Chapter 176 : Demon King's Deal (2)
Demon King's Deal (2)
"Reporting to Her Highness the Princess! Dragons have just been spotted flying above the Philasian Mountains!"
Riya nodded at the officer's words.
If you keep traveling in the direction of the Philasian Mountains, you'll come to the Alkandra Plains.
'So it was true.'
If it hadn't been, it would've been more troubling, but I felt a slight sense of awe.
I still wondered how people like Monet and Rutia were born with such special abilities.
"This... I suppose we need to make preparations."
The one who calmly said this was Rashir, the King of Eintban. Stroking his snow-white beard, he calmly scanned those gathered.
"Our soldiers are ready to fight at any time. Please don't worry about support."
The one who answered Rashir was Serbin, the King of Lavantara. He turned his eyes to the emperor of the empire, who had remained silent.
"What does Your Majesty think?"
"I feel the same way. We must hurry and form our lines. Dragons will gather monsters in the vicinity, so we must thoroughly prepare against large monsters. However..."
Emperor Gideon stared at the sky visible outside the palace with a grim face.
"I can't easily imagine how to prepare for dragons swooping down from the sky."
Even arrows have no effect against dragons.
If you wanted to injure a dragon with arrows, you needed at least a Swordmaster-level archer.
Currently, the only archer on the continent with such skills was Restia, one of the Seven Heroes.
'Even if Restia helped, she couldn't take on numerous dragons alone.'
"Because right here, we have their calamity."
She gripped the horn adorning her waist.
More fiercely than ever, the horn vibrated.
As if to signal that the time was drawing near.
* * *
In the center of Pandemonium stood the pitch-black tower.
Sitting on the throne at its pinnacle, the Demon King looked utterly displeased.
"It's too quiet..."
If things had gone as he predicted, there should have already been news about the Swordmaster.
He had selected the strongest and stationed them at every possible path the Swordmaster might take, and had released countless monsters into the sky, using dragons to keep watch from above to prevent anyone from flying in.
'If only my foresight were flawless, I wouldn't have to worry like this.'
Zard sighed, rubbing his eyes with two fingers.
His ability of foresight was considerable, but there were too many uncertainties.
For one, he could freely see only up to a few seconds into the future. That much he could use whenever he wished.
He could occasionally glimpse farther ahead, but only for truly decisive events that could affect the fate of the world.
Once, Zard had witnessed such a "calamity" and had been preparing ever since.
"Banaseus, is there still no news since the report that the guy's comrade was captured in Gerbellia?"
"Yes, that's right."
He did not think the Swordmaster would have lost to Melburn.
The Demon King assumed the guy must have drawn attention with his comrades, then traveled by another route.
And yet, there hadn't been a single word—for some reason, that seemed deeply strange.
"Come to think of it, Count Sedroth..."
Bang!
Banaseus, who was about to mention something he had overheard that morning regarding Count Sedroth, scowled as the audience hall door suddenly burst open.
"What's going on?"
"M-my lord the Demon King! T-those people—they've arrived!"
"Those people?"
The demonkin soldier who had entered was breathing hard, pointing back over his shoulder.
"The Swordmaster's comrades! They've entered inside Pandemonium itself!"
"What?! Weren't they supposed to be captured by Count Melburn?"
"According to what we've heard, Count Sedroth attacked their carriage in order to steal the credit from Count Melburn."
At the soldier's words, a rough picture formed in Banaseus's mind.
'Count Sedroth... I didn't see him that way, but was he really blinded by greed for credit?'
Otherwise, he would never have done such a thing.
He had heard that morning about the claim that Melburn Gerbellia was colluding with those people, but to Banaseus, it just sounded like an excuse.
This sort of credit-stealing was all too common in the demon realm.
Grit!
Banaseus clenched his teeth and quickly turned around, feeling a gaze on his back.
"Your Majesty! I will go take care of this commotion at once. Please don't trouble yourself."
"Hmm? Ah, yes. Banaseus, I'm counting on you."
"Thank you."
Banaseus signaled to the other demonkin around the audience hall.
These were elite demonkin guarding the Demon King's audience hall—even in the demon realm, their skills were top-notch.
"The fact that the Swordmaster's comrades are running loose means the Swordmaster himself is here. We must begin searching at once!"
"Understood!"
With Banaseus's sharp command, the demonkin answered energetically and followed him out of the audience hall.
"......"
Once they were gone, the previously noisy audience hall fell instantly silent.
Only Zard and the demonkin soldier who had just reported remained.
"...... I see."
Still sitting on the throne, Zard propped his chin on one hand and smiled at the demonkin soldier.
"Is it all right for you not to go after Banaseus? Or is it..."
The soldier, who just moments ago had been panting and looking on the verge of tears, now wore a vague expression.
"Do you have something else to say to me?"
"......"
The demonkin soldier stared silently at Zard.
And then, immense magic power flowed from the soldier's body, and his figure began to ripple and blur.
"Demon King Zard."
When the distortion stopped, the soldier's appearance was completely different.
A human man with black hair and blue eyes.
"I came here to make a deal."
Clay Vanhart was standing there.
* * *
I suppose this was typical.
It seemed Demon King Zard had sensed my identity as soon as I entered.
Even so, the guy had sent his subordinates away without revealing who I was.
"Sorry to Banaseus, but I wanted to have a conversation with you alone."
Zard slowly stood up from the throne and walked toward me.
"I went through all the trouble to prepare so many things for you, and yet you showed up without enjoying any of them... Well, well..."
He shrugged as he said so, but didn't really seem displeased.
If anything, he looked extremely entertained.
"I can't tell if I should call you clever, or say those demonkin were just fools."
"It's probably the latter. I don't think of myself as clever."
"Hmm, is that so? But it's true you were bold. To think you'd use Melburn's identity to get here. Even I didn't think you'd actually do it."
Zard seemed truly impressed.
Whether that admiration was for me personally, or for the demonkin who failed to uncover me until I arrived in Pandemonium, I couldn't say.
"Does this mean I'm a suitable person to make a deal with you?"
"Hmm, not bad—but not yet. Right now, you can't use the Seven Swords Under Heaven, can you?"
At his words, I clicked my tongue briefly.
So he had seen right through me.
"Then that means I'm lacking as a negotiation partner."
"For now, yes. But if you were to defeat me, that might change."
Defeat the Demon King without being able to use the Seven Swords Under Heaven.
It was practically impossible, but I came here for just that. I was determined to bring him down, even at the cost of my life.
"But honestly, I don't understand why you're going this far."
Zard asked, his curiosity genuine.
"I have a cause—for the sake of the demon realm. I'm the Demon King, so I should. But you are not, Clay Vanhart."
"You're curious why I would go to such lengths?"
"Yes, I'm curious. Nothing is as frightening as something with no reason. Do you think it's a duty for the one who obtains the Seven Swords Under Heaven? No, that's not it. You're not the type to care about the sword's qualifications."
I could understand what he was saying.
Why did I have to push beyond my limits for this?
No one ordered me to save the world.
"Just as you do, I have my own responsibilities."
"For the sake of your domain residents?"
"That's one reason. But it's not the only one."
My father was the author who created this world.
And I inherited that will, becoming a stand-in author.
"A duty to properly bring this world to its conclusion."
The responsibility of an author.
'And... Grancesia and Riya are waiting for me, too.'
I had received a lot from them.
So I ought to help as much as I was given.
"To properly conclude this world... That's an interesting sentiment. Like a comedy or play."
"Well, it's similar."
"Then are you the protagonist? Or... are you referring to someone about to come to this world?"
To the one who will come to this world—I didn't answer who that was.
It wasn't necessary for me to say anything. I knew Zard would bring it up first anyway.
"In any deal, information is important. How much do you know about this world? Or rather—do you know who the final calamity of this world is?"
"Of course I do."
Not just this world.
'The original' as well.
No matter how the future changed because of me, the calamity never appeared as anyone other than who it was in the original.
From the first to the tenth—all were the ones that appeared in the original story.
'And Riya...'
I had a guess about the secret Riya wasn't telling. I also guessed the meaning of the horn she always carried.
That's why I entrusted the rear guard to her.
"The tenth calamity, a human disaster... Fabian."
The pinnacle of all calamities—the "Calamity of Human".
That was the true identity of the tenth calamity.