Chapter 223

Murof glanced at the lightly clasped hands of the two princesses across from him and immediately let out a mocking sneer.

“Haha…! Don’t tell me this is some kind of make-believe sisterly affection! Ah… no wonder I say the Demon Clan has no future… Speaking of which… if I kill Princess Belith, would Princess Sheffy become even more furious?! That’s right! How did I not think of that earlier?! That would definitely be worth—!”

“Die.”

A mist of blood billowed into the air.

Sheffy hadn’t even moved, and Murof was already gone.

He had turned into a cloud of blood mist.

And within the mist, countless slashes continued to flicker in rapid succession.

Just like before, the blood mist surged, trying to reform into its original shape, but before it could recover, the slashes grew even denser, leaving no room for it to catch its breath.

Belith silently pressed down her royal sister’s hand.

She wrapped her arm around and covered Sheffy’s eyes.

Behind her, five wings shimmered faintly with dark light. The slashes, which had started to subside, resumed their relentless rhythm.

Though not as sharp and fluid as Sheffy’s magic, it was more than enough to completely suppress the regeneration of the black mist.

A soft, grateful voice gently rang by Sheffy’s ear.

“Royal Sister is angry for Belith again.”

“No kidding…”

“Royal Sister must have noticed too.”

“Noticed what? Oh, oh, you mean this.” Sheffy took a deep breath. With Belith blocking her view, the gloom was swept away, allowing her mind to operate at full capacity. “That thing isn’t a physical entity. It’s just a decoy meant to draw us out. Its magical reaction is weak—calling it a clone would be a stretch. At best, it’s a phantom image. And not even an untouchable one.”

“Heehee… Even knowing it’s a phantom, Royal Sister still kept slashing away~”

“Aren’t you still slashing it too…?!”

“Because I’m very angry.”

“Same here.”

It wasn’t common to see people flirt and bicker on the battlefield—but these two sisters were clearly beyond reason.

That said—

Though the power of the slashes continued to rise, their destructive effect on the black mist seemed to be weakening.

The black mist was gradually adapting—and accelerating its regeneration.

—

53. Just As Expected (4K)

“Well, there’s not much point in dealing with him now.”

Even with her eyes still covered by Belith’s hand, Sheffy could still sense the layout of the surroundings.

With a casual wave, the Third Corps’ Chief Strategist, Bryant—who had previously been unconscious against the opposing stone wall—was swiftly swept away by a flicker of movement, landing limply on the snowy ground behind Sheffy.

Though Bryant was a five-winged demon, he had only been unconscious for a few minutes before he awoke from the massive impact that had slammed him through the stone wall.

“Damn it… what the hell just happened… huh?!”

Grumbling with his usual rough tone as he clutched his throbbing head and regained clarity, he spotted a six-winged figure just a few meters away. Realizing he was no longer under enemy control, he instantly latched onto the sight like it was a lifeline!

No—more than just a lifeline.

To every demon, the royal family was a matter of faith!

“Your Highness! Murof is just a phantom substitute right now! His real body isn’t here!”

“It seems… you’re quite eager to atone for your sins,” Belith frowned slightly, realizing that the slashes were gradually losing their effect. She began to withdraw the now meaningless assault, casting a sharp glance over her shoulder. “If there’s any intel you know, think fast and speak faster. Maybe you’ll earn yourself a little leeway at the Tribunal in the future.”

“I…! Cough, your subordinate will fully cooperate, of course! His real body is…! The real body… Damn it! Where was his real body again?! Damn it, he never told me! He was too cautious!”

He struck his own head repeatedly, but no matter how hard he tried to remember, one couldn’t recall what one didn’t know.

Given the days he’d spent around that man, just being able to tell this was merely a non-physical substitute was already impressive.

It seemed he wouldn’t be able to provide any useful intel after all.

Moreover, the mind-affecting magic blanketing the sky was disrupting his thoughts, leaving them disjointed and scattered.

There were differences even among five-winged demons. Belith, born of royal blood, was able to stand above most with pride. Her strength faintly approached that of a six-winged, though the chasm between them was one only she truly understood.

No—not only she. Her Royal Sister understood it too.

Belith slowly lowered the arm that had been covering Sheffy’s eyes.

After all, there was no longer any horrifying blood mist.

The illusion formed by that mist had recondensed—Murof stood there once again, completely unscathed, as if he had merely basked in the morning sunlight. He rolled his neck with the same relaxed composure.

Suddenly—

As if he had sensed something, his expression stiffened for a brief instant, with a trace of disbelief.

—He turned to look toward the fog-veiled east.

“Hmm…?”

“What is it?” Sheffy had already guessed what had startled him. “Could it be that the sealing magic you and that coward who won’t even show his face are so proud of… has been broken?!”

“Your Highness, I advise you not to get cocky. The breaking of the sealing magic won’t bring your side any significant advantage. I’m merely surprised… It seems Your Highness still has capable allies?”

“My… my side is at a disadvantage? Since when…?”

“Bryant-senior?” Murof suddenly turned to Bryant, coldly uttering an abrupt command. “Please draw your sword against the two princesses.”

“What did you say?!”

Bryant—a seasoned veteran who had been stationed at the border for decades, loyal to the royal family for half his life.

Now, Murof was asking him to strike the princesses? That was absurd!

Bryant resisted the mental interference with all his strength. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead as he drew his broadsword. His burly frame swayed slightly, but the tip of his blade was firmly pointed at Murof.

He was utterly enraged. The scar on his face seemed to twist with fury, almost splitting open.

“Murof Yarin! You’re beyond redemption! The only reason I haven’t taken you down already is because I don’t know where your real body is! But I—will never allow you to speak so rudely to Their Highnesses!”

Heh.

Belith, see? Our Demon Clan still has loyal subjects!

Sheffy felt genuinely moved and silently considered whether the official reward and punishment system needed a bit of refinement in the future.

This loyal uncle had tried to puff a smoke ring during his impassioned declaration just now, but it seemed he was out of cigarettes. Slightly embarrassed, he awkwardly withdrew his hand.

How could they let a loyal subject like him go without cigarettes? Absolutely unacceptable!

But Murof didn’t seem to feel the same.

After all, this wasn’t his real body—being pointed at by a blade didn’t stir him in the slightest.

In fact, he even found it a little amusing.

“Pfft… Senior, you’re still so brave and blindly loyal, huh? Completely blind to the situation. I already told you—I wanted to show you a brand-new world, and yet you still refuse to learn. You’ve wasted that Lord’s kind intentions… Well, in that case, there’s nothing more I can do. Let me think… oh right, how about this!”

Murof raised his right hand, pressing his thumb and ring finger together, making a snapping gesture.

“Of course you can be brave and fearless! Good thing I prepared a Burst Magic Array beneath the Third Corps’ camp in advance! So here’s how it is—I’ll count down from ten. If you still haven’t raised your sword against the two princesses you revere so much, then I’ll take a few of our good brothers with me, alright? Ten… nine…”

“You bastard!! Murof! Do you even have a shred of humanity left?!”

“Eight… seven… six… Hahaha! Hurry, hurry, hurry! Only five seconds left! Either Their Highnesses kill you, or you kill one of them. That’s the only way to save your brothers! Where’s your so-called righteousness now?! Let me see just how noble you really are!”

【Triple Sealing Barrier】

Sheffy clenched her hand, and three dark-purple sealing arrays enclosed Murof on all sides.

But this only made Murof laugh with even more mocking glee!

“Hahaha! Is Her Highness getting desperate now?! Do you really think sealing this phantom of mine will stop the explosion?! Why don’t you and Princess Belith just stand aside and watch! Watch your loyal subject fall into despair! Four… three…!”

Bryant’s hand trembled to a degree even he couldn’t believe.

After so many years stationed in the frozen north, he had thought himself immune to the chill of winter winds.

But looking down at the comrades he had fought beside for so long…

For a moment, he saw the end of his own life.

And yet—he slowly smiled, not with his usual rugged boldness, but with a calm curve of the lips.

Guarding the border year by year, under ten thousand glowing lights of the homeland.

Who would have thought, betrayed by a vile man, my life ends before the might of a thousand troops.

Bryant could only feel that everything that had happened these past days… was like a nightmare.

Unfathomable. And dripping with murderous intent.

Since there was no way out—

Then he might as well die at the end of this nightmare.

Wouldn’t that be a somewhat dignified end for a general?

“Two…!”

He did not raise his sword against the royal bloodline.

Nor did he choose to engage in a meaningless struggle with Murof’s phantom.

Instead—he reversed the grip on his blade and pointed the hilt toward his own chest.

If I die, then maybe you’ll stop tormenting the others.

A warrior dies with a fearless smile.

“One…! Hahahaha!”

“Go to hell! You little bastard! You don’t deserve to set foot on the land we’ve guarded for generations!”

Like a final cry of defiance at the end of life, his voice echoed across the mountain peak—so loud it caused even distant armies locked in combat to momentarily falter.

But the fearless bloom of blood that should have burst atop the icy peak… never came.

The blade’s tip stopped just a breath away from his chest—unable to move even a fraction further.

It wasn’t that Bryant feared death and held back. He had used all his strength—but a small defensive magic array had appeared at his chest, blocking the blade from plunging in.

Sheffy hadn’t turned around. She unclenched her fist—and Bryant’s blade was suddenly flung from his hand by some invisible force.

Sheffy said nothing.

But that light yet weighty gesture was itself a princess’s expression of respect toward a loyal subject.

Those who deserve to die don’t die—why should those who don’t, have to?

Besides, didn’t you notice?

You never heard an explosion, did you?

Bryant turned back toward the battlefield in a daze.

He saw that the two opposing corps were still engaged in ranged combat—albeit at a lower intensity than before—but the massive explosion he had imagined… never happened.

I… was tricked?

Murof was bluffing?!

“You never prepared a 【Burst Magic】 to begin with. If the Third Corps had no other use, there’d be no reason to bring them all the way here with you.”

Belith tucked a lock of silver hair—blown across her face by the wind and snow—behind her ear.

A princess who remained calm no matter the situation—that was the stabilizing force of this nation.

“You only wanted to pressure Bryant into raising his blade against us, so that we would retaliate in self-defense and kill him. After that, you could return to the Third Corps and declare, ‘It was the two princesses who killed your trusted Chief Strategist Bryant.’ Isn’t that right? You treacherous rebel… your aim was to spread panic—to incite hatred.”

“……”

Uh-oh.

That… was a little more than Murof had anticipated.

Even with all his schemes in place, when he heard Princess Belith’s deductions, his expression froze for a brief moment.

This time, even if he wanted to laugh—he couldn’t.

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