Daisy headed somewhere with a messenger.
Agares, the Demon Lord, would be holding out there. She had also contacted Vassago, Gamigin, Barbatos, Elder Brother Beleth, and Sitri through communication crystal orbs. The most powerful fighters of the demon army had joined the hunt. There was no future for Agares.
"My lord. The enemy soldiers are fleeing into the inner city."
"Let them flee as much as they want. It's nothing but a final act of desperation. Oh, and please give the order — every prisoner that surrenders is to be killed."
Since Queen Henrietta had made her intention to surrender to them abundantly clear, it was better to kill prisoners on sight. That way, even if the surrender went through, the number of soldiers returning to Bretagne intact would be reduced.
"What if the enemy decides to fight to the death instead?"
"That would actually be welcome. I'd very much like to ask them to keep fighting with all their might until the very moment of their annihilation."
Unable to hold out any longer, the Bretagne army retreated into the inner city.
Organized resistance in the city had vanished. Now all that remained was the mopping up. Ruthless pillaging and slaughter by our forces erupted. I had ordered that children, the elderly, and women not be touched. In other words, it meant the male residents could all be massacred without consequence.
Five hours after the siege began, black smoke rose grimly from the city. Judging that the mop-up was sufficiently complete, we led the reserves and entered through the city gates together.
The city had been transformed into ruins everywhere, as if a bulldozer had plowed through it. Soldiers lined up in the open ground where buildings had collapsed into vast flat expanses. As Laura and I rode side by side forward, the soldiers who recognized us threw open their arms and cheered.
"Long Live General Farnese!"
Thanks to the near-unrestricted pillaging that had been permitted, the soldiers' morale was extremely high. The monsters had feasted their fill on human flesh, and anything even remotely valuable was stuffed into their pockets.
There had been not a single engagement that posed significant risk to the common soldiers. From their perspective, this war was stained with nothing but massacre and plunder. In other words, the risk was minimal and the spoils were handsome. Laura de Farnese was like a God of War to the soldiers.
"What a magnificent cheer."
Today was undoubtedly the day Laura's name would be etched into history. A twenty-year-old woman had led a human-demonkin alliance army for the first time in history, and toppled Bretagne — a power on the verge of becoming the continent's supreme ruler...
Most importantly, Laura had absolutely no interest in the plunder.
Traditionally, soldiers handed their spoils up to their non-commissioned officers, who handed them to superior officers, who handed them to generals, and finally the generals presented them to the commander. Laura received the tributes that flowed upward, but distributed every last bit of it back down to her subordinates.
"The ones who fight on their own two feet, who lift spears with their own two hands, who rely on a single heart and a single head to thrust blade into flesh — those are the soldiers. All the credit for every victory belongs to them."
Humble and caring for her subordinates — among the troops, Laura was being called "the General Blessed by the Goddesses."
"How does it feel? I imagine it must bring back fresh memories."
"Hmm. In the military, the more a commander is idolized, the better."
Laura gave an answer that left not the slightest room for doubt that she was truly my subordinate.
"Even in situations where defeat seems certain, the soldiers will hold on because they believe in their commander. And when victory becomes certain, they'll also believe they won thanks to their commander. Besides, this girl happens to be reasonably pretty."
Laura playfully curled the corners of her lips upward.
"Isn't she perfectly suited to be elevated as an idol?"
"And she declares that with her own mouth."
I let out a sigh.
"To think my first vassal has a princess complex. I must have accumulated some serious karma in a past life."
"At least you weren't a Hero who saved the continent, were you? Having a beauty like this by your side — saving one or two kingdoms wouldn't even begin to cut it."
I couldn't help but laugh. Ah, it was true. At least, he had been a Hero who saved the continent.
We arrived at the plaza spread across the heart of the city.
The legion commanders had gathered, their capes trailing behind them. Some Demon Lords were drenched in blood like Barbatos, while others like Paimon were immaculately dressed regardless of whether the battle had started or ended. Among them, one Demon Lord was kneeling.
Agares had been bound tight from head to toe.
I was somewhat surprised, having never expected them to capture Agares alive rather than killing her.
"Impressive. The great Agares, captured like this."
"Thanks to that, my right arm is gone again, though."
Elder Brother Beleth shrugged. He was literally one-armed.
Besides him, Sitri had also lost an arm, and there wasn't a single part of Barbatos's body that wasn't wounded. Vassago, normally the epitome of composure and trust, had even summoned an elemental of darkness yet still lost the Elemental King of Water. Only Gamigin, who had handled rear support, was unscathed and grinning from ear to ear.
Barbatos grinned.
"Good thing we were already half-dead already. Those Bretagne bastards were clinging on real tight. Well, your girl delivered the final blow, though."
"Oh? Is that so?"
I looked at Daisy. Her face was spattered with bright red blood.
"Right. While we were drawing Agares's attention, the little one ambushed from behind. Agares noticed that much and blocked it, but she couldn't have known the kid was wielding the Sword of Bael. Thanks to that—"
Barbatos made a playful sound. Snip.
"Cleaned off her halberd and her wrist in one go. That was the killing blow. Once everyone rushed in to beat her down — crazy as she is, what could she do? Ha ha."
Barbatos seemed to be in an excellent mood after capturing Agares. The guy had taken a lot of beatings from Agares during the last civil war. He probably thought he'd gotten his revenge. In truth, Barbatos had been the one in the wrong at the start, but I just smiled warmly.
"Well done, Daisy. You were splendid."
"..."
I took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from Daisy's cheek.
Daisy's obsidian-dark eyes stared straight at me.
"You've contributed to the defeat of Bael and Agares, so now you're someone who has earned their place at the table. Your face will soon become my face, and your karma will become my karma. Never forget to maintain a proper appearance, no matter where or when."
I tucked the blood-soaked handkerchief back inside my coat. Daisy parted her lips slightly, then closed them again. She seemed to be pondering how best to respond.
"...I will keep that in mind, Father."
Perhaps it was from accumulated fatigue — Daisy's voice lacked its usual strength. It was hardly surprising, given she had fought Agares. I could have scolded her for giving such a lukewarm response in front of assembled Demon Lords, but considering what she'd accomplished today, I let it go.
I turned my head toward Laura.
"Vice Commander. The ringleader of the enemy, Agares, is here. The legion commanders await your excellency's judgment on her punishment. How shall she be dealt with?"
"The traitor Agares—"
Laura raised her voice so all could hear.
"When the army needed to unite as one, she pursued her own selfish interests and betrayed her allies. After that, showing no remorse, she led her personal forces to flee into the Human Realm — truly, she is without question an axis of evil that sows division and betrayal across both the Demon Realm and the Human Realm."
"..."
Agares slowly raised her head. The skin on her face was torn and hanging in tatters. Her once beautifully radiant hair was crusted with blood, matted into a tangled mess. Only her eyes — two eyes — still gleamed with an eerie light.
"The verdict admits no sentence other than death. There is no room for deliberation here."
Whether Laura felt no threat from Agares's gaze, her tone was unhurried.
"However, Agares is, for all her faults, the former second-ranked Demon Lord. Over the past several thousand years, she has accumulated dozens of accomplishments in service to her kind, and her prestige is by no means insignificant. Demon Lord Agares. I question you on behalf of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Rudolf von Habsburg, Supreme Commander of the Alliance Army."
"..."
"Do you regret and reflect upon the crimes you have committed, and are you willing to serve in the ranks of our army? If you possess the will to repent, then by cutting off your horns — the mark of a Demon Lord — all your sins shall be forgiven."
For a Demon Lord, the horns were a symbol of pride. They were proof that revealed to all the world that one was a Demon Lord, and in certain cases, the place where mana concentrated and condensed. To surrender them was no different from surrendering every honor one held as a Demon Lord. Of course, given enough time, they would grow back.
A brief silence settled over the gathering. Amid the Demon Lords watching with keen interest, Agares's shoulders trembled. She was laughing — silently.
"Kuh-huh-huh... huh-ha, huh-huh-huh..."
Agares wore an expression of unbearable amusement. It was not the face of deliberate mockery. It was the face of laughter that had seeped up from the deepest recesses of her lungs and was simply spilling out.
"Is this it?"
Agares slowly surveyed her surroundings and asked.
"You who once roared with pride — is this all the Crescent Alliance Army amounts to in the end? If it means winning, you'll wear a human mask and hide behind it. You create a ridiculous title like 'Imperial Regent' and deceive people... you even entrust command of your army to the human race."
A faint smirk hung on Agares's face.
"It reeks of rot. Demon Lords were once gods. But they became commoners, and now, in this day and age, they've become slaves. It's too pathetic to be called an end — I can't help but laugh..."
"That's not for you to say, Agares."
I retorted. I didn't much care for the sanctimonious act.
"When Barbatos proposed pursuing the enemy to the bitter end at Windboona, you refused. After the civil war ended, you defected straight to the sovereign of Bretagne. Where was your pride as a Demon Lord in any of that?"
"..."
All Agares had to offer were excuses and ugly betrayals. Everyone could feel it.
If Agares had truly been a Demon Lord among Demon Lords, she should have stepped aside cleanly the moment she was defeated by Barbatos. If the contest had ended there, at least there would have been room to defend her actions. But Agares, unwilling to accept the outcome, defected...
"In the end, you were betrayed by the sovereign of Bretagne as well. A traitor's end is betrayal — what a fitting conclusion, wouldn't you say?"
"...I was not betrayed."
Agares clenched her teeth. Because the skin had been torn away, her teeth were clearly exposed.
"I used the human sovereign to try to annihilate you. After achieving victory, my plan was to kill Henrietta first. This time was the same. Henrietta was about to surrender to you — I couldn't allow that. So I struck first..."
I see. So the one who had instigated the revolt wasn't Henrietta, but Agares...
Henrietta had probably suggested to Agares that they surrender together. Agares couldn't stomach that. Agares launched a preemptive strike, and Henrietta, caught off guard, found herself in dire straits. And so the city was thrown into chaos...
I let a wry smirk tug at the corner of my lips.
"Then you truly are an imbecile, Agares."
"What?"
"Henrietta never betrays her allies. She's a ruthless and cruel sovereign, but toward her own people and comrades, she is endlessly magnanimous. Henrietta could have had you assassinated and surrendered easily and comfortably, if she'd wanted."
"..."
But Henrietta had given you a chance. A chance to flee, or to surrender together.
"The moment you couldn't accept that and started a revolt, you had already become nothing but trash — having thrown away every last shred of a warrior's pride. You are not a warrior. You're nothing more than a beast obsessed with winning."
"..."
"Dear comrades."
I turned around to face the Demon Lords.
"As you can see, the traitor Agares shows not a shred of remorse. More than half of all Demon Lords are currently present here. I, Dantalion, propose that we hold a vote on the execution of Agares."
The vote was held immediately. Thirty-two Demon Lords voted in favor of Agares's execution. Not a single Demon Lord voted against. The death sentence passed unanimously.
I took the Sword of Bael from Daisy and handed it to Laura. Laura nodded and approached Agares herself. Whether she had steeled herself, Agares had quietly closed both eyes.
"Agares. Do you have any last words?"
"..."
There were no words. That, in itself, was the answer.
Without hesitation, Laura swung the Demon-Slaying Sword. A sound of something being severed rang out. Immediately after, a large object rolled across the ground. Dust covered it.
The Demon Lord Agares, who had shaken the world with her personal might, vanished just like that.