Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 531

The Allied Forces advanced once more.

The headquarters kept the information that a group, presumed to be the Demon King’s army, was clearing a path at the forefront of the advance as top secret. It was enough to attribute it to another arrangement made by the Allied Forces.

By the time the Allied Forces reached the area where heavy snow had fallen, all the snow that had covered the area had already melted away.

“It’s a little chilly.”

“Indeed.”

“Has autumn already arrived...?”

The soldiers passing through the area only felt a slight chill in the air, and were completely unaware that a severe snowstorm had occurred there.

Thanks to their path being cleared, the Allied Forces, which had been moving sluggishly, were suddenly able to make a rapid advance.

Occasionally, nomadic groups of monsters that were still wandering the continent appeared, but they were small enough that the small strike units operated by the Allied Forces could deal with them.

The Allied Forces advanced, embracing this unidentified ally.

They soon crossed the border of Rizeln and confirmed that the small warp gate close to the border had already been destroyed.

They had finally succeeded in reaching the operational area.

“For the Senkerian offensive, the Kernstadt army will take the right wing,” said Louise von Schwartz.

Heinrich and the other members of the Kernstadt royal family nodded.

Heinrich von Schwartz had been incorporated into the Kernstadt army.

***

The city of Senkerian was near the Rizeln border. Though not a major city, it was a key strategic point, and held two medium-sized warp gates and a large warp gate.

The presence of these gates meant the area around Senkerian was teeming with monsters, so the Allied Forces set up their base far from Senkerian while they conducted operational meetings.

Warp gates were like cornucopias, though it was monsters that poured out of them. To make their advance and reach the gates, they had to push back the monsters already swarming about.

Once the Allied Forces got close enough, they would launch a full-scale attack on the warp gates to destroy them. However, destroying the warp gates was not the end of it. They still had to annihilate the monsters that had already been released from the gates.

Previously, the small guerilla unit under Sabioleen Tana would break through the swarm of monsters alone, destroy the warp gates, and then escape. However, the warp gates themselves were growing increasingly powerful, and the number of monsters pouring out was growing as well.

Although it was still possible to destroy the warp gates using this tactic, the strike force, comprising valuable Archmages and other Master Class knights, would face significant risk of death. At this point in the war, most of them were irreplaceable. If Sabioleen Tana or Ellen Artorius were to die during such an operation, it would not only shatter morale, but make such hit-and-run tactics impossible in the future.

Therefore, the full army had been dispatched, to protect the lives of these irreplaceable forces with the deaths of those who could be replaced.

Louise explained the operation details received from the headquarters.

“In this operation, we are stationed on the right flank of the Allied Forces, and will annihilate the monsters there. We will first annihilate the monsters with artillery support from the rear, and once the army advances and reaches the outskirts of Senkerian, the small strike force led by Ellen Artorius and Sabioleen Tana will enter the city.

“Heinrich, you are tasked with thinning out the monsters first, before the vanguard advances.”

“Yes, sister.” Heinrich nodded with a serious expression.

***

Heinrich’s opinion on being incorporated into the Kernstadt army was not important.

Louise von Schwartz had demanded that Heinrich be reassigned, and provided clear justification: protection of the core members of the Kernstadt royal family.

The empire had no grounds to refuse, and so they did not put up any serious resistance. Refusing such a demand would already cause conflict.

Heinrich also could not protest Louise von Schwartz’s decision. Heinrich knew that even saying that he wanted to stay under the direct command of the Allied Forces would have its onw implications.

[Your siblings will kill you.]

He did not believe those words. But just because he didn’t believe them did not mean that he could ignore them.

After moving into the Kernstadt headquarters and working with, Heinrich couldn’t shake the feeling of tension. He did not know the exact reason why, but he constantly felt a prickling sensation on the back of his neck.

It was moments before the first warp gate destruction operation of the Allied Forces began, and the base was filled with the tension of a unit facing a large-scale battle.

Thus far, the Allied Forces had only been focused on advancing across the continent. But that was ultimately a secondary matter. Their true mission was not about dealing with wandering monster hordes, but destroying the warp gates from which those monsters poured out. If they managed to complete the mission, achieving success from the first operation to the last, the Gate Incident would be brought to a close.

Heinrich stood in front of the command tent, looking across the camp. His heart was filled with fear, determination, and resolve.

Tap tap.

“Is there something to worry about?”

Alphonse von Schwartz, the second-eldest brother, was approaching Heinrich with a smile.

“Oh... Brother?”

“Given the power you command, all the monsters will be wiped out. What are you worried about?”

“Not necessarily,” Heinrich replied hesitantly. “There are many monsters that don’t burn.”

“Others will handle those. I’m more worried about whether there will be a moment when I or our sister will have to step in.”

‘Aren’t you being too optimistic about the situation? This is not a war to gain individual recognition, but a war to survive,’ Heinrich thought, although he did not say it aloud.

To Heinrich, his second brother did not seem to be taking this war seriously. He overestimated the power of the Allied Forces, and he believed he would survive no matter what happened, as if it were an inevitable conclusion. Therefore, he could joke about how he would be reduced to a mere sidekick if Heinrich wiped out all the monsters.

After all, there were many who would die in his place. With soldiers advancing ahead of him and mages to annihilate his enemies, he felt no sense of crisis.

The certainty of survival, knowing others would die in his place... Every time Heinrich sensed that, a deep-seated unpleasantness rose like bitter water from within him.

He did not know his brothers well, but the aspects of his brothers he’d seen while staying at the Kernstadt headquarters were often disappointing.

“A power that can easily sweep away any monsters in front of you.. That’s quite a convenient ability, isn’t it?” Alphonse said with a wry smile as he placed a hand on Heinrich’s shoulder.

Heinrich could recognize the sarcasm in his brother’s expression.

As a superhuman, Heinrich could distinguish himself and deal with monsters without any danger to himself. It was not because he was exceptional, but because he possessed supernatural powers. That was something to be disdainful about.

Seeing the sarcasm and disdain in that expression, Heinrich nodded.

‘Why is he doing this? Why is he being like this? Is he deliberately trying to anger me?’ Heinrich wondered.

If so, Alphonse had chosen his target poorly.

“You’re right, brother.”

“What?”

“Compared to Ellen or Dame Tana, my position on the battlefield is indeed too comfortable.”

This was not something that could provoke Heinrich because he had already thought about it himself. Compared to those who had to fight up close, he was nothing. He merely annihilated monsters from a distance with his supernatural power. He had already come to the same conclusion himself.

Alphonse stared blankly at Heinrich, who had read the obvious sarcasm but had not showed any particular reaction.

“Are you saying you’re comparable to the hero or Sabioleen Tana?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Our youngest... You’re quite annoying, aren’t you?”

“Annoying?”

“After spending some time with those imperial folks, your arrogance has crossed the line.”

Even though Heinrich had not meant it that way, Alphonse still twisted them, interpreting his response as being sarcastic.

Heinrich was at a loss for words. His brothers did not like him. They acknowledged him, but only because he was useful. Heinrich had no choice but to face the truth that his brothers disliked him.

That accident from childhood... Since then, his brothers had looked at him as less than a bug, and that had not changed despite all the time that had passed. That was the obvious conclusion.

A messenger was running urgently towards the Kernstadt command tent.

“Urgent report!”

“What is it?” Alphonse asked as he approached the messenger, who was catching his breath after such a hard run.

“An urgent report from the reconnaissance unit. A tornado is blowing through the current operational area!”

Both Alphonse and Heinrich tilted their heads at the unexpected news.

“A tornado?”

***

Rumble...

Although they were still a considerable distance away, they could still feel fierce winds rushing past them. The massive tornado, visible from afar, was sucking up all the monsters in its path and hurling them into the sky.

Rumble! Rumble!

And it was not just fierce winds.

Flash!

Lightning flashed Inside the tornado dozens of times per second. free𝑤ebnovel.com

Anything sucked into the tornado would be torn apart by the wind and burnt to a crisp by the lightning. Monsters unable to withstand the force of the wind were lifted into the air only to crash to the ground and die.

The five of us—Riana, Harriet, Olivia, Airi, and I—were making a preemptive strike against Senkerian, the target of the Allied Forces’ current operation.

Monsters would continue to pour out from the gates, but preemptively reducing their numbers would make the operation easier for the Allied Forces.

Summoning a blizzard like last time would only harm the Allied Forces. Therefore, we chose to summon a tornado to devastate Senkerian instead.

We were still on the outskirts of Senkerian, but it was still a very important location.

Roar!

Huff!

Olivia and her summoned Death Knights were holding off the monsters that were trying to get to us while Riana manipulated the weather.

We were in the heart of the monster horde.

Slash!

I sliced my way through the monsters swarming about us with an Aura Blade coated in blue mana. Our role was to protect Riana from the horde of monsters until she completed her task.

Harriet was also dealing with the approaching monsters with magic, and Airi, who had regained her power as the Succubus Queen, could put the monsters to sleep with magic, but her combat power was also top-tier.

Rumble!

We seemed to spend an eternity dealing with the waves of monsters. Finally, we saw another large-scale storm brewing on the far side of the tornado.

A second tornadoe filled with lightning had formed.

“It’s done!” Riana shouted, and I advanced.

Boom!

The mana shockwave blew away the monsters surrounding and engulfed them in flames.

“We’re retreating! Gather up!”

Olivia, Airi, and I rushed towards Harriet, who was beside Riana.

There was no need to kill all the monsters. The tornadoes summoned by Riana would take care of that.

“Let’s go!”

The Power Cartridges around Harriet’s neck glowed, and blue mana lines glowed all over her body. Although lacking Rudina’s talent, Harriet had mastered the method of using spells almost without casting time as long as her mana allowed.

Flash!

Mass Teleport took us away from the operational area.

***

“It seems they can manipulate the weather.”

Vertus nodded as he listened to Sabioleen Tana’s report. “It seems so.”

Given the importance of the operation, Vertus, the most senior decision-maker of the Allied Forces, had arrived from the capital and was with the Allied Forces.

It was the first operation, and therefore, of utmost importance. It was the first step in a matter on which the fate of humanity depended, so the emperor had no choice but to personally oversee it.

Vertus had already been briefed on the situation. Reinhart’s forces had cleared the path to the city with a snowstorm. There was speculation that it was magic similar to a blizzard spell used by Harriet de Saint-Ouen or the Vampire Lords. However, from Connor Lint’s latest reconnaissance report, a tornado had appeared in Senkerian instead of a snowstorm.

Snow, and now a tornado...

“Could it be Riana’s supernatural power instead of magic?”

“That possibility cannot be ruled out.”

These were excessively large-scale weather anomalies, the exact nature of which was unknown. It could be magic, but it could also be caused by a supernatural power.

It was undoubtedly a favorable development, since the Allied Forces had neither mages nor superhumans capable of such large-scale destruction.

Monsters continued to emerge from the gates, but the tornado was still cutting across the operational area, slaughtering monsters.

Naturally, the Allied Forces could not advance into Senkerian, which had become a living hell.

“Once the tornado subsides, we will advance as quickly as possible.”

They could not always expect the Demon King’s help. Therefore, Reinhart’s assistance could not be included in their operational calculations. However, Vertus somehow sensed that this assistance would continue until the Gate Incident was completely resolved.

He covered his face with both hands and let out a deep sigh. ‘I don’t know if I deserve such help...’

This was the first major operation for the Allied Forces, and this tornado was sweeping through the operational area they had planned to be the battlefield. The Senkerian offensive might end rather anticlimactically.

However, if the Demon King and the empire were destined to wage war against each other someday, what would happen then? Would humanity face extinction after the Gate Incident?

Vertus was already feeling the exact same kind of fear that Sabioleen Tana had felt.

“By the way, how is Ellen’s condition...?”

At Vertus’s question, Sabioleen Tana’s expression became somewhat peculiar.

“Well... It’s certainly not good, but it doesn’t seem to be getting worse.”

“That’s a relief. Is the necklace given by Dettomorian proving effective?”

“I’m not sure about that...”

Sabioleen Tana’s expression grew peculiar, she seemed almost embarrassed.

“Recently, she’s been... raising a cat, I hear.”

For a moment, Vertus was too stunned to speak.

“A cat?” he finally managed.

“Yes, well... I’m not sure what it is, but it seems to be helping her.”

Vertus could not understand what Sabioleen Tana was talking about.

“By the way,” Sabioleen Tana said, “can ‘that weapon’ be deployed in this operation?”

Vertus understood what she meant and shook his head. “Ah... It seems not yet. The Grand Duke and Adelia are pushing as hard as they can, but the unstable environment is causing many difficulties. I’ve heard it would be completed before the year ends... but I don’t know the specifics.”

“I see...”

“It would be nice if it were completed soon...”

On one side of Vertus’s desk was a document titled “A Plan for Strategic Weapon Production through Integration and Optimization of Magic Automation Machinery and Power Stones.”

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