Chapter 141: The Demon Race

───Approximately one thousand years ago.

On a landmass far removed from this continent—upon a desolate expanse known as the Demon Continent—a Demon King was born.

The title of Demon King was not one claimed lightly. It was a designation bestowed solely upon the sovereign of the demon race—the one who stood above all others of his kind.

According to ancient records, the demon race possessed the smallest population among all humanoid species. Yet in exchange for their scarcity, they were blessed—or perhaps cursed—with overwhelming combat prowess. It is said that even an ordinary adult demon could rival, at minimum, an A-rank adventurer. Such was the terrifying baseline of their strength…

The demon race was divided into several tribes, each led by its own chieftain. These tribes were in constant conflict, perpetually clashing in bitter rivalries. With every skirmish, lives were lost. And so their already meager numbers dwindled further.

Only once in history did a single leader unite all tribes beneath one banner.

───That individual was the Demon King.

But the Demon King did not stop at ruling his own people. His ambition stretched beyond the Demon Continent. Soon enough, he turned his gaze outward—toward the conquest of the entire world.

As continent after continent was swallowed in shadow, despair spread like wildfire. Nations fell. Cities burned. Hope withered.

And yet—

There were those who shone brightly against that encroaching darkness.

───They were the Heroes.

Summoned from another world by the great powers of the Veiland Continent, these otherworlders were called forth for a single purpose: to defeat the Demon King.

The Heroes succeeded. They slew the Demon King and returned light to the world.

But in the aftermath, the great powers established one ironclad rule:

Never again would a Hero be summoned for private or selfish reasons.

The next summoning would occur only when a new Demon King arose.

For any other purpose, it was strictly forbidden.

For a thousand years, the major powers of this continent—the Garcia Kingdom, the Mondo Duchy, the Eldorado Empire, and the Astoria Empire—upheld that rule without fail.

……However.

After a millennium of restraint, one nation finally broke it.

That nation was the Garcia Kingdom.

“Our beloved homeland… honestly, it makes me sigh…”

“Captain Lily, what have you been muttering to yourself this whole time?”

“Oh, nothing much. I was just reviewing the historical context from the very beginning, trying to analyze this current demon race incident properly.”

“Have you uncovered anything?”

“The answer is that I’ve uncovered nothing. It’s not a problem simple enough for neat conclusions. But…”

“But…?”

“I’ve arrived at a personal hypothesis. Pure speculation, of course.”

“Please, I’d love to hear it.”

“Let me take a sip of coffee first.”

She did. One quiet sip.

Then Lily’s expression turned solemn.

“Not long ago, the king of the Garcia Kingdom summoned Heroes, didn’t he? For the first time in a thousand years.”

“Yes. His Majesty lamented our nation’s declining military strength and summoned four otherworlders as new assets.”

“And at the exact same time, the demon race—who had remained quiet for a millennium—began stirring again. Do you really think that’s coincidence?”

Silence fell between them.

“And then,” Lily continued, “Hinomaru—closed off from the world for a thousand years—suddenly erupted into civil war and formed an alliance with the Empire. The very nation founded by a Hero allied itself with another major power. Don’t you find that strange?”

“Yes… it feels as though history has been accelerating these past few years. And every major shift seems tied to Heroes…”

“Hero summoning. Demon race resurgence. The Hinomaru War. …What do you think the final piece of the puzzle is?”

“…The resurrection of the Demon King?”

“Exactly! And that’s the worst-case scenario!”

“‘Worst’ hardly begins to describe it.”

“And the catalyst? Our very own king! Honestly, I can’t believe it!”

“Captain… that’s bordering on treason.”

“Oh please. Summoning Heroes to pad military numbers? When I first heard it, I nearly popped my eyeballs out of my head. And everyone who failed to stop him? Equally foolish.”

Her subordinate adjusted her glasses and chose silence.

In essence, Lily feared that through some twisted chain of causality, the Garcia Kingdom’s reckless act might bring about the revival of the Demon King itself.

“That’s why I forcibly assigned myself to this demon investigation,” Lily sighed. “If the continent falls because of Garcia’s stupidity, that’s not even remotely funny.”

“In the process, the underground factory collapsed, and the Thunder Emperor—whom you hired as your proxy—has gone missing.”

“That’s fine. If that flying vessel had been completed, the king would’ve used it for some ridiculous conquest campaign. And honestly, I never liked the Thunder Emperor much anyway.”

“If it were finished, he might’ve declared continental domination before even dealing with demons or Heroes.”

“Don’t say that! I can imagine it too clearly!”

Lily let out a long, exhausted breath.

“If only we had an absurdly powerful ally on our side… I envy the Empire, truly. They have that once-in-a-generation genius Empress, elite imperial magi, brilliant bureaucrats, and terrifying nobles. Especially those nobles—the Marquis Grace, called the Empire’s breadbasket, and Duke Mondo, who can hold off an entire duchy alone… They’re monsters in their own right.”

“Captain, that’s far too candid. You lead the First Special Unit…”

“No, my dear subordinate. I’m just an underpaid errand runner for the royal family.”

“…At least remember my name.”

“I want to, I truly do. But I’ve always been hopeless with names. I sometimes nearly forget my own family’s.”

“…‘Subordinate’ is fine.”

“Such a cooperative subordinate! You’re a lifesaver!”

She adjusted her glasses again. “For the record, I live with my boyfriend of three years back in the capital.”

“I can’t hear you. I hear nothing.”

“He’s a chef, so I get delicious meals morning and night—”

“Stopppp!”

The next day, Lily and her subordinate resumed their investigation in the port town.

“Subordinate! Recite the characteristics of a demon!”

“They resemble humans in appearance, but possess horns and abnormally high mana reserves.”

“And how do we identify them?”

“Demons are adept at suppressing their mana, so measuring magical output is unreliable. Therefore, physical appearance—namely, the presence of horns—is our most dependable indicator.”

“Excellent! Let’s search enthusiastically! We probably won’t find anything!”

“If sightings have been reported, then one is certainly hiding somewhere in or near the kingdom. And in the event of combat, you have the highest chance of victory, Captain. So please focus. Otherwise, you’ll never get a boyfriend—”

“I’m not letting you finish that sentence!”

They combed through suspicious individuals and buildings just as they had the day before.

Nothing.

Now they sat side by side on a bench, staring blankly at the sky.

“…Nowhere,” Lily murmured.

“Yes. Unfortunately.”

She stood.

“Let’s revisit the original sighting location.”

“This will be the twentieth time.”

“That’s how investigations work.”

“…Indeed.”

They headed toward the fishing harbor.

It was one of the largest in the kingdom—crowded with fishermen, adventurers, fishmongers, and merchants haggling over dried goods.

According to a guard, a horned individual had been seen here about a year ago. Since then, strange murders and unsettling incidents had increased in frequency around the port.

“Coming at lunchtime was a mistake…” Lily muttered.

Then she paused.

“…Do you smell that?”

“Seafood, I presume.”

“No. That’s not seafood. That’s the smell of roasted monster flesh. And not a low-rank one. Something high-tier.”

“…Adventurers, perhaps?”

“Would adventurers roast a high-rank monster without reporting it to the guild?”

“…That does sound odd. Let’s investigate.”

They slipped through the crowd, leapt over scattered boulders along the rocky outcrop beyond the harbor, and followed the rising smoke.

“Over that rock. See the smoke?”

“Yes. Ready.”

They vaulted forward—

And landed.

“NUOOOOOO!!! THIS IS INSANELY DELICIOUS!!!”

There sat Ryu, cheeks stuffed full, devouring a whole roasted giant fish-type monster.

““……Huh?””

“Hey! I brought extra firewood from the forest!”

“Gyaow!”

(I’ll ignite it!)

“…What are you two doing here? Stalking us?” Ryu asked casually, tossing logs onto the fire.

“Could you at least show a little caution?” Lily protested weakly.

“We’re not criminals. Why would we?” he shrugged. “Besides, Esther requested a BBQ. Don’t interfere.”

Esther finally noticed them.

“Oh? You again. …Stalkers?”

“Do we really look like stalkers?” Lily asked helplessly.

“Whoa~ The butter-grilled shellfish is exquisite too!”

“She’s not even listening…”

(What is wrong with these people…)

Lily’s subordinate stared intently at Ryu.

(He’s on the same level as Captain Lily…!)

At that moment, Lily’s stomach growled loudly.

Silence.

“Want some?” Ryu offered. “It’s too big for us to finish. As long as you don’t get in the way.”

“Really?!”

“Sure.”

“C-Captain, we’re technically on duty…”

“It’s fine. As long as no one finds out.”

“…Very well.”

And so—

For reasons no one could quite explain, this utterly bizarre group ended up sharing a seaside barbecue together.