kscans

Chapter 179 - Interlude: The Seven Demon Lords, Part Five

In a room where blue flames were arranged in a circle, the Seven Demon Lords sat at a marble round table.

The appearance of that otherworlder had transformed the once tedious atmosphere into one of amusement. Today, however, everyone’s expression was serious.

"I have gathered you all for one reason," said Bamhal the Dragon King. "The recent anomaly: the disappearance and silence of the monsters."

At this, Rumby the Fateweaver chimed in, "Disappearance? You mean they’re nowhere to be found? Is that even possible?"

"It’s a fact," Bamhal confirmed with a sigh. "They have vanished from their usual haunts, and there have been no reports of attacks on adventurers or travelers on the roads. It is a strange phenomenon indeed."

"I, too, have something to report," said Redorza the Sage. "The Night Zombies I had operating in the forests of the Republic have suddenly disappeared."

Lates the Thousand Poisons countered, "Were they not simply defeated? Do the undead not turn to ash after being slain?"

"I considered that," Redorza replied. "But there is something that doesn’t add up. If the Night Zombies were defeated, it would cause a stir among the humans. After all, they would have eliminated a troublesome presence. However, my reconnaissance revealed no such talk. In fact, they are still investigating the matter."

Lates fell silent. If they had been defeated, there would be no need for an investigation.

"Hey now," Harynair the Corruptor purred, a playful tone in her voice. "Could this be a sign that something interesting is about to happen?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not," Bamhal said. "There seems to be a movement to increase military strength in this matter. And by using monsters, no less. Do the humans have someone with such power among them?"

The others pondered this. The power to control monsters was something they had never heard of a human possessing.

However, Redorza spoke up. "I believe the Empire was researching it several decades ago. They tried with humans at first, but they were not compatible, and it ended in a series of failures. So, they experimented on a single monster. A rare specimen, at that."

"Rare?" asked Daios the Sea General. "How so?"

"A female Goblin," Redorza replied.

This surprised everyone. A female Goblin was an impossibility. The Goblin breeding method was to capture a human female or a female of a similar monster species and mate with them. Furthermore, all offspring were male.

"A female Goblin? That’s impossible, isn’t it?" Harynair exclaimed. "How could such a thing exist?"

"That, I do not know," Redorza admitted. "At the time, I was disguised as a human, working as a researcher on that project. One of the other researchers had procured it from somewhere. For me, it was a precious experimental subject. I couldn't let it go to waste." He spoke with a hint of nostalgia.

"So, you’re saying it went on some kind of rampage?" Sidoor the Sword Demon asked.

"It did at first," Redorza explained. "But over time, it gradually came under control. This is what I observed personally after the Empire abandoned the project. I had nothing better to do. Even so, I don’t believe it would suddenly go on a rampage in this situation. I think something else is behind the military build-up that the Lord Dragon King mentioned."

As they all contemplated this, Rumby spoke up. "You know, I wonder if this has anything to do with that ‘Mestie’s Temple’ you were talking about the other day. The timing seems to fit, doesn’t it?" She said it without much thought, just tossing out an idea.

Hearing this, Redorza’s eyes widened. "It’s possible. The timing and location—the Empire—certainly match. If one of the researchers there harbored some ambition, it’s a possibility. I remember now. That one was researching hypnosis magic. Research on using the Undead to control monsters. If he had that data and put it to use…"

"If that’s the case," Daios interjected, "and if this new force has none of our sense of order…"

As they all reached the same conclusion, Bamhal declared, "This is something we cannot ignore."

The meeting continued.