The venue for Rosmiel-san’s performance was close to the center, and since we still had a little time to spare, we decided to make our way there on foot.
Alice, who had appeared earlier to tease Lunamaria-san, was still with us. Aoi-san had struck up a conversation before Alice could vanish again, so she had simply remained visible.
"So, when it comes to the monsters living around the Sinfonia Royal Capital, that pretty much covers it," Alice said.
"Thank you so much, Alice-sama! This is incredibly helpful," Aoi-san replied.
"Honestly, it's Kaito-san’s fault for teaching you two strange things. Now I've got Aoi-san and Hina-san constantly dropping by my shop in the basement to ask questions..."
"Haha, well, you still give them the answers anyway. That’s very like you, Alice."
Aoi-chan and Hina-chan had once seemed a little intimidated by Alice, but after everything that had happened when they registered as adventurers, they seemed to have realized something. Despite her dismissive tone, Alice was actually quite caring and kind. Lately, they had become rather attached to her.
Even the way they addressed her had changed from Phantasm King-sama to Alice-sama.
Since becoming adventurers, the two of them often visited her general store to get advice on things like weapon maintenance. They were learning quite a lot from her.
Alice wore an expression that blamed me for the whole situation, but if my memory served me right, it was actually Kuro who had suggested Alice mentor them in the first place.
"Alice-sama, may I ask another question?" Hina-san chimed in.
"I really wish you’d get your heads back into the Harmonic Symphony, but... fine. What is it?"
"We were just talking about monsters, but which one is the absolute strongest?"
"Hmm..."
To be honest, I was curious about that as well. For example, Bell’s species, the Behemoth, was known as a Legendary Magic Beast. I knew they were top-tier, but I’d never actually heard them called the strongest.
"The answer depends on what you classify as a monster," Alice explained. "To put it simply—since the full criteria would take all day—a creature that possesses a high enough level of both power and intelligence is usually treated as a Demon rather than a monster. Magnawell-san is the one who handles those classifications."
"So it's not just strength? They need intelligence too?" I asked.
"Exactly. Take your pet Bellfried... as a Behemoth, his raw power is certainly high enough to be certified as a Demon, but because his intelligence is lower, he's categorized as a monster."
Alice gave a concise answer to my question. Now that she mentioned it, while age played a factor, Rin seemed much sharper than Bell in terms of intelligence.
"If their abilities are enough to surpass even some dragons that are certified as Demons," Aoi-san mused, "then doesn't that make the Behemoth the strongest monster after all?"
"Nidhogg, the special individual Wyvern often ranked alongside Behemoths, is classified as a Demon once he reaches a certain age because of his intelligence. So, in terms of monsters, Aoi-san is right that Behemoths are top-tier. But do you know why they aren't actually called the strongest?"
Lilia-san and the others looked like they had an inkling of where Alice was going. There must be something else out there.
"Well, whether you should even call this thing a monster is a bit of a debate... but I'm sure Lilia-san and the rest know. When people talk about the strongest monster, what do they call it?"
"They're so rare I've never seen one in person," Lilia-san said, "but it’s the Mystic Silver, right?"
"Mystic Silver?" we repeated in unison.
I, Aoi-san, and Hina-san all tilted our heads at the unfamiliar name.
"Correct. Since you three don't know it, I'll explain. Fewer than a hundred Mystic Silvers have been recorded in history. Their most notable trait is that they self-destruct and die within a day at the very most. In fact, rather than being a species, it's more accurate to call them the 'rampage form' of certain monsters."
"A rampage form?"
"Yes. There are four specific fox-type species that have a natural trait for absorbing ambient magic power. Sometimes, one of them will take in a massive amount of mana that far exceeds its capacity in a very short time. This usually happens in Magic Power Spots. Most of the time, the creature just dies on the spot... but on extremely rare occasions, they survive long enough to trigger a magic power rampage. That state is known as a Mystic Silver."
Alice paused and pulled out a small notepad to draw a quick sketch. It was a fox-shaped silhouette shrouded in silver light. I assumed that was the monster's appearance.
"The tail count changes when they transform, ranging anywhere from one to nine. There doesn't seem to be any rule to it; it’s completely random. Naturally, more tails mean more power. A one-tailed Mystic Silver isn't a huge deal, but a nine-tailed one is in a league of its own."
"So that nine-tailed one is the strongest monster?" I asked.
"Right. The first time one was confirmed was in Liliwood-san’s territory. Lilie-san happened to be nearby, so she was able to slay it before it caused any damage. However, when she reported back to Liliwood-san, she said that if the person facing it had only been Baron-class, they might have lost. It caused quite a stir. A creature with power rivaling the peerage classes running wild without any reason or ego... it's practically a natural disaster."
So a nine-tailed Mystic Silver was a monster capable of rivaling even Peerage-class demons.
Earlier, I'd heard that even Sieg-san—who could narrowly beat Bell, a creature stronger than an adult Behemoth—wasn't quite at the Peerage-class level yet. It definitely sounded worthy of the title "strongest."
"Anyway, the Mystic Silver is a unique case," Alice concluded. "Like I said, they're basically just a mana-induced rampage. They'll die eventually if left alone. It's better to think of them as a magical disaster rather than a living monster."
"I see. That’s good to know."
"Well, they only appear once every few hundred years. No one knows where or when they'll show up, and most of them die before anyone even notices they were there. They're a mystery through and through."
However, there are always exceptions. Even as they spoke about the mysterious strongest monster, such an exception had already been born.
The defining trait of a Mystic Silver was to transform, rampage, and inevitably die from the massive mana overload.
Yet, there was one being who had absorbed a quantity of mana so vast it had killed its parent by shock, and it had done so while still an infant. Possessing talent that defied all logic, this infant had gained absolute control over the magic that should have destroyed it. This creature had transformed into a ten-tailed Mystic Silver—a feat never before seen in the world—and remained perfectly stable, retaining its full intelligence and self-awareness.
No one yet knew that this being would soon appear before a member of the Six Kings.
[Vulpecula]
A ten-tailed Mystic Silver who neither goes on a rampage nor self-destructs. Her intelligence is abnormally high, and her talent is a literal Bug of the World—a fact that has made Alice-chan seriously hold her head in her hands.
Because she keeps her overwhelming magic power perfectly contained within her body, her combat strength is currently low, fitting for an infant. At this moment, she is traveling northward through the vast Demon Realm, guided by an unseen force.