Parallel Memory

Chapter 728: The Kingdom That Refused to Stop Living

Three weeks had passed since Lilith’s coronation.

The excitement that had once filled the capital had gradually faded, replaced by something far less glorious but far more important—the slow, exhausting process of rebuilding an entire kingdom.

War had ended, but life had not.

Every morning, before the sun rose above the black mountains surrounding the Devil Kingdom, the sound of hammers striking stone echoed through the capital.

The kingdom that had spent years preparing for war was now learning how to live in peace.

Or at least, trying to.

*********************************************

The eastern district, once reduced to rubble during the fighting between Aamon’s loyalists and the royal supporters, had become a giant construction site.

Dozens of laborers worked tirelessly under the dim morning sky.

Some carried stone blocks on their shoulders while others repaired broken walls. Engineers climbed wooden scaffolding, carefully inspecting the cracks running through the city’s watchtowers.

"Pull harder!"

"Watch the rope!"

"The left side is collapsing!"

A horned engineer shouted instructions from atop a half-destroyed tower.

Below him, nearly fifty workers struggled to lift enormous pieces of black stone back into place.

A young worker wiped sweat from his forehead.

"Whoever built this tower must have hated future generations."

The older worker beside him laughed.

"Actually, your grandfather helped build it."

The young devil immediately fell silent.

"...Then my grandfather hated future generations."

The surrounding workers burst into laughter.

The older worker shook his head.

"Young people these days complain too much."

"We complain because you old people leave us all the hard work."

"That sounds like a personal problem."

Their arguments continued as they worked.

It was strange.

Just a month ago, many of these people had been hiding in shelters, praying that the war would end.

Now they were complaining about work schedules and construction duties.

Life had slowly begun returning to normal.

Or at least, as normal as it could be.

*********************************

Near the western gate, groups of soldiers marched outside the city walls.

Unlike before, they no longer carried weapons for battle.

Instead, they carried shovels, ropes, and carts.

The battlefield surrounding the capital still bore the scars of war.

Craters covered the earth.

Broken weapons lay buried beneath the soil.

The remnants of magical explosions had turned entire fields into wastelands.

Yet one thing was missing.

Bodies.

Devils did not leave corpses behind.

When they died, their bodies dissolved into remnants of dark energy, leaving behind only a lingering stench that hung in the air long after the battle ended.

The soldiers spent their days clearing away those remnants.

One young soldier covered his nose.

"Even after weeks, the smell hasn’t disappeared."

An older captain nodded.

"It takes time."

The young soldier glanced across the battlefield.

"It’s hard to believe thousands died here."

The captain leaned against his shovel.

"War always disappears faster than its consequences."

The young man remained silent.

Nearby, several soldiers carefully gathered shattered weapons into piles.

Others planted new trees where the ground had been destroyed.

It was tedious work.

There were no songs celebrating their efforts.

No rewards waiting for them.

Yet they continued.

Because someone had to rebuild what war had taken.

*******************************

Farther inside the capital, the marketplace had returned to life.

Merchants shouted from every corner of the streets.

Food stalls reopened.

Blacksmiths resumed their work.

Children ran between the crowds, laughing as if war had never existed.

An old fruit merchant carefully arranged his goods while arguing with the merchant next door.

"You’re charging twice as much as last month!"

The neighboring merchant shrugged.

"Roads are still damaged."

"So are my profits!"

"Then raise your prices too."

The old merchant slammed his fist on the table.

"If I raise my prices, nobody will buy anything!"

A woman walking past laughed.

"You’ve been saying that for fifty years."

"And I’ve been right for fifty years!"

The marketplace erupted into laughter.

Across the street, a tailor hung new clothes outside his shop.

For years, his business had revolved around military uniforms and armor repairs.

Now customers wanted dresses, curtains, and blankets.

He stared at the colorful fabrics in confusion.

"I forgot how to sew normal clothes."

His wife rolled her eyes.

"That’s because you’ve spent the last decade stitching soldiers back together."

"Fair point."

The entire city was relearning how to live without war.

And surprisingly, everyday life among devils was not much different from that of humans.

Parents still worried about their children.

Merchants still argued over prices.

Workers still complained about taxes.

Young couples still dreamed of a better future.

Before Aamon came to power, this had been ordinary life in the Devil Kingdom.

They worked.

They laughed.

They fell in love.

People fought over ridiculous things.

The war had changed many things, but not the hearts of ordinary citizens.

************************************

Unfortunately, peace brought new problems.

And nowhere was that more obvious than in the tax office.

Inside a government building near the palace, dozens of citizens crowded around a large desk, shouting at exhausted officials.

"This tax is ridiculous!"

"We just survived a civil war!"

"How are we supposed to rebuild our homes?"

A middle-aged official rubbed his temples.

"The roads won’t repair themselves."

A merchant crossed his arms.

"Then tax the nobles!"

"The nobles are already being taxed."

"Tax them more!"

An elderly man stepped forward.

"Why are we paying taxes for rebuilding military towers? The war is over!"

A soldier standing nearby immediately protested.

"And what happens if humans invade tomorrow?"

"We just signed a peace treaty!"

"Exactly! We signed it. They didn’t!"

The argument quickly escalated.

Within minutes, nearly everyone in the room had chosen a side.

One official sighed deeply.

"Peace is somehow more exhausting than war."

The man beside him nodded.

"At least during war, everyone agreed about who the enemy was."

Now, nobody could agree on anything.

Not taxes.

Not rebuilding.

Not even peace itself.

*************************************************

The same uncertainty existed inside the palace.

Every few days, Lilith held meetings with nobles, generals, merchants, and scholars.

Publicly, everyone supported her.

They bowed when she entered.

They praised her speeches.

They swore loyalty to the royal family.

But behind closed doors, doubts remained.

One evening, several nobles gathered in a private room after a meeting.

"She’s too young."

"She’s inexperienced."

"Peace with humans is impossible."

An older noble frowned.

"Then why support her publicly?"

The room fell silent.

After several moments, someone finally answered.

"Because she’s the only choice we have."

No one disagreed.

Lilith carried the blood of the previous Devil King.

Without her, the kingdom would fall into chaos once again.

Yet that did not erase people’s fears.

"What if she’s wrong?"

"What if humans betray us?"

"What if Aamon was right all along?"

The questions lingered in the room.

No one had answers.

Even those who supported Lilith secretly wondered whether peace was truly possible.

Years of hatred could not disappear overnight.

************************************

Meanwhile, Lilith herself spent most of her days away from the throne room.

Ignoring the protests of her attendants, she often walked through the city disguised beneath a dark cloak.

She wanted to see the kingdom with her own eyes.

One afternoon, she found herself standing beside a road being repaired by dozens of workers.

Sweat covered their faces as they carried heavy stones under the scorching sun.

An old laborer wiped his forehead.

"At this rate, we’ll finish by winter."

The younger worker beside him groaned.

"You’re optimistic."

The old man laughed.

"I’ve survived three kings and two wars. Optimism is all I have left."

Lilith smiled quietly.

Nearby, several children chased each other through the street.

One of them suddenly tripped and fell into the mud.

Immediately, his friends burst into laughter.

The boy stood up angrily.

"You pushed me!"

"No, you fell by yourself!"

"You’re lying!"

Within seconds, the children began wrestling in the dirt.

Their mothers rushed over.

"Stop fighting!"

The children immediately pointed fingers at each other.

Lilith couldn’t help but laugh.

For a brief moment, they looked no different from human children.

No different from the stories her father used to tell her.

But her smile quickly faded.

Across the street, she noticed several people whispering while looking in her direction.

Even beneath her cloak, some had recognized her.

"That’s her."

"The new queen."

"Do you really think peace will work?"

"I don’t know."

"My son died because of humans."

"My brother died because of Aamon."

The voices blended together.

Support.

Doubt.

Hope.

Fear.

Lilith lowered her gaze.

She understood them.

She understood every single one of their fears.

Because she carried the same doubts in her own heart.

As she continued walking, she stopped before a half-destroyed house.

An elderly woman sat outside, repairing old furniture.

The woman glanced up and smiled.

"Beautiful weather today."

Lilith nodded.

"It is."

The old woman continued working.

"Do you think things will improve?"

Lilith hesitated.

She could have revealed herself.

She could have given a speech about hope.

Instead, she answered honestly.

"I don’t know."

The old woman chuckled.

"At least you’re honest."

Lilith looked surprised.

The old woman pointed toward the palace.

"Everyone keeps saying peace is coming."

She looked toward the sky.

"I don’t need peace tomorrow."

She returned to her work.

"I just want my grandchildren to see it someday."

Lilith stood there silently.

Those simple words carried more weight than all the political debates happening inside the palace.

People were not asking for miracles.

They were simply asking for hope.

As the sun began to set, workers slowly returned home.

Merchants closed their shops.

Children disappeared into the narrow streets.

The kingdom slowly fell silent once again.

Standing atop a hill overlooking the capital, Lilith gazed at the countless lights below.

The roads were being repaired.

The towers were rising again.

The markets had reopened.

Life continued.

Yet beneath the surface, uncertainty remained.

People doubted her.

People feared the future.

People questioned whether peace with humans was possible.

And honestly—

She questioned it too.

But as she watched ordinary devils return to their families, arguing about taxes, laughing with friends, and complaining about work, she understood one thing.

Despite everything that had happened, despite the hatred, despite the years of war—

The people of the Devil Kingdom wanted the same things humans did.

A warm meal.

A safe home.

A future for their children.

Perhaps, in the end, that simple truth would be enough.

Or perhaps it wouldn’t.

Only time would tell.

For now, all Lilith could do was continue walking forward.

Because an entire kingdom had already begun rebuilding itself around her.

And she could not afford to stop.