NOVEL WEB Ch. 95
Chapter 95
Yuurai and the others waited for a while inside the warm house.
Once they confirmed the red dragon was moving, Yuurai and the others headed outside again. This time, there were six of them, including Lipia.
The red dragon looked around for a while with a dazed expression, then snapped to awareness when it noticed Yuurai and the others approaching.
"Yo, looks like you're awake. Does your head hurt?"
"......It hurts."
"I might've gone a bit overboard. Sorry."
"Indeed...... I too may have overdone it a bit as a test of strength. My apologies."
"As long as it ends here, that's fine. By the way, do you understand that I'm the Demon King?"
"I understand. But why do you seem so weak, and lack the presence of a Demon King......?"
"Like I said earlier, I'm hiding my magic with Concealment Magic. It's so I don't scare people."
Yuurai deactivated the Concealment Magic. When she released her magic, the red dragon's eyes widened.
"What the......! That overwhelming magic......! It far surpasses even us dragons......!"
"Do you understand now?"
Yuurai concealed her magic once again. The red dragon let out a sigh of relief.
"I understand your strength. However, it still feels different from the presence of a Demon King."
"Yeah. That's because I'm not acting like one. That was simply the power of the Dark Lich Princess."
"Hmm......?"
The red dragon tilted its head.
"Uh...... Apparently, whether or not I act like the Demon King changes the aura I give off."
"......Hmm. I see. But there can't be many who possess such magic as you do. In strength and magic alike, you're fit to be the Demon King. Though you don't give off that vibe at all......"
"I told you, right? I'm a Demon King in name only. I'm not thinking about ruling the world or anything."
"I see. That is indeed quite rare."
The red dragon seemed a bit let down.
"I'm Yuurai. And you are?"
"I am Ragu. I came representing the dragonkin to check on the Demon King."
"And after checking, what were you planning to do? Subjugate me?"
"Subjugation was never the plan. A mere monster defeating the Demon King is impossible. I just needed to know what kind of Demon King had appeared. So I could flee if necessary."
"Flee? Is the Demon King usually a threat even to monsters?"
"The Demon King generally commands monsters to ravage the human world. But we do not wish to be caught up in that. So we flee. Although we sensed the presence of the Demon King for a moment, it vanished. We wanted to understand the situation."
"Huh. Still, isn't it kind of dangerous to test your strength against someone claiming to be the Demon King?"
"Indeed. If you had seemed more like a proper Demon King, I would have backed off immediately. But you looked like nothing more than a tiny little girl, so I was skeptical."
"Calling me a tiny little girl isn't wrong. I'm just abnormally strong—on the inside, I'm just a regular person."
"......I see. Then, what does the current Demon King wish for?"
"I just want to live in peace. I won't ravage or rule the world."
"A Demon King who seeks peace. Truly an unusual existence...... But I suppose it's true......"
Ragu looked over Claire and the others standing beside Yuurai.
Then, his gaze stopped on Fia.
"This girl feels different. I see a dark shadow in her, like she wishes for the world's destruction."
"Ah, yeah. Fia's a bit special. She says she wants to destroy the world with me. But that's just her personal wish. She's mentally unstable right now, but I'll keep her in check, so she's a harmless girl."
"I see. Then that's fine. And with that, my role here is done."
"Have I convinced you that I'm a harmless Demon King?"
"Indeed."
"That's good. Hey, since you're here, can you tell me about monsters like you? Where they live, and what they think about the Demon King appearing?"
"I don't mind sharing that much."
"Thanks. That helps."
According to what Ragu told them,
In this world, there are quite a few monsters like Ragu—intelligent and capable of speech. About ten percent of all monsters, by proportion. Even within the same species, some have intelligence and some don't, so it's a bit complicated.
Intelligent monsters mostly live quietly in places where humans won't notice them. Humans tend to see monsters as enemies without question, so they try to avoid contact as much as possible. Dragons fall into that category.
Some secretly coexist with humans. Vampires and succubi, for instance—monsters who need interaction with humans—sometimes live together with them. But that doesn't always mean they're friendly; sometimes, the monsters keep humans as pets.
Some actively fight humans. Orcs, ogres, trolls, and minotaurs fall into this category.
For intelligent monsters, the appearance of the Demon King seems to bring a lot of complications.
When the Demon King appears, monsters become more active and stronger. That's a good change.
However, the Demon King has the power to command monsters, and if ordered, they will fight for the Demon King. Sometimes they even lose their sanity.
For those who don't want conflict, the Demon King's appearance is nothing but trouble.
On the other hand, for those who want to fight humans, it's a welcome opportunity to go wild with a powerful backer.
However, historically, even if the Demon King ravages the human world, it always ends with their defeat.
When the Demon King appears, a Hero is born in response. The Demon King cannot win against the Hero and is ultimately defeated.
The monsters who still want to join the Demon King despite knowing they'll lose are mostly those who enjoy violence.
There's a high chance that such monsters will start gathering to become allies of the Demon King.
"Thanks for telling me all that. But it'd be a problem if monsters started gathering. I have zero intention of attacking humans."
"Indeed...... However, monsters all over the world have likely already sensed the presence of the Demon King. There's no doubt they'll start moving."
"Even if I hide my presence as Demon King?"
"I don't know. I have some human connections, so I was able to pinpoint the Demon King's location. Monsters who are enemies of humans might not have such means."
"......Well, I won't get my hopes up then."
"That would be wise."
Feeling a strong sense that more trouble was coming, Yuurai sighed.
"Glad we could talk. So, Ragu, what will you do now? Going home?"
"Yes. I'll return to the village and let my comrades know there's no danger."
"Got it. Then, I guess we won't be seeing each other again?"
"No...... I'll come back someday to check on things."
"Alright. See you then."
"Indeed."
Ragu flapped his wings and lifted into the air.
Then flew off into the distant sky.
"Dealing with humans, dealing with monsters—being the Demon King is such a hassle."
Watching Ragu's back disappear, Yuurai wished for peaceful days ahead.