Leon's subordinate—a knight in familiar silver armor— Silver Knight Lord Arlos—flew to where I was.
It seemed urgent; he arrived with an impatient air, barely waiting to be shown in, and reported: "Lord Leon and Kagurazaka Yuuki have entered combat. We urgently request reinforcements!"
Hmm? That Leon guy—did he say he'd cooperate and then go off on his own?
Well, technically being allies doesn't mean he's obligated to help, and it's not like we formed an alliance...
Oh well.
If Leon takes the credit, I guess that's fine...
To be honest, even if Leon died, I'd feel terrible about it. More importantly, letting Yuuki escape here would be a real pain.
A troublesome guy like that needs to be crushed when you get the chance.
I'd better go take care of this quickly.
"Got it. Then lead the way."
"Yes! The location is..."
I cut off Arlos before he could explain.
"Let me establish a Thought Communication link. I need the location's coordinates."
Without waiting for Arlos's consent, I built the Thought Communication link.
This allowed smooth transmission of thoughts. It was getting consent after the fact, but it was an emergency, so he'd just have to accept it.
The executives at headquarters were
After relaying the situation to Benimaru and Shion via Thought Communication, I immediately took Arlos with me and performed a Spatial Transfer.
Following the coordinates in Arlos's mind, this would be a teleport to a place I'd never been before.
My heart beat a little faster, but Raphael's support was perfect.
The transfer completed without issue, placing me in the air above the spot where Leon and Yuuki were fighting. I'd also sent the location data to Shion, so she'd be arriving shortly.
That was my plan when I teleported in.
And yet, Yuuki had already fled. What the hell? That was enough to make anyone do a double take.
Well then, let me assess the situation.
The battle must have been fierce enough to reshape the terrain. Deep gouges scarred the ground leading toward the mountain peak, and the surrounding trees had decayed and rotted away.
Some parts of the ground looked rotten too, and there were craters formed in perfect circles.
I couldn't help but think—they really went all out on such a narrow mountain path.
This was supposed to be the upper region of the Dwarf Kingdom. It was quite far off to one side, but a battle of this magnitude could have caused vibrations worse than an earthquake.
Seismic intensity of 4 or higher, maybe? Since it was lateral shaking rather than upward thrust, there could be considerable damage.
This wasn't a volcanic zone, so earthquakes would be rare here. I was worried about the damage.
I should probably go check on things. Just as I was thinking this, Shion arrived.
"Hey, go check on the Dwarf Kingdom for me. If the damage is severe, you and your subordinates should help out. Just tell the king I'll pay my respects later."
"Understood. But what about the enemy?"
"Yeah, they've already escaped and it seems like there's no more danger. So don't worry about it and go. And make sure you're on your best behavior."
"Right!"
Shion left. Her subordinates followed promptly. They seemed well-trained.
I happened to spot a familiar trio among them. Was that Demon Lord
They seemed to fit right in. They were moving with an almost officer-like bearing—had Shion recruited them?
Wait, was that okay? Taking in another Demon Lord's sons?
...Oh well. Let's pretend I didn't notice. That way, it's not my responsibility. Right? ...I'd better not think about it too hard.
I'd file that away for later. Leon came first.
"Well then, Leon. How about you explain what happened?"
Leon had been sifting through bones and flesh for a while now.
He seemed to be digging out some red mass—looking more closely, it appeared to be a woman in red armor, curled up with her knees to her chest.
After pulling her free, he purified the surrounding flesh fragments with cleansing light, making them vanish cleanly.
Once he'd finished that, he finally turned to face me.
"As you can see."
He said it as if to say, "You get it, right?"
Like I'd get it!!
I barely held back from shouting that.
"Just explain it to me, okay?"
I answered with a smile of my own.
Fortunately there wasn't one, but if there had been, veins would have been bulging on my forehead.
The strong, silent handsome guy act doesn't fly in situations like this. Actually, even if I were a woman, would I put up with it?
No. Absolutely not.
"I too would like to hear the details. Surely you'll give us a thorough explanation, Leon?"
Perfect timing.
Luminous and the Elders of the Seven Luminaries tore through space and appeared.
It seemed Leon had called Luminous for backup too, not just me. So he actually did intend to cooperate, after a fashion?
He'd reached out to us based on some incomprehensible standard of his own.
"Hmm, you came? I thought I could handle one human—Yuuki—on my own. Sorry—I let him slip away. I underestimated him."
The moment Luminous and I had both arrived, Leon offered his apology.
Then he explained the situation.
Gouged earth and decayed vegetation. And against that backdrop, an inexplicably elegant tea set.
The Elders of the Seven Luminaries had prepared it with diligent care. Amid it all, Luminous lounged on a sofa as though it were the most natural thing in the world, while Leon relaxed in a chair.
Come on... what was with that level of relaxation?
"Here, please. Have a seat."
One of the Elders—who actually had quite a young-sounding voice, though their face was hidden behind a mask—offered me a fine chair, and I sat down.
It was surprisingly comfortable. Seemed to be well-crafted.
The Elders fanned Luminous with large war fans. It was a rather bizarre sight, but I decided it was best not to dwell on it.
"Now then, explain yourself."
Luminous urged him on, and Leon began his explanation.
To summarize: after my visit, he'd decided to go after Yuuki alone, and he'd acted on that decision.
There were two reasons he hadn't called on us: he'd been underestimating Yuuki, and he hadn't wanted to reveal his own abilities.
"Hypothetically—if we'd fought together, would you have shown your true strength?"
Leon's question left both Luminous and me at a loss for words.
"Of course I would. I trust you, after all."
...That's what I thought, but Luminous answered with a bright smile.
That was a complete lie.
Wait, weren't monsters supposed to be unable to lie!?
I was pretty sure something about their existence becoming unstable had been mentioned...
《Analysis. Beings that possess physical bodies due to racial characteristics have high spiritual existence values, making "lies" possible.》 Oh, right.
Come to think of it, Milim did seem perfectly fine lying.
Actually, most high-ranking beings seemed to be able to lie without issue. Since it turned out to be unreliable, I probably shouldn't take that rule as a given.
But putting Luminous's lie aside—well, the fact that it was obviously a lie meant she was essentially admitting she'd been hiding her true power—maybe things wouldn't have changed much even if we'd all come together.
Yuuki had awakened to an Ultimate Skill, and if anything, there was a chance the three of us would have held back and ended up outmaneuvered together.
Frankly, the only ability I'd been willing to show off was Beelzebub, King of
Even though we were all Demon Lords, we weren't exactly allies. Well, we were on the same side, but that didn't mean I trusted them.
I had no choice but to accept Leon's reasoning.
In the end, the conclusion was: he'd lost one subordinate to Yuuki, and Yuuki had escaped.
Fortunately, it seemed one of Leon's subordinates—Black Knight Lord
He'd apparently had his mind taken over by Yuuki at first, but Chloe had restored him. I didn't know what kind of phenomenon it was, but the fact that Chloe could heal him was a stroke of luck.
Since Yuuki didn't seem to have caught on, Claude could potentially be quite useful as a spy.
What we needed to watch out for was Yuuki's ability.
Taking lives, stealing hearts. It seemed he could also absorb energy and convert it into his own.
《Analysis. The target's ability should be the Ultimate Skill "Greedy King."》 Huh? You can even figure that out?
I was momentarily surprised, but Raphael seemed to have it all worked out.
He claimed it was an ability specialized in stealing, and that it wasn't that much of a threat.
Apparently it was roughly an inferior version of my own ability—even among Ultimate Skills, it was on the lower end.
More than anything, I was curious where Raphael got all that confidence from.
It might have been my imagination, but Raphael seemed to give a little snort of derision as he provided me with an analysis of Greedy King. I couldn't let my guard down, but it didn't seem like something to be feared.
After hearing Leon's story, we agreed on a course of action: wait for word from Black Knight Lord Claude.
The next issue was the fact that we'd disposed of Milim's pet—the Chaos Dragon.
That was a big problem.
The question of why we had to be dragged into this nagged at me.
"Hm? You're close with Milim, aren't you? I'm glad you were here."
Leon flashed a refreshing smile, clearly trying to weasel his way out.
Since when did we get so buddy-buddy?
Hold on, you bastard...
"Well then, I've heard what I came to hear. I believe I'll be on my way."
Luminous was trying to slip away.
What selfishness! But well, that was Demon Lords for you.
If anything, I should've known better than to expect cooperation from Demon Lords.
It was unfortunate that I'd end up cleaning up after them, but...
I happened to glance at the Red Knight, being purified by Silver Knight Lord Arlos and the Blue Knight.
Huh? Was she... still alive somehow?
I moved closer to check. Her vitality seemed to be at zero. Normally, that would mean she was dead, but...
"Hey, Luminous. You preside over life and death, right?"
"Tch. Don't throw that around so casually, or I'll kill you!"
"Ah, sorry. But come on, just take a look."
I offered a casual apology and waved it off, calling Luminous over.
Luminous, who'd been giving orders to prepare for departure, rose and came over.
"I see, indeed. She isn't alive, but... resurrection is possible."
Luminous narrowed her eyes, studied the red-haired woman, and declared as much.
This woman's soul remained. And there were somehow two of them.
"Really!? Is my sister still alive?"
"She isn't alive. But she isn't dead either. The definition of death isn't the cessation of physical activity—it's the extinction of the soul. This woman's soul remains. Therefore, she hasn't died."
"But it's strange. Why hasn't her soul separated from her body?"
Normally, when physical activity ceases, the connection is severed.
Spiritual life forms like me were exceptions, but ordinary monsters and humans were bound by this rule.
What was going on?
《Analysis. Due to the Greedy King's ability reducing her vitality to exactly zero, she has entered a state of suspended death.》 I see. As expected of the Professor.
Then why were there two souls? Actually, I'd already noticed the answer...
《Analysis. Correct. It is the soul crystal of the Chaos Dragon. Impurities have been removed, and it has been restored to its original pure state.》 Wh-what!?
If it was no longer cursed, there was no problem with reviving it. Not only would it stave off Milim's anger—they'd actually be grateful.
"Listen, you two. We have to revive this woman no matter what. And there's an unexpected bonus that comes with it. So, here's what I'm thinking..."
And so, based on Raphael's analysis, I began laying out the plan.
The blue-colored knight had called the woman "sister," so they must be family. He seemed like he wanted to say something, but he held back and waited with Arlos.
He probably considered it disrespectful for a mere subordinate to participate in a conversation between Demon Lords. But this was about his sister's life or death, and he was clearly anxious.
Taking that into account, I reached a conclusion.
Separating the soul was possible. I had a jewel in my possession.
With the surrounding Magicules, a core, and the soul, it should be possible to revive it.
The issue, however, would be weakening—well, far more than just weakening.
Still, I thought Milim's anger would be appeased. She wasn't after strength or anything like that.
For that purpose, resurrecting the Red Knight was also necessary. That's why I'd asked Luminous.
Luminous, who presided over life and death.
She probably didn't want to show her abilities, even if only briefly. She'd acted reluctant the whole time, but in the end, she did resurrect her.
Maybe she just didn't want to deal with Milim's grudge, or maybe she was actually kind.
"Ha, thanks. Luminous, you're a real tsundere, huh?"
When I teased her about it, she threatened to kill me.
Realizing it was dangerous, I decided not to push my luck any further.
The Red Knight was also resurrected, and together with the Blue Knight, she expressed her gratitude to Luminous and me.
I didn't need any thanks—I hadn't done anything.
And so, with the cleanup complete, we dispersed.
In my possession was a single jewel. As for dealing with Milim, who would no doubt come raging in fury—that went without saying: it fell to me.
Well, it couldn't be helped.
Nobody wanted to be the one in danger. We all felt the same about that.
I wrapped things up by getting Leon and Luminous to agree that, going forward, they'd at least give me a heads-up before doing anything.
Since Leon and Luminous had only had a pact mediated through me, we now formalized an anti-Yuuki pact between us Demon Lords as well.
Between the human nations and the Demon Lords—with me and the Monster Nation at the center—various treaties and agreements were forged.
These relationships would continue to evolve going forward.
The waves of upheaval would come crashing toward the Monster Nation.