I Favor the Villainess

All troops, move in.

A roar of rage rang out with Aristo's command.

It was the roar of the demons who were about to break through the fifth fort.

''Claire-san, Ray-san!''

Once Aristo and I were at a distance, General Zasha called us in.

'We'll join you!

No, we'll take care of this, and the two of you will go to the Imperial City!

How could you do that? I know how to fight.

There is too much difference in numbers between the army of demons and this frontline force.

Most of the retreating battles were in favor of the pursuing side.

At this rate, General Zasha's army should have been worn out.

''Our army is no longer good. But if we continue like this, the imperial capital is in danger. I hope His Majesty Filine will urge His Majesty to abandon the imperial capital.''

Such as .......

Abandonment of the city.

The implications are incredibly heavy.

''Isn't the imperial capital protected by a ward?''

''That's for demons only. It has no effect on lower-tier demons.

Most of the armies of the demon clans that were attacking were demons.

If they are attacked by that many, they will be crushed by the sheer volume of things.

''The matter is a matter of seconds. At this rate, tens of thousands of people in the imperial city will be overrun by the swarm of demons. That much must be avoided at all costs.

......

Lady Claire bit her lip in frustration at the General's words.

The General continues.

'I'll have a few soldiers with me who can use teleportation. If we repeat the teleportation in succession, we will be able to get to the imperial capital far faster than Hayama. With you guys, we won't get killed in the process. This is for the best.

But then you guys would have to go to ......

At Lady Claire's words, General Zasha smiled.

He had a look of determination in his eyes.

''It is the duty of an Imperial soldier to protect the lives of his people. It's a job to protect lives that has finally been turned around for us who have only been harming people in other countries. Let us complete it.

Lady Claire was speechless.

It was probably because she knew she couldn't stop the general.

'Let's go, Lady Clare. It would be all for naught if we stayed here.

I said as I turned in front of Lady Clare, placing my hands on her shoulders and looking into her eyes.

After a short but supremely deep struggle, Lady Claire said to General Zasha.

'General, it has been an honor to fight with you for a short time.

Me too, sir.

I will never forget the soldiers who sacrificed their precious souls to save their people's lives.

'I am afraid, Maiden of the Revolution. Now go.

We were urged to leave.

'I won't miss it, Claire-François.

Aristo comes after him, kicking the soldiers away.

But--'

'Oops. You're not getting past this point.

Before him, General Zasha stood in front of him.

'What do you think a defeated general would do now?'

'Surely we will lose. It's a total loss.

Then why don't you just move out of the way?

But...

An intense magical power rises from General Zasha's entire body.

'Today's defeat will lead to victory later. We may lose, but mankind will not be defeated.

Hmmm ...... sounds like you'll have a little fun.

The last time I saw the general.

It was the figure of a warrior fighting for the survival of humanity.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

The news of the inferno dud that we brought to them sent the Provisional Allied Forces into a tizzy.

'You'll do it,'

Lady Manaria is light-hearted as usual, but there's an unconcealed impatience in her eyes.

''It is ...... extra's fault. Forgive me.

Even Dorothea, who was usually arrogant and irreverent, only this time she uttered an apology.

If she had been more attentive to the princes, this situation could have been prevented.

But there was no point in saying such things now.

''More importantly, the abandonment of the Imperial City. How is that possible?

I said the question I had been thinking about.

The capital is the heart of the country.

Unless this was a provincial city, could the heart of the country be abandoned so easily?

''Since the Empire borders the Demon Race territory, we have plans to abandon the imperial capital just in case. We've also held regular evacuation drills for that purpose.''

''But I'm sure there will be confusion if you actually abandon the Imperial City completely. There are many people who are attached to this land. Many of them, especially the old ones, would be willing to martyr themselves to this land.

Philine and Dorothea explain that.

'That means we may not be able to save them all,' they say.

'We don't have time. We can't evacuate everyone, but we need to get the ones who want to live out of there.

I'm going to need a better place to send ....... I know it's hard, but we'll have to accept it at Bauer.

'No, Your Majesty. It's too far from here to Bauer. I think it would be best to have them dispersed and received in other cities in the Empire.

His Majesty William's words were followed by His Majesty Sein and Master Doru.

''Isn't it more of a question of how to communicate to the people of the Imperial City first?　If you say it poorly, you'll freak out, okay?

Lady Claire was right.

The Imperial City Room is a large capital.

The number of people living there is also enormous.

If we are going to abandon the imperial capital and flee, the least we can do is to have our people act with a certain degree of calmness.

...... I will call on you. I'm not sure if this is a good idea.

Dorothea said something unusually auspicious.

Perhaps, in her own way, she felt responsible for the inferno's non-launch, and for the death of the prince.

However--''

''No. ....... I'll call on you. Let me do it.

Philine's face was filled with determination and confidence as she said that.

◆◇◆◆◆.

The Imperial City has an emergency broadcast network for emergencies, which is an application of wind-magic telegraphy.

It is rarely used, and the only time it is used is during the annual evacuation drill, but it emitted a sound that signaled the start of the broadcast.

The people of the Imperial City thought, oh, well.

'Dear Imperial Citizens, the Emperor Filine-Nar announces to you. This is not a drill. I repeat. This is not an exercise.

There was a dignified dignity in Philine's voice.

It wasn't that which would overwhelm others like Dorothea's, but it was the kind of voice that made you feel like you had to posture up and listen.

An army of demons is approaching the imperial capital from the east. Imperial soldiers are returning fire, but there is no guarantee that they will be repulsed.

At this point, the people of the nation have learned what kind of broadcast this is.

It was a broadcast to warn the people of the impending danger in the imperial capital.

''We, the imperial family, have decided to temporarily evacuate the people of the imperial capital from the imperial capital in order to protect the lives of the imperial people.

A murmur spread throughout the Imperial City.

Evacuation from the imperial capital?

Really?

Is this real?

I hear such voices all over the place.

''The evacuation is not a permanent one. We are currently summoning the imperial army, which is dispersed throughout the empire, towards the imperial capital. As soon as we repel the swarm of demons, you can all return to the imperial capital.

With those words, the people of the Imperial City felt a little bit of relief.

It doesn't mean that they won't be able to return to the imperial capital forever, they said.

Even so, there was still more resistance.

''I repeat. This is not a permanent abandonment of the imperial capital. However, in order for our imperial army to use its full strength, it is essential that you all evacuate the imperial capital for once. I ask for your cooperation, not to escape from the demons, but to repel them.

Philine deftly guides the human mind.

We don't run away from demons when they attack us.

We are helping the imperial army to get rid of the demons,'' she said.

''The Empire has been fighting the demons for years. We have never allowed them to invade this far before. We apologize for the burden we are putting on the people of the Imperial City. I'm sorry.

The emperor's frank apology - which hadn't been possible when Dorothea was the emperor - moved the people of the imperial city strongly.

Unlike Dorothea, who would have felt safe if everything had been left to her, this emperor had made them feel that they needed their own strength.

''But the empire will win. I will not let the people of the Imperial City lift a finger. We will inconvenience you now, but I guarantee you that in a few months' time, life will return to the same as it is now, in the name of the Emperor.

Many of the people were relieved by Philine's words, which he said reliably.

This emperor was not unreliable.

If Dorothea was the emperor who reigned supreme, Philine was the emperor who would be the center of his own people.

''We, the empire, have been terrified of the threat of the demon race for a long time now. It's time to end this. I ask you to help us, the Imperial Family, to help us. And let's exterminate the demons this time.

The extraordinary broadcast ended with the following words

''In the name of the Imperial Emperor Filine-Nar, I declare the war against the demon race's annihilation to begin.