I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 192 Flower Fairy
Celestine Novak.

The top graduate of the fourth year of the Mystra Magic Academy, the holder of the 'Hell of the Forest' spell, with the class of High-Rank Magician, but combat power comparable to that of a Super-Rank Magician. He is also the only one since the previous Demon King to have broken through the ten spell circuit limit. He has now mastered a hundred different types of spells and is recognized by the high-ranking officials of the Brown Kingdom as a 'Limit Breaker' who may surpass the previous Demon King of the Empire, who made countless people tremble, and inherit the Demon King title that has been vacant for decades.

Although the Novak family nominally claims that she is the illegitimate daughter of the current patriarch, Peter Novak, Celestine herself did not inherit the six fingers that are a family tradition of the Novak family, nor did she possess any other unusual features.

Only the legendary Flower Fairy, a half-human being who comes from Morno State and lives in the Sunflower habitat, with all adult species not exceeding 0.8 meters in size, possesses blue hair that is generally wavy and has an independent will.

Moreover, due to the magical mutation, the Sunflower has gradually withered, and the newborns of the Flower Fairy can no longer obtain the full blessing from the Sunflower.

Moreover, apart from the Fairy Queen born from the most vibrant sunflower of each generation, the other flower fairies not only lost their immortality but also suffered from underdeveloped brains. Therefore, as early as a thousand years ago, their average intelligence had regressed to the level of a 13-year-old human child, forcing them to withdraw from the stage of civilization.

However, due to their naivety and simplicity, their exceptional beauty, and the fact that the fairy race is no longer as powerful as it once was, they are no longer worshipped by humans and thus cannot receive offerings.

In order to survive, they had no choice but to come to the human world to work and obtain magic stones to slow down the withering of the Sun Flower.

Later, by chance, a merchant discovered that applying fairy blood to the skin could effectively delay aging.

This trait, which the fairies who were once favored by the gods and paid the least attention to, became the key to bringing disaster.

Thus, in modern times, the flower fairies, once favored by the gods, unsurprisingly became the most popular commodities among the nobles of the Otto continent.

This even gave rise to a profession called 'demon hunter'.

Given the already low birth rate of flower fairies, in just ten years, they became a rare race that was almost completely extinct.

If it weren't for the fact that Perus I had just developed the invincible magic weapon and launched a full-scale attack on the Eastern Atlanta Empire, annexing it and incorporating it into the core territory of the current eastern part of the empire.

Afterwards, they launched a large-scale invasion of neighboring countries, plunging the entire continent of Otto into a fifty-year war of imperial rise, thus giving the Flower Fairy the opportunity to recall her people and completely seal off the Sunflower Field.

Then the Flower Fairy race has probably been completely wiped out long ago.

Even so, after twelve emperors of the empire, and now with William Perus XIII seizing power through a coup, the Flower Fairy has not shown any trace on the continent of Otto for nearly two hundred years.

Therefore, many mainstream biological researchers agree that these mythical creatures, which were favored by the gods in the age of the gods and thus became beautiful, pure, wise, and powerful, with a legendary status comparable to dragons, have become completely extinct.

But Celestine's appearance subtly shattered this perception.

After Marquis Peter Novak publicly acknowledged Celestine's identity, the nobles of the Kingdom of Brown were not only curious about the matter, but also gave Marquis Peter Novak the elegant nickname of 'Fairy Knight'.

Many more were trying to find out the whereabouts of the Flower Fairy from the other party, but before these restless nobles could take action, the Dean of the Mystra Magic Academy met with Marquis Novak and personally conducted a test for Celestine.

They immediately accepted him as a disciple and, for the first time ever, bestowed upon him the 'Star Moon Golden Leaf Badge'.

In the history of the Kingdom of Brown, this badge represents supreme magical talent and potential unmatched by anyone of its time.

Even in the thousands of years since the founding of the Mystra Magic Academy, only four people, including Celestine, have received this honor.

The other three who received the Star Moon Golden Leaf Badge were all the strongest figures in history, suppressing their respective eras.

It is an existence that even the Brown royal family, which possesses the Golden Law spell, cannot rival.

After gaining the approval of Principal Mistra, even though they were unwilling, all the nobles of the Kingdom of Brown had no choice but to give up their ideas.

They then tried to inquire about the Flower Fairy's territory from Marquis Novak, but unsurprisingly, they returned empty-handed.

Celestine's background thus became a mystery.

Some speculate that she is a hybrid born from the union of a mother with the bloodlines of a flower fairy and a beastman, and a child of Marquis Novak.

Some people speculate that she is a flower fairy who has returned from hell, based on her unique technique of summoning countless corpses and vengeful spirits to fight with a mere wave of her hand. Her purpose in coming to the Kingdom of Brown is to learn more magic from the Mistra Academy, which is said to have the most complete set of magic techniques in the world, to enter the realm of true divinity, and then destroy humanity to avenge her people.

Some even speculated that she might be a rare demon named Medusa, born from the union of a flower fairy and a snake-person, because of her hair, which could move on its own like a venomous snake.

Despite the various opinions, surprisingly none of the nobles of the Kingdom of Brown denied Celestine's existence.

That's Celestine's talent.

Whether it's the tireless, pain-free, and even rapidly regenerating death legion created by the opponent after unleashing their unique spells, or the legion that can continue to participate in the battle after being broken, thanks to the infusion of magic.

Or perhaps it was the opponent's ability to simultaneously unleash dozens of offensive magical spells in all directions, a magical talent that could be described as near-perfect.

All of this has proven that she is a true genius qualified to seize the title of Demon King.

However, it seems to be a response to the saying of Herald, the Lord of the Sun, whom the believers revered as 'God,' who descended to earth and recorded it in the records of medieval believers in the Solari sect of the Kingdom of Victoria—'The gainer is also the loser.'

Celestine, who possesses almost astonishing talent, also has her own flaws.

That is, as the power increases, the other party's emotions will be weakened uncontrollably due to the increase in the spell circuits.

Even if the other party has only reached the upper rank, they have almost lost the ability to express emotions.

Add to that the inexplicably empty eyes, the fact that the other person had lost the ability to distinguish colors in the world, and the first thing they did after mastering magic under the personal guidance of the headmaster.

It is not an attempt to use magic to compensate for the limitations of the eyes and thus truly observe the world.

Instead, they unhesitatingly used offensive magic to annihilate the flock of birds in Mystra Academy that had a loud chirping sound that told the time for the academy.

Celestine's reasoning for this was:
"They're too noisy."

Furthermore, after gaining power, instead of curbing their reckless behavior, they became even more outrageous.

The targets of the hunt were first ordinary birds, then magical beasts, and then prisoners.

Furthermore, the methods of execution became increasingly ruthless and cruel. According to rumors, the scene created after the execution was so brutal that even a soldier with ten battles of experience would be shocked to witness it.

The other person will also feel nauseous and vomit involuntarily.

It presents a completely opposite state to the wonderful qualities represented by the flower fairy blood flowing in the other's body.

Even describing him as a demon wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Celestine's behavior further solidified the minds of the higher-ups who already considered her an evil entity, leading them to even request her expulsion and execution.

However, these proposals were ultimately rejected by the De Vries family, who currently hold real power in the Kingdom of Brown, through the words of the current emperor, who is only four years old. But the perception of Celestine also changed due to his displayed tyranny and cruelty.

The commander who originally led the troops was transformed into a war machine for the Kingdom of Brown to deal with the Norman Empire.

It is precisely for this reason that Celestine, despite being the strongest among the twelve, did not receive the title of captain during the formation of the Allied Special Operations Department.

Instead, the position was filled by Anna Splinter, who inherited the spirit of chivalry and was considered top-notch in terms of command, execution of orders, and personal combat ability.

However, compared to the future trajectory of this group of monsters, what truly sent chills down Erwin's spine was not whether Celestine's bizarre personality would cause conflict with the team members when he took her in.

After all, he's just a mentor. As long as he gets the person to the destination, even if they fight tooth and nail afterward, it's none of his business.

But now, after seeing the research manuscript in front of him, Erwin realized that he was in big trouble.

In his view, what he discovered this time was not some confidential information that could be exchanged for a reward, but a major crisis that could cost him his life!

Imagine if the news got out that Celestine Novak wasn't the illegitimate daughter of the Novak family, but rather a product of an experimental madman from the Kingdom of Brown who had modified the human body.

Let's not even talk about the astonishing public opinion it will cause.

Most importantly, at that time, would the Novak family, whose 'truth' had been exposed, really let it go?

Furthermore, although Peter Novak is a marquis of the Kingdom of Brown, does he really have the ability to conduct such a large-scale experiment?
Irwin certainly couldn't believe that this wasn't approved by higher-ups.

In other words, the higher-ups in the Kingdom of Brown were likely aware of, or even tacitly approved of, Celestine's modification experiments.

The reason this doctor named Tracy was sent to this godforsaken village was to continue this secret experiment in order to create one, or even several, monsters like Celestine!

Moreover, it is more likely that the disappearances and plagues that have occurred around the Astra Mountains, resulting in the disappearance and death of a large number of civilians, are not just coincidences, but rather something that someone is plotting behind the scenes!
After all, the number of human subjects required for such a damn experiment is enormous.

However, he accidentally exposed this secret this time, and he has obviously come into the sights of the person behind the Brown Kingdom who carried out this modification experiment.

Based on this reasoning, the assassin who just passed by was probably not just passing by, but was either lying in ambush.

Instead, they specifically chose this location to carry out surveillance and investigation orders for the deceased researcher.

Otherwise, the other side wouldn't have killed her before Anna arrived.

Isn't this a preemptive measure to silence witnesses in order to prevent the secret modification experiments being exposed by the Kingdom of Brown?
The reason Anna Splinter was able to survive at the hands of a high-ranking mage was most likely not because Anna was particularly strong, but because the mage, considering the formation of the Allied Special Operations Division, deliberately spared Anna's life.

It was also a warning to myself, a warning not to continue the investigation, and even more so, not to report it.

Otherwise, the other party will definitely try to silence me!
It's all connected!
Damn it, I knew it. If you don't follow the procedures properly, nothing good will come of it in the end.

Now things are really messed up. Not only will he get scolded for delaying his trip, but he'll also likely be monitored by assassins from the Kingdom of Brown.

All I wanted to do was honestly complete this shitty pick-up and drop-off task, and now I'm being dragged into this mess!

Erwin inwardly groaned, especially after realizing that the language recorded in this damned notebook was not the language of the Kingdom of Brown, but rather from the Norman Empire.

The terrifying associations generated by divergent thinking caused Erwin to shudder involuntarily with just a single thought.

Almost instantly, as if he had touched a venomous snake, he threw the damned diary away.

Then, without thinking, he turned and left with a livid face, but after leading Anna and the other two out of the passage...

As if he had thought of something, he paused slightly, and then without hesitation unleashed a high-level 'wave of fire' at the terrifying laboratory below, which he considered to be almost deadly.

"boom!"

A terrifying pillar of fire tore through the darkness and quickly filled the laboratory below, burning everything inside to ashes almost instantly. But Erwin did not stop; instead, he continued to increase his magical output without reservation.

He only stopped after burning the entire floor above the laboratory until it collapsed, turning it into a huge crater indistinguishable except for ashes. Then, his face pale, he wiped the cold sweat from his brow.

Then, with a serious expression, he reminded Anna and the other two, who had different expressions:
"None of you are allowed to tell anyone about what happened today, understand?"

"But……"

"No buts, this is an order, do as I say!"

Before the astonished Reus could ask for more details, Erwin interrupted him, his face ashen, and said:

"In short, we'll say we don't know anything about this matter and that we're not clear on it, no matter who asks us. Otherwise, we'll be in big trouble later. I'm not kidding you!"

Seeing the three looking tense, Erwin, who had initially intended to lead everyone away from this awful place as quickly as possible, seemed to remember something. He quickly looked at Anna, who looked inexplicably nervous, and hurriedly instructed her:
"Also, Anna, stop worrying about the assailant. He's someone with a powerful background and is most likely connected to the higher-ups in the Kingdom of Brown. However, he's not targeting us, so in a sense, he's not our enemy. So you don't need to fret anymore, understand?"

Not an enemy?

But didn't that guy claim to be an Imperial citizen?
What exactly did Teacher Erwin mean by that?
Anna was completely bewildered, but looking at Erwin, whose face was so pale it looked almost like a dead man, as if he would die on the spot if Anna dared to say a word back, Anna was completely lost.

In the end, she suppressed her doubts and honestly replied to the other party:

"I understand, Teacher Erwin."

"Very good, phew..."

Seeing that all three had agreed, Erwin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But when he thought about the high probability that there were other powerful figures from the Kingdom of Brown watching over the area, he immediately felt a cold sweat break out on his back.

Without even considering whether it would displease the three monster-level students, he forcibly led them to his jeep parked outside the village.

He then started the car and drove at full speed toward the Mistra Academy, as if fleeing for his life.

Soon, it disappeared into the dark night.

"Buzz!"

……

(End of this chapter)