Chapter 208

No reminder from Salnor was needed—anyone would know… the Second Corps was a unit marked by extreme unpredictability.

“Can this really work…

…Isn’t the Second Corps always fighting magic fish in the borderlands? That lot always does whatever they want… they don’t follow orders.”

“Exactly… I heard they even crippled the newly appointed corps commander last time. They’re practically a band of demons!”

“Wasn’t the Second Corps formed by Her Highness Sheffy…? Eugh, just like Her Highness—strong in combat, but with such an eccentric personality, it’s like they’re… mentally unstable or something.”

Hey! You over there—don’t think I can’t hear you just because you’re whispering! “Mentally unstable” doesn’t sound much better than “sick”, you know!

Want me to charge you with lèse-majesté and cut your head off!?

And you! Livra, stop smirking!

For Sheffy, the real trouble was only just beginning.

Herilet rose with the royal family’s deep blue scepter in hand and stepped beside the Demon King, her slender jade hand resting on his shoulder.

In the name of the Demon King, she proclaimed the suppression of the rebellion.

If Jeffriel were to recommend himself as the commander, he would indeed be an undeniable and highly suitable choice.

However—

There was one person, and if she were appointed as commander, even Jeffriel would have no choice but to obey without question.

“Lord Salnor’s proposal to deploy the First Corps stems from his deep concern for the kingdom, and that’s understandable. But it’s inappropriate. To mobilize them over a mere rebellion—using the royal capital’s Campeno garrison—would be making a mountain out of a molehill. Worse, it would make us demons appear afraid. That could open an opportunity for the higher races to exploit. There’s no need to take that risk.”

“The Fourth Corps is currently stationed on the frontlines, deterring the Kingdom of Aurus and the Holy Theocracy of Coreia. They’re not suited for a long-distance march.”

“Therefore, the most suitable unit can only be the battle-hardened Second Corps.”

“This is a unit you all dislike, one you look down on. But the truth is—they defeated the First Corps in the last mock battle.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, believe in them.”

“Believe in the corps forged by your Princess—Sheffy Harl—that they will uphold the honor of the Demon Clan!”

“Just as she waged war for years deep in enemy territory, then returned with all her strength to defend her homeland—unyielding and indomitable… She is the pride of our people.”

Do not forget—for whom the returning princess once fought.

With solemn reverence on her face, Herilet placed the scepter that symbolized the Demon Clan’s authority into the hand of Demon King Dielzna.

Dielzna did not care about the specifics of how the battle would be fought.

To the Demon King, who scoffed at the very notion of rebellion, the only thing coursing through his veins at that moment was the urge to set the wilderness ablaze.

Hah… sending Sheffy to suppress the rebellion? Someone’s about to be in a world of hurt!

“In the name of the Demon King, I hereby declare—”

“From this moment on, I reinstate my daughter Sheffy as commander and corps leader of the Second Corps. She shall march to quell the rebellion!”

Thus—

The hall full of demons, who had long awaited this moment—

Let out cheers and blessings for the powerful and indomitable princess!

“””Long live the First Princess! Her Highness is mighty! May victory be with her!”””

There was no longer any need to deliberate over who would command the army to suppress the rebellion—not after the name of the Second Corps resounded throughout the hall.

Who could possibly control the Second Corps? Did that even need to be asked?

In the entire Demon Clan, there was only one person. Not even the Demon King himself could show up without taking a few punches.

Veins bulged on Sheffy’s forehead as she stiffly stood up and, with pained gestures, responded to the shouts of admiration.

“Long live Royal Sister! Long live Royal Sister!”

“Belith, could you stop egging them on?!”

Was it not noisy enough already!?

Ugh… Mother, why would you go and frame your own daughter like this!?

While communicating telepathically with Herilet, Sheffy asked the question that had been troubling her the most.

【This… this can’t be right, Mother? From what I know of the Second Corps… those mani— those warriors don’t follow orders! The giant fish in the Northern Ice Polar Lake haven’t even been caught yet! Wait—no—even if they had caught them, would they really immediately rush off to intercept rebels? What did you say to them?】

【Oh, nothing much~ Mother just had Jeffriel pass on a message to the Second Corps that Princess Sheffy had returned to the country and was currently at the northern frontier. If they wanted to go see her, they were free to move out at will. Ah… they marched even faster than I expected!】

【!】

So she was scheming against her own daughter!

38. Shame on you!

She gave up.

Wasn’t she supposed to be going out as the commander to suppress the rebellion?

With such a heavy responsibility and such an urgent situation… wasn’t it fair to slack off and get a little sleep first?

In the spacious and elegantly decorated room, Sheffy lay alone on the bed, eyes half-closed in a light nap.

Every now and then, she glanced at the change of clothes and daily necessities she had just packed and stacked on the chair beside her. The princess would then let out a faint, adorable sigh.

It wouldn’t be long now before she’d have to leave her comfort zone once more, lugging those pitiful belongings with her to the battlefield.

Even this bit of rest had to be earned by Sheffy herself.

She had said she wanted to return to her room to pack her things before leaving. Both her father and mother had responded with the kindest smiles, telling her she could not only pack her things but even take a nap—there was no rush at all.

That wasn’t strange.

Because from the very beginning… Mother had simply wanted to use this matter to help Sheffy regain her authority and reestablish her footing within the Demon Clan.

Sheffy was quick-witted.

Placing her hand over her eyes, she felt the warmth of the fading sun beneath her fingertips and let out another sigh.

“Ah…”

After being defeated and captured, held in the Kingdom of Aurus for several months, a considerable portion of the Demon Clan’s nobility had begun to question the First Princess’s authority. Even if they didn’t voice it aloud, no one could control what they thought in their hearts.

Doubt bred all sorts of “symptoms.”

The Demon Clan’s traditional sense of obedience was rooted in the rule of the strong over the weak. The weak would naturally submit from the heart, and the strong, in turn, would protect the weak unconditionally. That was how the Demon Clan’s unbreakable internal balance had been formed.

If those being protected began to feel that their superior could no longer guarantee their safety, then beyond snide remarks and idle gossip, the more action-oriented among them might try to change the status quo—forcing the “insufficiently strong” superior into the spotlight, pressuring them to hand over their power, and replacing them with someone more capable of leading the nation.

If things could really go that way…

Sheffy would be absolutely thrilled!

By all means, replace her. Let them pick someone they’re satisfied with—a generous and tragic hero so devoted to protecting the people that they’d stand guard every day without pay. Wouldn’t that be perfect? So safe and secure! If they could stand guard right in front of your doorstep, even better!

But unfortunately—

That was impossible.

No matter how much the people below doubted her, they were ultimately just uninformed commoners.

As for the core members of the Demon Domain—they had, whether by chance or not, all come to understand Sheffy’s true strength.

Jeffriel, Ailellek, Herilet, Dielzna, and even Belith, not to mention every single officer of the Second Corps.

These powerhouses, to varying degrees, knew just how capable Sheffy really was. Under such circumstances, did the people honestly think these individuals could replace the princess, unleash the same potential, and safeguard the future of the Demon Clan?

Hah… what a joke.

It would be as wasteful as throwing gold into the sea.

Of course, if there was something Sheffy truly didn’t want to do, they wouldn’t force her.

But likewise, the things she was meant to accomplish—they couldn’t just let someone else do them in her place.

After all… who wouldn’t want to see what kind of future someone with boundless potential could carve out? Curiosity was practically woven into the very rhythm of the Demon Clan’s genetic melody!

Thus, having Sheffy lead the very Second Corps she once commanded to suppress the rebellion, and silencing all dissent once more—that was why Herilet wanted her to take the lead.

Knowing full well that Sheffy hated war and bloodshed, Herilet had already made all the necessary arrangements for the rebellion.

It wasn’t about making the stars shine more brightly.

It was only about ensuring that the stars remained stars—that they would not be dimmed by rumors and dust.

Only that way… would she have any chance of living the truly free life she longed for.

Recalling all the pre-departure instructions her mother had given her… Sheffy, who only wanted a nap but feared she’d have nightmares, could do nothing but sigh once again.

“Ah… what Mother said sounds simple enough… but carrying it out is a different story altogether… So tired… so hungry…”

“Sheffy, that’s the eleventh sigh in the last ten minutes. What’s crushing you like this?”

“It’s Xiarette and Belith.”

“Huh?”

“No, I mean—life. Life is crushing me.”

“You really don’t know how lucky you are…”

“Tch. You’re sleeping in my bed, and now you’ve got the nerve to talk back? Wait—why is your fire lizard here?! What happened to your own room?!”

In the midst of her chaotic thoughts, Sheffy forced herself to focus.

She sat up and turned her gaze toward the other large bed in the room.

Originally, her room had only come with one bed.

She had only just come back to rest for a bit, but for some reason, Timani was here too. She had even moved a bed in for herself, taking up half the living space.

Her mind had been too scrambled earlier to bother dealing with her, but now that she’d spoken first, Sheffy had to fire back with a few lines, didn’t she?

Timani also let out a quiet sigh, as if to gently remind Sheffy there was no need to be so noisy.

“Ah… it’s just that the wall of my bedroom collapsed while I was sleeping.

Luckily I reacted quickly—at least I saved my bed. Honestly, the construction in your Demon King’s Castle is so flimsy. Didn’t Livra’s bed collapse last time too?”

“So the wall did finally collapse… Well, what can you do—it was only a matter of time. Years of disrepair. I knew this day would come. Uh… wait, the wall collapsed, and you didn’t just go find another room? Why come here?”

“I thought it over for a long time. If I just picked some random room, there’d still be a high chance the wall or the bed would collapse. So if I had to say where’s safest—it’d obviously be the room where the princess lives. That’s why I had no choice but to make this decision.”

“You know… that logic actually kind of makes sense? But too bad—you’re still stupid. Even if you switch rooms, your bed’s old. If it’s going to collapse, it will collapse.”

“Which is why—before you came back, I already switched my bed with yours.”

“You did what…?! Huh…?! Ow!!”

—BOOM-THUD!

In the end, she had only herself to blame.

The lazy princess had left the unused rooms unmaintained for years.

And in one distracted moment, the bed frame beneath her shattered with a crash!

Sheffy fell flat on her back, arms and legs flailing—utterly defeated.

Amid the cloud of wood dust, Sheffy stared blankly at the ceiling.

Arms and legs stretched out, she lay there motionless, like a salted fish.

“You know, Fire Lizard… I’m kind of curious what dragon tail tastes like right now.”

“Much appreciated, but I’m only interested in eating, not being eaten. Mind your manners.”

“You’re the one who tricked me and swapped out my bed, and now you’re preaching about manners?! You really are even more shameless than me!”

Just as Sheffy thought about taking her bed back, she saw Timani slowly pushing herself upright from the mattress.

Her movements were still a bit sluggish, probably not yet fully recovered from the fear induced by Sheffy’s Extreme Dark Nova spell.

The pure white bedsheet slipped off her front.

The smooth cotton nightgown stretched slightly tight across her proud chest.

There weren’t any clothes around that actually fit Timani’s body size, so the nightwear she wore now had been left behind from Sheffy’s childhood.

—That was what Sheffy herself had claimed.

Timani looked down at the violet-colored nightgown she wore. Though it was a bit unfortunate around the chest, it still fit fairly well overall—and she looked rather confused.

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