The Executed Sage Reincarnates as a Lich and Begins a War of Aggression

A few nights later.

A feast was being held in the capital, celebrating our victory against the Empire.

It all started when Luciana proposed the idea.

She said that the Demon Lord's army, which had been engaged in nothing but war, needed a breather.

Certainly, that was true.

Leaving me aside, my men certainly needed a break to rest their minds.

Their mental and physical health came first and foremost.

If they forced themselves, they would collapse sooner or later.

Even though I clearly understood the implications, I hadn't been able to do anything about it, which was probably due to my lack of consideration.

I clearly realized that with Luciana's proposal.

Anyway, nothing progresses if all you do is reflect.

I discussed the idea of holding a banquet with the other executives.

Henry was strongly for it.

He said it was an excuse for him to drink and let loosebe merry.

His honest opinion was quite like him.

Although Grom didn't support it outright, he didn't particularly raise any objections.

He said that since I wasn't opposed to it, he didn't mind holding it.

The reason why he didn't hold any strong opinions about it, was perhaps because he couldn't eat or drink with that body of his.

Still, he didn't seem to dislike it enough to object.

After a brief discussion the executives came to an agreement.

And tonight, the feast was to be held.

The streets and squares of the capital were overflowing with demons.

There were so many of them that the whole area around the square had turned into a meeting place.

There were countless meals and barrels of wine arranged on tables set up here and there.

They seemed to be enjoying themselves, eating and drinking merrily.

I floated in the sky and observed the banquet.

"Oi! Bring some more! Hahaha! There, drink up, drink up! "

I heard a spirited voice.

It was Henry, bursting in laughter.

He was rubbing shoulders with the headless Doldar, emptying one drink after another.

He dragged in the surrounding demons, and made a romp.

Since he regularly trained the demons in combat as their instructor, he got along unusually well with them.

They had overcome the boundaries of race and deepened their friendship.

The next morning, many of them would be suffering from hangovers, so it might be a good idea to prepare some medicine now.

A little farther away, Luciana and her subordinate succubi were enjoying an elegant evening drink.

It was quieter when compared to Henry's surroundings.

Their atmosphere was unlike that for a feast. The girls were all dressed to the nine, and enjoying their buffet.

If I had to give it a name, I’d call it an evening soiree.

"You're late! The food is all cold now! "

Grom shouted angrily at his subordinates, but for some reason he was cooking the food.

In a corner of the feast, he used all eight of his arms to whip up a variety of dishes.

There were shouts of amazement from the people around him.

Even from a distance, I could see that he was quite skillful.

There must have been a chef amongst the dead he was composed of.

Grom was able to draw on his skills to cook.

The food he made seemed to be very popular as empty plates were being brought in one after another.

Even as he scolded his subordinates, Grom seemed to be in a good mood.

He himself must be feeling good about being relied on.

Although he couldn't eat or drink, he was enjoying the feast.

At a distance, the humans were also having a feast.

They were people from all over the Demon Lord's territory.

There was still a psychological barrier between them and the demons, and they were too unfamiliar with each other to be able to socialize with the demons.

However, there were a few people who were talking to the demons.

It was not as tense as I had expected.

They were cautiously testing the waters.

It is a good sign.

I hope that they will continue to get closer just like this.

Although they weren't in the capital, I had also sent food and drinks to the elves in the Forest of Yggdrasil.

They must also be holding a feast right now.

Although it is still difficult at the moment, I hope to be able to invite them to the capital eventually.

It's packed. Well, that is to be expected.

We were done dealing with the aftermath of our war with the imperial army.

The Demon Lord's army had invaded the empire's territories from east to west, and had turned all the territories just before the imperial capital into my territory.

In order to strengthen our presence, I've used my magic to draw rivers as a substitute for borders.

It would make for an easy to understand marker.

With this invasion, we had taken about 20% of the Empire's territory.

In addition, the imperial capital was half destroyed, and the enemy had lost the power of a powerful country both in name and reality.

However, there was still enough chance for a comeback.

The remaining cities in the empire could work together and utilize their vast land mass.

They had no dearth of resources, and they could also make use of their ties with allied nations.

Ideally they shouldn’t do anything foolish and keep a watchful eye on the Demon Lord's army, looking out for the perfect opportunity to exact revenge.

As for the future, I intend to monitor the movements of each country.

There is no need to fight any more battles from here on.

With the Empire weakened, each country will probably make a move.

That was what the present situation was.

In all of history, the Empire has never suffered this much damage.

It's a powerful country that was established after a series of invasions and victories.

I remember that even during the time when the previous Demon Lord was alive, they took the initiative in defeating the demon race.

Seeing such an empire weakened to a mere shadow of it's past self, the neighbouring countries will themselves be forced to make a choice.

I wonder how they're going to play this game…

I expect that there will be a few countries that will hope to become vassals to the Demon Lord's territories.

They will realize that their military power is no match for the Demon Lord's, and will show their obedience before they are destroyed.

They may seem rash, but their judgement could be said to be wise.

I do not deny this way of thinking.

Giving up is also one way to end conflict.

However, I do not think all countries will pick the same choice.

There will always be countries that will plan to attack the Demon Lord's territory– and eventually subjugate him.

They may have developed countermeasures based on the damage caused to the Empire, and they may still be steadily advancing their strategy.

I wonder what awaits them, other than servitude to the undead.

When they imagined the end result, it was natural that they would not give up their resistance.

This was no exaggeration, it was a battle to protect the existence and dignity of humanity.

For the time being, the Demon Lord's army will stop the invasion and concentrate on the development of the territory for the time being.

At the same time, I would like to develop some weapons.

I had brought back a lot of documents and prototypes from the Imperial Capital.

I wanted us to be prepared to make practical use of the weapons.

I was also planning to develop the outskirts of the Forest of Yggdrasil.

I had been forced to bring them to that area by force from far away, and yet it was still inconvenient.

I want to make it easier for the elves to live there.

I'm sure I haven't completely wiped out their confusion over the change in environment.

It is also a challenge to maintain a good relationship with them.

It looks like troubles await us in the future.

Belonging to the Demon Lord's Army means being an enemy of the world.

Till the day they lose their lives, my subordinates will throw themselves into wars.

No, even if they die, they will continue to fight as undead.

As the Demon Lord who forces them in this endless loop, I will be labelled as extremely cruel and unjust.

Tonight's feast is a precious break. I have to let them enjoy at least this much.

As I glanced at my high-spirited subordinates.

It may not be the smartest thing to do, but there was something I wanted to try.

I raised my arms above my head and used my magic.

Countless fireballs shot out from my fingertips.

They flew up with a shrill sound and burst with the moon as the backdrop.

Dazzling sparks of light floated down, accompanying the loud bangs.

I fired the same spell in rapid succession, making minor adjustments.

One after another, colourful fireballs shot up into the night sky.

This created a magical scene.

My subordinates roared and cheered.

There was applause and whistles all around.

The response exceeded my expectations.

I was worried that I wouldn't be welcomed, but it seemed to have gone well.

—I continued to paint the night sky as I looked out over the vibrant streets of the royal capital.