“U-Um… Takatsuki-sama? Are you sure it’s okay for me to be here?” Chapters fırst released on 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⚫𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵 Sa-san’s older sister was walking nervously. “It’s fine, it’s fine.” (Makoto) This was the central government office of the Demon Capital, Wreath. Sa-san and her older sister came here together with me. By the way, when I first spoke to her in the Dim Forest, she suspiciously asked, “…Who are you?” “Big Sis, Takatsuki-kun is my husband.” (Aya) “Heh… then I guess I owe you for taking care of my little sister.” “Ah, nice to meet yo—wait, Takatsuki…Makoto?” Her neck turned stiffly as she looked toward Sa-san. “Hey, little sister.” “What is it, Big Sis?” (Aya) “Um… I’m probably mistaken, but… I mean…” Sa-san tilted her head in confusion. “The name Takatsuki Makoto…it’s the same as the guy who beat the Ancient Dragon King… That’s just a coincidence, right?” “The one who beat the Demon Lord Astaroth is Takatsuki-kun.” (Aya) “Eeep! Say that sooner! I’m so sorry! Takatsuki-sama! That was incredibly rude of me…” “Takatsuki-kun is nice, so it’s fine, Big Sis.” (Aya) “It’s really okay, you can talk to me normally.” (Makoto) “Impossible! I can’t speak so casually to the Dragon King!” So she didn’t relax at all. Sa-san’s older sister is basically like family, though. “So…what kind of job are you offering in the Demon Capital?” “I heard the central office in Wreath is short-staffed. Would you be interested in checking it out?” (Makoto) That’s what I said, and she agreed. (But thinking about it calmly, from my position, it might be hard for demons to refuse…) (Makoto) To the demons, the one who defeated the Ancient Dragon King Astaroth is treated as the Dragon King. But if I don’t reveal my status, people don’t really take me seriously. It’s inconvenient. I wish there was something in between. We arrived at the inner office area while I was thinking that. “Oh my, Makoto-dono. You’ve come again today. Have you found the person you were searching for?” Setekh, working alone as usual, spoke to me. His eyes were covered with cloth to prevent his petrifying eyes from activating. He could always sense who was around just by presence alone. “I found her safely.” (Makoto) “That’s good to hear… Oh, looks like there’s someone new.” (Setekh) Even with his eyes closed, he could sense someone besides me, Sa-san, and Lucy. “Let me introduce you. This is the Lamia we were searching for, Sa-san’s older sister.” “Nice to meet you, Setekh-sama! I’m from the West Continent’s Laberintos. I currently live in the Dim Forest.” “Oh, how polite. Please relax.” (Setekh) Smiling… Though I couldn’t see his face, Setekh replied cheerfully. “N-No! I couldn’t be rude to Setekh-sama, rumored to be the next Demon Lord…” Sa-san’s sister was incredibly nervous. Wait, Setekh-san is the next Demon Lord!? Also, isn’t Setekh-san a follower of Noah-sama? That means the next Demon Lord would come from our faction. Is that okay? (Aren’t you one too, Makoto?) (Noah) (I’m not! I never agreed to that!) (Makoto) I only beat the Ancient Dragon King, that’s all. “By the way, Makoto-dono, do you have business today?” (Setekh) Prompted by Setekh, I remembered the original purpose of our visit. “Actually, I was wondering if you could hire Sa-san’s sister at the central office. You mentioned being short-staffed before, right?” (Makoto) The Dim Forest seems like a rough place to live. Staying there long term probably isn’t good for one’s health or mental well-being. “Oh! Is that so? That would be very helpful… But, are you sure?” (Setekh) “O-Of course! I’ll do my very best!” Sa-san’s sister bowed deeply. {Hey, Aya. Was this okay?} (Lucy) {Yeah, I’m glad Takatsuki-kun introduced her. I couldn’t have done it myself.} (Aya) {Hmm, if you’re okay with it, then it’s fine.} (Lucy) I could hear Sa-san and Lucy chatting behind me. Sa-san seemed to be worried about her sister, too. “Takatsuki-sama! Thank you so much!” “Not at all.” (Makoto) Sa-san’s sister bowed deeply again. “And…you too… Thank you.” Sa-san replied softly in response to her sister’s words. She probably hasn’t completely forgiven her, but her expression was calm. Alright, that settles that. After that, Sa-san apparently started visiting her sister in the Demon Capital from time to time. While they might not be completely past everything… They started having small conversations. As a side note, the central office of Wreath is an incredibly busy workplace, and Sa-san told me her sister sometimes grumbled, “Maybe living in the Dim Forest was better…but since the Dragon King referred me, I can’t quit…” …That’s not what I intended when I introduced her. After I warned Setekh to manage the workload better, the working environment reportedly improved. Toxic workplaces are bad. Maybe the reason no one applies to the central office is because Setekh takes on too much work… If there are other demons struggling to find work, I’ll try introducing them, too. If the staff increases, the burden on each person will go down. And thus, the journey to find Sa-san’s sister came to an end. ◇The Sun Country: Grand Conference Room◇ At a regular meeting of the Seven Nations Alliance. The large, bowl-shaped conference room was filled with high officials from each country. At the center was a huge monitor where various issues from the West Continent were being discussed. I happened to be in the Sun Country on the day of the meeting, and Furiae-san roped me into attending. The meeting proceeded peacefully. “What’s the trade situation with the North Continent?” “Imports of magic stones and magic steel are stable. We’re exporting food and clothing in return, and there are no issues.” “It seems they’re interested in livestock in the Demon Capital, but regular animals don’t do well on the Demon Continent…” “That’s because the soil and feed plants are vastly different.” “Environmental differences will continue to be a challenge.” Relations with the North Continent didn’t seem bad. “What about the South Continent countries?” “We haven’t heard from the Grandflare Empire recently. They weren’t too active in trade to begin with.” “That empire can handle things on its own. It’s the world’s largest country by landmass.” “They’ll probably contact us if anything happens.” “No need to prod them unnecessarily.” “And what about Caldia?” “The Holy Union maintains friendly relations through the Goddess Church, but it’s so far away…” “The Holy Capital Arshaam is deep in the mountains.” “We can’t reach it directly by airship either.” “Well, that’s just how it is.” The South Continent is apparently known for the Grandflare Empire and the Holy Nation of Caldia. “And then there’s the East Continent…” “Hopeless. Still in conflict. They’re asking for aid from every nation.” “It’s dangerous to support one side and earn the hatred of the other.” “For now, we’ll abstain.” And so the meeting continued. In the past, the Sun Country of Highland and the Moon Country of Laphroaig had a poor relationship, and meetings used to be chaotic. I glanced toward the most prominent seats in the room, where royalty and nobles sat, and two figures stood out. Queen Furiae in a noble, night-like black dress. Queen Noel in a bright, sun-colored orange dress. Their seats were side by side, shoulders touching as they whispered quietly. {Is it almost over?} (Furiae) {If there are no more topics, yes.} (Noel) {This is so boring.} (Furiae) {You shouldn’t say things like that, Furiae.} (Noel) {Hey, Noel. What’s for dinner today?} (Furiae) {A banquet with the meeting participants. Same as always.} (Noel) {I mean after that. My Knight is here today, so let’s go out into the city or something.} (Furiae) {…Well, okay.} (Noel) I could hear their whispers from their adjacent seats. They have grown quite close recently. Thanks to that, the hostility between the people of the Sun and Moon Countries has lessened. “Well then, if there are no other topics, today’s meeting will—“ Just as the moderator was about to close the meeting… “Everyone! We’ve just received an urgent report, and I would like to bring it to this session immediately!” The meeting was about to end peacefully, but an interruption came. Judging by his outfit, he was likely affiliated with the Sun Knights Order. A quiet stir spread through the room. “What now?” “Is it really worth taking up the time of the noble individuals present here?” The moderator gave the knight who had entered a sharp glare. “Yes! If we wait until the next meeting, it may be too late!” “Understood. Proceed.” “We’ve just received a report that monster activity has intensified around the Last Dungeon, the Abyss, located in the Arctic Continent. It could be a precursor to a large-scale Stampede.” “The Arctic Continent, huh… That’s far.” “Shouldn’t we notify the Demon City on the North Continent first, since it’s geographically closer?” “We’ve already sent a messenger. However, the demons of the Demon City rarely take proactive steps when it comes to investigating in advance…” “Demons are individualistic, after all.” “They probably think they’ll just deal with it once something actually happens.” “How many years has it been since the Abyss last stirred?” “Wasn’t it thirty years ago?” “Sea monsters that overflowed from the Last Dungeon caused major damage to coastal cities back then.” “It’s too dangerous to ignore…” “Should we form an investigation team?” “It will hurt the emergency budget, but…we have no choice.” “Is a state of emergency declaration necessary?” “We’re not there yet…just on alert for now.” “By the way, which country will take the lead on the investigation team?” “The honor of going first should go to the Sun Country, naturally…” “No, no, there’s no need to be so modest. We’d feel bad stealing your credit. The Fire Country and the Moon Country have many brave warriors and mages.” “The Fire Country is currently busy dealing with a surge of monsters in their desert…” “The Moon Country’s mages are all tied up in a royal capital expansion project…” No country was eager to take charge of the investigation team. Well, it would cost money, and no one really wanted to step up. I noticed that Queen Noel, who had remained silent, was starting to rise. This must be one of those moments where the Queen makes a decisive call. If Queen Noel spoke up, it would likely settle the matter right then and there. That’s why I figured, if I had something to say, now was the time. “Excuse me! Would it be okay if I handled the investigation of the Abyss?” (Makoto) Everyone around me turned to look all at once. I’d just been to the Abyss recently with Momo. And this time, the investigation would probably just be at the entrance, so it shouldn’t be dangerous. That was my reasoning when I volunteered. Queen Noel looked dumbfounded, and Furiae-san and Princess Sofia were holding their heads. (Huh? Was that not okay?) (Makoto) I only spoke up because no one else seemed willing to take on the task. “If that’s the case, I’ll go too. With Takatsuki-kun.” The meeting grew noisy. I recognized the voice… It was one I knew very well. “Sakurai-kun?” (Makoto) “I’ll go with you, Takatsuki-kun.” (Sakurai) With a dazzling smile, the one speaking was none other than Sakurai-kun, the current Vice-King of the Sun Country and Light Hero. >She’s a hated enemy, but once she realized that the tragedy was unintentional and her goals were different, someone as kind as Sa-san wouldn’t be able to kill her. -I’m glad to see that most readers agree with not having Sa-san go through with revenge by killing her sister. Also, her sister’s story was a major unresolved thread, so I’m happy it’s now been properly addressed. Tomorrow is another update for Zero Attack Power.