Chapter 1:  Defeated?

“It’s already over… Demon Princess, Sheffy Harl. This war was destined to be your loss.”

“Ugh… Damn hero… Is this really the end…?”

The petite, stunning six-winged silver-haired girl, dressed in a pitch-black gothic dress, knelt on one knee and spat out a mouthful of blood.

The scene was tragic but beautiful, filled with resentment and helplessness.

—The silver-haired girl quickly pressed down the tomato sauce packet she had prepared under her palm, frowning with resolve to make the tragedy look as genuine as possible.

A mere tilt of her head would meet the icy blade sharp enough to sever all things in the world.

The battlefield’s bloody iron smell blew the resplendent golden hair of the sword-wielding maiden, yet not even a wisp of movement disturbed her posture.

Beneath the golden hair, her resolute azure eyes reflected determination—elegant and noble, complementing an impeccable and exquisite face.

It was hard to imagine that such a seemingly delicate figure, clad in armor and gripping the sacred sword—revered as the human nation’s treasure—firmly at the Demon Clan’s pride, the one hailed as the strongest princess in generations.

At this moment… hope emerged for a temporary end to the decades-long war between humans and demons.

Had the blade tilted even slightly, it could have severed the Demon Princess’s head.

Yet the golden sacred sword… remained suspended, unmoving.

Both armies, whose eyes were already bloodshot from battle, now held their breath and stared at the battlefield’s center, eyes nearly popping out.

The oppressed battlefield fell into a moment of eerie silence, as if by unspoken agreement.

But this was nothing more than the calm before the storm…

In just a moment, both sides erupted in a tidal wave of hatred and anguish!

“Hero! Please strike! Show no mercy! Cut down the thorns for humanity’s future!!”

“Princess Sheffy, please stay strong! Despicable hero, still your sword! We will die in Her Highness’s place! Hero! Wretched humans, vile mankind! You all deserve to die! DIE!!”

The roars shook the heavens, as if they could shatter mountains and overturn lakes.

The human forces dared not approach. They knew full well they would only hinder the Hero, and none wanted to go down in history as the sinner who delayed the demon’s execution.

The demon forces were equally afraid to act. Their hearts burned with urgency to rescue their princess, but who knew if their reckless charge might be the final straw that caused the sacred sword to fall?

They shouted in chaos.

Meanwhile, at the battlefield’s center…

The atmosphere was oddly stiff.

Kneeling, Demon Princess Sheffy blinked her large, lively violet eyes, tilted her left shoulder slightly, causing the sacred sword resting on it to hum with vibration—an intense signal.

But when she looked up and saw Hero Xiarette’s even more clueless and awkward expression…

She had no choice but to whisper a reminder!

“Hey… Xia? What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and bop me on the head! Didn’t we go over the plan already?!”

“But… Sheffy, if I really hit you… it’ll hurt a lot.”

“Click your tongue, look at you—falling short at the critical moment. Pain? What pain? If it really hurt, would I let you hit me? I’m not stupid, you know. I’ve had [Impact Barrier Magic] up this whole time—three full layers of great shields! Just follow the original plan. Hit me, I’ll pretend to faint, you take me as your prisoner and bring me to your country. I want to live a life of luxury there!”

“That’s what you say… but Sheffy, can’t you consider my feelings too? You decided this on a whim… hitting you on the head will traumatize me for life. It really hurts me inside, you know… I just can’t bring myself to do it! How about… we change the plan, and you hit me instead?”

“Dream on! Who’s going to enjoy the good life here, you or me?! Look at you, getting all smug!”

“Uuugh… then what do we do? They’re all so noisy…”

“Aaaargh, I can’t with you, you blockheaded idiotic hero! Temporary pain is for long-term happiness, don’t you get it?! Forget it… you won’t do it, huh? Fine, I’ll do it myself!”

“Sheffy…?!”

Sheffy’s silver hair, like a starry river, swayed as she moved.

She actually rammed herself forward—right into the flat side of the sacred sword!

The clash of [Impact Barrier Magic] and the sacred sword’s anti-demon nature burst out in a sound like an explosion.

Before the impact, this undefeated daughter of the Demon King even managed a look of “utter unwillingness.”

And loudly declared:

“Despicable human hero… to think you’d use gravity magic on the sacred sword…! Curses, today I’ve lost… but in the future…! Ugh…”

BOOM~~~

Did it sound good?

If it sounded good, then it’s a good sword. And a good head, too.

Sheffy collapsed softly to the ground, gradually falling still.

As she hit the ground, the six black wings behind her—symbols of the Demon Clan’s power—turned into ominous dark starlight and slowly vanished.

Only, as she fell, Sheffy didn’t forget to press down the tomato sauce packet, and even blew away a tiny bug crawling on the ground… but of course, nobody saw that part.

The sudden turn of events left both sides of the battlefield momentarily stunned.

And in the blink of an eye…

—Two extremes of joy and sorrow!

The human side embraced and wept, raised their arms in triumph, morale soaring!

The demons were devastated. Magic beams gathered in their palms, prepared to charge the Kingdom of Aurus one last time. Even if it cost them their lives, they would reclaim their princess!

None of this affected the two in the battlefield’s center.

Xiarette had been scared stiff by Sheffy’s amazing performance.

She quickly retracted the sacred sword and crouched to check Sheffy’s condition.

When she saw the silver-haired girl madly winking at her, the hero finally let out a long sigh of relief…

Why are you even sighing, you idiot!!

Can’t you see both sides are about to start fighting again?!

Even lying on the ground, this foolish hero was giving Sheffy a headache.

She quickly whispered again with her face close to the ground.

“Stupid Xia, say the lines… the lines! The ones I taught you!”

“Ah… sorry!”

At the critical moment, Xiarette was actually pretty reliable.

As one of humanity’s greatest champions, the Chosen Hero Xiarette stood tall, gripping the sacred sword.

—She raised it high, pointing straight at the heavens.

The golden-glowing sacred sword of the human race, [Sylatrella], radiated an aura of terrifying slaughter and a harmonious light of protection.

Even before it truly unleashed its power, the sacred sword had already struck fear into every bloodthirsty thought still lingering on the battlefield.

Before absolute strength, all hatred was forced into submission, and every clash seemed utterly meaningless.

Empowered by a magical enhancement, Hero Xiarette’s voice echoed across the entire battlefield.

“Demon Princess Sheffy Harl has been defeated by me. Demon forces, withdraw immediately. Continuing to fight is pointless.”

“As a condition for the Demon Army’s retreat back into Demon territory, I swear upon the name of the Sacred Sword that I will not take the Demon Princess’s life. From now on, she will be held as a prisoner of the human race, detained in our capital, where she will reflect upon the crimes she has committed.”

“In return… I say this to all my fellow humans—this is not mercy. This is a warning to the Demon Clan: never again invade the lands of humanity! They will come to understand that any who disobey will face the same fate as the Demon Princess!”

An impeccable declaration.

The humans could not refute it—even though many of them would have preferred to eliminate the Demon Princess here and now, removing the threat for good.

They all understood Hero Xiarette’s words carried weight. Whether or not her decision best served humanity’s interests was not something ordinary soldiers were qualified to judge.

For the demons, the implication was even clearer… the hero meant that if they refused to retreat, she would execute the princess on the spot.

Even if it pained them… what could they do?

Thus—

A demon warrior, apparently one of the field commanders, bearing four black wings, choked with grief, tearfully gestured to the main forces behind him.

He signaled in the direction of their homeland—the path leading back to Demon territory.

“Return…! All of you, retreat! Her Highness’s safety takes priority! I repeat, Her Highness’s safety takes priority! Retreat!!”

The cry to retreat echoed into the heavens.

It was just as resounding as the first time the Demon Clan had crossed into human lands with that loud, infamous “Attack.”

The vast, boundless demon army, amidst curses hurled at humanity, slowly withdrew like a black tide.

It was as if the clouds had finally cleared from the sun.

Bathed in sunlight, the human troops let their swords and shields fall to the ground.

Some even collapsed to their knees, weeping into their hands.

“We… we won…?”

“The demons… really retreated? I survived…?”

“Hero! It’s all thanks to your judgment! Long live the Hero!”

“Thank you, Hero… thank you! Ah… I can go home alive… I get to return alive!”

“Incredible…”

The earth, ravaged by repeated bombardments of magic and crystal artillery, lay broken and scarred.

And upon it stood the Hero alone, turning the tide of fate.

Surely this was a scene destined to be glorified in every heroic epic…

Especially when the Hero happened to be a stunning young woman who had only just turned twenty this year.

Amidst the humans’ celebratory cheers, Xiarette helped the fallen and “unconscious” Sheffy up.

The once-proud Demon Princess had now “awakened,” and under Xiarette’s escort, was led toward a lavishly adorned carriage reserved solely for the Hero.

She was now to be escorted as a prisoner to the capital of the human alliance—the Kingdom of Aurus.

Even though they had emerged victorious, thousands of human soldiers instinctively stepped aside from the path the Hero and the Demon Princess passed through.

They didn’t even dare to cast too many hateful glances.

Everyone remembered how, with a wave of her hand, the Demon Princess could summon disaster-level magic on the battlefield…

Even a starving camel was bigger than a horse. No one wanted to throw their life away now, right at the moment of victory.

—Even though Hero Xiarette had already locked the Demon Princess’s wrist with one of the nation’s secret treasures: the “Demon-Sealing Bracelet.”

From afar, Sheffy spotted the outline of the ornate golden carriage and gave the bracelet a little shake behind her back.

Though she maintained a perfectly serious expression, her voice—only audible to Xiarette—was incredibly playful and cute.

“Oh? Going all-in on the act, are we? Even brought out the Demon-Sealing Bracelet? Not bad, Xia—you’re improving~”

“It’s fake.”

“Eh?”

“That bracelet is obviously fake… what did you think? Did you really believe I’d put an actual demon-sealing artifact on you?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep