I traveled to a region situated on the farthest reaches of my territory.
Charred remains lay scattered across the landscape, blanketing the exposed earth.
These cylindrical objects were roughly the size of a human, tapered at both ends as if they had been pinched shut. Each of the bizarre things sprouted what appeared to be wings. Apparently, they were the incinerated corpses of some creatures.
No fewer than a hundred thousand of them lay strewn about the area. I could sense the presence of Residual Miasma clinging to the remains. It seemed they were indeed Beasts of the Outside World.
(They have already been defeated, then.)
I looked up at the sky.
High above, Grom and Yura hovered in the sky. These two had been responsible for this particular sector. Judging by the scene, they had engaged in a massive bout of Aerial Combat. I presumed they had arrived without any subordinates after considering the conditions of the battle.
It was a sound judgment. Bringing flightless allies into a fight against airborne foes would only have resulted in them becoming a liability. It was appropriate to leave the matter to these two, given their superior Mobility and Annihilative Power.
However, there was something else that caught my attention.
I looked toward the space beside them. The Great Spirit was floating there. It appeared she had also participated in the battle. I hadn't expected her to cooperate with the Demon King's Army. Given her temperament, I had assumed she would act independently. Since she had been in a different location while we were in the Audience Chamber, she must have made her appearance while I was occupied on another battlefield.
(It must have been a completely one-sided massacre.)
The lineup was impeccable in terms of raw power. No matter how formidable the Beasts of the Outside World might be, they wouldn't have stood a chance against such a group.
As I watched the three of them and considered the situation, Grom noticed my arrival. He immediately initiated a Falling Flight, plunging straight toward me.
"Demon King-samaaa!"
Grom screamed as he collided with the ground. The earth gouged open, and a plume of dust billowed into the air. He staggered to his feet and crawled out of the crater he had just created. Upon seeing me, he collapsed to his knees.
"I-I-I-It is a relief beyond words that you are safe... ugh!"
Grom’s voice trembled as he broke into a loud wail. Tears flooded from his empty eye sockets. I had no idea how a skeletal body was capable of weeping, but because it was Grom, it didn't seem out of place. It felt like exactly the sort of reaction he would have.
I scanned Grom’s entire body. Minor damage was visible here and there—likely scars from the battle with the beasts.
"You're injured. Let me heal you at once."
"No, no! Wounds of this caliber are of no consequence, indeed! They are certainly not worth troubling the Demon King-sama's hands with!"
Grom shook his head frantically. It seemed he was holding back out of deference to me.
Just then, Yura touched down in front of me. She looked at me and spoke.
"Confirming Master's status—no abnormalities detected. I am pleased by your return."
Though it was difficult to read any emotion from Yura's inorganic features or voice, she seemed genuinely glad. I bowed my head to the both of them.
"You have both worked hard. You have my thanks."
"Whatever do you mean! To fight as the Demon King-sama's pawns is only natural for us, indeed!" Grom declared with a proud air.
Yura nodded as if in agreement, but she immediately added a new piece of information.
"Report for Master—Individual Name Grom was so overcome with grief due to Master's absence that he alone was late to deploy. It was only after being scolded by Individual Name Luciana that he finally—"
"Yu-Yura! Say no more! I told you that was a confidential matter, indeed!"
A panicked Grom lunged forward, trying to cover Yura's mouth. However, Yura easily slipped past his reaching arms and put some distance between them. From there, she spoke in a flat, detached tone.
"Rebuttal to Individual Name Grom—The subject of this report is Master. Are you suggesting that I keep secrets from Master?"
"Gu... gununu..."
Grom could only groan in frustration. He appeared to be at a total loss for words.
While it was a trivial matter to me, their exchange was remarkably heated. As I watched the two of them, unable to find a moment to interject, the Great Spirit descended behind me.