That night, a new report came from our spy.
It appeared civil war had erupted in the Republic.
Among the representatives governing the nation, the discord between opposing factions had apparently reached a breaking point.
The "War Faction," advocating for an attack on the Demon King, and the "Subjugation Faction," seeking to minimize damage, were clashing head-on.
The battlefield had expanded from the negotiating table to the entire capital, and its intensity was reportedly still growing.
That alone would have been tolerable.
Conflict arising from disagreements in opinion was not uncommon.
The problem was the involvement of the demonkind who had infiltrated the region.
It seemed the demons were fighting alongside the "War Faction."
Thanks to them, further chaos was spreading, and the situation showed no signs of subsiding.
Currently, the Republic's capital stood on the verge of ruin.
Successive melees had caused intelligence to become hopelessly entangled, making it impossible to gather accurate information.
It appeared some spies had even been injured in the crossfire.
I established a mental link with the spy and ordered them to withdraw from the Republic's capital.
Information was important, but the lives of our spies were equally precious.
In any case, accurate information could not be obtained from a capital in such chaos.
Remaining there at such risk would serve little purpose.
Losing a capable spy would be a greater loss.
For now, knowing the broad strokes was sufficient.
As for the Republic's civil war, I intended to observe from afar for the time being.
Never knowing how things would turn out, I couldn't afford to get involved carelessly and be dragged into the mess.
Truthfully, I wanted to stop the fighting.
But with the situation unclear, acting without thought was hardly a praiseworthy decision.
There was a real chance that rushing in with false confidence would only sow further chaos.
This was a situation where I should restrain my impulse to intervene and watch from the sidelines.
(Truly...)
I set the report down and looked up at the ceiling.
My mental fatigue was undeniable.
My responses had been a step behind.
There were parts of my policy where it couldn't be helped, yet something still bothered me.
None of these were coincidental events.
The demons had sided with the republic's war faction.
For them to intervene at this stage meant they had likely been aware of the civil war before coming to the republic.
It was more natural to think they had been summoned and answered the call.
(Who had conducted such groundwork?)
The question arose naturally.
Judging by the state of the civil war, it seemed the remnants of the previous Demon Lord's army, who had been lying low in various regions, had made contact again.
Even in the former demon territory, they had maintained long-term exchange with the local demons.
Even at the most conservative estimate, this had been a scheme hatched years ago.
And using the forces gained from that, the war faction was now advancing the civil war to their advantage.
Observing the whole sequence, it was thoroughly calculated.
Cunning and meticulous.
Events were proceeding exactly as someone intended.
That had to be acknowledged.
Though awaiting analysis results, I suspected involvement in the recent magical beast incidents as well.
I had a premonition that the Republic was mixed up in that matter too.
Probably not overthinking it.
(The will of the world alone was not at work. Apart from that, I sensed individual malice.)
Their identity remained unknown, but they were surely still moving in the shadows.
Though their purpose was invisible, it was certain they opposed my intentions.
I had to uncover their identity and location somehow.
Glancing at Luciana, I saw she had fallen silent, lost in thought.
With an unusually serious expression, she glared into the void, biting her nails.
It was a posture and expression unimaginable from her usual self.
Something she never revealed under normal circumstances.
Within the quiet, Luciana noticed my gaze and returned to herself.
She plastered on her usual bewitching smile, tilting her head as if to deflect.
Perhaps it was something she did not wish to be seen.
I set that aside and asked, "You seem to have something in mind."
Of course, it's about the civil war in the republic.
Both of them were considering the same thing.
Luciana placed a finger on her lips and replied.
"I recognize that kind of insidious, troublesome method."
"Hmm..."
I inferred from her phrasing.
The person Luciana was imagining, I probably knew as well.
Indeed, the event bore a striking resemblance to the past.
In fact, the method used was likely a close match to something from history.
"That man?"
"That man."
Luciana said, bitterly.
My guess seemed correct.
As one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the former Demon Lord Army, Luciana excelled at sabotage and intelligence gathering by operatives.
She had gradually eroded enemy nations from within, using her succubus subordinates to ensnare and control their upper echelons.
Then, she would manipulate the subsequent developments.
By the time anyone noticed, it would already be too late.
The man we associated with also excelled in underground schemes and maneuvering.
The biggest difference between him and Luciana was that his final actions were far more violent and severe.
The man was blessed with the talent of an instigator.
Back then, he had fully demonstrated his outstanding abilities, bringing various nations to ruin through civil wars and rebellions.
However, this current affair should not have been his doing.
Because the man was already dead.
I had killed him myself.
It was over ten years ago.
Though the similar developments made me think of him, in reality, that was impossible.
The most plausible explanation was that the man's successor was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
No ordinary human could have managed such extensive groundwork.
If the mastermind was connected to the man, then it made sense that demonickind was involved.
If my guess proved correct, then I had to resolve this all the more.
It was not merely my duty as the Demon King.
I had to settle the unfinished business from my time as the Sage.
At that moment, a telepathic message arrived from Grom.
I directed my consciousness toward it.
"M-My Lord Demon King! Can you hear me?"
"I hear you. What is it?"
"Magical beasts have appeared in the Slave Autonomous Zone! Suddenly, some of the slaves transformed into magical beasts!"
"...What?"
I couldn't help but ask again.
The report was that unbelievable.
"Quite a number are active simultaneously, and we're short-handed. I hate to trouble you, Demon Lord, but could you lend us your strength...?"
"I understand. I'll head there immediately."
I said that much and severed the telepathic link.
Grom had made the right call.
Rather than holding back from requesting reinforcements out of consideration for me, letting the situation deteriorate would be far worse.
If he had reported right away, the situation must be quite serious indeed.
Seeing me rise, Luciana called out.
"What's wrong?"
I gave a brief explanation of the situation. Hearing this, Luciana let out a deep sigh.
"That's quite the mess unfolding..."
"Indeed."
Civil war in the republic to the south. A rampage of magical beasts to the north. One crisis after another, relentless.
Even so, I could not simply ignore them. I needed to calm myself and think clearly. If I let irritation get the better of me here, I would be playing right into the mastermind's hands.
Having steadied my resolve, I delivered my instructions to Luciana.
"Focus on gathering and organizing intelligence. It would be best to proceed under the assumption that that man is involved."
"I see, understood. Be careful, Lord Demon King."
"Understood."
Nodding to Luciana, I transferred to the slave autonomous zone where the Demon King's army awaited.