Chapter 36

Thank you for reading.

I will post again around 8 or 9 tomorrow.

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The leader told Noelle that this forest of demons was somewhat special.

Other forests of demons all belonged to some territory. The territories managing them received subsidies from the country.

However, this forest was located right at the border between two territories. Because it was a troublesome forest, both territories refused to manage it.

Due to this situation, a civil servant was dispatched from the country to manage the village as its mayor.

This time, the embezzlement was committed by this mayor.

The knight corps, Noelle, and the queen's guards entered the pioneer village. Noelle's guards were the shadows assigned a secret mission by Sirius.

No one wanted to acknowledge that Noelle would help, but no one could stop the queen from insisting. The leader of the knight corps eventually gave in to Noelle's sweet talk: "If I go with you, they'll be more at ease, right?" "Just don't tell Sirius."

As the group reached the middle of the village, the mayor appeared.

He looked quite flustered, with sweat glistening on his forehead.

He wasn't old, but he was middle-aged. For someone managing a pioneer village, his arms and shoulders were rather slim.

According to the leader and others, he used to work in the royal palace but was transferred to this village when his misconduct was discovered.

Since then, he had been the mayor of the pioneer village for several years.

This was decided during the reign of the previous king. Even if there were no other candidates for the position, it was a harsh punishment.

The fine for his misconduct was to be paid from the reward for managing the village, and it was almost paid off.

--- But it looks like he might get caught again. This time, it might be off to the mines. Oh, wait. Because the mayor of a pioneer village... I remember.

Noelle recalled that managing the forest of demons was related to national defense.

The mayor approached Noelle and the leader of the knight corps.

"What brings the knights here?"

He asked with his hands rubbing together, his gaze shifting between Noelle and the leader. He might not have recognized that Noelle was the queen, but his behavior was quite rude.

Noelle was dressed in elegant riding clothes.

She would have preferred a more knightly or hunter-like outfit, but since there were none, she chose the simplest riding clothes.

Her hair was loosely tied in a single braid.

She stood out in the pioneer village.

The leader of the knight corps, dressed in the uniform of a high-ranking knight, also stood out, but in a different way.

"The queen will be performing a hunt in the forest of demons.

She is a master of attack magic.

We will be staying here tonight."

The mayor's cloudy eyes widened at the mention of "the queen" by the leader.

"R-Really? In such a rough place?"

"It's better than camping."

"The queen must be tired. Let her rest.

Move out, everyone."

At the leader's command, everyone responded with a strong "Yes!" and advanced.

The mayor could only watch helplessly.

Noelle, the leader, and a few others entered the mayor's house.

For a pioneer village in such a remote area, it was almost a mansion.

It had a stone foundation and impressive pillars made of giant trees.

It was puzzling how the mayor could live in such a house without doing the village's actual work.

When they entered, a young woman was there. She was beautiful, with a stunning figure.

"Who are you?"

Unfortunately, she was only beautiful in appearance. Her gestures and speech were crude.

"We are the knight corps."

The leader of the knight corps, who was young and handsome, answered. The moment the woman's gaze shifted to him, she broke into a broad smile.

"Oh, really? Please, make yourselves comfortable."

She clung to the leader, her plump chest pressed against his arm.

The knights' faces showed their confusion: "What's with this woman...?"

--- This pioneer village is really terrible...

Is this what happens when the capital's eyes can't reach here?

Then, Noelle and the others began their search, ignoring the woman.

The sounds of arrests could be heard from outside.

It seemed that the people in the house, including the servants and bodyguards, had realized something was wrong and started to resist, but they were quickly subdued by the leader's stern glare.

--- The leader carries a dangerous longsword. Of course, they would be afraid for their lives.

The investigation was almost complete. Evidence was piling up. The mayor had hoarded gold coins, and numerous human bones, clearly from victims, were found. These bones were likely the missing hunters mentioned by the scouts.

Noelle understood why the mayor hadn't disposed of the bodies in the forest of demons.

Feeding human remains to the monsters would make them more aggressive. If the mayor had let the monsters deal with the victims, they would have attacked the village. So, the bodies were left in the back storage.

Separately, the state of the forest of demons had already been recorded.

There was already enough evidence, but more would likely come from a thorough "interrogation" of the merchants who had colluded with the mayor.

The leader, the captain, and Noelle stepped outside the house.

The arrests were complete.

"Dawson, how do you explain the human bones found in your backyard?

And the fact that the forest of demons has been neglected for years?"

Dawson was the mayor's name.

"S-Such a thing..."

"The forest has been inspected. Your time is up."

"Damn it!"

Dawson's face twisted.

He knew.

This crime was not just embezzlement. Managing the forest of demons was a matter of national defense.

Intentional neglect by the responsible person was considered treason.

In other words, the death penalty.

The faces of the captured accomplices were also pale.

Their fate would depend on further investigations.

"Let's take them to the capital for further questioning..." As the leader was about to arrange the transport, Dawson started to struggle.

"What are you doing!"

"Rora! Do it!"

Dawson shouted.

The beautiful woman, who had appeared earlier, looked frightened and flustered.

"What are you doing! You're guilty too! We're all going down together!"

In response to his words, the woman moved.

"Capture that woman!"

Before the knights could act on the leader's command, the woman threw something.

It looked like a stone, glowing a dull blue.

--- A magic tool?

The moment it hit the ground, a bluish-gray light flashed.

"Everyone, take cover!"

"Back off!"

The leader and the captain shouted, and the knights quickly retreated.

The knight corps had suffered from defective magic tools made by the empire, so they knew the dangers.

The mayor's magic tool seemed to do nothing but flash.

However, magic tools often have delayed effects.

While the knights were standing back from the magic tool, the prisoners started to move on their own.

The captured prisoners were only bound by their hands and could walk. They were not tied near the dangerous magic tool. The knights had not been inhumane.

But perhaps the danger of the magic tool was not clear to the average person. After a moment of confusion, they started to flee, moving away from the knights and toward the magic tool.

The knights watched the magic tool, not moving.

This was the turning point.

"What is that..."

It came suddenly.

The danger came from the sky, not from the magic tool on the ground.

A foul wind blew.

In the next instant, all the prisoners near the magic tool disappeared.

"Snake dragon!"

A scout shouted.

"Everyone! Get down!"

"What the hell!"

"It was a magic tool to summon a dragon!"

The knights were spared the first attack because they had moved away from the magic tool.

But it wasn't over.

The snake dragon, as its name suggests, had a snake-like head and neck.

It was incredibly fast.

Its prey didn't even realize why they were dead before they were killed.

The snake dragon changed direction in the sky and then targeted the knight corps and Noelle.

It seemed to be delighted by the sight of humans, screeching in a displeasing, ear-piercing voice.

When the dragon opened its mouth, it looked like a snake about to swallow its prey whole.

Two types of teeth, like axes and scythes, were visible. Both were sharp enough to slaughter dozens of prisoners in one go. They were almost in a line.

"I'll cast a barrier! Come here!"

Noelle tried to cast a strong barrier to protect the knights and her guards.

Before she could, the leader of the knight corps stepped forward.

The snake dragon attacked with the speed of a gust of wind.

The leader swung his longsword.

Lightning exploded.

A flash of lightning illuminated the area.

For a moment, it was like midday.

With a thud, the dragon's body hit the ground. A moment later, the snake dragon's head fell.

Everyone's eyes widened at the unbelievable sight.

"The dragon's head..."

"Cut off with just one strike..."

Another dragon descended like the wind.

The leader moved his large body like a dancer, slashing with his sword.

Lightning flashed, turning everything blue.

With a thud, the dragon fell to the ground.

The battle between the snake dragon and the leader continued, summoning all the dragons within the range of the magic tool, and all of them became the leader's sword's prey.

By the time the sun set and the area became quiet, the front of the mayor's house was covered with the corpses of dragons.

"Hey, are these dragons tasty?"

Noelle asked quietly.

"Some of them ate bad criminals."

The captain of the magic corps answered calmly in the night.