Demon Continent Alsace in 237 in the 8 month of Mogum on the 19th day after the destruction of the empire.
According to general reports, which were analyzed at the academy, the revolution was a success. In the past weeks important cities could be taken and also fortresses. All enemy forces had been destroyed or had fled across the country's borders. Many had also been taken prisoner.
Nevertheless, the revolution still had to take some more territories. Which were held by loyal troops of the military or by loyal parts of the population. The god Meinoume had backed the old ruler and made him his champion on Arkan.
Then there was the formation of their own government, where her parents would be at the helm. As she had learned, her parents and the Immortal Chancellor had worked together over the years to bring about this revolution. Which could only come to such a success, because all classes of the population had cooperated. Still, much had to be done before the former state territory was reunited.
She knew through letters from her parents that Abraxas had returned with his daughter and would be the chancellor of the New Kingdom for years to come, and that a new era would begin with the proclamation of the new Demon Kingdom on the first Lilithum. That of the unification wars, which would be followed by the time of the new demon realm.
For exactly this unification wars they trained at this academy, from morning till night only interrupted by the meals. In the evening then lessons in military history. Where they were to learn how the military of the renegades functioned or how that of the colonies functioned. And of course, how the military of the loyalists behaved. Which generals had remained loyal to the old king, which brilliant strategists had the other sides and how could they best beat this.
The troops, which still needed lessons in magic or body art, were additionally instructed in these areas. This meant that they had to study late into the night and get up as early as everyone else the following day.
An unseen recruiting campaign had broken out across the country, the likes of which the country had not seen in a long time. The army grew fourfold to a million men and the training of these new soldiers, like that of all officers at the academy, was in full swing. New students were arriving at the academy daily, from all corners of the country. Every demon was needed now, and every demon was used. There was a new wind blowing through the lands.
However, these were all things that she and her small squad of five men were only peripherally aware of; for them, the focus was on better cooperation. Which basically only meant that the cooperation between her and her four subordinates was improved. Since these four had worked together before, they were already very well attuned. Only now and then did they make a mistake.
By and large, the whole of the last month had consisted of this. Today, like all the others who were so far along in their training, they were called to the dining hall.
On her way to the dining hall, she thought about the last weeks and how they had grown together in this short time. It always seemed to her as if she had simply taken a place in the group that had previously been occupied by her without her ever knowing it, and now she had to relearn everything.
During this time, it had become apparent what a dynamic had existed among the four others even before they joined the military. Fleur and Lexington were like her two hands in the troop. Whereas Arle had and would have to continue to put a little work into his demeanor and environmental awareness. Since he was really only in an officer's career because of his talent and if he didn't overcome those issues, he would be stuck as Fleur's right hand forever. Which she didn't know if that bothered him. It seemed to her that he always performed just so in tests that he stayed exactly behind Fleur, helping her to always stay at eye level or a step ahead of Lexington. So his mistakes may not have been one, but an intentional act by him to secure Fleur's position as her right-hand man. Which, when she realized it, always sent a shiver down her spine.
Lexington was always a little weaker when it came to the physical feats they had to perform. He was superior to Fleur in the tasks that required brains, which pleased him immensely and annoyed her to the core. Which is why the two were in a perpetual competition. From height to the test results each of them got or which of them could eat the fastest. For both of them it was a competition in which she was dragged at the beginning until she could show that she was not to be caught up by the others and therefore had earned her place as leader. She always had to make sure that she would not fall behind them or one of them would usurp the title of leader.
Rezac, on the other hand, was mostly the quiet observer and Lexington's right-hand woman; she seemed to maintain his edge on things with brains. Which gave her the impression that she immensely enjoyed fomenting it. But should one of the other two who served as her hands become too lanky, she would show her true colors and take over their position, taking them both on again until they were once more above her. Thus the structure of her troop had changed constantly in the last few weeks. Rezac seemed to smell weakness and always know how to exploit it. Which she showed often enough in her fights against other troops. She was also like that towards her, so she had had to spend a week under her when she had been put in charge of the squad, because she had delivered too bad results.
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Which in itself was not a bad experience, because she could see how it was to get orders and how to execute them. Her talent had always brought her into a leadership role, so she had never had to listen to anyone other than a teacher.
She believed that the better squad hierarchy was her then Rezac and then Fleur and Lexington, who didn't seem to need a right hand for the moment, and Arle as Fleur's right hand.
At least that was how she had restructured the group after she was reinstated as leader. That at least was what she was working towards and this small loss of power over the troop had shown her this troop constellation and who of the four, who had known each other before, was the real leader. She only had to take the lead, she also suspected that Rezac had done that because she had misread the dynamics of the four. Now there were demons who preferred to rule through others and Rezac seemed to be such a demon.
Which meant that all five of them were now standing in the front row, looking at the stage that had been set up in front of them. On it different teachers and also military had gathered.
They all had to appear in their uniforms and as a united group in the large hall, where they were now waiting for whatever had to be announced to be announced.
Minerva saw out of the corner of her eye that Fleur was impatient and jittery, a trait she had yet to shed, either voluntarily or through rigorous training. But she was not the only one, she was also restless, like the majority of the present recruits of the academy. There was never really anything unexpected, at least not yet for her cohort of recruits. So that her year and all the others of the academy had to gather here was something unusual. Also, there had been no advance notice and they had only been informed of it this morning when they got up.
The quiet murmuring and rustling of clothes suddenly died away as the Academy Rector stepped onto the stage, the teachers and military men gathered behind him against the wall where they lined up neatly.
For a few moments he let his gaze wander over the recruits present, seeming to size them up as he did so. For what, she could only guess, but without a confirmation from him it would only remain that a hunch. But it could not be about much else than the unification wars. He then cleared his throat with a fist in front of his mouth before he began to speak.
"You are all aware of the current situation in which the Demon Realm finds itself." He then paused for a moment. "Here at the Academy, as well as in other military institutions, we have watched the developing situation with growing displeasure. For years we have had to serve a ruler who was incapable of holding on to his lands. Over and over again, there were secessions of lords who appointed themselves as their own rulers. But a true ruler would have destroyed these renegades and wiped out their entire families. But not our old ruler, he had inherited his throne from his father, something that is non-demonic. A true ruler would have earned the throne by deeds, or by divine command." Now he paused again. The crunch of his leather gloves could be heard in the hall, which had fallen into silence, as he now clenched this into a fist, which seemed to tremble with rage and power. "No, he got his throne because his father had fed a false serpent to his bosom. A false believer in our gods, a traitor to our customs. Who tried to lead us like lambs to the slaughter of his false god." During this speech, his head had grown darker and darker. To Minerva, the whole thing was beginning to sound like a hate speech against the former king, or rather against the one who held the real power in the kingdom. Which must have been the high priest, judging by the speech of the rector. Which, she knew, had been one of the reasons why everything had rebelled.
"But not only did we see the disease spreading through our realm, no, we had allies in our fight against this pestilence that lives like a cancer in our midst." He paused to calm himself, but also to let what had been said so far sink in a bit. It seemed like he didn't want to lose his audience. After letting another brief glance wander over the recruits frozen in shock, he continued with a slight, yet grim smile.
"The nobles and the people are behind us and against the high priest and his puppet, who calls himself king. For years he has been selling our land to the renegades or to the new colonists of other races, who come to take away our homeland and enslave us. Which god does the high priest of the empire serve? Certainly not Asmodus and Lilith or some other demonic god." Now he began to shake his head violently and in choppy movements, so that his cap shifted. "No, he serves Meinoume, a god who is no stranger to us demons." After he announced the name of the god, several loud cries were heard. Meinoume was a god of slavery and decay, and whomever his worshippers served him in any of these aspects of him, they could be assured of eternal wealth. At least until the next slave rose, which he watched with pleasure and feasted on the souls of his believers. And he had been after Lilith for ages, to enslave her and her power and consume Asmodus. Why he always targeted demons and demonic gods was a matter which was lost in the annals of history. Nevertheless, every child learned the stories of how he had almost enslaved the gods and demons.
"You all know the stories and may have thought they were nothing more than texts of faith to teach children respect for our gods, but no, all the stories of every confrontation with Meinoume is true and he is not only an enemy to the demons, but to all of Arcane. He would enslave and devour everything. Because he is driven by an eternal hunger, he finally ate his own children and tried to enslave his wife, who then fled. This is what our High Priest as his priest had planned for us a life of servitude to this god. He finally belongs to the demons which we call Meinoumeen. The demons which he was able to enslave and still holds to this day." In the middle of his speech, he had begun to walk up and down the edge of the stage, also straightening his hat. Now, when he had returned to the center of the stage, he stopped and looked again into the audience of recruits. "That is why we will hunt the traitors to the end of Arcane and there will be no place for them to hide from us." Again, he let what he had said sink in for a moment before continuing. "A powerful alliance has been forged between the military, the nobility, and the populace to rebel against the rule of the false god and his servants. Like any iron, however, it must be forged while it is still hot, and to establish a new demon realm, we must strike now while we are strong and our enemies think us weak." For a short time there was silence around the hall. As if they all sensed it, they all saluted and shouted "Await your orders commander."