Chapter 33: A Plan for Infiltration

The Demon Lord’s intent to travel to the Aldelit Kingdom quickly circulated among the Eight Demon Generals. To preempt any unforeseen complications, Meredith convened them the day after Yunajin first voiced her idea.

A peculiar violet glow permeated the chamber, an immeasurable space that could only be conjured through colossal demonic power, rendering both time and space utterly meaningless within its confines.

Yunajin, the Serene Demon Lord, presided from the head seat, her most trusted High Priest standing diligently by her side. The rest of the assembly consisted of the demon race’s core strength, a gathering that included several venerable, elder figures:

Crossell Ironmountain, the Minotaur Chieftain of the Orcs.

Edesbond, the Blood-soaked Monarch, of the Soul-eater Vampire Clan.

Almilina, the Seven Sins Monarch, a Succubus of the Soul-eater race.

Ando Slime, the War Slime.

Andros Chimera, a Demonic Beast of the Demigod race.

Ka, the Shadow Scythe, a Fiend of the Demigod race.

Eliog, the Warbringer, Centaur Chieftain of the Orc race.

‘How, indeed, does Lord Eliog, a centaur with four legs, manage to sit down?’

As the Eight Demon Generals gathered within the boundless passage crafted by Meredith, Yunajin found her gaze lingering on the robust centaur, a silent question forming in her mind.

Eliog, acutely aware of the Demon Lord’s observing gaze, sat rigidly upright, his face taut with tension, his eyes instinctively darting away from Yunajin’s.

‘The Demon Lord had instructed me to closely monitor that human’s movements, but recently, sandstorms have been frequent in the wasteland, and the monsters, preparing for winter, have become extremely aggressive. My subordinates lost track of the target. Could she already know?’

Beads of sweat, as large as beans, appeared on Eliog’s forehead. Despite his fervent internal admonitions to momentarily dismiss the potential repercussions and instead focus on swiftly rectifying the situation by rediscovering the target’s trail, the crucial task at hand.

Yet, this valiant Warbringer was consumed by the fear that his failure to timely relay the intelligence would draw the Demon Lord’s potent displeasure.

“Lord Eliog, you appear… rather warm?”

Yunajin, noticing the beads of sweat permeating his taut skin, inquired with concern.

“No, no, Demon Lord,” Eliog quickly replied. “I am merely feeling a surge of excitement. This is, after all, my first meeting organized by you, Demon Lord, since becoming one of the Eight Demon Generals.”

Approximately half of the Eight Demon Generals belonged to superior races blessed with exceptionally long lifespans. The Orc chieftains, by contrast, typically saw a change in leadership every few centuries, making Eliog, the current Centaur Chieftain, the youngest among the present Eight Demon Generals.

“Oh,” Yunajin responded indifferently.

“Demon Lord,” Meredith interjected, “all Eight Demon Generals are now present and accounted for. The meeting may commence.”

“Is that so?”

Yunajin’s gaze drifted to the vacant seat at the far end. Presently, only seven of the Eight Demon Generals were active. Meredith, a former General, had relinquished her post to her apprentice, Ka, the Shadow Scythe, who, like her, was a Shadow Fiend of the Demigod race.

It was rumored that this particular seat had remained vacant for centuries, with no suitable candidate yet found to fill it.

There were even times Yunajin had considered appointing her Slime maid to the rank of Demon General. Yet, not only did Meredith strongly advise against it, but Vivi herself, upon hearing the Demon Lord’s offhand suggestion, was instantly struck with alarm and swiftly declined the offer.

‘That was the first time Vivi had ever dared to refuse me.’

“You should all have been briefed on the general situation by Lord Meredith,” Yunajin declared. “This King requires a small team to covertly infiltrate Aldelit and dismantle the human alliance from within.”

“Demon Lord, forgive my frankness, but…”

“This King is not soliciting your opinions, Lord Edesbond,” Yunajin interjected, her dark red eyes radiating a formidable authority that momentarily subdued the Blood-soaked Monarch. She continued, “I merely believe that as elders of the demon race, you have the right to be privy to this King’s plans. Consider this a heads-up that your responsibilities in managing tribal affairs may temporarily increase after this King’s departure.”

“I overstepped my bounds, Demon Lord,” Edesbond conceded, bowing his head. The apology evident on his usually haughty, pale face astonished his assembled colleagues.

‘It’s quite fascinating how, ever since the Fifth Generation Demon Lord ascended, one often sees such a submissive expression on Edesbond’s face.’

Andros’s six disparate beast eyes narrowed to varying degrees. From the Demon Lord’s commanding aura, it was clear this operation was far from a mere casual mention. If she was not seeking their “opinions,” then “suggestions,” he mused, must surely be the true agenda of today’s meeting.

Perhaps his three heads indeed processed information faster than others, for before the other Demon Generals could fully react, Andros was the first to articulate his thoughts: “Demon Lord, if I understand correctly, you intend to personally lead a team into the human kingdom. In that case, the foremost and indispensable requirement would surely be a suitable identity for disguise, would it not?”

“Indeed,” Yunajin affirmed with a satisfied nod. “This King requires an identity that allows for a legitimate entry into Aldelit. What are your thoughts?”

“The Dragonkind maintain a sub-nest within Aldelit,” Ando Slime offered. “Demon Lord, you could use our demon race’s dragon lairs as a basis to establish contact with them.”

“Little Slime, are you suggesting the Demon Lord should impersonate one of the Dragonkind?” Andros challenged Ando’s proposal, an idea that Yunajin herself found rather unappealing.

Unlike the Dragonkind residing within the demon territories, the great dragons within Aldelit were unfettered, retaining their inherent draconic arrogance and openly disdaining the weaker human races.

Whether elves, demi-humans, or humans, their interactions with the Dragonkind were predominantly marked by compromise and fear.

If Yunajin were to visit the United Kingdom under the guise of Dragonkind, it would be far more practical for her to simply descend upon Aldelit herself.

Moreover, Yunajin had only recently fallen out with the Elemental Dragon King, who was, incidentally, one of the Dragonkind’s most influential figures.

“My apologies, Lord Ando,” Yunajin stated gently. “Perhaps it is due to your prolonged work within the Demon Lord’s Altar, but our relations with the Dragonkind have soured recently, and humans still hold them in considerable awe. This proposal is, therefore, not viable.”

Yunajin did not fault the diligent altar guardian for offering an unsuitable suggestion; secluded within the Demon Lord’s Altar, far from the world’s affairs, Ando’s perspectives were naturally constrained.

“The Keltusians, humans residing in the northern part of the continent, do not harbor animosity towards us,” Almilina offered, her voice calm and measured. “Demon Lord, you might be able to secure a position within their royal family, thereby holding a high rank and circumventing any investigations from Aldelit.”

Almilina, who possessed a more profound understanding of external affairs and current events than anyone else in the room, always held the most critical intelligence, keenly aware of the impact each race’s movements could have upon the continent.

“Lord Almilina’s suggestion holds merit,” Yunajin commented, turning to Meredith. “But how feasible is its execution?”

“Exceedingly easy, Demon Lord,” Meredith responded. “One of the Succubi under the Seven Sins Monarch’s command became the Keltusian King’s consort and bore him a child. However, that child mysteriously vanished just after turning fourteen, three years ago.”

‘How truly regrettable…’

Yunajin sighed with a touch of regret, covertly glancing at Meredith’s expression, which was as frigid as her tone.

This, too, was an integral part of the mission: the Succubus was leveraging her privileges as the Keltusian King’s consort to amass further intelligence. Unions between humans and Succubi were hardly rare, given their remarkably similar physiological structures; any offspring born of such a pairing invariably manifested as a Succubus.

Almilina, however, felt no emotional attachment to the matter. Her sole concern was whether this incident might compromise her intelligence officer’s mission in Keltus, for Succubi, by nature, harbored no superfluous sentiment like maternal love.