We live in the foothills of Dragon Peak.
The Burning Puppet King’s Castle
“W-what in the world!?”
We were in chaos.
The magnificent castle built on the shore of a small lake was collapsing in flames. And then, a massive army of demons set up formation, surrounding the burning, collapsing castle and the lakeshore.
What in the world is happening!?
Without time to confirm, we spotted a unit ascending into the sky from the demon army.
“Are the demons coming this way, nyan?”
“Kuh. Well, if the Dragon race were to fly over, the demons would be wary, wouldn’t they?”
However, in this incomprehensible situation, we cannot afford to fight the demon army. After all, this is not Dragon Peak. From the demons’ perspective, the Dragon race and we are the intruders. We cannot afford to impose our own logic and create a chaotic situation by misinterpreting things.
“Revalia, we’re retreating for now!”
“Hmph, you want me to turn tail and run from mere demons!”
“That’s not it. I know Revalia’s strength, so I’m telling you not to fight. If Revalia were to get serious, she could easily scatter even a massive demon army, right? But if she did that, there’s a possibility the Demon Lords would appear!”
“Tch.”
In the Demon Race’s Country, a large demon army is moving. It’s impossible that the Demon Lords’ will is not at play.
Following my instructions, Revalia changes direction. Nevertheless, she lets out a roar that echoes through the sky, launching a feint towards the demon flying unit that is rapidly approaching us.
The demon unit that ascended into the sky screams at Revalia’s terrifying roar. Their formation is broken, and some even fall in altitude. Nevertheless, the demon flying unit, acting like an army, presses towards us.
Revalia and Nimia ascend to a height far above the clouds. Even demons with wings cannot pursue them above the clouds. Revalia circles above the clouds and lets out another roar. Then, leaving the battlefield whose situation is unknown, she flies away. Nimia follows Revalia, distancing herself from the deep mountains where the burning castle and lake are located. The demon flying unit stubbornly pursued Revalia and Nimia above the clouds, but they could not keep up with the Dragon race, which had superior speed, and eventually gave up and turned back.
“…Phew. They finally gave up, huh?”
I give Nimia and Revalia instructions to descend deep into the forest of the mountainous region. As Revalia lands, Laira rushes over.
“Elnea-sama!”
“There, there. Laira, you were worried, weren’t you?”
I hug Laira, who looks troubled, and stroke her head. Laira lowers her gaze bashfully at Astel and Meijina’s gazes, but she doesn’t try to pull away from me. Even though she’s on her best friend Revalia’s back, she must feel anxious alone. Especially in an incomprehensible situation.
“Alright. Then, let’s sort out what was happening!”
Revalia lets Laira down and immediately takes off. She must have gone to find food. Even the formidable Revalia wouldn’t charge into a massive demon army alone, right? Nimia shrinks down and climbs onto my head to relax.
“Uh… Hey, Astel. That castle you mentioned earlier was the Puppet King’s castle, right?”
We came here relying on Astel’s guidance. We searched for landmarks visible even from the sky, determined which region we were in, and flew in the direction of our destination. And Astel had told us in advance. The Puppet King’s castle was located deep in the mountains and forests. It was built on the shore of a small lake. We were told that there was a small town nearby where his subjects lived, and only a handful of villages and settlements within his territory.
However, the castle that matched the location Astel told us about was surrounded by a massive demon army and was burning down. Was that really the Puppet King’s castle? The Puppet King, who repelled a demon army of a hundred thousand by controlling them, was attacked by the Verdant Demon Lord? And his castle has fallen? Or did we misunderstand and arrive at a similar-looking location by mistake?
…Or rather, what is going on with a castle surrounded by a massive demon army and burning down!?
I bury my head in my hands. Astel puffs up her cheeks grumpily when I ask her a question.
“As expected, when I’m with you, nothing good happens! I’m going home!”
“Whoa, whoa, Astel, please don’t be upset. And please tell us what’s going on?”
“As if I would know! If I knew, I would never have come to a place like this!”
“That’s true…”
Astel happily gets involved in the disturbances she causes, but she dislikes the schemes and disturbances of others. She truly has a selfish, cat-like personality. …Well, even so, she is tossed around by the Giant Demon Lord and the Demon Race’s rulers.
That aside.
“Just to be sure, was that really the Puppet King’s castle?”
Let’s resolve each question one by one. I ask Astel again.
“That’s right. I created that castle for him, so there’s no mistake. Those people! I won’t forgive those who turned my efforts to naught! Foolish Dragon King, go back and kill them all!”
“How cruel! That’s impossible, you know? And besides, whose army was that?”
“Hmph. Blind Dragon King. Didn’t you see the army banner? That was an army under the command of the Verdant Demon Lord.”
“Even if I saw the army banner, I don’t know anything about the Verdant Demon Lord, so I wouldn’t know!”
In fact, Astel was able to identify the origin of the army in that situation. Is that part of her ducal status?
“So. What does the Verdant Demon Lord’s army banner look like? And does the fact that the Verdant Demon Lord’s army banner was displayed mean that the Puppet King was attacked by his lord!?”
The Puppet King has faced large armies in the past. Did he cause some trouble again, and the Demon Lord sent a large army against him?
“The Verdant Demon Lord’s army banner is a great tree, a moon, and a sword. Ah, don’t misunderstand. The great tree isn’t the kind you’re imagining. It merely symbolizes the forest.”
“Hmm, hmm? Could it be that ‘Verdant’ in Verdant Demon Lord refers to powers related to the forest?”
“Foolish Dragon King. Are you only realizing that now?”
“It’s unavoidable since I lack information!”
The Giant Demon Lord’s true identity is a giant that pierces the clouds. The Fairy Demon Lord’s existence definition is like a fairy. Is there a rule that demons are called by the crowns that indicate their existence? Thinking that way, I understood what “Verdant” meant. Verdant makes me think of forests and nature… It seems this land’s Demon Lord is a being related to such nature.
“So, the castle earlier was indeed the Puppet King’s castle, and for some reason, he was attacked by his lord, the Verdant Demon Lord, with a large army and his castle was captured?”
Even from the sky, the demon forces surrounding the lake and castle numbered in the tens of thousands.
“Hahahaha! But the Puppet King, the Duke, can control a hundred thousand demons!”
“Yes. Laira is right. Considering the Puppet King’s abilities, sending tens of thousands of demons might just repeat past mistakes?”
“Then, didn’t they come with some countermeasures?”
I groan at Meijina’s thought.
“Hey, Astel. When you had that big fight with the Puppet King before, how did you win? Does the idea that the Verdant Demon Lord found a way to overcome the Puppet King’s abilities and came for revenge make sense?”
Astel ponders my question. Then she snorts and denies it.
“Hmph. Foolish Dragon King. Your idea is wrong. It was merely a clever tactic by Toris that happened to be effective against him that time, and it’s a strategy that cannot be reused. Besides, the Verdant Demon Lord no longer has the power to defeat him.”
“Eh!? What do you mean?”
The Verdant Demon Lord was defeated by the Puppet King once in the past. He tried to discipline the selfishly rampaging Puppet King by sending an army of a hundred thousand. However, that army was controlled by the Puppet King and became an even greater disturbance. The Verdant Demon Lord, to resolve the situation, had no choice but to destroy his own country’s army with his own hands. Perhaps the Verdant Demon Lord has not recovered from the losses at that time? But if so, what is this offensive with a large army this time? We are confused because Astel’s explanation does not align with the current situation.
“The Verdant Demon Lord… No, but that army banner?”
“Astel, did you realize something?”
We hold our breath, waiting for Astel’s next words. However, the situation changes drastically with Nimia’s warning.
“Demonic presences in the surroundings, nyan?”
“Yeah. We’ve been caught up already.”
We weren’t being careless. That’s why we quickly noticed the demonic presences lurking deep in the forest, closing in to surround us.
“Eh, demons!? Are we surrounded?”
Only Meijina is flustered, as if the situation is unexpected.
“Please don’t worry, Meijina-san. This is quite normal for demons, so we are not falling behind or being careless.”
We intended to hide far from the place where the Puppet King’s castle was. Nevertheless, a high-ranking demon should be able to pinpoint our location and chase after us. This is even more true for regular soldiers. We fully understand how strong demons are. We won’t fall behind in a fight. However, their physical abilities and intelligence are far superior to those of the Human Race. If we are careless against such opponents, we will be tripped up.
“Are we running away, nyan?”
“No. We’ll fight them here. Anyway, we won’t know the situation in more detail unless we get information from one of the demons, right?”
“Capture them alive, nyan?”
“Yes. Killing is forbidden! Laira, you’re okay?”
“Yes, I am!”
Laira, who had been clinging to me, steels herself for the approaching crisis. She receives a two-handed staff from the manifested Ares-chan and prepares herself vigilantly.
“Uwah. A fight with demons? And capturing them alive is an impossible task!”
Meijina also prepares herself with a naginata, but she is hesitant. Meijina’s reaction is what a normal Human Race would be.
“Kuh. Foolish Dragon King. Protect me properly!”
“Oh, dear. Nimia, can I entrust Astel’s protection to you?”
“Leave it to me, nyan.”
Nimia leaps from my head to Astel’s.
“Meijina-san, please don’t overexert yourself. If you feel danger, don’t hesitate to rely on Nimia.”
Hmph. Elnea-sama and Laira-chan are so composed, yet I, a special Battle Priestess, am a burden!”
“You’re not a burden at all. It’s just difficult to coordinate with someone whose strength I don’t know, so if it comes down to it, Laira and I will handle it.”
Meijina frowns, looking frustrated, but she takes a step back and stands by Astel. Meanwhile, as we prepare for battle, the demon encirclement tightens. And from the depths of the dense forest, a strong demon appears.
“I believe you are Grand Duke Elnea Eris. Please, we ask for your assistance.”
“Eh!?”
The strong demon, who had a familiar, ominous jet-black magic sword sheathed at his waist, said something unexpected, surprising me.
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