I finish checking the supply deliveries and take a breather.
The last great war had taken a heavy toll on our side as well.
Weapons, food, daily necessities.
You can never have enough supplies.
I swallow down the overwhelming urge to just rest where I stand and get moving.
There's a mountain of things to do.
Ever since the last great war, the Demon race army had been busy assessing damage and reorganizing for the next deployment.
The war had inflicted considerable losses on the Human race.
The biggest blow was slaying the Hero.
The Hero was the Human race's ultimate fighting force.
With the Hero gone, their morale would plummet too.
A new Hero would be born somewhere, sure, but finding them could take time. And just because someone became the Hero didn't mean they were strong from the get-go.
They might still be a child.
The previous Hero we had killed this time was said to have inherited the Hero's Title when they were still young — not out of the question.
But our losses were enormous too.
Losing General Aargner, who had led the First Army, was devastating.
That man had the power, experience, and knowledge to become a Demon King himself.
And yet he and his entire army had been obliterated by the Queen Taratect — a mythic-class Monster that had suddenly appeared on the battlefield.
That loss was too great to bear.
The Queen Taratect.
A supreme Monster that appeared out of nowhere and vanished just as suddenly.
No way that was a coincidence.
Which meant...
"Oh? Hey there, Baltu. What's the matter?"
I fight back the shudder that runs through my body.
When I turn around, I see the last person I want to run into right now.
The Demon King.
Shiro is standing beside.
"Well, well. Working hard as always, I see. Good job, good job."
"If you think so, then perhaps you could help out a little."
"But I refuse."
The Demon King giggles cheerfully.
She's in an unusually good mood today.
Shiro tugs at the Demon King's sleeve from the side.
"Ah, right. Baltu, did the shipment arrive?"
"The shipment? I finished the supply intake earlier, yes."
"Ooh! Can't just stand around, gotta move! — Hey Baltu, there was a package for me in there, right?"
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
The Demon King and Shiro both tilt their heads in unison.
I'm pretty sure there was no such package.
"What's inside, if you don't mind me asking?"
"The Premium Kurikta Set."
"Oh."
I know exactly what that is.
"Huh? So it does exist. Where is it now?"
Oh no.
I had no idea that was the Demon King's package.
"Um... I handed it over to
"Why!?"
"I'm sorry. Sanatoria has always loved eating Kurikta fruit, so I assumed it was hers."
"What... did you... say?"
The Demon King crumbles in despair.
Shiro bolts, leaving the Demon King behind.
I snap back to my senses and give chase, the Demon King doing the same. We race after Shiro.
Around the corner in the hallway, in our line of sight, Shiro was smashing through the door to Sanatoria's room.
"Huh!? What!?"
Sanatoria's startled voice rang out.
Shiro stood frozen, door smashed to splinters, eyes wide open.
.
Looking inside, Sanatoria and
Along with the empty dishes on the table.
"Ah... ahh..."
Shiro let out a sound like someone whose soul had left her body.
The Demon King stood rigid as well, staring at the empty dishes.
"Phew."
"Shi— Shiro!?"
Shiro suddenly collapsed.
Face-first. Backward. Head hitting the floor first.
A dull thud echoed, and she didn't move again.
"Whaaaa!? Shiro!?"
Had she gone into shock because she couldn't eat the fruit?
Was this really the person who had defeated the Hero? I was starting to doubt it.
But then I remembered those eyes from just moments ago, and it all made sense.
Those eyes that sent a chill through you the instant you looked into them.
"Oh no! Shiro isn't breathing! Medic!"
The Demon King scooped up Shiro's body and ran off.
What was left behind was me, Sanatoria, and Kogou — still trying to process what had just happened.
Sanatoria slid down to the floor with a thump.
Kogou's face had gone pale.
"What's going on?"
"Ah, sorry about that. Fruit was delivered here, and I mistakenly thought it was for me, but it turned out to have been meant for the Demon King."
Sanatoria seemed to understand at that.
"I thought it was strange since I hadn't ordered any. Kogou and I were chatting, so we just ate it together."
"Sorry. This is my mistake."
"Just make sure to cover for me, okay? I really don't want to be executed over something this stupid."
"Right."
There was no way a general would be executed over something this ridiculous.
Then again, when it came to that particular Demon King, I couldn't say that with absolute certainty.
"Still, it's unusual for you and Kogou to be talking."
"Perfect timing, actually. You should join in too."
"What about?"
"A path to the Elves has been opened."
"What do you mean?"
"Apparently General Aargner had been negotiating with the Elves as a contingency. They've reached out to me."
"Is that true?"
"Yes. Say — don't you feel like betraying that Demon King and switching sides?"
I froze at Sanatoria's words.
"You heard what happened at the end, didn't you? Shiro had the power to kill the Hero in an instant, yet she just watched Blow get slaughtered without lifting a finger. If we keep following that Demon King, it's only a matter of time before we get used up and discarded. If we ally with the Elves and launch a surprise attack, we should be able to take even that Demon King down."
I slowly turned my gaze toward the direction the Demon King had disappeared.
"Blow was your brother, wasn't he? Doesn't that bother you?"
"Of course it does."
My voice came out low — lower than I expected.
The momentum behind Sanatoria's words faltered, and she took a half-step back.
She let out a sigh at my tone.
"Consider it a favor between childhood friends. Forget I said anything."
"You won't join us?"
"There's no chance of winning."
"Why do you think that?"
"You can't beat her. That woman possesses enough power to single-handedly annihilate both the Demon race and the Human race — if she so chooses. I know this. That's why I can't bring myself to do something suicidal like defying her."
I turned my back on Sanatoria, who had fallen silent, and Kogou, who had been standing there flustered without saying a single word.
"Think it over."
"I'll throw those exact words right back at you."
I walked away without looking back.
************************* "Heard it, heard it. Elves, huh? Time to deal with that, I guess."