Afterward, Yura and I traveled from place to place, dealing with the remaining magical beasts.
I say "dealing with" them, but the creatures were already immobilized. No complications arose. I simply released the restraints whenever I wanted to use one for Yura’s training or had them transferred alive back to the Royal Capital.
Magical beasts aren't the sort of creatures one encounters by chance. I intended to make the most of this opportunity.
As we repeated the process, Yura’s behavior gradually improved. She no longer threw injured civilians or demolished buildings as she had at first. Instead, she performed rescues with practiced precision, striking down the beasts only after safety was secured. By targeting their vitals, she achieved swift, efficient lethality. Her combat capabilities had grown considerably as she focused on more delicate methods of neutralization.
It had undoubtedly been a valuable experience for her.
After taking down the final target, Yura flew back to me, looking satisfied. She snapped to attention before me.
"Master, I report the conclusion of combat. No hostile reactions detected in the vicinity."
"Well done."
I praised her and walked over to the freshly slain beast. Its head had been crushed, pulverized by a direct blow from Yura's dedicated machine. It was a gruesome sight.
"Hmm..."
I examined the remains from a magical perspective. As I suspected, no magic formulas had been applied. It had been my most promising lead, but it seemed my hypothesis was wrong. I performed a brief analysis on the spot.
Then, I caught a strange reaction.
(Is this... a drug?)
I wasn't an expert on the physiology of magical beasts, but the reaction was remarkably similar to a human’s response to an illegal potion. The magic power circulating through the body followed a pattern that mutation alone couldn't explain. It was as if impurities had been introduced into its system. Because it had only just died, the sensation was distinct.
I didn't recall the magical beasts I fought in my previous life having this kind of irregularity. However, I couldn't be certain of anything yet. A full-scale analysis at the Research Institute would be necessary.
(Where did this pack even come from?)
As I stood over the corpse, I returned to the fundamental question. The appearance of these beasts was unnatural from the start. While there were wilderness regions nearby, it was hard to believe such a large number of beasts could have lived there undetected. Something was happening beyond my sight.
I could only interpret this as a deliberate attack on the Demon King’s Domain. I had to uncover the cause. While we had contained the damage this time, a similar event elsewhere could have resulted in a massacre. It wouldn't have been surprising to see an unprecedented slaughter.
With an ominous weight in my chest, I returned to the Royal Capital with Yura.
I immediately turned the thirty-five specimens over to the Research Institute, tasking them with investigating the drugs in their systems. As expected, the Research Institute Director was ecstatic. She was so overwhelmed with excitement that she looked ready to faint. Apparently, it was her first time seeing a magical beast in person—a lifelong dream of hers.
She was far more thrilled than I had anticipated. With that kind of motivation, the results shouldn't take long. I was worried about her overworking herself, but given the circumstances, I needed her to push through. She was already gulping down fatigue recovery potions and throwing herself into the task.
Her motivation was pure intellectual curiosity, but it suited my purposes perfectly. When I brought up the topic of her undeadification, she was all for it. Her enthusiasm stemmed less from a desire to escape fatigue and more from a scientific curiosity about becoming an immortal herself. Her researcher’s spirit was truly dyed-in-the-wool.
She told me to handle all the minor details, so I decided to move forward as I saw fit. I would start by selecting an appropriate race. After that, I would need to procure the necessary materials. Becoming a high-level Undead requires a specific set of procedures; it would be pointless if she lost her sense of self in the transition. I planned to complete the ritual before she literally worked herself to death. The day the Director joins the ranks of the immortal is close at hand.
After parting with Yura, I returned to the audience chamber to find Luciana buried in paperwork. She looked up from a report and gave me a casual wave.
"The spies sent in some follow-up information."
"What is it?" I asked, taking the seat opposite her.
Judging by the sour look on her face, it wasn't good news. Luciana began her briefing with the report in hand. According to the data, the demons in the Former Demon Territory were making suspicious moves. Entire villages had begun a mass migration. Groups appearing to be demons had been spotted in other regions as well, all on the move.
While not yet confirmed, they were believed to be remnants of the former Demon King's army—survivors like Luciana who had lived in hiding for the past ten years. Now, they were suddenly coming out of the shadows. Following their path, we found they were all heading toward a nation called the Republic.
The Republic is located southwest of the Demon King’s Domain, beyond the defunct small nations. Until now, they had maintained a stance of tacit neutrality toward me. Now, demons from across the land were converging there.
The Republic's most defining feature is its lack of a King or Emperor. It is governed by representatives elected from its citizens—a rare political structure on this continent. However, their politics didn't concern me. The problem was their geography.
The Republic’s eastern border touches the Former Demon Territory. According to the reports, they already have ties with the demons living there. In fact, it was humans from the Republic who had been entering and exiting the territory. Once we looked beneath the surface, the story was simple: the neighboring country had been colluding with the demons all along.
The Republic is currently engaged in some kind of secret maneuver. If I wanted a clean resolution, I could simply destroy their capital and paralyze the government, but that wouldn't be appropriate. It would only fuel further chaos and conflict on the continent. After the Empire fell, nations had scrambled to seize its territory; skirmishes are still constant. If the Republic collapsed now, the situation would spiral out of control. The struggle for resources and land would accelerate.
Even the threat of a Demon King has its limits as a deterrent. If things escalated, I would be forced to use extreme measures. Based on my experience with wars of aggression, one must not carelessly dismantle a nation.
Besides, the Republic’s true goal remains a mystery. If they were simply gathering demons to bolster their own strength, I didn't mind. If they intended to use that power to target me, I would even welcome it. There was nothing wrong with hatred focusing on the Demon King or people working toward my downfall. In fact, I was the one orchestrating that narrative.
However, if they intended to sow unnecessary chaos or incite further conflict between humans, that was a different matter. I would have to crush them with everything I had. I alone am enough to play the role of the 'Great Evil' that plagues humanity. I will not tolerate any additional, unnecessary threats.
After weighing my options, I decided to take a wait-and-see approach with the Republic. I would monitor their movements closely while receiving updates from my spies. A situation where humans and demons joined forces was a rare occurrence. I was curious to see how it would play out. If possible, I wanted to see if the animosity between the two races could truly be overcome. It was a goal I failed to achieve in my previous life and one that remains difficult even now. Even if their bond was born solely from a calculation of interests, I wanted to believe that such a peace could exist.