A world zero people have seen

This is my idea following in the footsteps of the "Kotowaru" adaptation, which is lighthearted yet focused on economics. It is the "Official" manga running in Comp Ace. Though it is not as serious and does not explore the concepts of rape, conqueror's rights, and slavery in detail, it is the most faithful adaptation (manga-wise) to the original threads. (I don't consider the LN's to be the originals.)

If you're wondering what I'm blabbering about, its "Demon Queen and Hero" or "Archenemy and Hero", a new translated "web-novel" from Japan being adapted into a manga. Read it. It is Glorious. How Glorious? Remember your RPG days, one hero, breaking/sneaking into the castle and gloriously killing the Demon King in combat?

"A Hero...? The person who goes behind enemy lines and kills the king isn't called a hero. That's what we call an assassin."

That glorious. Read it. It's too good beyond words. Search for it on Batoto under the name "Maou Yuusha". The official adaptation will be under the full name Maoyuu Maou Yuusha - "Be mine, Hero" "I refuse!"

Anyway, I named the Demon Queen "Rubis" in this snip.

~o.o.o~

Her familiar was focused on the contraption sitting on Professor Colbert's desk. Louise knew that Rubis knew something, was that close to explaining what Colbert was doing with knowledge far beyond comprehension. She hated that about her familiar.

Rubis often talked about the "library beyond the end". She also knew so much about the world. But not just her world, or even Louise's world, Rubis spoke of knowledge from other worlds.

Louise both loved and hated her new familiar.

The teachers and students didn't know what she was. Some cried "Elf!" only to notice her normal ears. Some cried "Dragon! In human form!" but all those were dead. Though they knew, whatever it was, Louise's familiar was no commoner, or human for that matter. Colbert's tests showed that she had great magic potential, and above all, those stunning slitted claret orbs spoke of her inhumanity.

But Louise knew. She knew the heretical act she committed. Rubis herself told her just what she was. No matter how human she looked, she was the Maou.

Maou. The supreme commander of demons. The great evil.

That night, the night after she summoned Rubis, was the longest night of her life. Because Rubis is also known as Ruby-eye, the 43rd heir to the Maou title, at least, of her homeworld.

The Demon Queen. The greatest nobility of all that is unholy.

What Louise didn't understand was why Rubis was so kind. Despite all of her yelling, all of her denials that night, Louise was forced to listen to Rubis, out of sheer exhaustion. No matter what she did, Rubis took it in stride and kindly corrected her, often reminding Louise of her favorite sister. No matter what force, what explosions that ensued, Rubis looked no worse for wear, and worst of all, only replied with concern for Louise. No matter how mad, how desperate she got, Louise never got a confrontation, not even when she ran out of steam and started sobbing on Rubis's over-sized chest.

The fact that her useless meat was the size of her head didn't help much either. But Louise cried into them nevertheless, finally having an almost maternal love to ease her pain. Not that she'll ever admit it.

No, what changed everything was that after tiring herself out, Louise spent the night in Rubis's arms, as the latter recounted her story, her wondrous tale of adventure. Of how she, the demon queen, gave up her very being to the Hero destined to kill her, how she fell in love with him, and how the two of them changed the world.

Louise's fears abated and were turned into wonder as Rubis explained that early on, she and the hero teamed up with the Church of Light as they went about their mission to save the world from itself. To save the two sides from everlasting war and the greed of corrupt nobles and merchants.

The tales of wonders soon morphed into tales of survival, as Satan was released and all sides had to fight against him.

Then the tales ended. Rubis, the Hero, and Female Knight escaped their world, only to be separated. By her. Louise.

Her summoning wrenched Rubis away from her love, and her best friend.

The tears started again, but Rubis was undaunted. She reminded Louise that the Spirit of Light promised that the three of them would be together again in the next world.

And so, to lull Louise to sleep, Rubis started to explain the world. Much like how Rubis did to the Hero once, she began explaining how things worked. How agriculture could be improved, how wars could be won without bloodshed.

Louise laid there, head on pillowy breast, as she nodded off, absorbing as much as she could from her familiar.

Which is why, days later, she knew. Every night Rubis would tell her tales of inventions and discoveries that have yet to come, and she knew.

That... Was an Engine.

An invention that would change the world so completely, that a phrase would come up likening some of the most atrocious and ruthless tactics to it.

"Engine of War"

~o.o.o~

"Amazing. Simply amazing! Louise, your familiar is remarkable!"

Professor Jean Colbert was a man of science. Despite his... youthful mishaps, his whole life has been dedicated to the study of how to use fire for non-lethal purposes. But when the young pinkette's familiar, with her strange ways and knowledge, began espousing all the functions of his toy, ahem, experiment, Jean could not help himself but stare openmouthed in wonder.

"Beyond that, an engine can power a factory, which is a building from which finished products come out."

Her robes fluttered gracefully behind her, as cascades of vermillion gently wafted back into place. It was a thing of beauty, the sheer presence this ruby-eyed woman commanded. Her grace not in speech or manner, but in movement, in clarity. Jean felt that he once again was learning the art of fire magic from the most gifted artisan of flame. They way she said things made him think that no matter what happened or what he believed before, she was right.

"But why would we build factories when we can already make products in workshops and with artisans? How will such a thing make things better without magic?"

The other redhead in the room posed this question. Despite her reputation, and her beguiling looks, Kirche Augusta Frederica von Anhalt Zerbst knew money: in Germania, after all, nobility was determined by gold. The redhead looked at her closest competitor in looks as she stared back, almost losing her nerve at those red, slitted eyes. But it was not anger, frustration, or even annoyance she saw in those eyes. No, it was kindness. A gentle look, as if she just asked a question Rubis was waiting patiently for, a look of appreciation of her attention to detail and willingness to think. A look she very rarely got from her own family, being the "ugly duckling" of the Zerbst, the embarrassment.

It only made Kirche feel even emptier.

"A good question, Kirche." Turning to address the class, Rubis raised one arm and began to explain. "A factory does what a workshop does. Yet the difference is in quality, quantity, and cost. While workshop goods often are made with great quality, and have unique characteristics, very few of them can be made in a short amount of time, with labor and the scarcity raising the price. Take this desk for example" At that, she turned partway and gestured to the desk the engine sat upon. "It's construction is sturdy but you can see where the artisan worked around the knots of the wood, and how the design deviates from a straight line in certain places. Yet because of the willingness to work around the imperfections of the wood, this desk is far more sturdy than if one were to ignore such things. A factory would not be able to replicate this desk, but rather be sending out an inferior produ-"

"But why would they want to send out an inferior product?"

Kirche was pressing on, wanting to know what was behind this idea of "factory" and "quality, quantity, and cost." It sounded very important, and by the way the twin rubies were sparkling it was important to Rubis too.

"Ah, Miss Noble, is a wonderful question. Not all people need the best of the best product. Instead of buying a great desk for, say thirty gold, if a um… "commoner" could obtain a somewhat shabby desk for fifteen gold, it would be in his best interest to get the shabbier desk, as he does not need to flaunt his wealth."

Laughter and giggles started to spread throughout the classroom, much to the Maou's annoyance.

"But to take this one step further, currently muskets are produced very slowly, a craftsman spending days, if not weeks on a single gun. With a factory, we can arm a whole village, nay, a city, in a matter of days."

Suddenly, this was no longer a laughing matter. Everyone knew the one thing stopping peasant uprisings were the lack of sufficient weapons to go against mages. Muskets were by far the best weapon to use against a mage, giving the attacker range and firepower. The only problem, or rather saving grace, was that nobles controlled the production of those guns. The royal family often employed those gun makers so that they would only be able to make guns for the army, and no one else. For something to be able to arm an entire city…

"Another example is clothing. If all the raw materials were ready, a fully functioning factory may provide a city with a new set of clothes for each resident within a week, far faster than the tailors who would take that week to make one dress. Basically, from something as small as this "engine" whole countries can be built."

~o.o.o~

It had began. Once again the World was at war... and once again Rubis found herself in the middle of things. The runes on her hand were the proof of that.

Gandalfr. The legendary familiar. The Left Arm of God, the Shield and Spear of the Void...

What Irony.

For her, a scholar, and a demon, to have such a title. Hero, or Female Knight would have been better choices for this job, yet her she was. Not "Mind of God", not "Right Hand of God", but the left, the one that holds the shield and spear. Pink Mage, outed as a heir to the legendary power of the Void, had chosen to join the war.

The war. She could fight now, Rubis mused as she traced her runes with her other hand, she wasn't useless any longer. While not on the level of Hero, it seemed that the enchantment she obtained weeks ago gave her battle prowess rivaling that of Female Knight. But it was so much bloodshed.

And no end in sight.

Back in the other world, the wars were simpler, driven by economics and political reasons that she understood and analyzed through her many years. Yet here, in Halkegina, she knew that what she could discover and observe were nay a small fraction of what was truly going on. And worse: She knew that some enemies for sure were driven by Ideology.

Where was the third option now? The path to the other side of the hill? Could she succeed like in Winter Nation?

Her master was looking over her notes and diagrams on technologies and techniques that may bring an edge to Tristian, but the Demon Queen didn't know if she could trust Louise with such... potential power. From what she knew of her master, Rubis could see that Louise grew up in a place that glorified war.

The honor. The riches. The fame. It did not help that her mother, the one person she wanted approval from above all others, was a war hero: a legendary mage knight named "Heavy Wind".

Louise didn't know what war truly was. In a world where glorious battles were used as bedtime stories for the nobility, Rubis knew that without the proper education and mindset, Louise was liable to set off a dangerous game of escalation. With the information and notes available to her, the Demon Queen knew that the youngest Valliere could theoretically bolster the lacking power of Tristain to the point where a counter-invasion of Albion was feasible, but what happened next? A game of retaliation, a century of bloody sieges and ever increasingly efficient killing machines? Or would the whole continent devolve and become starved of resources, leading to periods of famine and anarchy?

The ever-present maniac gleam in her master's eyes as she browsed her notes worried the red-haired scholar greatly. She needed to be taught a lesson. And fast.

"Louise... How far are you willing to go?"

Looking up from the answer to all of Tristain's prayers, the pink-haired mage had a look of wonder upon her face.

"Til the glorious victory of Tristain, of course. We can save our country, Rubis! We can save the Queen." Louise responded, feeling better than she had in many days. "Why? Are there things... even "further" than these?"

Her fears confirmed, the Demon Queen hesitated for a moment as she decided what path to take.

"What is torture?"

To the young mage, the question came out of nowhere. Why would her familiar ask such a question?

"Torture? It's bad. Hurting others for the sake of it. It's illegal."

Wordlessly, Rubis stood up to Louise, then clapped her hands two times and lightly slapped the top of the Void mage's head.

"Hey! Familiar! What are you" The cries of protest were cut off as the Demon Queen once again repeated the pattern.

"I'm warning you, if you do that-"

This time, Louise managed to block the hit from coming through, anger and exasperation on her face, she looked at the ruby-eyed demon.

"Just... What was that for!"

Rubis's head gracefully inclined a bit as her face lost its disinterested look, one eyebrow barely arching in amusement.

"Look. You learned."

Louise was confused. "Learned? What?" What in Brimir's name did her familiar mean?

Removing her trapped arm from her master's grip, the Demon Queen continued her explanation.

"You learned, Louise. You learned that after two claps I'd hit you. That's the basis of torture."

The blank, uncomprehending look still on the young Valliere's face was all the response the busty demon needed.

"That's all torture is. Learning. Getting your target to "learn" that the only way out is to follow your commands. To "learn" that there is no freedom, no choice, no salvation. That's all that torture is. It's so simple. Yet, so many do not understand..."

Slowly, Louise began to follow her familiar's train of thought. The slow revelation gave her an uneasy feeling in her stomach. Somehow, she felt like she did not want to truly know what this concept she has yet to fully grasp meant. Somehow, this idea she supported started to seem so sinister. Her white skin paled further as she waited for the rest of the explanation, inwardly dreading the very words she hung on.

"The cruelest tortures don't have to involve pain, or physical restraints. They strike at something deeper. It is a game of power and control."

Rubis gestured over the plans and diagrams that they had been discussing for use against Albion.

"Just... Like War."

The pink haired girl wanted to protest, yet couldn't. War was Glorious, honorable! It was the duty of a noble and a time to show the pride of a country and further/strengthen the motherland. War was...

"War is just a form of torture two sides inflict upon each other, waiting for the other to break. Yet every tactic used will merit a retaliation" at this, the Demon Queen picked up a sheaf of drawings from the pile of notes, before holding a specific one up.

"From Killing citizens until one side can no longer take it," next, a picture of liquid flame and destroyed fields was presented.

"To creating famine to starve the innocent" The horror slowly grew as Rubis continued to move and explain the pictures and what their usage really meant.

"To using newer and more novel forms of breaking a whole country's spirit, everything we do can be then used against us. To be improved and unleashed upon the "maker" of such a tactic, or as revenge for advancing the state of battle"

"So I ask again, how far do you want to go?"

~o.o.o~

AN: I really disliked the middle snip. Maybe I'll rewrite it later…

To quote one of the manga: The Demon Queen has Massive Magic potential, but no magical ability or combat ability. (She can cast small cantrips though)

She can't cast spells, but is a wellspring of mana willpower. (mana is the term to use only when it is tied to land/leylines)