The Smiling Death

Chapter 482: Demon Queen

She was the Demon Queen.

Nyxariel Noctyra.

At that moment, she sat lazily upon her throne.

One elbow rested against the armrest while her cheek leaned lightly against her fist.

Her expression appeared calm and indifferent. Yet there was something naturally imposing about her.

A queen did not need to announce her authority.

Her existence alone was enough.

Below the staircase, a knight knelt respectfully.

His head remained lowered. His armor gleamed beneath the throne room’s lights. He did not dare raise his gaze toward the Empress without permission.

After a moment, he finally spoke.

"Your Majesty."

Nyxariel’s eyes shifted toward him.

The knight continued.

"The academy students have arrived."

The Empress remained silent for several seconds.

Then a faint trace of amusement flickered across her eyes.

"Oh?"

Her voice was deep and smooth.

Elegant.

The kind of voice that naturally commanded attention.

"Since they have come..."

Her gaze drifted toward one of the massive windows overlooking the capital.

"I hope they enjoy their stay."

The knight immediately bowed lower.

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

Silence returned briefly.

Then the knight spoke once more.

"We have also received the list of names from Arcadia Academy, as requested."

This time, Nyxariel’s interest visibly increased.

The academy students themselves were not particularly important.

However, knowing who had entered her kingdom certainly was.

A ruler could never be too careful.

"Good."

The knight nodded.

"We requested their information purely for security purposes."

And another major reason was to know whether any high-profile children were among them.

Arcadia Academy was famous throughout the Human Continent.

Naturally, it had many noble children from influential families.

Even princes and princesses.

So knowing about them was always beneficial.

Who knew?

They might be able to build good relationships with them.

Nyxariel gave a small hum of approval.

The knight then opened a document.

He began reading several names. Most received no reaction.

Yet suddenly, "There is also Seraphina Luminous."

The Empress’s eyes widened slightly. Only for a brief moment. The reaction vanished so quickly that most people would have missed it entirely.

The knight certainly did. Nyxariel leaned back against her throne. Her gaze became thoughtful.

"Seraphina Luminous..."

She repeated the name quietly. The surname alone carried enormous significance.

Luminous. The family of the strongest human alive. The man whose name was known throughout the world.

Alistair Luminous. The same person who had killed the last Demon Emperor.

And the same person who had helped her ascend the throne. For several moments, the Empress remained silent.

Then a faint smile appeared on her lips.

"Hmm."

The knight waited patiently.

Finally, she spoke.

"I suppose I should pay her a visit personally this evening."

The knight raised his head slightly in surprise.

A personal visit from the Empress herself was no small matter.

Yet he quickly recovered.

"As you command, Your Majesty."

Then he continued reading more names.

Another one drew her attention.

"Eliana Sylvaris... Sylvaris... daughter of Rhaelys Sylvaris. The Elf King."

Nyxariel’s gaze moved toward the distant city visible through the enormous windows.

Far below, countless citizens lived their daily lives.

And somewhere among them were the students from Arcadia Academy. Including the granddaughter of Alistair Luminous.

And the Elven Princess.

The irony was amusing.

The granddaughter of the man who had killed the previous ruler of the Demon Kingdom was now a guest in the royal capital.

A soft chuckle escaped her lips.

How strange the world had become. She never thought she would one day meet that man’s granddaughter.

Her pink eyes narrowed slightly.

"This is going to be interesting... I need to meet those youngsters."

While the Demon Empress was preparing to visit Seraphina and Eliana,

Amon was enjoying his time with his friends.

He knew nothing about any of this. Not that he had any reason to. He had nothing to do with the Empress. So this trip would surely be safe.

There was no need to worry about anything.

---

Back to Amon and others.

Their first destination was the Crimson Crown Plaza.

At the center stood a gigantic monument dedicated to the founding of the Demon Kingdom.

Towering statues surrounded the plaza.

The architecture blended beauty with intimidating grandeur.

With sparkling eyes, Amon exclaimed,

"Wow! This is great!! Hey, let’s take a picture here!! Take out your pagers!!"

He immediately ran toward the monument.

It was made from dark black stone.

The monument stood proudly in the center of the plaza, rising nearly forty feet into the sky.

Carved from black marble, it depicted a demon wearing heavy armor with a massive sword pointed toward the heavens.

Vines climbed around the base, weaving through ancient runes.

Walking beside Amon, Eliana asked curiously,

"Hmm... who should we ask to take the picture?"

Amon rubbed his chin.

"Hm... we need a group photo. Let’s ask another student."

Marcus simply stood nearby with folded arms.

Amon had already dragged Aisha over with them.

All of them stood in front of the monument wearing their academy uniforms.

Amon called Amelia to take the photo.

She was there classmate and Amon know her from last years dungeon practice. She was in his team, together with Aisha.

Now he stood between Seraphina and Marcus.

Aisha stood beside Marcus.

Eliana stood beside Seraphina.

Amon immediately placed one arm over Marcus’s shoulder and the other over Seraphina’s shoulder.

"Dammit! Don’t cling to me, you bastard!" Marcus reacted immediately.

Of course, Amon completely ignored him.

Seraphina was also startled when Amon placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her slightly closer.

A faint blush appeared on her face before quickly vanishing. She didn’t hate his touch. Rather it felt warm to her.

Amelia raised the pager.

"Alright, everyone smile!"

A soft smile appeared on Seraphina’s face.

Aisha stood with an annoyed expression and her arms folded beneath her chest.

Eliana raised a hand and showed a victory sign with a bright smile. Marcus was still complaining about Amon.

Meanwhile, Amon himself smiled widely. The group photo was clicked. And it was better than they expected.