It was a beautiful June sunset, even in the foreboding aura of the towering Mount Basileus. The procedures were to be very similar to last time, except missing Oscar as a figurehead and my brother as my ultimate failsafe. As the carriage pulled into the military camp, I twisted the silver ring on my finger, blessed by my dear Nathaniel to protect me. Despite all the precautions in place, I was surprised to find myself wary without Damian's presence, and especially of what kept him away.
I banished those unhelpful thoughts. If I could kill more demons this time, it would surely help him. Then, Catherine's trial was soon, and after she was gone completely, he would surely return to his normal, former self. Alas, had any former versions of him ever been 'normal'?
I arrived at the camp and was immediately greeted by the colonel.
"Good to see you again, Your Holiness."
It alarmed me how much more worn Colonel Hart appeared compared to the last time I saw him less than a year ago. He still wore his trusty smile, but with a tense countenance, and seemed to have obtained various new scars, some quite fresh. We had stayed in regular communication regarding the demon situation, and though he had dutifully depicted to me the severity of our position, to see it for myself still sent a shiver down my spine. Indeed, the base had discarded its optimistic demeanor I last saw for a much grimmer one, with many more knights standing on guard, injured soldiers carried in from the mountain on stretchers, and the mild stench of death.
"You as well. I only regret that I could not come sooner."
"Worry not, I heard about the… special circumstances. I'm sorry for that to have happened to Your Holiness, and am damn glad that she'll be brought to justice soon, excuse my language. Truly despicable, that."
I smiled slightly in thanks. He sighed and gestured that we would walk while we discussed.
"You've arrived quite in time, actually. If we keep things as they are for maybe another six months, without large-scale intervention, I would not be comfortable. We would still be able to hold out for much longer than that, of course, and there's no immediate threat to civilians, but I would be more nervous than I'd like to be."
"I see. As I recall, you have submitted the request to His Majesty for more permanent forces to be stationed here, yes?"
He nodded.
"I will hasten its approval after I return. Please let me know anything I can do to help ensure the safety of the kingdom from these wicked demons; rest assured that while I do carry many roles, this will be my top priority until we are certain that the demon king is vanquished for good!"
My heart swelled with passion, with perhaps too bright a glint of excitement in my eyes. This was what I should've been doing all along, what I could finally pour all of myself into now that I'd dealt with that pesky Catherine, and become the true queen and saviour of the people.
I was to rest for the evening and we would begin the next dawn. Father had arrived earlier with our forces, and so had Annalise and Delilah, who had volunteered to help organize the logistics, a noble task for noble ladies. We all dined together, trying to be unaffected by the terse atmosphere that had somehow managed to penetrate every corner of the base.
"It's unfortunate that His Highness and Damian could not join us," Father patted my hand. "But I have every faith in you, my angel. You will do splendidly."
"Definitely!" Annalise chimed. "Those demons are going to be terrified as soon as they smell you coming, Lady Valentina! The magazines will be flooded with your heroic exploits for days after we are done here."
"His Highness and Lord Damian will be happy to hear of your success. Why, the entire kingdom will rejoice," Delilah added.
I smiled. It was not difficult to firm my confidence, especially with the avid support of my lovely friends and family. I had literally overcome fate itself, surely nothing much could stop me now. Alas, I slept with an odd bit of uneasiness.
A slight mist hung between the trees of the mountain in the early dawn. Our troops, divided into squadrons each consisting of an assortment of organized and trained mages, soldiers, and priests, dispersed into the territory of the demon king in an orderly process. The one I led was front and center, carving through the most dangerous path with my holy dagger. Without the distraction of the plot, the day was bland and bloody. I rejoiced in this at first; a noble lady did not often have the chance for violent slaughter, and I did not often have the chance to escape from the novel for something so mindless and barbaric, but it got old quickly. The day grew hot and long, and we did not return to the barracks until dusk.
"We made great progress today, Your Holiness, but…"
"We are short of our goal. It is fine, we will extend our stay from one week to two."
There was more to get through than I had thought, but we were prepared for this: I had instructed Annalise and Delilah to ensure we had enough resources to stay much longer than our initial plan. I may not have the saint's powers, but I had money and power, which was arguably better.
Ten days passed in the same routine. We were encountering much more powerful demons now, each one capable of decimating us if we weren't careful. Despite my lack of professional military experience, I did my best and could hold my own. Equipped with a squad of some of the strongest mages, knights, and priests in the kingdom, I was in no real danger, until-
"Milady!"
The giant monster that half resembled a bear and half resembled a child's worst nightmare came out of nowhere for a creature of its size. It towered over us, blocking out the sun, strands of saliva dangling between its fangs, a thick beastly stench that offended my nose, and long, sharp claws inches away from my head.
I couldn't move.
There was no time for terror, for my life to flash before my eyes, only a ridiculous laughter that bubbled in my chest, and the vague image of Mother.
Then I was knocked off my horse, and the world turned upside down. There was a flash of red, blood spilling, a lot of blood. Yet I only felt the impact of hitting the ground on my back, no sharp pain of a cut, and something heavy landing on top of me, a glimpse of silver hair. Yells, spells blasting, swords winging, priests rushing to our side, gunshots fired, wounded roars from the monster, a deep rumble as it fell, knocking over trees and scaring off critters.
'Mikhail,' I thought faintly. Then I started screaming.