Chapter 89 : The Demons

It had been about two weeks since Charichin was occupied.

By the time the new ruler’s reign was starting to be accepted,A sudden notice was posted for the residents.

“All demons must gather at the central plaza!”

“There will be an important announcement! Everyone must attend without exception!”

The demons questioned and feared the words barked out by heralds with cold, murderous glares.

“Why just us?”

“Are they planning to gather us all and kill us…?”

“…Maybe. Just in case, let’s bring kitchen knives or hammers. If we’re going to die, we should at least resist.”

Has there ever been a time when the authorities paid attention to demons and it ended well?

They would always seize property, kill, and treat them like playthings.

Regardless of race, age, or gender.

These new nomads didn’t seem any different.

If anything, they might be worse.

Barbaric tribes, known to pillage and destroy everything in their path.

“Mukali, are you going?”

“Of course. You can’t ignore a summons from those holding the sword’s hilt.”

But ignoring the ruler’s orders wasn’t an option.

So the demons, though wary, complied obediently with the summons.

“If things go south, let’s all run together.”

“Yeah. Better odds of survival than running alone.”

“If someone dies… let’s help each other’s families survive.”

As they planned escape routes with friends and family in case of emergency, the demons headed toward the plaza.

A place usually off-limits to their kind.

A place used for festivals or rallies—today, it was filled only with demons.

From east to west, north to south—everywhere.

They had never seen such a massive crowd and looked around blankly.

Just then, someone stepped onto the platform.

“Attention, everyone! We are about to hear from Lady Kalia, daughter of Mahdi the Great Khan!”

“Kalia? Who’s that?”

“I heard there’s some woman wandering around the nomads—not even a warrior…”

No one knew who she was, but being introduced so respectfully, she must be someone important.

A noble lady beloved by the great chieftain of the nomads, perhaps.

Someone happened to think that.

Clack.

“Nice to meet you all.”

But contrary to his expectations,The one who appeared wasn’t a nomad.

In fact, she wasn’t even human.

“A… demon?”

“She looks just like us!”

She had horns.

Even with a large fur hat, her prominent horns couldn’t be hidden.

“Wait, she has more than one pair!”

“That can’t be fake, right?”

“Who would fake something like that! That’s blasphemy against the great Demon King!”

And she didn’t just have one pair.

She had two pairs.

A total of four thick black protrusions extended from her head.

There’s only one case where a demon would have horns like that.

Direct descendant of Demon King Stalin.

Either the firstborn or second child’s blood—royal lineage.

They were said to have been wiped out across the continent under brutal persecution.

Could a survivor still exist?

As if answering that unspoken question,Kalia slowly continued.

“My name is Kalia. Kalia Lisan. It’s a name I received upon being adopted by my foster father. But I have another name.”

Traditional demon naming customs differ from those of the nomads.

Especially for royalty.

A name with just a first and last name is unthinkable.

“Aurora Ibanez de Stalin. Aurora, daughter of Ivan of the glorious House of Stalin.”

A full Georgian-style name introduced by Stalin.

That alone was almost proof of her noble lineage and origin.

Of course, there are always those poor souls who refuse to believe.

“Liar! She made that up! There’s no way any of his bloodline could still be alive!”

“You think I’m not a descendant of the Demon King?”

“Yeah! Quit spouting nonsense—”

“Then come touch it yourself. See if my horns are fake or not.”

Kalia stepped down from the platform and walked toward the man who shouted.

The crowd parted to make way naturally.

As she stepped forward and gently bowed her head,The man who was given the chance to check reached out with trembling hands.

Carefully, as if not to scratch it, he grasped her horn.

Then he recoiled in shock.

“Eek?!”

“This should be enough proof, yes?”

“Y-yes! It is! I sincerely apologize for doubting you!!”

Having proven she wasn’t a clumsily made fake, Kalia raised her head once more.

Then, slowly scanning her surroundings, she shouted.

“The reason I’ve come here is none other than this — to offer you all a chance.”

“A chance?”

“Yes. A chance for you, for me, and for all demons living across this continent.”

She took a short breath and spoke in a calm but clear voice.

“Everyone. I have a dream. That dream is to build a nation where you and I can live.”

A nation to be founded and ruled by the heir of Stalin.

A country governed by demons, reappearing for the first time in hundreds of years.

The people understood the immense and historic significance of that.

“This isn’t just an ordinary nation.

It’s a nation with a government of demons, by demons, and for demons.

A nation that respects and recognizes the rights of our kind,That treats us as rightful citizens with dignity.”

She tossed off her hat and gestured passionately.

She pointed to herself, to the crowd, and to the city surrounding them.

As if to say, remember the injustice, the discrimination, and the oppression you’ve endured in this land.

“In that place, you won’t be ignored or beaten just for being a demon.

You won’t have your property taken away.

You’ll be able to walk the streets with your horns held high — proudly — just like humans do!

Think about it.

Living as a farmer peacefully growing wheat in your own land.

Or as a merchant who buys goods from a factory and sells them nationwide.

Don’t you want to live the life and work in the jobs that were once forbidden to you?!”

Of course they did.

Freedom and rights .

What demon could possibly dislike that?

How many demons haven’t dreamed of browsing markets freely or enjoying a festival in peace?

Until now, they simply had no choice but to endure and hold it in.

“Let me say it once more.

Everyone, I have a dream.

No matter what hardships we face yesterday or today, I have a dream!

It is a dream rooted deeply in the history and yearning of our people.

A dream that, before long, we will reclaim the happiness and rights of all demons in this world,And build a safe haven where we can live in peace!

A hope and a goal to escape this cursed life,Where being born is no different from being condemned to die!”

Recalling the speech Ishmael had written for her in her mind,She paused for a beat and then continued.

“But I can’t do it alone.

No matter how noble my lineage may be, I’m just one person.

I have no army, no force to command.

I managed to gain the nomads’ cooperation to rescue and support you all,But anything beyond that was refused.

To build our homeland and our state, we must do it ourselves.”

Even if she held the title of head of the continent’s greatest intelligence agency,On a national scale, her status meant little.

Because while she had decent intelligence capabilities, she lacked the truly important things—funds and military power.

That’s why Kalia needed the cooperation of the demons.

She had to borrow the strength of those she would one day welcome as her future citizens in order to establish an independent force and foundation.

“So I beg of you.”

She bowed her head.

As if offering a sincere apology.

“Please lend me your lives.

Wager the chips that are your lives on me.

To collaborate with this vast nomadic army, we demons must also gather troops and fight alongside them on the front lines.

Only then will they acknowledge us and help build our nation.

The more lives we wager, the more military achievements we accumulate, the stronger our position becomes.

Each and every one of our lives will be used for the future of all those who remain.”

She picked up her fallen hat and put it back on, finishing her calm speech.

“I won’t force anyone.But if you’re interested, please come to the tent on the north side of the city.You’ll always be welcome.”

Moments later—A roar erupted, loud enough to tear the heavens apart.

*****

“She’s doing better than expected. I thought there would be many mistakes since it was her first time.”

“She’s always been a gifted child.”

Behind the stage, in a house a block away from the plaza,I sipped warm black tea and watched Kalia’s speech.

With my father-in-law, no less.

“At this rate, we can consider that most of the demons in this city and surrounding areas will cooperate. That’s several thousand loyal and cooperative troops gained.”

“Only a few thousand? Including slave soldiers, we have over 200,000.”

“This is just the beginning. As we take more territory, our forces will grow.”

As rumors spread and supporters increase, so will the size of our power.

Eventually, it’ll be enough to seriously talk about founding a nation.

“Well, that’s good for us. The more they fight in our place, the fewer casualties we’ll suffer.”

Mahdi took a sip of warm liquor, then asked me gruffly.

“…Still, I don’t like it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Did we really have to make that girl a queen?A child who lost her parents young and only recently found a bit of happiness?”

I slowly shook my head, bitterly.

“There was no other choice.”

Rumors about Kalia had already started to spread.

That the royal successor with two pairs of horns had returned.

And demons were always starved for the appearance of a messiah—so their reactions would be strong, whether good or bad.

Some would try to verify the truth, others would pledge allegiance blindly.

All sorts of characters would come crawling out.

Rather than let that mess run wild, it was better to act first.

Let everyone know her and worship her.

That way we’d at least avoid some annoying and troublesome situations.

‘And she already agreed to it.’

If Kalia had strongly refused, I would have found another method.

But she accepted, didn’t she?

Then we have no choice but to use her proactively and prepare ways to gain the most benefit.

“I can’t argue with that. So—what’s the next step? What do we do with the manpower we just gained?”

“War, of course.”

Now it’s time to take back what the demons have lost.

Freedom, life, human rights—and one more thing.