I was a soldier of the Demon Kingdom.
A grunt, sure, but I guarded the Royal Castle in the capital, so I took a certain pride in my skills. I suppose that was true for everyone on the guard detail. Whenever we were off duty, all we talked about was who was stronger than whom, who’d lost to who, and who we wanted to beat next.
However, none of us were stupid enough to say we wanted to challenge the Captain. He was in a completely different league than the rest of us. We might have wanted him to train us, but none of us actually wanted to fight him.
So, when that very same Captain gathered us together with a face as pale as a sheet, we knew. We knew instantly that something terrible had happened.
We asked him to wait a moment while we huddled together to consult.
"What do we do?" "Resign?" "If we’re going to quit, now’s the time, right?" "Once he tells us what’s going on, we’re stuck." "But we’ve gotta work for the pay we’ve already taken." "True. And the Captain has bought us drinks before." "Yeah, quitting now would be wrong."
We steeled our resolve. Everyone was on the same page. I stepped forward as the representative to deliver our decision.
"Captain, I’d like to apply for leave."
He rejected it instantly. What a tyrannical workplace.
Ignoring our half-hearted resistance, the Captain began his explanation. It was brutal. The situation was even worse than we’d imagined.
"There are signs of a stampede on the east side of the capital," he said.
A stampede. That didn't mean a bunch of energetic people running around; it referred to a large-scale migration of monsters and magic beasts. Now, stampedes themselves weren't exactly rare. The Demon Kingdom was vast, so they happened somewhere or other almost every year. And as I said, we were the castle guard. We could handle a simple migration.
Except... there was a problem. Specifically, the cause.
Most monsters and magic beasts are territorial; they rarely leave their hunting grounds. A large-scale migration meant they had abandoned those territories. In other words, something had happened that forced them to flee.
There were many reasons for a stampede, but it usually boiled down to two things: a food shortage or a threat.
A stampede caused by a food shortage was dangerous for civilians, but it wasn't something soldiers like us feared. The real trouble was the "threat" variety. That meant a monster or magic beast so powerful had appeared that every other creature in the area had to run for its life. If that was the case, our mission would inevitably involve subjugating whatever that powerful monster was.
To be honest, it was a nightmare. I prayed it was just a food shortage.
But the signs were coming from the east side of the capital. There was a specific region in that direction—a den of heinous monsters that made the ones around here look like toys. It was a place where life was not permitted: the Forest of Death.
Supposedly, there were high mountain ranks that acted as a barrier against the forest, but it wasn't as if nothing had ever crossed them. The most recent record dated back to when this entire area, capital included, was still a human kingdom. A giant snake had reportedly crossed the mountains. That snake had caused such immense damage that the kingdom was easily destroyed when the Demon Kingdom finally attacked.
I didn't think the Demon Kingdom would fall to this stampede, but I was worried about the human nations causing a fuss.
"Don't overthink it," the Captain said. "They're just signs for now. Twenty units, including ours, have been ordered to investigate."
"What about the adventurers? Have we requested cooperation?" I asked.
"Already done. Also, it seems the Demon King himself will be moving independently."
"The Demon King? Why would he do something so dangerous?"
"Apparently, he wants to show off for his wife and daughter."
"Ah... I see. Well then."
"Now, move out in groups of six! If anything happens, at least one of you has to make it back alive!"
"We'll all six make it back alive, sir!"
The area to the east of the capital wasn't immediately mountainous. A fairly large forest spread out first, and several small forts had been built within it to act as early warning systems. The first report had come from one of those forts sensing the signs of a stampede.
By the time we arrived at the fort to hear the details, the "signs" had turned into an "omen." It was a localized certainty. A stampede was definitely going to happen.
I had a really bad feeling about this. However, I couldn't just abandon my post. I supposed I’d have to do my best to find whatever threat was causing this.
Was there still a chance it was a food shortage? Not likely. The monsters we’d killed on our way to the fort were healthy and well-fed. There was no way they were starving.
Ten days after leaving the fort and heading further east, we spotted the cause from a distance. It wasn't the absolute worst-case scenario, but it was close.
At the end of our line of sight stood a single Inferno Wolf.
My squad wouldn't stand a chance, but if the Demon Kingdom mobilized, we could handle it. The real question was how much damage it would do before we brought it down. I consulted with my team about our next move. The plan was for half of us to stay and keep watch while the others headed back to report.
"Should we draw lots?"
"Lots, huh? By the way, did you hear?" one of my men asked.
"Hear what? That the Demon King has good luck with lotteries?"
"No, not that. There was a rumor that an Inferno Wolf appeared in the capital recently."
"Yeah, I heard that too. But wasn't it actually a Deadly Wolf?"
"That’s what they say... but the guys in the knights' order are still insisting an Inferno Wolf showed up."
"If that were true, wouldn't there have been a stampede centered on the capital?"
"Apparently, there was one."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Small-scale, though. And the one who took it down was supposedly the Demon King."
"Whoa, as expected of our King."
"And that very same King is standing right there in front of the Inferno Wolf."
"Wait, what?"
I looked again. It was true. When had he gotten there? Was he going to fight it?
No, the Demon King had his arms spread wide in a welcoming gesture, as if he were trying to greet the beast. Incredible. To think the Demon King was so powerful he could make even an Inferno Wolf submit.
Or so I thought, right up until the moment the Inferno Wolf swatted the Demon King away with its front paw.
...
"My King—!!!"
Deadly Wolf: "I'm staying quiet in the Royal Capital North Forest."