Demon Prince 40

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Chapter 40. Forest Anomaly

I’m at the Adventurers’ Guild again today to pick up a request.

But something feels more restless than usual.

“Did something happen, Ush?”

“Oh, Jun-sama! Well, it's about an adventurer who returned from the northern forest...”

Apparently, something strange is going on in the northern forest.

Hardly any signs of beasts or animals were seen.

And they also heard the cry of a beast that had never been heard in that forest before.

“You think a powerful beast might’ve entered the northern forest?”

“It’s possible. We can’t say for sure yet. For now, we’ve issued an investigation request to observe the situation.”

“Hm... Can I take that request?”

“What? No, the investigation request is D-rank, so you’re not eligible, Jun-sama. Unless you take it with a party.”

“Then I’ll take it. That works, right, Jun-sama?”

“Isn’t that dangerous, Onii-chan?”

“If things go south, we can just escape. With Jun-sama’s teleportation, we’ll manage. Besides, you’re curious, right, Jun-sama?”

“Yeah. Somehow, I am.”

“Understood, Jun-sama.”

“Alright, I’ll take the request.”

Sebasto accepts the request, and we head to the northern forest.

For some reason, today, both Hati and her mother are tagging along with our usual members.

“Um, why is Hati’s mother coming along today?”

“You’re heading to the northern forest, right?”

“Yes. We received a request from the Guild to investigate whether something strange is happening there. I just had a feeling about it.”

“I feel the same as you. Something calls to me from the northern forest.”

Even Fenrir senses something.

I also feel an unpleasant presence.

The closer we get, the stronger the feeling becomes.

Maybe it’s a bad idea to go.

But...

“Onii-chan, do you think this has something to do with that?”

“Hm... I don’t know yet. But something’s definitely happening.”

Yuu is referring to the World Pillar.

We’ve previously investigated this area and didn’t find anything special, though.

“So, we’re at the forest. What’s the plan?”

“I’ll use detection magic to check the forest.”

“This forest is pretty big. Can you search the whole thing?”

“If I use the crest, yes. Let’s do it.”

After scanning...

The number of beasts and animals in the forest is abnormally low.

Instead, there’s something huge near the edge of the forest, at the base of the mountain.

“There’s something big there.”

“What do you mean by ‘something’?”

“I don’t know yet, but it’s likely the cause of the forest’s disturbance. Almost no animals or beasts are left in the forest.”

“Well, let’s go take a look at that ‘something.’”

“I’ll lead the way. Let’s go.”

We move through the forest with me in the lead.

Behind me are Sebasto and Ai, followed by Yuu and Lily in the middle.

Noella and Hati are at the back, with Hati’s mother moving freely.

“There were a few beasts and animals near the shallow areas, but the deeper we go, the fewer there are.”

“I can’t hear any birds or insects either.”

“Yeah, it’s oddly quiet.”

The only sound is the wind rustling the trees.

It’s really silent.

“Jun, look at that.”

After hours in the forest, Ai points out something.

She’s pointing to a spot on the mountainside.

“Those trees are knocked over?”

“Yeah. It looks like something rampaged through, knocking them over as it went. It seems to match our direction. That ‘something’ probably did this.”

This is starting to feel serious.

We might have to run if things get too dangerous.

“Everyone, we’re getting close. Stay sharp.”

“““Got it.”””

We proceed cautiously through the forest.

When we’re almost at the destination, Hati’s mother approaches.

“I smell blood.”

“Blood? Does that mean whatever’s ahead is injured?”

“Or it’s the blood of prey. Maybe both. We’ll find out soon.”

We move further through the forest.

We come to a slightly open area at the foot of the mountain.

From behind a large tree, we finally see the ‘something.’

“This is bad.”

“Yeah, it’s the worst.”

“It’s my first time seeing this,” Lily says.

What stands before us is a massive dragon with black scales.

It’s curled up, so I can’t tell its full length, but it’s probably about ten meters long.

“It’s injured. And badly.”

“Seems so.”

One of its wings is torn halfway off.

It’s covered in countless cuts and what appear to be magic-inflicted wounds.

It’s also missing one eye.

“Did it get chased by adventurers or something and make it here?”

“Hmm, that doesn’t seem right. If it had been attacked by adventurers and fled, that info would’ve been passed on to the Guild and spread across the nations. Even the weakest lesser dragons have a B-rank difficulty, and wyverns, which are also classified as dragons, are C-rank. But the one before us is neither a lesser dragon nor a wyvern. It’s clearly an A-rank or higher. No way such information wouldn’t have reached us.”

“Maybe there’s been a delay in relaying the info, and it’s just now reaching us.”

“That’s possible, but...”

“That dragon... I believe it’s a Divine Beast.”

Hati’s mother joins the conversation with Sebasto.

Wait, a Divine Beast? A dragon of that rank?

“A Divine Beast dragon means it’s the strongest of dragons, right?”

“Exactly. I know a dragon who’s a Divine Beast. The aura I feel from that one is similar. However, it’s injured now. We could take it down, but...”

“But what?”

“Divine Beasts don’t make enemies lightly. And dragon Divine Beasts are usually peaceful unless provoked. Both demonfolk and humans are forbidden from attacking them without reason. So, who could’ve done this to that dragon?”

“I see.”

“What will you do, Jun?”

“Well, there are three options, I think.”

One: Go back and report to the Guild.

Two: Take it down without question.

Three: Heal its wounds and talk.

“That third option sounds appealing, but it’s scary to think what might happen if it attacks before we can talk.”

“Option one isn’t bad, but we might see casualties while we’re gone.”

“If you want to talk, I’ll do it. I can handle myself if it suddenly attacks.”

Now, what should we do?