Heat Season (1)

The Demon King's audience chamber. The corps commanders of the Demon King's Army had gathered in one place. All that remained was to wait for the Demon King to appear.

Corps Commander Blood broke the silence first.

"Oh, look who it is. Our so-called 'genius strategist' Lady Lucifer has graced us with her presence. I heard all about the Arcadia incident. A failure, was it?"

Blood sneered in a low voice. She had never liked Lucifer to begin with. Hearing that the woman had failed this time felt incredibly satisfying.

"Ah, my apologies. Does the word 'failure' grate on your ears? I can tell by how quiet you've been. I'm truly curious what kind of excuses you'll offer in front of His Majesty. And if you happen to have any more of those 'genius' ideas, just say the word. I'll be sure to watch closely to see how you fail this time."

It was an additional whisper from Blood. She wasn't sure if the Demon King would grant Lucifer another chance, but this failure was bound to sting no matter how much the woman acted like the second-in-command of the Demon King's Army. His Majesty would surely be greatly disappointed.

"Thank you for your high expectations. I shall endeavor to deliver satisfactory results next time. Hehehehe. Please do not lose sight of those expectations."

Yet Lucifer simply bowed her head in gratitude. That bold, arrogant attitude of hers...

Fucking bitch, acting all high and mighty. She must be shitting herself after screwing up the operation, yet here she is putting on airs. It's disgusting.

If she had truly failed, she should have lowered her head and kept it down like the criminal she was. But that smug smile and sly demeanor only fueled Blood's irritation. Realizing that arguing any further would only make her own mouth sore, Blood turned her head away.

"Lucifer, I'm sorry. If only I had defended the hideout... Chwi-ik!"

"It's alright. More importantly, I'm glad you're safe, Chierre. Please be more careful next time. It would make me sad too if you got hurt. *Sniffle* *Sniffle*."

"That's a bit creepy, but... th-thanks! Chwi-ik!"

When Lucifer became the target of mockery, Chierre approached cautiously and offered an apology. As a perfectionist who usually handled everything flawlessly without a single flaw, Lucifer's failure this time seemed to weigh heavily on her as if it were her own fault.

"Besides, the operation wasn't actually a failure."

"What?"

Chierre tilted her head in confusion at Lucifer's follow-up statement, but she couldn't ask any more questions.

"His Majesty the Demon King has arrived!"

At that moment, the master of this castle—the Demon King—had appeared.

"Begin."

The meeting commenced at the Demon King's command. It was a time for each corps commander to share their activities and establish future policies for the Demon King's Army's victory.

"The supreme commander for the next operation will be..."

The Demon King scanned the corps commanders around him, contemplating who should take responsibility for the upcoming mission.

This time it's my turn...

Blood was a vampire who had lived far longer than anyone else here. Her actual age was greater than Lucifer's. Among the demon race, she was revered as a living piece of history. That was why the position of second-in-command had originally belonged to her.

Since Lucifer had come back after a spectacular failure, it was surely Blood's turn this time.

"Lucifer... you shall take command. That is all."

"I will repay your trust, my King. Hehehehe."

But it was different from what she expected. Once again, the supreme commander was Lucifer. Without another word, the Demon King rose from his seat with an indifferent expression.

"Damn it...!"

Blood had no choice but to accept the already-made decision. The Demon King's orders were absolute, after all. But as she watched Lucifer saunter away, she made up her mind. She would do anything if it meant stabbing that woman in the back.

"What did you mean by it not being a failure? Chwi-ik! Wasn't it a failure?"

As soon as the meeting ended, Chierre immediately asked the question that had been bothering her the most. Seeing her scratch her head in confusion, Lucifer smiled and replied.

"Chierre, why do you think we went through all the trouble of infiltrating the Empire? Wasn't it to follow His Majesty's orders and prevent any force capable of opposing the Demon King's Army from forming around the Arcadia Empire? Look around. Aren't they currently treating this as some kind of self-staged drama by the Arcadia Empire?"

The Arcadia Empire had announced that the entire incident was the work of the Demon King's Army. They had even made the declaration under the name of the Holy Church. However, the international community's reaction was different. Several nations refused to take the claim at face value. They believed the Arcadia Empire was making excuses to cover up the incident.

Part of it was because peace had lasted so long that the threat didn't feel real, but it was also thanks to the fact that Lucifer had steadily created informants in various countries and shaped public opinion over time.

"Unfortunately, there are still some forces that believe the Arcadia Empire's claims and are gathering strength. But the important thing is that the Seolha Empire is not among them. Of course, it would have been perfect if Empress Diana and Princess Morgan had killed each other in mutual destruction."

"I-I see...! Chwi-ik!"

Chierre didn't really understand what any of it meant, but seeing Lucifer speak with such passion, she simply clapped her hands and nodded. She didn't want to think about complicated things, so she just pretended to get the gist of it.

"Then what about that guy named Sieg? I heard he saved the Emperor. Chwi-ik!"

"Ah, you mean that ancient god of the beastmen. He does seem to be the biggest variable at the moment."

Lucifer fell into thought at Chierre's question. It was giving her a headache. He had apparently dispelled rune magic. Upon hearing that news, Lucifer had even suspected that the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠man named Sieg might actually be a dragon. She was using dwarves to engrave rune characters and cast spells, but even she didn't fully understand rune script. Moreover, the very idea that a man could use healing magic was so absurd that her speculation had taken on a rather mystical tone. But that probably wasn't the case. According to what was known, the ancient god of the beastmen descended in human form. Sieg was most likely human. It was simply that the descriptions of the god's power were so abstract that she had never anticipated he could so easily erase rune characters.

"As obvious as it may sound, the best way to deal with a variable is to eliminate it before it becomes a problem."

"Do you have a good method? Chwi-ik!"

"I heard he's heading to the Goshura Great Forest where the beastmen reside. We'll strike then. By the way, are you familiar with heat season, Chierre?"

At Lucifer's question, Chierre snorted. Of course she knew. Wasn't it the symptom she experienced once a month? Now that something familiar had come up, Chierre answered confidently.

"Isn't it that time when females want to climb on top of males and shake their hips? I may not look it, but I'm the chieftain of an orc tribe. I know at least that much. Chwi-ik!"

"Correct. And beastmen experience the same thing. Though it occurs less frequently than with orcs."

Lucifer gazed at the moon shining outside the Demon King's castle. Soon it would be a full moon. Not just any full moon, but a supermoon—the largest one that illuminated the world. It was a phenomenon that occurred once a year. The beastmen's heat season would last for a full week starting from that day.

"The beastmen, whose numbers have been devastated to the point of near ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠extinction. I wonder what would happen if they were given the chance to mate with their own god? I'm very curious about that. Hehehehe."

Lucifer laughed madly to herself as if she were imagining something truly amusing.

"Look forward to it, Chierre. No matter how troublesome a variable may be, the problem is solved if we simply lock him up."

She planned to use the beastmen to imprison Sieg. She would make him spend a week surrounded by beastwomen in heat. Then she would turn him into the king of that place and trap him in the Goshura Great Forest. It seemed like a plan worth attempting. And as someone whose instincts were usually reliable, Lucifer was certain. This one felt very promising.

"I've finished packing!"

On the day we were set to depart for the Goshura Great Forest where the beastmen lived, Soho shouted energetically.

"You're really coming along after all?"

"O-of course! I've decided to focus on researching you from now on, Sieg-nim. It's not for any other reason, so don't get the wrong idea!"

Recently I'd been worried about my healing magic, and there were also the ancient documents I'd discovered. Both issues had been bothering me, so I'd consulted Soho about them. Since she had conducted various studies related to the Great Tiger's curse, she was an expert in historical records and ancient literature.

She had responded with great enthusiasm.

She said she would look into not only the healing magic but also the ancient beastmen documents I had mentioned. Knowing how capable Soho usually was, I had nodded in agreement, but...

"The Goshura Great Forest is just a short trip..."

"I need to observe your every move, Sieg-nim. Even if it's just a simple journey, I have to come along."

Wasn't that surveillance rather than research? The thought crossed my mind, but since she was sincerely trying to help with my concerns, I couldn't help but nod in gratitude.

It's a relief that Akasha's identity as a beastman hasn't been discovered yet.

The real reason we were going to the Goshura Great Forest was to find Akasha's tribespeople and cure their curse. But since Soho still didn't know Akasha was a beastman, I had no choice but to explain it as a simple sightseeing trip. Emilia seemed to have caught on, but perhaps because she trusted me, she didn't say anything. She had always proudly declared herself my exclusive attendant, so it seemed she chose to believe in me. However, she had suddenly announced that she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had an urgent mission to fulfill and left ahead of us. Right after leisurely winning the martial arts tournament, no less.

The Great Tiger had done the same. He said he had business in the Seolha Empire and left in a hurry. As a result, the members for this trip were just me, Akasha, and Soho—three in total.

—Finally! Thank you so much, Sieg-nim. For saving our tribe.

When I told her the news, Akasha was genuinely overjoyed. She had often sighed while staring at the sky, so she must have been anxious. I couldn't imagine how long she had patiently waited while trusting my words. I wanted to head to the Goshura Great Forest as soon as possible too. After all, I could use magic freely there. I wouldn't have to worry about people's gazes in that place.

"It's been a while, Sieg-nim."

Saintess Freya, who had agreed to join us, came to visit. Since we were supposed to depart today, she said there was something important she needed to discuss. Once inside my quarters, she looked around ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠every corner of the room.

"So this is where Sieg-nim has been staying. *Sniff sniff...* The scent of a man is so thick... I like it. You're very healthy."

"Are you some kind of perverted dog?"

"Haaah...! That's right! Please say more. That. Mmmh... ♥︎!"

Because of her strange behavior, I had unconsciously spat out those words full of contempt. But she seemed to like it and came running over. It was just a mutter to myself, yet she heard it. Her ears were incredibly sharp.

"Anyway, I came to talk about the Goshura Great Forest matter."

Freya brushed her hair behind her ears and met my eyes.

"I don't think I can go right now."

"What?"

But weren't we supposed to leave today? Canceling on the same day? Akasha had been waiting for so long; we couldn't delay any longer.

"It's because... the beastmen's heat season is about to begin, and they've started running wild."

Freya spoke with a hardened expression.

"Recently... there have been rumors of men being kidnapped from villages near the Great Forest. Our Church does not forgive heretics. For the time being, we will be purging the beastmen."

Her expression was downright terrifying. It was unfamiliar since she usually showed me a smiling face.

"On top of that... they've announced that they're targeting the male healer the Church revealed."

"You don't mean...?"

"That's right. It's about you, Sieg-nim."

This was yet another troublesome development.