Chapter 23: The Strongest Onmyoji Sees the Volcano

The next day.

A large mountain towered below us on the dragon.

There are no trees on the surface of the mountain, only rocks, and white steam rises here and there.

I mutter.

“So this is… the volcano that is said to be causing the earthquakes?”

“Is it?”

Right by my side, Risolera nodded.

Yesterday at dusk.

After visiting all the notable places and no one came up with the next destination, the last place Risolera suggested was the great volcano at the end of this world.

A gigantic volcano located at the eastern end of the demon territory, it is said to be the cause of many earthquakes in the demon territory.

Depending on the location, the unique toxic fumes of the volcano had accumulated, and it was dangerous for those who didn’t know the mountain very well.

“Have you guys been here before?”

When I turned around and asked, the kings all shook their heads.

“Well,  with this place as it is, it’s only natural.”

“I heard that there is a desert on the other side of the mountain.”

When King Vill asked, Risolera answered.

“Yes, it is. Beyond these mountains, there is a desert all the way to the sea.”

“Hmm. The forest is spreading on this side, but it’s a strange topography.”

“Once upon a time, there was a human country on the other side of the mountain. It used to be a big country, but thousands of years ago there was a big eruption, and all the lava, earth and sand, and volcanic smoke flowed to that side, and it was destroyed. Oops. That’s why the abandoned breadbasket turned into a desert… an old legend has been handed down in the demon tribe villages around here.”

“Heh”

If the breadbasket turned into a desert, was the land originally barren, or was it due to climate change caused by the eruption?

If you get even closer with the dragon, the crater will come into view.

“Oh, there’s no lava lake.”

When I muttered involuntarily, Risolera said with her eyebrows furrowing.

“There’s no way such a terrifying thing exists. It didn’t even erupt.”

“Is there such an active volcano in the human country?”

I hesitated in answering King Vill’s question.

“No, no, I’ve heard that there is such a thing…”

Mt. Fuji in Japan has a lava lake that emits smoke from its crater, so I couldn’t help but expect it.

I say to divert the topic.

“But this volcano is pretty active, too. Steam is coming out here and there.”

“Hey, what’s that over there?”

Looking closely at where King Gauss was pointing, there was something like a well made of brick-like stone on the surface of the mountain.

It’s not in one place, but in multiple places.” They look like wells, but they don’t have fishing troughs, and most of them just have holes. Others, on the other hand, have complex mechanisms that resemble watermills.

White steam was rising from all of them without exception.

I nod my head.

It’s a facility I’ve never seen in my previous life. I feel like it’s similar to the shaft of the Qanat underground waterway in Persia, but I wonder if it’s pumped up even in hot springs…?

“That’s a steam well.”

At that time, Risolera looked down at the mountain and said.

I reflexively ask a word I’ve never heard before.

“Steam well? What is that?”

“It’s a facility that extracts steam from a volcano.”

Risolera then began to explain in more detail.

“The heat from the lava heats the underground water in the mountains, creating steam.

“Only steam? What’s the point in doing that?”

“Long ago, the dwarves who lived around here used it as a power source for ore mining.”

Risolera continued.

“The force of the rising steam turns a water wheel. ……”

“The details are really rough.”

“I don’t know much about it either.”

“Eh, then why are there so many?”

Looking down at the mountainside again.

In the first place, there were almost no wells with equipment like a watermill. Most of them are just pits surrounded by stone.

Risolera answered.

“Steam wells have a role in suppressing eruptions.”

“Fu, an eruption?”

“Is that so”

Risolera nodded.

“An eruption occurs when the force of the steam rising from the soil becomes so strong that it erupts to the surface together with the earth, sand, and lava…that’s right. So, by letting the steam escape on a regular basis, we are suppressing the eruption.”

“Is that so?”

I muttered dumbfoundedly at the information I heard for the first time.

“No, I heard that the volcanic plume is indeed mixed with steam, but is that something that can suppress a huge phenomenon such as an eruption…?”

“I don’t know much about it, so I don’t know the details.”

“…”

“If it makes sense in theory, and if it’s historically consistent…I wonder if that’s what it is.”

Suddenly, King Gauss said as if he remembered.

“Ah! Now that I think about it, my father used to say that. It’s the first time I’ve seen the real thing!”

“Did King Gauss know about it? I heard it for the first time. The civilization of the demons is pretty amazing.”

“When I said that, the other kings looked surprised.”

“’Rather,’ said the King, ‘I thought you knew.’”

“Hey, I thought you knew everything.”

“Many people know among the demons.”

“Heh. Then everyone knew about it.”

“Yeah. Fili was also taught by a tutor when she was little.”

“I knew it before I knew it. By the way, it seems that the people who manage the current steam turbines are mainly the ogre demons who live in the village at the foot of the mountain. After all, they are using it to mine ore.,”

“Heh…”

I gradually became interested.

“… I wonder if I can get off for a while. If it’s near the well where the hut is, as long as there’s someone to manage it, it’s natural that the poison isn’t accumulating…”

“Stop”

When I said that, Risolera immediately stopped.

“Aside from the past, the volcanoes have become more active lately, so I don’t know what’s going on with the poisonous fumes. Even the steam shouldn’t have come out this much when I came here a long time ago… You should stay away from the mountain unless you are guided by someone who knows it.”

“Hmm… I see. Then let’s stop.”

To tell the truth, there is no problem with everyone who is here right now even if they breathe a little poison.

Because that’s how I do it.

But… I muttered while looking down at the steam wells dotted on the mountainside.

“Well, it’s not something you can force yourself to look at.”

********************************

That night, I decided to rent an inn at a nearby ogre settlement.

It was because Risolera was enthusiastically recommending it. It is said that there is a hot spring in the village.

“’Is it a hot spring!’, says the king.”

“Oh, yes. The king said: “Oh, I went to the hot springs managed by the Dark Elves of the Black Forest with the army a long time ago, but not here. What about you?”

“I’ve been there too!”

“It’s my first time. I’m looking forward to it.”

It seemed to be generally well received. Apparently, there is a hot spring cure culture among the demons as well.

“Eh!? Oh no! Fili will never enter~!”

King Fili Nair was the only one who didn’t want to go, but she was dragged along by King Plushe, who had a nasty look on her face, and Risorella, who kept a straight face, and eventually went to the bathhouse.

Is hating baths a characteristic of the cat race…well, maybe it’s just that King Fili Nair is like that.

As for me.

“… more. Huh.”

At the open rocky place on the outskirts of the village.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead after arranging the barrels of sake that I took out from the phase.

All of these things were bought little by little in the villages I visited.

Right in front of my eyes, the gigantic dragon is floating. He seemed to be restless and waiting for something.

If i keep teasing him, he might act violently.

I tell the dragon.

“Okay. Drink as you please.”

As soon as I said that, the dragon bit into one of the sake barrels.

After distorting the lid and deftly breaking the lid, he tilted his head and began to swallow the contents.

He threw the barrel of sake, which was empty in no time, to the side. And soon he’s on to the next barrel.

I muttered while watching the situation.

“…  I’m glad that you like it.”

No matter what you say, it’s the sake of the demons. I wasn’t even sure what it was made from… well, I guess the Ayakashi doesn’t care about that.

I made him drink various things in my previous life, but whether it was unrefined sake, clear sake, western wine, or beer ale, his reaction didn’t change in particular.

“… well, what does that taste like… wow”

The long body of the cocoon undulates.

……It seems that three barrels of sake have already been consumed.

Three barrels of sake is quite a lot, but considering the colossal size of the dragon, it’s probably less than a cup of sake in human terms. He was a bit of a drunkard.

I muttered half-exasperated.

“Aside from tengu, this is what most of the Ayakashi are like. They like to drink more than any other drinkers, but they’re a total klutz. Well, in a way, it helps that they’re cheap.”

Yuki poked her head out from above and spoke in a sour voice.

“Yuki doesn’t like alcohol.”

“And there are some strange ones like this… I mean, there was no need to buy so many sake barrels for this amount…”

When I was wondering what to do with the leftovers…

“Eh, Seika…?”

A voice echoed from behind.

When I turned around, I saw Risolera. Her eyes are wide and she looks up at Kou.

“What’s wrong, sending out a dragon at this time…?

“Oh, don’t worry. He’s just drunk.”

“Drunk…?”

“For the past few days, I’ve been letting the dragon fly all the time, so I was just giving him sake as a reward.”

“What kind of dragon drinks alcohol ……??”

“It seems to be a favorite for this guy.”

Risolera was anxiously staring at the wriggling and writhing dragon that was completely finished.

“… I’m worried about flying on something like this tomorrow.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. If it gets drunk to the limit, goes to sleep, then when it wakes up in the morning, it’ll be back to normal.”

“it must be hungover.”

“Even demons have hangovers. But the dragon does not.”

“Eh… what do you mean?”

“He’s just mimicking the human habit of getting drunk when he drinks. The alcohol he drinks doesn’t accumulate in his stomach, it disappears. That’s just the way it is..”

“… a mysterious monster.”

Risolera muttered.

Well, to be more precise, the existence of ayakashi is generally of that nature.

I ask.

“Is everyone up yet?”

Risolera nodded.

If you look closely, you can see that Risolera’s white skin is also a little red, probably because she just got out of the bath.

I say.

“I see. Well, I guess I’ll go in too. He won’t get up until morning either.”

Kou had already stopped using his supernatural powers, laying his body on the ground and breathing heavily.

In this case, he would never wake up until morning. That is why, in my previous life, the usual way to defeat the mighty yo-ayakashi was to force them to drink plenty of alcohol and attack them in their sleep.

Risolera nodded and said.

“I’ll do that. Tomorrow… I have to go home. So today, i should take a good rest.”

“… that’s right”

Today is the last day of our visit to the demon territory.

I plan to return to the Demon King’s Castle tomorrow, clean up our belongings, and deliver them to their respective royal palaces.

I’ve finished my errands of asking about the inner workings of each race, so there’s no reason to keep them around anymore.

Infact, I should have sent them home earlier.

The reason why I had to wait this long was because I didn’t really want to go home either,…….

Although I knew the situation, I had no idea how to approach the representatives when I returned to Rurumu Village.

When I thought about what would happen after I sent the kings home, I felt quite depressed.

“… I wonder if everyone was able to enjoy the distractions.”

Involuntarily, the words came out.

Risolera nodded and said.

“They looked like they were having fun.

“in that case……”

Just as I was about to say that it was good――――I felt like the vague discomfort I had felt up until now was starting to take shape.

After a brief silence, I speak differently.

“…Then why are humans the only ones not here?”

Risolera silently looked up at my face.

I continue without looking back.

“Demons are not a single race, but a general term for various races. Among them, there are warlike races like ogre demons, and races endowed with power like giants.Each level of development differs. Under normal circumstances…it would have been no surprise if one of the races held the supremacy of the Demons’ territory as they fought fiercely with each other. That is exactly what happened to the human empire.”

In my previous life, the Song Dynasty, Islam, and the former Rome followed such a history.

The power of the Imperial Court in Japan was also the result of the pacification of unruly countries.

“But the current situation is not like that. There seems to be some skirmishes, but they are coexisting well. Even between the king and the representatives, I can feel the friction that was once a big war between the demons. No. I’m sure it’s been like this for a long time. And yet…why are only humans different? Why can’t they coexist in the same way?”

“…”

“Why do humans and demons fight?”

Risolera remained silent as she looked up at the sky where the stars had begun to twinkle.

Then she opens her mouth.

“… Seika spent his time in a human country, so it’s not unreasonable to think that way. There hasn’t been a war in the last 100 years, so even among the young demons, more and more people think like that. Thanks to the merchants, we can now obtain convenient human-made things, especially recently”

“…”

“but……”

Risolera made an expression as if she was deeply depressed.

“Demons and humans are destined to fight.”

“Why is that…”

“There are two reasons.”

“…”

“Hey, Seika.”

Risolera looked up at me.

“Most of the demon territory is forest.”

“…? That’s right.”

“The earth is a natural forest, if left alone, trees will grow on their own. So it is said that in ancient times, most of this land was a forest, just like the territory of the Demon Tribe is now.”

“… but…”

“The human domain is mostly plain plains.”

“in that case……”

“Yes”

Risolera quietly nodded.

“Humans have carved out that much land. The ancient forests where the demons used to live.”

“No way… that much area…?”

I involuntarily ask, but I already knew the answer.

It is said that most of the western world in my previous life was once covered with deep forests. The reason why it has developed so much is because most of it was pioneered by humans.

What if there were beings resembling humans living in that forest?

What if they were forced out during the development?

I wonder if they will come to hate humans.

“The demons are …… different races, but most of them are stronger than humans, aren’t they? How could such people be driven away by humans when they had not gained much skill and were few in number? …..”

“The weaker ones will use any means at their disposal. Even the strongest ogres and giants can be defeated if they are poisoned by a river or lured into a trap. Just a few hundred years ago, this was how humans killed demons and cleared the forests.”

“…”

Impossible, I couldn’t say.

If you think about how humans have fought against powerful monsters and beasts.

Not only that, but sometimes even to people of the same family.

“Occasionally, very strong humans appear, but… that’s not the norm. The ones who have killed an overwhelming number of demons so far are ordinary humans who aren’t strong or anything.”

“…Then, does that mean that the demons…hate humans?　Because they are enemies who have invaded the territory they once ruled and destroyed their brethren…”

“hate?”

Risolera blinks her eyes.

Her face was as if she never thought i would say such a thing.

“…No. That’s not how demons feel about humans.”

“…”

“Even though they should be a fragile race with weak power, little magical power, and a short lifespan…they killed demons who were supposed to be strong, cleared the forest, and used those resources to increase their population in no time. Encroaching on the realm of the demons. The feeling you have for such an existence is not hatred… it’s fear.”

Risolera gave me a faint smile.

“All demons are afraid of humans—that’s why we’ve come to face them with weapons in our hands.”

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