Walking into my office, I saw Captain Riesse, Herbert, Jana, Razana, Traya, and Amber all waiting for me. After seeing me in, they all bowed slightly.
“What are we to do, your majesty?” Captain Riesse asked.
“Yes, your plan proved successful, but we have yet to eliminate the remaining three thousand troops. Also, the kingdom is gathering more soldiers, this was just a preliminary force.” Herbert followed up.
I sighed, “I know, I had hoped to get rid of them all without resorting to drastic measures but it seems that I couldn’t.”
Looking up, I met them in the eyes. “More than anything, I don’t want you, or any of these citizens dying! And I’m willing to do anything to protect the friends I have made! So it seems as if I have no choice but to unleash you.” I stared at Amber.
Amber at the start of the speech was only half paying attention. She was busy eating a bowl of noodles (as I recalled I had reserved it for me). But as soon as she heard drastic measures she looked up.
Her eyes shined with eagerness unrivaled by any of the others. “Master… I assume this entails me?”
Sighing, I said, “Yes Amber, let’s see what you’re capable of.”
She dropped the chopsticks she was using to eat the noodles. Her expression was one of pure joy. “T-thank you, master! I love you! I shall not let you down!”
My face was grim, “Thanks, show me what you got. I only have one condition. Kill all of them, I can’t let you become public knowledge just yet, I like to keep my trump card secret. But, one exemption. I don’t want the kingdom becoming more antagonistic. That’s why I want you to spare one of them. His name is Robert, he’s the leader.”
Amber nodded. “Got that Master! I have it under control! Robert, yes? I shall spare him!”
“Oh and if you see any other high-ranking dudes who seem like they have a bit of influence, let me know, and I’ll tell you what to do with them.”
The others looked at me with wide eyes. Especially because I was talking about death so casually. But then they understood, I cared about them deeply, and they knew I’d go to any lengths to save them. All of them were high-ranking enough to know of Amber’s power. They wore small smiles.
“Tonight we rest! Tomorrow we’ll destroy them! No matter what happens I’m not abandoning this place! Nor am I going to sit idle while a large faction hopes to rope you into a war that has no end. For the sake of this new country, I vow not to let a single man escape!” In this speech, I not only addressed the people in my room but the people everywhere in my domain.
Everyone cheered and left.
I sighed and crashed into my chair.
It was going to be a long night of restlessness.
I tossed and turned in my bed, replaying my decision. I was powerful on my own, but I had only been in this world for a few months. Nothing could make me stronger other than new knowledge or experience, but those took time to acquire. I wanted to get strong enough to defend the country on my own, but that would take time. I also was busy with organizing everything, so training hadn’t gotten my full attention.
In addition to magical attributes and classes, everyone in this world could gain skills. These skills were ranked like guild ranks and shown on a guild card, or identification issued by the guild.
I liked this unique identification. The card was bonded to your DNA, and if anyone other than you touched it, it would turn grey and illegible. A standard guild card would have your rank on the top right corner, your name, birth date, height, weight, and other important information about you. It would also list your class and magical aptitude, as well as your skills. In the beginning, the skills I had learned were intrinsic skills. They were powerful and were given when a person was born. If I had been born in this world, I would have had these skills. Among them was Z-rank language comprehension, obviously my gift from god, and as well as C-rank physical abilities and C-rank magical proficiency.
You could train these intrinsic skills up to become extra skills. I had trained my physical abilities and magical proficiency up to B-ranks. I also gained magical comprehension and C-rank proficiency in every type of elemental magic other than dark, which I gained a B-rank proficiency. If I trained even harder, I could become an overpowered mage, probably the most overpowered mage in existence. But that was some ways off, I was just a skilled mage right now, and the army could easily overpower me. I decided right then and there to train up until I reached the point where I couldn’t get any stronger.
The next day I rose to watch Amber off. As much as I hated sending her instead of devising some sort of plan on my own, I knew it was necessary. I also knew that I would get a chance to observe her prowess.
Amber saw me off with a smile and left. I used a small enchanted camera that I had attached to her shirt to project a light illusion in front of me. I gathered everyone in my office to watch.
Amber’s face contorted into a twisted smile. She walked right outside the gates and jumped. Amber was eons old, and that gave plenty of time for her to hone her wind magic skills. Her magical proficiency was a Z+ on all four of her elements (Wind, Water, Earth, and Fire) so she could easily manipulate the air around her to fly.
She flew high and saw the kingdom’s remote base of operations several hills over. Analyzing the situation with her intrinsic skill Z+-rank demon eye (it was the most powerful discerning skill) she quickly picked out the prince. Knowing what she had to do, she dove headfirst into the camp.
A crater formed at the impact. The nearby soldiers all dropped the soup they were eating, it was their breakfast. As the smoke cleared they saw a beautiful lady, with impossibly yellow hair and pale skin. She was clad in some sort of coat, made from a hide of an animal, and travelers clothes. Amber had made them herself, reinforcing the rugged kind of look she was going for.
She smiled at the soldiers, and they immediately looked frightened. “Playtime…” She said in a singsongy voice.
Activating her extra skill quickstep, she seemingly teleported next to soldiers, drawing a dagger gifted to her by the most important person in the world, her master Silvi Tephit. SHe slit the soldier’s necks as she went by.
Picking up a dead soldier’s sword, she turned toward the other soldiers milling about, that met her eyes with terror as they saw their comrades killed before their eyes.
Amber was a combat-centered demon. Other demons in the demon realm rose with tactics, or knowledge, or respect out of wisdom. She had risen, along with most of the great aboriginals through combat proficiency. Her main rival was the orange demon, Mandarin.
They constantly clashed in the demon plane, it was the best sort of combat experience. No soldier stood a chance. Quickstep was combined with her melee-weapon skill sword dance (Z-rank) that slaughtered foes in front of her. Opening her hand, she cast a powerful fire spell, “Crimson Dynamite,” She said.
As a highly proficient master of magic, she didn’t even need to utter the spell name, she just got into the habit of doing so. Balls of explosive fire dropped on the camp’s outskirts. In a second, they exploded, killing everything close to them. The inside of the camp was being dealt with by Amber’s sheer speed and prowess. She slaughtered mercilessly, some soldiers wanted to run away, but she would cut them down before they got far.
Prince Robert looked in terror as he saw the yellow-haired lady slaughter his best men before his eyes. Next to him, the court magician of the kingdom, a long-lived man named Alvis looked in horror. He could tell the lady garnered a lot of magical power, but he didn’t understand how the principality could have recruited her, or how she was so skilled despite looking no older than a late-teen.
Finally, realizing Alvis knew what the lady was, why she had such true yellow hair. Stepping back, he let a bead of sweat drop to the floor. All his life, he had devoted himself to the study of magic. By now he was considered some of the best in the world. But his staff clattered to the floor, even he could not stand against such power, the only person who he thought could have to be the chosen hero, or his master, the most powerful person he knew.
The yellow-haired lady stopped fighting and combined with her magic and her swordplay, all of the men in the camp, other than the prince and the court magician, were slaughtered. Throwing her sword to the side, she sighed. “Oh, worthless junk! It can barely hold up! I’ll have to ask the master if she’s willing to enchant a sword for me. I should have told her that swords were my preferred weapon from the start…”
The prince stumbled back, “H-hey now! Wha-What are you doing! You killed my men! Do you know who I am?”
The yellow-haired lady smiled, “Of course I do Robert…” She let the name float in the air for a few seconds for dramatic effect.
“H-how do you know my name?”
She shrugged, “Doesn’t matter, I am here on the behalf of my master. She is more than willing to slit your throat herself but she lacks the experience right now. She’ll be more than up to the task soon, so consider yourself lucky I show you mercy.”
Alvis the mage spoke up, “Mercy? You call this mercy?”
The yellow-haired lady… no demon said, “Why yes, you invaded my master’s domain, and anyone who does with such malicious intent is not worthy of walking on her soil! But sadly my master said to spare you Prince… and the old man next to you looks like he’s important as well, so I guess I can bring him along.”
“What do you mean! I am Prince Robert Noivern! Second Prince of the Kingdom of Noivern! Do you think I shall let you just come and take me, prisoner?!”
The demon smiled even wilder, “It’s not a question of if you’ll let me, it’s a question of if you’ll make this hard or easy.”
The prince gulped. “My master is the greatest person in the world, and you called her a mere woman? Like that was a bad thing? That is an unforgivable sin. Master isn’t just a lady, she is a goddess in this world. If you are to call her a woman, you must treat her with respect!” the demon continued.
“My name is Amber, a name given to me by my eternal master. Now you shall learn what it means to defy her!”
The demon, or rather Amber moved at a speed imperceptible to the eye. Grabbing both Alvis and Robert by the legs, she floated in the air. Robert attempted to shimmy his sword out, but it fell between his legs and down to the ground with a clatter. Robert, as indignant as he was, couldn’t accept defeat, “Coward! No wonder you work for that insolent woman! That self-proclaimed princess is a demon! Thinking she can just waltz into royalty without paying her dues! If you are her servant, I can think of nothing more suitable. You craven! Who ambushes and grabs their opponent, if you truly are a warrior, fight.”
Amber looked at Robert’s Regal, Handsome face with amusement. “Ha ha ha! You have much to learn, if you are fighting, you pull all of the stops! How do you think I got here! By fighting honorably? No, when faced with a life or death situation, or one that matters just as much you fight with that mindset. Only a fool would think to fight ‘honorably’.”
The prince was at a loss for words. The mage Alvis was staring with a blank look in his eyes, “She managed to summon an aboriginal… She managed to summon an aboriginal.” The mage kept repeating the sentence over and over in a hushed voice.
The demon quickly flew back to the guildhall that was her mater’s base. Tying up the two with ropes and leaving them inside, she flew back and threw fireballs at the camp. The camp started to burn, she had cast the highest level flame spell in existence, Everblaze.
Everblaze made a blue, eerie flame. But most importantly it didn’t give off smoke. The concealed camp burned to the ground, the fire slowly dying out. Leaving no trace of any activity, nor anyone to remember it.
Amber flew back, her joy showing on her face. Master will please me for sure, she thought.
Walking into the guild, she picked up the two prisoners and walked up to the office. Knocking and then entering, she placed the prisoners at the feet of her master.
I looked up at Amber, who had kneeled in front of me. I had watched and heard everything from her illusionary magic, and immediately thought that I was foolish for not sending her out right away. Not only did she clear an entire army camp in an hour, but she did it silently and without effort. Forget PR being bad, she could provide a sense of security for all of us, and think she calls me master…
Robert looked up, seeing me his face screwed up into a face of bitterness. “Damn whore! What did you do?”
I bit my lip, Razana was next to me, her face an expression of pure hatred. Traya, who had never met Robert before steeled her expression. Before I could say anything, Traya took a step forward, “What did you just say?” bitterness dripped from her speech.
The prince smiled disgustingly, “Whore… that’s what I said.”
Traya didn’t hesitate, she smacked him. He flew onto the ground and landed with a thud. Traya started kicking him, Razana joined in. Amber looked at the spectacle and looked at me. “Might I join in master?”
I rubbed my forehead, “No, Razana, Traya please stop, we have to have him alive…”
Traya stopped and composed herself, “Damn It! I’m sorry Silvi, but he’s just… how can anyone stand him?”
Razana said, “For once I agree with Traya, he must go.”
“I get what you’re saying, but just take it easy.”
“FIne,” They said unanimously.
The frail old man next to the prince caught my attention, he was just kneeling, all tied up and staring at the ground. He kept muttering something.
“Who’s that?” I asked.
The man looked up, his eyes widened, then he looked back down and continued muttering.
“Pardon me master, but he seems to be a high-level person, so I brought him here alive. If that was a mistake, then I shall gladly dispose of him.”
“You dare?” The prince said with gritted teeth, heaving himself off the ground, “This is Alvis, one of my father’s most trusted advisors and the court magician. Don’t touch him!”
My my, it seems even the prince cares about someone. “I see. Well, even so, you have invaded our homeland. As you can see, we have let you live and eliminated everyone else. As our POW, we shall see that you continue to live, but you must understand, what you did was unforgivable, coming here and threatening our livelihood. I shall keep you from now on, and use you for negotiations. Amber take them away and deal with them please.”
“Wait! I am the second prince! How dare you treat me like this!” The prince yelled.
Jamie took that moment to show up. “Your Majesty, I have brought those… Oh, it’s you, brother.”
“Bastard! Help me out already! You’ve gone to work for a demon! Remember who you are! Insolent bastard! Save me!”
Jamie looked at his brother and spit in his face. “I know who I am, the headmaster of the Tephit Academy. As for you, I warned you not to invade. You reap what you sow. Stop acting like this, you're embarrassing me.”
I sighed, I had asked Jamie to come to see how he’d react. Based on this reaction, I knew he was trustworthy.
“Amber?”
“Yes master, I am going.”
Amber led the two out of the room, one quiet and mumbling, the other wild and thrashing. She was headed for the dungeons built underneath the guard’s house, that’s where we would be keeping them.
Everyone turned to me. I glanced around, “Well let’s get to work, they say the time after the war is the busiest, better get started348Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddH4RyGjmx
