Despite Ryou's use of various coercive means, including the outright elimination of the Council of Wise Men, he ultimately failed to achieve his goal of placing Emilia directly on the throne.
In the end, just as he was one step away from success, someone stood up. At a moment when every surviving noble and knight—indeed, every man present—had surrendered, one figure refused to yield.
Crusch, the duchess dressed in men's attire, stepped forward.
"You may destroy our bodies, but forcing us to surrender? Absolutely impossible!"
With her chest held high and her unwavering gaze locked onto Ryou, she declared this with fearless resolve.
Behind her, a timidly dressed male figure, too frightened to even look directly at Ryou, wiped away tears yet stood firmly behind Crusch. Though his legs trembled, he refused to retreat a single step from his lord's side.
Perhaps out of shame or pride, one by one, the knights began stepping forward to stand behind Crusch, silently lending her their support. Over time, her ranks grew larger until nearly all the survivors had aligned with her. They stared wordlessly at Ryou and Emilia, who stood before them:
One, the successor of the Witch of Envy who had devoured half the world; the other, a man who had slain the divine dragon and the greatest swordsman of Lugunica—a figure akin to a Demon King.
Their gazes were filled with defiance, fear, anger, and, most importantly, the unyielding light of resistance.
Ryou knew his goal could not be achieved—at least, not for now. He smiled faintly, as though none of this mattered to him in the slightest.
In truth, when Crusch had first stepped forward, Ryou could have crushed the resistance in an instant by killing her outright. Yet, he chose to do nothing and allowed her to become the symbol of rebellion.
Though one side had superior numbers, they trembled in fear; the other side, few in number, stood as steady as a mountain.
Finally, with a sly grin, Ryou mused, This is starting to feel like a proper final boss moment. Shaking off the thought with a small laugh, he made his decision.
In the end, Ryou neither killed Crusch nor wiped out the survivors. Instead, he spread his hands.
"Since this is your choice, I respect it. But..."
A peculiar smile crept onto his face like a fisherman watching a clueless fish bite the bait—a mix of slyness and satisfaction.
"Oh, and if you ever change your mind, make sure to wear something pretty when you come to see me."
Leaving those words behind, Ryou waved his hand and departed with his companions.
As the ice walls slowly disappeared, revealing the field of corpses, Crusch felt like she was in a dream. They have survived?
However, she failed to notice Anastasia looking at her with pity.
That man? Letting go so easily? Impossible.
Anastasia thought the only reason Ryou left was that he was confident she would fall into his trap of her own accord.
...
Stepping through a dimensional gate and back into his manor, Ryou suddenly chuckled.
"My Master, you seem to be in high spirits today," Semiramis remarked with curiosity, her eyes twinkling.
"The Empire's Grand General has been chosen," Ryou smiled faintly, leaving behind this cryptic comment as he entered the manor. Anastasia followed closely, like his shadow. Meanwhile, the cold and stunning Elsa stood quietly behind Semiramis.
"What a scheming Master," Semiramis giggled behind her hand.
"Hey, Puck, what are they talking about?"
Emilia asked, furrowing her brows in confusion.
"Who knows? They're plotting something sinister," Puck replied disdainfully.
Recently, as Emilia and Ryou grew closer, Puck found himself disliking Ryou more and more—especially after that public kiss. It was unbearable!
On another note...
Puck circled Emilia, admiring her new outfit with an approving nod.
"You know, Lia, you look stunning in this!"
"Really? You think so?"
Emilia asked, blushing slightly.
"Perfect!"
Puck gave a thumbs-up.
"Thank you, Puck."
Emilia replied shyly, her face a rosy red.
Her current attire was undeniably captivating. Upon fully inheriting the power of the Witch of Envy, Emilia's plain white hooded cloak had been replaced with a gorgeous black evening gown.
The gown featured dark gold embroidery forming intricate, mysterious patterns, adding an air of enchantment. Though the fabric seemed sheer, it revealed nothing, creating an alluring yet frustrating mystique. Surrounding her was a faint mist of black, semi-transparent smoke, further heightening her ethereal aura.
A single black lotus pinned to her silver hair completed her transformation into a being of unmatched beauty. Emilia, already the most stunning woman in the world, now seemed like the embodiment of a goddess of the night.
...
Ryou had indeed set a trap for Crusch and the entire kingdom of Lugunica.
Over the following month, Ryou didn't go anywhere. He dedicated all his time to teaching Emilia how to be a proper queen—an empress, or even a goddess. Meanwhile, Lugunica itself fell into chaos.
Initially, Crusch's reputation barely managed to maintain the kingdom's stability. However, as time passed, the situation became increasingly unmanageable. Half of the nobles, knights, and even the kingdom's ruling Council of Wise Men had been wiped out, leaving a power vacuum that Crusch struggled to fill.
The families of the slain nobles clamored incessantly, demanding compensation or fighting fiercely over inheritance rights. Many boldly demanded justice, leaving Crusch wanting to slap them to Roswaal's mansion.
"Why don't you just go find that man yourself? He's the demon king who single-handedly killed the Divine Dragon, the strongest Sword Saint, and even forcefully kissed the Witch of Envy! You're too scared to avenge the real culprit, but you come here to trouble me?!"
However, this wasn't even the most troublesome issue.
Lugunica's guardian deity—the Divine Dragon Volcanica—was dead. For a country reliant on the dragon for everything from food to governance, this was akin to an apocalyptic catastrophe.
Crusch initially tried to conceal the dragon's death, but how could that be possible? With hundreds of survivors aware of the event, and considering the selfish nature of the nobility, the secret was leaked within three days. The news spread across Lugunica and even reached the desks of neighboring rulers.
To the people of Lugunica, it felt like the sky was falling. Some extreme devotees even committed suicide out of despair. The kingdom plunged into mourning, with civilians terrified and soldiers demoralized. Opportunists and criminals seized the chance to stir trouble, causing rebellions in nearly every city, including the royal capital.
Crusch, demonstrating why she was the leading candidate for the throne, used her sharp political acumen and iron fist to suppress the capital's rebellion and gradually restore order elsewhere.
But when it rains, it pours.
Within two weeks, Lugunica's three neighboring nations—the southern Vollachian Empire, the northern Gusteko Kingdom, and the western Kararagi Federation—simultaneously turned hostile.
Claiming that Lugunica harbored the Witch of Envy, the three nations declared war, leaving Crusch seething.
"If you want to carve up our territory, just say so!"
As interim queen, Crusch was supposed to relish her newfound freedom from the Divine Dragon's constraints. Instead, the dual "joys" of her role only resulted in frustration.
"Whoever wants this position can have it!"
Crusch had been reluctantly made interim queen after the noble and knight factions compromised—unwilling to provoke Ryou but also hedging their bets.
Initially ambitious to win the royal selection and free Lugunica from its reliance on the dragon, Crusch now found herself buried in endless responsibilities, from government rebuilding to managing wartime crises.
Her dreams of reform had become nightmares, with only three to four hours of sleep per day. Even in her dreams, she was reviewing documents. She genuinely wanted to throw in the towel.
But the other royal candidates were no help. Anastasia had retreated to her merchant guild, observing from the sidelines. Priscilla dismissed the idea with disdain:
"I aspire to be a queen of radiance, not a mere figurehead. This is far too unglamorous."
Felt, full of vengeance, was untrustworthy. If handed power, she'd likely rally the entire army to seek revenge on Ryou.
As for Emilia? Placing her on the throne seemed like the most viable option.
But Crusch felt bitter.
"To reject them so decisively and then grovel a few days later!"
Despite her frustrations, Crusch couldn't deny the reality. Lugunica, in its weakest state, was being encroached upon by hungry neighbors.
The three nations had their motivations. Gusteko, perpetually frozen, eyed Lugunica's fertile lands. Their elite troops, composed of hardy warriors, excelled in mountainous combat.
Kararagi, a desert-dominated nation, lacked fertile land but was rich in magic crystals, relying on mercenaries and assassins instead of formal armies.
Meanwhile, the Vollachian Empire was an entirely different beast...