◇ The King of Ulza ◇
The Black Dragon Knights have fallen.
That shocking news raced across the entire continent.
People received the report with great shock.
But the story did not end there.
Information regarding the deaths of the Five Dragon Warriors remained confused.
There was only one reason.
The mystery of who killed the Five Dragon Warriors still remained.
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The Magnal Kingdom.
An ancient castle stood in the southernmost region of that great northern country.
Its name was the White Castle of Demon Defense.
South of the White Castle stretched the Great Ruins Belt.
It was also known as the Golden Demon Zone.
The fallen Great Oath Wall was the northern stronghold.
This White Castle could be called the southern stronghold.
In the Gathering Wolves Chamber inside the castle.
Representatives from each country sat around a round table.
The White Wolf King of Magnal.
Behind him stood the vice commander of the White Wolf Knights.
The Queen of Jonato.
Behind her stood the Saint of Jonato.
The Mad Emperor of Mira.
He kept no subordinates at his side.
The Demon War King of Ulza, Jin.
Behind him stood the commander of the Demon War Knights.
The Firm King of Alion.
Behind him stood the Goddess Vysis.
The White Castle was in a convenient location for representatives of each country to gather.
At present a large army of the Great Demon Emperor remained stationed to the north of Magnal.
Each country's representatives had arrived with elite forces.
If an emergency arose they could immediately deploy those elites.
Naturally each country had also left sufficient forces behind in their own lands.
"I never imagined the Five Dragon Warriors would be completely wiped out along with their personal units."
The one who spoke first was the White Wolf King.
"I never held any goodwill toward Bakos, but I must acknowledge the skill of the Five Dragon Warriors, especially Shibito Gartland."
His voice was as hard as steel.
"So, is the report of the Five Dragon Warriors' deaths truly accurate? I still cannot believe that humanity's strongest has died."
The White Wolf King directed the question at the Demon War King of Ulza, Jin.
The White Wolf King sat directly across from Jin.
Jin let out a silent sigh in his mind.
He is still the same unsociable man.
The reason the question came to Jin was obvious.
The Black Dragon Knights had been destroyed inside Ulza territory.
But Jin did not possess much information either.
Things have become quite serious. Still, I could not refuse the Black Dragon Knights' entry into Ulza.
"I have confirmed the bodies of the Five Dragon Warriors myself. Their corpses were delivered to Bakos the other day."
Jin glanced at the empty seat.
The Emperor of Bakos had declared he would not attend this gathering.
It could not be helped.
The military force his country boasted as the strongest on the continent had been destroyed overnight.
The deaths of the Five Dragon Warriors were too heavy a blow for Bakos.
The White Wolf Knights of Magnal.
The Saint of Jonato.
The Mad Emperor of Mira.
The Dragon Slayer of Ulza.
The otherworld heroes of Alion.
These were the greatest fighting strengths each country could offer.
Bakos had lost them.
They were probably busy running around their own country right now.
"The matter of the Black Dragon Knights is currently under investigation. From the information obtained so far, well, I cannot say everything has been made clear."
The White Wolf King rested his elbows on the table and groaned.
"Hmm."
The White Wolf King stared at him intently.
His broad shoulders gave off a sense of intimidation.
His pale gray eyes resembled a winter wasteland.
They were eyes that tried to scoop out any falsehood.
An unpleasant gaze.
But Jin could not look away here.
If he did, the other man would mistake his earlier words for lies.
Good grief.
As far as Jin was concerned he wanted to wrap up the investigation as quickly as possible.
He had felt uneasy ever since the invasion of Neah.
The Black Dragon Knights.
Having them roaming right under his nose.
Just the other day they had forced their way into the country.
For Ulza the Black Dragon Knights had been a thorn in the side.
But now they were gone.
From Ulza's perspective this incident was actually good news.
If only Bakos would weaken like this.
It would be ideal.
If I am honest I would even want to reward whoever killed the Five Dragon Warriors.
The investigation could be done just enough to avoid displeasing the goddess.
If they swear loyalty to Ulza I could grant them peerage in exchange for joining the Demon War Knights. No, having them join the knights would probably be bad. That is right. Considering the feelings of other countries, joining the knights would be problematic.
The White Wolf King must have judged there was no shady point.
His gaze shifted to the others.
"Does Alion have any solid information on this matter?"
His eyes were fixed on the goddess.
Not on the king of Alion.
"Goddess."
The Firm King called out.
"Understood."
The goddess gave an elegant bow and stepped forward.
She stood beside the Firm King.
Today as well she possessed beauty worthy of the name goddess.
I wish I could learn that composure of hers.
She carries herself more impressively than I, the king of Ulza.
No, there is probably no one who surpasses the goddess in experience. That steady presence is only natural.
The god race is enviable.
Their appearance does not change with age.
I wonder if they even have the concept of lifespan.
"I do not know everything either, but I have at least compiled the incoming information. It seems the Black Dragon Knights were pursuing Seras Ashrain."
Jin already knew this.
The Queen of Jonato reacted.
"The former captain of Neah's Holy Knights? I heard she disappeared when Bakos invaded."
"It appears she had visited our Ulza."
Jin answered quickly, seizing the opportunity.
"She was being chased by a bounty hunter called the Holy Warden White Walker and was in the southern regions until recently. It seems she was disguising herself with spirit techniques during her flight."
He found himself responding more politely to the queen than to the White Wolf King.
"Where are those bounty hunters now?"
"Their bodies were discovered in the Forest of Darkness. Like the Black Dragon Knights, their corpses were badly mauled by monsters and beasts of the forest."
"Has Seras Ashrain's body been found?"
"It has not. However, bloodstained scraps of clothing were discovered. She probably suffered considerable injuries."
The queen fell into thought.
Deep wrinkles formed between her brows.
"So she may already be dead and her body eaten by beasts. Is it possible she used spirit techniques to disguise herself and received treatment in Mills?"
"After the deaths of the Five Dragon Warriors there is no trace of anyone visiting Mills for wound treatment. We checked the houses near Mills but found no signs of anyone hiding her. Also, footprints suggesting Seras Ashrain headed farther south, perhaps to avoid populated areas, were discovered. Above all."
I need to assert here that we are actively investigating. Also, that as king I have a decent head on my shoulders.
"Considering the amount of blood loss, unless she used the highest-grade healing spells from the Magicians Guild, the recovery magic of the Saint, or the special abilities of the otherworld heroes, she would not have survived."
The massive blood loss.
It was hard to imagine her escaping bloodthirsty beasts and monsters.
The queen asked sharply.
"Is there a possibility of an unknown spirit technique capable of healing wounds?"
"Ugh."
Jin was at a loss for words.
He was not well versed in spirit techniques.
"I believe there is no such technique."
The one who answered was the goddess.
"I have lived on this continent for a long time, yet I know of no spirit technique that provides healing. Above all, if such a thing existed, would she not stop the bleeding before moving?"
"I see. That is true."
The queen looked convinced.
Jin breathed a sigh of relief.
Come to think of it, the goddess's Ruins of Disposal are also located in the Forest of Darkness.
Jin knew.
That place was only called an underground mausoleum in name.
In truth it was a place where the goddess sent "disposable waste."
Even so, the investigation team's report showed no particular changes this time either. As Ulza, we do not want to get too deeply involved.
At that moment he noticed the goddess looking this way.
Jin put on an ingratiating smile.
He feared the goddess.
Opposing her was out of the question.
The other day the goddess had recalled her followers who were in Ulza.
The followers of Vysis could be called surveillance agents for each country.
But she had judged there was no need to station one in Ulza.
She was confident that Jin would not oppose her.
Um, should I change the topic away from the Forest of Darkness?
"By the way, speaking of Neah, are you already aware of the matter concerning the Holy King?"
"The Holy King? After stepping down from the throne I believe he retired to live quietly in Bakos proper."
The queen picked up the topic.
"He passed away last night. It seems he lost his sanity just before death and kept shouting meaningless things like 'Hurry and bring the corpse here.'"
The White Wolf King snorted.
"He surrendered his own country without fighting and spent the rest of his life in comfort on enemy soil. He was not fit to be called a king."
The White Wolf King disliked Bakos.
It was because they had invaded Neah after the arrival of the Great Demon Emperor.
Yet he also seemed to have strong opinions about the Holy King who had surrendered without any resistance.
Surrendering without pointless death might be better, but.
Jin felt relieved as the flow of conversation changed.
He steered it in another direction.
"However, now that the valuable Black Dragon Knights are gone as a force against the Great Demon Emperor, what are your thoughts on the future, Goddess?"
The goddess smiled.
"The loss of the Black Dragon Knights was certainly a heavy blow for our Holy Alliance. Therefore, from now on the existence of the otherworld heroes will become even more important."
The goddess directed her gaze at the queen and Jin.
"We express our deep gratitude to you for willingly dispatching the Four Holy Saints and the Dragon Slayer this time. Ah, Magnal is on the front line against the Great Demon Emperor so we will not ask for much. Mad Emperor, when the Great Demon Emperor's army begins to move in earnest, we will be counting on you as well."
The Mad Emperor of Mira.
Falkendotzine.
A beautiful blond young man.
He had been silently listening to the conversation the entire time.
Playing with the tips of his hair.
He had not spoken a single word since the initial greetings.
When the ogre comes, the one that prospers is Alion.
The Mad Emperor spoke those words quietly.
His voice had a clear tone yet also contained moisture.
Someone had once described it as a voice like morning dew.
The goddess strengthened her smile.
"My my? That sounded rather loaded, didn't it?"
"When primordial evil appears, other countries have no choice but to rely on Alion's heroes."
"That cannot be helped. Every living being in this world bears the burden of the evil king element and cannot display their original power. Because they are born in this world, even the bloodline of heroes cannot escape the influence of that burden."
That was why otherworld heroes were necessary.
People from another world unaffected by the evil king element.
Even the god race could not escape the burden of the evil king element.
"And Alion must explain, persuade, and raise the summoned otherworld heroes. Of course we are grateful for the generous support from other countries. However, only Alion possesses the means to summon heroes. Therefore Alion must also bear the destiny of walking alongside the heroes. In a sense Alion is also a victim carrying a heavy responsibility."
The goddess smiled brightly.
"Proper compensation to those who bear the burden. Now then, is there any dissatisfaction with my explanation, Mad Emperor?"
The Mad Emperor exhaled thinly.
"The legend of the god slayer?"
The goddess clasped her hands together and gave a wry smile.
"Um, will that story take a long time? Is it something worth discussing here? Are you all right?"
"…"
"Eh? Staying silent here is the worst possible reaction, I think… Um, perhaps I am the one who is wrong? In other words, is it fine to say that you are always correct in this world? Have you never once considered that you yourself might be the one who is off? Are you all right?"
The Mad Emperor gave a small smile.
It looked like a smile of satisfaction at having confirmed something.
"Sorry for interrupting the flow, Vysis."
The Mad Emperor extended his white, slender hand.
"Please continue."
"You really are a strange person as always, Mad Emperor. Ah, but please do not misunderstand. What you protect is not me but the Mira Empire, all right? We are counting on the power of the Radiant Legion."
"Will that story take long?"
"Eh? It is already over."
Jin was breaking out in cold sweat.
Even though he was not part of the conversation.
He truly is a man who cannot read the room. Yet he is also the strongest warrior in the Mira Empire. How strange.
"Well then, let us return to the topic."
The goddess took another step forward.
She was now standing ahead of the Firm King.
"I believe you are aware that the Great Demon Emperor's army, which occupied the Great Oath Wall the other day, has begun to move. Our alliance will need to brace ourselves. Alion will also hasten the growth of the otherworld heroes."
"Now that the Five Dragon Warriors are gone, the countries will need to join hands even more strongly."
The queen spoke.
The Saint standing behind her sent her gaze toward the Mad Emperor.
The two were said to be on extremely bad terms.
The White Wolf King stroked his hard-looking jaw.
"I would like to ask each of you again. Do you believe the one who killed the Five Dragon Warriors was Seras Ashrain?"
Everyone had vaguely sensed it.
It was not Seras Ashrain.
It was someone else.
But no one could think of who.
The otherworld heroes had all been in Alion at the time.
None of the main fighting forces of each country had been in southern Ulza.
A famous hero from the bloodline? No.
The opponent was that Shibito Gartland.
Not just any opponent.
The ones who could have opposed him would be the Four Holy Saints, the Dragon Slayer, the Sword of Valor… and perhaps the followers of Vysis?
None of them had been at the scene.
The Holy Warden was also dead.
The possibility of a well-known hero from the bloodline is thin as well. Come to think of it, what about the Forbidden Witch said to be hiding in the Golden Demon Zone? Her strength is not something I hear much about.
In any case there were no leads.
Perhaps it was a hidden powerhouse whose name was not yet known to the world.
Jin made a suggestion.
"If it is a human, we could invite them in as a warrior against the Great Demon Emperor."
"If it was the work of demons, that would be troublesome."
The queen said.
The White Wolf King asked.
"There have been no confirmed sightings of demons south of Magnal, correct?"
At that moment.
The White Wolf King's subordinate entered the room.
The subordinate whispered something to the vice commander of the White Wolf Knights.
Then the vice commander whispered quietly to the king.
The White Wolf King nodded once and turned to face forward.
"It seems someone claiming to have destroyed the Black Dragon Knights has been found in Ulza."
Jin hurriedly turned around.
Toward the commander of the Demon War Knights behind him.
The man had said in Ulza.
It was a matter concerning his own country.
Yet another country had grasped the information faster.
What was going on?
He pressed with his eyes.
But the knight commander shook his head with a bewildered look.
The White Wolf King continued.
"They are spreading word that they used their own curse techniques to drive Shibito Gartland and the rest of the Five Dragon Warriors to their deaths."
Jin remembered.
There had been reports that "curse techniques" were recently being rumored inside the country.
Themselves? Are these people a group?
As if answering the question in Jin's mind, the White Wolf King said.
"The ones calling themselves the Black Dragon Slayers are apparently a group of curse users known as the Ashinto."