CH 277

Tralzard was angry with me.

‘Can I beat him?’ That was what I thought she was asking, but I was wrong.

Tralzard started with, ‘what the hell are you thinking?’ and continued with ‘don’t ever fight him’ and ‘don’t even think about fighting him.’

It would be fine if I just fought him, died, and that was it. But if Melvis were to be put in a bad mood and he took it out on his neighbors… Tralzard tried to persuade me with tearful eyes.

But she really didn’t need to get so angry.

“Uh, what was it that you wanted to know?”

She should have asked me more clearly.

“What… I wanted to know about King Melvis’s mood, of course.”

Of course. I didn’t realize.

It was like the day’s weather. It was only natural for her to want to know how he was feeling now.

…As for Lesser Demon King Melvis’s mood… He was relatively calm, but there was definitely a chance of moodiness. One should be prepared for thunder magic in the evening.

Something like that?

But well, I doubted anyone would even feel like fighting once they witnessed that overwhelming presence.

“I can only tell you what I felt. He didn’t seem to be in a bad mood. But I don’t know what he is usually like. Though, the others in the castle did not seem to be particularly afraid.”

“I see… So King Melvis isn’t grumpy when waking up.”

I…suppose so?

“There was something that I was wondering about. King Melvis is a Lesser Demon King, right?”

“It really is hard to believe, isn’t it? Given the amount of mana.”

Tralzard said with a grin.

“Yes. How can that be?”

“Who knows? I don’t understand it myself. He used to be a Great Demon King, and now he is a Lesser Demon King. I think that perhaps something has made his mana levels difficult to accurately measure.”

“So it isn’t being measured accurately… I see.”

The Tablet of Control was in sync with the Orbs of Control within our bodies.

If a Lesser Demon King died, their names vanished from the stone tablet.

And you could tell when a Lesser Demon King rose to Demon King, as the position of their name would change.

And it was said that your position on the tablet was determined by how much mana you had.

So, what about Melvis’s case?

His overwhelming presence was proof that he had enormous amounts of mana.

It was too much for the confines of a Lesser Demon King.

But then why wasn’t this reflected on the Tablet of Control?

It was my opinion that Melvis’s chains were the cause.

According to Melvis, they were invisible to everyone else.

I could see them, but we would set that aside for now.

I did not know what those chains were for.

However, what if they were also the reason that the Tablet of Control couldn’t properly measure Melvis’s mana?

The chains were apparently put on him by Hera during the battle with the Celestial World.

Hera’s goal was to bring back Zeus.

And she would have been conducting research for that.

Could those chains be a result of that research?

“Thanks to King Melvis’s return, the surrounding area should become more peaceful.”

Tralzard muttered thoughtfully.

“Yes. If two or three of the surrounding countries disappear, then the young Lesser Demon Kings will definitely take the hint.”

I agreed. Tralzard looked at me with clear annoyance.

Perhaps she thought I was suggesting that hers would be one of those countries that disappeared.

Now that I thought about it, we were neighbors.

And they had been attacked relentlessly before Melvis went into his sleep.

Yes. I was starting to think that this country would be destroyed.

I hope not. I have acquaintances here now, and it was a good country…

“Golan!?”

“Uh, did I say that out loud?”

Damn it. But there was no malice behind it at all.

Tralzard was shaking visibly now, and Miralda was patting her on the back.

The Demon King and General. It was like they moved in harmony.

“And Golan. I have something that I want to ask as well.”

Said General Miralda, who had been silent all of this time.

“What? I really don’t know any details.”

“What does King Melvis intend to do now? After all, it might greatly affect the future of the Demon World.”

Indeed. While he may be called a Lesser Demon King, he was still really a Great Demon King.

Like an adult who resembled a child. And so she wanted to know how he would move next.

“I can’t even imagine. However, King Melvis has not given up his search for King Yamato, so I’m sure that he will go flying off as soon as he finds something.”

If he was going to do anything, it would be to continue his search for the Lesser High King.

After all, he had ordered me to search for leads as well.

“I see…that cannot be predicted. And so we cannot move carelessly.”

General Miralda chuckled with a troubled expression.

“I’d like to ask you something as well. How are things in this country?”

According to what I had heard on the road, they were still fighting Demon King Legard.

Not only that, but there were stories about a particularly large battle happening near the border.

“Our armies are currently having a staring match at the border. While the scale of this war has increased, it’s still the same old fighting. I think they will withdraw after they’ve had their fill of it.”

General Miralda said without much interest.

But many soldiers would fight, and many would die.

And yet it had been going on for so long that it was seen as mundane now.

“In that case, we should be heading back, before we get involved.”

I did not want to be roped into this battle with Demon King Legard’s army.

When I said this, Tralzard and Miralda both nodded.

However, they assured me that I need not worry, as the battle was unlikely to reach this place.

○ Wild Hunt – Nehyor

“Huh? Is something flying?”

Nehyor exclaimed as he saw something flying in the distance.

“It must be a scout. Perhaps there is an enemy army nearby.”

Replied his Adjutant, Legras.

Nehyor and the Wild Hunt were currently moving through Demon King Legard’s lands in order to reach Demon King Tralzard’s country.

“…We have confirmed its identity. Lord Nehyor, it is one of Legard’s scouts. They are searching through the area.”

After a while, more flying people could be seen in the sky.

There were dozens of them, and they all appeared to be the same race.

“Let’s stay put and wait for them to leave.”

“Understood.”

As long as the Shadow Runners’ special ability, ‘Hide Together’ was active, they would not be discovered.

However, when moving as a group, dust rose into the air. As would smoke if they cooked.

They made noise when walking through grass, and the trodden grass would be proof of their presence.

In other words, just because they could not be seen, it did not mean that they were completely safe.

And so Nehyor and the others waited there without making a sound.

“…Are they gone?”

“Yes, they must have moved to someplace else.”

Nehyor scratched his head.

“This is getting very tiresome. Maybe we should just crush them.”

“There are flying scouts ahead of us as well. Even if we take a few down, they will likely just send more of them.”

“Yes…that’s true… Ah, and here they are again.”

Nehyor and the others looked up to see something especially large flying in the sky.

“It’s a Thunder Bird. A high-ranker. Not someone who would usually be put on scouting duties…”

“If someone like that is scouting the area, wouldn’t that mean that the Demon King’s main camp is close by?”

“Surely they wouldn’t… No, it is possible. Perhaps Demon King Legard himself is leading them.”

Legras thought the idea was ridiculous at first, but both Legard and his subordinates could fly.

While this was difficult terrain, it wouldn’t matter if you were in the air.

It was more likely because this was a place you wouldn’t want to bring many soldiers.

“If it is Legard, maybe we should attack?”

“No, Lord Nehyor. I don’t think that would be wise…”

It wasn’t like storming a castle.

Attacking an army on the battlefield…and a Demon King’s army, no less. They did not have enough men.

“I see… Then we’ll cross the border as planned.”

Had there not been a war, they would have passed through this place easily.

Thinking about that made him increase their speed.

Both sides were currently watching the border.

And it was there that the members of the Wild Hunt would pass through.