Realms of Magic: Demon Invasion

54. Irvine-Erwing War: Prelude

"Impossible ...." Aelita gasps. Madam Felicia and Joe arrive minutes later, and shock, too, overcomes them.

Sitting on the cold chairs of the round room gives me shivers, more so due to the results.

"So what now?" Aelita asks.

Admiral Talon and Sir Cadogan comes by our seats. Exchanging polite nods with Madam Felicia and a distraught Archduke Windwood, they seat themselves.

"We were attacked by a demon on the way here," Aelita says quite loudly before anyone has a chance to talk. Madam Felicia fires daggers at her with her eyes.

"A demon?" Admiral Talon whispers very slowly. "That explained your absence, Archduke Windwood."

"How powerful?" Admiral Talon asks again.

"Judging by how she kept us at bay while maintaining her human disguise, she's a Lord," I murmur.

"Her magic and physical characteristics?" Madam Felicia asks.

"Very light brown skin. About as tall as me. Slanted eyes," Agatha replies. "She can control glass and some light magic, it seems."

"Noted."

This presence!

"Someone's here," Remi and I mutter simultaneously.

"Eagle Eye!" Aelita bellows. "Bloody hell ... is that Lady Jessica and the Princess of Terror I'm seeing?"

"What?"

A split second later, two figures land elegantly on the center of the room, triggering gasps.

"John! Aelita!" I bellow. "Blood-"

"Wait, Vio!" Madam Felicia and Admiral Talon grab my hand tightly.

Lady Jessica smiles very annoyingly. The Princess of Terror, besides her, frowns, but quickly returns to silence.

"Well, well, apologies for the shocking entrance," she says. "We were in a hurry, you see."

"You've come at last," Queen Seira declares. "Very well. Feel free to begin."

Begin what?

The scattered nobles discipline themselves as they sit once again on the cold chairs. I wipe off my sweat.

"Greetings, Queen Seira, nobility, generalship, admiralty, heads of ministries, and Imperial Guards of Irvine," she begins eloquently.

"First of all, allow me to clear some misconceptions regarding our presence as demons. It seems widespread that we are barbaric invaders who came to invade human, elven, and dwarven kingdoms. This perception is incorrect," she declares.

"What is she blabbering about?" I murmur.

"Rather, when we began our voyages to this world, certain rogue elements within both us and the aforementioned kingdoms drove both parties into conflict, which affects us even until today. And our current assault is directed at Al-Azhar and Francia, three of the most radical powers that drove us into war in the first place," she explains her bullshit.

"Contrary to that, we respected, and still do, Irvine. Your will to fight was purely in self-defense. We understood that," she continues. "And so we heard that Irvine is going to war against Erwing. We're here to offer our help."

Shocked murmurs burst out in the room. "Silence!" the scribe orders.

"If I may speak, Madam," Madam Felicia says to the old scribe, who nods.

"We found evidence of child slavery done by your side. May we request an explanation, please?"

Lady Jessica smiles once again. "As I said, there are certain rogue elements that practice such things. The Golden Empire proper is working hard to decimate these elements. As for our official standing, we have prisons, but their purpose is to contain and restrain, not to torture and enslave."

"She's rewriting history," Admiral Talon says to us. "Trying to paint themselves as the good guys."

Lady Jessica proceeds to read each and every clause of her proposal. Remi stares maliciously at her father, who ignores her.

"Barons, you may cast your vote."

If the scribe didn't announce it, I would've missed the blue orb in front of me. The size is small, perhaps twenty centimetres long.

"Viscounts, you may cast your vote."

"You'll have your chances too," Madam Felicia claims. "The vote of an Imperial Guard is as strong as a duke's."

"Counts, you may cast your vote."

"Marquesses, you may cast your vote."

"Dukes and Imperial Guards, you may cast your vote."

I touch the orb lightly and a holographic screen manifests before me. Only two options are present: in favour or oppose. My choice is obvious.

"Grand General Cadogan and Grand Admiral Talon, you may cast your votes."

"Heads of Ministries, you may cast your votes."

Madam Felicia, head of the Ministry of Intelligence, casts her vote decisively, sweat rolling down her forehead as she eyes her colleagues.

"Archdukes, you may cast your vote."

The scribe takes a deep breath. "Queen Seira, you may cast your vote."

A brief moment passes as the results are displayed on the screen.

SUPPORT: 15840
OPPOSE: 15900

Madam Felicia lets out a relieved sigh. Archduke Windwood raises his fist to the air in a fit of victory before Madam Felicia nudges him. Remi smirks at her furious father.

"Well, what more can I say?" Lady Jessica says while maintaining her smile. "Excuse us."

"Bloody hell," Aelita mutters, still bewildered. "I didn't expect this at all."

"Nobody did," Madam Felicia affirms. The scribe has dismissed the entire room. Queen Seira approaches us personally, flanked by three divisions of Imperial Guards. Her dreadful gaze is not veiled by her silken outfit.

"We are having a closed session soon after. Stay here."

The lower-ranked nobles leave, leaving only the elites behind. The scribe reactivates the giant screen.

"We will draw up an invasion plan as soon as possible," Queen Seira explains. "This is the earliest draft."

Erwing and Irvine, although close in relationship, only has two choke points as borders. One on the northeast of Irvine and another on the northwest. The neutral Central Confederacy, a loose nation of elven and human duchies, occupy the land between Irvine and Erwing. Erwing's eastern coast is littered with forts and defenses.

"We will launch an assault from these two choke points, relying on the mountain range fortified with defensive magic to ward off the superior numbers of Erwing," Queen Seira explains.

"Bogging them down there is a good strategy, Your Majesty," Sir Cadogan snidely replies. "But then what? We can't stay on the defensive forever."

"Launch an invasion into the Central Confederacy at lightning speed and encircle Erwing's armies."

"Launch a what into what?"