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In this chapter, we go back in time a little to when Timu first departed for the Capital’s Magic Academy.

––Camilla’s Perspective

At elder sister’s recommendation, it was decided that I would be attending the Magic Academy in the Capital. The paperwork was quickly dealt with by elder sister, and now, elder sister and I, as well as choice members of the Household Guard are advancing towards the capital. We should be arriving in roughly half a day’s time.

I do not mind going to the Capital. Rather, for the sake of our world conquest, it would make a choice location. However, to be honest I feel only gloom towards my enrolment in the academy. No matter how important a role it is for gaining intelligence on humans, when I remember that I must listen to this ‘schoolwork’, these fools’ nonsense, I feel naught but agony.

Once, I told elder sister the truth about how I truly did not think I would be able to bear with ‘school life’. But elder sister told me, “I know that you’re timid about this, but it’s an absolutely necessary experience for your future. So just go along with what I’m saying, even if you don’t believe me.”

I understand that we require information from within the school. But a number of so-called ‘experts’ from the capital have already visited us as home tutors, and I already know the degree of their strength. I know too well the level of these humans now.

I personally believe that elder sister is being a little too cautious. She is overestimating the humans. Even though with elder sister’s strength, humans would simply be pushovers…

A few times in the past I proposed to her that we forwent the information gathering and simply annihilated them all at once, but elder sister would not agree. She rejected the idea, and seemed to say ‘goodness me…’ with her expression.

Fumu. I cannot understand. With that much power, why will she not pursue an offensive? At times like this, it’s better to consult with Nielsen than brood over it myself. And so I moved over to his side.

“Nielsen. Do you understand why elder sister will not invade the capital?”
“Well, let me see… I must conclude that it may be due to her past life.”
“Her past life, you say?”
“Yes, Milady. Lady Tilea once mentioned that her days in ‘Jyapan’ were not filled with easy battles. Perhaps it is due to her experiences there that she is particularly sensitive towards imprudence and failures.”

Fumu. Speaking of which, elder sister’s expression is unfailingly bitter when she speaks of her old life. I’m sure that her battles in ‘Jyapan’ are casting a shadow over her.

“Now that you mention it, that is true. She did mention that in the Land of the Shura, just a slight slip-up could cost one their life, didn’t she.”
“It is as you say. According to her, the place was rampant with the ultimate destruction weapon ‘rokett lawncha’.”
“I almost committed the same blunder again. I was considerably negligent in regards to the humans.”
“Lady Camilla, I, as well as the rest of the Household Guard, felt the same way. Could it not be that because Lady Tilea has noticed this, she proposed our current strategy?”
“Nielsen, it is as you say. If we invaded with such frivolous feelings, we may simply have had the tables turned on us.”
“I feel the exact same way.”

As expected of elder sister. Not only admonishing us for our hubris, but raising our morale as well.

I now understand her intentions. It truly was a good idea to talk to Nielsen about it. As expected of my most trusted retainer. The doubt in my heart has been cleared now.

For elder sister’s sake, I must make this mission an absolute success.

As I swore this in my mind, elder sister walked from the front of our procession to my side.

“Timu, you were talking to Niel? It looks like you were having fun.”
“Yes. We were discussing our current strategy. elder sister, I will most certainly succeed in my school mission.”
“I see. Looks like you’ve got plenty of drive, huh. Big sis is expecting great things from you.”

With that, elder sister gently patted my head as she encouraged me. Huhu, I truly am a lucky one. To be a subordinate, and yet treated like a true sister by her. Although I know I must have prudence, I could not help but break into a smile.

And so like that, I continued walking with elder sister for a while and we arrived at the Capital. After finishing some simple paperwork, we entered.

My first time in the Royal Capital in millenia…

How do I say this… It’s declined. I can tell from the flow of the mana. Even in simple military force, it’s less than half of what it was in the ancient times. Isn’t there simply no need for intelligence? No, I mustn’t be careless. I cannot lose again. Because this time my loss will also be elder sister’s loss. That alone, I must avoid.

Still, I see no signs of Ortissio in the area. I heard from Nielsen that we were supposed to rendezvous here, but…

“Nielsen, what of Ortissio?”
“Milady. The meeting time has already passed, but there has still been no contact from him.”
“Niel, what’s wrong? Is that Ortissio person not coming to pick us up?”
“M-, My deepest apologies. At present, we are still confirming the situation.”
“Could it be that we’re meant to be meeting somewhere else?”
“No, this should certainly be the rendezvous point, but…”
“In that case, Niel… could it be you got lost?”
“No, that should not be the… T-, This is certainly the rendezvous point.”
“Really? It’s not just that you made a mistake?”
“No, Milady. It appears that the Ortissio Unit has been involved in an unexpected incident.”
“Hahh… Yeah. Maybe I should have expected this to happen if I left things to you.”

Elder sister is disappointed.

What on earth is that lowly Ortissio doing? To make elder sister wait like this, how shameless!

While feeling anger at Ortissio, at the same time I felt it was mysterious. Even flawed as he was, Ortissio is still a member of my prided Household Guard. He has enough power to deal with any minor situation.

Well then, should I try investigating a little? Sharpening my five senses, I followed the flow of the mana.

Mu!? This mana…

I detected the presence of demons all across the city. And they were not the Ortissio Unit. Demons were hiding in this city.

Hidler’s pawns? No, too weak to be the Demon King Army.

And moreover, in the past I have… I see!

“Elder sister, it appears that some other members of our race are hiding in the Capital. Perhaps they are aiming for this place. Honestly, a bunch of thieving cats. Taking into account Ortissio’s movements as well, I suggest that we have Nielsen investigate.”
“Haha, same as always, aren’t you Timu. Well, that’s fine then. It’s true that I’m worried about Orty’s lack of contact. Niel, could I have you look around a bit?”
“As you wish. Taking into consideration the size of the Capital, I think I will mobilize all members of the Household Guard for this search.”
“Eh-!? You brought Myuu here too?”
“Yes, I believed that it might be more efficient that way. Lady Tilea, Lady Camilla, please wait here.”

“Hmm~ Well, that’s fine I guess. I’m a little uneasy, but I guess it wouldn’t be great to leave it to you alone, huh?”
“Well then, I shall begin surveying the area.”
“Myuu, I’ll be leaving Niel and the others to you.”
“Please leave it to this one.”

By elder sister’s command, the Household Guard scattered left and right. But still, day by day, elder sister’s trust in Mühen continues to grow. She even strongly recommended Mühen for guard duty on our way here. Lately, whenever anything happens, she always considers Mühen first.

Muu. I feel a little disquieted. Nielsen must be hiding complicated feelings as well. After all, lately his duties have been taken by Mühen. Before long, will my role not also be stolen by him…?

Kuh-, before that happens, I must somehow―

No! What am I thinking! Is Mühen not also one of elder sister’s dutiful retainers!

Sweeping away my foolish delusions, I waited for their return.

And around the time that the sky began to darken, I detected a vigorous activity in the mana flow. Apparently the thieving little cats had come out to cause some trouble. Here and there, clumps of mana started condensing. From that, I could tell that they were attacking the humans.

“Hahh, it’s already pitch dark, huhh~ I wonder how much longer until everyone returns.”
“I believe that they may arrive any minute. More importantly, it appears that something stupid is about to happen.”
“I-, I see.”
“What shall I do? We could also stop them, if you wished.”
“Oh I know. Shall we try heading to the academy instead? We have no idea when Niel and the others will be back, and we might even get some information.”
“I see. I shall abide, elder sister.”

Following elder sister’s words, we headed to the Magic Academy. The whole way there, I sensed humans being attacked. I noticed activity in the mana flow a few kilometers ahead of us. Naturally, elder sister must have been aware as well. It seemed like before long, the panic would spread throughout the capital.

And finally we reached the main gate of the Magic Academy.

It didn’t seem that the False Demons were at work here. Then what about the rest? When I surveyed the area, I noticed a light by the western gate. Apparently somebody was there.

Mu!? This mana signature. Apparently a False Demon was skulking about the school.

“It looks like someone’s here.”
“Yes. Apparently one of those thieving cats. Shall I kill it?”
“Ugh-! Timu, you wait here, okay? Big sis is going to have a little chat.”

Saying that, elder sister headed to the western gate. Could it be that elder sister also sensed the False Demon, and went off to punish it? In that case, a thing of that level could just have been left to me, but…

While waiting a while for elder sister’s return,

“You there, what are you doing by yourself!”

A loud shout reached my ears. Some middle-aged knight in armor.

“And you are?”

“Nobody suspicious. I’m Gabe, Vice Captain of the Capital’s Public Safety Force. At present the Capital is under attack by some unknown assailant. It’s dangerous here, so I’ll be taking you to a shelter.”

Oh. So he was part of the Public Safety Force.

Public Safety Force members were escorting groups of evacuating citizens to safety. I see. So this is the reason that elder sister told me to stay behind? Let’s get information from this lot first.

I nodded at the man’s words, and moved myself into the line of citizens. They all looked terribly exhausted. They likely came here with nothing but the clothes on their back. Many of them were still in pajamas.

When I listened in on their conversations, it seemed that almost none of these citizens knew what was going on. All they knew was that some fanged monsters suddenly attacked them, and that the people who were attacked would change into those monsters as well.

From the situation, it would seem that it’s vampires we’re dealing with.

Taking into consideration the mana I sensed earlier, it seems that there is no mistake that these are the kin that I created on a whim in the ancient age. Well, there was no problem with creating them for fun, but they didn’t turn out to be very useful, so I threw those toys away.

They are Failures (False Kin).

And from their auras, it didn’t seem like they just awoke from being sealed. It’s likely that they didn’t participate in the ancient war, and because of that they escaped being sealed by the gods. Garbage that deserves execution simply for the crime of desertion.

Now then, now then. Whatever should I do with these failures (False Kin). As the True Ancestor, I must settle this issue properly.

While I was lost in such thoughts, I felt a familiar presence.

This presence is…

It appeared that Nielsen and the rest had returned. I turned away from the presence, and looked in Nielsen’s direction instead.

Right there… Around that slanted ruin, huh? Dimwitted humans would have no idea, but there was somebody hiding there.

Using my glances, I gave him the order to come here without alerting the humans. When I did, he watched for an opening and skilfully joined in with the group of evacuees.

“So here you were, Lady Camilla. We have successfully convened with Ortissio.”
“I see. Well done. Then you shall report the situation to elder sister. Elder sister will decide on what to do with Ortissio.”
“Understood. Then you, Lady Camilla?”
“For now, I will continue to move with this lot.”
“As you will.”

With that, Mühen disappeared, as did the presence in the ruin. Mühen likely conveyed my orders to the rest of the Household Guard.

All that’s left is gathering information on the Public Safety Force. With a nonchalant expression, I continued to survey the evacuees.

A few hours later…

The first battle erupted.

Unbreathing, former-human vampires attacked us. Each time, the citizens would scream in terror.

Aahh~ So noisy! You’re interfering with my surveillance!

Should I just kill them? No, no, it wouldn’t do to stand out.

But still, there’s no end to these battles. Apparently the Fake Demons were just haphazardly turning any human.

Hmph, no class at all. Every one of these new vampires was mad with the loss of their ego. These Fake Demons know nothing of a demon’s aesthetics.

Only, due to their creation in numbers, I was able to observe their battles with the humans many times.

From their movements, it looks like these humans were trying their best to avoid battling. Protecting the citizens was their first priority. And these vampires were so weak that the humans didn’t even need to use proper tactics.

This is hardly enough. At the very least, I would have liked to see them battle with a proper demon but…

As I looked about in dissatisfaction, I noticed a group of things with red fangs, flying our way from a few kilometers west.

Oohh, what good timing! Why, are the demons not coming to attack right now!

It was a mob of lesser demons. Though low ranked they might be, lesser demons are still fully-fledged demons. Different from all the dullards thus far.

Now then, what shall you do?

What methods will you humans show me in your battle against the demons? The gulf between the races are large, you know.

I observed with great interest.

Finally, the group of lesser demons clashed with the Public Safety Force. With their clever movements, the lesser demons toyed with them all.

“W-, What’s with these movements!?”
“Kuh-! W-, Was that darkness magic!?”
“GUHAHHH! W-, What power!”

The lesser demons attacked with their powerful talons and fangs, and fired magic bullets from their mouths. Apparently the Public Safety Force were panicking, having never seen a magic bullet before.

“These guys are different from the other enemies so far. Everybody, brace yourselves!”
“SPREAD OUTTTT! Don’t let yourselves become targets, disperse!”

They were weak on their own, but they worked together in formation. I see. A simple little trick, but enough to deal with these lesser demons I suppose.

“Vice Captain, at this rate the citizens will suffer casualties!”
“Kuh-! We’ll make do! Meet their attacks! Don’t let them break though!”
“I-, It’s no good. They got through us.”

Apparently the Public Safety Force was tired from the repeated battles. Passing through a gap in their formation, lesser demons came my way and attacked.

Tsk. Is this as far as my observations go?

I prepared to attack and took a stance when,

“Disappear, demon!”

“KISHAAAA!”

A mysterious man suddenly appeared, and using a greatsword too large for his size, he cut down a lesser demon.

Hohh. Low ranked it may have been, to take down a demon in one strike is…

Who on earth is this man?

“Thunder Sky!”
“Fire Land!”
““GISHAAAA!””

Following that, two mysterious women appeared, exterminating demons with a greathammer and greatspear respectively. And thanks to them, the group of lesser demons was annihilated.

“W-, Who are you guys?”

Vice Captain Gabe asked the three of them in shock.

“Who, you ask? ―Even if I told you Decarabia you still wouldn’t understand, right?”
“Decarabia? Never heard of it. Anyhow, the Royal Capital is under the protection of our Public Safety Force. You saved us earlier, but I’ll have you refrain from doing whatever you want.”
“We’re here on orders of the King. I should be telling you lot to stay out of our way.”
“W-, What did you say? Don’t lie!”
“Honestly, it’s troubling when the Public Safety Force is this stubborn. This is a royal decree from the King, and everything I do is under his authority.”
“T-, This certainly is… the seal of the King. I-, I understand. Well then, the Public Safety Force shall fall under your command.”

“Then these are your orders; this place is dangerous, so you guys hurry up to the designated shelter areas too.”
“P-, Please excuse my words, but we too are warriors. We cannot turn our backs to the enemy.”
“Right, right! We’re the strongest unit in the Capital!”

The members of the Public Safety Force all began to make a fuss due to the greatsword man’s unreasonable words.

“Lepes, wouldn’t it just be faster~ to knock these guys out and teleport them by force?”
“Vera, why do you always say such crazy things with a smile…?”
“Hey, I’m right, aren’t I? Ignoring our orders is the same as ignoring the King’s orders. I wonder if there’s really a need to deal with them respectfully.”
“Uu-, w- we understand. We fall under the direct command of the King. We cannot ignore a writ from him. So will you be teleporting us along with the evacuees then?”
“Yep, just wait a little bit, okay? We’re getting it ready now, you see.”
“Alright. Vera, Lyris. Begin drawing the magic circle.”
“Ookayy~”

“…”
“Lyris. Oi, Lyris?”
“…What? I heard ya. Teleportation magic, right? I’m on it.”
“Vera, what’s up with Lyris?”
“Huhu, it loooks like she’s worrying about her little friend.”
“Veraaaa you b̲i̲t̲c̲h̲h̲, don’t spout your f̲u̲c̲k̲i̲n̲g mouth off!”

“Honestly, what a helpless girl. I’ll take care of the teleportation, so from now I’m assigning you to independent action.”
“B-, But, is that really okay?”
“You’ll just weigh us down as you are. Hurry up and find her, and get the hell back here.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll be right back.”
“Aahh, bring Vera too.”
“I’m finee with tagging along, but are you going to be cool on your own?”
“No problems. It’s about time that I settle things with those b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲ vampires. I’ll do it!”

Hmph, from what I hear, I suppose this Decarabia is some secret organization within the Capital. Now that it’s come to this, I certainly wish to see their ability. The likes of a lesser demon isn’t enough to see their real strength. It’s a shame that two of them will be leaving this place, but I’ll make sure to keep a good eye on this one.

Having decided that, will a convenient enemy not appear? Should I just summon one?

Or so I was thinking, when with good timing a demon came along. It used teleportation magic to approach us. A small fry, but I suppose still better than the other demons around here?

And… with the warping of the air, a demon with a foul face appeared. From his appearance he appeared to be a small old man, but his eyes were blurred with a dark madness…

I… remember this face. It was the face of one of the kin I had once created in jest. A failure.

“Fwohhhh fwohh fwohh! All I did was follow the mana, and I found a huge group of humans!”

The failure overlooked us with a bold smile.

“My, my… Having the Chief of the Demons come out himself just saves me the time I’d need to look.”

Saying that, the man with the greatsword, Lepes, glared at the failure. With unequaled hostility, I could tell the strength he put into his grip.

“Fwohh fwohh. If you know me, then you must be part of Decarabia.”
“Indeed. I am a knight of Decarabia, Lepes.”
“Honestly, for these last few millennia, you lot just keep hindering us demons.”
“Silence! The defeat of the demons is our greatest wish. I shall be taking that life of yours!”
“A mere human pointing his blade at I, the Chief of the Malferands? You do not know your place.”

MALFERANDD!?

A mere failure dares to use my family name of his own accord!? And more than anything, he dares to intrude upon elder sister’s territory!?

It appears that this failure will require some harsh punishment.