Five days later, the legions reached the Habsburg territories.
"……."
As the Demon Lords passed through the towering city gates, they could not help but fall silent. For the first time in history, they were setting foot in the Habsburg capital. They had expected a more glorious, more jubilant triumph. But all that remained was black smoke.
There was not a soul in sight. Not even a single beast could be seen. The acrid stench of char left by the flames drilled deep into their nostrils. The Demon Lords hastily set up a rough encampment on the blackened ground. Barbatos gazed emptily at the capital's scenery, then — realizing something — lifted her eyes.
She hurriedly addressed the other Demon Lords.
"This was a deliberate retreat. Damn it."
"A deliberate retreat?"
Gamigin scowled as she spoke. She had been covering her nose with a silk handkerchief ever since they entered the capital. As a result, her voice sounded muffled.
"The Fifth Crescent Alliance Army — remember? Agares. You were in charge of the Kingdom of Moscow sector."
"Back then it wasn't the Kingdom of Moscow. It was the Kingdom of Kiev."
The second-ranked Demon Lord, Agares, curled her lip in displeasure.
"Why are you suddenly bringing up someone's bad memories?"
"Same as now, but back then the human army used the scorched-earth tactic. And it just happened to be winter. When you showed up in Kiev, having slogged through hell to get there, there was nothing left."
"The Habsburg Empire abandoned the capital as part of a scorched-earth strategy?"
Agares rested her chin on her hand. The one who always wore a trace of a smile on her lips grew serious for once. Barbatos continued speaking to the Demon Lords.
"Look. All the imperial tombs have been exhumed. The imperial palace was dismantled and carried away entirely. The intent is to relocate the capital. Shit, this is our last chance. We need to select our elites and give chase immediately."
"Our last chance?"
Marbas echoed the question.
"What do you mean, Barbatos?"
"They even moved their damn capital somewhere else! You think the people just said 'Yes, sir, we'll move' and obediently followed along? They definitely forced the demolition through with brute force. Public sentiment must be at rock bottom right now!"
Barbatos was fired up.
"They're retreating while trying to soothe those very people. Their movement speed has got to be at a snail's pace. Now is the exact moment the Empire will crumble. If we chase them down and tear at their heels, the entire Habsburg Empire will become our territory! So, comrades. Raise your flags — let's attack now!"
She looked around at the other Demon Lords, as if asking what they thought.
"......"
"......"
Barbatos's eyebrows twitched. The response had been underwhelming.
"What's the deal? You think I'm wrong? Then say something."
"Barbatos. The Second Legion captured the Habsburg capital, and that alone is more than enough."
Marbas spoke carefully.
"The greatest strategy is a bloodless conquest. We took the most prestigious city in the center of the continent without shedding a single drop of blood. Is there any need to invite unnecessary battle beyond that?"
"Yeah. Same here."
Gamigin chimed in agreement.
"From the looks of it, this means the human command has lost the people's support, right? Wouldn't it actually be more psychologically advantageous for us if we just stay put and let things play out?"
The other Demon Lords nodded as well. At that, Barbatos's expression darkened.
"......Hey, my dear comrades. What are you saying? I think my ears must be playing tricks on me. Let me say it again — if we all push forward together right now, we can wipe the Habsburg Empire off the map entirely. They're running for their lives, and on top of that, they're weighed down by dragging all those useless civilians along."
"Speaking of which."
Agares let out a faint laugh.
"Those Empire bastards aren't stupid — wouldn't they expect us to chase after them? Hmm? The way I see it, it looks like they're dangling bait in front of us and advertising 'please bite.' I have absolutely no intention of being so noble as to take the bait."
"It doesn't matter if they've dug a trap or set an ambush, Agares."
Barbatos forced the words out while choking back his rage.
"There are only two things that matter. The enemy is weak, and we are strong."
"So what makes you think they wouldn't have a trump card hidden up their sleeve?"
"......"
Barbatos could feel that something had gone wrong.
Marbas, Agares, Gamigin, and the leadership of the Crescent Alliance Army all wore indifferent expressions. If the enemy had set a trap, they could simply crush it with overwhelming force. The Demon Lords gathered here surely knew that.
And yet, their minds were elsewhere. Destroying the Habsburg Empire held no interest for them.
There was only one reason for that.
"You lot — don't tell me you have no intention of conquering the continent."
The Demon Lords did not believe that the eighth Crescent Alliance Army would subjugate the continent.
Gamigin, the blonde, tilted her head. She spoke.
"Huh?"
As if we were the strange ones, not her.
"The Crescent Alliance Army's expedition has no chance of succeeding."
"......"
"Geez, Barbatos. Always saying such silly things. So what if we've seized the northern Habsburg region? Don't get greedy — you'll give yourself indigestion. Hehe."
Agares continued.
"Actually, this works out nicely. If they've abandoned even their capital to retreat, the Habsburg Empire won't have the strength to counterattack. We can simply turn our banners around, mop up the Empire's remaining territories, and leisurely collect our spoils."
"......"
"My Second Legion was originally assigned to the Polithunia front. Barbatos. The only reason I followed you this far was to secure a route to Polithunia without having to break through the Black Mountains. Now that there's no need to worry about our rear, the Second Legion will head to its original destination."
And Marbas spoke.
"Conquering the continent is a grand undertaking that requires a lengthy stretch of time. There's no need to be anxious about finishing it all in one go, Barbatos."
"...Don't be anxious, you say?"
Barbatos gritted his teeth.
"You bastards... Is that what guys who've become Demon Lords spout? The opportunity to destroy a human empire is right at our doorstep. Our mission is to wipe out humanity and present the continent to the Demonkin. And you're telling me that's..."
"Ah, ah. That damn mission! Seriously, I can't stand it."
Agares shouted.
"You can keep that glorious mission for yourself, you old hag. The only Demonkin who ever seriously clamored for continental conquest died off a thousand years ago. Aside from the fools around you, nobody believes that bullshit anymore. Hm? Got it? We don't care about anything as long as we can keep our followers well-fed."
"You... You're the second-highest ranked, and you're saying that?"
"My apologies. Barbatos."
Gamigin chimed in with a broad grin.
"I don't want to take unnecessary losses either. Sure, if we pooled our forces, we could crush the Imperial Army. But the Empire knows perfectly well they'll be destroyed if they get flanked from behind, so they'll have prepared every last contingency and be waiting for us. Hehe. And then we'd end up losing all the troops we've saved by pretending to fight all this time!"
Gamigin blew his nose into a handkerchief.
"Mhm. Paimon's forces have dwindled quite a bit too. And your Plains Faction, Barbatos, took the heaviest losses from being the most aggressive in combat. I'd say this is the ideal moment—couldn't ask for anything better, really. Hehe."
"...!"
"Oh, right. That said, you can't just claim all of central-northern Habsburg for yourself, okay? We kept our troops in reserve, sure, but we still fought alongside you! I trust you'll distribute the territory fairly."
Barbatos's hands trembled violently.
"Distribute the territory...?"
"Yep. What do you think we've been moving our armies in support of your front for this whole time?"
Gamigin smiled serenely.
"Was so tough, you know — always on edge wondering when the supplies would run out. Yeah, humans aren't complete idiots, so they didn't just charge at us head-on. Which army was it? Teuton Kingdom? They tagged along after our legion, and whenever we pushed forward a little, they'd pull back a little too. Heh heh. They clearly didn't want to actually fight either!"
As it happened.
In the Eighth Crescent Alliance Army, the force that fought most aggressively was predetermined. Among the Demon Lord's forces, it was the Sixth Legion led by Barbatos. Among the human forces, it was the Habsburg Empire army led by Princess Elizabeth.
The Sixth Legion fought faithfully for the conquest of the continent, and the Habsburg Empire army resisted desperately to protect their homeland.
The remaining legions of the Demon Lord's forces had, from the very beginning, operated for political purposes. In other words, they had moved to depose the Mountain Faction, the largest faction within the Demon Lord's army. Once that objective was achieved, there was no need to expend military resources.
The rest of the human armies were in a similar situation. With morale already low from the campaign of rhetoric, they had no reason to actively engage the enemy — so long as the Demon Lord's forces didn't launch a full-scale assault.
In the name of boosting their soldiers' morale, the human armies plundered the towns and cities of Habsburg. Under the pretext of a scorched-earth strategy, under the banner of having been dispatched to protect Habsburg, the humans seized the property of their fellow humans. If they didn't plunder it, the Demon Lord's forces would devour it anyway. There was not a single justification they couldn't cling to.
The interests of the Demon Lord's forces and the human armies aligned perfectly.
While Barbatos and Elizabeth traded advances and retreats on the front line, the remaining forces of both sides respected each other's boundaries as though they had beforehand agreed upon them. Over here, the Demon Lord's forces plundered. Over there, the human armies plundered.
Actual combat was exceedingly rare and limited to small-scale skirmishes at most. Both sides focused exclusively on draining the Habsburg Empire's territory of its riches.
The army that most actively participated in combat, paradoxically, was the Mountain Faction. They fought tooth and nail to shed the accusation of having betrayed their own kind. As a result, they annihilated the army of the Kingdom of Bretagne — though their losses were, of course, deliberately exaggerated and advertised.
"That's right. We have every right to claim our fair share."
Agares spoke with a smile.
"Well, I'm not that greedy. Just carve out a territory roughly the size of a duchy for me. You can take the Habsburg capital, Barbatos. Hmm, even I have to admit I'm truly generous."
"I'd prefer something near the Black Mountains, if possible. I snuck out against Lord Bael's orders, so receiving some far-flung territory wouldn't look good. Yeah. I'd be satisfied with the Brandenburg domain."
"Right. Location matters too. Tch. What about me..."
Barbatos fell silent.
"……."
More than anger, nausea surged up.
The fact that these creatures were his equals was so horrifying he could hardly accept it. There was not a shred of pride to be found in them. They were nothing more than a pack of hyenas moving solely to chase their own self-interest.
Barbatos rose from her seat without a word. No one tried to stop her. Only the Demon Lords of the Plains Faction followed behind her.
She spoke with a face that had turned utterly cold.
"Assemble a pursuit squad immediately."
"You intend to give chase with only our legion?"
Zepar said cautiously.
"Your Majesty. I humbly beg your pardon, but I cannot guarantee victory."
"Victory is not something you predict—it is something you seize by making your move."
Barbatos answered firmly.
"Even if the other Demon Lords are trash, we must show the Demonkin that at least we are still fighting for them. That is what it means to be a sovereign."
"……As you command."
"You bastards."
Barbatos growled. She cast a brief, venomous glance behind her.
"Fine. If that's what you all want, I'll put the continental conquest on hold! But first, I'll clean up every last piece of garbage that exists in this world."
In that moment, the Plains Faction effectively severed ties with all the other factions.