The capital of the Republic of Larman, ‘Kedisi’.
Located in the mountainous region, this country has little to no trade or interaction with other countries, and much about its famous army of demon hunters is shrouded in mystery.
Amidst the flurries of snow, Ensign Zancock Massey led the troops without hesitation into the ‘Kedisi Parliament’, where the council was located.
The white air exhaled signalled the arrival of the coldest season of the year in Lalman.
“Just a few of you get here.”
“””Ha!”””
He said this to his men as he stepped through one of the heavily guarded doors, not stopping to enter alone.
Although he was only a young man in his thirties, Ensign Zancock was highly regarded by the council for his ability to please his superiors and for his success in completing various tasks.
After checking several times that his hair, which matched his Imperial mustache (a mustache in the shape of a bull’s horn like Wilhelm II’s), was in order, he called out from the door of one of the rooms.
Although it would have been the case that one was supposed to announce oneself after entering the room, only the nervous men in this room had set such a rule.
“I am Ensign Zancock! I was summoned, so I came to see you!”
‘Come in.’
“Yes!”
Zancock entered the room with a crisp, clean movement.
There was only one man waiting for Zancock in the spacious room where the sense of sanctity could be felt.
He was a very small man, an old man, judging by the voice that had come from him.
He was a member of the Senate, which was the de facto ruler of the Republic of Larman.
“Ensign Zancock, I have a favour to ask of you.”
“Yes! I’m honoured!”
A calm voice and a clear voice were echoing in the somewhat dimly lit chamber.
Although the old man said he had a favour to ask, Zancock had understood that he was being sent on a secret mission.
“A few days ago, one of our troops was completely wiped out near the border with the Kingdom of Light …… You know about this, don’t you?”
“Yes! From what I remember that incident is still under investigation!”
Hearing that response, the other party quietly pointed to a nearby table.
There was a magic item with a blinding purple chain that had been in Zancock’s heart since it first came into view.
“This is the controller for ‘Type 2’, so I’ll let you use it for now.”
“Yes!”
It was one of the aces of the Larman Republic.
Although it wasn’t deliberately made for battle, it could easily wipe out an army.
The pleasure of having one of those great forces in his hands made him tremble naturally, and his nostrils grew ragged.
“There are two things I want you to do. One is to do some more research into the area around the army that was wiped out. The second is ……”
The second purpose was something that hadn’t occurred to Zancuk either.
“…… to test the performance of the “Type 2” for the [Swamp Demon].
“A performance test, is it.”
“The experiment is just something that comes with the same thing. I think it’s about time to get serious about capturing [Swamp Demon].”
“Oh ……!”
That incredibly powerful demon might also join Larman.
The fact that this battle was represented made Zancock tremble with joy.
The battle had to be successful no matter what.
“We have already sent a reconnaissance team to the Swamp Demon, so you will be in charge after we rendezvous with them. Even if you can’t defeat him, you’ll be able to retreat safely because of the “Type 2″. Just think of it as a test of that guy’s strength.”
“Yes!”
“Please make sure you bring back at least some information so that you don’t repeat the mistakes of those who were wiped out.”
“Yes!”
Zancock, who had left the Senate in high spirits, was energised by the mission that would make his name in the history books.
More importantly, he was finally able to do what he wanted with one of the ‘artificial chimera’.
It was also because of this that his pace was lighter when he went to the Institute to receive the “Type 2”.
……
In the room after Zancock left, the old man thought about it.
The reason why the Senate had chosen him was the obsession to achieve the goal …… No, beyond that there was his fierce desire for the fame that would be gained after it was achieved.
If it were him, he would have managed to complete the mission even at considerable risk.
The mysterious force of the Black Demon King has appeared in the Light Kingdom, where the army was destroyed, and now that the mother that gave birth to the Artificial Chimera has disappeared, the taming of the Swamp Demon will have to be expedited.
“The [Swamp Demon] is a broken magical creature that has made a contract with magicians from long ago and has received various kinds of magic as a price. …… It is the nature of a superior to make it obedient. ……”
Looking out the window at the cold, snowy sky, he quietly mused as he dreamed of the realization of his grand ambitions.
♢♢♢
The Curse Wetlands.
It was a place of lush, groaning plants with their distinctive spines, shrouded in thick fog.
The mud beneath your feet gets worse the closer you get to the centre, and by the time you reach the small strip of land at the centre, you’re probably swallowed up.
“It’s like the demonic world …… in the story.”
One of the young men in the advance party looked at the Curse Wetlands for the first time and said with a bitter expression on his face.
Although all the monsters were stirring, most of them were disgusting skeletons and the undead.
Their location was one of several oddly shaped cliffs that overlooked the wetlands. Using magic that allowed them to see far into the distance, they scouted the alien that sat in the middle of the land like an ornament.
“That’s …… [Swamp Demon] ……”.
He had an unmistakably fierce appearance.
He looked like the skeleton of a demon or something else with its vicious, sharp-tipped body.
His body was wrapped in a ragged belt and he sat cross-legged on the land.
“……! Ah!!!”
“Eh?”
The commander, who was giving orders to the rest of the team a little further away from the young man, suddenly shouted with a look of anxiety.
At that moment, from behind them ……
“……”
The [Swamp Demon], who had taken on the appearance of an antique, dropped all the sand and dust from his hand and raised its hand.
In that skeleton’s hand a booming thunderbolt was produced, making it as thin as a lance before grasping it in his hand.
–<Trigor’s Thunder Spear> ……
The flash of lightning that illuminated the entire swamp rushed out, a dark green bolt of lightning rushing towards the cliffs a dozen kilometres away and cutting off the scouting party at its front.
The thunderspear that had clipped the cliff continued to advance and just shot into the air …… dark green electricity scattered out in all directions.
The thunder that has finished its role and scattered turns into magical power and disperses.
That was just a magic power that was struck without much effort.
That strike caused a thunderstorm with a violent boom to be created throughout the swamp.
The strange shapes of the surrounding cliffs were also due to the master of the swamp.
The fog that envelops the swamp is a magic trick used by this demon, and the monsters that wander around are basically his servants.
If there is anything that arises, the servants will immediately report to their master and use the magic to turn them into dust.
“…..”
After that [Swamp Demon] returned to his previous state.
“…… Excuse me.”
“…..”
Facing the figure that appeared from the fog on the land, [Swamp Demon] waved his hand gently and gave him an order.
“Well then ……”
The human-like figure dressed as a butler bowed his head and disappeared into the fog once more.
In a place full of monsters, he could be said to be a very sensible being.
Except for the fact that his head was a goat-like skeleton.
“……”
Today, the Curse Wetlands are still the lair of the monsters.
~~~~~~~~
The Kingdom of Light.
In the king’s office, Celestia, King Light, George and Prince Alto were sitting in a long-backed chair at the moment, having a meeting.
“…… You will keep me under house arrest for a while?”
Celestia said while sipping the black tea prepared by George, while exuding a cold atmosphere.
“Don’t talk to us in such a rude way. We are worried about you. You are wise enough to know that.”
The King of Light admonished Celestia in a tone that would never be seen by anyone other than his relatives.
“Although you had succeeded in taking the Relic from the Demon King, it showed that he had the power to disdain such things. Please stay in the castle as long as you can until we can find a solution.”
“……”
Without showing any enjoyment of the long-awaited black tea, she gently placed her cup of tea on the table and put up little resistance.
“But there’s still the problem of Kujaro and Larman!”
“I’ll take care of that.”
Alto Light, Celestia’s brother, who had not spoken until then, spoke up unexpectedly.
Although Alto has never been involved in political affairs, this time he has become concerned with political issues compared to the Cassius incident.
“…… Is there a change in your mind? You always left your work to me and father, why are you suddenly like this?”
“I’ll have to do it since you’re being targeted. Forget about your work for a while and enjoy your student’s life. It would be nice to have more fun with Erika and Hakuto.”
Alto said in his usual low tone of voice.
“It would be better to leave the title [Sword Saint] to other as well.”
“…… I don’t care about that.”
Although Celestia had the title of [Sword Saint] in present generation, that status had not come in handy.
Even though there was no reason to refuse, but there was no doubt that Alto’s side was thinking something.
However, Celestia immediately saw through his thoughts.
And it was….
“You seem to have made a betrothed, haven’t you? I think this is good. Although you did it without asking for permission, but it can’t be helped. Hurry up and introduce him to us.”
“Well, um ……
At Alto’s words, King Light showed an ugly expression and groaned.
“….. Celestia-sama, who is that man, can you tell His Majesty?”
“There is no official proposal of marriage yet so I’m not going to report it yet, even if you want to do some kind of ghost trick together with father-sama, it’s useless.”
“How can you call it a trick. I’m George, just worried about Celestia-sama.”
Celestia accepted the clarification of George, who was obviously very anxious, with a cold smile.
“I think it’s a bit early for a marriage contract or something ……”
King Light’s crumbling comment eased the atmosphere a little.
“…… It’s not early at all. It is obvious that it was Erika who got engaged early. So it’s time for Celestia to start a family sooner, too.”
“That’s….”
After leaving King Light who was moaning again, Alto began to enjoy his tea.
“……”
(Is it really my elder brother who is keeping me away from government affairs? I don’t think that’s the case, but …… have I started to be suspected?)
