Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The engagement was broken After the defeat of the Demon King.

“Rome, no, Countess Romelia. I can no longer do this with you. I am breaking off our engagement. We will part as soon as I return to the country.”

Prince Henri told me this while I was still rejoicing the long-sought after defeat of the Demon King Zergis.

Prince Henri, of all people, is now, or perhaps because of that is, breaking off our engagement, and by his side was Elisabeth, a saint of the Salvationist Church, Ekaterina, a wise woman from the Forest of No Return, and Princess Lu, a female swordswoman from the East. All stood side by side, looking at me with the same gaze.

I was a little taken aback. Even though we had defeated the Demon King, we were in the middle of hostile territory, not a place to talk long and leisurely.

But fortunately or unfortunately, we could afford to do so a little right now. Then it would be better to talk. It might be dangerous to leave any ambiguity behind.

“But, Your Highness, even if we part ways, now that you’ve defeated the Demon King, you’re just going back to the Royal Capital, aren’t you?”

Ten years ago, the Zergis army, claiming to be the Demon King, invaded our continent, Axis.

Claiming to be the descendants of dragons, they declared war on the human nations and began their invasion, believing that they were the worthy champions of the continent.

Seven years have passed since the appearance of Zergis. Numerous countries have been destroyed by the powerful and unmatched Demon King’s army, and the flames of war approached our own Kingdom of Lionel.

Prince Henri, who had completed his coming-of-age ceremony at the age of 15, set off on a journey to defeat the Demon King on his own, fearing that his kingdom would perish if nothing was done. As the prince’s fiancée, I shook off my parents’ hands to stop him and followed him on his journey.

After three long years of travel, we crossed many mountains and the sea, and set foot on the demon continent of Gordia, which was ruled by the demons. Finally, he defeated the Demon King.

With this, the Demon King’s army’s downfall.

Now that he had achieved his long-cherished dream of defeating the Demon King, all that remained was to return triumphantly to his country, and to the royal capital.

“Yes, but I have no intention of returning to the Royal Capital with you. When we return to our country, we will be greeted as heroes. We have not fought for that, but we have overcome so much hardship. But, Rome, you did nothing, did you?”

“Yes, you couldn’t fight, you just followed the prince.”

“Yes, you’re nothing but a liability and I’m sick and tired of always having you behind me telling me to do this and that.”

“Countess or whatever you are, do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused the prince?”

Starting with the prince’s words, the remaining three began to complain at once.

Half of it is true. Until I came here, my job was to negotiate and supply. My main tasks were to confirm and secure our course of action. I didn’t have any power like the four who fight so spectacularly on the battlefield.

From the prince’s point of view, they were the heroes, and what I did was probably just a minor role.

Besides, I had been nagging him throughout the trip, so he knew I was disliked.

“Are we allowed to break off the engagement at our discretion?”

Royal marriages are entered into on the basis of political and military balance. Of course, the person’s wishes will be honored to some extent, but that doesn’t mean that they can make decisions on their own.

I tried to point this out, but Saint Elisabeth raised her voice, much unlike a saint.

“Hmm, that’s something your parents decided on their own. Besides, his Highness is not the old prince from before. He is the hero who defeated the Demon King. Can’t you see that a dull domestic countess is no match for him? For the last time, at least step aside.”

The saint was saying something, but I didn’t respond, just stared at the prince.

“Will His Highness tell the king about this?”

“Uh, yeah. Of course. I’ll speak directly to the chief ministers and the countrymen as well.”

I nodded my head obediently to the prince’s words.

To be honest, my heart had been distant from him since the journey.

This was noticeable from the time Saint Elisabeth joined our group, and it became decisive by the time Ekaterina and Princess Lu joined.

I no longer had the passion I had when I left home, but there was still a reason why I followed.

“However, even though the Demon King has been defeated, there still remains in the kingdom his army that had gone on an invasion expedition, and many animals and demons that had gone berserk due to his magical power. Am I not to accompany you in defeating them?”

I have made this journey solely to save the people whose villages were burned, killed, and enslaved.

“What? You, who’s of no use to us?”

“We don’t need any more baggage handlers. Can’t you just get it through your thick skull?”

“What the hell can you do?”

The three of them were babbling on, but I looked only at the prince and waited for his reply.

“Don’t worry, the four of us will take care of it. We even defeated the Demon King. I’m not afraid of any demons or monsters.

He boasts of his success in defeating the Demon King, but will it really be enough?

In my mind I added.

I did not follow his highness on this journey solely out of love for him. Of course, at first that was the case, but I believe that it was the duty of a fiancée to endure the anxiety of being cut off from her husband, even if she is plagued by a searing anxiety.

But on the night I learned of the prince’s departure, I wasn’t so sure. While praying for the prince at the church, I was granted a miracle by a solemn voice from heaven.

The miracle was called “Grace”. It’s effect was to bring good luck and good fortune to my companions around me and, conversely, bad luck and bad fortune to those who oppose me.

Although it had no effect on myself, the others were always the beneficiaries of this “Grace”.

At first I was surprised at how well my body felt, but after a few days it became the new normal and I didn’t even care anymore.

But the effects of “Grace” were not to be underestimated.

The others were already accustomed to being in good shape, but for their opponents, the sudden slump in health meant that their physical senses couldn’t keep up, and they were unable to display their true strength due to a series of mistakes. Conversely, the others, who had been performing well, gained momentum and as a result were able to draw the flow of the battle.

Even the generals and executives of the Demon King’s army, and even the Demon King Zergis himself couldn’t resist the momentum of the battle.

But I had not told anyone about my “Grace”.

I couldn’t tell anyone, considering the power of “Grace”, and moreover, when I was given the power, I was reminded by the voice from heaven that if I told others, I would lose my ability.

“Okay, as his Highness insisted, let’s break off the engagement as soon as we return to the country. But first, we must get out of here.”

We were in the middle of the Demon Continent, a place where the Demons thrived. We have successfully defeated the Demon King, but only if we can escape from here. This is not the time to be mourning a broken engagement.

“Your Highness must decapitate the Demon King. You must bring his head back with you as proof that you’ve defeated him.”

“Huh? Ew.”

Elisabeth expresses her disgust at the words “bring back his head,” but it is only natural to bring back the leader’s head.

The prince cuts off the demon king’s head, which was covered with scales and lined with huge fangs.

Even with only the head, he had a majestic appearance befitting a dragon’s descendant. However, it is a mystery why he called himself the Demon King instead of the Dragon King, even though he himself was the descendant of a dragon.

While the prince chopped off the head, I rummaged through the room where the Demon King used to be and put documents and daily necessities that I thought he used from his desk into bags one after another.

“What are you doing? looting? This is no time for that!”

Elisabeth complains, but this is the time.

“I could use your help too. Oh, Ekaterina. Let’s take the staff that the Demon King used home.”

Zergis used magic well, as befitted a demon king, and had a huge staff. It was a weird-looking staff that looked like pieces of bones joined together, but it was a unique form in the world.

I also packed other things like stones and strange tools, anything that wasn’t too bulky.

“Why do you need all this stuff?”

“Of course, to impress upon that we had defeated the Demon King.”

While talking, I rummaged through the body of the Demon King. I also take the crown that fell off during the battle, the ring that was stuck on his craggy finger, and his necklace.

“Isn’t this one head enough proof that we have defeated him?”

Prince Henri spoke, but I shook my head.

“No, It’s not. The people of the country don’t know the face of the Demon King, you know?How can you prove that it belongs to the Demon King?”

“I don’t have to prove anything. I would never tell a lie.”

The prince does not know how to doubt people. And he doesn’t know that he can be doubted.

“The people of the country will believe you, but the death of the Demon King must be widely publicized.”

It is not enough to just defeat the Demon King. Not only for the people at home, but also foreign powers. It is meaningless unless the Demon King’s death is conveyed to his army that is invading our Continent.

Exposing his head is certainly effective, but not all the Demons are acquainted with the Demon King. A general of high rank would probably know his face, but most of the soldiers have only seen him from afar. There is no way to know if the head is genuine or not.

Documents and letters signed by the Demon King would be a good source of information, and a favorite item would be persuasive.

While rummaging through the Demon King’s corpse, I noticed that he was wearing a small bag around his neck. Inside the bag was a small seal.

How fortunate, It was probably not a seal to be stamped on official documents, but the fact that he carried it around with him all the time means that it was a seal for urgent orders, letters, and so on. It was probably a short-form stamp for handling a large number of documents. Although they are less prestigious as official seals, they are used more frequently and many people must have seen it.

After taking the seal, the looting was complete.

“Okay, let’s get away now.”

When I was satisfied, the other four finally turned to look at me.

It was certainly no time to dawdle, but fortunately there was time.

We proceeded inside the strange building with our luggage. It really was a strange place.

We did not see any soldiers guarding the demon king while we moved to the vicinity of the entrance.

This was not the castle where the Demon King lived. It was the interior of a temple built by Zergis.

It was said that the Demon King would occasionally stay in this temple. Once he does, he may not come out for several days, and during that time, no one was to approach him.

It was the perfect opportunity to assassinate him.

Moreover, Zergis had only begun to stay here yesterday. His death might go unnoticed for a few days if we are unlucky, or a week if we are lucky.

If we escape from the Demon Continent in the meantime, we will be able to shake off any pursuers.

All thanks of the Demon King’s strange behavior. I wondered if he was performing some mysterious ritual in the depths of the temple, praying to some evil god, but this place didn’t look like a religious institution at all. Rather, this looked like …….

As I was thinking, the prince and Princess Lu, who were running in front of me, stopped at the corner of the temple and indicated with their hands to warn me. I strained my ears and heard footsteps coming from beyond the corner.

Enemy soldiers!

My heart raced at the presence of the enemy. A patrolling soldier? They were not there when we came. But the soldiers did not come all the way in, but instead they turned on their heels to go back.

I was relieved we’ve made it through, but for some reason, the prince and Princess Lu pulled out their blades and nodded to each other.

Hey, wait.

I tried to stop them, but it was too late, and they jumped out and attacked the patrolling soldiers.

Even though they were the elite guards protecting the Demon King, they were caught off guard, not expecting any enemies. Furthermore, the prince and Princess Lu’s swordsmanship was first-class, and they cut down the two soldiers with their beautiful swordsmanship, killing them instantly and without sound.

“No, no, no, no!Why did you kill them?”

I couldn’t help place blame.

“What? They’re the enemy, so why not?”

Both the prince and Princess Lu looked at me strangely and dispelled the bloodstains.

If they had found us…,no, the patrolling soldiers hadn’t noticed us yet. We could have gotten away with it, and in some cases, we had Ekaterina’s magic. So why did we kill them? This exposes the fact that we were here.

The other soldiers would soon realize that the patrolling soldiers had not returned. A search would be conducted, they would see the bodies, learn that there was an intruder, and of course immediately confirm the safety of the demon king. If this happens, the Demon King’s death will be exposed and a siege will be made.

Why can’t they see that?

They were all the same in a way, but Princess Lu in particular tries to solve things with her sword.

If there was an enemy, she slays him anyway, defeats him, and then thinks about it.

On the battlefield, where instantaneous judgment is required, that may be a talent, but when slaying itself becomes a problem, this way of thinking does too.

But it’s too late to start now. Anyway, we need to get out of here as soon as possible.

“Lets Hurry up and get out of here–“

I was about to say we should run away, but it was too late. I thought I heard some noises like birdcalls, and then a reptile-faced demon spotted us and shouted for his friends.

At a glance, there were about a dozen soldiers.

They charge at us in a group, spears in hands.

“Leave it to me!”

Suddenly Ekaterina, the wizard, steps forward with her wand at the ready. A ball of light forms in her wand and glows intensely.

“Please don’t use explosive magic!”

I tried to stop this too, but couldn’t, and my wishes were drowned out by the sound of the explosion.

Ekaterina, known as the “Sage of the Forest of No Return,” has high magical power and uses powerful magic.

“Easy peasy♪”

The power was so great that she could have blown away ten soldiers at once, and the sound of the explosion would have reached far beyond the horizon.

She waved her wand as if dancing.

“Never mind that, just get on with the colorless magic spell.”

Ekaterina is a master of powerful magic, but her most important is not the scorching magic that shoots fire or the lightning magic that sparks electric shocks.

It is the magic of invisibility, which envelops the body in magical power and renders it invisible to those around.

“Why?”

“Why, you can see it right there, can’t you?”

In the direction I pointed, several hundred soldiers of the Demon King’s army were coming toward us from outside the temple. They had heard the explosion and we’re rushing over.

Ekaterina had mastered a number of magic arts, and her magical power was tremendous. However, she’s never experienced actual combat in the forest before, so she often makes the wrong choice of magic.

She should’ve known that if she makes a loud noise like that, not only the guards but also the soldiers in the vicinity will gather here, but why didn’t she think of that?

“It’s no use if they find out. I’ll cut down the enemy. Come on, you demons!I, the one who defeated the Demon King, am your opponent.”

The prince removes his cloak and raises his sword, his gleaming armor reflecting the sun.

He looked as divine as the heroes of mythology, but what was the point of being conspicuous when he had come to infiltrate enemy territory and assassinate them?

Besides, if we had not shown ourselves, there remained the possibility that the Demons, which had been hostile, had assassinated the Demon King themselves, but now the fact that a human had done it would be exposed.

I quickly put my cloak over my back, but it was too late, I instructed Ekaterina.

“Quickly, cast the spell. We have to get away from here. Your Highness”

Nevertheless, we forcibly persuaded the prince, who still wanted to fight, and fled the scene.