Chapter 25

That day, the monsters residing in Alkymaira were restless.

It was because an announcement had been made that the king himself would give a speech.

"Hey, have you heard about it, that thing?"

"Yeah, of course. You mean the talk about our king giving a speech, right?"

"Yeah, the square in front of the castle is already packed with people. Should you be relaxing here like this?"

"I have the ability <Far Sight>. I plan to go up to a rooftop and listen from there. What about you?"

"I'm a giant, you know. When the time comes, I'll just revert to my original form. No matter how big the guy in front of me is, there's no one bigger than a giant. In my original form, there's nothing to block my view."

"...How tall are you?"

"Thirty meters."

"Absolutely don't do it. You'll be targeted by the Second Legion. If you cause a disturbance, you'll be cut down by the commander of the Second Legion."

Such conversations were taking place everywhere.

Since the announcement of the speech, the line of people heading to the large square in front of the castle had never stopped.

It had been about a day and a half since the unprecedented event of the entire capital being transferred.

The monsters living in Alkymaira had all been more or less shocked.

After all, the capital being moved to another place meant that they had lost all other satellite cities and regional cities. They had lost their vassal states, and external trade had completely stopped.

Naturally, various industries had suffered a major blow.

Primary industries were almost completely destroyed.

Secondary industries were partially paralyzed.

Tertiary industries were still functioning, but it was questionable how long they would continue to function from a medium to long-term perspective.

The national treasury was open, so their immediate living was guaranteed.

They had been assured that there would be no problems for the next year.

But what would happen after that?

Many of the physically strong races thought, "Well, it'll work out somehow," but the more intelligent and high-ranking monsters were acutely aware of the crisis the country was in.

"Well, it's true, everyone is tense. I hear there have been more minor conflicts than usual."

"Did you hear a guard complaining?"

"Idiot. The guards of the Second Legion are all hard-headed. You won't hear them complain about their job. It's just a rumor."

"Rumor... Well, it's true that in a situation where you can't do anything by force, all sorts of frustrations build up."

That was the problem.

Monsters were essentially believers in power.

Even the weak in Alkymaira had a disposition to respect others, but fundamentally, they still sought solutions through force.

Therefore, if this were a problem that could be solved by force, the citizens would not have felt stressed.

They would have just waited, preparing to use their strength when called upon. Waiting was a preparation period for fighting, and it gave a sense of pleasant excitement rather than stress.

But this time, things were different.

After all, it was not a problem that could be solved by force.

If the issue were about the transfer, it would fall under the expertise of the Fourth Legion, specialized in magic, or the Sixth Legion, specialized in curses, but even the experts in those fields had not produced satisfactory results.

If it were a matter of insufficient magic power, they would have rushed to the Fourth Legion and provided all the magic power they could, but with no clue to a solution, there was nothing they could do.

Naturally, it was not a problem that could be solved by physical strength.

Moreover, given the need for the country to act cautiously, they could not vent their frustrations abroad, and they had to spend their time in the narrow confines of the country.

This time was gradually, but surely, causing stress to the citizens and soldiers.

Then came the announcement that the king would give a speech.

All the citizens latched onto this announcement.

All the monsters, except for the guards defending against external threats, were already gathering in the square in front of the castle.

The square in front of the castle could not accommodate all the more than ten thousand monsters, and image projection orbs were set up in various places in the capital to show the remote location, but everyone wanted to see the king in person.

Those who couldn't find a spot took up positions on the roofs of nearby buildings, used <Far Sight> or <Mind Sight>, or, in the case of winged races, hovered in the air, each securing a spot in front of the castle balcony in their own way, waiting for the king to appear.

If one looked around from the castle balcony, the entire square was filled with the figures of monsters.

It was a scene that could be described as a gathering of ten thousand monsters.

"But, you know, it's quite a sight to see, even for us. Normally, this much power doesn't gather in the capital."

"Exactly. It's been a long time since all eight legion commanders gathered, like during the founding celebration. Look, there's the commander of the First Legion over there."

"...That's true. It's rare to see the commander of the First Legion, who is close to the king, away from the king's side."

On a raised platform in the center of the square, the first to eighth legions were arranged in a circular formation around it, with citizens filling the gaps.

The eight legion commanders also appeared among their respective legions.

It was rare to see the commander of the First Legion, who was close to the king, away from the king's side, and those nearby were looking at him without restraint.

The noise gradually subsided.

It was because the time announced for the appearance of the king of Alkymaira was approaching. Without a word, the crowd of more than ten thousand people fell silent.

—And then, the moment arrived.

A beam of light stretched from the castle balcony to the square.

The light connected to the cylindrical podium in the center of the square and crystallized, forming a path.

Then, a man appeared on the balcony.

He was wearing a cloak with the national emblem and walked with a composed gait.

There was no mistaking him.

He was the one the people had been waiting for, the ruler of ten thousand monsters, the king of Alkymaira, Helian Edda Elsineau.

"Ooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh