第５０６堀：未知の大陸の危険性 (Part1)
**Chapter 506: The Dangers of an Unknown Continent**
**Side: Kagura Kamishiro, Affiliation: Haiden, Second Daughter of the Kamishiro Ducal House**
"Kyuuun."
The pathetic whine of an oversized wolf, scolded by Aslin(?), echoed through the room.
...Honestly, I have no idea what is going on anymore.
Neither Lady Catherine, Lord Jorgin, nor I know what to say, so we can only watch the situation unfold.
I mean, what else can we do?
If we say the wrong thing, these monsters surrounding us might just snap.
Feeling the danger to our lives, Yuki and Aslin(?)—who are surrounded by these very monsters—remain completely unfazed. Yuki opens his mouth to speak.
"As you can see, these are monsters. Creatures like this walk this continent as if it’s nothing. You could think of them as enhanced versions of wild animals, I suppose?"
"T-that’s... that’s not even the level we’re talking about..."
I manage to reply in a trembling voice.
The pressure radiating from these—not monsters, but *beasts*—is extraordinary.
More than that, I can feel magical power.
If it’s this obvious, they must be capable of using magic on a commensurate scale.
"Well, as Kagura said, they’re on a different level than wild animals. That’s part of the reason why the coalition was formed. As you can see, they revere Aslin as their master, but wild monsters aren't like that. They attack people and livestock, and there are many recorded instances of them wiping out entire villages, towns, and even nations."
"I-is that how strong they are?"
"Well, monsters vary in strength. But the fact that nations have fallen means there are monsters capable of such feats. As for the monsters under Aslin’s command, they have enough power to crush a small country if everyone here worked together."
T-they’re *that* kind of monster!?
"A-are you sure it’s safe?"
"Safe? Aslin is stronger than all of them. And, naturally, so are we."
"..."
The scale is just too different. I can’t keep up.
Just what exactly did I summon?
"Hey. Yuki, are you a King of Monsters? A Demon Lord?"
When I asked that, Lady Catherine and Lord Jorgin looked at me with panicked expressions.
"Hm? No way. First of all, the concept of a 'Demon Lord' here is different from yours. Didn't I tell you? Monsters are just enhanced versions of wild animals. Well, the act of taming them might be similar, but it’s no different from keeping animals. It’s the same as raising horses to form a cavalry unit."
Ah, when he puts it that way, I can sort of understand.
I see, that’s why Yuki called them enhanced wild animals.
As I’m thinking this, Lord Jorgin’s panicked expression fades, and he speaks.
"...I see. So that is what monsters are on this continent."
"Many of them are excellent as materials, too. They’re prized for making strong weapons and armor. Generally, it’s said that animals that have accumulated a massive amount of magic power transform into monsters. They are also the materials for the magical tools I handed to you, Lord Jorgin."
"Hmm. So they aren't just external enemies, then."
"Since we suffer the damage, we’ve had to think of ways to utilize them. Otherwise, it would just be too painful to endure."
"Indeed."
That’s true.
If they were just strong and useless, it would be too hard to live. So, they collect the materials and make them into something more powerful.
The people on this continent have lived like that.
It sounds obvious now that it’s been said, but I think I was refusing to understand because it’s so different from the continent we come from.
"Now, I wanted to talk about what comes next, but it seems like it would be better to hold off on bringing these monsters into Baide for now."
"Yes. I believe that would be for the best. The people of Baide would be terrified, and more importantly, as Lady Kagura mentioned, if people start calling you a 'Demon Lord' or something similar, you might be attacked by surrounding nations."
"You think so too, Lady Catherine? What about you, Lord Jorgin?"
"...I am of the same opinion. Honestly, we should keep this fact hidden from the Empire. The timing is far too poor."
"Is there a problem?"
"...My apologies. I had intended to speak of this eventually, but given the circumstances, I thought it best not to bring it up—however, since monsters are involved, I must speak."
Huh? What is he talking about?
Lord Jorgin is radiating a heavier, more oppressive atmosphere than I expected.
"...Until about seven years ago, my Findall Empire was at war with our neighbor, the Kingdom of Rila. The cause stemmed from the Rila Kingdom abducting a princess of our nation."
Ah, I’ve heard of that.
The second princess was kidnapped, and they raised an army to retrieve her, sparking a war.
But, if I recall correctly, the kidnapped princess was...
"However, despite our desperate efforts, the princess was slain. That is the outcome generally reported, but there is a hidden truth. In reality, they used the princess’s magical power to summon monsters, and both our Empire and the Kingdom of Rila fought using them."
That’s... that’s insane...
"In the end, they exhausted the princess’s life to summon a powerful monster, but we managed to slay it, and the war finally came to an end. However, why did such technology exist? Why did they resort to such barbaric acts? We still do not know. Therefore, if you show monsters to the Empire now..."
"It could lead to war with the Empire... is that it?"
"Yes. That is correct. Please keep these monsters hidden until the time is right. I must be the one to speak to His Majesty; otherwise, this could become a spark for conflict."
"I see. I understand. I had heard of the conflict with the Kingdom of Rila, but I had no idea monsters were involved. And they used a sacrifice in the end? Is that why other countries stayed out of it?"
"Exactly. There are few who want to be a scapegoat for the unknown, and no one wanted to deal with it themselves."
"But Lord Jorgin, you’re calmer than I expected. Don’t you see us, who use monsters, as enemies?"
"Haha. I haven't grown that senile yet. On the contrary, I am convinced you are not our enemies. If you were to flaunt monsters at a country that has suffered so much from them, you would be mistaken for a Demon Lord, as Lady Kamishiro said. That would mean the whole world would become your enemy. There is no reason for Yuki-sama, whom I have spoken with, to do such a thing. Rather, once the matter with Haiden is settled, I would like you to use your knowledge of monsters to help us investigate the cause of that tragedy together. That event remains a bitter memory for the upper echelons of the Empire and still casts a dark shadow today... to clear the princess's regret."
...That’s right.
A princess used as a sacrifice—that’s not something that can be easily forgotten.
"That proposal is convenient for us as well, so we will cooperate. I’ll leave the coordination with the Empire to you, Lord Jorgin."
"Yes. Leave it to me."
"Actually, the monsters are our biggest concern, too."
"What do you mean?"
"Kagura said it earlier, didn't she? That monsters were just the stuff of fairy tales."
"Yes."