Kuro no Maou

The territory of Daedalus stretches from the eastern coastline about the middle of the continent to the west, just as far as the Galahad Mountains.

Expanding the map of the continent of Pandora, slightly east of the centre stretches the Galahad Mountains to arc north and south, and a little east of its centre is our village of Iles.

The village of Iles is situated on the western edge of the territory, which means it's far enough for my feet to take nearly a week to get to Daedalus, which is located quite east.

And this time, the media site is as far away as its Daedalus is nearby.

It's certainly hard to travel a long distance, but this is also an inevitable issue for adventurers, so I'll spoil it and accept it, it's just better for me to have a flesh that barely wearies me if I keep walking for three days and three nights.

Adventurers exploring media sites will be based in a village called Riol, so that's where I'm going first.

Riol is one of the villages located next to Daedalus to the west.

Daedalus is the starting point for five major streets, two of which are particularly large: the streets leading to the southeastern harbour town (Virginia in question is located in the northeast) and the streets stretching northwest and through the Galahad Mountains to the centre and up to the urban state Sparda.

The former, as a trading route connecting Daedalus with a port town thriving in maritime trading, the latter was expanded to allow a large army to pass through.

Sooner or later, as a route for the expedition across the Galahad Mountains and to the central part of the continent, the streets of the northwest underwent expansion work, but no expedition has yet been carried out, so the commute of the villages is only becoming more flourishing as a street where large carriages can also pass easily.

But what I came by this time was a narrower southwest street, not a wide northwest street.

The village of Quaal, next to the village of Iles, is a major traffic shock in western Daedalus, where this northwest and southwest streets meet.

Although it is a northwest street between Iles Quaal, it is a southwest street that connects directly to the village of Riol.

To enter the southwest street from the village of Iles, you need to go through the village of Quaal, adjacent to one end west, which will only be a long way around for that matter, but if you take a comprehensive view of the distances between the northwest and southwest streets, the southwest street is shorter to Riol.

When it comes to carrying big carriages and big baggage, I go northwest street, but all my baggage is in the shadows, and my baggage is as light as sleeping lily. I naturally choose the shortest route.

Thus, taking the streets without any particular problems on the road, I had come to a village situated at a point one step ahead of me: if I crossed the bridge in front of me, I would reach Riol.

The village's name is Enkle, a long idle, peaceful little village not so different from the village of Iles, but here I was faced with unexpected circumstances.

"Stop traffic, what do you mean?

There was no problem entering the village of Enkr, but the gate on the side leading to Riol was firmly closed.

Harry told me that access around Daedalus was restricted, but I didn't think it was completely blocked.

"I've been ordered to seal off the streets to Daedalus since last month.

We have no idea when we're going to get a release order. "

And says the gatekeeper of the village of Enkr.

An oak man with black armor, vicious face enough to graduate if he meets him on the night lane, but he told me the situation politely for the price.

By the way, I'm not being respectful because I'm freaking out, but because that's always how I deal with the adults I meet.

The use of words would be fundamental to smooth communication.

"Now in Daedalus we say we're negotiating with people from Ark Continent, but it doesn't even tell us what it's all about"

"So it's true that you're negotiating with humans in Daedalus?

"Oh, that's for sure.

Shortly before the blockade order, the two armies fought on the Goldran hill, so I'm guessing they're discussing their post-war treatment. "

"Was it such a massive battle that we had to discuss post-war processing?

"I don't know what humans are like, but the Daedalus army led 20,000 elite legions led by the Dragon King.

The ambiguity between this and victory and defeat means that humans could be a hundred grand army. "

"That victory and defeat are vague... Didn't the Daedalus army win?

"Oh, I haven't even heard of losing, but I'm sure it was close to a match, so you're having a lot of trouble with all this?

For example, because the war is not gorgeous, the upper management of Daedalus has chosen not to release the information until arrangements with humans are finalized?

Impossible, an army like Daedalus', so to speak, was brought in to compete with the human army he had licked before, not something he wanted to play aggressively.

At least that's what the villagers think, starting with the Oak Gatekeeper.

But for me, the worst I could have expected instantly turned my head.

Perhaps the Daedalus army has been defeated, rather than fought? and.

"You're going to the media ruins, well, I'm sorry to hear that, because this one's at work, and I can't let you through right now.

Why don't you just give up your quest and head back to the village?

"... well, I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm going home"

I ask where the Adventurer Guild is in Enkle Village and then I leave the gate.

Now it's no longer a quest, for now I decide to go to the quest waiver process in my guild, as the gatekeeper said.

"Chrono......"

Lily says worryingly that you felt the anxiety swirling in my chest, or that you were on my face without even having to.

"I just want to say it's okay, but I don't have a bad feeling -"

The villages around Daedalus, including the village of Enkr, thought they had not released information that the Daedalus army had drawn them from the human army.

That is correct in that the Daedalus government chose not to release the information at this time, but the content of the information expected to have been kept secret was incorrect.

The fact is that the Daedalus army has lost a great deal rather than a draw, and Dragon King Garvinal has also died in battle.

Also rumored to be in negotiations with humans, the actual Daedalus is kept under occupation by a victorious crusader on the hills of the Goldran.

Then why did the human army seal off the streets and keep the information secret while they took the dragon king and kept it to a place called the Daedalus occupation?

There are several reasons for this.

It follows, first of all, that the victor, the human army, that is, the Crusades, whose representative, Archbishop Luchrome, asked the Daedalus side, to do so.

Because the Crusaders immediately after the battle of the Goldran had only a few left to occupy Daedalus, so they did not want to be known outside about this decline in power.

If the Daedalus occupation were to be declared to a large extent, there would have been an immediate invasion of Daedalus by troops of Daedalus troops dotted all over the place, or by other urban states.

A Daedalus soldier might storm with all the enemies of the Dragon King ready to crush his balls, or if it's another urban state, he might go on offense thoughtfully seeing Daedalus in the midst of death and confusion as a chance to expand his territory.

If we learn that the Crusaders' power has been significantly reduced further on this, the chances of both of them moving into action are even greater.

Lychrome tried to buy time for reinforcements to be sent from his country by keeping the information secret and creating a vague state of 'Daedalus is negotiating with the Crusaders'.

This is behind the Daedalus blockade request, but the apparent reason is to avoid unnecessary confusion on the part of the inhabitants.

Also, as a Daedalus side, I could agree with this apparent reason, and all those at the top felt a great deal of resistance to telling the people now of the battle death of the Dragon King.

So to speak, since the Daedalus side wanted this treatment, Lychrome's request was immediately accepted and an immediate blockade was formed.

Now, approximately a month had passed since Daedalus was occupied.

The blockade of information caused by the street blockade has worked as expected, so far there have been no troops attacking Daedalus, while Virginia has continued to receive reinforcements from home countries.

Not only that, during the past month, Lychrome had taken full control and dominated Daedalus with little confusion or rebellion, while successfully suppressing the Crusaders in addition to manipulating information.

The Crusaders have a strong view that the Demons are all enemies to be expelled, but Lychrome, who, like Ars, can make a calm and sensible decision, did not do anything to blatantly oppress them in Daedalus, where many non-human races live, nor did he let the soldiers under his command.

He himself, though enemies, did not prefer genocide, and here he did all he could to the extent of atrocity, he understood very well that the only thing to be satisfied was the desire of the inferior, and later only to encourage the inhabitants to defy uselessly, and that there was no advantage or anything else in governing.

As the ruler of the defeated country, Lychrome was truly a humane, merciful and ideal ruler.

However, those who live in Daedalus do not yet know that the human beings of the Church, or of the Republic, are not necessarily all those like him, nay, but personalities like him are indeed rare.

He's here. He is, too.

"Oh... my lord, my king... why..."

His voice wooded vainly between the thrones.

A month ago, on the magnificently decorated throne in front of him sat a man who could be truly called king, with an overwhelming presence and immense power.

The king's name is Garvinal, a young black dragon that combines magic, strength, intelligence and everything.

And here he is, the man of man who served that dragon king more than before he founded Daedalus.

Dedicated himself as Garvinal's right-hand man, he has now reached the position of Chancellor of Daedalus.

"Why... why are you doing this..."

As the prime minister who ruled the country, he was a man who would never expose his emotions in public, but now his iron skin is also completely peeled off, zeroing in large grains of tears.

The tears had fallen slightly into a single black dragon scale, a relic of Garvinal in his hands.

"Ugh..."

Until this day he has negotiated directly with Luchrome as the representative of Daedalus after the death of the Dragon King.

Negotiation, he himself knows, is only a name, and Daedalus, the loser, has nothing more to offer this country to the Crusaders, the winners.

All he can do is implore Daedalus and his people, created by the great Dragon King, who just doesn't love him, for a generous treatment.

"There's nothing more I can do..."

Even tomorrow, the blockade of the streets will be lifted and full control by the Crusaders will finally begin.

The death of the Dragon King will be told to all the people, and a nation called Daedalus will be destroyed and annexed to the Sinclair Republic.

He may be subjected to some responsibility and executed after this as the prime minister of an enemy country, or he may be allowed to live and cooperate in the rule of the Republic.

Either way, he still has a responsibility to fulfil.

But today, the last day of Daedalus, he finally reached his limit.

"O king..."

In the first place, he had vowed to live and die together against Garvinal.

Not in the form of a pledge, I sincerely thought so.

I still believe that Garvinal is so absolute to him that he should have followed him when he originally learned of the king's death.

As a result, he continued to fulfil his responsibilities as Chancellor until today, but with this time when the country created by Garvinal will perish, he had already lost all meaning to live.

"To you now..."

There is no one left to stop him between the thrones, which do not exist except him.

He hugs Garvinal's dragon scale with his left arm and holds a small bottle in his right hand.

An unusually bright red liquid fills the bottle.

That's how, without hesitation, he drank up that red poison in one breath.

"Damn -"

He immediately bows to his knees and falls to the front.

The poison spins right around your body, causing a human to die in just a matter of seconds.

"Dear Dragon King... Manzah..."

If you look at this poisoned and self-harmed figure, you'll feel sorry for everyone who knows him.

But he may have been the happier one, who has passed away without ever seeing the tragic ravages of Daedalus territory by the Crusaders, which are about to begin.