Volume 4 prologue (1/2)

”That [Creation] Demon Lord is interesting, isn't he? He's more than what I imagined.”

Through one of the quadruplet demons, [Evil] Demon Lord's real collaborator had watched the [War] in almost its entirety.

The other three of the quadruplet demons served under the Demon Lords in [Steel]'s alliance as a means of communication. Despite that though, information had unknowingly and continuously been leaked to [Evil] and this collaborator.

When [Evil]'s crystal broke, the feed was interrupted but the amount of information the collaborator had received had been more than enough.

From the start, this collaborator was a Demon Lord that expected more out of [Creation] than anyone else but even his expectations were surpassed. He knew that Procell had 3 S ranks monsters namely a Celestial Fox, an Elder Dwarf, and an Ancient Elf. He also knew that Procell had a powerful weapon no one had ever seen before.

Moreover, this collaborator had heard from rumors that Procell had another, even more powerful trump card that was able to repel even the Byakko that was a long-serving warrior feared by many Demon Lords in the battlefield.

Obviously, this power was strange for a just recently born Demon Lord to have. If left as he was, the collaborator believed without any doubt that Procell would soon reign supreme as the strongest Demon Lord.

In light of this, the collaborator raised his guard. He was the only one to do so though. All the other Demon Lords knew through their connections about the fact that Procell faced three Demon Lords that were lent that strong A rank monsters—the Orihalcum Gargoyle, the Arch Demon, and the Byakko—in this war and still won in the end.

Their information wasn't as detailed as the collaborator's but this still proved how the span of a Demon Lord's connections was extremely important. The more influential a Demon Lord was, the wider the network he had.

”Whether I crush him or make use of him, I can't dilly-dally. After all, that guy also looks like he's serious.”

The owner of the Byakko came to the collaborator's mind.

He was a prudent and yet daring individual that was very shrewd and popular even among Demon Lords. For that Demon Lord to be so interested in [Creation] Demon Lord Procell, the collaborator knew he could not waste any moment.

Thus, he thought up of a countless number of strategies. These strategies were made not just to go up against [Creation] Demon Lord but also to thwart other Demon Lords aiming for [Creation].

”First, some harassment. It will also be as a kind of farewell gift to [Evil] who helped me.”

He thought of [Evil] as nothing but a disposable pawn and yet still murmured such a shameless thing. And thus, he began the harassment of young, talented individuals.

◇

~Procell's point of view~

”It sure is great that the medals I can make have increased but it's rather hard to use.”

I was alone in my room in Avalon as I grumbled.

By breaking another Demon Lord's crystal, one would be able to make that defeated Demon Lord's original medal. That was extremely wonderful and yet…

”It doesn't mean that the number of original medals I can make in a month has increased, only that the kinds of medals I can make have increased.”

Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy I got them since my [Creation] could only be used in Synthesis with at least one other original medal. Additionally, until now, I didn't have any way for me to obtain original medals—aside from [Creation]—on my own. So, the fact that I was now able to use [Creation] in Synthesis and reliably make a monster once every two months was a huge step forward for me.

That said…

”I still have [Time] and [Water]. I want to use those first. So it's fine if I only make [Creation] for a while. The new medals are all B rank medals so there's not much charm in making those for the time being.”

I had two A rank medals at the moment but had completely ran out of [Creation]. Also, the last time I had made a [Creation] medal was in the middle of the [War] I had just won so the next one wouldn't be until after a month. For the moment, these medals would be like pearls thrown before swine, treasures given to someone that could not make use of them.

I then slowly stretched my body. Today, I was not accompanied by Kuina and the others who usually did so. I asked to be alone since I wanted to refine some future policies while slogging through my city administration office work.

For now until I officially become independent, which was 9 months from now, I was safe from wars with old Demon Lords. As for fellow new Demon Lords, since I had won over three Demon Lords in a single war, another challenge was unlikely and that gave me a peace of mind.

What I should be thinking from now was what to do when I finally become independent. To not be crushed by the old Demon Lords, I should increase my fighting force as well as make my city flourish. Also, if possible, I would like to have an alliance with strong Demon Lords.

The previous war made me bitterly recognize the importance of an alliance. However, if I were to be in an alliance, I wouldn't be let to be the only one to benefit from it, the others would demand they too must profit.

”………this is making my head hurt. I should go take a break for now.”

When I noticed it, the sun had already set; quite the right time to have dinner.

Even though a Demon Lord—who fed on human emotions—didn't have to eat meals, I found the act of eating meals enjoyable as a form of amusement.

Thus, I left my room and headed toward the tavern within the city.

◇

There were currently two taverns in Avalon. The first one was a store whose only saving grace was its cheapness. It was popular among adventurers and farmers and was therefore always crowded. The other one offered expensive but good food and alcohol. The ambiance there was also calming.

I headed for the latter store.

It gained high points from me not only for the chefs' skills but also for actively offering food that made use of ingredients that was procured from Avalon such as our wheats and the potatoes. Furthermore, by making use of my influence as the head of the city, I was able to enjoy their line-up of choice alcohol acquired from various places.

As such, I visited this store quite often.

Upon entering the store, I noticed that the tables were fairly occupied. A few were adventurers but most of the customers were those affiliated with shops that did business within the city.

”Procell-sama, welcome. Thank you for choosing to dine with us.”

The shopkeeper, a dandy middle-aged person, courteously greeted me so.

”The food is delicious here after all. Give me strong alcohol. I'll leave the choice of food on you.”

”Certainly.”

As per usual, I left the choice of food on the shopkeeper's recommendation and only stated the kind of alcohol I wanted.

This way, I could eat the most delicious food they could make from that day's highest quality ingredients. The quality of ingredients procured from other villages and cities tended to vary so what the most delicious cuisine today might not be so tomorrow.

When the shopkeeper gave instructions to the kitchen, fragrant aroma soon filled the air.

What came out of the kitchen was the alcohol along with three dishes.

The first one was a potato gratin. It was an oven-baked dish that featured thinly-sliced potatoes that were harvested from Avalon, ample amounts of cheese and tomatoes, and some minced meat. As a side note, dairy farms had begun appearing in the city; after the fresh milk first appeared on the market, the dairy products in the city all at once became better.

The second dish was a white stew made with duck meat. It was a superb cuisine made from meticulously boiling ducks over long periods of time. The ducks were gotten by this city's hunters from the forest, by the way.

The last one was a side salad that made skillful use of wild greens. It looked fresh and appetizing.

As for the strong alcohol, it was amber colored like a whiskey. Its smoky scent was irresistible.

”For today as well, your meals seem delicious.”

”Yes, we were able to get our hands on some incredibly good ingredients today. It even made the chef scream.”

And so, I began to eat.

For the potato gratin, the syrupy cheese exquisitely suited the sourness of the tomatoes. The juicy minced meat contrasted well with the flaky potatoes. It was outstanding.

The white stew made with duck meat was out of this world. There were a sufficient amount of duck bones in the stock so its flavor had properly integrated into it. The more I chew on the duck meat, the more the flavor comes out from it.

And when I poured and drank the strong alcohol, it was just the best.