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The Demon King wasn’t in a position to leisurely sit in the court and snack. No matter how overflowing the Demon King’s Army may be with manpower, having 500,000 troops tied up at a single location on the East Coast, specifically at Febria Bay Fortress, was a significant hindrance to executing war plans.

Removing troops from that fortress was also not favorable. Even though the Gargoyle Queen was in command, the Demon King himself could not be certain if it was possible to keep Jenis Harker trapped within the fortress with fewer than 500,000 troops. Time was on the Demon King’s side—if only there was enough of it. However, Rose Caprice, who he hoped would buy more time, had returned to the frontlines due to Margaret’s quicker-than-expected intervention.

There were those who hoped this conflict would disrupt cooperation between the Southern and Central armies, but the Demon King was too cautious to share such optimistic predictions from certain senior officials. After all, the command authority in the Central army was almost exclusively held by Walter. Rose not only lacked the authority to influence the grand strategy of the Central army but was also not the type of person eager to stir up infighting in the Empire by confronting Walter. Ironically, the fact that this whole series of events unfolded without opposing Walter, but rather excluding him, demonstrated Rose’s fear of him.

In any case, after returning to the frontlines, Rose Caprice fell back under Walter’s control. Whether it was due to accumulated fatigue or the thwarting of her ambitious Northern Expedition, the Hero’s activities had been extraordinarily powerless recently, yet the Demon King did not let his guard down.

Somehow, they managed to keep him tied to a small castle, but the Demon King’s greatest fear had materialized—the invasion on two fronts. Judging the threat of Jenis, who was closer to the Demon King’s Castle geographically, as more critical, the Gargoyle Queen was dispatched in that direction. However, the Northern Expeditionary Force in the south, under Walter and Rose’s command, was also not a force that could be ignored. From this point on, it was a desperate defensive battle for the Demon King’s Army. If they managed to hold out well, she would achieve victory. Yes, if only the Moriarty Machine was completed, it could render all the battles conducted thus far meaningless.

It had been a while since the Demon King entered the ‘Necromancer’s Room’ to check on the progress of the mechanical development. Although known as one of the highest-ranking officials in the Demon King’s Army, he was also the most shrouded in mystery.

He had never fought anyone and had never revealed his identity to anyone. He was merely an unknown entity passed down by the words of the liches sent to the frontlines. At one point, Walter suspected that the ‘Necromancer’ was either a concept that only existed in theory or a fabricated persona for propaganda, but at some moment, he completely reversed his stance and concluded that he was indeed a real individual and the highest official of the Demon King’s Army.

No one knew why the Hero had come to such a conclusion. They simply trusted the Hero’s words. If Walter said so, then surely it must be true.

Walter’s thoughts were indeed correct. The Demon King slowly entered the ‘Machine Room’ and called for the Necromancer.

“James Moriarty.”

Violet uttered his name. A hunched back, frail limbs, a head that resembled a reptile with blank, dulled eyes—it was hard to view him as a living being. Flesh in various places was already rotting, and his bones creaked as if unnaturally pieced together.

Most strikingly, the clear stitch marks on his neck showed that someone had cut off this man’s head and forcibly reattached it. The one who cut off that neck was not far away. The one who severed James Moriarty’s head and reattached it to make him a puppet was the same individual.

Violet Moriarty had been using her own father, whom she killed and resurrected, as a slave. This was a truth that no one within the Demon King’s Army knew, except for the Succubus Queen Elios.

“Y-Your Majesty…”

The lifeless puppet of a professor bowed his head towards the Demon King. Violet grimaced and pushed the Necromancer away, moving towards the machines. James staggered and fell onto the ground, but the Demon King did not even glance his way. The professor showed no signs of pain either. He was no longer capable of feeling.

“How much is left, Father?”

Violet asked with a brighter expression, having confirmed that the machine was almost complete. The Necromancer awkwardly bent over and replied.

“E-Eighty percent is c-complete, and t-twenty percent is s-still incomplete… the remaining t-twenty percent is in question…”

“Question? Question? Question?”

Violet furrowed her previously bright face. Unfortunately, Violet Moriarty could not resurrect all of James Moriarty’s knowledge with her own dark magic. Some of that knowledge was too deeply intertwined with her father’s ambition, so in order to prevent the resurrected Moriarty from regaining consciousness and turning against her, she had to remove a substantial amount of information.

In some aspects, Violet could supplement what she lost through her own research. However, regrettably, in certain areas, she surpassed her father, but in mana research, she was clearly at a disadvantage. Her search efforts to fill these gaps were yielding no results and continued to plague her. If she had secured even one notebook from Eramenia or one of Harriet’s machines, the situation might have been much better.

“Will the machine not operate without it?”

“D-Depending on the case, t-there may be c-differences…”

The voice coming from the Necromancer’s throat was closer to that of a goblin forcing human words than that of a person. Violet, feeling disgusted at that voice, forced the professor into place and asked,

“What about the magic you dreamed of?”

“W-What dream?”

“The magic of eternal life. That foolish dream of establishing an Eternal Empire that receives unlimited lifespan through this machine without passing it to anyone. Can we create the means to execute that?”

James Moriarty rolled his vacant eyes left and right, as if he could not recall whether he had ever had such a dream. Nonetheless, the Necromancer, a loyal puppet of the Demon King, answered her question.

“If the purpose is to e-extend one’s lifespan indefinitely, then modifications could be made…”

“Shut up. I have no interest or intrigue in useless and foolish purposes like eternal life. I am only interested in whether this machine can produce the output you initially aimed for. Do you understand what I mean, James Moriarty?”

The Demon King said this last part almost in a growl. Yet, even with her pressure that would frighten most officials of the Demon King’s Army, the old professor showed no signs of fear. Fear arises from the threat to life; only living beings can feel fear.

“It may require more research…”

“Then go do your research. I will send you more excellent liches soon. Use them as you see fit.”

“I will abide by your orders…”

The Necromancer awkwardly adjusted his posture again with creaking joints. The Demon King rolled her eyes as if she found his appearance repulsive and left the ‘Machine Room’. The result of the meeting was not the worst, but it was hardly satisfying.

Research was progressing at the necessary pace. After all, they were using Professor Moriarty’s brain to recover that information, so the progress itself was inevitable. Yet, gaps that couldn’t be filled continued to arise, and annoying heroes and elf heroes were obstructing her goal.

The completion of the machine would end the war, but if the Demon King’s Castle were to be raided before it was completed, it would mean nothing. Unfortunately, some key figures on the Hero’s side seemed to have already caught on to the existence of this machine.

They might not know exactly what the Demon King intended to do with it. However, they would not be ignorant of the fact that if the ‘tool that can store mana and release it infinitely’ fell into the Demon King’s hands, all the wars fought until now would be rendered meaningless. It is not much different than a whole lake being fried against an electric mage while a swarm of carp wage war. For the carp, who cares whether the mage intends to burn them all or cook them to enjoy some fried carp?

“Succubus!”

As the Demon King trudged through the corridor, he called for his mother. The Succubus Queen, waiting nearby, hurriedly came running to meet the Demon King.

“Did you call for me, Your Majesty?”

“I will delegate my full authority back to you. Manage the castle. Make sure the Gargoyle does not act hastily.”

At the Demon King’s words, the Succubus Queen looked surprised. She hadn’t expected that the Demon King would leave the castle to her during such an unstable time.

“Will you be going directly to battle? The southern front currently has no enemy movements; it should be fine to leave it to the commanders’ discretion. I wonder what results may come from hastily leaving the throne…”

“I have somewhere I must go, and it is not the battlefield. To receive more time’s assistance, it seems decisive action is necessary.”

The Succubus Queen did not try to persuade him a second time. The Demon King rarely spoke in vain. Upon seeing his mother bow her head and accept the command, the Demon King nodded with a satisfied expression and continued on his way.

As the Demon King slowly moved away towards the castle gates, he paused for a moment and turned back to the Succubus Queen.

“Mother.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Mother and Diana are the only two officials I trust. In terms of capability and loyalty. I know that your relationship with the Gargoyle is strained, but remember that she is the only one you can trust.”

“I understand, Your Majesty.”

The Demon King received the Succubus Queen’s bow and stepped outside the castle gates. At the same time, Walter Hellhound of the Northern Expeditionary Force awoke from a terrible nightmare, drenched in cold sweat.

 

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