Afterward, Yura and I traveled to various locations to proceed with the magical beast responses.
I say "responses," but the targets were already restrained.
No unforeseen incidents ever occurred.
We would release them for Yura’s training, or teleport them alive to the Royal Capital.
Magical beasts weren’t the sort of creatures you could intentionally encounter.
I intended to make as effective use of them as possible this way.
As we went through the repetitions, Yura’s actions gradually improved.
She no longer threw injured people or destroyed buildings like she did at first.
With precise movements, she completed rescues of people, and only once safety was ensured did she eliminate the beast.
By piercing its vitals, she embodied swift lethal force.
Her awareness of a delicate takedown method had actually improved her combat capabilities.
It must have been good experience for Yura.
After she defeated the last one, she flew over, looking satisfied.
She came to a rigid, motionless stand before me.
"Master, I report the end of combat. No hostile signatures remain in the vicinity."
"Well done."
As I praised her, I walked over to the magical beast she had just felled.
The carcass had its head shattered.
The dedicated machine’s blow had struck directly, blasting it apart.
It made for a rather gruesome sight.
Hmm...
I examine the corpses from a magical perspective.
As expected, no formulas had been applied.
I had thought this was the most promising lead, but it seems my expectations were misplaced.
Next, I conduct a quick analysis on the spot.
Then, a peculiar reaction catches my attention.
(Is this... a drug?)
Though not an expert on magical beast physiology, the reaction resembles that of a human who has consumed an illicit potion.
The mana flowing through their bodies exhibited a pattern that couldn't be explained by mutation alone.
It was as if impurities had been introduced.
Because they hadn't been dead long, I could sense this clearly.
I recall that when fighting magical beasts in the past, I had never encountered such an anomaly.
Of course, I cannot make definitive conclusions here.
A full-scale analysis at the laboratory will be necessary.
(Where in the world did this horde of magical beasts come from?)
Observing the corpses, I return to the fundamental question.
The very emergence of these magical beasts this time was unnatural.
While there are unexplored regions nearby, it's still hard to believe this many beasts had been residing there.
Something is definitely happening beyond my knowledge.
This could be interpreted as a direct attack on the Demon King's Domain.
The cause must be identified without fail.
This time we were able to respond immediately, limiting the damage, but elsewhere, further victims would likely have appeared.
It would not be strange if an unprecedented mass slaughter had occurred.
While harboring an uneasy premonition, I returned to the Royal Capital with Yura.
I immediately provided thirty-five magic beasts to the institute.
The substances contained within the magic beasts needed to be examined.
As expected, the Director was greatly excited.
Her spirits were so high that she nearly collapsed.
It seemed this was her first time seeing magic beasts.
It was one of her dreams.
The Director's joy was several times greater than imagined.
With those, results should come quickly without waiting.
I worry about overworking the Director, but given the situation, I must ask her to persevere.
She was also straining herself, gulping down fatigue recovery potions.
Her motivation was likely intellectual curiosity, but from my perspective, this was only convenient.
Incidentally, when I touched upon the topic of becoming undead, the Director strongly agreed.
Her curiosity about becoming an undead being herself overshadowed even the prospect of eliminating fatigue.
Her researcher disposition was genuine through and through.
I was told to leave all the details to her, so I intend to make the decisions myself.
The first step would likely be selecting the species.
Alongside this, we must also secure the necessary preparations. Becoming an upper-tier undead requires a proper procedure.
If I lose my consciousness, everything will be for naught.
I plan to implement this before I die from overwork.
The day the Director becomes an undead draws near.
After parting ways with Yura and returning to the audience chamber, I found Luciana diligently working on paperwork.
She looked up from her report and gave a little wave.
"Additional intelligence from the spy."
"What is it?"
I sat in the chair opposite Luciana.
Seeing her bitter expression, I knew it wasn't good news.
Luciana began speaking, report in hand.
According to the report, the demons in the former demonkin territory had shown suspicious activity.
It seemed they had begun a large-scale migration at the village level.
In another region, a group appearing to be demons had also been sighted, and they too were on the move.
It wasn't confirmed information, but they were likely remnants of the previous Demon King's army.
Like Luciana, these were probably individuals who had been living quietly for the past decade.
Having lain low, they had suddenly begun to reveal themselves.
Tracing the demons' projected routes led to a country called the Republic.
That nation was located in the southwestern part of the Demon King's domain.
Beyond the small nations of the past, it had maintained a tacitly tolerant stance toward the Demon King.
Reports indicated that demonkind from various regions were gathering in this country.
The Republic's greatest characteristic was likely its lack of a king or emperor.
It was governed by representatives elected from among the populace.
This was a rare form even across the continent.
Of course, such political structures were ultimately irrelevant.
The real issue was the Republic's geography.
The eastern part of the Republic bordered the Old Demon Territory.
According to a series of reports, it seemed connected to the demons residing there.
It was humans from the Republic who had been entering and leaving the Old Demon Territory.
When examined, the matter was quite simple.
The nearest nation had become complicit with the demons.
Currently, the Republic was engaged in some form of covert activities.
If a definitive resolution was desired, destroying their capital to cripple state administration would be ideal, but that was not appropriate.
There was a risk of exacerbating chaos and conflict across the continent.
The Empire's fall had already triggered territorial scrambles among nations.
Minor clashes still continued unabated.
If the Republic were also to collapse now, the situation would become critical.
Competition for power would accelerate conflicts between nations.
Even when using the threat of the Demon King as a deterrent, there were limits.
If that happens, I will have no choice but to resort to extreme measures.
Considering my experience from past wars of conquest, one must not carelessly annihilate a nation.
First, the Republic's objective was unclear.
If their aim was merely to gather the demonkin under their banner, I could overlook it.
If they intended to target me with that military strength, I would even welcome the challenge.
Directing hatred toward the Demon King and mobilizing for its subjugation was not inherently wrong.
I was guiding them in that direction, after all.
However, if they intended to sow unnecessary chaos throughout the world and provoke conflict among humans, that was a different matter entirely.
I would have to crush them with my full strength.
The great evil that harms humanity is already sufficiently embodied by me alone.
Any further unnecessary malevolence must be thoroughly eradicated.
After weighing all these perspectives, I decided to observe the Republic for the time being.
I would continue receiving the latest intelligence from my spies, monitoring their movements.
An alliance between humans and demonkin is an exceedingly rare occurrence.
I was curious to see how such a situation would unfold.
I wished to see the rift between humans and demonkin mended.
It is something I failed to achieve in life, and which still proves difficult.
Even if their alliance is based solely on mutual interest, I wanted to believe that such a form of peace could exist.