Chapter One: News from the North

After a long-overdue intimate exchange, the two sisters, having sorted out their emotions, separated once more. The young queen placed the fragrant one back in the bassinet lined with exquisite linens before they sat facing each other again.

Although Liliya’s cute, rosy face was still a bit flushed, Vilyric couldn’t help but want to pinch her cheeks. But after all, she was Her Majesty now, so better leave that to imagination.

Next came the matter at hand; Vilyric wasn’t here just for some flirty banter.

She informed Liliya that the envoy group was on the way back but wouldn’t be returning to the City of Courage with them. Although the young queen seemed slightly regretful, she didn’t appear too surprised—perhaps she had anticipated it, or Philena had already filled her in.

Originally, Vilyric intended to seek Liliya’s opinion on the journey, considering her previous suggestion to visit the Kingdom of Azure had indeed exposed the priestess to many interesting things and proven quite beneficial.

However, the items she had seen earlier on the desk prompted Vilyric to change her approach.

“Liliya, you look quite tired. Is the aftermath of the Abyss incursion still weighing on you?”

Hearing this, Her Majesty rubbed her eyes in resignation and gently shook her head.

“Indeed, the Abyss incursion caused significant disaster in the Wasteland and its surrounding areas. Our army, especially the southern troops, suffered heavy losses during the resistance, but ultimately, those monsters didn’t invade the United Kingdom itself, so the damages are still within an acceptable range. I have already handled it.”

“What’s really troubling me right now is actually coming from the north…”

The blue-haired young queen glanced at Vilyric, seemingly hesitating to speak further.

She knew this character well. When something interesting happened, Vilyric would always be the first to poke her nose in, though she was aware of Vilyric’s formidable strength. According to Philena’s reports, it seemed Vilyric was the one truly resolving the Abyss tide from behind the scenes.

Yet, even with such a slight risk, Liliya sincerely hoped to keep her out of it—perhaps this was what they called ‘caring leads to confusion’?

“What’s going on? Don’t beat around the bush; let me guess. The trouble in the north is probably about the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons, right?”

“…So you figured it out. Sneaking into Her Majesty’s room to spy for intel is punishable by death, you know.”

With a gentle sigh, Liliya merely glanced at the previously disturbed documents and pieced together where the priestess had gotten her information.

“Hehe, sorry, sorry! It’s just so boring. Who are we to each other, right? So what’s going on over there?”

With no sincerity, Vilyric joined her hands in a gesture and continued her ‘spying’ act with a perfectly innocent face.

Since they had gotten this far, it was pointless to keep any secrets.

The blue-haired girl pointed to the somewhat disheveled pile of documents on the table.

“You saw it, right? Right now, there’s constant conflict between the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons and our northern border… There have indeed been poacher gangs there for quite some time, but they seem to be as persistent as ever. It’s not unusual for magical beasts to occasionally invade farms; the reason for the abrupt and overwhelming conflicts boils down to another crucial matter.”

Vilyric did not interrupt but instead urged the young queen with her gaze to hurry up.

“About two or three months ago, the City Lord of Demon Town, Marshal Tyler Tuls of the northern army, suddenly reported a troubling message. A large force of magical beasts from the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons breached our defenses without warning and invaded our territory. After much blockade and negotiation, they expended great effort to drive them back.”

“This group of magical beasts consists of members of the Moonshadow Clan, one of the three main pillars. According to them, a recently born young leader and several younglings were captured by the poachers using cunning tricks. Although the Moonshadow Clan immediately launched a pursuit and eliminated most of the poachers, a few members managed to escape back into the United Kingdom with some Moonshadow younglings.”

“Among them was the only royal descendant of the Moonshadow Clan, that freshly born little Moonshadow.”

“…”

Seeing Liliya pause here without continuing, Vilyric couldn’t help but tilt her head in confusion.

“Is that it? While it is indeed something to pay attention to, it’s not enough to throw the entire northern border of the United Kingdom into chaos, is it?”

Vilyric had read about the situation in the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons in a book detailing the world’s dynamics. Although the term ‘ten thousand’ was slightly exaggerated, it was true that various magical beasts and even demons lived there.

Demons, after all, referred to those who inherently possessed powerful special bloodlines that could transform into humanoid forms at a certain level of strength. The three most revered and numerous groups among them were known as the three great pillars.

Moonshadow, Steelclaw, and Blazingwing.

This encompassed the three main pillars of the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons.

The Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons extended over a rather significant elongated area. Though not comparable to the Wasteland, it spanned about one-third of the territory of the United Kingdom and stretched across the northern border, effectively dividing nearly half of the southern and northern regions of the world.

The three main pillars each governed a territory within the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons. Their distribution resembled that of the three states following a historical flattening in Blue Star. The northern Blazingwing, the eastern Steelclaw, and the western Moonshadow.

And the territory ruled by the Moonshadow Clan indeed bordered the United Kingdom the most.

But… how should I put it? Just one Moonshadow Clan alone shouldn’t realistically pose a threat to the giant that is the United Kingdom, as the concept of dominance among magical beasts differs from that of humans. The Moonshadow Clan could command several magical beasts to a certain extent but couldn’t force them into battle against a strong enemy, offering themselves up for slaughter.

Unless the three main pillars joined forces and mobilized the entire power of the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons, only then would they pose a daunting challenge to the United Kingdom.

Moreover, since the Moonshadow youngling was merely kidnapped by poachers, not something deliberately orchestrated by the United Kingdom, it hardly seemed like a situation that would escalate to this level, right?

Vilyric’s point was fully understood by Liliya, who helplessly chuckled, resting her forehead on her hand.

“If it were only that, it wouldn’t have escalated to this extent. Though magical beasts are indeed called magical beasts, they sometimes possess more sense than humans. They understand moderation and would hardly engage head-on with a powerful state like the United Kingdom. But that Moonshadow royal descendant… how should I put it? It’s a bit different.”

“Oh? Do tell?”

After a brief contemplation, Liliya asked back pensively.

“Vilyric, do you know why the mythical races vanished or died out in such a short time three hundred years ago?”

“Duh, do you even know?”

Her Majesty immediately shook her head without hesitation.

“I’m not aware of the underlying reasons either, but there are rumors that the depths of the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons hold secrets about these lost mythical races.”

“And that little Moonshadow royal descendant that was captured by the poacher group…”

As she spoke, the queen’s brow tightened even further.

“They say that when it was born, there were strange omens, something extraordinary… it’s likely that it received the blessing of the Demon God, Olivya, and has become a young mythical race.”

   

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