We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Next mission.
After persuading Revalia, who had decided to sulk, we hurried back to the mansion.
As Laira had reported, the Giant Demon Lord was waiting for my return.
And, he looked displeased!
“Uh, welcome?”
“Your foolish greetings are unnecessary.”
From the atmosphere, it seemed like something had happened to offend the Demon Lord.
The Mimicho people living in the mansion had all fled, intimidated by the murderous intent emanating from the Demon Lord.
Mistral, who was serving tea to the Demon Lord, was giving a wry smile.
It’s quite a rare sight.
The Demon Lord usually expresses his displeasure quite openly, but he rarely shows his true anger.
Well, it’s probably because releasing negative emotions like that generates killing intent and miasma, causing trouble for those around him.
In any case, the Demon Lord made no attempt to hide his displeasure and waited for my entire family to gather.
“So, what’s wrong?”
With the current Demon Lord, I knew that unnecessary prying or beating around the bush wouldn’t work. So, I decided to ask him directly about the situation.
The Demon Lord, looking extremely annoyed, stated the purpose of his visit.
And it was something none of us had expected.
“Ruilala’s whereabouts have gone missing.”
“What!?”
This time, Ruilala is missing too!?
I recall that the ruler of the Demon Race and that ruler’s attendant, a young girl, had also gone missing recently, hadn’t they?
Could there be a connection?
As I voiced my question, the Demon Lord let out a heavy sigh and shook his head.
“No. You know this too. I was planning to have Ruilala investigate the vicinity of the Winged Tribe’s country, located south of the Fairy Demon Lord’s territory.”
That’s right.
While I’m concerned about the unsettling movements of the Divine Race, the Giant Demon Lord was wary of the Fairy Demon Lord Kusharilla capitalizing on the turmoil to cause further disruption.
And, to the south of Kusharilla’s territory, there’s a country built by the Winged Tribe.
The Winged Tribe’s country reportedly conducts slave raids in a small Human Race nation further south and kidnaps people beyond the Heavenly Mountain Range.
By selling these captured slaves to the Demon Race’s country or the Divine Race’s country, they receive protection from both sides, allowing them to maintain their nation.
If both Kusharilla and the Divine Race are making moves, it’s possible that the slave trade is also becoming more active. That’s why the Giant Demon Lord dispatched his trusted subordinate, Ruilala, to gather information from the western region.
However, Ruilala has now disappeared.
“Where exactly did Ruilala go missing?”
The fact that we know she went missing implies that there were regular check-ins.
I believe the Demon Lord was able to confidently declare Ruilala missing because these regular communications suddenly stopped, and the cause was investigated.
So, up to what point did Ruilala maintain contact? If we knew that, we might be able to narrow down the possibilities.
“This time, she wasn’t acting alone. The scope of the investigation was too wide. So, we received a report that she entered the Fairy Demon Lord’s country with several subordinates.”
Unlike us, Ruilala doesn’t possess the means to freely travel through the sky. Of course, she can’t use spatial transfer either, so she would have proceeded steadily westward on the ground before entering Kusharilla’s territory.
The Demon Race’s countries are quite vast.
Each country ruled by a Demon Lord is far larger than the Armēdo Kingdom or the Yorttenitos Kingdom, and simply moving to the target region is a significant undertaking.
However, thanks to the development surpassing Human Race countries, the roads are kept beautifully maintained, allowing for faster travel than in Human Race territories.
Therefore, Ruilala was able to reach Kusharilla’s country in this short period.
However, it seems a problem occurred there.
“Knowing Ruilala, I doubt she’d be delayed by bandits or monsters…”
“Of course not. She is a high-ranking demon. Moreover, she is the child of a Primogenitor Race. Even if she’s a sword-fighting fanatic, she wouldn’t be delayed by such lowly beings roaming the mountains and wilderness.”
“Then?”
Why on earth did Ruilala disappear?
The possibility of her being attacked by overwhelming bandits, monsters, magic beasts, or yōma seems low. If that’s the case, did she go into hiding after reaching her objective?
No, that possibility is also low. Because if she were going to hide, she would have reported it in advance.
The most likely scenario is that a situation preventing communication suddenly arose for Ruilala and her group after entering Kusharilla’s country.
“Hmmmm. Ruilala, who possesses enough ability to be recognized as a nuisance by the Divine Race, disappears within Kusharilla’s territory, her mission destination… a nuisance… Kusharilla’s country… Kusharilla!?”
Aha! The realization struck me.
“Logically speaking, just as the Giant Demon Lord dispatches spies to various locations, Kusharilla surely has her own intelligence network, right? If so, it’s highly probable that Kusharilla’s side is also aware of the Giant Demon Lord’s movements to some extent. And, Ruilala? She was definitely being watched as a troublesome person of interest from their end!”
Ruilala went to scout the Divine Race’s country and took conspicuous actions there. So, perhaps she was taking actions that would cause trouble in Kusharilla’s country as well.
“If that’s the case, what about Ruilala?”
In response to Mistral’s question, I presented my theory with a wry smile.
“I bet she was captured by Kusharilla’s subordinates!”
I’m sure of it.
Ruilala is currently being held captive by Kusharilla, which is why she can’t maintain regular contact or conduct reconnaissance.
“But would Ruilala meekly allow herself to be captured by the enemy?”
“Mistral, think about it. While the Giant Demon Lord and Kusharilla don’t get along, they haven’t openly picked fights, have they?”
The Giant Demon Lord has clashed with Kusharilla over various things, such as thwarting her ambitions or conquering territories she previously controlled.
However, when it came to subduing the Demon King, they cooperated despite their differences.
Therefore, even though they are like cats and dogs, I don’t think their relationship is one where they would annihilate each other’s countries or engage in a battle to the death.
So, what would happen if Ruilala, who knows that her king doesn’t desire war or turmoil, were attacked by Kusharilla’s subordinates?
She would surely prioritize avoiding trouble for the Demon Lord, understanding that a deadly fight would be detrimental.
In fact, when I and Listea were attacked by Kusharilla’s subordinates in the Heavenly Mountain Range, Ruilala offered only moderate resistance. Or rather, she was quite easily captured!
“I’m sure Kusharilla’s subordinates understand that killing a famous figure like Ruilala would cause significant trouble, so her life is likely guaranteed. However, they probably don’t want her freely roaming their country, so they might have imprisoned her and stripped her of her freedom.”
The Giant Demon Lord, though still displeased, nodded at my theory.
“Our own speculation is largely the same as yours.”
“So, it’s because she’s captured by Kusharilla that her regular contact has ceased? However, since her whereabouts are unknown, she’s considered missing?”
“Oh,” I said, feeling a little relieved.
The Demon Lord had rushed to tell us about an urgent matter without hiding his displeasure, making us think a terrible incident had occurred.
However, it turned out that even though her whereabouts were unknown, Ruilala was not in immediate danger.
With that, we let go of some of the tension we had been feeling.
“Given recent events, I genuinely thought the Divine Race was finally making a move and panicked.”
“Foolish. The Emperor of the Divine Race must know what kind of forbidden techniques they have unearthed. Therefore, they will proceed with caution. Since investigating their trail also requires caution, it will naturally take time. Charlotte joked when we parted that it would take decades, but in reality, it will likely require some considerable time.”
Nevertheless, it is true that a dangerous plan that threatens all beings in the world is steadily progressing beneath the surface.
And, to gain even a sliver of detailed information about the Divine Race’s movements, it is essential to investigate the Winged Tribe’s country.
Yet, Ruilala, who was entrusted with such a crucial mission, has gone missing due to Kusharilla’s interference.
That’s why the Demon Lord is displeased.
“If Ruilala simply remained missing, it would be one thing, but if the worst-case scenario occurred and she was killed by the Fairy Demon Lord, it would become troublesome for me. I would have to go and explain myself to that sea ruffian.”
“What! Is *that* what you’re worried about!?”
Learning the true reason for the Demon Lord’s displeasure regarding Ruilala’s situation, we shared wry smiles.
It seems Ruilala’s parent, the Ruler of the North Sea, is a ruffian so unruly that even the Giant Demon Lord dislikes him. I wonder what kind of Primogenitor Race he is.
Perhaps Rim and Fiorina were fortunate to only see the sea from afar. Otherwise, they might have been attacked by that unruly Primogenitor Race. I recalled Rim and Fiorina’s past adventures.
However, this was not the time to indulge in peaceful reminiscing.
“Therefore, I have an assignment for you.”
“Huh?”
“From now on, you too shall go to Kusharilla’s country and rescue Ruilala.”
“Whaaat!”
“If you refuse, I will submerge you in the North Sea as sacrifices.”
“That’s so unfair!!”
Grrr.
The Giant Demon Lord intended to lead the conversation to this point from the beginning!
After all, there was no need for him to inform us of Ruilala’s disappearance. Furthermore, even though she was missing, her safety was almost certainly guaranteed, and he had already deduced the reason himself long ago.
Yet, the reason he visited us was to involve us!
“Um, about rest…?”
“You’ve had sufficient rest.”
“No, no, we haven’t had enough!”
“In that case, you should hurry and rescue Ruilala, and then you can rest at your leisure.”
“How long do you think the Ruilala rescue operation will take!?”
“That depends on you.”
“Sniffle. You’re really determined to send us, aren’t you?”
“Of course. You have no right to refuse.”
I wanted to shout, “You wicked, extremely evil demon!” But then I realized that he *is* the Demon Lord, the most wickedly evil demon, and accepted it.
Knowing that the mission was unavoidable, I slumped dejectedly.
Conversely, the Demon Lord’s displeasure vanished, as if he had successfully pushed the troublesome task onto us.
“All right. Now, tell me about your rest.”
“Whaaat! What about rescuing Ruilala!?”
“We can deal with that after you’ve finished talking about your rest.”
“Ruila for rescue being postponed…”
The Demon Lord began to relax in our home, ordering us to bring him alcohol.
Mistral, though dejected, went to fetch the drinks as instructed, and Ruiseine and Madrine also headed to the kitchen to prepare some snacks.
“Where is Priscilla?”
“Priscilla-chan is currently studying at the village in the Dragon Forest. We need to let her live there once in a while.”
“I see,” the Demon Lord said, looking a little lost for what to do with his hands. We smiled at him.
It seemed the Demon Lord was quite fond of Priscilla-chan.
“The plan to groom her into a future Demon Lord is also interesting.”
“Absolutely not, absolutely impossibly not!!”
What is he saying!
He intended to brainwash an innocent young girl from such an early age and turn her into a Demon Lord!
“Hahaha. I’m joking. Why would I do something like that?”
“Are you sure?”
“She’s more endearing to watch when she’s innocent and carefree. I have no intention of casting her into the center of troublesome power struggles.”
“If you ever try to lure Priscilla-chan to the Demon Race’s side, we will stop you with all our might!”
We had narrowly survived a crisis far greater than Ruilala’s disappearance event!
All right, next is to rescue Ruilala.
Wait for me, Ruilala. We’ll come to save you after the Giant Demon Lord has finished his rest!
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