The Prince Wants to Retire

---

The Crown Prince Wants to Retire

52. It Hurts, but Let’s Poke Again!

What’s the most painful spot for Roman right now?

No matter what anyone says, it can only be the place where the Demon Gate is opened.

At the moment it takes a hit, the Great Plan might crumble.

“This is insane.”

“Someone stop that crazy guy!”

As the Demon Legion Commander, driven wild by Ignit’s Shadows, began rampaging, Dark Mages were dispatched to contain him.

The Demons were simply too afraid of their commander to intervene, so they had to rely on Dark Mages to curb his rampage.

But could they even stop a completely crazed Demon Legion Commander?

– Mooooooo!

What method could the Dark Mages employ to contain a rampaging commander who was mooing like a cow?

All they could do was maneuver him toward the enemy rather than towards their own ranks.

This is where the problem arose.

– Where are they! Where are they!

Even after arriving at the Frigid Canyon, not a single Shadow could be seen, and the wrath of the Demon Legion Commander exploded.

“Where did those bastards go?”

“Could they have… slipped away?”

“Ha! This crazy… did they plan this?”

Even after searching every nook and cranny of the Giant Mountain Range, they couldn’t find the Shadows.

This meant it had to be intentional.

“What should we do?”

“Right….”

The Demon Legion Commander was slaughtering the monsters in the Giant Mountain Range while desperately searching for Shadows.

At this rate, he would soon realize that there were no Shadows here.

There were two options.

1. Attack the Frigid Fortress.

2. Divert attention elsewhere.

“Crossing the Frigid Canyon right now…”

“It’s impossible. It would take too long, and we can’t know what kind of traps Ignit might have set up.”

Even though the Dark Mages had severely injured Ignit, they knew better because they understood that the current Emperor would have prepared for the Demon Legion Commander trying to cross over.

That’s why they had to be extra cautious.

“Crossing here is impossible.”

“Then we must turn our sights elsewhere….”

The Dark Mages who had gathered to stop the Demon Legion Commander inadvertently looked to the north.

Excluding the allied force of Roman, the nearest location was only to the north.

“Let’s send him north.”

“But that would cause more trouble for Roman, wouldn’t it?”

“When the Demon King shows up, it’s game over anyway, isn’t it? Our top priority is to expand the Demon Gate.”

“Hm… but if we go that far north, it’ll be even harder to defend here.”

Just then, while everyone was troubled, the commander’s anger continued to mount as they exchanged ideas and tried to persuade each other.

At that moment, a wizard appeared, accompanied by Black Mist, approaching the gathering of Dark Mages.

“I’ve come to see the Elder.”

“The Master has ordered to guide the Demon Legion Commander north immediately.”

“Understood.”

As the Third Elder recognized the severity of the situation and personally came to issue orders, everyone brainstormed to reel in the Demon Legion Commander towards the north.

Except for the leader of the Dark Mages who was stationed to defend the fortress, all Elder-level beings were currently pouring their energy into the expansion of the Demon Gate.

The urgency of the situation was highlighted by the fact that the Third Elder took action personally, indicating just how severe the Demon Legion Commander’s rampage had become.

“Guide him well so he doesn’t go off and get himself killed in the Empire.”

“Yes.”

While the Third Elder personally took command and persuaded the Demon Legion Commander.

“Evidence shows that the Shadows have moved north. It seems they’re trying to involve the Nomadic Tribes.”

– Then we should smash the Nomadic Tribes.

“Yes. The expansion of the Demon Gate is more urgent, so for now, let’s destroy the areas near the border. We should stop at just disrupting the Shadows’ intentions and let the Demons handle the rest.”

The Demon Legion Commander snorted as if displeased by the Third Elder’s persuasion.

“I get that you want direct revenge on the Shadows, but think about what’s a priority.”

– Tsk!

“Just by smashing their intentions, aren’t we already damaging their operation? Perhaps we’ve caused them greater damage than the harm we’ve suffered.”

After pondering the Third Elder’s persuasion, the Demon Legion Commander finally stood up.

Having confirmed that there were no Shadows in the Giant Mountain Range firsthand, there was no point in sticking around any longer.

The surge of anger subsiding allowed the Demon Legion Commander to think clearly, leading to a decisive conclusion.

– We’re going north.

With the Demon Legion Commander’s decision, the majority of the Dark Mages and Demons followed suit.

Although he was called the ‘Dragon Slayer’ whenever he got excited and charged ahead, he had fought on battlefields for many years and understood that it wouldn’t be wise to cross the mountain range alone.

There was a high possibility he’d forget all reason and charge again when excited, so a quick decision was made, and they moved immediately to the north.

“Monsters are indeed monsters.”

“So they should be controlled well. If they veer off even a little, the Great Plan can go awry.”

One Dark Mage said, to which the Third Elder spoke in a tense tone.

Why was the Demon Legion Commander, who possessed overwhelming power, involved in the expansion of the Demon Gate?

Without a doubt, a commander with bull horns was much stronger than any other Demon Commander in the Giant’s Path. But it was precisely his reckless nature and simplicity that had stationed him here.

Crash!

Every time a spear made from bull horns swung, the surroundings splattered apart, sending hurling cavalrymen flying.

Cavalrymen were battered not by magic but purely by this brute-force attack.

Still, as the once-mighty Nomadic Tribes utilized powerful charges using mana, they were blocked immediately upon using mana.

After that, it was pure slaughter.

“It’s coming to an end.”

“Are we moving again?”

“To calm that rage, it’s best to let him sweep through this area completely.”

With the Third Elder’s statement, the nearby Dark Mage sighed.

“Even the Nomadic Tribes will become our enemies.”

“Once you serve the Demon King, humanity is an enemy anyway.”

With that, the Third Elder patted the shoulder of the Dark Mage before heading toward the next destination.

—

As the Demon Legion Commander’s attack began to devastate the northern regions of the East Continent, news of this spread all across the continent.

A public sentiment began to form among the surviving Nomadic Tribes to seek vengeance against the Demons.

And as this news reached Kariel, a smile crept onto his face.

“Finally, Golan is on the move.”

“Yes.”

The fury against Demons surged to the heads of the Nomadic Tribes.

At that moment, as if waiting for this cue, Golan raised the banner.

“Those who wish to fight the Demons, gather under Golan!”

Chief Batu Golan began to rally the enraged tribes together.

Many people started to mount their horses, beginning a massive migration to unite under Golan’s banner.

However, those tribes that had some level of power did not necessarily wish to flock to Golan. They understood that gathering around Golan would mean submitting to his command.

The perceptive ones realized that Golan aimed to unify the Nomadic Tribes at this opportune moment. As a result, several strong tribes formed alliances among themselves to oppose him.

Just then, an announcement followed.

“The Golan Tribe will begin the process of joining the Human Alliance!”

A faction formed to counter the Demons, the Human Alliance.

The news that the Golan Tribe would be joining this alliance spread in an instant throughout the entire East Continent, eventually reaching the northern plains.

Given that the Golan Tribe was already considered the strongest among the Nomadic Tribes, the news that they would join the Human Alliance caused anxieties among the remaining tribes.

“The Empire will respect Golan’s decision to fight for humanity. From now on, Golan will receive support in their struggle against the Demons…”

It was as if Ignit Emperor was waiting for just this moment for his announcement to come forth.

The Western Continent Emperor declared that he would support the entire Nomadic Tribes through Golan, prompting those tribes who had been hesitating until now to leap onto their horses to gather around Golan.

Of course, there were still those who harbored suspicions.

“It’s a scheme from the Western Continent to use us!”

“They’ll use the cavalry as a shield!”

“Golan is someone who sold out our great pride for riches!”

They claimed that instead of properly supporting them, Golan would merely use them as a shield to fight the Demons.

These protests from the opposing factions aimed to prevent Golan from unifying until the end.

But soon, their claims began to lose strength.

“Impressive.”

“Indeed.”

Supplies of support arriving from Ignit and the Southern Kingdoms.

As tribes receiving this aid began to spread rumors of wielding high-quality weapons in the plains, the goodwill toward the Golan Tribe increased even further.

In this scenario, Chief Batu of Golan exclaimed.

“We must occupy the mountainous terrain to the west! Ignit has promised even greater support! If you want to receive their assistance, gather around! We shall move westward from this moment!”

With Batu’s call, everyone who had gathered under the Golan Tribe mounted their horses in unison.

An unfathomable number of forces began their march westward.

At the same time, the remaining tribes started sending supplies southward to cultivate new strong troops through substantial aid.

As the situation unfolded this way, even tribes opposing Golan’s unification could no longer hold back.

One by one, they gathered under Golan’s banner, and the entire Nomadic Tribe began to unite.

“Ultimately, the worst-case scenario has come to pass.”

As Roman Emperor spoke, as if he had expected this, the nobles before him bowed their heads.

“We apologize!”

“Your mistakes aren’t the issue. Who could stop a madman rampaging like this?”

With those words, Roman Emperor commanded his subjects.

“Prepare for the end. I too shall move in anticipation of that time.”

Finally, the emperor, who had been seated on the throne with a weary expression, began to act. Among those gathered, there was not a single person unaware that their emperor was hiding something.

However, no one knew what that was.

At first, they thought it might be a contract with the Demons, but as the war progressed, they recognized that it wasn’t that.

And finally, as the Emperor seemed ready to reveal the ‘something’ he prepared, everyone started to feel the tension rise.