[Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]

    Chapter 161

    King Lahendra spoke with a grim expression.

    “That’s right. The lands of four great nobles have already been devastated by the Geysir Empire. They feed humans to their drakes, leaving no survivors. Right now... even if we must raise Starn’s banner, survival must come first.”

    The western territories had been ravaged by the invasion of the Order of Dragon Knights.

    The king had no choice but to set aside the pride of the royal family.

    No matter how weakened the monarchy had become, the highest authority in the Kingdom of Lahendra was still the king.

    And now, he was the first to bow before Kaylen.

    ''If even His Majesty is saying this... we have no choice.''

    ''We can only hope that the King of Starn keeps his word.''

    The other great nobles came to the same reluctant conclusion.

    However—

    “I simply cannot believe this. No matter what the Saintess says, an invasion of drakes? And the idea that the king fought them off alone... isn’t that completely absurd?”

    Duke Rizer, the most influential of the great nobles, scoffed.

    Even though his limbs were beyond his control, his determination not to surrender was evident.

    “You don’t believe it?”

    “That’s right. No matter how strong you are, how could a single person possibly fight off drakes alone?”

    Kaylen let out a small laugh before turning to the King of Lahendra.

    “Your Majesty. Don’t you find the royal castle a bit too small for a kingdom?”

    “What? Well, that is true, but...”

    Caught off guard by the sudden question, the king hesitated.

    The previous capital had boasted a grand palace, but the newly relocated castle had been hastily built on a tight budget. It was far too modest for a monarch.

    “I’ll provide the funds. Build a new one.”

    “...Understood.”

    —Ssssshhk.

    From behind Kaylen, six swords materialized.

    One of them, a green-bladed wind sword, settled into his hand.

    “If you’re going to rebuild, demolition is necessary.”

    —Swish.

    With a casual swing of his sword—

    For a moment, the entire castle seemed to tremble.

    Then, its walls were completely blown away.

    Only the structural pillars and the floor remained.

    The walls and ceiling soared into the sky, vanishing without a trace.

    “W-what...?”

    A single swing.

    With just one slash, the royal castle had been dismantled.

    Duke Rizer’s mouth hung open in shock.

    ''This is insane... He’s even more of a monster than I thought!''

    Who had he just dared to defy?

    With trembling eyes, Duke Rizer gazed at the sky.

    How could any human possess such power?

    It was so utterly surreal that the entire scene felt like a dream.

    “Ah. But now there’s nowhere to stay until the new castle is built.”

    However—

    “Instead, I’ll grant you the castle of a noble who refuses to swear loyalty to me. What is that man’s name?”

    As Kaylen turned his gaze toward him—

    A chilling sensation ran down Duke Rizer’s spine.

    No matter how unreal the scene before him seemed, this was not a dream. It was reality.

    And if he gave the wrong answer here, his family’s castle would be taken by this transcendent being.

    “I, Duke Rizer, swear loyalty to His Majesty, the Emperor of Starn!”

    “Didn’t you say you couldn’t believe it? Your words have changed quite a bit.”

    His earlier defiance had vanished completely.

    Kaylen smirked as he watched Duke Rizer now fervently pledging allegiance to the emperor.

    “Then, what about the rest of you? Personally, I wouldn’t mind if at least one of you refused to swear loyalty...”

    “The House of Ksanta also pledges loyalty to His Majesty, the Emperor!”

    But led by Marquis Ksanta, whose forehead bore the crest of Starn—

    The other great nobles, reading the situation quickly, rushed to swear their allegiance as well.

    “This is troublesome. Now there’s nowhere for the king to stay...”

    The ritual to awaken his father, Ernstine, was nearing its final stages.

    Even if Ederna’s interference was irritating, he intended to prioritize the more important matter.

    However, just a few days later—

    "Y-Your Majesty, I bring a report! The lands we targeted... they all bear new flags—"

    "Flags? What flags are you talking about?"

    "They are said to be the flags of the Starn Empire... Bearing an emblem of six swords piercing a dragon..."

    "What?!"

    At the servant’s report, Caius lost his composure.

    "Say that again. What does the emblem depict?"

    "Six swords piercing the dragon’s head..."

    "Those wretches... They’ve truly lost their minds!"

    A symbol whose meaning was obvious to anyone.

    And to make matters worse, the fact that it was specifically "six swords piercing a dragon" only further enraged Caius.

    ''They dare use such an emblem? Those ingrates. They begged for their lives and even changed their name back then...!''

    When the Kingdom of Meier changed its name to Starn in a desperate attempt to survive, they groveled.

    And now, they dared to raise such a blatant declaration of war?

    Seething with fury, Caius reached out toward the unfortunate servant.

    "Aaaargh...!"

    Fwoosh!

    Once again, flames erupted mercilessly, reducing the servant to ashes.

    Caius, his gaze now cold and unreadable, stared at the empty space before him before rising abruptly from the throne.

    "I must go to the Demon Realm."

    He had intended to wait until his father, Ernstine, fully awakened.

    But this had gone far beyond what he could tolerate.

    At this point, even a direct conflict with Marquise Ederna was inevitable.

    With that, he set out for the observation outpost in the Demon Realm.

    Meanwhile, at the colonial observation outpost—

    ''Kaylen... has grown too strong.''

    Even Ederna, the head of the observation outpost, was troubled.

    Now a Grand Sword Master, Kaylen was acting in a way completely opposite to the cautious approach he had shown until now.

    At one point, he had even accepted changing his nation''s name to fend off the Geysir Empire’s invasion.

    But now, he was taking matters into his own hands, displaying aggressive action.

    ''If not for the non-aggression treaty, he would have invaded himself.''

    She had supported Kaylen as a countermeasure against the White Demon King...

    But now that he had become a Grand Sword Master, continuing to assist him might drag her into trouble as well.

    As she was lost in thought—

    "Director, Count Caius has arrived."

    Hearing that Caius had come, Ederna, in her serpent form, flicked her tongue.

    —Let him in.

    It was likely a visit to protest the current situation.

    With that, she gave the order to her subordinate and prepared to receive Count Caius.

    "Marquise Ederna, are you aware of the unfortunate incident in the colony?"

    Caius glared at Ederna, making no effort to hide his anger.

    He maintained a formal level of courtesy only because of their difference in rank.

    But his attitude was far ruder than before.

    —I don’t know what you’re talking about.

    "Heh... Does the head of the colonial observation outpost truly not know what she is observing? Our Geysir Empire’s Dragon Knight division has been annihilated."

    —And why should I be concerned? It’s merely a minor conflict in the colony.

    "Heh... A minor conflict? From now on, you will have no choice but to care. Unless you wish to face the wrath of House Helmeier!"

    Caius raised his voice at Ederna, who was feigning ignorance.

    A threat made possible only because Ederna’s power was clearly inferior to that of House Helmeier.

    The moment his rudeness made Ederna’s gaze turn icy cold—

    "I never thought the hierarchy of the Demon Realm would be shaken like this."

    A pure white glow appeared at the entrance of the director’s office.

    Light mana—something rarely seen in the Demon Realm.

    There was only one being in the Demon Realm who possessed it.

    "L-Lord Demon King...!"

    It was none other than the White Demon King, Deimos.

    [Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]