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Suzuri’s Resolve

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Author’s note

I received some questions, so I will answer them here.

1. Can the parasites that grow on the Wari fruit survive on top of the pile of food?

A: As written in the story, the parasites feed on mana, so they cannot survive there. However, the Demon King has no means to know this and believes that the parasites live in the Wari fruit.

1. Since the food pile and medicine were inside boxes, or rather some kind of bags, could the parasites penetrate inside?

A: This was insufficiently described, and I apologize. Boxes are used for expensive and fragile items like magic potions. These are for high-ranking officials and officers. There are no medicines for the foot soldiers, who bring their own. Lower-ranking officers have only minimal ointments, loosely packed in bags. Also, food is packed in cheap burlap sacks. These sacks do not tear easily but have coarse weaves, allowing parasites to enter easily.

1. Most food probably needs to be heated before eating, so wouldn’t heating kill the parasites?

A: Some food requires heating, while others are preserved foods. Preferences vary by race, and inside the warehouse the items are carefully sorted. For example, beastmen prefer meat, elves prefer greens. The Demon King ate mostly preserved food during his travels, so he assumed that as standard. Heating kills the parasites.

I have been talking about parasites too much; I apologize.

 

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(POV switch – Suzuri)

They are disgusting. Is the Demon King really like that? I was deceived by that strange face. He is the most terrifying Demon King I know.

I returned to the Grand Duke’s room, pretending to prepare. I came here with almost nothing, so I did not need to prepare much. From now on, I would commit evil acts and bore a bad reputation in order to protect the Dadara Mining Kingdom and the Allied Nations.

I secretly watched as the Demon King wrapped something over the coarse burlap sacks filled with food. I wondered if he had snuck into the country just to steal.

He said he wanted to prevent war, but how would he do that?

Soon I regretted peeking.

I did not know what the Demon King was spreading. It looked like something rotten, maybe fertilizer.
Something seemed to wriggle within it. It was a spot lit by moonlight, so after confirming the Demon King had left, I approached and dug a little into what had been spread. I found a strange thing on my fingertip. It was thin and black, about the thickness of a hair.

A hair? I wonder, but my hair is light brown, and the Demon King has no hair at all. So, what is it?

I felt a sharp sting on my fingertip. That thin black thing was trying to enter me. At that moment, I understood what it was and was terrified. I flailed my arms desperately, and the thing flew off into the burlap sack. Blood drained from my face, and I trembled in a corner of the warehouse, overwhelmed with fear.

The Demon King’s words were true. Preventing war. It was not even a matter of war anymore.
That could destroy a country. A pandemic parasite. Parasites evolved to a higher rank, around the 3^rd Rank of monsters.

I had seen it before in an old monster encyclopedia. Parasites lived in the shallow layers of the Great Forest of Owa. They mainly fed on mana and dwelled inside fruits like the Wari fruit that contain mana. When they entered a human body, they absorbed mana while releasing a mild toxin, keeping themselves ready to escape at any time. Parasites evolved to the next stage, poison parasites, feed on both mana and magic essence. They released toxins that killed the host and absorb magic essence from the corpse. Then, they parasitized the next creature that scavenged the remains. In humans, they caused death in about 10 days and were very deadly.

However, 1^st and 2^nd Rank monsters like these were not so threatening because medicine was widely available and effective countermeasures were established. The pandemic parasite, a 3^rd Rank monster, was treated as a highest priority monster and was said to be as dangerous as the Demon King.

Unlike previous parasites, the pandemic parasite does not feed on magic or magical essence but was omnivorous. It hid and parasitized in meat, vegetables, and other food. Its terrifying traits were its reproductive ability and range of movement. Once full, it could lay eggs anytime without needing a mate. Its tiny body, about the size of a hair, meant it constantly laid eggs, moving around by changing hosts. If hatched in a poor location without magic, the parasites would cannibalize each other quickly and develop into poison parasites.

If that happened, the country must respond with all its resources. Every piece of food might carry parasite eggs, and even fields would become unsafe. If left unchecked, pandemic parasites would endlessly laid eggs, and medicines to expel parasites or detoxify would run out. Then, there would be no way to stop them. The only countermeasure was to burn all places suspected of harboring parasites.

The pandemic parasite must be thoroughly controlled, of course. Parasites and poison parasites must not become 2^nd Rank or 3^rd Rank pandemic parasites. That was how dangerous these monsters were. The Demon King scattered them in the food warehouse. Now, no one knew where the black, thin pandemic parasites were.

What happens if the food carrying these parasites is unknowingly transported?

Parasite eggs could fall along the way, causing parasite numbers to explode. It would become impossible to even guess where the pandemic parasites had gone. If that happened, the coalition of nations, unable to make decisions properly, couldn’t implement measures against the parasites. By the time anything was decided, parasites would have spread throughout the entire coalition. This would cause food shortages and medicine shortages, leading to civil strife. The kingdoms and empires would certainly not stay silent. As a result, the Demon King could destroy the coalition of nations that opposed him almost effortlessly.

What was strange was how the Demon King managed to secure such an extremely dangerous pandemic parasite. Such an act could risk destroying his own territory. Recalling the Demon King’s actions and possessions, it quickly became clear. It was believed the Demon King used an ancient technique called “poisoned worm”. This was invented long ago when people tried to artificially create 3^rd Rank monsters. The technique involved cramming monsters into a confined space and leaving them until only one remains. That survivor becomes a 2^nd or 3^rd Rank monster.

However, this had problems. It was impossible to know which monster would evolve, and it took several months. It couldn’t be guaranteed to produce 2^nd or 3^rd Rank er monsters and required a large number of monsters. Furthermore, even if evolution was artificially induced, 3^rd Rank monsters were formidable. The inventor died when the evolved monster went berserk. This technique created 3^rd Rank monsters but did not guarantee control over them.

On the other hand, if there was no intention to control them, this method was fine. Gathering many of the same monsters and overloading them solved the problems. The Demon King of the Great Forest of Owa could do that. In other words, the Demon King had been scheming against the coalition for months, almost exactly like when the coalition changed its goal from kingdoms to defeating the Great Forest of Owa Demon King. There was no way to win. The coalition fought amongst itself, while the Demon King personally manipulated the situation.

So, will the coalition allow the Demon King to have his way?

That couldn’t be allowed. I could not just do nothing. I already believed there was no bond with my father, the king. As for the captain of the warriors, my hatred was beyond mere dislike. However, I felt differently about the Dadara Mining Kingdom. It was just mines and barren land, but I liked it. I still loved the people, even now that I had married into the Carnea Duchy. I could not let the Demon King’s scheme kill them, no matter what meant I must use. Even if it meant staining my hands.

Fortunately, I returned to Grand Duke Carnea’s bedroom without being caught by the guards. Next to the bed in the room, the Grand Duke lay with rough breathing, or rather, was sleeping.

Should I call him bold or foolish? Knowing how he is when awake, there is no doubt he is the latter.

I steeled myself. I approached Grand Duke Carnea and strangled him with all my strength.

“…Ugh, ugh!” (Duke)

Though he was asleep, his massive body resisted strongly, struggling for his life. He grabbed my arms and desperately tried to pry me off. Still, my arms did not leave his neck. Though I was small for a dwarf, I was not weak compared to ordinary humans. More importantly, my arms held the future of the Dadara Mining Kingdom and the coalition. Gradually, his resistance weakened until he lost all strength and only clung weakly.

“…Haa… haa…” (Suzuri)

He was dead. I had killed a person for the first time. Looking at my arms, I saw skin torn by desperate claw marks, blood flowing from many places. He had resisted so fiercely, and now that resistance was gone completely. The realization of killing him hit me suddenly. An uncomfortable creeping feeling. My stomach turned inside out. My heart shattered, and my mind was thrown into chaos. I struggled to hold back vomiting and grabbed a decorative vase nearby, raising it and smashing it down hard. Just holding my breath was dangerous. I had to kill him gruesomely, just in case.

“Hic, hic.” (Suzuri)

By the time the floor was stained bright red, I was crying without realizing it. I did not know why, nor did I want to know. There was no time to cry anyway. Now I had to find a pen and hairpin.

I had two goals. First, to escape from the Carnea Duchy. I refused to become a tool of my father’s diplomacy or a toy for Grand Duke Carnea. The Demon King seemed to think I had value. Compared to the previous two, I might receive somewhat better treatment. Second, to save the Dadara Mining Kingdom and, eventually, the coalition. I hated my father, but I loved the people.

If the coalition suffered a devastating blow mainly to their food supplies due to the Demon King’s strategy, the Dadara Mining Kingdom, which couldn’t be self-sufficient, would be the first to perish.
However, if the Demon King’s plan was stopped, the coalition would send the allied forces directly to the Great Forest of Owa.

The Great Forest of Owa was where I plan to escape to. I couldn’t expose it to danger or risk the Demon King suspecting me. If that happened, the Demon King’s skill would reveal my involvement, and I would be killed. For that reason, some level of damage must be allowed. At least enough to prevent the allied forces from heading to the Great Forest of Owa.

To create such a convenient sacrifice, I now stood before the room of the Grand Duke’s younger brother. No, by tomorrow morning he would likely be the new Grand Duke. I slipped a letter into the door. I hope he read it, but even if not, he should at least take minimal action.

The letter said I had feelings for the Grand Duke’s younger brother and sympathize with his ideology.
It said the younger brother was worthy to be Grand Duke and the current Grand Duke was not. Therefore, I supported removing the current Grand Duke so the younger brother could succeed him. If I was found to be the culprit, the Carnea Duchy would have a reason to declare war on the Dadara Mining Kingdom.

Of course, I would flee, which would cause security to be relaxed in various cities. If I were caught, I would be sent back to the Dadara Mining Kingdom to take responsibility, which would separate my head from my body. Furthermore, this would eliminate any reason for the Carnea Duchy to start a war with the Dadara Mining Kingdom.

If this went well, the coalition would suffer a blow severe but not devastating. They would not be able to maintain the allied forces, which would be immediately disbanded. They would suffer food shortages for a while, but it would not be an insurmountable obstacle. Though it pain me to trust my father now, he would likely fulfill his duties as king. This would be my last filial act, though such a parent would not understand. I was sure I would be scolded as unfilial.

Returning to the Demon King, he commented on the wounds on my arm. When I gave a vague excuse, he used a stolen magic potion on me. He said watching it hurt him. He lived up to the title of Demon King. Mastery of human hearts was clearly his specialty.

Well, I do not feel bad about that.

“It’s fine now. Let’s leave quickly. There is no reason to linger.” (Nobunaga)

“Yes. But, um, how?” (Suzuri)

If it were only the Demon King, he could borrow the form of a soldier to leave, or the form of a monster to fly into the sky. But with me as a hindrance, that was not possible. Still, the Demon King said he had already made preparations and headed toward the gate.

There was no one there. I thought he had killed them, but apparently, he just took the form of a nearby person and replaced the gate guards. He guessed they had probably gone to the red-light district by now. However, even if we escaped the castle, the city-state was protected by walls. The Demon King had no way to immediately pass through them, so we decided to leave at first light.
Along the way, the Demon King happily talked like a child about how lucky we were to get a room at an inn.

He said it was because a lone adventurer had just left. Though now it is unpleasant, the marriage between me and the late Grand Duke Carnea had created a festival atmosphere, and the economy was supposed to be good. He did not think there was any reason to leave now. However, we could not enter the inn because it was late at night. The inn was completely closed, so the Demon King slightly opened a window and flew away in the form of a monster.

The Demon King could return alone, but that would leave me alone outside all night. That was unacceptable, so the Demon King agonized and decided to camp outside with me. It was a strange experience to camp outdoors when there was an inn nearby. It was probably something I would never do again in my life.

The next day, the Demon King and I safely escaped the Carnea Duchy and headed for the Great Forest of Owa.

 

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