I play a Evil God in Otome Game

Chapter 152 Fake genocide(5/?)

The Imperial Army advanced rapidly toward the city of Sarden, entering regions where the population of Drachenreich was sparse. They had entered the harshest phase of the war.

Aurelion's peasants burned their grain, and some even joined guerrilla units to hinder the Empire. Their goal was to exploit the Empire's swift progress by targeting grain convoys departing from supply lines left behind.

At first, the Empire easily resisted these efforts. Over time, however, the farther the Imperial Army advanced, the harder it became. The guerrilla tactics were swift and hit-and-run. Without meticulous care, the Empire could not eliminate them effectively.

The primary target was Sarden. For now, the Empire ignored the guerrillas—until the Aurelions seized all property, grain, and farms belonging to Drachenreich citizens.

The ruthlessness of the Aurelions surpassed even that of the Empire to a certain extent. After all, even Morrigan valued the ethnic minorities still residing in her nation.

In contrast, the Republic blamed Drachenreich citizens for the war and seized everything they owned.

According to Imperial intelligence, Drachenreich citizens exiled from Aurelion villages were forcibly migrated into Imperial territories to slow the Imperial Army's advance.

Naturally, this enraged Morrigan and her government. The anger wasn't directed at the migrants but rather at the actions of the Republic.

Tens of thousands of people—children, pregnant women, and the elderly—were forced to march under harsh conditions without food or water. This was equivalent to a mass slaughter.

Thus, under an imperial decree, Morrigan issued a ruthless order. Villages captured in rural areas were to have their inhabitants enslaved for labor in camps and mines, while their property and villages were given to the migrants.

The decree did not end there. The most terrifying part was that for every Drachenreich citizen condemned to death in Republic territories, an entire village in Aurelion would be annihilated.

Morrigan aimed to instill fear in both her enemies and any opposition within her own ranks. Civilian casualties were inevitable, but that was the reality of war.

Though Morrigan appeared cruel, had the Republic been in her position, they would have done the same.

"Scream!"

As the screams echoed through the village, the Imperial Army slaughtered all men, adult women, and the elderly with disdain. The children were swiftly taken and sent to the Empire for adoption by families.

As the village burned, the screams resonated throughout the night. Thanks to 18 months of strict discipline, the Imperial Army operated with brutal efficiency.

As the fire spread rapidly, silence finally descended with the end of the massacre. While the bodies burned, Julgen—whose real name was Thalia—walked among the soldiers with a smirk.

Compared to her previous form, the succubus wore a luxurious outfit that revealed most of her skin, capable of bringing even the toughest man to his knees.

Normally, as a covert intelligence member, Thalia had no authority to command troops. Unfortunately, neither Simon nor George had the heart to carry out a civilian massacre.

Considering Thomas's personality, he would probably have lazily wandered around. Bernard was too compassionate to give such an order.

The only option left was the succubus Thalia, who lacked human empathy. A week after the Magnus line was broken, she relentlessly commanded her special and loyal battalion of Imperial soldiers, annihilating an entire village for every Drachenreich citizen's corpse found.

"This makes the 25th village today. Still many more to go!" The succubus let out a joyful scream. Her alluring eyes turned to a man lying on the ground, and her face contorted in disappointment. "What a shame... He would have been a delicious meal."

Sighing, Thalia was about to give orders to leave when she suddenly sensed a presence and immediately turned around.

Behind her stood a woman clad in blue and yellow armor, wielding a sword. It was none other than Jeanne.

Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the corpses on the ground. As Jeanne looked at the still-smiling Thalia, holy flames poured from her sword, scorching the earth.

"You... you killed them..."

Hearing Jeanne's cold voice, Thalia smiled. "Yes, I did. So what? Don't you humans kill each other every day?"

Jeanne said nothing more, gripping her sword tightly. Her gaze, filled with resolve, remained fixed on Thalia. "This was a massacre. Such cruelty..."

"Forget about that. How did you enter the country? Did you sneak in, Hero Jeanne?" Thalia murmured mockingly. Jeanne bit her lip, narrowing her eyes. "That is none of your concern."

"Enough talk," Thalia said with a bored tone. Without another word, Jeanne launched herself at her.

Thalia laughed and manipulated poisonous plants rising from the ground to attack Jeanne swiftly. Jeanne slashed her sword, burning the plants with holy flames.

"Jeanne... Are you real?" Her mother rushed to her, wrapping her in warm arms. Jeanne was stunned as her mother looked at her with joy. "We missed you so much! Your father and I!"

"M-mother." Jeanne only managed a soft murmur, her voice trembling with emotion. But just as she was about to speak further, her body moved on its own, driving her sword through her mother's abdomen.

"What?"

As her mother gasped, Jeanne tried to pull the blade back in horror but to no avail. "Mother! I—"

"Jeanne!"

Hearing her father's voice, Jeanne's eyes widened further, and she felt her sanity slipping. Her father roared with anger and charged toward her.

"You monster! You've destroyed our family!"

"Father, I—"

"Silence!"

As her father shouted, Jeanne's body moved uncontrollably again, slicing his head off with inhuman speed. Blood splattered across Jeanne's face.

As the body fell to the ground, Jeanne wept, staring at the corpses. "This—this is an illusion! Yes! An illusion."

Trying to collect herself, Jeanne realized it was too late. To her shock, everything rewound as if time itself was reversing.

"Jeanne!"

Her mother embraced her again, and once more, Jeanne killed her. Then her father. The time loop repeated a hundred times.

"I—I don't want this... I—"

Jeanne clutched her blood-soaked clothes after cutting her father's head off again. "I—"

"This is your hell... My sweet Jeanne..."

Thalia's soothing voice made Jeanne's head throb. Jeanne clutched her head. "I—I'll kill you!"

"I'm eagerly awaiting it, my dear Jeanne..."

As Thalia's voice faded, the illusion cycle continued 900 more times until it shattered. Jeanne suddenly found herself atop a bull.

"Jeanne! Are you okay?" Jomei's concerned voice reached her as he began to flee with her. Thalia watched them escape with a smirk but didn't pursue.

"I'm just so tired, Jomei..." Jeanne murmured weakly. Jomei refrained from asking further questions and hurried away.

Meanwhile, Thalia knelt reverently as a raven approached her. "As you commanded, my Lord, I have implanted a watcher within the hero's mind. We now have a valuable spy."

Lucifer smiled. "Good. Reward whoever came up with the idea of the fake genocide. Heroes are strong but foolish."

Lucifer mocked. They hadn't killed a single human from the start. Instead, they enslaved peasants as serfs and replaced them with illusions.

It had all been a trap. The Church had sent their heroes here to supposedly destroy evil. Searching for them openly would have complicated things.

That's why Morrigan and the government chose Thalia as bait, drawing all attention to her. Everything had gone according to plan.

The so-called hero had grown tired of hiding and emerged to kill Thalia. They were fortunate neither Boris nor Rick had come.

Boris was a man of immense mental strength, and Rick wielded Excalibur. Jeanne was the best option. As for Jomei, even Lucifer sometimes struggled to find him due to his constant hiding.

They had planted a fragment of Lucifer within Jeanne's mind, enabling them to gather invaluable intelligence through her eyes.

Lucifer instructed Thalia to gather Aurelions as serfs in the rural villages before vanishing without another word.