The Demon King's First General
Chapter 156: State of Emergency

Chapter 156: State of Emergency

"Zeno?" A woman called out under the moonlight.

She gulped as she looked at the back of a silver-haired man staring above. Around him were a dozen demon corpses, while on his right hand was a jet-black scythe with blood dripping on the ground.

With a sideward glance, the man looked at the woman upon the mention of his name.

"Ea, no," he whispered upon the mention of his name.

Then he turned around to face the woman and spoke once again.

"Uoiea Embercrown, humanity’s successor to the throne, the next empress," he said, raising the scythe before putting it next to her neck.

However, what the woman did was beyond Zeno’s expectations; she ignored the blade and threw herself into his chest before wrapping her arms around his body. This action of hers made the demon squint his eyes in confusion.

"You already knew who I was; have you gone mad?" Zeno asked as soon as he recovered from the sudden shock.

He retracted the scythe and waited for a reply, but what he got was a sob. It continued for several seconds before the woman calmed down. Then she raised her head and looked at Zeno with tears still present in her eyes.

"It doesn’t matter who you really are; even if you tell me you’re the demon king, I don’t care! In my eyes, you’re still the man I fall in love with," Uoiea confessed with sincerity.

"So, don’t you dare try to push me away," she added.

"You’ll be burned to the stake by your own father if he comes to learn about what you’ve said just now," Zeno stated as he let go of his scythe and returned her embrace.

"I’m being serious here." She paused, pouting, then tiptoed before continuing. "And besides, I know you won’t let that happen. Am I right, General?" Uoiea replied, teasing with a smile.

Zeno didn’t answer; their eyes locked in a silent exchange until the gap between their lips started to dwine.

Meanwhile, several distances away from them, up above the clouds, a woman with yellow-bright eyes was staring at them. She clicked her tongue, and her figure disintegrated into thousands of particles before disappearing in the endless darkness.

. . . . .

"Zeno, a dream," Uoiea uttered as soon as she woke up.

"Princess, how are you feeling?" Asked a maid as she attended to the young lady.

"Where am I? What happened?" Uoiea replied with a question while caressing the temple of her head.

"You’re in your room; one of the palace servants found you lying in the hallway. Is everything alright, Princess?" The maid answered.

Then she picked up a glass of water from the table and gestured to the princess to have a drink. Uoiea took it and emptied the glass right away. Afterward, she closed her eyes and tried to recall what happened.

A few seconds later, she looked at the table and even fumbled the bedsheet as if looking for something.

"What’s the matter, Princess?" The maid asked once more.

"Have you seen a letter within me?" Uoiea replied.

"Is it the one placed on this table? His Majesty picked it up earlier," the maid answered.

After hearing the maid’s response, Uoiea jumped from her bed all of a sudden and rushed outside of her room.

’I got sidetracked! I totally forgot about that other letter,’ she thought.

Then, she went all the way down to the emperor’s hall, but the knights guarding the door blocked her path with their spears in hand.

"Move it away; let me pass," Uoiea said without even glancing at the knights.

There was no intonation in the tone of her voice, but it was filled with overwhelming authority.

"We beg your pardon, Princess, but His Majesty especially passed the order to prevent you from entering until the meeting is still ongoing," one of the knights answered.

"Then do me a favor and tell me. Who are the people inside aside from the emperor?" Uoiea asked with courtesy.

The knight kept his silence for a little while; he pondered the repercussions if he answered the princess’ question. Then, after realizing that there was no harm in telling her, he started speaking.

"The eldest and the youngest prince, along with the Grandmaster of the Magic Tower," he said.

With no alternative in sight, Uoiea turned around and left. She asked for a carriage, but his father’s orders were absolute; he strictly reminded the servants to prevent her from going out of the palace.

"What am I supposed to do? Should I just sit here and wait for Ave Gayle’s premonition to happen?" She complained after returning to her room.

She sat down on the bed before lying on it, and then she closed her eyes and repeated the content of the seer’s letter inside her head.

’I saw the empire’s downfall, with your lifeless body at the center of it all,’ she thought.

It was just a single sentence, yet it sent a message that even the emperor couldn’t ignore. However, she was still puzzled about one thing.

"Why did she address the letter to me instead of directly sending it to my father?" She pondered.

Afterward, she looked at the open window, and a wide grin flashed on her face.

"Being a damsel in distress won’t do me any good," she said.

Then she stood up in a hurry and changed into her battle dress.

. . . . .

At the same time, inside the emperor’s hall, Augustus was sitting at a table with two of his sons, along with another old man.

He had long grayish hair, his gaze was sharp, and his long beard could rival the emperor’s. He was dressed in a battle robe containing a blue magic circle with a lion’s head inside. The man that all the mages admired, the one who reached the pinnacle of magic, and the only eight-circle mage, the Grandmaster of the Magic Tower, Deus Eucliffe.

"Are we still waiting for someone?" Kreigster asked, annoyance written on his face.

"You’re too hot-headed," the man beside him answered.

He had thick eyeglasses, and based on his looks, he was not a combat-oriented person. He was Augustus’ eldest son and the first to give up in the line of succession.

"But we’re already sitting here for half an hour!" Kreigster replied.

Then he stood up and was about to leave when the door opened, making him return to his seat. Afterward, a man with brown colored hair entered the hall. He was wearing black leather armor, and a sword was strapped to his waist.

"Forgive me for being late, Your Majesty; there was a small thing I needed to take care of," he apologized as soon as he reached the table.

Then he went for a bow to show his respect before taking a seat.

"It looks like we’re now complete. So, we may start, I guess," the first prince said, then looked at the emperor and nodded.

The next second, Augustus pulled a piece of paper from one of the inside pockets of his clothes. He placed it on the table and let everyone read it. Silence enveloped the entire hall after the meeting’s participants finished reading the letter.

"What the hell did I read just now?" Kreigster was the first one to complain.

"I found it on my daughter’s table, and I already asked who the sender was. It came from the Celestial Seer," Augustus stated, ignoring his youngest’s complaint.

"Hmnn, if it’s from her, I now understand the urgency of your summons; however, I’m wondering why a message of such great importance is not addressed to you," the Grandmaster of the Magic Tower stated his concern.

"Even if we know that the princess and the seer have a great friendship, I still couldn’t get the whole picture of it," he added.

Then he tapped his forefinger on the table, and a small magic circle appeared. Afterward, a sylph emerged from it and circled around his head.

"Monitor all the events happening in this city and come report to me if you find something suspicious," Deus ordered, and the sylph turned into a gust of wind before disappearing in the hall.

After this, Augustus placed both of his hands on the table and looked at Deus to answer his query.

"I don’t know either; I sent a letter to the Celestial Seer and even invited her to this meeting, but she declined it. All I can do now is prepare; even if it’s a demon invasion or an internal conflict, I would protect this land no matter what," he paused and directed his gaze towards the man who entered last in the room before continuing. "And I need everyone’s assistance to do that, especially you, Ren."

Upon hearing his name being called, the man stood up and walked to the emperor’s side, then kneeled on one knee.

"At your command, my life belongs to the empire," Ren stated with strong conviction.

"Very well!" Augustus exclaimed and gestured for Ren to stand up.

The next second, he looked once again into everyone’s eyes, and with a voice filled with overwhelming authority, he spoke. "I officially declare that the City of the Rising Sun, the heart of the empire, is under a state of emergency. Gather all the troops and prepare for what’s to come!"

. . . . .