The Second of the Demon King's Country - 2
Peaceful days continued, and I had come to believe that this would go on forever, watching the children grow.
Yet troubles, as a rule, always arrive without warning.
"Your Majesty, there is someone who insists on an audience. They claim to have come from the village of Lunan."
"Lunan? Understood. Show them to the reception room."
The village of Lunan.
A familiar name. No, there is one person from that village living in this country, but it's not that child.
"Long time no see, Lord Taro. Are you now the Demon King?"
"Long time no see, Gram. Just call me Taro. So, what's up today?"
"Given how busy we both are, let's skip the small talk. The monster from the ruin has vanished. Here's a sketch showing its current state."
!?
As he looks at the drawing, he mentally processes the meaning of the words.
It was just one sentence, but the information was utterly unacceptable.
That reptilian demon, resembling a dragon, should have been immobilized by the seal placed upon it by the hero.
"What happened to the seal?"
"It was broken. We don't know what caused it. But for that demon to vanish unnoticed by anyone—it's no ordinary event. That's why we're reporting it urgently."
A massive monster vanished without anyone noticing, emerging from underground.
...Recently, monster activity has been increasing dramatically.
Several legendary monsters have already been confirmed.
This couldn't possibly be a mere coincidence. We must investigate further...
"Understood. Thank you for letting me know. I'll look into it from my end as well."
"Please do. Oh, by the way, is Lilica doing well?"
"Yeah, she's doing fine. She was playing with the kids yesterday. Want to meet her?"
"No, I'll pass. It seems like she's in a good environment right now. There's no need for an old-timer like me to show up."
"I don't know about that, but if you're comfortable with it, then okay. By the way, do you have time later? Let's grab a drink together."
"Sure, I'd be happy to. Count me in."
Still, it's strange that a legendary-level monster has been acting up recently.
Active monsters, the growing number of black spots—there's no way they're unrelated.
I must at least thoroughly inspect every corner of my own country... so I can respond immediately if anything happens...
It came suddenly.
Like an eruption, magical energy surged upward, and it rose from underground.
It soared through the sky, burning the nearby Forest of Beginnings to the ground.
Soldiers quickly arrived from nearby Nihon and the Empire, launching a campaign to eliminate it.
Yet the monstrous creature unleashed attacks far beyond conventional understanding, moving faster than the soldiers, leaping higher than them, and ruthlessly cutting them down.
Soldiers sank into the sea of flames, were blown apart, and scattered pieces of human remains littered the surroundings.
It was said that the so-called dragon-like beast had plunged into the sea and vanished somewhere.
This news spread across the entire world.
At the same time, the world was thrown into chaos by a mysterious beast that could appear from anywhere without warning.
"Your Highness, regarding the dragon..."
"I know. Strengthen the defense network immediately."
"Yes, sir."
Soldiers hurried through the castle grounds.
While giving orders, he rushed toward the laboratory.
"Well?"
"We observed it as planned."
Pulling a section from a bundle of papers, he examined the drawn curve.
It represents the size and number of black spots.
Looking at the data from the starting forest to the place where the dragon is said to appear, the number is clearly increasing.
I don't understand the reasoning behind it, but there appears to be a connection between the number and size of black spots and the appearance of dragons, unlike previous observations.
If we continue monitoring the appearance of black spots, we should be able to predict where the dragon will appear next.
Of course, it's limited to around our own country, but being prepared versus not makes a huge difference.
"Please continue the observation, and let me know immediately if there's a significant reaction."
"Understood."
Still, where on earth could it be coming from?
Puzzling over it won't help—there's no way to predict the behavior of such incomprehensible creatures.
Several days passed without any incident.
I went back through the collected records from the heroes' journals.
According to his records, he's been fighting across various regions of the world.
No fixed location can be pinpointed.
He's engaged in battles between heroes, monsters, and dragons across different places.
This too. And this one... huh?
It's almost always a three-way conflict. He's fighting monsters.
After the dragon appears, the hero moves to that specific location. But what has the dragon been doing all this time?
Rummaging through old documents collected over the past few years.
In various texts, dragons are found alongside demonic beasts.
Often engaged in battle. Sometimes apparently eating them on the spot.
Could they really be eating them as food?
Places teeming with demonic beasts... dungeons.
A chill runs down his spine.
There's a dungeon just beneath the sea near this country.
The door bursts open.
Researchers tumble into the office.
"Your Majesty, a large number of black spots have been detected. The location is here!"
At the same moment the researcher spoke, a rumbling echoed across the entire nation.
Gazing out the window.
Looking toward the sea where the dungeon lies.
Hovering in the air, something impossible—vast, writhing shadows that seemed to pulse with life.
That... is a dragon.
Lina and Noel enter the room.
"You." "Taro."
"Both of you, take the children to a safe place—emergency defense!"
"Understood."
They immediately set out into action.
They weren't the only ones.
Everyone knew the dragon was coming. Many people began moving right away.
I jumped from the window and headed toward the sea.
It wasn't a long distance.
I reached the shoreline shortly after.
The dragon had a large magical beast in its mouth.
The monster was completely dead, its body soon to be discarded.
The dragon had sharp fangs, a wide mouth, large featherless wings, and a body entirely covered in tough scales. Its limbs were firmly planted on the ground, and numerous magic stones were scattered throughout its form.
It looked just like a boss from a video game.
Hovering effortlessly with its massive 18-meter frame, it looked down upon us.
You've finally come...