The Author's POV

―Let them retreat; it's an order.

A raspy voice made its way inside the minds of the demons on the battlefield.

Immediately, all of the demons came to a halt and looked at each other in bewilderment.

They wanted to double check that they hadn't heard something wrong, and as soon as they realized that they hadn't, they looked around in complete and utter shock.

"Let them retreat?"

Angelica behaved exactly the same as the other demons when she suddenly stopped in the middle of the air and looked around her in bewilderment.

The message…

It didn't make sense.

"Why would you order us to retreat when we're so close to securing victory?"

The orders made no sense to her and probably to almost every other demon out there.

"The fuck is going on?"

At that moment, she heard an irritated voice from beside her.

As she turned her head, she observed a familiar demon. She appeared perplexed and irritated by the current situation.

Angelica had already grown accustomed to her behavior despite having only known her for a short period of time.

"Hey, do you have any idea of what's going on?"

Priscilla asked her, gently flapping her wings once and appearing within her proximity.

"I'm not sure."

Angelica shook her head.

She was similarly perplexed about the situation at hand, and it was likely the case for all the demons around them.

―Every demon is now ordered to return to the logistical area. His Majesty would like to grant everyone a few words.

All it took were two words, and all of the bewilderment that had been visible on the demons' faces vanished, and in its place was a look of complete and utter excitement.

"His Majesty would like to share a few words with us?"

All of the demons' confusion and discontentment regarding the orders vanished in an instant, and they dashed toward the logistical area, which was situated at the very back of the battleground.

There was a palpable excitement in the air, and even those who were injured did their best to make it back to the logistical area.

This was how much weight the Demon King's name carried among the demons.

He was akin to a god to them, and no one dared to be disrespectful toward him. He was, after all, the demon that had revived their race.

If it weren't for him, the demons never would have evolved into such a powerful race as they have today.

In all likelihood, they would've most probably been bottom feeders had it not been for him. Hunted by the other races for their mana devouring abilities.

"The Demon King wants to part us with a few words?"

Angelica's ears picked up Priscilla's mutter, and she turned her head to look at her.

"Do you despise his majesty?"

Angelica questioned her after observing her reaction and noticing that she did not appear to be as enthusiastic as the other demons.

"Despise His Majesty?"

Priscilla raised her head and looked at her as if she was out of her mind.

"Why would I hate His Majesty? What gave you such thoughts?"

"No, well… You don't seem to be particularly excited at the prospect of getting to meet him in a bit and listening to his words."

"I could say the same thing about you?"

Priscilla pointed out. Indeed, just like her, Angelica didn't show much of a reaction to the news and remained in the air with her.

She shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I guess you have a point."

"No shit."

Priscilla did not chew her words and instead cocked her head to the side to take another look at the fleeing army.

She wanted nothing more than to keep pursuing them, and her eyes were filled with reluctance, but after thinking about the contents of the message, she had no choice but to give up.

"Let's go; are you coming?"

She glanced at Angelica, who appeared to still be floating in place. Her expression was rather icy and difficult to interpret, but Priscilla caught a glimpse of something...

It left as fast as it came, but it didn't escape Priscilla's eyes.

"I'm coming."

Nonetheless, Angelica played it cool and decided to follow after her. After that, both of them spread their wings, and the outline of their bodies became less clear.

*

The logistical area was starting to become packed.

It had only been an hour since the message was broadcast, and in what felt like minutes, the entire land was swiftly submerged in a sea of demons.

The land was completely silent.

And the fact that no one uttered a single sound throughout the entirety of the event made the strangeness of the circumstance even more pronounced.

The focus of everyone's attention was drawn to a particular tent located off in the distance.

It was the strategist's tent, and while it didn't seem like it at first, everyone was sure that his majesty was in that tent.

"Such presence."

Angelica and Priscilla were two of the very last people to arrive, and by the time they did so, the location was already very close to being completely occupied.

They maintained their silence along with the rest of the demons and continued to fix their gaze on the tent that was located further away.

They were having a hard time keeping their eyes open because of the intense pressure that was coming from inside the tent...

This fact alone was sufficient to serve as an indication to the demons that were present as to who was present within the tent, and as a result, the breath of a good number of the demons became labored.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Everyone stopped breathing as one figure after another materialized right next to the tent in that very instant.

Particularly when they noticed the facial expressions of a couple of the demons that had appeared before the tent.

It was anything but pleasant at the moment.

"It's the seven patriarchs."

Someone muttered in a low voice, recognizing them immediately.

He wasn't the only one who recognized them, as nearly everyone within the plot of land had an idea of who they were, and if that wasn't enough, the pressure emanating from their bodies told them exactly what kind of beings stood before them.

Angelica was no exception as her gaze fixed on one of the demons ahead.

Her gaze was anything but pleasant.

Swoosh!

The door to the tent suddenly opened, and everyone's attention immediately focused on the tent.

The first person to emerge from the tent was a lanky demon who was dressed in a black robe. Their posture was stooped, and they appeared to have an unimaginably pale expression.

He wasn't the only one who appeared to be in this state.

Another figure soon emerged, and it appeared to be in a similar state to the first demon who emerged from the tent.

As the minutes ticked by, one demon after another emerged from the tent. When the timer hit five minutes, a man wearing a white mask emerged from the encampment.

"It's the strategist!"

"The strategist."

His entrance caused a commotion among the army, and everyone turned their attention to him with great interest as the commotion spread.

This was probably the first time that many of the demons had ever seen the strategist in person.

The white mask, which was something he was known for wearing, was the only thing that allowed them to identify him so quickly.

It was all thanks to that that they were able to recognize him.

'Why does he look familiar?'

Angelica's expression became somewhat different while everyone else was preoccupied with talking about the strategist.

When her eyes laid on him, she felt something stir from within her.

His build, his hair, and most importantly, his eyes… they felt awfully familiar and reminded her of a certain someone.

That…

He was someone she couldn't forget even now, and she didn't realize how important they were until after they were gone.

'No, that's impossible.'

Angelica shook her head, casting her gaze away from the strategist.

Pent up emotions that she kept hidden within her started to swell up, and she was reminded of a certain painful memory.

One that she didn't want to relieve.

"…Are you that moved by the strategist?"

"Pardon?"

Angelica looked at Priscilla with a confused look.

"Did the strategist move you or something? …or is it the prospect of meeting his majesty?"

"What are you talking about?"

Angelica's brows furrowed, but just as she was about to speak again, Priscilla pointed at her cheek.

You're telling me that you haven't been noticing the tear on your cheek?"

"Uh, ah?"

Angelica flusteredly touched her cheek.

Feeling something wet, her face stiffened, and her gaze fell back on Priscilla.

She didn't know what to say.

"It's okay."

Priscilla turned her gaze away from her.

"You don't need to look at me like that. If you look around, you aren't the only one that is acting this way. There are many other demons that are moved…"

"No, it―"

"Don't worry. I won't judge you."

Angelica didn't know how to respond.

She wanted to say something, but she knew that Priscilla's mind was already made up, so she decided against it and turned her gaze back toward the strategist.

She pursed her lips as she continued to look, and she noticed that their figures were becoming more entwined.

'What is wrong with me?'

She silently muttered, trying her best to keep herself from losing composure again. Thankfully, a sudden wave of whispers helped her out.

"His Majesty is coming!"

"It's His Majesty! He's here!"

"…Lord Jezebeth!"

The Demon King had made his appearance.