"KYAA!"
With a piercing shriek, the goblin lunged straight at me from the front.
A club was gripped in its hand, swinging directly down toward me.
It was a rough blow driven by fierce momentum.
However, it was not something I couldn't handle.
I moved my wooden training sword, deflecting the incoming club.
The unexpected result sent the goblin off balance.
I drove a knee kick into its stomach, and the goblin frothed at the mouth in agony.
Its eyes had rolled back, but I had held back properly.
It wouldn't die.
If left alone, someone would likely use magic to heal it.
Following the incapacitated goblin, I sensed presences from both my left and right.
On the left was a pig-headed orc, and on the right was a giant ogre.
They attacked simultaneously, as if to pin me between them.
"Decent coordination."
As the orc thrust its spear, I tangled the tip of my wooden sword with it, diverting its path.
There stood the ogre, its fist raised to strike.
The spear thrust pierced into the ogre's flank, and its movements sluggish from the blow.
It was a mere instant's opening, but for me, it was plenty of time.
I slammed the heel of my palm forcefully into the orc's face.
The orc spraying a burst of nose blood threw its upper body violently backward.
Dodging the ogre's fist that came lunging a moment late, I twisted away and kicked its defenseless jaw clean.
Both monsters collapsed unconscious at the same time.
At that moment, someone was approaching from behind without a sound.
I turned my head while leaning aside.
There stood a kobold with its knife thrust forward in an attack stance.
The kobold was startled that its attack had failed.
"Calm yourself. You're wide open."
Rotating my upper body as I stepped in, I drove my elbow into the kobold's torso.
The kobold let out a shriek, then crumpled unconscious, unable to endure the blow.
Having confirmed that, I lowered my wooden sword.
Lined up around me were my subordinate monsters.
They watched over me with tense expressions.
I addressed the monsters in a flat, even tone.
"Each of you is to devote yourselves to further training. That is all from me."
I handed my wooden sword to a nearby subordinate and left the spot.
On that cue, the monsters broke into a noisy clamor as they returned to their self-training.
This was the training ground within the Royal Capital.
Today, at the request of my subordinates, I had been sparring with them.
What I had gained in the Valley of the Dead was not merely the authority of miasma.
I had inherited the memories and experiences of those who had lost their lives in that land. This included not only the swordsmanship of the previous Hero, but also the skills of several others. I bore them all without exception. This time, I put them to use in training my subordinates. Currently, the Monster Army boasted overwhelming military strength. In terms of pure numbers alone, we surpassed the armies of other nations, with countless undead who knew no fear of death waiting in reserve. However, if we grew complacent in that, we would surely be tripped up sooner or later. Now was the stage to elevate the quality of the Monster Army. Several dozen days after defeating the Hero of the Holy Sword, we finally held control over the entire kingdom. All of it had become Monster territory; the kingdom had vanished from the maps. For such a great nation with a long history, its ruin had come with startling swiftness. This was a significant milestone for me as well. Of course, I would continue to remain vigilant against rebellion. I had not turned the entire kingdom into a den of undead. Scattered throughout the lands were territories that had surrendered and thus avoided destruction. For now, they were docile, but when they might bare their fangs at us, no one could say. They understood the danger of opposing us. All I could do was hope they would not make such a foolish choice again. After all, I had no desire to actively slaughter helpless civilians.
Incidentally, the surrounding nations were in a state of panic.
Spies were monitoring, but intense debates were apparently erupting in each country.
This was because news of the Hero's death had spread.
They, too, must have been closely watching the pattern of the wars of aggression breaking out within the kingdom.
Now, they feared that the consequences might reach them next.
Identification of the nations that had provided military aid to smaller states, thereby inciting war with the Demon Lord's Army, was also complete.
The leaders captured in the capital had spilled everything they knew.
These countries had privatized the resources in the ruins of the smaller nations and were still enriching themselves.
Currently, succubus directly under Luciana's command had infiltrated them to gather intelligence.
As soon as what was needed became clear, they planned to be the first to strike.
Nations that only pursued profit by kicking others down were unnecessary.
In the near future, I would personally go and deliver a devastating blow.
I wouldn't go so far as to completely annihilate them.
The aim was solely to compel cooperation with other nations.
They needed to work prominently as a billboard to convey the terror of the Demon Lord.
(So much to do. But, progress is steady.)
The Kingdom, the point of origin, had fallen.
Now, one could finally say that the threat of the Demon Lord was recognized.
To state my honest impression, the overall movement was slow.
This was likely the result of every nation having its eyes blinded by vested interests.
Perhaps this was unavoidable. Until recently, it had been perceived as a calamity occurring within a single nation. The small neighboring country had perished, but it was merely a vassal state. Onlooking nations had believed that left alone, the trouble would eventually die down. Though their awareness was recklessly naive, one could call it human nature. From now on, such a leisurely attitude would no longer be sustainable. Currently, we are focusing on developing the Demon Lord's domain, but we will inevitably resume our invasion. When that happens, the surrounding nations will bear the brunt of the war's devastation. We have already passed the point where it can be dismissed as someone else's problem. Humanity must be made to exert all its strength for survival. As I considered future prospects, a hurried commotion approached from ahead. Waving his arms as he ran was Grom. He stopped before me and spoke, clearly shaken. "Demon Lord! There you are...!" "What is it?" When I asked, Grom began his report, accompanied by gestures. "Th-that is the urgent matter... A certain group is crossing through the Demon Lord's domain!" "A certain group, you say?" I repeated in a grave tone. It was an unexpected report.
I didn't expect a group to infiltrate the Demon King's territory at this time of year.
It isn't strictly forbidden to enter and leave, but it's certainly not a place one would step into on a whim.
Only merchants who saw it as a time for profit, or fearless mercenaries and adventurers, perhaps.
After that, there would be spies from the various nations.
However, I leave the finer details to Grom and Luciana.
Since a report has reached me, there must be something particular about this group.
I pondered for a moment but couldn't think of anything.
"The size?"
"Approximately thirty people."
"Thirty..."
I was more than a little surprised.
For a single person, it's a lot; for a military force, it's too few.
It's an awkward number, no matter how you look at it.
Even if they were spies, they'd likely operate in a smaller unit.
To act at a scale we could detect seems unnatural.
"Can you ascertain their affiliation?"
"Yes, of course, we have identified it."
Grom then lowered his volume.
Being careful not to let anyone else hear, he continued his report to me.
"...It appears they are a group of elves who inhabit the World Tree Forest."