When most people had settled down for the night, Izayoi gazed at the moon, cloaked in mist far above, from the inn's window. After doing so, he glanced at Yuka sleeping in the bed.
Yuka, who hadn't been able to sleep in a bed for nearly a week, had started snoring almost immediately as she lay down, despite Izayoi being there.
Whether it's seen as trust or simply being defenseless, considering her previous dry remarks, it’s likely the former. Although, it’s not a delightful trust.
With a wry smile, Izayoi silently cast an illusion spell on himself. The space around him slightly distorted, and he disappeared. Now, he couldn't be seen by anyone.
After additionally setting up a defensive barrier in the room, the preparations were perfect.
"Well... Shall I take the bait?"
Muttering this, Izayoi silently jumped out of the window.
▼
On his way back from the Boundary Forest, Izayoi had been constantly feeling a certain sensation.
It was something like a wave of magical power, imperceptible to humans, but detectable only between members of the same race. It had been continuously directed at Izayoi himself.
As if inviting, or rather, the other party was indeed inviting him.
Izayoi, one of the few surviving demons, wanted to respond immediately to the invitation, whether it was friendly or hostile, but unfortunately, both Yuka and Lilith were there at the scene. Unable to act alone in that situation, he reluctantly returned to the city and waited for Yuka to fall asleep before heading to the forest.
Using body reinforcement on his already weakened Demon Lord body, he ran through the air slightly above the ground to avoid raising dust, covering the half-day walk from the city to the forest.
In just under an hour, Izayoi was at the entrance of the forest.
Deep in the forest where the faint moonlight couldn’t reach, waves of magical power were being emitted without interruption.
Izayoi took a deep breath and stepped into the almost pitch-black forest. Thanks to the night vision inherent in the Demon Lord's body, he advanced into the depths without stumbling, even in conditions where the moonlight didn’t reach and he couldn’t see his feet properly. During this time, he didn’t encounter any monsters, realizing that they have truly retreated from the Boundary Forest.
Frowning at the abnormal situation with no sign of monsters, he continued for a while and came to a place where the trees were sparse and the moonlight shone through.
Izayoi, hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it at any moment, exposed himself to the moonlight. Then, as if timed perfectly, a shadow emerged from the darkness ahead.
The shadow was a man.
With dull blonde hair and nervously raised eyes. His stature was unclear due to the robe, but he had a somewhat aged aura. However, the murderous intent and the magical power contained in his body felt anything but old.
At first glance, this man might look like an ordinary human. However, the waves of magical power he emitted were unmistakably those of a demon.
First of all, what is a demon?
To put it simply, demons are beings where magical power has self-awareness, a kind of magical life form. Although there are individual differences, their physical structure is similar to humans, with muscles, skeletons, and flowing blood. However, all of these components are made of magical power.
Therefore, most demons are proficient in magic and possess physical specifications far beyond those of humans.
Hearing this, demons may seem like an incredibly cheat-like existence, and indeed some individuals were so powerful that they could literally take on a thousand enemies. Gainos and Rem are examples of this.
However, demons are scarce in number.
Even in the times Izayoi was aware of, they barely exceeded two thousand. Now, most of them have been defeated by the heroes, and it’s unknown how many survivors are left. Encountering a fellow race in such a situation, it seems the other party has no intention of dealing friendly with Izayoi.
"You've dared to show up, you traitor...!"
"What did you say...?"
Izayoi narrowed his eyes at the words the man spat out with surging anger.
"Shame on you for siding with humans, being a demon!"
"...Ah, I see."
From his words and behavior, Izayoi could largely guess the man's intentions and couldn’t help but sigh.
This man is probably one of the demons who look down on humans. Therefore, he cannot stand Izayoi, a demon, coexisting with humans.
"I won’t acknowledge a disgrace to the demons like you."
A chillingly cold voice of resentment echoed.
To the man who regards humans as fragile and weak and looks down on them, Izayoi’s way of being is absolutely intolerable. Hence, he probably lured him out to deal with him.
However, it doesn't seem like that's the only reason he’s acting.
Realizing that the other party is plotting something else, Izayoi, for the time being, aimed to draw out as much information as possible, with his sword at the ready.
"I will bury you with my own hands. Die right here!"
Saying so, the man reached out towards Izayoi,
—Barii!
Lightning ran through the moonlight.
"—!"
Izayoi instantly let go of his sword and flipped away from the spot. The lightning released from the man’s hand exploded on the sword left hanging in the air.
"That wasn’t magic... but a unique ability."
Some demons possess unique abilities depending on the individual. Such as enlarging one’s body, breathing fire like a dragon, or controlling Around the man, several spears of lightning manifested, rushing towards Izayoi in disarray.
Realizing it would be impossible to dodge all the incoming spears of lightning, Izayoi leapt into the shadows of a nearby tree to avoid them. The tree struck by lightning emitted a cracking, unpleasant sound, but it subsided within a few seconds.
Suspicious as the attack ceased, Izayoi peered out from behind the tree to gauge the adversary’s next move—
"—Ugh!"
He was struck by lightning along with the tree he was hiding behind.
"A tree is no shield," said the man.
Apparently, the intrinsic ability's lightning had higher penetration and power than magical lightning, as the tree was miserably split vertically, as if struck by a bolt.
Naturally, having received such a powerful strike, Izayoi couldn’t help but fall to his knees.
The man, now in a dominant position, leisurely raised the corners of his mouth in delight.
"This is all you've got. Not even worth talking about."
The man scoffed with a snort, looking down on Izayoi. He was completely confident in his victory and let his guard down. However, the truth was, his lightning did possess such power, capable of incapacitating average demons in one hit.
"...Why are you, a demon, near the human continent...?"
"I have no words for traitors. You disgrace to the demons…!"
The man’s tone was filled with mockery, scorn, and anger. He saw Izayoi as nothing more than an annoying obstacle and would not carelessly spill any information. Expecting more information from him would likely be futile.
In that case—
"I have no choice but to make you talk by force."
From his kneeling position, Izayoi sprinted, diving into the man's chest at an uncatchable speed.
"Wha!?"
The man was startled as the distance between them, which was ten steps apart, was closed in a blink of an eye. He reflexively raised his arm to release another lightning strike, revealing his battle-hardened nature.
But,
"Too slow…!"
"Guah!?"
By the time the man raised his arm, Izayoi was already behind him, landing a powerful kick on his exposed back. The man fell to the ground face-first.
Izayoi stepped on his back, preventing him from getting up, while exerting a magical pressure.
"Now, let's have you spill everything. I'm not well-versed in torture, so I’d appreciate it if you’d speak willingly."
"Why, how can you move after taking my lightning…!?"
The man had considerable confidence in his own ability, which should have stopped the heart or, at the very least, paralyzed the body.
That would have been the case if the opponent was an average demon.
Izayoi, who could withstand even the blow of a hero's holy sword, found the previous lightning strike no more than a mosquito bite. He pretended to be seriously injured, hoping the man would inadvertently reveal information. The outcome was predetermined. No matter how strong the demon underfoot, he could not match Izayoi, who was akin to an immortal demon king.
"Guwo…"
The man groaned under the physical and psychological pressure.
Unfazed, Izayoi continued his interrogation.
"So, the whereabouts of other survivors and your plans using the monsters of the boundary forest, care to share?"
"What… are you talking about…?"
"Don't play dumb. Do you think you can deceive me after causing such a blatant disturbance?"
Izayoi intuitively understood the connection between the disappearance of the boundary forest's monsters and the man's attack. He should have been attacked much earlier, right upon his arrival in Termus.
He intensified the pressure on the struggling man and asked again.
"Guaa!"
A sound that should not come from a human body rang out. Even demons have a similar skeletal structure to humans, likely indicating a broken rib or something similar.
The man twisted his body trying to escape from the pressure, but Izayoi did not allow it. His limbs flailed in vain.
"Damn, damn it… This wasn’t the deal!"
"Oh? So someone gave you information about me beforehand. Where are those comrades hiding?"
Realizing his slip, the man shut up, wearing a bitter expression.
Izayoi shifted his focus from the silent man to the surrounding darkness. If the man's words were true, someone might be watching them, so he searched for any presence.
The man seized this brief lapse in Izayoi’s attention.
"Since it has come to this…!"
The man thrust his hand into his bosom. Izayoi braced himself, suspecting some hidden trick, but,
"For the glory of us demons!!"
—Stab.
Shouting, the man surprisingly drove a hidden dagger into his own throat.
"…What?"
Even Izayoi was taken aback by this turn of events. He never expected the man to take his own life so resolutely.
The man beneath him breathed his last, a triumphant, mocking smile on his face.