"A group of elves, you say…"
Upon hearing the report, I murmured to myself.
That was a somewhat unexpected answer.
I had wondered if some country had gone off on a strange tangent, but it didn't seem to be the case.
If anything, I had a premonition that the situation was more complicated than that.
Elves were a demi-human race beloved by the spirits.
They were a species that, in principle, avoided human — the human race — and refused to leave their dwelling places.
It was extremely rare to encounter them in a human nation.
Occasionally, eccentric elves would leave their homeland and make a living as freelancers, but those were exceedingly few exceptions.
The general impression of elves was that they were fundamentally incompatible with the human race.
And yet here they were, moving in a group.
They certainly had some purpose.
Why they were infiltrating the Demon King's territory at this particular time was a complete mystery.
"The elf party is currently traveling on foot through the northwestern region of the Demon King's territory. Based on their direction, they appear to be heading toward the Royal Capital. They should arrive in approximately three days."
"Is that so."
I nodded along while thinking.
They were heading toward the Royal Capital.
Perhaps they had business with me.
Coming toward the Royal Capital side — that was the only thing I could think of.
At the very least, it couldn't be for sightseeing.
Then again, it shouldn't be an invasion with hostile intent either.
The fact that they were traveling openly, showing themselves boldly in a small group, was the best proof of that.
They were practically asserting their presence to us.
It seemed their aim was to make clear they harbored no ill will.
"Perhaps the elves are hoping for an audience with the Demon King…"
Grom tilted his head and groaned.
He seemed to have reached the same conclusion.
"What they want to talk about during an audience is the real question, though."
"Indeed, you're absolutely right. They're a puzzling bunch."
Since becoming the Demon King, I had been waging wars of conquest, but I had never laid a hand on the World Tree Forest, their homeland.
That place was far removed from the Kingdom.
Therefore, there should have been no damage from the undead there.
As things stood, they had no reason to set foot in our territory.
I myself had no intention of destroying the World Tree Forest.
Ravaging that land wouldn't lead to the unity of humanity.
All it would do was cause suffering to the elves, and that was not the outcome I desired.
"What would you have me do? If you give the order, I shall handle it."
"No. I'll go myself."
I shook my head at Grom's offer.
In the end, meeting in person and talking things through was the most efficient approach.
They probably wanted that too.
That had to be why they had gone out of their way to enter the Demon King's territory.
If, heaven forbid, they reached the Royal Capital and started causing trouble, that would be a problem.
Moving first to ascertain their purpose was the best course of action.
Having settled on a plan, I issued my orders to Grom.
"Prepare for the arrival of our guests."
"Understood! Do take care on your journey!"
Grom gave a graceful bow.
He didn't seem to harbor any particular worry or anxiety.
Presumably, he understood that a mere group of elves would be unable to harm me.
"…………"
I activated a detection spell and focused my consciousness simultaneously.
I directed my sensory net in one direction, gathering vast amounts of information.
I discarded unnecessary noise from my awareness and sought out the elves' precise location.
Before long, I caught what appeared to be a match.
The number was right.
They were heading toward the Royal Capital at walking speed.
"So that's where they are."
Having pinpointed their location, I immediately activated a teleportation spell.
The view shifted from the streets of the Royal Capital to somewhere else.
It was a highway cutting through hilly terrain.
When I turned around, I saw several dozen men and women walking in my direction.
Light-colored hair, pointed ears, and fair skin.
From their slender frames drifted an aura of spirit power.
All unmistakable characteristics of elves.
They seemed to have cloaks on to conceal themselves, but once I knew what to look for, it was obvious.
It appeared I had teleported directly onto the elves' path.
For now, I walked toward them.
"Wha—!?"
"O-Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!"
The elves cried out in surprise and simultaneously raised their bows and staves.
Keeping those weapons aimed at me, they began to retreat.
They were clearly on high alert.
This was far from a situation conducive to dialogue.
The tension in the air was palpable — a battle could break out at any moment.
Naturally, neither side wanted that.
To clear up the misunderstanding quickly, I called out to them.
"Wait. I have no intention of fighting."
"…………"
The elves didn't lower their guard.
Several sharp gazes pierced into me.
Every move I made was being scrutinized.
If I did even the slightest thing suspicious, spells and arrows would come flying my way at once.
(Hmm. Appearing so suddenly was a mistake…)
I reflected on my own rash behavior.
Encountering someone without warning would naturally put them on the defensive.
I should have considered that. It was my fault.
Since being resurrected in the surface world, it had been nothing but combat — perhaps my sense for these things had become distorted.
On top of that, my current appearance was extremely ominous.
The elves surely sensed the inexhaustible magical power and miasma dwelling in this body.
I was, without metaphor, an anomalous monster.
Since such a being had appeared out of nowhere, it was no wonder they couldn't let their guard down.
That I hadn't been attacked outright was nothing short of luck.
(No choice. I'll have to push the conversation forward as is.)
After reflecting, I made my cool-headed judgment.
We were at a standstill, but I couldn't stay silent forever.
The longer I remained mute, the worse the situation would become.
Attempting dialogue was the top priority.
Even if they attacked, nothing catastrophic would come of it.
I'd simply deflect everything and continue the conversation.
Having decided on my course of action, I addressed them in a calm voice.
"Who is your representative? I wish to speak."
At my words, the elves exchanged glances.
From among them, a young woman stepped forward.
"Young" was perhaps not the strictly correct term.
Elves were a long-lived race.
In most cases, there was a vast discrepancy between their appearance and their actual age.
Even if she looked to be around twenty, she was surely far older than me.
The elf woman approached me alone.
She carried a dignified bearing, with no trace of fear or agitation.
Seeing her movements, the other elves lowered their weapons.
The elf woman came to a stop before me and introduced herself with a composed demeanor.
"Good day. I am the acting clan leader, responsible for this party. The Pitch-black Skeleton… so you are the Undying Demon King."
It seemed she had already figured out my identity.
I nodded without trying to hide anything.
At that, the other elves began to murmur amongst themselves.
Considerable agitation spread through the ranks.
It seemed they hadn't expected to encounter me on the road to the Royal Capital.
They had probably known I was a high-ranking undead, but they hadn't imagined it would be the Demon King himself.
Ignoring their reactions, I continued.
"You've come to my territory, so you must have some business. I've come to ask what it is."
"Yes…"
The acting clan leader composed her expression with resolve.
And then, with a sincere demeanor, she made her plea.
"The World Tree Forest has been invaded by the army of the human race and is in grave danger. Would you please lend us your strength?"