The Demon King―the being called that in this world is said to have first appeared about 2000 years ago.

“My name is Demon King Zargariol, a ruler who has come from beyond dimensions. Fuhahaha, you feeble humans, kneel before my power and my army!!”

…Whether he actually said that or not isn’t certain.

But it is said that his military strength was undeniably abnormal.

After all, he destroyed human nations at a rate of three countries per month.

That kind of overwhelming force must have been real.

Naturally, humanity at the time resisted bravely.

But the Demon King’s army came too suddenly, too overwhelmingly, and with too much ferocity.

Humanity was quickly driven into a corner.

Just half a year after the Demon King’s appearance, the territory inhabited by humans had shrunk to one-third of the world.

The population had dropped below one million—just one-tenth of what it had been before the Demon King’s arrival.

At this rate, humanity would be wiped out within a year.

People were plunged into despair, wondering when it would be their turn to die.

“But well, humanity didn’t go extinct. Truth really is stranger than fiction… after all, strangely enough, one day that Demon King suddenly disappeared.”

* * *

Five days after curing Aleid’s poison.

On this day, I was holding a history lecture as a study session about the Demon King’s army, sharing what I knew.

“Yeah, I learned that too. But as for why…”

“…Right, no one knows at all. Even after 2000 years, it’s still considered the greatest mystery.”

Everyone has at least heard something about the Demon King.

Especially noble children who receive education—they know a bit more than common folk.

But even Aleid, the prince and chosen Hero, was never taught the truth behind why the first Demon King, Zargariol, suddenly disappeared.

In other words, no one in the world knows the truth.

“So, we’ll just leave that unknown mystery to the great scholars and move on—anyway, with their leader gone, the Demon King’s army fell into chaos. Humanity finally managed to counterattack and push them back. But soon after, another Demon King appeared. That’s the second one—Degulranba.”

“““Degulranba…”””

As I spoke, the party members muttered the name heavily.

Degulranba is infamous as one of the most cruel and inhumane Demon Kings in history, his notoriety still echoing among humanity even after 2000 years.

He’s also known as the one who devised the strategy still used by the Demon King’s army today—utilizing monsters as military forces.

“And just as humanity’s hope was beginning to rise, Demon King Degulranba rampaged and crushed it—but the one who stopped him was the ‘First Hero’, Kairal Sark. You all know him, right?”

“Of course.” “Yeah.” “Super famous.” “You always hear about him in stories.” “Right.”

Kairal Sark, the first person in this world to call himself a “Hero”.

His origins are shrouded in mystery.

But entrusted by the gods to defeat the Demon King, he fought deadly battles alongside his companions and ultimately defeated Degulranba, becoming the greatest hero in history.

“With the loss of Demon King Degulranba, the Demon King’s army at the time collapsed rapidly, and humanity made a major recovery. However, even after that, there were always those who commanded the Demon King’s army and monsters. Humanity and the Demon King’s army continued their back-and-forth conflict, but over about 300 years, humanity managed to reclaim 70% of the land that had been taken, pushing the demon race into the northeastern region of the world.”

Even so, the demon race—beings from beyond dimensions—continued to survive.

At turning points in history, new “Demon Kings” would appear, threatening humanity, expanding their territory, or losing it again.

Whenever a particularly powerful Demon King emerged, divine oracles would be granted to humanity, and a “Hero” would rise to oppose them—and so the struggle continued.

“And so, even now, about 2000 years later, the battle between us humans and the Demon King’s army continues.”

I concluded my explanation and gave a small bow.

It ended up sounding more like storytelling than a history lecture.

But since some party members are commoners and not very knowledgeable, this way is probably easier to understand.

“That was really easy to follow. Thanks, Seti, you really know your stuff.”

Aleid immediately gave applause and praise.

Cut it out, you’re making me embarrassed.

“Yes, you’ve studied well… Nuns truly devote themselves to learning as well. I must say, I’m impressed.”

The one adjusting his glasses in that classic gesture while saying this is Frick.

He used to be a teacher, but a few years ago, he gained the rare job aptitude of “Tamer”, changed jobs, and has since been part of the Silverion Kingdom’s special forces, handling missions related to wild animals.

“Thanks. I appreciate the praise from a former teacher, but I don’t think other nuns study this much. In my case, I was stationed at a small rural church, so I had a fair amount of free time to read all kinds of books.”

Thanks to that, I can use far more magic than a typical White Mage, and I’ve mastered everything from cooking and laundry to unrelated academic fields—even weather forecasting.

Ha, a slow life can be incredibly fulfilling depending on how you spend it.

“I see. In that case, if the opportunity arises, I would very much like to engage in a ‘knowledge contest’ with you, to further refine ourselves together.”

“Haha, I’ll pass. It’s obvious I wouldn’t stand a chance against you in knowledge, Frick-sensei.”

I’m smiling.

But my eyes are absolutely not.

And there’s no way I’m accepting that.

What Frick calls a “knowledge contest” is a well-known pastime among scholars.

You lock yourselves in a room, choose a topic, and exchange knowledge back and forth in discussion—not debate, but a contest of how deep your knowledge is.

And I know something about this man, Frick.

He’s a closet pervert.

And a slightly dangerous one at that.

I don’t know if it’s because of his twisted intellectual curiosity, but I once saw it.

A notebook he had written in at the inn, which he forgot to put away.

Out of curiosity, I peeked—and what was written inside was…

Considerations on breeding patterns between human females and male beasts

—a deeply questionable thesis.

‘And worst of all, every example pairing had me as the female partner. And he even casually included a scenario with himself and me… there is absolutely no way I’m ever going to be alone with this guy!!’

On the surface, he smiles and gives off a kind, sincere impression.

But I know the truth.

I’ve seen him buying suspicious restraints and lewd items.

And they’re all sized for smaller builds—he’s clearly targeting me!!

So yeah.

To me, Frick is the most dangerous person in this life.

Even more dangerous than the Demon King.

Mani
Man
Manit