The True Identity of the Demon 1
That day, Liliana was scheduled to return to the mansion after finishing her education as the crown princess at the royal palace and having tea with Riley.
She boarded the carriage driven by Gild, swaying gently along the familiar route. As she gazed at the capital's streets slowly being swallowed by the evening twilight through the carriage window, Liliana let out a small sigh.
Although she still pretended to be unable to speak, there was no indication that she would be removed from the list of potential fiancées.
With the king’s health in decline, the influence of Duke Clark, the prime minister, had grown significantly. For this reason, Liliana had assumed that the condition imposed when she lost her voice last year—stating that she would be removed from the list of candidates if she did not regain her voice by age ten—would be enforced early.
However, it seemed that both the ailing king and Crown Prince Riley himself were insisting on keeping Liliana as a potential fiancée.
(And it seems that Duke Ealdred is also concerned about removing me from the list of candidates..)
Liliana had heard about this from Riley for the first time today. Duke Ealdred and Duke Clark were two of the three major ducal families, each wielding significant power, but the current heads of these families did not get along.
Liliana had heard about their frequent clashes. Normally, one would expect Duke Clark, who wished to keep Liliana as a candidate, and Duke Ealdred, who would oppose him, to be at odds. But in reality, it was the opposite—Duke Clark wanted to remove Liliana from the list, while Duke Ealdred argued that she should remain.
(This doesn’t make any sense.)
Although she had always found her father’s thoughts difficult to read, she now found herself unable to comprehend Duke Ealdred's intentions either. She considered asking Austin the next time she saw him, but she doubted that second son, who was currently busy as a knight-in-training, would know much.
"My lady, it seems there's been an accident up ahead. Shall we take the back roads?" Olga called out to her through the open window. Liliana nodded.
In the capital, the back roads weren’t particularly dangerous. Even if they were attacked by ruffians, she had Olga and Gild with her. Truthfully, she felt more secure with them than she had with her previous guards—though it wasn’t that those guards were any less skilled.
The carriage carrying Liliana turned onto the back roads. They were currently in one of the capital's most prestigious districts, where the homes of high-ranking nobles were located.
The main streets were kept impeccably clean. However, the back roads were a different story. The alleys used by the servants of these noble houses were not as well-maintained, nor were they particularly clean.
(—Hmm?)
That was why Liliana found it strange to see a black carriage stopped in such a place.
The black carriage bore no crest. However, everything about it screamed ‘high-ranking noble in disguise’. Liliana drew the curtain over the window. Although the carriage itself had a crest, so they couldn't hide completely, it was necessary to avoid being seen observing.
She watched the carriage from the shadow of the curtain. As she expected, a tall man was just stepping out of the mansion’s back entrance, trying to avoid being noticed. His robe was pulled low over his face, but the fabric was of high quality. Behind him, partially hidden by the door and gazing at him with a pleading look, was a woman Liliana recognized.
(The Marchioness Finch? Which means this mansion belongs to the Finch family.)
The Marquis Finch was a branch of the Ealdred family, and the marchioness was responsible for educating both Riley and Liliana. Naturally, she also knew Austin. The usually impeccable marchioness had her hair in disarray. It was obvious that the man visiting her in secret had a close relationship with her.
This made Liliana curious about the man’s identity. If she could see his face under the hood, she would be able to figure out who he was.
Liliana hesitated. She could choose to ignore this. But it was also true that things around her had become increasingly suspicious. This was evident not only from what Riley and Austin had told her but also from Petra and Ben Draco's lectures and the casual conversations Gild sometimes shared with her.
(<Wind Gale.>)
Her hesitation lasted only a moment. Liliana silently chanted the spell in her mind, causing a sudden gust of wind that blew off the man's hood. His face was momentarily exposed before he hurriedly pulled the hood back down, looking around in panic, but by then, Liliana’s carriage had already left them behind.
Inside the carriage, Liliana’s eyes widened in shock. She had never met the man before, but she recognized him from a portrait.
(Archduke Franklin Slibegrad—!?)
He was the illegitimate child of the previous king, the current king's half-brother—and the crown prince's uncle. In his youth, he had been known as a notorious playboy in high society.
On the other hand, he lacked talent in warfare, magical ability, and any passion for governance, leading to his early exile to the royal family’s direct domain. It was said that very few nobles currently supported him as a potential king. In fact, since becoming archduke and moving away from the capital ten years ago, he had rarely returned, except during the social season.
The Finch family was a branch of the Ealdred family and aligned with the Alcasia faction. What kind of relationship could they possibly have with him? If it were simply an affair, the situation would be straightforward. Liliana couldn't help but hope that was the case.
(Should I tell His Highness... No, but he's only nine years old. Even if I told him, what could he do?)
Moreover, whenever she spoke with Riley, the subject of his father, Duke Clark, often came up. It was likely because it was a topic they had in common, but there was no denying that Riley was closer to Duke Clark than Liliana was to her own father.
Given that she couldn’t be certain what information Riley might share with Duke Clark, Liliana hesitated to disclose anything to him.
Considering this, the only adults around Liliana who could potentially offer political assistance were Ben Draco and Petra. However, as mages primarily focused on their research, neither had any real interest in politics.
Liliana's interest in power dynamics stemmed from her position as a candidate for the crown prince's fiancée, which directly affected her future. She couldn’t afford to lose her life before facing the tragic fate that awaited her once the heroine emerged onto the scene.
Lost in thought, Liliana remained silent as the carriage continued on its way. Without reaching any conclusions from her scattered musings, she eventually arrived at the mansion. After returning to her room and changing into a simple dress, Liliana noticed the magic stone Ben Draco had given her beginning to glow.
She set up a soundproof barrier in the room, then placed her hand over the stone, activating it with her magic. Petra’s voice came through.
“<Miss, are you able to move right now>?”
“Yes, I can. What’s the matter?”
“<It’s not a monster stampede, but we’ve got a bit of a situation here. Could you come help? Can you teleport to where I am? I’m in the Prophen Forest.>”
Liliana tilted her head in curiosity. It was rare for Petra to ask for assistance. However, Petra had always been a great help to her, and Liliana had no intention of refusing.
“Of course, I’ll come right away.”
“<Thanks, I really appreciate it.>”
After Petra ended the call, Liliana dispelled the soundproof barrier and called for Marianne. Her capable maid appeared immediately. Liliana smiled and handed her a note.
<I had quite a few sweets at the palace today, so I think I’ll skip dinner.>
“Oh, is that so? Understood.”
<Yes. Also, I’m feeling a bit tired today, so I plan to rest. Could you help me prepare?>
“Of course.”
Marianne agreed readily. Although it wasn’t necessary to change into her nightwear, Liliana had already stated she was going to rest, so there was no avoiding it. Once she was ready for bed, Liliana instructed Marianne to ensure no one disturbed her unless she called for them.
After locking the door, she quickly changed into a simple dress.
(Now, let’s head to Petra.)
Petra had told her to teleport, which meant it was an urgent and discreet matter. Liliana made herself invisible and activated the teleportation spell.
She was already familiar with Petra’s magical presence, and she had confirmed Petra’s location in Prophen Forest. Normally, one couldn’t teleport without knowing the exact destination, but Liliana used Petra herself as a beacon.
She was confident she wouldn’t miss her mark, as she was attuned to Petra’s magic.
However, the moment she teleported, Liliana felt a jolt of fear, thinking she might have failed the spell.
“—!”
A shiver ran down her spine. As soon as the teleportation completed, Liliana instinctively erected a barrier around herself.
In her field of vision, she saw Petra, a girl hiding behind her, and surrounding them were countless pairs of glowing red eyes—along with the dark miasma of the forest.
Petra, noticing the ripple in the air, muttered to herself, beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead.
“Thanks. I was starting to think handling this on my own was going to be a bit too much.”
“<Isn't Ben Draco available to help>?”
Liliana, still invisible, asked Petra telepathically, curious about the girl hiding behind her. Petra shook her head.
“He didn’t respond. He’s probably at the Magic Ministry.”
“—Petra? Are you talking to someone?”
The girl hiding behind Petra trembled as she nervously asked her, seemingly uneasy about Liliana’s invisible presence. Petra gently patted the girl’s head in reassurance.
“She’s one of us, so you can relax, Tania.”
At those words, Liliana blinked in surprise, momentarily forgetting about the monsters surrounding them.
She stared intently at the girl. There was no mistaking it—this girl bore a striking resemblance to Tania Draco, a rival character from the game. Her slightly upturned eyes were as cute as a kitten’s, reflecting her spirited nature.
Petra then turned to Liliana and explained the situation.
“I put up a barrier to keep the monsters from getting any closer, but if any more miasma seeps in, the barrier might not hold. We also can’t risk teleporting with these monsters around, and I don’t want to accidentally bring them with us.”
She added that the monsters here seemed more intelligent than the ones that had attacked during the monster stampede. Liliana agreed.
The monsters were watching Petra, Liliana, and Tania closely, waiting for their next move. During the previous monster stampede, the monsters had mindlessly attacked any living creature in their path.
But these monsters seemed to be assessing their opponents, something the others hadn’t done.
(Monsters... have intelligence?)
Even without Liliana’s help, Petra, a mage of her caliber, should have been able to teleport herself and Tania with ease.
However, the barrier and teleportation were inherently incompatible. As it stood, even though Liliana had teleported to Petra’s location, she was outside the barrier Petra had set up. If Petra were to teleport now, she would have to deactivate the barrier first, and if her timing was off by even a fraction of a second, she risked bringing the monsters along with her.
In other words, the only way for Petra and Tania to escape their current predicament was to either defeat or purify all the surrounding monsters. Although Petra was a mage, her combat abilities weren’t particularly high; she was more specialized in defense and curses.
And—Liliana’s eyes widened in realization—even if the three of them managed to escape, there was no telling what these intelligent monsters might do next.
If they reached a populated area, it would be disastrous. Even though this wasn’t on the scale of a monster stampede, there were at least thirty visible monsters, more than enough to overwhelm a village’s defense force or the guards stationed along the main roads.
(It’s true... This isn’t a stampede, but it’s definitely a situation that requires help.)
If Petra had been alone, she likely wouldn’t have fallen into such a dire situation. Tania’s presence must have slowed her down, preventing her from escaping the monsters.
However, Liliana knew that asking Petra about it now wouldn’t yield any answers, especially not in front of Tania.
Liliana quickly assessed her surroundings.
The way the trees grew suggested this was an area seldom frequented by people. The feel of the soil indicated it was a place that didn’t receive much sunlight, and the smell and humidity hinted at the presence of a nearby water source.
There was no sound of rushing water, so it was likely a lake or a river, but not a waterfall.
A palpable tension filled the air as the monsters began to close in. It was clear they were preparing to attack. Liliana thought for a moment.
After the previous monster stampede, she had researched various methods to defeat monsters.
While purification by a holy mage was one way, there were other methods to kill monsters. During the stampede, the knights, who had undergone extensive training, fought the monsters and then purified the bodies with fire or light magic.
Liliana also confirmed that using the magic she had relied on during the stampede was highly inefficient for dealing with smaller groups of monsters.
(It’s like using a missile to kill a fly. Not that missiles exist in this world.)
If you’re trying to kill a fly, a flyswatter is sufficient. Once you get the hang of it, even a rubber band will do the trick; there’s no need to bring out a powerful weapon each time.
And Liliana had another purpose in mind. Although Petra hadn’t mentioned it, she must have reached the same conclusion, which was why she had called Liliana here.
“<If we leave behind the corpses, can we determine if these monsters are naturally occurring?>”
Liliana asked Petra telepathically. Petra didn’t say anything but nodded firmly.
In that case, they needed to make sure the bodies were left intact. Liliana felt a slight thrill.
As a noblewoman, she rarely had the opportunity to gain combat experience. Being surrounded by monsters like this presented one of the few chances Liliana had to test her abilities.
(<Spatial analysis and record.>)
She quickly analyzed and recorded the composition of the surrounding air. Just before the monsters launched their attack, she deftly dodged the first strike from one of them and focused her Magical energy. Unlike during the monster stampede, she was now both mentally and magically prepared.
As she felt the magic coursing through her body, she lured the monsters closer and began chanting.
(<Wind Scythe.>)
This spell summoned blades of wind that could cut through anything in their path.
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