So…
There was no "so."
Duke Reim and the other rebels had simply overestimated their own abilities—and gravely underestimated Ren Kuroda.
The moment the aura of an Awakened Demon Lord began to seep into the air, the people who were "specially taken care of"—Duke Reim and the other rebellious nobles—didn't even realize what was happening.
Their minds went completely blank.
Their eyes rolled back—
And they collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Between the rebellious nobles, their household guards, and the civilians they had taken hostage, there were nearly ten thousand people gathered in the treasury hall.
Yet Ren had done absolutely nothing.
He had merely taken one step forward.
And like a field of wheat flattened by the wind, they all fell.
The noble guards and the civilians were one thing—but among the nobles themselves, there were also quite a few capable fighters.
Yet under the invisible pressure that filled the air, they were no different from ordinary people.
Their eyes turned white.
And they dropped to the ground instantly.
Not a single one remained standing.
"Sorry about that," Ren said calmly.
"I couldn't tell who among them were nobles and who were just ordinary civilians being held hostage."
"So I figured the easiest solution was to knock them all out."
He looked toward Duke Brans and the others.
"I'll leave it to you to sort them out afterward."
"The guilty ones can go straight to prison."
"As for the civilians… please apologize to them on my behalf."
Duke Brans stared at the scene before him in stunned silence.
Originally, he had believed that since the rebels were holding such a large number of civilians hostage, even Ren might have to think carefully about how to handle the situation.
But he had never imagined it would end so quickly.
No…
Calling it a battle would already be an exaggeration.
From the very beginning, the two sides had never even existed on the same level.
At the same time, Duke Brans couldn't help but feel a deep sense of relief.
Thankfully, he had stood firm and refused to be swayed by the rebellious nobles.
He finally understood something clearly now—
Numbers meant absolutely nothing in the face of true power.
If Ren Kuroda ever wished it, the entire Kingdom of Falmuth would be nothing more than a toy in his hands.
Then Duke Brans glanced behind him.
His granddaughter Alice was kneeling on one knee like the others.
But unlike them, she was staring at Ren with undisguised admiration and fervor.
Seeing that look in her eyes, Duke Brans suddenly found himself thinking—
If his granddaughter somehow managed to climb into His Majesty's bed…
That might not be such a bad thing after all.
Ren's overwhelming martial power was now obvious to anyone with eyes.
And with the kingdom's economy booming, corruption being purged, and national strength steadily increasing, the Kingdom of Falmuth was already far stronger than before.
In the past, Falmuth had merely been a regional power.
But with such a wise—and terrifyingly powerful—king…
Duke Brans had no doubt that one day, Falmuth might even become one of the strongest nations in the entire western world.
"Your Majesty Ren," Duke Brans said respectfully after entering the royal palace with Alice.
"The rebellious nobles have all been imprisoned. How does Your Majesty intend to deal with them next?"
Ren leaned back slightly.
"Have the civilians who were taken hostage been properly settled?"
"As for the nobles… I don't have time to deal with them right now. We'll handle that later."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Gather the strongest troops Falmuth has."
"We're going to war."
"And this time, the enemy isn't some ordinary opponent."
"If anyone doesn't want to participate, they're free to withdraw."
"Even as king, I have no right to force people to march to their deaths."
Duke Brans froze.
Judging from the strength Ren had just displayed, he couldn't even imagine what kind of enemy would require their assistance.
Falmuth didn't even have any major enemies nearby.
Could it be…
Was the king planning to expand the kingdom's territory?
But Ren quickly answered the question himself.
"This time… the Kingdom of Falmuth will be targeting a Demon Lord."
Not some powerful monster that arrogantly claimed the title.
But one of the true Ten Demon Lords.
Throughout history, Demon Lords had always been beings that humanity both feared and could never defeat.
Even the strongest human mages and warriors—those who stood at the very peak of humanity—were like children in front of a Demon Lord.
When facing such beings, humans normally did everything possible to avoid them.
And yet now—
The Kingdom of Falmuth was going to provoke one on purpose.
"To be precise," Ren continued calmly,
"the Demon Lords we'll have to deal with might not be limited to just one."
"Although we have allies, our numbers still won't match theirs."
"Of course, I won't send you to fight Demon Lords themselves. I'll deal with them personally."
"If you join the battle, your job will simply be to handle the underlings beneath them."
Duke Brans was completely dumbfounded.
Not only were they going to fight a Demon Lord—
There might be more than one.
And Ren had even said the order wasn't mandatory.
In that case, who in their right mind would actually volunteer for such a mission?
But the moment that thought crossed his mind—
Reality slapped him in the face.
And the one delivering the slap…
Was his own granddaughter.
Alice stepped forward and knelt respectfully.
"I, Alice Brans, pledge to follow Your Majesty in the campaign against the Demon Lords."
"Whether it is one of the Ten Demon Lords or any other enemy…"
"As long as it is Your Majesty's command, I will follow without hesitation—even unto death!"
After discussing matters with Falmuth's high-ranking officials, Ren ultimately departed with ten thousand soldiers from the kingdom.
Since participation wasn't mandatory, most people naturally chose not to risk their lives.
Among those who did join, three thousand soldiers were actually the private troops of the Brans family.
Considering that the main world was currently filled with hidden dangers, Ren decided not to summon Tamamo or the Spider Princess through the contract.
If he did that, his mother and younger sister would be left without protection.
Therefore, the ones he summoned this time were:
the Samurai Spirit
Nekomata
Hari-Onna (the Hook Needle Woman)
Kishin Kozo
Tewarai Oni
Yamawaro
the Lich Wiz
and Medea
Eight in total.
Wiz had been summoned by Ren for the first time.
Seeing him again after so long, her face lit up with unmistakable joy.
As for Nekomata and the others, learning that they would once again fight alongside Ren—and that their opponents were Demon Lords—made them visibly excited.
They were practically itching for battle.
Medea, however, said nothing after stepping out of the summoning circle.
Her gaze slowly shifted.
First to Wiz's impressively overflowing chest.
Then to Alice standing behind Ren like a valkyrie.
Finally, she looked at Ren himself.
The expression in her eyes made it seem as though she were staring at a complete scumbag.
As for the ten thousand soldiers from Falmuth, Ren naturally didn't treat them stingily since they had chosen to fight beside him.
He exchanged a large number of biological materials for Spirit Power Crystals, then distributed them among the troops.
Considering that Alice would be commanding the army, her strength couldn't remain too weak.
Ren personally helped her absorb dozens of the crystals.
These Spirit Power Crystals might not have been extremely high-level items, but even A-rank exorcists in the main world would have coveted them greedily.
Yet Alice consumed dozens of them in a single session.
The immense spiritual power was converted into this world's unique magicules, flooding her body with energy.
In an instant, Alice—who was already quite strong—underwent a dramatic transformation.
She became a superhuman powerhouse among humans.
How strong had Falmuth's former Knight Commander Fuken been?
Alice considered it seriously.
Now?
She felt confident she could defeat three of him at once.
..
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