“Irena, they’re—” But Ernst doesn’t get to finish what he’s saying.

  “Demons are going to take on other demons? Are you telling me they fight turf wars with one another? If the demon king’s setting his sights on our empire next, I’m really not on board with that.”

  “I don’t know what you’re trying to say. We’ve only come to rescue the king’s little brother. He’ll be sad if we don’t,” Beelzebuth explains matter-of-factly.

  “He’ll be sad.” That isn’t a phrase Irena was expecting, and she falls silent.

  “Demons this, nations that… As always, you humans are tiresome,” the demon says, sounding utterly disinterested. Then he flies away with no hesitation, even though he’s headed for a battlefield that would make even the Valkyries falter.

  “…Irena, I understand your confusion, but you’re misunderstanding,” Ernst says, and Irena turns to look at him. “The demons sympathize with Vica, since he has the same face as the demon king. We decided to use that sympathy. By gaining the cooperation of Ellmeyer’s demons, we’ll save this nation and its emperor.”

  Ernst is apparently leading demons by the nose. It’s far too bold and brazen. It’s the sort of decision an ordinary person wouldn’t be allowed to make.

  “In Ellmeyer, the demons will benefit from visibly protecting humans. Kilvas will gain a new system of government. No favors are being done here. This is an equal exchange.”

  Ernst proudly holds his head high as he says this. He’s undoubtedly the empire’s prime minister.

  “Granted, I’ve just been told as much by the shadow commander in chief myself, and I’ve only just managed to absorb the knowledge. Neither I nor Vica have trained enough yet. Not if we want to challenge the world.”

  The world is vast. Ernst looks as if a weight has rolled off his shoulders. Following his gaze, Irena looks at the wall again. The barrier that has imprisoned both the demons and her group has been broken.

  Will it end up being the harbinger of total collapse or the turning of the tide? They’re standing at the fork in the road where they’ll have to make that choice.

  “…This is our empire. And we’ve put our lives on the line to become masters at fighting demons.”

  There may come a time when Irena and the rest of the Valkyries aren’t needed. A dreadful era when all their efforts and achievements become completely irrelevant. That’s what new eras are like.

  “There’s no way we’re losing to demons now, after all this time! Come on, let’s go! We’ll make this our final battle! That’s our pride as Valkyries!”

  However, because it will be proof that they’ve changed the world, they’ll stand tall and accept whatever comes.

  In response to Irena’s order, her subordinates roar. Even the thundering footsteps of the approaching demon horde can’t drown them out.

  Registering the shadow stretching from the window, Claude opens his eyes.

  With the light behind him, the mage gives a deep, deferential bow. “I’m terribly sorry for the delay, Emperor Claude. Elefas Levi has arrived.”

  Leaning against the armrest, Claude props his chin on his hand and glares at him. The demon king’s mage doesn’t flinch as he launches into his explanation. “Regarding the fact that I did not come to greet you first, direct your complaints to Isaac, if you would. I was abruptly summoned by Rachel and the others, who stopped at a port of call in Hausel. When I hastily came to confirm the situation, Master Keith—whom the demons had rescued—told me to report to Isaac. I’m merely a mage who’s worked to the bone without understanding a thing. A useless mage who can’t simply teleport everyone unless he has your power, Emperor Claude.”

  The stream of excuses and self-deprecation take the edge off Claude’s hostility, and he sighs. “…I know. It’s not your fault. Everyone treats you with far too much contempt. During this incident, I felt that very keenly. Using ‘weaker than Elefas’ as a standard is just wrong.”

  “So they did that, did they? Blast them. I’m delighted that you understand. Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

  “Explain the circumstances briefly. As my brilliant mage, no doubt you have a handle on the situation.”

  Maybe Elefas is relieved that he hasn’t been blamed. He stands up straighter as he launches into his briefing. “The demons of Kilvas have broken part of the northern wall. The cause was the breaking of the spell in the capital that was reinforcing the wall. The reason only one portion of it collapsed was, um… Explaining it to you seems rather odd, but a certain demon king is using his vast magic to halt the spell’s collapse.”

  The mage knows exactly what Claude has been doing here all along.

  “The demons who’ve emerged from behind the wall are heading straight for the capital. They’re expected to reach it in approximately twenty hours, and the Valkyries… Or is it the empress? At any rate, they’re constructing a line of defense within the capital. The empire’s citizens have not been evacuated. I imagine the Valkyries want them to witness their glory firsthand.”

  “In other words, as things stand, the situation is going just as the Valkyries planned. You’ve taken steps, of course?”

  “At the moment, Almond, Sugar, and Beelzebuth are leading all the flying demons to deal with the situation. There’s a good chance that this incident involves the use of demon snuff, so in the first stage, the plan is to scatter a large amount of Luc and Quartz’s demon-snuff antidote. If the demons stop because of that, things will wrap up quite neatly. In addition, Denis is working out a way to render the magic lances of the Valkyries in the capital ineffective. I do believe he may build a flying palace one of these days… It frightens me.”

  Claude isn’t worried. All of Aileen’s underlings are already on his watch list. That said, Denis is close to the demons, and he and Claude hit it off as well, so Claude would like to let him keep his freedom if possible.

  “That alone won’t be a fundamental solution, though. We have to do something about Vica.”

  “I’m told the maneuver’s objective is to secure Master Vica and restore either his humanity or his senses, since doing so will calm the demons. Even if he can’t be made human again on the spot, if they shoot him with a tranquilizer gun or something and take him back to Ellmeyer for a while, she’ll fix it somehow…says, um, the shadow commander in chief.” Elefas quietly averts his eyes.

  Claude blinks in an exaggerated way. “I’d heard there was no way to return him to normal. Does she have something in mind?”

  “That’s what concerns you? Or, no, that’s important as well, but… You’re not going to ask about the shadow commander in chief?”

  “Aileen is good at making the demons happy. Including me, of course.”

  “Huh? Master Claude, you’re happy about the shadow commander in chief, too?”

  “The mere fact that she’s not standing on the front line this time means she passes. Or did she use that as a bargaining chip? Ah yes, and that’s why you’ve been forced to run around.”

  Even the demon king’s wife and his adviser can’t bypass Claude and use Elefas and the demons as they wish. They would have needed to negotiate somehow.

  “That’s a problem. Has my wife finally become able to use the demons without me?”

  “……Um, so… Everybody’s doing their best. If you move, we’ll have to distract the Valkyries again, and we can’t have the whole wall coming down at once, so I think you should stay as still as a mountain and maintain the status quo, Master Claude.”

  This mage’s bad habit is getting sloppy the moment the end is in sight.

  “Don’t be so modest. Couldn’t you fill in for me?”

  “Aaaaaaah, I can’t heeeaaaar yoooouuu. No, no, I could never. Anyway, I’m going back to the battlefield, okay, Master Claude?”

  Elefas seems to be implying that being on the battlefield is preferable to obeying Claude’s orders. The man starts to turn on his heel, so Claude swiftly gets up, trips him, then plants a foot on his cloak. “As my brilliant mage, not only can you stand in for me, you can also recast the wall’s spell, can’t you?”

  “I don’t want to. I’ve only made it this far by drinking tonics. I can’t do any more! Even repairing spells takes time!”

  “No matter what Kilvas does with it from this point on, fixing it is probably the safest option. How long will it take?”

  The enormous spell has been cast over the entire capital. Not only that, but it was designed by Hausel. Even if it takes days to fix it, simply holding back its collapse is not an option they can entertain.

  “Three hours, no matter how desperately I work at it.” Elefas is still sitting on his rear on the floor. Claude gazes at him steadily. “What is that look for? Yes, it’s only piecing a broken spell back together, but it’s not the sort of thing one can do in ten or twenty minutes. Even if I borrow your magic, that is the very fastest I can manage.”

  “No… I was just thinking my mage was brilliant. If you use my magic, I think you might be stronger than me.”

  “If I can’t win without borrowing it, there’s not much point, and you know it.”

  It’s hard to tell whether that response is him being servile or supremely confident. With a wry smile, Claude lifts his foot off the mage’s cloak. Looking cross, Elefas gets to his feet.

  “I’ll leave rebuilding the spell to you. Teleport me outside the capital.”

  “Wait, Master Claude! I can’t borrow your magic right now. I can’t be your substitute.”

  “It’s fine—I’ll be right back. All you have to do is buy time.”

  “There’s no way you’ll be ‘right back.’ The last time you said that, you were gone for half a day!”

  “I mean it… I have to be the one to settle things this time. Please.”

  Elefas shuts up. He exhales, shoulders slumping. Then he looks at Claude with eyes the same color as Claude’s. “I wish you good fortune in battle.”

  “I really have been blessed with good retainers.”

  Rudely, Elefas shrugs, but he promptly vanishes and is replaced by a stretch of sky. In the distance, Claude can see the ramparts of the imperial capital. He hasn’t been outside it in a long time. Now, then… He looks around.

  Still, they really underestimated me. Didn’t they realize breaking that wall would set me free? Or did they assume I’d try to fix it somehow?

  They might have. As a matter of fact, if Elefas hadn’t appeared, Claude probably would have chosen to maintain the wall. After all, keeping the number of demons who enter the capital low enough that Diana and Cattleya’s group are certain to be able to drive them off is the best way to keep the damage to a minimum.

  Cattleya probably thought that was the choice Claude would make. It was a type of trust.

  However, there’s one other woman who accurately guessed what he would do: his wife, who will hold her head high and claim, That is why I am here.

  In the dry wind of an unfamiliar land, Claude closes his eyes, then opens them. Calling to the demons is enough to tell him what the war situation is.

  All right, I’ll go along with the shadow commander in chief’s plan. If I’m going to be manipulated, I’d prefer it that way.

  On the battlefield, the advantage keeps shifting from one side to the other.

  First, the antidote Almond and Sugar’s group scattered was fairly effective, so they gained the initiative. However, although they tried to push the demons back behind the wall, they weren’t able to communicate with them. They knew this would be an issue, since the demons had failed to respond to Claude—or rather, since they’d heard about the demons of Kilvas in the first place—but it was still discouraging. After all, being able to persuade them to stop would have been the fastest solution.

  In the end, the Valkyries and Almond’s group worked together to drive the demons back inside the wall, as if they were herding animals. Then they were spotted by the Valkyries who’d stayed at the wall. They hadn’t taken the fact that some might still be there into account. Humans joined the demons, and the battle devolved into a chaotic melee where friend and foe were jumbled together.

  Irena’s unit is strong, but their magic lances have no divine stones. Beelzebuth is protecting them, but his force’s strength is halved since he has to fight without killing. In the meantime, the enemy continues scattering more demon snuff. The demons of Kilvas, who have been milling about in confusion, rampage again. Starting about then, the front line begins to buckle.

  The demons of Kilvas are screaming. The Valkyries have grown impatient and started attacking both Irena’s group and the demons. They just need to use demon snuff to lure the demons to the capital. As long as the enemy in front of them vanishes, it’s fine. That’s the only way they see the situation, and that’s why they’re able to do something so thoughtless.

  If they’d looked closer, they would have noticed that Irena’s group was avoiding attacking the demons of Kilvas. They can’t have thought Irena’s Valkyries were doing it out of the goodness of their hearts, can they?

  “Those idiots,” Isaac mutters. He’s peering through a pair of binoculars from a tent pitched on high ground a little distance away.

  “You’re quite harsh. I’m sure they can’t help it. This country has far too little information regarding the demon king. How is Master Ernst’s command?” Keith asks.

  “Even better than I’d hoped. I shouldn’t have expected less from a guy who has experience in the field. He’s made the right choice and is beginning to pull back.”

  “If possible, I would have liked to find him. With the situation as it is, though…do you think he’ll come?”

  “As the demon king’s adviser, do you think he wouldn’t?”

  “He’ll come. If demons are being hurt, the demon king will appear.”

  Just then, a demon so large they don’t need binoculars to spot it punches a new breach in the wall. For a brief moment, the wall flares with light as if it’s resisting, but the newcomer stomps through the spell as well.

  Any demon who can do a thing like that is obviously the demon king.

  The demon is covered in shining black scales, and he plants four feet on the ground, crouching low. The flames that jet from between his sharp fangs rise into the wintry sky like steam. The demon’s red eyes seem to glare at everything. And when the demon hears the screams of the other demons who are being attacked, his whole body trembles.

  This is the red-eyed demon—a dragon. He isn’t shaped quite like Claude, though. His form isn’t much different from those of the demons of Kilvas. That gives Keith and Isaac some faint hope.

  However, the large wings that sprout from his back aren’t just for decoration.

  “So he can fly, huh?!”

  The red-eyed demon soars high into the sky and sucks in a deep breath. His mouth is turned toward them. Apparently, he is intelligent enough to locate their position. He may be inhaling the magic around them; the tent flaps and sways.

  Naturally, Isaac and Keith have no way to block the attack.

  “Hey, adviser. Do you have any last words?”

  “‘This, when you can’t even make tea.’”

  “Okay, mine are ‘Now I can’t keep her from standing on the front line, got it?’”

  The blast of gathered magic is unleashed at them. Its light bleaches out the world.

  The attack is blocked by a human figure.

  “That would be a very big problem.”

  Isaac realizes he had the wrong idea. That demon—Vica—hadn’t been aiming for their position.

  He’d instinctively sensed a strong foe and aimed for him.

  The area around their position has been singed a little, but he and Keith are alive. Letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, Isaac rakes his fingers through his hair and smiles. “Haaah, we won…”

  “It seems a bit early to make that call… So that’s Vica?” Having descended to their position, the demon king of Isaac’s country looks behind him, black hair streaming in the wind.

  The demon king’s adviser smoothly steps forward and says, “Milord, I have a message from the shadow commander in chief: ‘Take him alive.’ She also wants you to give him hope. There’s still a good possibility that he’ll come back.”

  Claude blinks.

  Isaac repeats the words. “Did you get that? Take him alive. Alive. Even if worse comes to worst and we can’t turn him human again here, we can ask Ashmael for help.”

  “…Oh, I see. Ailee— The shadow commander in chief doesn’t think Vica’s become a demon completely, only that his magic’s destabilized and gone out of control. If so, we can pull him back. Still, there must have been some sort of trigger that made him lose his inhibitions.”

  The sort of sadness or anger or despair or resignation that would make him want to give up on being human.

  Keith gazes into the distance, looking melancholy. “…In all probability, the woman he loved said something horrible to him. ‘You monster,’ or something to that effect.”

  “Oh yes, that’s brutal. The poor boy,” Claude says sympathetically.

  “Huh? I didn’t hear anything about that… Oh, wait, did you get that by working backward from this? C’mon, don’t destroy the world over that! Demon kings do this every time. Do you lot have romance on the brain or something?!” Isaac is more irritated than anything else.

  Claude wishes Isaac would direct his complaints at the world that made its demon kings that way.

  He laughs a little, then takes to the sky. The demons understand his orders even if he doesn’t say them out loud; they begin evacuating the humans and clearing the area.

  Conversely, the demons who have taken Vica’s orders all begin attacking at once, trying to bring Claude down. Vica is the king they serve.

  I’ll have to show respect for that.

  To celebrate the birth of the new demon king. To teach this king, who is still immature, how to live.

  And so that those young, red, glaring eyes, identical to his own, will see him properly. As an older brother and someone who’s already walked this path.

  Even in the south of Kilvas, it’s quite cold out on the ocean. However, in addition to hot tea, her outstanding ladies-in-waiting have provided a magic heating item manufactured in Ellmeyer and cold-weather gear made with down feathers. Thanks to these, she doesn’t feel the chill while out on deck.