The Demon King's First General
Chapter 182: Demon King’s Business

Chapter 182: Demon King’s Business

"Let your fire keep on burning and guide this empire away from destruction," a priest stated, kneeling while the palms of his hands stuck to one another.

Around him were people wailing, the royalties from the other kingdoms and close friends of the emperor. They were all saddened by his sudden passing, especially the youngest princess, who was nowhere to be seen in the crowd.

Since she learned about her father’s death, she locked herself in her room and refused to eat anything despite the empress’ pleadings.

Added to this incident, the empire was left prone to ruins, with the threat of the demon king looming around the corner; his first son, Augustus Embercrown, was forced to step up as a temporary replacement for the throne.

He led the knights towards the battlefield to stop the demon army’s advance and didn’t even wait for his father’s incineration.

"May your soul rest in peace," the priest bowed.

Afterward, two knights walked towards the casket’s side. On their hands were candles burning with purple flames. Then, with the priest’s command, they set the wooden box on fire.

The smell of burning flesh lingered in the open air while deafening cries echoed across the place. With tears running down her cheeks, the empress fainted and fell on her knees.

Her attendants carried her back inside the palace while her second son took over in monitoring the cremation, and when the last ember died down, the priest announced the end of the ceremony.

. . . . .

Meanwhile, Uoiea opened her eyes; traces of dried tears were present on her face. It was almost a week after her father’s death, but she still couldn’t accept this fact. The man she had admired since her childhood was now gone.

According to the healer, the emperor suffered from a long-time disease that he hid even from his own family. He had a very rare condition in which excessive use of energy wore down his heart.

"Why did you choose to hide it from us, Father?" Uoiea uttered while staring at the ceiling.

Then, she moved her gaze towards the window as she noticed the smoke coming from below, and memories of her father came invading her line of thoughts.

The pain was still present, like needles piercing her heart. She wanted to cry, but her tears had already ceased from falling.

With a deep sigh, she dragged herself out of the bed, and she felt her head spinning the moment she stood up. Consuming nothing aside from water for several days made her weak.

She leaned her hand on the wall and walked towards the mirror. Dark circles underneath the eyes, hair with tangled strands, and a sunken pair of cheeks came into her sight.

"So the state of being heartbroken can turn someone unrecognizable," Uoiea uttered as she stared at herself.

Then a sudden thought flashed in her mind.

’How much more when it was Zeno who left me?’ She contemplated, and a spark clicked inside her head as she realized something.

"I totally forgot about him; did he return already?" She asked in panic.

Due to this realization, she went towards the table next to her bed and picked up a small bell. She rang it three times, and a servant came knocking on the doorstep.

"Is there anything you need, Your Majesty?" a voice sounded from the other side of the door.

"Please, prepare me a meal to eat; I prefer something light," Uoiea replied and didn’t wait for the servant’s response.

She took her filthy body towards the bathroom and cleaned herself in a hurry. The thought of seeing the demon pushed her to move and pulled her away from grieving for her father’s death.

After preparing and taking care of herself, she ate the food that the servant brought her. Though, she only took a small portion of it, afraid that it would upset her stomach.

Then, upon regaining enough strength, she sprinted downstairs and went to the secret passage. Excitement could be seen present in her eyes, but as soon as she arrived at the place, she saw nothing aside from the red lion sleeping near the tree.

Uoiea’s shoulders dropped, but she still walked on the opposite side of the tree, hoping to see him leaning on its trunk.

But her expectation betrayed her; there was no demon nor a silver-haired man present in the place.

"Where are you, Zeno?" She said, asking, her voice escaping like a choked whisper.

Seconds later, Sol woke up from slumber; it went to the princess’ side and caressed its fur to her body. Uoiea looked at the red lion, her mind still in the middle of contemplation.

"Sol, does Zeno return?" She asked; concern was present in her eyes.

However, the beast shook its head and even let out a soft roar. Uoiea felt saddened; the excitement within her was taken away in a blink, though she still stayed positive.

"No, maybe he’s still not done with what he’s doing," she stated, forcing herself to smile.

Days passed until it became weeks, and Uoiea still held on to the demon’s promise. She visited their favorite places one after the other, hoping to see even the general’s shadow, but all that she got was disappointment.

Then, something shifted within her; the sparkle in her eyes began to fade, her smile became less frequent, and her personality turned cold.

The people in the palace associated her change with the emperor’s death. Little did they know that it was more than that, way beyond what they thought; she felt betrayed by the person she cherished the most.

. . . . .

A month after, in the palace garden, while the imperial family was taking their breakfast, a flying beast coated with purple flames circled around the area.

It garnered the people’s attention, especially the second prince’s.

"That’s older brother’s summon!" He exclaimed while pointing at the creature.

Then, it landed a few distances away from their table, which caused them all to stand up, aside from the youngest princess, who was busy eating in silence.

"What is it doing here?" The first daughter asked, wondering.

Thus, they went to approach the beast, and upon coming closer, they noticed a small piece of paper attached to its leg. The second prince caught the creature and plucked the note.

With everyone’s curious stares, he opened it and read its content.

"Mother, my sisters and brothers, how are you doing in the palace?" The first sentence alone was enough for the empress to shed tears.

"I hope you guys are fine. The battles here are getting more intense every second that passes. The Conjurer of Blue Flames is not an easy opponent. Our forces were reduced to half, and we were forced to retreat several times..." The second prince continued, and then he looked at his other siblings.

Worry could be seen present in their faces. Then, upon seeing the empress nod at him, he resumed reading the letter.

"I would like to request reinforcement as soon as possible. I’m afraid we can’t fend off a few more waves of the demon army’s attack. I attached the coordinates on this note," he stated.

Then he looked at the empress; their eyes locked for a silent exchange before she gave out a command.

"Assemble the knights and gather all the Diamond-class mercenaries available; we need to support the eldest," she ordered.

The prince nodded, but they were left with a single question.

"Who will lead them?" The first daughter asked, blurting out the concern.

Aside from the first prince, they were not suitable for commanding an army. They looked at each other, thinking about whom they would send.

Then, their contemplation was disrupted when they heard a voice coming from the table.

"I’ll go," Uoiea said without averting her gaze from the variety of food.

Her family turned around; they all stared at the youngest with a question mark floating at the top of their heads.

"What did you say?" The first daughter asked.

"I said, I’ll go," Uoiea repeated with an unfazed tone.

Upon hearing her answer, the empress squinted her eyes and gently shook her head, and then she stepped closer to the table.

"Are you serious? I won’t let you!" She exclaimed, rejecting the idea.

She couldn’t bear to send her to the battlefield, and even the second prince was against it as well.

"No! You’re not going anywhere," he stated.

Uoiea placed the utensils down and took a sip of water. Then, she stood up and gave each of her family members a glare.

"I have some business to ask of the Demon King; I hope you understand," she said, her voice calm, yet hatred was present in her eyes.

Without waiting for anyone’s reply, Uoiea left and walked inside the palace, leaving everyone puzzled with their youngest’s actions.

’Business with the Demon King.’ The princess’ words kept on repeating inside their minds.

However, even with a single bit, they had no idea what she was talking about.

. . . . .