――In the dead of night, with not even the moon in the sky, a servant dressed in black knelt on one knee in the resplendent throne room, its gold and crimson lacquer gleaming, and delivered a report to his master.
“Your Imperial Majesty, Emperor Fuu Fuh. According to the report from the underlings, the host of the ‘Blazing Demon Ugovak’ has been defeated.”
“Oh?”
At this, the man adorned in an exquisite Tang-style garment opened one eye.
“How surprising. My ‘setup’ was crushed so quickly.”
Fuu, as he was called, exhaled smoke from his pipe while muttering, “Such a shame, such a shame.”
“I was quite excited when I picked up that demon’s soul, thinking, ‘How many humans would die from this, I wonder?'”
He laughed innocently, like a child who lost a game but was still enjoying it, frustration mingling with amusement.
“Kuhuhu, but if the old fool turned into a demon, he must have experienced quite the despair. My ‘magic cannon’ only works when one of the souls sinks deep.”
Fuu sighed, lamenting that he couldn’t see the old man’s death.
Indeed, it was this man who had set up Albert, the great elder of the merchant guild, to be possessed by a demon.
Furthermore…
“Strange things have been happening recently. ‘Brae von Constantino,’ that noble girl managed to neutralize the poison I gave her, didn’t she?”
The poison of the cursed dragon? That too was his doing.
“Li. It seems adventurers from the ‘Pioneer City Tristein’ aided in that matter, no?”
“Yes,” responded the black-clad servant, Li, with a nod.
“And it seems that the one who defeated the demon-possessed old man was a person named Sara and the lord of Tristein, Iscar.”
“Sara, huh? What a meddler.”
They were aware of the existence of the ‘Dark Lady Sara.’
At first, they only recognized her as a sage of human society, a prodigy who brought much wisdom to Tristein despite her young age.
That alone wasn’t surprising—humans were numerous, and among them, some would naturally rise to the top.
But—they had noticed that years passed, and yet she remained a child.
“Does she really care for humans that much, that dark elf?”
Thus, they had concluded that she was a type of immortal demonic being known as a dark elf.
“Your Majesty. Though she hides her name, there is no doubt that she is the traitorous dark elf ‘Da.'”
“I thought as much… The dark elf who, four hundred years ago, despite being a demonic species, sided with humans and helped build many ‘pioneer cities’…”
A woman of great wisdom and valor.
It was because of her assistance that people had been able to hunt monsters, clear land, and create cities, expanding their dominion.
“Without her, humans would have fought over the lands of the ‘Sacred Territories,’ unable to reproduce and eventually turn on each other.”
In a sense, she could be considered the mother of modern humanity.
Now that this demon had resurfaced under a different name, Fuu Fuh quietly exhaled a cloud of purple smoke, musing, “This is no longer amusing.”
“Oh, what a pain. As if the ‘Seven Great Supreme Beings’ weren’t enough trouble already…”
Were these the workings of the goddess? In every era, seven of humanity’s greatest powers would always emerge, and they, too, were his enemies.
“But…”
Snap. The pipe in his hand broke.
“Even more loathsome than that are two beings…”
No, perhaps one beast and one person, the Demon Emperor squinted his eyes.
“The name of the beast is the Dark Destruction Dragon… As long as that foul, traitorous creature exists somewhere, I cannot move openly.”
There was no trace of playfulness in his voice when he uttered that name.
It was a being so terrifying that it could take on the ‘Seven Great Supreme Beings’ single-handedly. And despite its overwhelming power, it had allied with humans, becoming a cataclysmic force.
Though it vanished about ten years ago, the idea that it was dead seemed implausible. It must be somewhere, preparing for the next invasion of monsters.
And then…
“The one even more loathsome than the dark dragon is…!”
Fuu Fuh’s claws extended menacingly, his instincts stirring as his fingers twitched, leaving scars on the lavish throne.
“A being who has the wisdom to accept the knowledge of a dark elf, who has established countless humanitarian policies, protected and nurtured innumerable humans while developing his city…!”
And, in this recent case of defeating the demon, the man who finally bared his fangs.
The dark elf’s power was nowhere near enough to defeat a demon. Therefore, the strength of that man was evident.
“I’ll kill him…”
The Demon Emperor stood and gazed at the moon emerging from the dark clouds, roaring.
“I’ll kill you for sure! The guardian of humanity, Iscar von Tristein!”
Thus declared Fuu Fuh—or rather, the leader of the demonic organization ‘Kuronakyo,’ the Annihilation Evil Dragon Fafnir, his voice resounding with murderous laughter.
“Li, add Lord Iscar to the ‘Plan to Eradicate the Seven Great Supreme Beings.'”
“Yes!”
As the moonlight faded once more, Fafnir’s eyes sparkled with malicious glee.
“Now, humans, the game is on.”
――Can you escape from my grasp…!?
…
“Achooo!“
“Ew, that was gross, Iscar. What, you got a cold?”
“No, a noble like me should never catch a cold…”
Iscar sniffled. There was no way this man was the guardian of humanity…!
Everything was a misunderstanding on Fafnir’s part. In reality, Iscar was nothing more than a petty noble, only marginally stronger than the average one.
“Maybe some beautiful lady somewhere is gossiping about you. You’ve been pretty popular lately.”
“Hmm? …Nuhuhuhu! I don’t mind being admired, but being popular isn’t such a bad thing either!”
“Looks like you’ve hit the jackpot, Iscar.”
Unfortunately, it was the Annihilation Dragon gossiping about him, plotting his assassination.
But it wasn’t their fault. There was no way they could have guessed that the lovely girl by his side, presumed to be a dark elf, was actually the mighty ‘Dark Destruction Dragon.’
Thanks to this, everyone, including the masses, was mistakenly attributing the demon’s defeat to Iscar’s strength, aided by the Destruction Dragon Sara.
“Looks like your days of bachelorhood are numbered.”
“Haha, when the time comes, I shall host a grand wedding!”
What should be prepared was a funeral.
“――Ahhh, are you talking about a wedding venue?! Iscar-sama! Please leave that to me, Sebastian!”
“Why is he so energetic, Sebastian?”
Thus, as misunderstandings abounded, the situation was shifting in a new direction…!
