Chapter 90

The loyal knight who serves the demons, Sir Beatrix Constantinople, was preparing camp with Langwang Yohan. Perched atop her head was Aru, the wolf girl.

Goblin Shaman Meta was summoning familiars to gather food from the surrounding area – child’s play for Meta who could command large armies.

Winged angel Uriel flew overhead, scouting the perimeter. Even though their group consisted of some of the strongest beings in Demon Forest, this was still a place to never let your guard down.

“Clap.”

Aru’s two wolf ears perked up. She narrowed her eyes and thrust her nose forward.

“Sniff sniff…”

Smelling something on the wind, Aru turned to Beatrix who had stopped gathering firewood.

“Aru, what is it?”

“Bark bark! They’re coming!”

“Coming? What is coming?”

Aru’s blue eyes sharpened.

“One of the Seven Dragons. And other monsters. Bark bark.”

“…One of the Seven Dragons is coming?”

“Bark. Charging straight for us. Target is the young demon and our group.”

“Target… meaning?”

“They want to kill us. Everyone’s teamed up.”

Beatrix froze mid-motion with the firewood.

“Hey, is that info reliable?”

“Bark bark! I hear everything. My hearing’s sharp. Normally I keep it closed, but when strange winds blow, I open my ears. Bark.”

“…Then that’s settled. Langwang, we should report this to Lord Oscar first.”

“He said he was going to take care of demon business. Haven’t seen him yet.”

“We were told not to follow him when he’s dealing with private matters… But this isn’t a normal situation. If one of the Seven Dragons is leading monsters, it’s practically wartime.”

Beatrix wasn’t surprised by the turn of events. Under Lord Oscar’s orders, she’d been slaughtering demons in Demon Forest whenever they appeared.

It was inevitable that the intelligent demons would eventually unite against them. But she didn’t expect the Seven Dragons to get involved. Beatrix calmly gripped her greatsword sheath.

Seven Dragons.

Three dragons chosen by Dragon King Endros. Ranked just below the Five Kings in Demon Forest, they’re apex predators who supposedly only observe the law of the jungle.

They’re practically guardian deities of the forest, possessing power befitting their reputation. Especially Nidhogg, the dragon with four heads, known as the right hand of the Dragon King and considered one of the strongest dragons.

‘The Seven Dragons are targeting us… Lord must have foreseen this situation. I should seek his counsel first.’

As the highest-ranking member while Leader Oscar is absent, Beatrix placed her chin on her palm in deep thought. Even if they’re strong, the Seven Dragons aren’t opponents to take lightly. It would be reckless to try wiping them out without preparation like usual.

“Yohan! Come here!”

Just then, Oscar waved from afar and approached. Beatrix turned with a bright expression, her brown ponytail swaying.

“My Lord, you’ve arrived.”

“You too, Lady Knight. Excuse me, but there’s no time now. I need Yohan!”

“Demons? What is the matter?”

Oscar gently pushed Beatrix aside to urgently find Yohan, causing her to miss her chance to speak.

“Yohan, follow me please. I’ll explain on the way, so don’t ask questions.”

“M-, My Lord! I have something important to say!”

“Ah, Lady Beatrix. Please wait a moment. This is urgent. Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”

Before Beatrix could interject, Oscar took Yohan’s wrist and disappeared into the bushes.

No matter how Beatrix tried to start a conversation, Oscar skillfully blocked her attempts. With every fiber of her being trained in knightly etiquette toward her lord, she couldn’t interrupt even though the situation was dire.

“My Lord! Even a moment would suffice-”

“Ho ho, didn’t know you were so clingy.”

“C-Clingy?! Is that any way to speak to a noble knight?!”

“What else would you call constantly clinging to someone who clearly doesn’t want to be bothered? You’re not some love-struck man trying to hold onto his ex-girlfriend!”

Beatrix was rendered speechless, dazed by being called “clingly” by Oscar himself. She never got the chance to mention the Seven Dragons.

“Demons? Where are we going?”

“Just run! I’ll explain on the way! And Lady Beatrix! Make sure no one follows us! Absolutely no one!”

In an instant, Oscar vanished into the forest. Beatrix stared at his retreating back, realizing she’d missed her opportunity to speak.

‘What an idiotic move… There couldn’t possibly be anything more important than the Seven Dragons! Why did I hesitate?! No, I must follow Lord now…’

“Clap clap.”

Just as Beatrix prepared to chase after, Aru pinched her cheek from atop her head, stretching the supple skin.

“Aru! What are you doing? You saw what just happened. I don’t have time for games.”

“Bark bark! Don’t go. We can’t interfere.”

“What are you saying? Are you telling me to ignore the Seven Dragons?”

“Young demon is doing something important. We can’t interfere.”

“…”

Aru’s face was uncharacteristically serious. Beatrix sensed this wasn’t mere teasing.

“Aru, what do you mean by ‘important’?”

Suddenly, Beatrix remembered Oscar’s repeated insistence that “Absolutely no one should follow.” Something she hadn’t paid attention to at the time due to her single-minded focus on reporting about the Seven Dragons.

“Bark bark. Young demon went off with big human. We shouldn’t follow.”

“Hmm, so what should we do?”

“Don’t interfere. Not just us, but others too. Bark bark bark.”

“Others meaning… Ah.”

Aru looked skyward silently. Beatrix sighed.

“My Lord’s plans may be unclear, but it seems our job is to clear obstacles from his path.”

“Bark, probably.”

“Probably?”

“Young demon might be trying to do something. His voice is strangely muffled lately. But we definitely can’t interfere.”

“So even with your enhanced hearing, you can’t make out Lord’s voice from far away?”

“Bark. Always been that way with him.”

Aru’s cryptic words left Beatrix puzzled.

‘Hmph… When has my Lord ever not been mysterious? He’s a complete enigma.’

But remembering this was about Oscar, Beatrix oddly accepted it. That’s just who he was to her. Likely the same for everyone else.

“So now it’s up to us to deal with the Seven Dragons alone? To ensure they don’t interfere with Lord’s plans?”

“Bark, probably. That’s helping the young demon.”

“But Lord didn’t give such an order.”

“He probably doesn’t know. Bark bark.”

“…”

“Young demon is trying to do something with big human and a group of humans. And we’re not supposed to catch their attention.”

“Another group entered Demon Forest?”

“Bark. We’re not supposed to meet them. That’s what young demon wants.”

“In that case, we don’t need to worry about the outsiders. To summarize: Lord is planning something with Langwang while Seven Dragons are making an unexpected attack that could hinder Lord’s plans. Now I understand.”

“Bark bark!”

With that, Aru leaped lightly from Beatrix’s hair, landing on the ground and letting out a howl to the sky.

“Hooooooowl!”

Aru’s howl serves many purposes. One of them is to signal flying Uriel above. Soon enough, the white-winged angel gracefully descended.

Rustle.

Uriel’s pure white robes billowed softly as his golden hair touched the earth. Even coarse dirt dared not soil the angel’s body, not even a single strand of hair.

“What is the matter? Oh wolf king, Lady Beatrix.”

“Bark bark! Bark bark bark!”

“How am I to understand if you speak in wolf tongue? Even an archangel lacks translation magic.”

“Bark bark bark bark!”

While Uriel questioned Aru, Beatrix sent servitors to fetch Meta who was collecting food. After recalling all his servitors.

“Milady Beatrix? What is the matter?”

“Come here first. We’ll discuss once everyone’s gathered.”

“Bark bark! Here here!”

“Where are the leader and human king? I have urgent news. While flying earlier, I saw a group of humans enter Demon Forest…”

“Hold on. I have something even more pressing to share first.”

Cutting off Uriel mid-sentence, Beatrix asserted control. Knowing Beatrix’s stern nature, Uriel didn’t protest.

“Seven Dragons are approaching here with a horde of monsters. Seems their goal is to kill us for disrupting the ecosystem.”

“Wha-! Is that true?!”

“Bark bark! I heard everything!”

“The servitors I sent far ahead keep reporting tremors in the ground from east, west, and south.”

With both Aru and Meta corroborating Beatrix’s words, she internally confirmed the situation was real.

“Then we must inform the leader immediately! How could the human king leave at such a critical time when Seven Dragons approach!”

“Calm yourself, Uriel. Lord and Langwang aren’t here. Aru says they’ll be gone for a while.”

“…What?”

“Don’t look for them. Don’t chase after them. Young demon seems to have work to do with big human.”

“I heard it too. Lord specifically said ‘Absolutely no one’ should follow. All of us.”

“Huh? D-, Did Lord Oscar leave?”

“Could be, might not be. What matters now is that we handle our own duties. The key point is three arrogant lizards are coming here, potentially endangering Lord.”

Beatrix’s calm muttering made Uriel and Meta flinch. Calling mighty dragons “arrogant lizards” was quite bold.

Meanwhile, Aru chuckled. Having lived four hundred years and attained all powers of the wolf king, nothing frightened her.

“Uriel, Aru, Meta. Let’s strike first before they reach us. We’ll teach these brazen enemies targeting Lord a harsh lesson.”

Clang!

Beatrix drew her greatsword from its sheath on her back.

***

Holding onto Langwang’s thick wrist, I sprinted at full speed. Thankfully, no one was in sight where we’d been moments ago.

“Demons! Where are we going?! At least tell me something!”

Langwang demanded an explanation after being dragged along. Since Merlin and the hero party weren’t visible either, I slowed down slightly to explain the situation and instruct him on his role.

“Everyone! Look, there’s Suoka over there!”

If Merlin’s shout hadn’t interrupted at that exact moment, I would have explained everything to Langwang. I would have instructed him on how to act and perform.

Shifting my gaze toward the sound, I saw a boy with green hair sticking out from under a wizard’s hat pointing at us. Several humans were gathered behind him.

“Demons? There are humans!”

“Yohan! I’m not a demon anymore! It’s Suoka! Call me Suoka please!”

Did Langwang’s comment reach their ears? Seeing Merlin waving like a puppy running toward us, it seemed not. Phew, almost screwed up before even starting.

“Suoka?”

“Yes! Suoka! And please be quiet now!”

“Understood. Suoka, Suoka, Suoka…”

Damn, I haven’t given Langwang instructions yet. Time to improvise. Fortunately, that’s my specialty.

By now, Merlin and the group were almost upon us. They must be the hero party. I raised my arm and waved enthusiastically. The humans all smiled warmly at me, apparently already briefed positively by Merlin.

“Merlin! Good to see you! We’ve been waiting!”

“Yes! These fine people are the hero party! But… who is that gentleman?”

Merlin’s gaze landed on Langwang beside me, visibly unsettled. Despite his imposing appearance looking barbaric through civilized eyes, I chose “hunter” as my profession for a reason. Langwang fits the “veteran hunter” image perfectly.

“This is my partner! We’ve hunted together in Demon Forest for decades! He’ll be a great help for this ‘hunt’ too, right Yohan?”

I nudged Langwang’s side as I spoke. Come on, just play along already. Please.

“Right! I’m Yohan, veteran hunter of Demon Forest!”

Yes! Excellent! The human king is amazing! Truly the pinnacle of intelligence!

That was a close call since I couldn’t brief him beforehand, but fortunately it worked out.

“Suoka? I have a question.”

He’s using the correct name already? Remembered it after hearing it just once? Impressive! This guy could become my top assistant, replacing that dung puppy Aru with a swift kick to the ass!

Ask anything! I’m in a good mood and happy to answer!

“What is it?”

“Are we going to kill these people too, like last time?”

“……What?!”

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