The campaign known colloquially as the Puppet War came to an end in three months. Even by my own standards, I'd say we wrapped things up rather elegantly.
The Demon Realm was in a frenzy over the war's outcome. They crowed about how the Crescent Alliance Army had achieved yet another great feat, how they had shown the pitiful humans the true power of the demon race. The treaty signed with the forces of Bretagne had, before long, come to be regarded by the demon realm's citizens as a "document of surrender."
—One of the most exhilarating victories in history, on par with the past exploits of the Crescent Alliance Army.
—A war that not only achieved strategic perfection but also reasserted the authority of the demon race across the entire continent, a triumph beyond triumph.
Those were the kinds of assessments that circulated. I had greased the wheels with a generous sprinkling of gold behind the scenes to make sure such a reputation took hold.
When the legion commanders returned to Niflheim, the citizens welcomed them with a roar of jubilation that put the celebrations of Bael's subjugation to shame. A full hundred thousand citizens gathered to watch the triumphal procession.
Of course they did. The last triumph had only the nominal justification of executing traitors.
This time, we had crushed not only the traitors but the human armies as well. It was crystal clear which side the citizens would be more elated about.
Incidentally, the people of the demon realm believe that the Habsburg Empire and the Batavia Republic "obediently cooperated in submission to the Crescent Alliance Army." It was a lie, of course, but one that contained a fair measure of truth. And if that was the case, distorting public perception was hardly a great feat.
Falsifying the damage sustained by our own forces and the enemy's troop numbers was the basics of the basics. We had now become the army that crushed a force of seventy thousand with roughly two thousand casualties. They were calling it a historic, monumental victory. Hmm, public opinion really is a convenient thing.
The hero of this war was Laura, no matter what anyone said.
There were those in certain quarters who grumbled about why a human should command the army of the "great demon race." The Crescent Alliance Army's overwhelming victory was thanks to the greatness of the demons, not because of weak, insignificant humans—
Fools existed everywhere. In the Human Realm and the Demon Realm alike.
Marbas addressed such slander head-on in his representative speech at the triumphal ceremony.
"Laura de Farnese is a human. Yet she possesses pride and ability second to none. Noble demons—at what point did we begin judging a person by birth rather than by merit? The era when a Demon Lord ruled simply by virtue of being a Demon Lord, when a certain race prospered solely on the strength of being that race—that era has already ended."
Marbas delivered his speech in his characteristically calm and weighty voice.
"Demons, we are warriors. Even if one is born in a human body, if the pride they carry within is noble, they too are a fine warrior. Myself and the representatives of the Demon Lord's army here pay our respects to one warrior by the name of Laura de Farnese."
A warrior stands tall not by birth, but by skill alone. That is the pride of the demon race. Though a wretched class system existed on the underside of the demon realm, Marbas was calling it out for what it was.
And that was not all.
"There is also unfortunate news. In this war, there was a faction that disregarded the overall victory and pursued their own selfish interests before being caught. They deserted their units on their own accord, raiding and burning civilian villages. We have reason to believe that a specific Demon Lord was involved behind the scenes…."
The shocking announcement stirred murmurs among the citizens.
I had not sacrificed only a single company. The second was a company composed of Monsters, and I had them wiped out to the last.
The reason is simple. If only human soldier heads were sent back, it would raise suspicion in Frank. They might wonder if those had been sent as sacrificial pawns. But by killing Monsters as well and sending them along, suspicion drops significantly. It even serves as a gesture to show, "We are diligently searching for the true perpetrators of the massacre."
"I wish to provide the citizens with the full details of this matter. Because this war is not merely the war of the Demon Lord's army — it is a war for the entire Demon Realm. The traitors have insulted the whole of the Demon Realm."
The units that defied orders were not from the Demon Realm but from the continent. They were Orc tribesmen hired locally.
These are commonly distinguished from the demon race and called Monsters. Even if they are the same Orc species, those from the Demon Realm typically possess high intelligence, while those from the continent are less intelligent, and so this derogatory label is applied. In truth, the demon race is more prejudiced than the human species.
Whether demon race or Monster, the less intelligent they are, the harder it is for them to defy a Demon Lord.
In other words, to defy the orders of a command staff made up of Demon Lords, the orders of "another Demon Lord" are absolutely necessary.
"We have not yet determined which Demon Lord betrayed us."
Marbas spoke in a somber, low voice.
"All we know is that a Demon Lord powerful enough to make units disregard the command staff's orders was involved. I do not for a moment believe that our Legion Commanders betrayed us. They all fought bravely against the enemy in this war."
A hundred thousand people held their breath in tension. Who dared to betray the sacred Crescent Alliance Army?
Marbas gazed down at the citizens filling the plaza.
"Proud members of the demon race! I ask you this here and now. There are those who, though human, shed blood and sweat for our victory. On the other hand, there are those who, though Demon Lords, betrayed us and seized personal gain. Which ones are the true warriors? Which ones are our comrades? Please, think on this carefully…."
Yes.
This is precisely why I did not bother to deny the massacre in southern Frank.
It provides legitimacy to the cooperation between the demon race and humans. It establishes Laura's authority and reputation. This is the first objective, and of course, the far more important objective lies elsewhere.
Marbas declared that the Legion Commands who participated in this war were innocent. Then who is the culprit?
The one who "did not participate in the war" and who is simultaneously "a powerful Demon Lord."
A great many of them are now on the chopping block.
The Demon Lord's Army had been reborn as a new leadership collective by slaying Bael. However, there were still quite a few Demon Lords who had yet to cooperate with us.
Chief among them were Valefor, ranked sixth, and Amon, ranked seventh.
These two held the highest ranks, which made them extremely threatening. They did not openly oppose the changes sweeping through the Demon Lord's Army, but neither did they lend a cooperative hand.
In short, they were thorns in our side.
Having two or three non-cooperative Demon Lords wouldn't have been a problem. The issue was if such individuals banded together. In that case, a sufficiently powerful Demon Lord would surely take the lead — one strong enough to defy us. Valefor and Amon were potential rivals.
Cockroaches, once they start multiplying, never stop. You have to crush them from the start.
The massacre in southern France had erupted at the most opportune moment. Elisabeth and I could have launched an international offensive, but all that would achieve is both sides collapsing from exhaustion over a lack of evidence. It was far more efficient and preferable to use the situation to purge our internal enemies.
"An investigation into the deserters is currently underway. We expect the mastermind to be identified shortly. I promise that the results will be made public as soon as they are determined."
This was a warning hurled at them.
To you Demon Lords who are still dragging your feet, passively defying us — hear this.
We will not tolerate lukewarm attitudes. Either cooperate actively, or rebel. It is one or the other. And should you choose the latter, you will be following in the footsteps of the traitors Bael and Agares……
I had already deployed mages to completely reprogram the minds of several Monsters. Those Monsters now firmly believed they had been acting on secret orders from Valefor and Amon.
Should Valefor and Amon ignore this final ultimatum…… well, the storm of blood would blow once more. A blood-soaked tempest in the form of Bael and Agares had already occurred. If it happened once more, it would make no difference to me.
The next day.
A victory ball was held at the Niflheim Palace.
The palace that Bael had brought crashing down was rapidly repaired during the war. Ruined debris still remained, but it had been decided to preserve that section permanently. It was given the title, "The End of a Traitor."
Every prominent figure in the Demon Realm was in attendance. Representatives of the Niflheim citizenry, guildmasters, and the Grand Dukes of the Demon Realm — all of them surrounded the Legion Commands and chatted away merrily. Incidentally, Laura was also surrounded by Demon Realm nobility, enthusiastically conducting what amounted to an idol autograph session.
Of course, the esteemed Demon Lords were present as well.
"Dantalion. Might I have a word with you for a moment?"
A man in extravagant clothing approached. His skin was a dark bronze, and he was bald. Behind him stood a woman with entirely white hair, both her eyes wrapped in bandages.
Valefor and Amon. They had come to the ball as well.
I broke into a wide smile.
"Yes. How could I possibly ignore the invitation of Your Graces?"
"……."
"Guildmaster Lodbrok. I'll step away for a moment to speak with Their Graces."
I excused myself from Ivar Lodbrok, whom I had been conversing with. Ivar, inhabiting an old man's body, bowed politely and walked off to the far side of the ballroom.
We entered a balcony situated in a corner of the ballroom.
"What exactly was that speech Marbas gave yesterday?"
The moment the balcony doors closed, Valefor spoke up. Impatience was evident in his blue eyes. It seemed that upon hearing news of the speech, he had grown quite anxious.
"As you well know, I gave my all in the Crescent Alliance Army as well. Surely you haven't forgotten that I personally led the march all the way to the Demon Lord's Castle and set foot on the Bruno Plains."
"Of course."
I sat down in a chair and answered calmly.
"However, Your Grace. The massacre in the southern Frankish territories is also a fact."
"One of the Demon Lords who participated in the expedition must have done it. Dantalion, this is an absurd slander. Do you really think I would have secretly dispatched a detachment just to seize a pittance?!"
I let out a sigh.
"The perpetrator has not yet been identified. What the motive might be remains entirely unclear."
"Be honest with me. Dantalion, did this massacre even happen in the first place? Surely you haven't staged some fabricated incident just to threaten us."
I looked quietly into Valefor's eyes.
"Are you questioning the official report of the Crescent Alliance Army right now?"
At that, Valefor fell silent. Amon stood behind us, quietly listening to our exchange.
"Your Highness. I have fought alongside the other Demon Lords in the Crescent Alliance Army, risking my life in battle. I do not wish to suspect my comrades. And even setting that aside, I have no desire to put either of Your Highnesses — who are my comrades and my kin — in any danger."
"……What is your objective?"
Amon spoke. His voice was serene and benevolent, like that of a Saint.
"I am not skilled in these sorts of political maneuvers. I have never been involved in such things in my life. There are only two things I can barely grasp: that you are threatening us, and that you are willing to negotiate."
I shook my head.
"Your Highness Amon. We will never threaten you. On the contrary, we wish to protect you from some manner of slander."
"……Fine. What is the price for guaranteeing our safety?"
Amon asked. It was good that the conversation was moving quickly.
"When the Demon Lord's Army convenes a meeting, please attend actively. Although neither of Your Highnesses participated in this war, we ask that you express your intention not to stay away going forward."
"So you're telling us to cooperate with an organization you put together on your own."
I smiled faintly.
"The world doesn't need two Demon Lord's Armies. Don't you agree?"
"……."
One week later, the investigation into the deserters was announced.
Unfortunately, even after thorough interrogation, the deserters did not reveal who was behind them. The Magic Tower's assessment — suggesting that an extremely powerful brainwashing spell had been placed on them — was also included. The citizens were furious at the unidentified traitors.
And so, the Puppet War came to a complete end.
A war decorated in lies from beginning to end.