NOVEL NEXT Chapter 275
At the very moment the operation commenced, the Succubus Queen could no longer hold back and flew south herself, launching a perilous espionage mission to verify the Empire’s movements.
Even she was not much better than ordinary subordinates. Just as she was about to return empty-handed, she caught sight of a highly suspicious movement.
A massive freighter that had set sail from Eramenia appeared to be moving west after passing through the southern waters.
“But why?”
The Succubus Queen pondered as she circled subtly in the sky, trying to remain undetected.
“Eramenia has already advanced far to the north. It would make more sense to send troops and supplies overland to the frontlines; is there really a need to send a ship through the southern waters? Especially a ship of that size?”
The natural conclusion arose that the ship was heading toward the Magic Tower. However, there was no reason for a large freighter from Eramenia to head for the Magic Tower. If the Magic Tower truly only had defensive purposes as the Demon King suspected, then engaging in such a hassle would be a waste of energy.
Suddenly curious about what was loaded onto the ship, the Succubus Queen awkwardly folded her wings and attempted to descend toward the ground. But soon, sensing something sinister, she had no choice but to rise back into the sky. She could feel an unusually powerful defensive magic wrapped around the ship, including detection and barriers.
The type of magic surrounding the ship was designed not to attack approaching enemies but to conceal its presence and immediately go into hiding when an enemy drew near. It was magic so sensitive that an ordinary Succubus would likely miss it, but unfortunately, the opponent here was none other than Elyos himself.
It grew increasingly suspicious. If it were a warship for troop transport, it should be focused on counterattacks rather than concealment. Something strange was being transported toward the Magic Tower. Though she did not know its identity, the Succubus Queen felt an instinctual urge not to overlook this information.
She turned back north to begin her investigation again. And she soon confronted another critical fact: the leader of the Southern Alliance, Jenis Harker, had not shown her face at the frontline despite the impending massive counteroffensive by the enemy.
It seemed even the Demon King had been momentarily overwhelmed by the flashy facade of the enemy, including Rose, and failed to notice Jenis’s absence. However, the Succubus Queen, recently sharpened to an extreme sensitivity, could not be deceived. Gradually, a thought arose in her mind—she could no longer keep this fact hidden.
The day before the Imperial Army launched a large-scale attack, the Succubus Queen cautiously approached the Demon King.
“Your Majesty the Emperor, I have something to report.”
“What is it, Mother? Do you perhaps have useful information?”
“It may be useful, or it could disturb Your Majesty’s mind unnecessarily. But I shall speak. First, I saw Bernard Silverpoint enter Dragon Lord territory and urgently return to the Empire by small boat.”
“What?!”
In an instant, the Demon King reacted sharply, momentarily forgetting his respect for his mother. The Succubus Queen quietly maintained her silence. Violet cleared her throat and nodded.
“When was this, Mother?”
“Just… a few weeks ago.”
“Why didn’t you mention it sooner?”
“I believe you can guess the reason, Your Majesty.”
Upon hearing this, the Demon King refrained from further reprimanding her. It was possible that merely suspecting Dragon Lord through simple contact could be dangerous. He thought that he would have preferred the information been delivered to him sooner, but the Succubus Queen’s judgment was not without merit.
“Well, yes. But now that you’re telling me, there must be a more compelling reason for it.”
“A massive freighter has been moving through the southern waters from Eramenia. I couldn’t see what it was carrying as they had concealed its contents even using magic.”
“Hmm.”
The Demon King’s expression darkened increasingly. The Succubus Queen continued.
“Jenis Harker has not appeared at the frontlines. If she has deserted her post at this time, the only likely location is the Magic Tower. Your Majesty, I dare say, Your inference about the Magic Tower’s movements is…”
“Growing increasingly likely to be erroneous.”
The Demon King nodded with a grim expression. She also immediately grasped the seriousness of the situation. The Magic Tower might not be moving for defense after all. Perhaps the enemies were planning to strike from the south, and the Demon King might be completely deceived by Harker at this moment.
The Demon King wracked her genius mind for theories. First, the identity of the cargo.
“What cargo must be urgently moved from Eramenia to the Magic Tower? Weapons, perhaps?”
“If it were simply swords or spears, there would be no reason to move them secretly like this.”
“Then it must be a specialty of Eramenia. Fairy artillery? Firearms? No, what could that possibly mean? Something the Magic Tower would need. Magic tools? But why in this manner? Mother, you said the ship was quite large, correct?”
“Yes. It wasn’t of typical warship size.”
“Then could it be parts of an ironclad? But no, that would be abandoned in the territory. Damn it, I’ve got nothing. Could it be the elves’ ancient weapons? A giant crossbow? But why would they transport that in such a manner? A hang glider? Are you kidding? Flying to your territory from the Magic Tower on a hang glider makes no sense. Besides, the Great Sage already…”
“Your Majesty?”
“Wings… wings…”
The Demon King’s expression fell into shock as a weapon she had completely forgotten crossed her mind.
“Mother, there exists a gas lighter than air. It burns very easily, but if you enclose that gas in rubber, it can be so light it could even fly.”
“…I am aware of that existence.”
“A thousand years ago, the principle was actually used in the war during Eramenia’s civil war.”
The Demon King sprang to her feet, her eyes ablaze with fury and fear.
“The Eramenia airship! No way, dear heavens! An airship large enough to carry a legion was being transported without hydrogen gas. Mother, send all the wyverns we can deploy immediately and attack that ship indiscriminately! I don’t care if our movements are detected; initially, we must focus on blocking that ship’s course!”
“Wait, Your Majesty, you must be cautious!”
“Cautious? How can I possibly be cautious in this situation?!”
“First, how can you be so sure it’s an airship? And if it is, what will happen…”
“The Dragon Lord is far too cowardly to allow an enemy army to land on his territory, no matter how much they might collude. But an airship changes everything!”
“Dragons are sensitive to the skies. They would not tolerate something passing directly above them!”
“But with a hydrogen airship! I told you! That gas explodes upon contact with fire. Breathing fire is as natural to dragons as breathing itself. If they were to mess around, they could easily explode the ship when they want. The Golden Dragons would find it reassuring. Damn it, we’ve been completely deceived. The Magic Tower is a launch site for airships. At least one enemy legion is planning to invade from our west. We’re completely doomed!”
“One legion, even if it’s Eramenia’s, can’t pose a huge threat to us!”
“Think about what has happened most recently in the west. What would it mean for a hydrogen airship to simply cross into Dragon Lord territory! The monsters in the west will undoubtedly think that the dragons have turned their backs on us and will rise up in groups. Blocking the south while suppressing a rebellion from the west is impossible. We will lose. We must stop that airship at all costs. Hurry! This is a race against time!”
“Calm down! Please calm down, Your Majesty!”
“Is this a situation in which I can calm down?!”
As the Demon King shouted, a bronze horn fell from her head. The Succubus Queen realized that while the Demon King had successfully deduced the enemy’s intentions at a swift calculation, she was unable to make the right judgment due to her extreme agitation. The Succubus Queen approached Violet, pulled her close, and carefully patted her back.
“It’s not time yet. Yes, this won’t do.”
“Why… why can’t it be done?”
“Think about it. If what you’ve said is true, then the Dragon Lord must already be involved in a hostile conspiracy against us. If, in this situation, you order the wyverns to indiscriminately sink the enemy’s airship, the wyverns may suspect that their lord’s conspiracy has been revealed and could turn around to launch a preemptive attack on us. We need to move in a more sophisticated manner. We must not give the enemy a chance to ambush us; instead, we should ambush the dragons ourselves.”
Hearing her mother’s words, the Demon King realized what she had almost done. She embraced the Succubus Queen and nodded while patting her on the back.
“I was hasty. Please guard the castle. I will resolve this myself.”
“No.”
The Succubus Queen shook her head.
“You intend to confront the Dragon Lord directly and intimidate him, don’t you?”
“There is no other way.”
“That’s not possible. There’s a risk that the Dragon Lord, in a fright, may try to capture you as a hostage. Let me go. If I go, even if they remove me, Your Majesty will remain in the castle, making it difficult for them to treat me carelessly. I will certainly confront that old dragon in Your Majesty’s stead and bring back the answers you seek.”
The Demon King frowned in indecision.
“But if that fellow harbors evil intentions, you will surely die.”
“Then you can take your revenge. If Your Majesty is captured, I am far too weak to take revenge on a dragon.”
“However…”
“Please grant me permission, Your Majesty the Emperor. I will not fail. Above all, this matter is one that concerns the fate of us all.”
The Demon King also realized there was no time to spare. She finally sighed as if resigned and nodded.
“Please take care, Mother. Please be cautious. He is a very cunning and powerful dragon. I will provide 200,000 troops. Is that sufficient?”
“That will be enough. No, more than enough.”
The Succubus Queen promptly set forth, leading over 200,000 Magic Empire troops, including the Shadow Knight Order, boldly into the Dragon Lord’s territory. At that very moment, Jenis, who had been quietly observing with her staff in the Magic Tower, noticed something unusual.
“What is this movement?!”
Seeing the elite force of the Demon King’s army moving as if they meant to conquer the Dragon Lord, Jenis muttered with a bewildered expression. Something strange was happening. She concentrated all her magical power and watched the situation with Reina’s red eyes.
The Succubus Queen menacedly assembled her troops on the boundary of Dragon Lord’s directly governed territory. Naturally, the Dragon Lord was taken aback, stepping out to the border in surprise while growling to greet the Demon King’s mother.
The two demonic commanders faced off. Thus began a bold confrontation where each other’s lives were at stake.