Me and My Demons

A group of ordinary demonologists attempt to summon an ordinary demon — but something goes wrong at the moment of summoning. My name is Konstantin, and I am no ordinary demonologist. Most people fear demons. In my case, it is the demons who fear me.

In a past life, Konstantin was one of the world's greatest demonologists — and demons trembled at his name. That name still echoes in this new world, where he has chosen to become a soldier. The army turns out to be a total madhouse that obeys no reason, and the only way to understand it is to experience it. For Konstantin, this is merely the beginning.

A bad soldier is one who can't find useful work and retreats to quiet corners to do nothing. Konstantin is not that soldier. He volunteers for tasks no sane person would touch, single-handedly doing the work of a whole platoon — and his commanders have no choice but to keep rewarding him. His latest reward: a promotion and his very own squad to command. A reward and a punishment, all rolled into one.

Flying with his squad to rescue fellow soldiers under siege, Konstantin navigates his plane straight into the heart of the fighting — only to discover the enemy has been lying in wait. The aircraft is overrun by enemies that outnumber them ten to one. For Konstantin, this is all in a day's work. For the New Empire, however, things might still go very wrong indeed.

Constantine Princely never expected his life to become such a whirlwind — chases and missions, duels and unexpected alliances, imps and winged kittens, magic and military operations all woven into a tapestry where the serious and the absurd collide. Every new encounter is a test: not only to succeed, but to come out the other side with his sense of humor intact. The boundaries between heroism and chaos are blurred, and help comes from the most unlikely sources.

Constantine wasn't hunting fame and fortune, but fate keeps tossing new challenges his way: a duel against the legendary hermit Mikriban sent by the sultan himself, dangerous forays into enemy territory, daring rescues, and brawls with treacherous Osmans. Not even a deadly plane explosion over the Dark Sea can put an end to his adventures — especially not with his imps and the Artist by his side. Now the Academy of Demonology awaits, and it is time to prove that brawn and brains are not just weapons, but art forms.