CH 112

Chapter 112 – Those Who Want To Take Revenge On The Demon King

“We have a problem.”

Marquis Yerkel bowed her head as she said this in her first sentence.

“Huh? No, but…”

“I understand. I do not wish to disturb your journey. But if you continue northward, you will be running into the enemy’s sphere of influence. What’s more, it is only a matter of time before their threat extends to Casemaian.”

Enemy? Threat? Sphere of influence? What is she talking about all of a sudden?

“I don’t understand, Marquis. Who is the enemy? When did they establish a sphere of influence in the center of the kingdom?

“Just now.”

Myrril and I tilted our heads.

I looked at Lionora-san, but she seemed to have no idea either and shook her head with a troubled expression.

“After you left Meteora, a stampede of magical beasts broke out.”

The marquis told us about a situation we were unaware of.

The source of the outbreak was the “Deadly Forest,” which stretches from the midwestern part of the kingdom to the eastern part of the tribal union territory.

Hundreds of monsters, both large and small, overflowed from the forest in a frenzy and swept into the southern part of the kingdom in a torrent that swallowed up everything in its path.

Fortunately, the residents had already evacuated in the aftermath of the civil war, so human casualties were minor. At present, the southern noble territory army is holding back in the mountainous area 80 miles (about 128 km) northwest of Meteora.

There is a slight possibility that Marquis Yerkel’s territory could be affected, although it would be quite far to the west, considering the route to the south, which is more to the east.

“Is this not a natural disaster? I am asking about the “enemy” that you mentioned.”

“Ah, yes. The enemy is probably King Saliant.”

“The king? Wasn’t he executed?”

“No, he was scheduled to be executed this evening. Umm… where should I start?”

The marquis was stuttering as she gathered her thoughts.

She seems like a calm person at all times, perhaps because of her true age. Is she a little confused because of the emergency?

“The king and queen had been sent to the execution table before noon. The princess had been stripped of her status and sent into hiding, and they had been kept in prison, but… they disappeared.”

“Does that mean they escaped?”

“No, they disappeared before our eyes. The princess in the dungeon also disappeared before the eyes of the guards. I think it was caused by some kind of magic, but the soldiers’ and mages’ watch lists showed no sign of any reaction.”

Shortly after that, a group of magical beasts went out of control, and a letter arrived at the government office in Meteora, which had been left unoccupied to deal with the situation. The letter was placed on a desk in the office, which was supposed to be empty, but there was no sign of anyone coming or going, and no one was seen.

The letter was an official royal document addressed to Duke Lemore. Sent by “King Saliant.”

“It was probably for the purpose of demonstration, but it even had the seal of the kingdom stamped on it, which was not originally necessary. It’s one of the things we didn’t find when we took control of the palace.”

“I don’t care about the stamp, but that means…”

“Yes. We believe that the outbreak of the magical beasts may have been artificially caused.”

“And if this “enemy” is the king of Saliant, what does the letter say?”

“The letter announces retribution and counterattacks against ‘the rebels and the fools who support them.’ First of all, he said he had retaken the capital.”

“Retaken?”

“Immediately after that, a message arrived on a fast horse from the spy we left in the royal capital. The city had been taken over by 3,000 soldiers of unknown rank.”

I looked at Myrril in bewilderment.

Isn’t he moving too fast by any means? Meteora, the southernmost point of the southern territories, is nearly 500 kilometers from the royal capital. It would take two days to reach Meteora by horse. In other words, the situation had been moving for more than two days before the messenger left.

It was before we defeated the magical beast… or even before we arrived in Meteora. By the time we passed near the capital, the king and his plan to retake the city were already underway.

Myrril-san looked at me.

Yes, I understand. I understand, so please don’t give me that lukewarm look. I guess there’s a time and a place for that.

“…Oh, Your Majesty the Demon King. Could it be that you were expecting this?”

“Wel. I hope you don’t think that because we were moving toward the royal capital from Casemaian, we were provoked to move by some force or other.”

“Whatever you think or wish for, it is like a wildfire spreading from the enemy’s point of view. They are so afraid of getting caught in the fire that they have spread their own oil elsewhere.”

“I see.”

No, Marquis, it’s not “I see.”

“Whatever it is, it’s not something that can be done on the spur of the moment. It is not only the wicked who have joined King Saliant. I don’t know if it was the empire or the tribal unions, but they must have been preparing to raise the palanquin for a long time.”

“Well, it’s not my fault, is it?”

“That is precisely what I mean when I say, “It can’t be that way.” Your presence has stirred up all the countries and all the crowds!

“Eeehhhh? Enough, let’s break through and go back to Casemaian. I’ve been defending myself and my friends for a long time, but all these guys keep coming at me and dying on their own. I don’t want to deal with that kind of thing.”

“….Fumu.”

The marquis did not seem to object or protest but thought about it and took out a letter from her pocket.

“Then I understood. I think that this letter is probably addressed to you.”

What is this? A scroll with some kind of wax seal.

I have a bad feeling about this. There is something written next to the wax seal. I can’t read it, though.

“What is this?”

“It says, “Attention, Destroyer of the World.” The main letter was addressed to Duke Lemore, so I was at a loss to determine to whom this letter was addressed.”

I opened it, but I still couldn’t read the contents.

If you are the king, you know that I am from a different world, right? So what the hell am I supposed to do?

“Myrril, what does it say?”

After glancing at the letter, Nojaloli-sensei looked up to the sky. What’s with that reaction? Please stop it. I’ve had enough bad news already.

“It says, ‘Now the royal capital has been transformed into a holy capital. We, who have gained holy power, will defeat the summoned one who has fallen into evil.'”