Chapter 59

This is the royal capital's main castle.

"How goes the battle?"

The white-haired old man seated on the throne questioned the woman standing at his side.

"Yes, I shall report, my King."

The woman who answered was Mino. Once, during the war with a neighboring country, she had appeared like a comet, saving the nation with divine stratagems and demonic cunning—a holy maiden of salvation.

Though some might call her slightly ruthless, her military and political prowess was unparalleled in history.

"The situation is already being decided. The enemy has lost most of their forces, and the remaining stragglers are fleeing in disarray. On the other hand, our army remains nearly unscathed. Though the 'Demon King' has yet to show himself, the outcome is all but certain."

"...Oh? My, my. As expected, leaving everything to you ensures smooth sailing."

"To receive such trust from you, my King, truly makes me happy."

Praised by the King, Mino smiled bashfully and lowered her head.

This woman, Mino, was truly exceptional.

After meeting her, the King realized just how unreliable his previous officials had been—mere sycophants who only sought to please him.

Mino, however, would offer harsh advice if it meant benefiting him. At first, her words had annoyed him, but upon reflection, every one of them had been for his gain.

Aside from her tendency to worry excessively, most of what she said was spot-on. As a king, he could ask for no more dependable an advisor.

"Then, what of Penny's situation?"

"He remains missing. And unfortunately, we currently lack the resources to spare for his search."

"...I see. So in the end, a commoner-born like him was cowed by the nation's crisis. Pathetic. It seems he lacked the makings of a Great General after all."

Having heard the favorable battle report, the King's mood improved, and his interest shifted to the next matter—namely, the disappearance of Penny, one of the three Great Generals of Pedia.

A man who had risen from the common folk, earning overwhelming public support and amassing numerous military achievements, unanimously recognized as a Great General. Though his personal inclinations were somewhat questionable, he too was one of the heroes who had saved the nation of Pedia.

"No, his disappearance is likely my fault. That incident in the lower city must have struck a nerve with him."

"...I see."

"While a wise King such as yourself understood the meaning behind that act... perhaps someone of common birth like him lacked the education to comprehend it. I will accept any reprimand."

"Hmm. ...No, you've done well. Then pay it no mind. Continue the search at your leisure, and we shall speak with Penny after the war."

Mino's expression drooped sorrowfully as she lowered her eyes. In truth, his disappearance had been a heavy blow to her.

Not only was Penny himself a capable commander, but his disappearance also meant the loss of Emma—one of the few competent and trustworthy civil officials in Pedia. The duties of patrol and public order that she had handled could not be neglected, yet there were no suitable replacements ready. As a result, Mino had no choice but to take on the extra workload, drastically increasing her burden.

"...Your merciful words are deeply appreciated."

Why hadn’t Mino gathered more personnel?

It wasn’t that she had neglected training new talent. On the contrary, she had personally instructed them, pouring tremendous effort into raising capable subordinates.

But Mino had only been in her position as Great General for a few years. Only recently had a handful of usable individuals emerged, and even they were far from reliable enough yet.

"...I had hoped Emma-chan would succeed me, you know."

Emma—a naturally capable civil official. Despite her common origins, she had thrived in the cutthroat world of municipal politics and commerce, amassing funds and serving as Penny’s strategist, elevating him to the rank of Great General. A prodigy, wise beyond her years.

For Mino, who had long been starved for capable people, Emma must have been a true solace.

---

Meanwhile, the young girl who had caught the attention of that terrifying woman...

"...Huh? What's this?"

She had been hiding in a noble's room within the castle—a noble they had persuaded to join their side, waiting for the moment to rise up once the war was decided.

By now, Penny and the others had already withdrawn from the battlefield and returned to the castle.

And no wonder. Penny, who had been watching the battle from the castle walls, ready to join the fray if necessary, had witnessed a blinding radiance engulf the battlefield as the demon army was annihilated in an instant.

So Mino had a hidden trump card like that after all. She really is terrifying. But with this, Penny’s role was effectively over.

That woman would win the war on her own, with minimal losses. And the moment of carelessness after victory—that was the opening Penny’s group aimed to exploit. That was their strategy.

Their chances? Fifty-fifty at best.

No matter how superhuman that woman was, it was hard to imagine she’d have the spare capacity to prepare for a coup in the middle of a war against the demons. But then again, this was Mino—a woman who always had a countermeasure ready.

You could never overestimate or underestimate her. That’s why Emma, even now, at the brink of execution, remained on edge, carefully observing their surroundings.

"What’s wrong, Emma?"

"Ah, it’s nothing major, but... Could someone call a mage from the magic corps?"

"O-oh. Hey, somebody fetch a mage!"

Perhaps that was why. Emma, having noticed something, stopped in her tracks with a puzzled expression and called for one of their mage subordinates.

"...This is..."

What Emma had noticed was a small, newly drawn magic circle, hidden beneath a draped cloth.

"Why is this here? Let me see... This spell is—"

"Wait, what kind of magic?!"

Listening to the subordinate’s report, Emma felt a deep unease. It was the same kind of discomfort she experienced whenever she realized she had made a critical miscalculation.

Something was wrong. What had she overlooked? Slowly, Emma sank into the depths of her thoughts.

"Penny, wait a moment. I need to think this through."

"O-oh."

The young strategist unconsciously bit her nails as she pondered the meaning of the magic circle.

Who placed this here? Since when? For what purpose?

"...Ah."

Emma’s true expertise lay in administration and finance. She was a rear-support type of strategist, more skilled in politics than military affairs.

She did have some aptitude as a tactician—better than most at reading enemy strategies and formulating battle plans during standoffs.

But real-time battlefield command, where situations shifted constantly? That was her weakness. She excelled at deliberating over difficult problems to find the correct answer, but she wasn’t the type to make snap decisions on simpler matters. Everyone had their strengths and weaknesses, and military command simply wasn’t Emma’s forte.

Not that it mattered—Penny, with his superhuman instincts for warfare, handled that. And she still had room to grow. She could always develop those skills later.

"Penny, we’re changing the plan."

And that was precisely why she realized it now. This was a trap. The kind of long-con scheme that played to her strengths—the slow, deliberate kind.

"Hmm? What’s the change, Emma?"

"We move up the timetable. We surround the throne room now."

"...Hah?"

Was this the right answer or a fatal mistake? Had she fallen for one of Mino’s monstrous schemes, or was she outmaneuvering her?

Or was this all just a misunderstanding on Emma’s part?

"...Wasn’t the plan to wait until the war was over before making our move?"

"Yes. That was the ideal scenario."

"The war may be tilting in humanity’s favor, but it’s still too early to let our guard down. What’s the benefit of acting now, Emma?"

"To save lives that would otherwise be lost in the crossfire of schemes."

Click. Emma lifted her head and met the eyes of the hero she trusted—the one who fought for the people she loved—and bowed deeply.

"Please believe me. If my reasoning isn’t mistaken, the action you must take right now is to surround the throne room."

"Mm, mm. But I ain’t plannin’ to hurt the king or anythin’—"

"Of course. Ideally, we’d take him into custody without bloodshed. But there’s no time to explain everything. Please, Penny—decide now."

"...Heh. Heh. Alright, you heard her! Prep for deployment!!"

Instant decision-making. That was his strength.

Penny wasn’t smart. But he wasn’t incompetent, either. He had an almost animalistic intuition—the kind where the first choice he made without thinking was usually the right one.

So Penny trusted his gut. And he trusted his beloved strategist.

"We’re changing this country. Changing the king. Building a nation where the people don’t have to suffer for the sake of the crown!!"

"Notify all units. The time for the final battle has come."

Within minutes of that order, the nobles and guards still loyal to Penny within the castle bared their fangs at the King of Pedia.

---

"General Penny Betrays the Crown—Forces March on the Throne Room!"

Upon hearing this unbelievable news, Mino—

"...Huh? No way. Right now?"

—widened her eyes, her voice trembling as she sank to her knees on the throne room floor, her expression one of utter despair.

"Wha—WHAT?! Is this true?!"

"Y-yes. Additionally, numerous nobles suspected to be aligned with him have also taken up arms."

"That ungrateful commoner-born wretch!! To think he dared to covet this throne all along!"

"W-wait, no, huhhh…?"

Beside her, the King gnashed his teeth in fury, while Mino pressed a hand to her forehead, tears welling in her eyes as she slumped forward.

"This won’t do, Emma-chan... This isn’t just a misplay—it’s a disaster. I can’t entrust the future to someone like this... Did I misjudge you after all?"

"What are you muttering about?! Mino—do you have a countermeasure?!"

"Mmm, well. Of course I prepared insurance."

Mino’s shock differed slightly from the King’s. Rather than sheer surprise at the rebellion, her expression carried profound disappointment—in Emma’s actions.

To stage a coup now, of all times? When unrest among the soldiers would play right into the demons’ hands. If Emma couldn’t grasp that, then she was nothing more than a precocious mediocrity.

"Fine. Let those two idiots learn their lesson the hard way."

It couldn’t be helped. She’d allowed them to scheme this far, but letting them succeed now was out of the question.

Worst case, they’d have to die. But for now—she would win. Suppressing her quiet rage, Mino gathered the royal guards stationed in the throne room.

"Listen well, everyone. This is our moment. Follow my instructions exactly."

Even surrounded, Mino’s victory was all but assured. No—absolute.

The real challenge wasn’t defeating Penny’s forces. It was figuring out how to do so without killing Emma.

"Where are the traitors positioned?"

"...Here, and here. Also, an unfamiliar group of guards was spotted near the opposite corridor."

"Ahh, I see. Aahh—"

After a brief pause to process the report, Mino issued her orders with chilling calm:

"Form five-man squads and hold these defensive lines on both flanks. Do not advance. The narrow corridors favor us—let them waste their strength. My subordinates, now redundant after the explosion, have already been recalled. Once they regroup, victory is ours. So stay patient. Outlast them."

"Can we win, my right hand?"

"Without a doubt. Just watch—I’ve saved a special strategy for this. And these guards? The elite of the elite."

"Good. That Penny... After all I did for him. To forget such grace—!"

The King’s fury wasn’t baseless. He’d liked Penny—his blunt honesty, his unpretentious demeanor.

Which made the betrayal cut deeper.

"That brat of a strategist too—I’ll have both their heads on pikes!"

"Agreed. Fools who gamble with this kingdom’s fate have no place in it."

Alone in the throne room, the two rulers stood at the precipice—

—while outside, the euphoria of victory masked the empire’s unraveling.

The outcome of this rebellion would reshape Pedia’s history.

---

"Ah. That’s the one."

---

The King’s head vanished in an instant. The battle was over before it began.

"Oh my."

The white-haired old man, who just moments ago had been speaking with his trusted right hand, Mino—

—was now little more than a silent, crumpled mass of flesh, his noble robes soaked in gore.

"This works, right, Bat?"
"Indeed. Crush the head, seize the nation in the chaos. A flawless strategy."

Mino’s eyes widened as she stared at the two demons who had suddenly appeared in the throne room.

This was the innermost sanctum of the royal capital’s castle—Pedia’s most secure location, backed by sheer cliffs.

No one should have been able to enter unseen. How?

"…So, how’d you get in?"

"Ah, I can fly. We came to decapitate humanity’s leadership, Lady Mino."

"Right. Cliffs mean nothing to birds, huh."

The capital’s defenses were concentrated on the northern plains, leaving the southern cliffs unguarded. For flying foes, it was an open invitation.

"Hey, Bat. So I just hit the humans from behind now, yeah?"

"Precisely. Just as they ambushed us, we return the favor."

"Guhahaha! Then watch closely, dumbstruck human! Witness my glorious charge—"

Squelch.

The headless King’s corpse collapsed under the demons’ feet. Mino smirked.

"As you command, Demon King. By all means—subjugate humanity here, just like the other races."

She knelt, pledging loyalty without a glance at the dead monarch.

"…Wait. You’re surrendering already?"

"Huh? Why do you sound disappointed?"

Mino glared. Her irritation was palpable.

She’d only had fragments of intel on the Demon King, but god, he lived down to his reputation as an idiot.

"Whatever. Guess I’ll eat you for failing. Crushing the human leadership was the plan."

"No thanks. Hey, Your Demonic Majesty—didn’t you hear? I defected."

"…Seriously?"

Mino produced a letter addressed to Bat—proof of their collusion.

"I’ve been leaking human intel to Bat here. A little gratitude would be nice."

"…For real?"

It was true. Mino and Bat had been trading secrets for months.

A mutual insurance policy: whoever won the war, they’d survive.

"Quite so, my King. Under the agreement that she’d join us upon victory, she provided… cultural, historical, and technological insights."

"Wow, Bat. You’re sneakier than I thought."

The Demon King slumped. This wasn’t the battle he craved—no clashing wills, no worthy rivals.

(He’d even missed fighting that human swordswoman. This was anti-climactic.)

"Ugh. So what now?"

"Take the King’s head to the gates. Strike from the rear while our forces regroup. Even after that spell annihilated our army, we can still crush the leaderless humans."

"…Sorry I couldn’t warn you about the magic. I didn’t know she could do that either."

"No blame attaches to you."

With a sigh, the Demon King took the severed head from Bat and rose.

"Fine. Let’s go."

"Ah—one last proposal, Your Majesty."

"Ah, but—"

Mino smiled sweetly as she stepped in front of the Demon King, blocking his path.

"Your Majesty, you’re undoubtedly powerful, but... your knowledge of magic is somewhat lacking, no?"

"Uh, yeah, sure."

"Then I insist you wait here. Human magic is treacherous—even masters can be caught off-guard. And this throne room? The most heavily warded stronghold in the kingdom. No harm can reach you within these enchanted walls."

Her suggestion was clear: Stay put.

A vein throbbed in the Demon King’s temple.

"The hell?! I’m done sitting around! Our forces are stretched thin—I need to fight!"

"Oh, I understand perfectly. Bat, don’t you agree?"

"Err... Lady Mino, with all due respect, we do need His Majesty on the field. Holding back now would be... unwise."

"See?! I’m going!"

"————Very well. My apologies for delaying you."

There had been weight behind her proposal.

Mino—the human strategist who betrayed her kind, who fed secrets to demons with a smile. Who knew the Demon King’s strength intimately, who guided him through human weaknesses with poisoned honey.

Who once said, "As long as I survive, nothing else matters."

Perhaps Bat had trusted her too much.

"Ah, but—"

Her smile didn’t waver.

"I’ve already finished chanting."

Suddenly, sound vanished. Color drained from the world.

The roaring echoes of battle faded, leaving the throne room steeped in grayscale silence.

"...Huh?"

"As I said, Your Majesty." Mino's voice was honeyed, her eyes devoid of light. "This room is enchanted. You really should've stayed."

The two demons froze as realization crept in.

—A trap.

"My subordinates have spatially and temporally excised this throne room from the world. We now exist in a phased dimension."

"The hell are you—"

"Escape from within is impossible. One ignorant of magic could never undo a barrier this advanced."

"You surrendered! You’re supposed to be on our side! What is this, human?!"

"Still don’t get it?"

Bat knew. The "king" they’d slaughtered was genuine—and this woman before them was humanity’s supreme strategist.

Which made her gambit unthinkable.

Had they sacrificed their own monarch as bait? Had every whispered secret, every feigned betrayal, been part of the script?

"Intel suggested you’re weak to ambushes and lack magical expertise. Was I right?"

"...You—"

"This throne room was designed as a final trap for southern invaders. We could’ve stationed troops here—but why waste lives?"

"YOU—!!"

Madness. To them, it was madness—this human willingness to expend even their highest-value pieces without hesitation.

"Do you have an escape plan?"

"None. This barrier is absolute."

"Then you’ll die here. Torn apart by our hands in this void."

"...And?"

No fear. Only resolve.

Mino’s face was that of one who’d already accepted death—but beneath it, the Demon King spotted something else.

A quiet weariness.

"...Wait." His voice dropped. "You’re—"

"Hm? Something wrong, Your Majesty?"

Now he really looked at her.

The sunken eyes. The pallid skin. The brittle hair and hollow cheeks.

Not just exhaustion.

Something worse.

"—You’re dying, aren’t you?"
"Bingo. Got maybe months left."

The truth clicked.

This wasn’t a martyr.

This was a dying tactician, squeezing every last drop of utility from her own corpse.

"Too bad, Demon King." Mino's laughter echoed through the isolated void, her voice trembling but triumphant. "The king you just killed was a decoy—the real successor is already chosen! And me? I was a dead woman walking either way! Even my replacement—oh, she surpassed all my expectations! Everything... everything went exactly as planned!"

Her body swayed, death already etched into her pallid face. Yet before the two mightiest demons, she stood laughing.

"Emma... Emma was magnificent. I was shocked when she moved the coup up—but then I understood. She did it to evacuate the royal guards from this throne room! She outplayed me at my own game... Ah, I couldn’t be prouder!"

Not a trace of fear or regret.

Only joy—genuine, radiant joy—as she grinned at the demons who would soon tear her apart.

"So this... is how humans fight."

"Oh, we had so many more traps prepared." Mino waved a hand dismissively, like a teacher reminiscing about a canceled field trip. "The plains outside the capital? Rigged to collapse. This castle? Designed to transform into a fortress. (Clarise’s little sister ruined most of it, though...)"

"Like the big sister, like the little," she sighed—but the smile never left her face.

After all, her goal was achieved. Why wouldn’t she smile?

"But really—if you fell for something this simple, no amount of demonic cunning will ever let you win. Tell me, in all of history... have demons ever beaten humans in war? You got a little stronger and started dreaming too big."

"......"

"Learn your lesson. Stop invading. You’ll never win."

"...Shut up."

"Oh? Angry?"

The Demon King’s hand twitched. Bat’s claws unsheathed.

But all they could do was seethe—outmaneuvered by a dying woman who’d already won.

"────I’ll kill you."

"Be my guest."

As the Demon King raised his palm to crush her, Mino spread her arms—

—still smiling.