Chapter 57

It's late. This is the post for the 17th, please bear with me.

Suddenly being handed this, I’m confused. What is this book? And what’s this Demon King? All sorts of questions float into my head.

"…I think you have a lot of questions, nya. But first, take a quick look, nya."

"Got it. I’ll start reading then."

Perhaps pushed by the atmosphere in the audience chamber, Ain decided to go through the single volume. The leather spine was still new, the texture still soft and unweathered, showing no signs of aging. The embossed letters were easy to read.

For a while, Ain enjoyed the texture and calmed his mind. Finally, he began to open the cover of the book.

"…A book made by Katima and Chris?"

"Yes, nya. They worked tirelessly for half a year to finally create this book, nya. It’s hard to put a value on it, nya."

It must be a work of confidence. Katima, who had dedicated herself to research, must have put a lot of effort into it. There was something that only Ain could sever. The words Katima spoke kept nagging at him, and to find the clue, Ain began to focus on the single volume.

"Whoa, wait, nya. Cover your body with this cloth before you start reading, nya… just to be safe, nya."

* * *

The conditions for the birth of a Demon King are as follows:

1. Pure human species cannot become a Demon King; only other races or half-breeds have the potential to become one.

2. No matter how many times they evolve, they will become a Demon King of their original race. For example, if they were born as a bird-type monster and evolved into another race, they would still become a bird-type Demon King.

3. Without the talent to reach Demon King status, no matter how many magic stones a monster consumes or how many levels they gain, they will never become a Demon King.

Given these conditions, I will proceed with this single volume.

The Demon King appeared in the continent of Ishtar only once in recorded history: "The Succubus of Envy, Asche." She is the only one. Although she is known as the Succubus of Envy, she did not bear that title when she first awakened as a Demon King. More details about this will be discussed later.

In the past, the people now known as other races were considered monsters. Even if they had a physique similar to monsters, as long as they could communicate and did not cause harm, they were granted the rights of other races. However, in those early days, Demon King Asche was a ruler for many of these people.

She was often shy and immature as a ruler.

She had two family members: Dullahan and Elderlich. The nation of Asche, the Demon King, began with these family members.

The three of them traveled across the continent of Ishtar for a long time. During their travels, they encountered many people. Over the long journey, the three helped many monsters (other races) and spread their name.

As a result, the names of the three became known to many people.

The three were kind. When they saw someone in trouble, they helped them and fought alongside them. Many people who admired the three gathered, and a town began to develop.

From then on, the three continued their travels, starting from the newly formed town. Those who were helped during their travels aimed for the town and migrated there. Over a long period, this trend continued, and the town grew significantly.

The town was always enveloped in a peaceful atmosphere, and it seemed like those days would continue.

But it happened suddenly. Without any warning, Asche, who had not yet become a Demon King, fell into a high fever and lost consciousness. ...Three days later, she opened her eyes as if nothing had happened. The day she awoke was the day Demon King Asche was born.

This information was widely spread among the town's residents. Upon hearing this, the residents celebrated the birth of the king and rejoiced at the formation of a nation.

From then on, many monsters who heard of the Demon King's birth began to migrate to the town. The town eventually ascended to the status of a nation.

Unlike the nations of humans, it was a simple and modest culture. Nevertheless, for the residents, the most important thing was that they could live without any inconvenience.

However, the situation changed drastically a few years later. Something triggered the collapse of the nation.

The trigger was a certain race... the Red Foxes. When this race joined the nation ruled by Asche as the Demon King.

The Red Foxes were friendly and quickly integrated, interacting with many citizens. However, gradually, the state of the nation began to change. From the time the female leader of the Red Foxes entered Asche's castle, the atmosphere of the nation became tense.

She was popular and well-liked by many citizens. She quickly rose to a high position and eventually became one of the Demon King's close aides. She made many suggestions and contributed to the nation's development.

However, after she began to stay close to Asche, Asche's calmness began to wane. She became emotionally unstable and spoke to herself more often.

The citizens were deeply worried and prayed for her recovery. From that time, Dullahan and Elderlich, the two close aides, began to be distanced from the Demon King Asche.

Suddenly, the two aides were sent to a new village a bit away. As a result, only the female Red Fox remained by the side of Demon King Asche.

Ultimately, Asche's mental state did not recover, and an incident occurred. Asche awakened as the "Succubus of Envy, Asche." She became loyal to her desires and began to rampage without restraint.

Dullahan and Elderlich returned to the rampaging Demon King Asche, ignoring the orders. However, the three never met again because she refused it.

After that, she continued to rampage, seemingly intent on destroying everything. She attacked the capital of the people living far away and took the lives of monsters who did not obey her.

Eventually, the Demon King was defeated by Ishtarica after many sacrifices. ...And in conclusion, why did the Demon King start to rampage? What did the Red Foxes do? This is what is recorded.

The method is unknown, but Demon King Asche was subjected to an ancient curse called the "Curse of Solitude." It is said to be a racial skill possessed only by the leader of the Red Foxes. How they applied this curse to Demon King Asche is still unknown.

* * *

"I read it roughly, but does this mean that the hypothesis we found earlier has been proven?"

"Yes, nya. The Red Foxes cursed the Demon King, and due to that curse, the Demon King rampaged. That's the information that has been passed down in Ishtarica, nya."

"...So, until then, the Demon King was harmless?"

"Yes, nya."

Ain understood what was wrong, listening to Katima's explanation. Regardless of the reason, the Red Foxes were the root of all evil.

"Alright, I understand what happened so far. What about the rest...?"

"I'll tell you what happened when you returned from Eulor, nya."

"...Ah, got it."

Finally, after six months, why was this happening? With the long introduction out of the way, he could finally hear the explanation.

"It was a trick of fate, nya. Among the souvenirs from Eulor, there was a doll representing the leader of the Red Foxes, nya. That's why Ain lost his mind, nya."

"I see. But just losing his mind, why did he sleep for so long? I don't understand that part."

"I'm sorry, but in such special cases, that's the only conclusion we could reach, nya. ...The Dullahan inside Ain went berserk, nya. According to Chris, he used his technique, which could deal significant damage to the White King with just one strike... it was ridiculous, nya."

Katima continued her explanation calmly, but Ain was full of questions and couldn't keep up.

"Wait, Katima. That means... I was controlled by Dullahan?"

"That's what I'm saying, nya. There's no way you could use such a technique otherwise... The Dullahan data we had so far was unreliable in terms of attack power. He must have been a unique Dullahan, nya."

"Lord Ain... After you fell, we measured your physical strength and magic power to check your condition. Your magic power was completely zero, and your physical strength was almost depleted."

Katima's explanation was supplemented by Chris's account of the situation at the time. Ain possessed enormous physical strength and magic power, so why had they been so depleted?

"That's right, Ain. I think your physical strength was forcibly converted to make up for the lack of magic power, nya."

The attack power of that Dullahan was terrifyingly strong. That's how it was.

"To put it more simply, that Dullahan might have been able to cut a sea dragon in half with ease, he was that powerful, nya. So, Ain's body was under great strain and entered a hibernation state to recover, nya."

"...I see. I understand. So, seeing the figure of someone who harmed my family... the Demon King, that's what triggered it. If that's the case, I can understand the other thing too."

"From me, the special cloth that was placed on Ain's body to prevent it from going berserk is no longer necessary, nya. What do you mean by the other thing, nya?"

Katima tilted her head. But Ain averted his gaze from her and looked at Silvardo, who was near the throne.

"Grandfather."

"...Ah, what is it?"

"About the Red Foxes moving to Eulor... the other continent. Do you think they are preparing something?"

"You are as perceptive as always. Yes, I do think so."

"And they will surely do something to Ishtarica in the future?"

"...Yes, that's right."

The concern is that they incited the Demon King to attack people. The purpose of making people attack is something we need to gather information about in the future. And the fact that their figure was found in the neighboring continent suggests that something will happen.

"I see... Yeah, I understand. If that's the case, I might be a target too."

Seeing Silvardo nod quietly, Ain understood.

"Hey, Katima. The seal to suppress that Dullahan is probably no longer necessary, I think."

"...Why not, nya?"

"Because 'she' said it was okay, and now I understand... The other thing I mentioned earlier is about her. So, it's fine."

"Who are you talking about, nya...?"

Ain took a deep breath.

"Considering my connection to them, I'm the most suitable person, right? ...Grandfather, let me investigate first. ...About the Red Foxes."

If by any chance... the Red Foxes take action, it might not be in the near future. It could be in the distant future. Ain thought about this. But as someone connected to Dullahan and Elderlich, he couldn't just ignore it.

Ain looked at Lloyd, Warren, and Katima, and finally at Chris, before voicing his resolve.

* * *

About a month after Ain woke up.

Many things happened in a whirlwind.

First, there was the academy. Due to special circumstances, the regular exams were postponed, so he took all the accumulated exams. His grades did drop, but he managed to maintain his position in the first group.

After that, he had a long talk with Bartz, Leonard, and Roland, whom he hadn't seen in a while. Since he was supposed to have been on a long-term job, they congratulated him on his hard work.

He was teased about using a wheelchair, but he explained that he had been injured during his travels.

After that, he continued his rehabilitation with all his might. Thanks to something she did, Ain's body quickly recovered, and after a month, he felt even better than before.

Finally, to fulfill the promise he made before leaving for Eulor, he visited her.

"Hey, Crowne."

"...Hey? I don't think so, though?"

Her house, not the castle, was the headquarters of the August Guild and Crowne's current home. Ain, who suddenly showed up without an appointment, saying "Hey," left Crowne at a loss. Incidentally, her grandfather Graf was on a business trip today.

On the day Ain woke up after six months, she came to the castle that same day. She, like Chris and Olivia, burst into tears and hugged Ain. From that day on, she accompanied Ain's rehabilitation for most of the month.

And today, since Ain was taking a break, Crowne was at home.

"Haa... Well, come in, Ain. Inside, please."

"Sure. Thanks."

Entering Crowne's neatly organized room, Ain was greatly surprised by the guild members. But knowing about Ain and Crowne, they let him into her room without any suspicion.

"Really... Do you understand? Women have many things to prepare, you know. So, don't come suddenly..."

While being scolded a little, Ain just smiled and opened his mouth.

"Hey, let's go on a date, okay?"

"......!?"

After a moment of stiffness, Ain was delighted to see Crowne's exaggerated surprise. Although it was a common occurrence for Ain to suddenly do various things, his sudden words were still powerful enough to take her breath away.

It was almost spring, and the warm weather and calm sky were perfect for a date. In such a setting, their date began.

* * *

The warm weather made it a perfect day for a date. They walked through a less crowded area and arrived at their destination.

"Kyaa... No, no, no, no splashing water, okay? Right?"

"Hehe, it's relaxing."

Although it was a date, they couldn't go far. They couldn't go to a place that would draw attention in the capital either. Going shopping was a borderline option. They had to avoid the main streets.

So, the place Ain chose was the capital's port. It was smaller than Magna but near where the Princess Olivia was docked. Here, the people of Ishtarica rarely came, so it was a safe place.

"Hey, Ain? You said it was a date, but why are you just watching?"

"Watching you play with them is really soothing."

Incidentally, Ain's guards were not with him today. However, covert operatives were watching over Ain and Crowne from the shadows. Chris had arranged it this way.

"Hey... S-so... But you have to keep me company too, okay?"

"I understand, my lady. Here you go."

Ain was sitting on a wooden box on the pier. Crowne was playing with twin sea dragons. Their growth rate was extraordinary, probably due to the food they were given.

One culprit was amusingly giving the twins many magic stones, from cheap ones costing 1000G to expensive ones over 50000G.

Keeping a daily growth record and taking care of them was appreciated, but the culprit didn't expect them to grow so much, saying, "I didn't expect this! But I can't stop, nya!"

So, the twin sea dragons would likely continue to grow.

"Still, they've grown so much while I was asleep for half a year."

"Kyururua?"

"Kyu?"

"They have cute voices, but their size is no longer just cute."

El and Al. The two sea dragons had already reached a length of 5 meters and had considerable combat ability. They hunted small monsters in the coastal waters and brought them as gifts to the castle. Occasionally, they brought sea crystals, which were valuable gifts.

"Both of them can now travel through the waterways to the castle, but it will soon become more difficult."

"Yes. As a father, it's sad, but if they're in the castle, I can see them anytime, while here it takes a bit longer."

"...Well, it's best for them to grow big, right?"

Smiling, Crowne asked, and Ain thought it was a good idea to come and see her today.

For the twin sea dragons, the waterways of the castle were connected to the outside. Many seals were placed, and the passage was strictly constructed for the twins.

"...So, what is it, Ain?"

"What do you mean?"

Crowne, who was petting the sea dragons' heads, turned around, her beautiful light blue hair swaying.

"Haa... Really. Don't you understand? I'll get angry if you keep this up."

Even with a pouting face, her delicate appearance remained unchanged. Although it was a bit amusing, he decided to be honest before she really got angry.

"What if I, you know, completely turned into a monster?"

"...Ah, what? Uh... No... That's unexpected..."

At the same time as Ain's answer, Crowne was taken aback. Something seemed to be off.

"What's wrong, Crowne?"

"...Well, I thought it was about the Red Foxes, but it's not, is it?"

Ain had told Crowne that he would investigate the Red Foxes. Although the method of investigation was not yet determined, it would involve traveling to many places, and of course, it would be dangerous.

"Ah, sorry! I thought it was that... Well, that's one issue, but