Chapter 224

Because of the magic that Sheffy had prepared earlier, the casting had already completed and activated.

Sheffy slowly raised her hand and tightly clenched her small fist.

【Triple Sealing Barrier: Spirit Annihilation】

Three barriers of different colors rapidly converged toward the center, compressing swiftly into the size of a small box.

Murof’s spirit clone was instantly crushed and destroyed.

This time, his spirit form showed no signs of restoration, dissipating entirely along with the collision of the purple, blue, and red barriers, vanishing without a trace.

This had never been a sealing spell to begin with.

Rather, it was a spirit-breaking magic Sheffy developed after her previous encounter with that so-called “Human God” Aimeris, who had no physical form.

If one believed they could ensure their safety and stand undefeated just by deploying a spirit form, that was far too naïve.

The progress of magic lay in innovation—just like how Sheffy had always been inventing new methods of explosive magic for fishing. She had never stopped innovating, alright!

With the crisis suddenly resolved, Bryant collapsed backward onto the ground.

He panted heavily. That dramatic shift—from bracing for certain death to unexpectedly surviving—left him at a loss for words.

But he knew clearly who had saved him—it was the royal family he had sworn his loyalty to.

Forcing his trembling legs to support his weight, Bryant dropped to one knee, folding his five wings in, and bowed deeply to the two princesses.

“Your… Your Highness! I am guilty! It was because I failed to lead the Third Corps properly that this disaster occurred! Please, Your Highness, pass judgment—kill me to serve as a warning to the entire army!”

“Enough,” Sheffy, being a straightforward person, replied, “I didn’t lead the Second Corps well either. No one’s better than anyone else here. That’s enough. We all know where the blame lies, and anyway, it’s not on you.”

“Your Highness… You clearly turned the Second Corps into the strongest force among the demons, yet you still say that… Ah! If I were to simply die now, I’d only be letting down Your Highness’ great kindness. I understand now. I’ll stake this old life of mine—and repay the royal family’s grace!”

“That’s why I said… Fine, I got it. Then you’d better keep doing your job properly in the future. With Aunt Ailellek not around, you’ll have to shoulder the burden—no slacking.”

“Understood… Your servant accepts the command!”

Anyway, Sheffy hadn’t even said much before he was already kneeling on the ground in tears.

It was hard to say. This always happened, and sometimes even Sheffy herself felt a bit lost.

After all, Sheffy never felt she had done anything worth such dramatic gratitude.

Instead, it was always Belith who had stars in her eyes, clasping her hands before her chest, bouncing excitedly in little steps full of admiration—her expression made Sheffy feel immense pressure.

Like now. Just look—she was hopping again in high frequency, small amplitude!

The sky “cleared.”

The 【Mental Influence】 magic that had enveloped the Third Army disappeared along with the vanishing of Murof’s clone.

The battlefield suddenly quieted. Without the effects of the magic, the Third Corps finally settled down.

The rebellion seemed to have come to an end.

But in truth… it was far from over.

Oh, right.

Sheffy glanced sidelong at Bryant, who was still kneeling on the ground. Her fingertip brushed past with a faint glow, as if she had done nothing at all, then stepped aside.

Belith quickly followed her, like a clingy little puppy who couldn’t be away from her Royal Sister for even a second~

“Royal Sister, Royal Sister, what did you just do?”

“Murof had placed a delayed explosive spell on his armor. If we’d waited another minute, he would’ve been blown to pieces.”

“Uh… so what Royal Sister just did was…”

“Yes, I removed the spell for him.”

“Heh… Royal Sister, I think when we bring the rebels back to the royal capital, it won’t be as simple as just killing them, right? Do you remember what the warden of the royal capital prison is best at? He specializes in researching the true meaning of ‘inhuman cruelty.’ Let’s just hand the rebels over to him then, shall we? Hehehe…”

“Well, that’s… that’s true, huh! Uwah, Belith, there seems to be some kind of ominous black aura floating around you—it’s way too oppressive. Try to tone it down!”

“Really?!”

Absolutely real!

There was no helping it. Belith’s irritation had reached an extreme.

Disrespect toward her Royal Sister was already a capital offense.

But he had even deliberately engraved an explosive spell onto a loyal subject, trying to make him die in front of her Royal Sister.

If that had actually succeeded, the shadow in her Royal Sister’s heart would surely have been reawakened.

This wasn’t just a matter of guilt anymore.

Let me tell you—

Forget about reincarnation going smoothly. For some people, death might not be the easier option.

Hehehe… hehehehehe.

Sheffy gave a bitter smile and edged a little farther away from Belith. Her little sister’s aura was dangerously intense right now!

Retreating to the rear, she found that Bryant was still kneeling there.

“Uh… you can stop kneeling for now. Go and calm the Third Corps. They trust you. They’ve just come out from the effects of mental magic. My aunt can’t be counted on—I don’t even know where she is right now.”

“Your servant accepts the command.”

“Good. Oh, wait a moment, I need to ask you something.”

“Please, Your Highness. If it is something I know, I will speak without reservation.”

“I just suddenly wanted to confirm something. Do you know the First Corps’ Chief Strategist, Salnor Yarin? He’s supposedly the brother of the rebel this time.”

“Salnor Yarin…?”

“Yeah. Do you recall anything?”

Bryant racked his brain—he dared not give a careless response to the princess’s question.

But after scratching his head and pondering it repeatedly, he could only give the same answer again.

“Apologies, Your Highness… this subject truly doesn’t know of such a person. Come to think of it, when did the Demon Clan’s First Corps ever have a Chief Strategist? Besides, that guy Murof doesn’t even have a brother, does he? He’s supposed to be the only child of the Yarin Family, isn’t he?”

“You’re sure?”

“I should be… sure? Ah! Definitely sure! How could I possibly get something like that wrong? But, Your Highness, why are you suddenly asking this?”

“Heh… just as I thought. That’s all I needed to know. Thanks!”

“Th-Thanks…?! Your Highness flatters me!”

—

54. The Plan (4K)

“Hahahahaha!! Didn’t I pull it off… Didn’t I show it could be done?! I totally had that princess running in circles! What think tank of the Demon Clan? What peerless genius? In the end, she still fell into my trap, didn’t she?! I bet she’s still there thinking she saved the Third Corps, all smug and pleased with herself, huh! Hahaha!”

In the depths of the ice plains, there stood a wooden cabin that looked unusually out of place amid the vast snowstorm.

Inside, Murof Yarin laughed maniacally, sweeping rows of strategy books and decorative items off the shelves onto the floor. The crashing sound of expensive crystal goblets shattering was completely ignored—his head was filled only with the ecstasy of destruction, a wild need to vent the joy surging through him.

It was said that in extreme anger, people would smash things—but sometimes, joy taken to the extreme could do the same.

Perhaps he thought—

That such frenzied behavior didn’t match the status of a nobleman.

Murof tidied the collar of his outfit, which was fastened with a sleek white ribbon, then slowly stepped over the mess on the floor. He placed his hand on the back of a wooden chair that held an unseasonably gentle warmth in the cold snow, and sat down in the wide seat.

Lifting the wine glass filled with red wine from the table, Murof raised it toward the cold, empty air in front of him. A faint gleam of longing flickered in his pitch-black eyes as he clinked the glass against the void that held nothing at all, then tilted his head back and drank deeply.

By all accounts, Murof could hold his liquor well. A mere glass of fine wine shouldn’t have been enough to move his heart.

But he forcefully pressed the emptied glass onto the table, and the way he unconsciously murmured to himself made it seem as though he had become drunk on sorrow—unrestrained and indulgent.

“Soon… very soon. You think you can decide the future of others…? Think a single sentence can condemn me to eternal damnation? Demon King, don’t be so arrogant—go to hell!”

He slammed the empty glass onto the ground.

As the crisp sound of shattering rang out, Murof seemed to hear the long-frozen melody of his life finally beginning to thaw.

Murof Yarin, only son of the Yarin Family, was born decades ago—during the reign of the previous Demon King.

Back then, his family was far from ordinary in status. They resided in the capital, with the family head holding a lofty and powerful position. Their prestige was enough to rival even the great noble house led by Jeffriel, the Six-Winged Demon. Each commanded half of the Demon Domain’s noble authority.

Their influence lay in their command over military forces.

At that time, the Yarin Family simultaneously held command over the Demon King’s Third and Fifth Corps. They guarded the borders, worked diligently without complaint, and the rewards they received matched the merits they earned. In the royal capital, anyone who saw a member of the Yarin Family would show deference. That era was the most cherished memory of Murof’s childhood.

To grow up in such a family was an honor.

The family’s teachings had instilled in him the ideal of “Second only to the Demon King, above all others, loyal to the royal bloodline.” Though the family never said this directly, it was clear to all—they sought to maintain their standing, and worked even harder toward that goal.

But all the glory changed the moment the current Demon King, Dielzna Harl, ascended the throne.

The new Demon King acted with thunderous force, and within a single year stripped the Yarin Family of their command over the Third Corps under various pretexts. That authority was handed to the rising star of the time—Ailellek Harl, the young Demon Princess who had just broken through to six wings with sheer physical strength.

The Fifth Corps had once been the Yarin Family’s last trump card, but even that couldn’t be held onto.

—When a ruler wishes to strip you of your power, any excuse, no matter how small, can lead to your ruin.

It happened during a diplomatic mission where the Yarin Family represented the Demon Domain in talks with the higher races. The topic was reclaiming a stretch of ancestral land north of the Northern Territory—land seized by the higher races three centuries ago when they drove the demons out.

Everyone knew such a goal was impossible. How could the higher races return land they hadn’t lost in battle?

Clearly, it was nothing but an open conspiracy.

No, the current Demon King didn’t have the intellect for that. This idea must have come from the Queen standing behind him.

Naturally, the negotiations failed.

And inexplicably, the Yarin Family was branded as incompetent.

Seizing the opportunity, the Demon King easily revoked their command over the Fifth Corps. Under the guise of giving someone a chance to “gain experience,” he handed that authority to a girl barely in her teens—Princess Belith Harl.

The sudden rise of this young princess to corps commander also marked the final decline of the Yarin Family.

The core of power in the Demon Domain had become unprecedentedly centralized within the Demon King’s family.

And truth be told, it was only natural.

Come to think of it, it was all so utterly ironic.

Three generations of heroic legacy, all undone by a single bold declaration from the Demon King on his throne.

The glory of the family had been severed right at the moment Murof was about to inherit leadership within the clan. For a young man born with a noble medal already in hand, each day since then had been sheer torment.

These things—Murof had already accepted.

Who told his family’s power to expand to the point that His Majesty the Demon King felt compelled to suppress it? There was no helping it.

Then let that be the starting point, and rise anew. After all, the foundation was still there.

Starting as a fallen noble, Murof spent decades painstakingly rebuilding, and finally clawed his way back to the position of acting commander of the Third Corps.

Acting—that title was not yet secure.

He was just one step away from fully regaining command of the Third Corps.

That one step was to lead the Third Corps into a stunning battle—establishing achievements and undeniable military merit.

Murof had been waiting day and night for the Demon King’s order to march, ready to lead the Third Corps into the Kingdom of Aurus, to burn their royal capital to the ground, slaughter their royal family, and carve the Yarin Family’s name once more into the starry front page of the Demon Clan’s glory of absolute strength…

Then—Princess Sheffy, who had been captured, returned to the country.

She said—there would be no war.

The Third Corps would remain stationed at the frontier city, and without a direct order, no one was to act rashly.

When Murof heard the news, he couldn’t believe it.

No war?

He had waited for decades, and now, with just one order away, they said—no war?

Murof began to panic.

He frantically penned petitions, advising the Demon King that the army under his command was brimming with morale, and that he could absolutely guarantee they would sweep through the entire Kingdom of Aurus in the shortest possible time—flatten that annoying neighbor, expand the Demon Domain’s territory, and establish a legacy for the ages.

But—both the always belligerent Demon King and the Queen suddenly changed.

Princess Sheffy said there would be no war—and shockingly, they fully supported the Princess’s decision. It was as if they weren’t the Demon King and Queen at all, but rather that Sheffy was!

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