Traces of the Demonkin
"Have I changed too much in this world...?"
He gazed up at the setting sun from horseback, the thought turning slowly in his mind.
"Regret is useless now. I've already come too far to turn back."
In that moment, something glinted far across the plain. At first he thought it a trick of the light, but as he drew nearer it resolved into what looked like the remnant of an old ruin.
Curiosity pulled him on. He urged his horse closer.
The site was little more than a stretch of red-stone wall and a few weathered pillars still standing. Though it lay not far from the capital, it seemed almost entirely abandoned. Moss and tangled vines choked the stones.
"A ruin from before the Empire, perhaps..."
He dismounted and surveyed the surroundings. No particularly dangerous aura pressed against his senses. Still, the light was failing; lingering long would be unwise.
"I'll need to come back when I have time."
He fixed the shape of the place in his memory, then swung back into the saddle.
By the time he reached the capital gates, night had already deepened. The soldiers recognized him at once and opened the way. Alone, without carriage or escort, he passed into the city.
The streets within the walls still held a fair measure of life even at that hour, but he made straight for his residence.
The moment he stepped inside, attendants who had been waiting despite the hour past midnight came forward to receive him.
"Lord Kareha, will you rest at once, or shall we prepare a meal?"
He felt the weight of exhaustion in his limbs, yet he knew there was work still waiting.
"A simple meal and tea will do. And bring every document that has come from the Imperial Palace to my study."
The attendants moved as one.
He went deep into the residence, into his study, and sat at the table. While he ate the bread and drank the tea they brought, he opened the palace papers.
One sheet bore the Emperor's personal seal: a summons to an emergency military council.
He skimmed the contents and understood he would have to present himself at the palace first thing in the morning.
The next was a formal invitation from the Central Council of Nobles. It seemed they meant to open discussion on the national reform proposals.
"The whole country is shifting, little by little," he thought. "My deep involvement in all of this is inevitable—and new problems will keep rising out of it."
He had already changed a great deal, and he would have to keep changing more. Yet whether any of it would truly help stop the Demon King's resurrection, he could not be certain.
On another front, he even wondered whether the Hero who was supposed to appear in the distant future would ever show himself at all.
He sorted the remaining documents roughly, dismissed the attendants, and remained alone in the study. Candlelight wavered. Outside the window, the wind murmured. In that quiet night the only sound he could hear was the beat of his own heart.
"The Demon King... and the Hero. Between those two there was always some inevitable link—the structure the novel laid out. But now everything has changed."
He felt the tea growing cold, lifted the cup slowly, and took a sip. And then, unbidden, the thought crossed his mind that there might be still other variables he did not know.
Powerful beings or forces that never appeared in the novel might yet exist somewhere in this world. They could prove helpful—or they could become a threat.
"There's no end to what still needs doing."
Holding even that possibility in mind, he steeled himself once more.
The next morning he set out promptly for the palace.
The emergency military council convened in one of the most tightly secured chambers in the entire complex. Those gathered were few: the Emperor, his closest generals, and a handful of high officials.
"You've come, Kareha."
The Emperor offered a brief greeting.
Besides the military figures he had often faced before, unfamiliar faces were present as well—a mage-like figure wrapped in a black cloak, and a woman who looked to be a diplomat. Even at a glance, the atmosphere in the room had been heavy since the early hour. The Emperor's eyes were anything but ordinary.
"Unsettling movements have been detected recently along the border regions. This is no mere matter of monsters or spies from neighboring states. Reports have come in of traces of the demonkin."
Demonkin.
His heart dropped hard in his chest.
Of course he had known, if only by rumor, that such beings existed in this world; they had appeared as major enemies in the novel as well. But they usually showed themselves on the continent in force only when the Demon King revived, or when a powerful demonkin leader rose.
"Demonkin... at this point in time?"
He made no effort to hide his dismay.
The mage-like figure pressed his lips thin and spoke.
"According to our investigations, it does not yet appear to be a large-scale force. But the aura of the demonkin was unmistakably sensed. They were using a mana distinct from that of humans, and in several incidents we discovered the sigils they left behind."
The Emperor swept a grave look around the chamber.
"If the demonkin have begun to move, this is an extremely dangerous signal. Looking at the records of past wars, whenever the demonkin grew active, great turmoil descended upon the continent."
Kareha thought of the Demon King and the Hero, and felt a fire surge up inside him.
"Could this be connected to the Demon King's resurrection?"
The mage shook his head.
"It is still difficult to say with certainty. But if the demonkin have started moving across the continent, they almost certainly have some purpose. The Demon King's revival may be the direct cause—or there may be a faction preparing for that revival."
The Emperor delivered his conclusion in a heavy voice.
"In any case, we cannot afford complacency. Now that the presence of the demonkin has been confirmed, I will issue a state of alert throughout the Empire.
And Kareha—I mean to entrust you with a special mission."
He looked at the Emperor with a taut expression.
"Give me your orders."
The Emperor sat and spread a large map.
"The traces of the demonkin have been found mainly near a ruined village on the western frontier. You have successfully conducted monster subjugations in that region before. I want you to go and investigate in person once again."
He accepted at once.
"Understood."
When the military council ended, Duke Ludvert, one of the Emperor's close confidants, called him aside for a moment. The Duke's face was more serious than Kareha had ever seen it.
"Lord Kareha—demonkin... This is truly beyond anything we expected. Do you happen to possess any further information on the matter?"
He shook his head.
"I know nothing concrete myself. I only believe that if the demonkin begin to act in earnest, the entire continent could be placed in peril."
The Duke sighed.
"The ability you have shown on the battlefield is a great asset to our Empire. Should the Demon King appear, your strength will be needed all the more."
Kareha took his leave of the Duke and stepped out of the council chamber.
The shadow of the Demon King felt as though it were drawing steadily closer to reality. He sensed, with cold certainty, that the scenario he had feared was already unfolding.
"The Hero has not yet appeared... and already the demonkin are stirring."
He walked on, caught in an inner conflict.
"If this current accelerates, might the Demon King revive far earlier than the future that was supposed to come?"
He left the palace and at once began preparations for the investigation of the demonkin. He reorganized the forces under his command and mobilized mages and scholars to gather every related record.
In the novel, the demonkin had been beings armed with overwhelming power and ruthless coldness. If they invaded the continent in force, countless lives would surely be lost.
Late into the night he combed through the old texts, and at last he arrived at one stark fact.
According to the historical records, whenever the demonkin began to move in an organized fashion, it had always been a harbinger that the power of the Demon King was about to awaken. In other words, even if the Demon King had not fully revived, his influence could seep gradually into the world and rouse the demonkin in the process.
"The Demon King has not yet fully returned... yet his influence may already be trickling into this world, little by little..."
He set down his pen and pressed his fingers to his brow.
"If that is so, we may not have as much time as I thought."
His eyes wavered.
He had believed roughly ten years still remained until the point described in the novel—but already too many events had gone awry.
"He may appear even sooner. Or perhaps an entirely new development I never knew about is already underway..."
In the end he worked through the entire night and only managed a brief rest toward dawn.
The moment morning broke, he issued orders to his subordinate officers for the investigation and inquiry.
"We leave again for the western frontier. We must find every clue related to the demonkin and track their base of operations."
The soldiers flinched at the word demonkin, yet they suppressed their unease beneath his resolute bearing. They had already fought many battles under Lord Kareha's command; they were ready to trust him and follow.
Before departure he summoned the court mages and received a briefing.
"The mana of the demonkin differs from that of humans. A distinctive 'dark aura' is often detectable. When you approach any suspicious location, you must first confirm it through magical sensing."
A seasoned mage offered the counsel. Kareha nodded.
"Thank you. I will take those skilled in magical detection with me."
Soon afterward, accompanied by the special support unit the palace had prepared, he set out for the western frontier.
In his mind the gorge from his memories, the ruined village, and the regions laid waste by monsters all flickered past. This time he would have to find traces of the demonkin there.
During the march he spoke with one of his subordinate commanders.
"Demonkin are said to look completely different from humans from the outset. Though I've also heard some can mimic human form."
The commander's face hardened.
"That is indeed what they say. According to the old legends, certain demonkin can transform so thoroughly that they are almost indistinguishable from humans..."
Kareha thought bitterly to himself, and rode on.