— What the...

— What do you mean, if we do not want our lands to dry up?

"Could you explain exactly what that means?"

Instead of answering, I tossed a leaf scroll to the Lord of Ednium.

"This is..."

"It is the reply I received from the Priestesses who serve the descendant of Yukkwi."

"...! Yukkwi!"

— Yukkwi... Isn't that the primeval beast residing in the Great Forest?

— I heard the Great Forest is isolationist and difficult to interact with...?

Were the people expressing a bit of surprise at my answer?

"Demon Knight, you..."

The Archmage immediately caught on to the meaning behind my actions.

The Lord of Ednium was swiftly, yet elegantly, unfurling the leaf scroll.

"Is this... the script of the Great Forest? It is illegible—ah, is this the translated version?"

After spreading the leaf scroll in the center of the table for people to see, he recited the translation himself.

"To the benefactor of the Great Forest, the Black Thunder Snake. I have heard the story of the envoy sent by the Snake. I am told you are saving others just as you have saved the Great Forest..."

The letter was a bit long, but not excessively so.

Once you removed the praises about me—which made my face burn a bit as it was read—along with the compliments to the party, their regards, and wishes of good luck, there were really only a few important paragraphs left.

"... The Mountain Lord says that the primeval beasts have nothing to do with the flow of the world. Although their power is immense and allows for slight interference, their death or departure does not mean the life in that region will vanish."

Right, that was it. That was exactly what I had hoped for.

The confirmation that this land wouldn't face destruction even if Biryuho kicked the bucket. That was what I wanted when I sent the letter.

"Furthermore, I add this out of concern. I have heard that the western region inexplicably dries up at a certain time of year. It wasn't originally like that, but rather began after the primeval beast that had settled there left. If so, the cause of it might be the very primeval beast that departed...!"

— What!

— Wait, what does that mean...

Although he had unintentionally let his emotions seep in while reading, the Lord of Ednium first raised a hand to silence the crowd.

Then he continued reading. His voice, now carrying more force than before, echoed through the hall with a deeper hue.

"I mentioned earlier that primeval beasts possess immense power and can interfere with the flow of the world. The form of that interference is usually limited to speeding up or slowing down the flow. They cannot stop it completely, but they can temporarily prevent the birth of life."

The reading voice sounded as if he were momentarily gritting his teeth.

"Of course, it might not be the case. However, the Mountain Lord seems certain of it. Therefore, Benefactor, please be careful. As the protector of the young, the liberator of the persecuted, and the judge of the unjust, I know you will surely move to deliver rightful punishment upon learning this truth. But the opponent is a divine beast that has lived in this land since primeval times. It will not be an easy adversary."

More importantly, Lord, are you really going to read it all the way to the end? Making a person embarrassingly blush like this.

"Even so, as you are the one who will march forward to save everyone, I will pray for victory to follow the Black Thunder Snake. Yours sincerely, Great Chief Equa."

Thankfully, he didn't read the postscript.

Then again, the main content of it was asking if it was alright to provide some cooperation (providing information) as requested by the envoy—the Information Guild—I had sent.

If he had read that far, I would have doubted his discretion. That part was completely unnecessary for this meeting.

"... I believe a bit of explanation might be needed regarding this letter."

Seriously, they want more explanation here?

"This, this is..."

"That is all, and there is nothing more to add. So make your decision. Will you resist an unjust power, or will you comply while sacrificing the blood of others just because you do not wish to spill your own?"

I'm sorry, but I didn't have the confidence to sugarcoat my words, so let's just end it with this.

"But I will warn you. Just because the blood being spilled right now isn't yours doesn't guarantee the same will be true next time."

After all, the options given to them were a mere multiple-choice of two anyway.

— H-How do we know if that's a lie...

Even so, someone seemed terrified of the blood they'd have to shed right now. Someone stepped up to deny the given evidence.

"That is the truth!"

— And you are...?

"He is the Hero."

It was a bonus that those who were about to agree with the Lord who first spoke up immediately shut their mouths.

"We passed through the Great Forest before coming to this land, and we saved the people there! Furthermore, the Demon Knight was at the center of it all, so he is more than qualified to receive a reply from them!"

The credibility of this letter was cemented by this. Now, they were given exactly two choices.

They could no longer choose to defer or stand back as onlookers.

— If that is the truth.

At that moment, an incredibly clear voice echoed through the conference hall.

— Camberer will fight.

It was the Young Lord of Camberer.

— Young Lord of Camberer!

— It means Camberer will never back down. No matter what the outcome may be.

— Lord of Camberer, aren't you going to say anything?!

— T-That is...

— Lord, please speak!

— I-I...

— Is this right when the citizens don't even want it, Lord of Camberer!

Of course, she immediately hit a roadblock. The Lords were trying to use the fact that she was a Young Lord to shut her up however they could.

However, the Lord of Camberer standing right next to the Young Lord only hesitated and couldn't easily open his mouth.

Seeing his gaze dart back and forth to the Young Lord multiple times, it seemed like he was walking on eggshells around her.

— Ah, I had no idea you were all so caring that you'd look out for the citizens of our city. Seeing how you naturally tried to sacrifice a city's Young Lord, I figured you'd brush this much off as nothing.

Furthermore, the Young Lord of Camberer didn't let herself be pushed around easily either.

Appearing at about 80% opacity, she smiled curtly.

— Young Lord!

— So, I just need to ask for the citizens' opinions?

— Y-Yes! Isn't the citizens' opinion the most important! They will surely object!

— Mage, could you relay the sounds coming from outside?

— Ah, it's a bit tricky without preparation...

— I heard you were short on research funds.

— What is there that I can't do? I will give it a try.

Wait, did a monster born of capitalism just...

— Alright, it's done!

Fortunately, right before my mood could turn weird, Camberer's Mage succeeded in his side quest for research funds. "I will connect it now." The moment he finished speaking, a tremendous roar followed.

— Let's kill Biryuho!

— What has that damn tiger ever done for us!

— The Young Lord gave us a future and told us! Rights are something we forge with our own hands!

— Divine beast or animal, I don't give a damn! I want the price of my child's blood!

— Let's kill Biryuho! God or whatever, there's no reason for us to be endlessly tested by injustice!

The resounding shouts filled the conference hall.

"Young Lord of Camberer, this is..."

— A rumor spread that Biryuho is the true culprit behind the beast crisis. I had no choice but to confirm it, and this is the result. Although I had been turning a blind eye to their cries as much as possible until now, fearing that a subjugation of Biryuho might cause damage to other cities... well, if what we just heard is true. I don't see why I should do that anymore.

— Young Lord! If you, as the Young Lord, allow rumors to spread...!

— That is our city's problem. Not something for you to worry about.

— ...!

— At any rate, if Biryuho's death does not affect the eastern region, no, if it is true that Biryuho is the one causing this land to dry up every year, we in Camberer will hold that damn tiger cub accountable for all the damage we have suffered so far. There is no compromise on this.

And amidst those shouts, the Young Lord of Camberer declared with absolute clarity.

— We will fight for our rights.

As a modern person who had learned the history of struggling for dignity, freedom, and rights, it was a resonance that couldn't help but make my heart burn with passion.

Of course, let's briefly forget that the person saying this belongs to the noble class. Just as a flaw does not make jade any less of a jade, a slightly faded meaning does not render it worthless.

— ... If the drying up of the land is truly Biryuho's doing, and if killing it will cause no issues, our city will also agree.

— Lord of Bemurhen!

— The number of soldiers claimed by the famine every year numbers in the dozens alone. That has piled up and surpassed the thousands long ago. A stitch in time saves nine, and under these circumstances, I will absolutely not back down.

— That's...

Furthermore, with her opening fire, the others also began to change their tunes.

The cities unaffected by the drought remained skeptical, but those within its territory immediately caught the heat of Camberer on themselves.

"I was trying to hold this back as it hasn't been verified yet... but I always learn a thing or two from you. I was only trying to gather cases from the western region, you see."

At that moment, the Archmage whispered stealthily. Since she didn't even shift her gaze, it would be hard to tell she was speaking to me unless you were standing close by.

"Thank you. Thanks to you, we have found a way out."

On a separate note, was the Archmage gathering cases from the western region?

Then again, she wasn't an idiot, so she must have prepared at least one countermeasure for such an obvious outcome.

It was surprising that she didn't think to ask the Mountain Lord of the Great Forest, but whatever. It wasn't exactly strange either.

Was it because she knew so much herself, or because the Magic Tower was a treasure trove of knowledge? The Archmage rarely sought to obtain knowledge from places outside the Magic Tower.

More precisely, I suppose you could say she didn't usually think she could obtain it elsewhere.

— However, wasn't it the descendant of Yukkwi who said that! There's a chance the descendant's thoughts and the truth are different...!

"Now, now, don't be like that, and listen to this as well. I actually had something to say about this anyway..."

Anyway, when the evidence she had gathered was added, the tide shifted even further toward our side.

Of course, according to the Archmage, the western cases were still unverified... but the lack of credibility in her words was supplemented by the Mountain Lord's letter. And vice versa.

— Ahem... U-Um, if we were to kill Biryuho... how many troops would we have to provide...?

"That is..."

"Not necessary."

"I will also... Oh."

And crucially, they didn't even have to risk any losses for the act of catching Biryuho itself.

"The time it takes for a cup of tea to cool is enough for a stinking beast like that."

Because I would be the one to catch it.

— E-Excuse me, but just who is that young man...

— The Demon Knight. An adventurer who made quite a name for himself in the northwest region.

— An adventurer? Then is a mere adventurer currently...

"He is also the companion chosen by the Hero."

— ... Or rather, he must be that spirited because he's the companion chosen by the Hero.

More importantly, which Lord just pulled that backpedal? Your evasion maneuvering is max level.

— But it's not even the Hero, yet for a companion to be so confident...

"Um, I will also..."

— If there is a demon that has slipped out from the demonic realm, he tracks it down with the momentum to chase it to the ends of hell and kills it, and if someone appears wielding a power meant to harm demons against humans, he severs their neck without a second thought, piling up a mountain of corpses.

However, I couldn't find the Lord who had backpedaled, and the Inquisitor, whose words had been ignored since earlier, also couldn't speak up.

That was because one figure was continuing his words while looking straight at me.

— Though his methods are brutal and show no mercy, his conviction is evident in how he never cuts down the innocent. His elusive trail is full of doubts and speculations, but his presumed feats alone are more than enough to befit the title of hero.

The person even smiled when our eyes met.

— Thus, in the name of Osla, we dare to bestow the title of 'Knight' upon a mere adventurer.

His narrow eyes, so thin his pupils couldn't be seen, curved into crescents. On the crown of his head sat triangular, broad ears, like those of a fox.

— That was when I was in Osla. Ah, of course, it wasn't my idea. I was just a mere apprentice knight back then. Well, thanks to that, I got to witness your exploits with my own eyes when I went out for practical training.

My mind went blank for a moment.

Just now, what did he say he saw?

— I had thought it would be nice to see you someday, but to think I'd see you in a moment like this. You never know how the world works.

— The title of Knight... from Osla.

— Well, it's not important, is it? Since he doesn't seem to remember me at all. But at the very least... I believe it means that adventurer has the right to speak?

"... From the very beginning, he is a person who participated in the subjugation of the Great Demon this time. It is by no means arrogance for someone who caught a Great Demon to discuss taking Biryuho's head."

— I suppose so. That was needless meddling on my part.

"I-I will also step forward!"

"What's this, are you talking about hunting Biryuho? The Berserker will step forward too! I'm going tiger hunting!!"

— Since the Hero has also expressed his intent, it seems there is nothing more to say.

I barely managed to suppress my reflex to blink. Instead, I inconspicuously bit the inside of my cheek.

The Demon Knight's past.

The bomb I had been desperately ignoring by spouting all sorts of excuses had boldly marched up to me before I could even prepare for it.