The Demon King's Sweet Conquest (GL) - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Invisible Hand

The golden-haired girl’s blade traced a perfect arc, causing the knight standing opposite her to stiffen. This split-second lapse in concentration was fatal in combat.

The tip of the sword stopped half an inch from his eyes. Fortunately, this was only a practice match.

“Princess, you are truly too powerful!” the tall knight praised sincerely, dropping to one knee.

The girl in the skirt-armor waited about three seconds before moving her hand to hand the sword to a nearby attendant. Her tone was cold, and she didn’t spare a glance at the kneeling knight: “Is that so? I think you didn’t try your best at all.”

“Your Highness, I really—”

“Heh.” A soft laugh tinged with thin anger. “You call this your best? If I remember correctly, you were selected for my personal guard only after winning last year’s tournament.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Pride flickered in the knight’s expression. He came from a poor background; every step he took was paved with literal blood and sweat.

“Look up and tell me: is the champion selected from the Kingdom’s Youth Cavalry Regiment a straw man who can’t even beat a twelve-year-old child?” Her silver-purple eyes were colder than a frozen sea.

“…” The knight could not answer. How could he admit his negligence? Truthfully, the Princess was indeed a genius, but just now, he still had a way to parry that sword.

The reason he hadn’t done so was simply a matter of selfish motives.

“Knight Captain, do not let him practice with me next time. Find someone serious and responsible.” Princess Joanna had no patience to listen to perfunctory excuses and turned to leave.

The person she truly wanted to spar with was no longer in the palace. Was that a good thing?

“Princess Joanna, it’s been hard today, hasn’t it?” The personal maid waiting outside stepped forward, offering a silk cloth to wipe away sweat.

Joanna swiped the silk aside and walked away.

The maid wasn’t annoyed either. She stood where she was, watching the Princess walk alone toward the bath. She wasn’t some child picked up from a farm, but a proper noble lady; compared to this “propped up” Princess, her position was arguably more secure.

“Christina, have you been getting increasingly impatient with the Princess lately?” An elegant young man stepped out from a nearby room. He was tall, and the thin fur cloak he wore made him appear even leaner. When he lowered his head, he cast the girl into a shadow.

“Lord Francis, how could I dare to be impatient with the most noble Princess?” Though she said this, her dark eyes were full of provocation. This small girl seemed to have a massive backing.

“We can make a deal, Christina.”

There were many guards in the corridor, but this man did not need a secret room to communicate. For him, any intelligence in the entire palace was controlled within his threads.

“Please, speak.” Christina lifted her skirt; her shoes didn’t make a sound.

“I will call another girl to replace you as the personal maid. I can also help explain things to your parents.” Francis’s tone was not like he was speaking to a child.

“My Lord, if I am not Princess Joanna’s maid, where would I go?”

“The Ruby Isles. You understand my meaning.”

Francis had clearly drawn an excellent card from his hand; the girl’s deep eyes instantly brightened.

“Then… I must thank you for your mercy. Aren’t you afraid of the rumors?” Her tone even became intimate.

“I have never believed the rumors of the ‘Demon King’s Kin.’ Your hair and eye color are not rare.” Black hair and black eyes weren’t uncommon in a crowd—the proportion was just a bit lower.

In history, the Demon King had long been utterly wiped out. The idea of a Demon King waking up again was just a trick used to fool children in fairy tales.

Wait, there are still some low-lifes using this false information to try and stir up trouble. Francis thought of certain people and events he loathed, and a ripple appeared in his eyes.

“Is that so… what can I do to repay you?” Christina tilted her head. She knew the young man before her was no saint; he wouldn’t be merciful enough to grant her free assistance.

“Doing the things you ‘want to do’ is the greatest reward for me.”

A sentence that, at first hearing, was full of tenderness and hope—yet only the two of them knew the terrifying true color beneath it.

“I will work hard, Lord Francis.” The girl smiled like a flower, but her eyes were sinking deep into a spiral of desire.

Joanna soaked in the warm water, her eyes tightly shut. Only at times like this did the noise in her head stop.

Ever since her “sister” Cynthia left, she had been plagued by an unceasing irritability. Francis said Cynthia was her father’s illegitimate daughter—how was that possible? They were twins.

Though they didn’t look as much alike as typical twins—Cynthia’s features were more heroic while hers were softer; Cynthia’s eyes were their father’s azure blue while hers were her mother’s silver-purple.

But they were so in sync. Before the palace coup broke out, whether it was sword practice, sand-table discussions, or views on legal codes, no one had more chemistry than them.

Yes, Francis had provided a considerable amount of “evidence,” but with his power, who knew how that evidence was forged?

She didn’t believe it, nor did she want to.

“Princess Joanna, forgive the intrusion.” Francis’s voice sounded from outside the door. He didn’t push the door open; perhaps this was the “bottom line” for this shameless man. Did he even have a bottom line?

Joanna wasn’t as cold and courageous as she appeared. She didn’t dare think of the reason Francis chose her—the slightly inferior one—instead of her nearly flawless sister.

“What is it?” She tried to keep her voice from trembling, opening her eyes to stare at the pure white flower-shaped magic lamp on the ceiling.

“Have you practiced too late today? There are etiquette lessons tomorrow morning, and afterwards, your political tutor hopes you can study in your best state.”

If she didn’t work until she was near collapse, how was she supposed to sleep soundly?

“There’s no helping it. My talent is far inferior to my sister’s.” She said this intentionally, with a touch of spite.

“Princess Joanna, you do not have a sister.”

Francis paused after saying this: “She is His Majesty’s illegitimate daughter, and she was born after you. There is much evidence showing that His Majesty waited three days before bringing her to the Queen.”

The person is dead; you can say whatever you want. The Queen accepting an illegitimate child and placing her ahead of her true daughter in the line of succession? This clumsy, undisguised lie made Joanna irritable.

Their parents had died in an assassination several years ago. Before they came of age, according to ancient kingdom custom, the throne would remain vacant. During this vacancy, the power of various lords would swell unprecedentedly, and others in the line of succession would be eager to make their move.

She didn’t understand why the Kingdom of Milkway still practiced such an ancient “Deer Hunt” custom, but what exists is rational. She could only accept it and pray she survived.

Sensing Joanna had no interest in chatting, Francis’s tone softened: “Get some good rest today. I will discuss the subsequent matters with the Knight Captain.”

Without waiting for Joanna’s rebuke or reply, the footsteps gradually faded.

While the castle on the ground was full of people with hidden agendas, inside the underground castle, the Demon King was passionately lecturing her devils.

“…In summary, if we want to accumulate our first pot of gold, establishing a good trade relationship with intelligent beings like humans is essential!”

After dinner, Floria spent a great deal of effort and finally managed to “bluff” Xin Lian into submission. As for Barbatos, she seemed to have been listening very seriously. Perhaps, maybe, possibly she agreed?

“I think I understand, Highness. Relying only on the few of us to gather the energy and resources to build the entire dungeon is indeed difficult.” Xin Lian flicked her tail. “Timber, ore, and treasures—relying on the system’s weekly recruitment is too slow.”

“Exactly! That’s it! Suppose we rely on recruited troops to plunder human villages—the loss would outweigh the gain.” Floria explained seriously: “We could quickly destroy one or two villages and then go destroy a city. And then? Before we could burn down the whole country, every hero from every nation would gather to deal with us!”

Xin Lian thought about that scenario and shuddered: “Yes, yes, Highness! Humans are truly terrifying! I heard a senior say they only need a few decades to learn powerful magic, and they like to enslave devils!”

Mmm… the education different species receive is certainly different.

“So, to defeat them, we must first understand them and strengthen ourselves. Establishing a commercial network helps with both.” Floria brought the topic back, clenching her small fist.

“Highness, you are indeed unique.” Barbatos gave a soft smile after listening to the long-winded speech.

“What, does Lord Barbatos have an objection?”

“Only one. Negotiating with humans is like skinning a tiger for its hide. Even though countless brave and wise devils have tried over the years, there haven’t been many successful cases.” Barbatos’s tone wasn’t sorrowful, but Floria still felt the other was implying: Good advice is hard for a ghost bent on dying to hear.

“Barbatos, do you think a dungeon that has been explored has more treasure, or an unexplored one is more valuable?” Floria didn’t wait for her to clarify and reached out a hand: “This King will bear all consequences. This is a grand gamble where only success is permitted.”

Xin Lian’s eyes were full of stars; she was one step away from lifting the Demon King high to show her loyalty!

“Highness, since I am your subordinate, I will naturally follow your footsteps.” Barbatos bowed slightly. “How will you take the first step in building your trade network?”

“The first step is, naturally, to disguise ourselves as human merchants. Look at the virtual village I built before—that was a beneficial attempt.”

“You mean, using the village as a base and slowly expanding outward?” Barbatos pushed up her glasses.

“Exactly. Is there any better opening move than this?”

Is there any stupider opening move than this?!

A week later, aside from a weekly check-in draw that yielded a “Substitute Doll” capable of blocking one lethal blow, not a single customer had come to the door.

The biggest discovery of the week was actually finding out that the Company’s prize pool was a “toxic pool” mixed with equipment, items, and characters. Floria questioned her existence.

Whether it was adventurers or passing Villager A, B, or C—none existed.

Who would take such a massive detour from the official road to shop in a small forest?! The furs, dried meat, and wild fruits they produced couldn’t be sold at all; they could only be reclaimed by the system at a low price for energy points.

At that moment, the sound of digging came from directly above the Demon King’s palace.

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