the enemy’s forces were severely diminished.
「Don’t be so sour, Drake. If we can win easily, there’s no need to complain.」
「Yeah, King General’s right. We still have to be on guard against the Great Demon King and demon beasts. Holding back our strength isn’t necessarily a bad thing.」
Even so, we weren’t letting our guard down. We had already lost one of our Black Cedar warships and sustained damage to a portion of the fleet.
「But still, the fact that not even the demon beasts have appeared… have they abandoned the city?」
Without wasting time, Lyle-sensei quickly began organizing the landing forces.
「Anyway, let’s land and seize control of the city.」
Our mission to rescue Rara-chan from the Great Demon King Ifriil and stop the revival of the Mother of Chaos left us with no time to waste.
We were also scheduled to meet up with Ria here, so we had to take Laurentite.
「Hydra, that place known as Mad Volcano in the Hell Abyss, where that suspicious ritual was happening, is nearby, right?」
「Yes, indeed, King General-sama. Would you like me to lick your feet in reverence?」
Though Hydra had become obedient, she had turned a bit strange after being subjected to tickle torture.
I couldn’t help but question the reliability of her statements.
「Is she okay? Maybe we should tickle her a bit more, just in case?」
「Please, no more!」
Ah, too late.
Now Sherry, who had been taking care of the captive Hydra, would scold me.
「Oniisama, don’t play around. You’ll dirty the floor.」
「Sorry. I guess all is well.」
Meanwhile, the troops disembarking from the ships began taking over the city.
There was barely any resistance.
「Takeru-dono, we’re pressing forward to the Demon King’s palace in Laurentite. Once that’s taken, the city will fall. Let’s verify Hydra’s intel with the prisoners as well.」
Leaving part of the fleet at the port, we headed for the palace at the heart of the demon city.
Laurentite was a city large enough to station twenty thousand soldiers.
At least two hundred thousand residents should be living here, but the city felt desolate and lifeless.
As we marched through the streets, I took note of how dire the situation was.
「Sensei, what do you make of this?」
「The country of Nisrok, just one province of the continent, exhausted all its resources for this massive war. The result is what you see now.」
Nisrok, once just a small nation on the Abyss continent, had come within a hair’s breadth of conquering it through unprecedented all-out war.
But the strain of that effort had placed heavy sacrifices on its people.
We easily took over the Demon King’s palace without any resistance, thanks to the presence of me, sensei, and the unmistakably high-ranking demons, Oracle and Kaara.
Normally, this would be where a battle at the Demon King’s palace takes place.
The Great Demon King was once again a disappointment, offering no resistance. Inside the palace, we were greeted by a group of elderly men, dressed in lavish robes.
「We surrender, O Hero-dono. The Demon King-sama had instructed us to submit peacefully if you were to advance upon the palace.」
Upon hearing this, it became clear that these elderly men held high positions, such as the Prime Minister of the Demon Kingdom and the Steward of the palace, but it also meant that no military leaders remained here.
「So, the Great Demon King isn’t here after all. Is he at Mad Volcano, the Hell Abyss?」
When I asked, the white-bearded demon elder, who introduced himself as Demogorgon, scolded Hydra.
「Even though I commanded you not to speak, you still blabbed, Hydra.」
「I’m sorry! I couldn’t help it!」
Hydra apologized, her distress evident as the palace carpet became stained. The strict elder sighed heavily.
「There is no helping it. Though it was the Great Demon King-sama’s command, we have already surrendered.」
This elder seemed to know more than Hydra. Before I could interrogate him, he began to reveal something shocking.
「O Hero-dono of the Evil Goddess Asama, you and your people have come from the distant Eura continent, haven’t you?」
「You know about the Eura continent?」
「Just as you crossed the sea to reach this Abyss continent, the Great Demon King gathered the ancient lore of this land. He studied the Evil Goddess Asama, who claims to be the goddess of mankind, and the homeland of the humans. That these events occurred simultaneously is surely fate.」
「The Great Demon King mentioned fate too. What do you mean by that?」
「It is destiny. The Eura continent was created by the Evil Goddess Asama in defiance of the Mother of Chaos. Meanwhile, this Abyss continent is said to be a mirror reflection of Eura. The Mother of Chaos always responds to whatever happens here.」
「Enough with the abstract talk. How does that lead to reviving the Mother of Chaos?」
「The Great Demon King-sama’s ambitions are beyond our understanding. But the outcome of his actions is plain for all to see.」
「What outcome are you talking about?」
「You don’t see it, O Hero-dono? This very Abyss continent beneath our feet is the Mother of Chaos.」
With that, the old demon Demogorgon struck the floor with his staff.
「Wait, what? I don’t follow…」
「To revive the Mother of Chaos means that the Abyss continent itself will rise and crush the Eura continent, destroying the Evil Goddess Asama along with it.」
「Hold on… are you saying…」
「When the Great Demon King’s ritual to resurrect the Mother of Chaos is complete, none of us on this Abyss continent will survive. And the Eura continent, assaulted by the ‘Abyss continent itself’, now transformed into the world’s greatest demon, will also be annihilated.」
「So that’s what you mean by ‘destroying the world’. Everyone would die!」
What a lunatic! I always knew the Great Demon King Ifriil was strange, but this… this is insane!
The demons around us seemed just as shocked as I was. While they knew Ifriil was performing some kind of ritual, they assumed it was merely for summoning beasts.
「I have served Prince Ifriil since his childhood, but I am ashamed that I could not stop him from reaching this point. I beg of you—please, stop the Great Demon King Ifriil.」
You don’t have to tell me twice.
We had no time to lose.
Though we had yet to meet up with Ria, she was headed this way, so she’d catch up soon enough.
For now, the priority was stopping the ritual to resurrect the Mother of Chaos.
We hurried toward the hills nearby, the place known as Mad Volcano, the Hell Abyss.