A portion of the Holy Water was urgently transported to the Royal Capital for Lilith. However, when Lilith distributed the Holy Water to the Kingdom’s army, she found it had little effect against the Demon Clan forces directly invading the central region.
The vast majority of the Kingdom’s troops lost their nerve the moment they saw the Demon Clan’s monsters. Forget fighting, just holding the line was already an achievement for the elite. In such a case, although Lilith was just shy of saying the potions in the Kingdom’s army’s hands were Holy Water, no matter how powerful the weapon, it still requires people to use it.
The Demon Clan pressed forward with a song, just as Antipa and Claire had agreed, heading straight for the Royal Capital.
Lind had already messaged Lilith multiple times, urging her to escape quickly.
But Lilith was already a queen of a nation. Being in the Royal Capital, from Lilith’s perspective as the ruler, everyone could flee except herself.
If she ran, that would mean the true loss of her homeland. Lilith had no strong sense of responsibility toward the Augustus family, but her long-standing identity as a Saintess made her reluctant to give up the integrity of the Royal Capital.
Everyone she had helped, including that couple who had been used, remained etched in her memory. Lilith could escape, but could the others? Even if everyone took a train to the Northern Border, what about the rest of the population in the central region?
This wasn’t a hasty decision from Lilith; after preparing to defend the Royal Capital, she had carefully consulted the Old Pope. With Lilith’s power and the Church’s Holy Army, it was not an issue to defend the Royal Capital. Moreover, Lilith had also inquired about 550C, who assured her that in emergencies, they would use special measures to guarantee her safety.
Lilith even planned to tell her brother not to rush over, but to wait until the situation was dire and then come straight from the Northern Border to rescue the Royal Capital from danger.
Sometimes, Lilith thought if the time had come to directly pass the throne to her brother. If the Augustuses disagreed, then her brother could just beat them up until they consented; as long as her brother ascended to the throne, she would be free.
However, recently the public sentiment in the Royal Capital had seemed off, especially with the advance of the Demon Clan, and the city began to gradually enforce martial law.
On the other side, Antipa had already arrived at the front lines and began to take command.
“Blow up the railway to the Northern Border.”
Antipa started issuing orders during the march of the Demon army, with the first order being to blow up the incomplete railway connecting the Royal Capital to the Northern Border.
Every moment spent delaying the Northern Border count.
“No, there’s no need to send troops specifically. Give explosives to the people along the way, let them use their bodies to blow it up. As for the method, you should be aware of it.”
Simply put, it involved using those people’s families as leverage or brainwashing and taming them, making those humans loyal to the Demon Clan, convincing them they could become honorary Demon Clan members as a means to enslave their own kind. When necessary, a little power could be granted to those humans willing to assimilate.
This method had already been tested countless times outside of the Frozen Snow Region, and after the officers of the Demon Clan received their orders, they hardly inquired further and went to execute it.
Antipa looked in the direction of the Royal Capital; the central region indeed lived up to the lands chosen by the Cape Royal Family, being exceptionally rich. For most Demon Clan members, the Surde Region was the most prosperous land they had ever seen in their lives.
However, apart from minerals, the Surde region was simply incomparable to the lands of the Eastern Border.
Even a knowledgeable Demon would have seen the lands during Doug’s tenure in the Northern Border, but the land of the Northern Border was no match for the central region.
What right did weak humans have to possess such affluent lands? These lands should belong to the great Demon warriors! This was the most genuine reaction from these Demons upon seeing the central region.
Antipa thought this way too. As for whether to honor the agreement with that princess? Antipa snickered coldly in his heart.
…
Although the entire Royal Capital was under martial law, since the control over the Outer District wasn’t strong, even though Paul vehemently criticized the current queen in a tavern, no one stepped forward to bind him.
Considering Paul’s influence among adventurers and the growing difficulty in accepting commissions, Paul quickly gathered a group of adventurers.
“Brother Paul, do you really have a way to introduce us to the Dark Guild?”
A young adventurer hastily approached Paul, asking excitedly yet cautiously.
“Of course!”
At that moment, Paul was leading this group of adventurers, who shared his dissatisfaction with the current queen, to his safe house.
“I will say it again, those without courage should not come along, leave now!”
Not a single one of these adventurers left and all followed Paul into the safe house.
As soon as they entered the safe house, these adventurers saw Claire sitting elegantly in a chair.
Most of those who came with Paul were very young adventurers, and upon seeing Claire, they immediately froze.
Claire looked at these young adventurers with great satisfaction. The Royal Capital had once racked its brains to manage these young adventurers. After all, they were full of energy, and once a group of three or five gathered, trouble would start. Violent incidents frequently occurred in areas where adventurers gathered, with no one managing or able to manage them.
Now, these adventurers had become one of Claire’s supports.
Paul knelt on one knee before Claire, signaling he had completed his task. Claire nodded in encouragement and stood up, saying, “Allow me to introduce myself, I am the princess of this country, Claire Augustus.”
Following this, Claire took out the act she had used to deceive Paul, passionately accusing Lilith of violence. Moreover, she referenced the recent spread and refinement of rumors, correlating them with the gossip spreading outside, which made her accusations sound even more convincing.
After finishing her accusation against Lilith, Claire declared, “For the sake of this country, I need your strength. I ask you to lend me your power. I promise that the future Kingdom will remember your contributions and will award you the highest titles of knighthood!”
Claire’s words stirred the blood of these young adventurers; many had already realized that Claire was planning a coup, but for these lower-class adventurers, this was one of the few chances to transcend their class, especially since it was for the sake of the nation.
Under Claire’s speech, even if these adventurers failed, they would be heroes of the Kingdom. Moreover, these adventurers were dissatisfied with the queen’s governance, as the commissions for adventurers were decreasing, or they were other discontented factions gathering together, with no reason not to agree.
Just as everyone began to kneel on one knee, pledging their loyalty to Claire like knights, one adventurer suddenly whispered, “I’m sorry, I want to withdraw.”
The adventurer said, “I also dislike Her Majesty the Queen, but she has indeed helped my family, making life better for others at home. I’m sorry, I… I don’t want to participate in this.”
The adventurer spoke hesitantly but ultimately turned his head away, unable to look at his companions. Paul furrowed his brow, surprised that someone would be swayed by that evil queen’s small kindness.
But Claire gently said, “It’s okay, everyone has the right to choose. Is there anyone else who wants to withdraw? If you want to leave, now is the time.”
No one spoke, and the adventurer quietly left the safe house.
After leaving the safe house, the adventurer looked at the gloomy weather, feeling some confusion. Why were the nobles still fighting among themselves with the Demon Clan army close by? Was Her Majesty really as incompetent as the princess said? Why did he feel there was something off about the princess’s rhetoric?
Not long after this adventurer left the safe house, a dagger pierced through his chest from behind.
