"You're a lot older, Falga."

 

Those were the words uttered by the Demon King when he came face to face with the Divine Dragon Falga.

Even though I'm here as an escort with Koga, I can't help but be surprised by the existence of Shenryu.

I knew there was such a thing beforehand...... I knew it, but it was still shocking.

 

"Hun"

 

Shenlong Farga snorted grumpily.

By the fountain where he is is is a Norn, the queen of Miarak, and a man named Charon, who is a guard on the other side.

 

"You've become surprisingly weak."

"I don't have a word to refute it, it's a fact. But that's true for you, too, isn't it?"

"I'm just old, and you've just been deprived of your strength, haven't you?"

 

A very stifling argument ensues.

Both the Demon King and Falga are just facing each other, but they are under a lot of pressure that they don't want to be here.

The Queen of Miarak in front of her is the same, turning her ruddy face into something even worse.

 

"Well, Demon Lord...... He's got a great beard......

 

Then, Ciel, who is hiding behind the Demon King, utters such a drunken voice.

At his voice, the grim air dissipated, and the Demon King let out a loud sigh.

 

「…… Hah, you have to be quiet."

"Huh, yes?"

 

…… There wasn't much interaction between them, but this maid must have a very strong heart.

As expected, she is the Demon King's exclusive handmaiden.

His courage may be on par with that of a legion commander.

 

"That's about it for greetings, okay...... I did as you requested."

"I didn't expect you to come this far."

 

The Demon King smiles at Farga's words.

 

"This one looked more interesting."

"Hun, it's you, you already know they're lurking, aren't you?"

"So do you...... Either way, they're afraid of me and won't even set foot in this city."

"Weakened? Tell me a joke in my sleep."

 

Falga's harsh words in a stunned manner.

While he is surprised by the fact that the so-called demon is already close to him, he admires the power of the Demon King, who has already sensed its existence.

 

"So what are you going to do?"

"If you poke him now, he will only get away with it, so it would be better to lure him out. …… Above all, we have just the right bait here."

"Watch your mouth, he's not bait."

 

Guy? …… Who's that?

Both the Demon King and Falga seem to know, but .......

 

"Then it's a fake bait, and if you let your guard down and get close, the main body will jump out and eat you."

"It's getting worse, isn't it?"

"You're not wrong, are you? He's unconsciously wearing a harmless skin."

「……」

 

Falga is silent as if he is troubled, as if he does not have a word of rebuttal.

Koga and I finally understand who we are referring to in that conversation.

 

"It's Usato."

"That's true, ......."

 

If you confront him head-on, you can understand how much he is with his strong-willed eyes, but from the outside, he looks like an ordinary boy.

His strong body is also hidden by thick white clothes, and his strength is not realized.

 

"Usato's perception over there is terrible......

"I wonder what he did to the Demon King......s army."

 

Mialak reacted a little bit, but the rescue team he was in kept boiling water.

In a way, he must have been more troublesome than the hero.

 

"Well, I said bait, but he has no choice but to deal with the devil whether he wants to or not, and it would be easier for us to do it if he was within sight."

"I think it's because of your actions."

"No, it would have been targeted anyway, and before I could do anything, the demon would have stolen the tomb of the Ringle Kingdom—the corpse of Rose's men—and got involved."

 

——— Rose's men.

Those who fought on an equal footing with my superiors, my master's subordinates, during his lifetime.

It would be very troublesome if the people who had stopped the elite of about 20 people who had been recognized by their masters for their abilities with only seven people were resurrected.

 

"No matter what, Usato is going to be involved in the commotion......

"Looks like you're buying him a lot."

"I owe them a personal debt of gratitude, but they have fulfilled their mission, including the brave...... They should live a life away from fighting. …… It would be a shame if he would leave the world he was back in and stay behind."

 

…… I was honestly surprised that Shenlong thought like a human or a demon tribe more than I expected.

If anything, we should say that we are on the same point of view.

There was a tone of self-blame in his words.

 

「…… You don't move carelessly. It provokes the distrust of other countries."

"I know, I'm going to enjoy a brief respite while you're busy."

"You can only say it in a tantrum way, ......!"

 

The Demon King shrugs his shoulders, and Farga screams in frustration.

I have a strange feeling that the demon lord is having a casual conversation that is different from when he talks to us.

 

"I can't believe that Master Falga would show so much emotion...... It's amazing."

 

They seem to think the same thing as me.

In the meantime, the content of the story of the Demon King and Farga switches.

 

"Okay, then what is the next requirement...... Or rather, this is a confirmation."

 

He tilts his head at the Demon Lord's words as he looks up at Farga.

From the looks of it, it seems to be something serious, but .......

 

"I am a former hero...... His power has been drained by Hisago and he has less than 30% of his power in his prime. …… You already know that, don't you?"

"Of course, otherwise it would be impossible to defeat a monster like you. What you want to check is the whereabouts of Sorae."

 

Falga's eyes sharpen.

Even in the face of obvious hostility, the Demon King opened his mouth without moving an eyebrow.

 

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not interested in power anymore. Before I came here, specifically right after I stepped out of the Demon Lord's Domain, seven chains connected to my body appeared."

「……」

"Is there a hidden power of mine at the end of that chain?"

 

! Is that chain from three days ago?

A translucent chain extending from the body of the Demon King.

It stretched out in all directions, somewhere far away, but the Demon King must have torn it off himself.

Perhaps seeing the silence as an affirmation, the Demon King smiled tightly.

 

"It's pretty bad of character that you didn't even notice me until then, and I didn't expect that you would try to get me to throw away the connection of the 'power' that was stolen from me when I was supposed to start an invasion outside the Demon Lord's Realm."

"You can't say anything if he does that."

"Certainly, so I don't care about this. I'm not so obsessed with power now. …… But that's not the problem."

 

Staring at his palm, the Demon King uttered the next word.

 

"The power that has been extracted from me, the question is where the divided, divided into seven parts is hidden."

「……」

"Three of the chains were heading towards my Demon Lord's territory, and three of the other four were in different directions, but I didn't know where they were—the other one was known the moment I visited it."

 

After a pause, he pointed to the spring in which Farga bathed.

When I looked in the direction I was pointed, there was only clear water that I could see the pale bottom.

 

"Is it safe to assume that this is the case when I feel a part of my strength from this spring?"

「…… It's only recently that we've gotten to the nitty-gritty."

 

Is there a part of the power extracted from the Demon King here?!

Why in Mialak, a realm inhabited by humans!?

 

"So you were the keeper here?"

"If you don't, the calamity would have spread not only to Miarak but also to the surrounding area, just like the Demon Lord's Territory where you are."

 

What......!? What do you mean by that?!

Do you know why the Demon King Territory, that is, the Demon King Territory, became the situation it is now?

Just as he was about to step forward, he saw the Norn, the Queen of Mialak, beside Faluga, talking to him in an agitated manner.

 

"What do you mean? Dear Farga. Isn't the Kureha Fountain the one that we, the royal family, have been protecting?"

"There is no doubt that I have protected him, because I asked the king of the time to do so. …… The Kureha Fountain's ability to deceive and empower people to the point of being deceptive was something that came from the extraordinary power of the Demon King."

"Well, that means the previous hero...... Devil...... One of the powers he had stolen from him was embedded in the water source of the Myalak...... Is that what you mean?"

"That's not going to happen."

 

The Kureha Fountain, so called, was originally due to the power of the Demon King......?

I don't understand the meaning.

What was the previous hero thinking when he did such a thing?

 

"The trick was the strange death of a man who drank water gushing out of the basement."

"Strange, death?"

"The man was a timid delivery man, but he was kind at heart and would not be violent to others...... He was supposed to be a kind man."

 

Remembering something, and closing his eyes as if in remorse, Farga continues to utter a grave voice.

 

"The man went on a rampage like a stranger, destroyed many people and buildings, collapsed, and never woke up."

"That's ...... the first victim?"

"At first glance, I understood that the water was abnormal, a poison that gives people excessive power and destroys their bodies and minds. I immediately tracked down the veins from which the water was springing up and tried to keep it from reaching the people."

 

A poison that destroys the body and mind.

No, it's just that you don't have to touch it, but the scary thing about this is that the poison could get mixed with the water we need.

If that's the case, it's not a story that sends chills down your spine.

 

「…… I guess I was lucky."

"What?"

"If the response had been even a little bit late, many people would have swallowed the cursed water and unconsciously perished, spreading destruction and death around them.

"Well, I guess so."

 

At this point, the Demon King nodded in agreement.

 

"Even if I am divided into seven parts, the magic power I possess is nothing but a poison for humans, no matter how much I dilute it, no matter how strong my body is, it is not something that ordinary humans can handle."

"——— I don't think Hisago understands that."

"Perhaps one of the reasons I split and concealed my power was to reduce my strength to enough for a man of my age, and the second reason was to test you."

 

Is what you're trying to do too messy?

It looks as if they are acting on the side of destroying humanity.

 

"After that, I guess it's just a matter of getting revenge on me and the Demon Clan, and I'm afraid it was almost danced on his palm."

 

The Demon King with a frown on his face presses his forehead.

Then, Ciel talks to the Demon King in a timidated manner.

 

"Demon Lord, you said earlier that three of the Demon King's powers are in the Demon Lord's Realm...... That's pretty hard, isn't it?"

"No, it's not. Ciel, no moreIt is becoming・・・・・It is."

"What!? What do you mean!?"

 

Everyone except Falga looks upset.

It's already happening...... If---,

 

"The current situation that the Demon Clan is in is due to the influence of the power that has been extracted from me."

 

The reason why he was hunting down the demon tribe was due to the power of the demon king that the previous hero had taken.

Ciel is distraught by the surprising fact and asks the Demon King a question.

 

"So, if you're pouring your energy into the earth, you're supposed to be fine, right......?"

"Too much nutrition causes the fruit to rot, and the earth is similarly overpowered, and the cycle of nature is disrupted if it is kept overpowered. The earth was not depleted—it was perished because it was too full."

 

It's not incomprehensible.

Just as too much power destroys oneself, if the power that overflows from the receptacle of the earth is poured into it, its content will collapse.

 

"No, he's my nemesis, but he's too bad."

"I'm sure your presence isn't the only reason why I let you do that."

 

I don't know what the previous hero wants to do.

I understand that he has a grudge against the demon tribe he was fighting.

But why are they imitating it in a way that brings disaster even to humans?

This makes it seem as if he just wants to destroy the humanity he has saved.

 

"Well, what are we going to do now?"

"I don't think it's a matter to be moved around, it's definitely going to be confusing...... It may be necessary to explain the details at the meeting."

"Whether opportunistic people in this day and age believe it or not."

 

The reason for the trouble of the demon tribe and the dark side of the previous hero.

I'm a demon, but this fact will be hard news for those who see the previous heroes as heroes.

The confusion caused by it is unpredictable.

________________________________

The main character is almost likened to a monkfish.

 

Mr./Ms. Hisago threw the Demon King Power (10%) into the water vein.

As a result, the Kureha Fountain was created.

He had a lot to do with the reason why the Demon King Territory became like that.