We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
The stage, front and back, is engulfed in flames.
The Puppet Duke and the Puppet King.
Both are epithets that point to Erine Beril, a Primogenitor.
However, when pointed out, certain doubts arise.
Why is Elin-chan widely called “Puppet King” by the demons, instead of “Puppet Duke”?
Of course, I believe my answer is correct in a sense.
The demons fear her terrifying special magic, which not only creates various puppet dolls but also manipulates living beings and substances at will.
That is why they call her the “Puppet King” who controls all puppets.
However, if that logic were applied, it would not be strange for Astel to be called the “King of Creation” as the Puppet King mentioned.
But no demon calls Astel the “King of Creation.”
When I thought about that.
“If no one had called Elin-chan the ‘Puppet King,’ it wouldn’t have spread as a title, would it?”
Nicknames and special titles do not spread unless someone initiates them.
Therefore, I believe someone, somewhere, saw Elin-chan, knew her, and called her the Puppet King.
And it seeped into demon society and became widely used.
So, I wonder, what did the person who first called her the “Puppet King” know about her to call her that?
“Fufu. Fufufu. Elnea-sama is an amusing person, isn’t he?”
“Do you think so? I’m just being tossed around by Elin-chan and am very troubled!”
If I don’t hurry back to the mansion in the Forbidden Territory, Mistral and the others will worry.
The interior of the small palace seems to have no light source other than the windows for light. The corridors between rooms are pitch black.
Are the residents of this small palace okay without light?
The Miko doll leading us as a guide moves through the dark corridor without any sign of unsteady steps.
The Yoguades doll walking in front of me also seems to not need light.
I have dragon energy in my eyes, so I’m fine in the dark, but wouldn’t ordinary guests have trouble in dark places?
Or are the residents of the small palace people who do not need indoor lighting?
Along the way, we passed several dolls with the exact same appearance as the Miko doll guiding us.
“Hey, Elin-chan. How many dolls are there here?”
“Fufufu. Are you scouting the enemy?”
“Ugh, no. I’m sorry? I just asked out of curiosity.”
“Fufu. There are twenty dolls serving here. There are no other maids, slaves, or retainers.”
“What!”
I didn’t know that! I’m the one who gets flustered when inner details are revealed so easily.
“Th-then…?”
“Yes. It is just as Elnea-sama imagined. Well, we have arrived.”
The guiding Miko doll and the Yoguades doll stopped in front of a heavy door.
Then, the Miko doll reached for the door handle.
With a pleasant creak unique to wood, the heavy door opened. I brace myself. If my imagination is correct, as the Puppet King said. The one waiting beyond this point is…!
“…!!”
The door opened wide. Beyond it was a room that wasn’t particularly large. In the center of the room was a large canopy bed. And nothing else in the room beyond the door. Consequently, my gaze was drawn to the bed. A large, luxurious yet comfortable-looking bed with a thin canopy hanging down, layered multiple times. There, a single old man lay quietly.
This person is…
“It’s rare for the Puppet King to come here. And you, human.”
The old man on the bed propped himself up slightly against a pillow, his upper body in a reclining position. And with eyes that held a surprising intensity for someone who seemed to be asleep, he stared at me.
“Fufu. Fufufu. Your Majesty the Verdant Demon Lord, welcome. Are you not feeling well today? Or have you become so frail with old age that raising yourself is difficult?”
Ah, I realized belatedly. The old man who was slightly propped up on the bed. And the Yoguades doll standing beside me. The two of them looked very similar. However, the person on the bed appeared older. And with the Puppet King’s greeting, I was convinced. Indeed, this person is the Verdant Demon Lord Yoguades himself!
“It is an honor to meet you. I am Taikou Elnea Eris. I apologize for visiting your bedroom unannounced without an appointment.”
The Verdant Demon Lord narrowed his eyes and looked at me more deeply.
“Taikou? Why would a mere human come to this sleeping quarters with the Puppet King?”
He exuded an aura that would overwhelm others with his gaze alone. If he were an ordinary demon, he would likely prostrate himself immediately. However, unfortunately, it did not work on me. The Verdant Demon Lord looked at me with interest, seeing a human who remained unfazed even when glared at.
“Fufu. Fufufu. You do not know? He is a very amusing human who was recently granted the title of ‘Taikou’ by them?”
“Oh? A mere human?”
Apparently, the Verdant Demon Lord, who lived atop the Great Tree, did not know about my title conferment. Nevertheless, he looked at me with even greater interest, seeing me as a rare human who had received a title from the true ruler of the demons.
“So, what business does this ‘Taikou’ of yours have?”
The Verdant Demon Lord looked visibly frail. An aged face. He seemed to struggle to even prop himself up slightly on the bed. Yet, he emanated an overwhelming aura as a Demon Lord, indicating who was in charge of this place. Such a Demon Lord asked me. What business did I have visiting his sleeping quarters? The reason I came here. It was to find the answer to the Puppet King’s question. To save those caught up in Cadis’ rebellion. And to confirm the safety of the Verdant Demon Lord!
“Does the Verdant Demon Lord know? On the surface, your son, Cadis, has started a rebellion, and the entire country is in a dire situation?”
The Demon Capital is burning, and the flames of war are spreading throughout the land. Cadis is crushing nobles and demons who do not pledge loyalty to him by force, intending to reign as the new Demon Lord.
“Cadis told me that he defeated the Verdant Demon Lord. He also possessed the magic sword ‘Soul Spirit Seat.’ However, you, the Demon Lord, are alive and well. So, I ask you. How do you intend to deal with Cadis’ rebellion?”
If the Verdant Demon Lord himself were alive, the matter would be simple. He could suppress the rebellion himself before it turned the country into a scorched wasteland. Or, if he officially passed on the Demon Lord seat to Cadis, even the demons who are currently loyal to the Verdant Demon Lord would likely accept him. However, my opinion was rejected.
“I know about Cadis. He seems to have destroyed my doll in the Demon Lord’s Castle and taken the Soul Spirit Seat. I am fine with that.”
“Eh!? You tolerate Cadis’ rebellion? Then why are the Great Trees attacking Cadis and the residents of the Demon Capital!?”
As it turns out, the Verdant Demon Lord that Cadis defeated was a fake. Moreover, his true identity was a “doll.” Therefore, it meant that the Puppet King was also preparing the Verdant Demon Lord’s doll. And this was proof that the Verdant Demon Lord and the Puppet King were indeed connected. But I was more surprised by the recognition the Verdant Demon Lord spoke of without hesitation than by such behind-the-scenes dealings.
“You tolerate Cadis’ rebellion and had your substitute doll killed. You even had the Soul Spirit Seat stolen, aren’t you disqualified as a Demon Lord? Yet, you are now making the Great Trees rampage? These Great Trees, and the nature spreading throughout the land, are affected by your magic, aren’t they? Cadis is trying to burn down not only the Great Trees but all the nature in the land to eliminate your influence!”
If that’s the case, shouldn’t you show yourself as soon as possible and abdicate to Cadis? If not, this country will truly perish. Yet, the Verdant Demon Lord denied my opinion.
“You, a mere human, say such things. Of course, what you say is correct. Demons live in a world of survival of the fittest. Family ties, blood relations, and love are secondary. It is natural for them to rampage freely for their ambitions, and for the weak to be eliminated by the strong. Even I, in my old age, can no longer contend with Cadis. If he is to become the new Demon Lord, I will accept it.”
But, the Verdant Demon Lord said to me, his immense magical power seeming to defy his aged body.
“Cadis is, unfortunately, still immature. With that level of flame, this country cannot be ruled. Therefore, my nature will resist until the very end. To postpone the destruction of this country, even by a little.”
“Wh-what!?”
What does that mean? The Verdant Demon Lord acknowledges Cadis’s strength. I also believe that with Cadis’s strength, he could stand as the new Demon Lord. However, even so, the Verdant Demon Lord declared Cadis immature. Cadis, who is a master of flame magic capable of easily burning down his own nature and even the Puppet King’s dolls. At that moment, I remembered.
“Speaking of which, I heard you were once a user of deep flame magic?”
“Puppet King, did you leak that?”
“Fufu. Fufufu. Is that so?”
Putting aside the Puppet King’s feigned ignorance.
“What do you mean? You are the Verdant Demon Lord. I know from the skill of this fake doll that you were skilled with swords. But the magic of the past and the magic now have very different natures, don’t they?”
To my question, the Verdant Demon Lord smiled meaningfully on his bed.
“With flames, this country cannot be ruled. That is why I called Cadis immature.”
“Then, to rule this country, you abandoned flame magic and acquired magic that manipulates nature? Why?”
What is the reason why flame magic is bad and nature-controlling magic is effective? And. If the Verdant Demon Lord, like Cadis, was once skilled in flame magic. Perhaps…! The Verdant Demon Lord quietly welcomed me to the small palace at the tip of the Great Tree, while I was on the bed. Not with hostility or disdain. While he uttered words like “mere human,” he answered my questions. Therefore, if we continued to exchange words like this, I believed I could reach the circumstances surrounding this country and the intentions of the Puppet King. But the current situation did not allow it. From outside the small palace, Revalia’s fierce roar echoed.
“Hey! What are you leisurely doing? The Great Tree is burning! If you don’t evacuate quickly, this place will soon be a sea of fire!”
” Whoa!”
At the sudden roar of the dragon, the Verdant Demon Lord’s aura tensed. I quickly conveyed that the roar was the voice of an important companion and that the Great Tree was burning.
“As expected, Cadis does not understand. That burning this Great Tree will lead to the destruction of the country.”
“Hey, what does that mean!?”
With flames, the country cannot be ruled. Burning the Great Tree will destroy the country. What exactly is the connection?
“Fufu. Fufufu. Elnea-sama, let me ask you again. Where is this country located?”
“That is…?”
A question I was also asked on the surface.
“This country is located in the northwest among the regions ruled by demons, right?”
“Then, to the west of that?”
“Uh, I believe the Heavenly Mountain Range runs north and south… Ah!!”
I finally realized the deep circumstances surrounding the foundation of this country. At the same time, Revalia’s roar echoed again.
“What are you doing!!”
” Whoa! This is bad! The Great Tree is burning, and soon this place will be a sea of fire! We have to evacuate!”
“Fufu. Fufufu. Elnea-sama?”
“What is it? If we don’t hurry and get the Verdant Demon Lord out, something terrible will happen!”
“That is true. If His Majesty the Verdant Demon Lord burns to death, the Great Tree will wither and the country will be destroyed. By the way. Cadis has arrived where I am waiting and is rampaging?”
“Why didn’t you say so sooner!”
What a situation! The Great Tree is engulfed in flames, and the fire is about to reach the small palace where the Verdant Demon Lord is sleeping! On the surface, Cadis has finally caught up to the Puppet King and is rampaging with flame magic!
“Urgent, excuse me!”
Activating Spatial Jump, I instantly entered the depths of the bed. And then, I scooped up the Verdant Demon Lord.
“Elin-chan, let’s get all the Miko dolls and escape!”
“Fufu. Will the Dragon King permit it?”
“There’s no time to persuade him, so we’ll force it! Verdant Demon Lord and Elin-chan, you must thank Revalia profusely later!”
We ran. Leaving the Verdant Demon Lord’s bedroom, we ran through the small palace! Smoke had already begun to enter the small palace.
“Revalia, full retreat!”
“You! Bringing unnecessary baggage!”
Revalia flapped her wings fiercely. From below the clouds, flames were surging upwards, as if swallowing the Great Tree. Revalia roared with anger and kicked off a branch, leaping into the sky.
