"Ahem."
Shizu was a bit embarrassed.
After all, Damien was now her boss.
With Ellen badmouthing her leader right in front of her, Shizu found herself in an awkward spot.
"Don't cry, Ellen."
"I'm back safe and sound, aren't I?"
Shizu remained calm, choosing not to tell the trio that she had become Damien's vassal.
She only said that Damien was a very powerful majin.
He had sought her out for a task she needed to complete.
After fulfilling his request, Shizu had safely left the forest.
"Is that guy the source of the forest's anomaly?"
Ellen and the others couldn't see through Damien's true nature, assuming he was the cause of this disaster.
"You could say that."
Regarding the forest and the Monster Kingdom, Shizu couldn't spill anything until Damien made it public.
The importance of information was universal, no matter the world.
Damien planned to resolve internal issues and unify the forest before engaging with the outside world.
Naturally, Shizu had to keep his secrets.
"The Great Jura Forest has become very dangerous."
Shizu urged the trio to abandon their exploration mission and report the known information to the guild leader.
No matter how good Damien's temper was...
If someone repeatedly provoked him, he might have Treyni deal with the intruders, turning them into fertilizer for the forest.
As for Ellen and her team...
They were, at best, a B+ rank squad.
They had no idea what was going on in the forest!
Forget the other majins under Damien's command.
Just the power Damien displayed, combined with the newly joined and further enhanced Frost Dragon and Storm Dragon, was enough to destroy the entire Cardinal World in an instant.
The puny Kingdom of Blumund...
Had no right to probe this unfathomable forest.
In fact, even if the trio insisted on continuing, Shizu would forcibly take them away.
At least where she could see them, Shizu could act with a clear conscience.
"Mm-hmm!"
"The forest is too scary. We'll never take missions like this again."
Fortunately, Ellen wasn't unreasonable and immediately agreed to Shizu's suggestion, abandoning the mission.
Thus, Shizu led the trio toward the Kingdom of Blumund.
"Swish, swish..."
In the Fulbrosia, inside Frey's office, the Sky Queen was handling paperwork with the help of two maids.
"It's getting stronger."
While her hands moved, Frey's mind was elsewhere.
With Damien subduing two Dragon Gods, the Monster Kingdom's power had reached the pinnacle of the Cardinal World.
Without a doubt, Damien possessed the strength to destroy or rule the world.
"Unfortunately, my master doesn't seem too interested in conquest."
Frey didn't mind either way.
She was a majin, not a human.
Majins had simpler minds, driven by an instinctual desire to evolve, free of the complex desires humans harbored.
The reason boiled down to the lifespan gap between majins and humans.
Majins could evolve.
Each evolution elevated their magicule life essence, extending their lifespan.
Take the Elves.
They could easily live for over a thousand years.
Their long lifespans gave them a completely different sense of time compared to humans.
This applied to most majins.
The orge typically lived over 300 years.
After evolving into Kijin, living a few thousand years was effortless.
Not to mention further evolutions into oni or the Divine Oni.
Humans were numerous but short-lived.
Majins could spend decades or centuries planning something; humans couldn't.
Humans were often more reckless.
Sometimes, they'd blindly attack opponents they couldn't defeat.
"Your Majesty?"
"Oh, it's nothing."
Frey finished the last document and signaled her maids to leave.
"By the way, how's Milim doing lately?"
"Lady Milim is very satisfied with the food and desserts you arranged."
"Good."
Frey smiled slightly, noting that Milim was indeed the easiest Demon Lord to handle.
"If only humans were as simple as Milim."
But Frey only entertained the thought... she knew human nature too well: "Humans aren't the type to easily give up a meal on their plate."
The Great Jura Forest was the hub of the continent, especially for the Western Nations, practically their economic lifeline.
The Kingdom of Falmuth and the Kingdom of Ingrassia.
Those two nations would definitely make a move on the forest.
"Foolish human nobles."
Frey turned, gazing at the vast plains beyond the cliff: "You have no idea what kind of abyssal beast your provocations will awaken."
Damien was never one to take a hit without striking back.
Frey knew this better than anyone.
'I need to prepare.'
Frey still wanted to win Damien's favor, and a golden opportunity lay before her.
Since Damien wasn't planning to move against the Sarion just yet...
She'd start with Falmuth and the other Demon Lords' territories!
'If I can conquer the surrounding nations and offer them to him...'
Frey's lips curled into a slight smile.
---
"Buzz, buzz..."
In an ornately decorated room, Clayman was trying to repair a communication crystal.
No matter what he did, no image came through from the other side.
"That idiot Gelmud, what the hell is he doing?!"
Clayman slumped in his chair, his face grim: "The forest is shrouded in mist... who's behind this?"
"Could another Demon Lord have made a move?"
"Or... has Veldora been revived?"
The changes in the Great Jura Forest over the past month had completely blindsided Clayman.
They'd shattered his carefully laid plans.
The ogre's sudden rise.
They began uniting the forest's various races.
Though the Lizardmen rejected the ogre's recruitment, the ogre didn't retaliate.
"Is that really the ogre?"
The thought shook Clayman's worldview: "Those muscle-brained idiots actually tolerated the Lizardmen's defiance and let them go?"
Whether others believed it or not, Clayman certainly didn't.
***
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