News of the defeat of Verdia, a Devil King General, by a rookie adventurer team from Axel spread at an astonishing speed.
As the capital, which is also the primary location for awarding the one billion Eris bounty for defeating a Devil King General, and the first place to receive the news, a meeting was currently being held in the capital regarding the defeated Devil King General.
The first princess, Iris, seated on the throne, directed her curious gaze to Claire, her personal secretary, and asked, "Is it true that a Devil King General has been defeated? And by rookie adventurers from Axel?"
Who are the Devil King Generals?
Devil King Generals are so powerful that humans have never defeated them until now. Even the strongest warriors in the kingdom dare not guarantee that they can defeat a Devil King General with absolute certainty!
Now, they have been defeated by rookie adventurers. If it weren't for the reconnaissance team continuously investigating and reporting accurate information, Claire and the others would never believe such an absurdity.
"If this is true, shouldn't we immediately summon them and grant them noble titles?"
Iris posed this question.
Granting noble titles to adventurers who defeat Devil King Generals is not unusual, considering the monumental task of defeating a Devil King General has never been accomplished by humans until now. If they succeed, even granting them high-ranking noble titles just below the royal family would not be excessive.
However…
"Those useless nobles are like greedy cowards, constantly guarding their rights and wealth, unwilling to relinquish even a fraction. The remaining rights and wealth of the kingdom are insufficient to grant, especially to rookie adventurers who defeated a Devil King General!"
That was Claire's response, and also what was currently giving her a headache.
Ideally, Ethan and the others should have been summoned by the royal family and granted high-ranking noble titles. But currently, noble rights within the kingdom have almost all been divided, and not a single noble is willing to relinquish the rights they hold so tightly.
If it were a minor noble title, the kingdom might still have a way…
But to grant Ethan and the others a noble title, it must be a high-ranking one. Otherwise, how could it match the great achievement of defeating a Devil King General? If defeating a Devil King General only earns a minor noble title, it would disappoint many adventurers and make neighboring countries laugh at us!
But not granting it is also impossible, and granting it is also impossible!
Moreover, Ethan and the others are just rookie adventurers. The Devil King General, who has given many of the kingdom's hero candidates headaches, was instead defeated by a few new adventurers. This will cause a huge uproar!
At this moment, Claire's heart felt like spilled soy sauce, filled with nothing but immense helplessness.
"HAHAHAHA! Clearly, they are the heroes who defeated our Devil King General, yet they can't even receive a noble title? Has humanity become so rotten? Truly heartbreaking for the heroes who defeated Verdia!"
The voice was filled with demonic nature, and its sudden appearance made Claire and Rain, who was dressed like a wizard beside her, heighten their vigilance.
Even Iris, seated on the throne, tightly gripped her holy sword. If Ethan were here, he would sense the terrifying magical power flowing from within Iris's body, which could rival or even surpass Verdia.
"Don't be nervous, I'm just a passing demon…"
In the middle of the hall, a figure had appeared unnoticed. The figure had a slender and tall build, yet radiated a power that made one's hair stand on end. He wore a neat and luxurious evening suit, his face even covered by an impenetrable black-and-white mask. The figure appeared to be male.
A demon!?
*WHOOSH!-
As soon as those words were spoken, Claire immediately released her knight's sword like an arrow shot from a bow, slashing directly at the masked man's body. However, facing such a sudden attack, the masked man only grinned, then with one hand, blocked the incoming knight's sword!
The knight's sword was stopped by the masked man!
However, the sight of the floor beginning to cave in showed everyone just how much force Claire had exerted, and the masked man had only used one hand to deflect the attack, which also showed everyone just how strong the masked man was!
"What!? Rain, attack together!"
Claire had not expected the opponent to possess such immense strength, which shocked her. But she was not just a decoration as the princess's guard. In an instant, she made the best combat decision at the moment, calling for Rain, who was also the princess's guard.
"Hypnosis!"
Seeing this shocking scene, Rain's eyes widened, causing her to forget what to do. Only after hearing Claire's call did she snap out of it and use her magic to attack the masked man.
It was a spell to hypnotize the enemy, but it had no effect on the masked man—or at least not entirely. At the very least, it made him yawn out of boredom.
"Hey, hey, I already said I'm just passing by. Why are you two attacking me all of a sudden?!!" The masked man shouted strangely, but his voice made Claire and Rain's faces turn grim.
"How did a demon get into the royal capital!? And even into the palace!?" That was Claire's disbelieving shout as her knight's sword was held back by the masked man with one hand.
"Your Highness, please retreat quickly. Leave the rest to us!" Those were Rain's words, who on one hand was worried about Iris's safety, and on the other hand was gathering all the magical power in her body to prepare a powerful spell.
However, Iris, as the one being protected, not only had no intention of fleeing but also gripped her holy sword and stood up. The powerful aura, comparable to Verdia's, was directly aimed at the masked man.
"Such a strong aura, perhaps not inferior to an ordinary Devil King General. It's no wonder you're said to be of royal blood, huh?" Even facing such immense power, the masked man remained calm, as if such strength meant nothing to him!
"Possessing such power, yet you remain confined within this palace like a bird in a gilded cage? Compared to the rookie adventurers you look down upon, the nobles and royal family, who possess great strength and the responsibility to protect the people, instead choose to be passive. Isn't that even more inappropriate?"
"I came this time not to fight you, but to bring you good news, and of course, bad news as well…"
And the day after the masked man appeared and disappeared…
"Her Highness the Princess is missing—!"