We live in the foothills of Dragon Peak.
The Demon Lord and the Nine-Tailed Fox
“Where is this? I am… That’s right, I am the great demon, Oz!”
“Yes. You seem to still be confused about your memories. Oz, you’re a magic beast, aren’t you?”
“Shut up, brat!”
Oz had been found unconscious in a corner of the Demon Lord’s castle and was being looked after by a high-ranking demon, a former vassal of Charlotte.
However, it’s unclear if it was because Charlotte kicked him away, but Oz had lost his memories from around the time he arrived at the Demon Lord’s castle.
According to Oz, his memory jumped abruptly from his elegant life in the forbidden territory to the present.
“It seems Oz needs more time to recover.”
“Hmm. Why? Why am I in a place like this…?”
The high-ranking demon who found Oz seemed to be a kind person and offered to take Oz in until his memory confusion cleared up. So, I decided to ask him to look after Oz.
I waved goodbye to Oz as he was carried away by the demon.
“Elnea-kun, did you manage to deceive them well?”
“Yes. In the future, I’ll have to ask anyone who might interact with Oz not to tell him about Charlotte.”
I nodded to Ruiseine, who whispered beside me, while watching Oz leave.
Mistral and the others should have already taken action.
Oz still worships the Nine-Tailed Fox demon. If he heard about Charlotte, I don’t know what he might do.
If he’s experiencing memory confusion, I’m sorry, but I’ll have to use it to our advantage.
We’ll keep Oz away from this matter under the guise of recovery, and solve the problem in the meantime. …Or so we hope. That’s our plan.
“Well then, Elnea-kun. Now, let’s defeat the Demon Lord and reclaim the scepter!”
“No, no, Madrine. That’s not quite right, is it?”
I and Ruiseine calm Madrine, who was eager to take advantage of the Demon Lord’s current injured state to reclaim the scepter.
However, it’s true that we’re going to meet the Demon Lord now.
Charlotte broke the seal and parted ways with the Giant Demon Lord last night.
And as the sun rose, we learned the full extent of the damage.
The Demon Lord’s castle had been half-destroyed, ravaged by overwhelming power.
The areas around the treasure vault were particularly devastating.
It had been destroyed deep underground, leaving a tragic sight.
The gold, silver treasures, and national treasures stored in the vault had turned into worthless debris. Moreover, many treasures had completely disappeared.
“There’s no need to worry about it. If you’re a demon, you can just take the treasures you want. Besides, treasures hidden deep in a warehouse, out of sight of others, are just a nuisance that will attract other demons. Treasures with no utility are like dust.”
When I visited to ask if his right arm injury was okay, the wound inflicted by Charlotte had vanished without a trace.
Apparently, he was naturally a giant, so it was just a minor injury, like a cut finger.
The Demon Lord laughed off his injury and the devastation of the treasure vault when we expressed our condolences.
However, Charlotte possessed terrifying power, having injured even the Giant Demon Lord, who had not sustained visible injuries even when facing the Demon Lord Kusharilla.
“A stable reign is neither interesting nor anything to write home about. Having this much stimulation is actually more rewarding.”
The King of the Armēdo Kingdom and the King of the Yorttenitos Kingdom were deeply impressed by the Demon Lord’s cheerful laughter.
Oh, esteemed sirs. Please don’t jump into trouble yourselves just because of that, alright?
The Demon Lord told the kings, “You must have had a good memory, right?” while also considering the future of the Fathers’ Alliance.
“I’ll have you all take a local tour.”
Saying so, he summoned a marquis-level demon and ordered him to look after the Fathers’ Alliance. I also politely requested his cooperation. The marquis, with his seasoned, austere demeanor, readily agreed.
I am amazed. Even though they are demons, they are all good people!
“So, what will you do from now on?”
“Uh…”
“Give back the scepter!”
The Demon Lord no longer possessed the scepter, so unfortunately, he couldn’t give it back. However, Madrine didn’t care about that.
I and Ruiseine had to restrain Madrine when she lunged at the Demon Lord.
“Heh heh. As spirited as ever, a miko. I’ll give you a chance based on that spirit. Let’s see, if you defeat Charlotte, I’ll return it.”
“That’s an impossibly difficult condition!”
Even so, it’s obvious that Charlotte will stand in our way from now on. Since Charlotte has become our enemy, we can’t afford to run away saying, “We can’t possibly win.”
However, we don’t have any concrete plans to counter Charlotte. But we can’t just stand still. So, we decide our actions based on what we can do now, what we want to do, and what we want to protect.
“The Demon Lord is going to move his entire country now, isn’t that right?”
“Now that Charlotte’s seal has been broken, we have no choice but to move. If we leave her as she is, the disaster of the past could return to the present.”
The reconstruction of the Demon Lord’s castle has already begun. Although it happened just last night, in some places, the debris removal has started, and scaffolding is being erected. And it seems the Giant Demon Lord will dispatch the regular army to deal with the resurrected Charlotte and the threat approaching from the north.
“Even if we gather hundreds of thousands of demons, it will be like a drop in the ocean before Charlotte. But we cannot let it go unnoticed. We will likely have to request the cooperation of other Demon Lords. And if necessary, we Demon Lords will all have to take on a great task.”
“…I apologize again. It’s all my fault for falling for Charlotte’s sweet talk.”
“I told you not to worry about it. Since the mirror dedicated at the Nine-tailed Fox Shrine was broken, Charlotte’s seal would have been broken sooner or later anyway.”
From last night until dawn, the Demon Lord recounted to us the history of the Nine-tailed Fox Shrine and Charlotte’s past.
Thousands of years ago.
When the Giant Demon Lord was active in the East as one of the Nine Demon Generals.
The Demon Race’s country was once on the verge of collapse.
One of the Nine Demon Generals was in a continuous conflict with the Divine Race Empire.
At that time, the Divine Race had a Fighting God so powerful that even the Giant Demon Lord was awestruck.
The conflict between the Nine Demon Generals and the Empire gradually escalated, eventually becoming a total war for the survival of their races. And due to the Fighting God’s valor, the demons were driven to the brink of extinction.
“I can’t believe I survived that war,” the Giant Demon Lord muttered reflectively, leaving an impression on me.
The Demon Lord briefly recounted events from a long time ago.
The Fighting God apparently reached the Demon Lord’s throat. But the Divine Race did not achieve victory.
It was the demons, and the Demon Lord, who brought an end to the fierce war. And the absolute Demon Lord of that time was the one who currently reigns above the Demon Lords, I was informed.
The story, with the detailed parts of the war omitted, makes it unclear how formidable the person called the Fighting God was. However, it is clear that he was someone who made the Giant Demon Lord utter such a remark. Furthermore, the power of the ruler who defeated that Fighting God and prevented the extinction of the demons sent a deep tremor through us.
“Well, that was a digression. And now, the story concerning Charlotte begins.” The Demon Lord continued.
The war, it seems, was truly fierce.
The demons were nearly wiped out, and eventually, even the Divine Race Empire ceased to exist.
“You mean ‘ceased to exist,’ not ‘was destroyed’?”
“It vanished. Including all its divine people and slaves.”
“That was also the work of an upper entity, wasn’t it?”
“In a single night, the Divine Race Empire, which boasted of its prosperity, disappeared. The perpetrator was the one in the red costume, whom you know, wasn’t it?”
It’s the little girl in the bright red costume who, in the capital of the Armēdo Kingdom, instantly sealed the movements of not only the Giant Demon Lord and Kusharilla but also Old Man Sleigsta and Asher.
“I am the only one among the demons who knows its true terror. Compared to that, Charlotte is still tame. …But I’ve digressed.”
I see. Compared to an entity that could destroy the Divine Race Empire in one night, Charlotte, a great Nine-Tailed Fox demon, who could be dealt with by the Nine Demon Generals and the Demon Race Army alone, could be considered lesser. However, from our perspective, both are far beyond comprehension!
“In the war back then, there were millions of demons alone. If you add the Divine Race and other races caught in the crossfire, the casualties easily exceeded ten million. Then, what happens?”
“Uh…”
I recall what I had been taught.
“If many casualties occur, and resentment, hatred, and sorrow gather, they generate miasma, right? And if that gathers over a long period, the Primogenitor Race is born?”
“That’s right. That is Charlotte’s origin.”
“That’s too despairing!”
I’m sure the miasma that led to the birth of other Primogenitor Races wasn’t on such a scale. The Demon Lord also said so. The demons were on the verge of extinction. And on top of that, over ten million souls from the Divine Race and other races combined are her origin!
“I don’t mean to be rude, but I doubt the weakling Demon Lords of modern times could handle her. Even I, myself, would be hard-pressed to simply survive.”
My family was speechless at Charlotte’s true identity. The Demon Lord, without paying mind to my family, continued his story.
“There are few who can defeat Charlotte alone. Even with the combined power of that era, we couldn’t kill her.”
“So, you weakened her and sealed her, right?”
“That’s right. And she was also cursed by the miko of that time.”
“Charlotte can’t touch or destroy sacred things, can she?”
Or rather, it’s probably some kind of sorcery, but saying “curse” might hurt humans, you know?
“With her power diminished, I kept her under my surveillance.”
“Surveillance? Or rather, you made her work her fingers to the bone, didn’t you?”
I wonder how Charlotte could serve someone who had hurt her for thousands of years. Well, she was probably waiting for an opportunity to break the seal, but even so, wasn’t she overworking herself? Charlotte’s intentions are hers alone to know. I doubt even the Giant Demon Lord understood everything. After all, before Charlotte’s resurrection, the Demon Lord seemed to trust her.
In any case, we learned the old story from the Demon Lord, from the war that led to Charlotte’s birth to her sealing. According to the Demon Lord, these are events from the past that he hasn’t even told his own vassals.
“Then why did you tell us?”
“Because I thought you needed to know.”
“?”
“Charlotte is a Primogenitor Race that stands apart from the others. Therefore, you don’t need to bear the burden of dealing with her alone. I told you that I couldn’t handle her by myself, didn’t I? Therefore, we will all deal with Charlotte. Me and you, and other Demon Lords and demons.”
Ah, I wonder if the Giant Demon Lord is truly a demon. He’s showing concern for me, who caused the seal to be broken. My family, like me, was grateful for his incredibly kind consideration, which was uncharacteristic of a demon.
And now.
I convey our future course of action, decided with my family, to the Demon Lord.
“First, we will prioritize dealing with known threats. We don’t know when the Mimicho woman who appeared in the forbidden territory will attack again. Also, there’s the high-ranking demon who invaded the Dragon King’s Capital. He’s rampaging as the leader of the Red Cloth Bandits, wasn’t he?”
“The bandits can be easily suppressed once the army moves.”
“But their leader, Ryzen, is not to be underestimated. So, please let me know if anything happens. We have to return the humiliation Sefina suffered!”
Sefina smiled at me as I declared this forcefully.
“That’s right. And please also dispatch troops to the Dragon King’s Capital.”
“Arrangements have already been made. Although, it’s ironic that Charlotte, who betrayed us, was the one who made the arrangements.”
“Thank you. Then, once the defenses of the forbidden territory and the Dragon King’s Capital are solidified, we will move on to the next step. The magic sword user is rampaging, targeting the strong, so…”
I flexed my arm and made a bicep.
“No, you don’t have muscles there?”
“Elnea-kun, the Demon Lord is saying terrible things…”
“Muscles don’t suit Elnea-kun.”
“Sob sob.”
Jokes aside.
“If the magic sword user is seeking strong opponents, I will be the decoy.”
“There’s also a possibility he’ll only target demons.”
“In that case, I’ll use Ruilala as bait!”
Unfortunately, Ruilala is not present at the moment. Like the other vassals, she must be busy working due to the emergency.
“And, regarding the Dragon Race of Rugah…”
“I’ll be moving on that as well.”
It was then that Wol, one of the Eight Great Dragon Kings, appeared.
“I owe the demons a life debt. Besides, it’s also the Dragon Race’s fault for letting Rugah run wild.”
“Wol, have you recovered from your injuries?”
“Thanks to you. I’ll be cooperating with Elnea-kun this time as well.”
I become happy to gain such a strong ally.
“Very well, I shall issue you an adventurer’s certificate. With that, even a Dragon Race member should be able to operate within the Demon Race’s country.”
Is the Demon Lord going to endorse it? That’s nice, I want one too. With that, I might be able to move freely within the Demon Race’s country.
“You seem to be acting freely even without such a thing?”
“T-That’s just your imagination!”
It’s a misunderstanding. I’m just flying over the Demon Race’s country on Nimia or Lily, you see!
“W-Whatever… If we secure the outer perimeter, we should be able to reach Baltnowar. And we will definitely thwart Baltnowar’s scheme!”
Baltnowar, who remains outwardly inactive, is a creepy presence. However, I am convinced that he will reappear before me once my companions fall and his plans are thwarted. The Demon Lord did not object to the future plan I proposed.
Finally, not only us but also the demons have begun to move in earnest. I don’t know if this is according to Baltnowar’s plan, but we will simply address the problems one by one, surely eliminating them. And if everyone cooperates, we should be able to counter Charlotte. When I heard about Charlotte from the Demon Lord, everyone despaired, but it should be alright!
However, I had forgotten something at this time.
By the way, how did Charlotte know that the key to unlocking the seal of her other half was the mirror at the Nine-tailed Fox Shrine? And how was she so sure that the seal could be broken with the Orichalcum Mirror we newly created?
Lastly. Who was the one who gave the oracle to Rubia and the others protecting Oz and the Nine-tailed Fox Shrine?
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