Ch.130130. Fishing

Finally, I’m going to enter the Demonic Land.

That was my first thought when I heard that the Beast King wanted to speak with me.

It wasn’t that my body was burning with anticipation for a showdown with the Demon Lord. Nor was I intoxicated with the desire to create an epic tale while enduring a harsh journey through the Demonic Land for months. I never even wanted to be praised as the Hero in the first place.

I just couldn’t think of any other reason why Beast King Leoneo would seek me out.

Our agreement was simple. If the Beast King helped me defeat the Demon Lord in the shortest time possible, I would give them a few islands where the beasts from the border forests could live safely and prosperously.

That was it. We didn’t even have a written contract.

Leoneo wasn’t stupid by any means. He must have known that if he betrayed me, his people would be massacred. Perhaps he was waiting for the day the Demon Lord would be defeated even more desperately than I was.

‘It’s earlier than expected, but entering the Demonic Land now isn’t a bad idea.’

I sat in front of the communication crystal, feeling a subtle tension rising within me.

However, what the Beast King told me moments later was somewhat disappointing.

“Hero. I want to know how our agreement is progressing.”

“……”

He seemed curious about whether the land for the beasts’ mass migration was being secured smoothly.

In the end, it was a real estate inquiry. Considering that countless beast lives depended on this promise, it made sense for him to be thorough. I was just surprised that the Beast King, whom I thought had a straightforward personality, was being so meticulous.

“…There’s a country called Islas in the allied nations. Or rather, I should say ‘there was.’ It’s a sizable island that served as the royal capital with several smaller islands attached to it.”

“Are you giving that place to us? What’s the progress?”

“…I’ve mobilized intelligence forces to evacuate the natives. According to adventurers, tens of thousands of people have already left the island. The rest are gradually leaving too. You won’t have to wait because of a lack of land. Is that enough?”

“No, that’s insufficient.”

The Beast King seemed to have many more questions.

He asked detailed questions about whether there were enough forests on the island and if there was sufficient clean freshwater. It felt like dealing with a head of household looking for a home in the 5th Imperial District.

While answering everything I knew, I couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

Surely the Beast King wasn’t desperate for a luxurious life for himself, so why was he suddenly so impatient?

I decided to think from the Beast King’s perspective for a moment.

The unsettled atmosphere within the Demon Lord’s army after two of the Tetrad had been eliminated.

The precarious position of the beasts trying to deceive the Demon Lord’s army.

And the loneliness of the Beast King who had to control all beasts ‘alone’ in that difficult situation.

Just considering these factors, I could quickly estimate the situation.

“Are you having difficulty controlling the beasts?”

“……”

Judging by his silence, my guess wasn’t wrong.

I never thought the Beast King, a lizardman who commanded respect even from furry creatures, would have trouble managing his subordinates. I thought his authority would remain solid even if the imperial authority were to waver.

But Leoneo himself didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding that he was in a difficult situation.

Rather, he became more talkative, as if grateful that I understood.

“Actually, I told the tribal chiefs that we would have to ‘board ships’ to reach new lands. You may laugh, but this is a very sensitive matter for beasts, so I had to explain. Most of them don’t understand the concept of ships and sailing, so it took a long time.”

“I managed to make them understand, but since then, many beasts have become terrified. Several were repulsed by the fact that they would have to live without touching soil for weeks. Even I couldn’t soothe this fear.”

“If I had suggested invading the Demonic Land instead, the beasts would have gladly followed, even if it meant annihilation. But this is a different matter.”

More afraid of sailing than death.

It wasn’t funny; rather, it seemed very beast-like.

The Beast King said he used all his knowledge to portray the allied nations as paradise to comfort the terrified beasts.

Warm climate, a safe environment where young cubs could play without fear of death or injury, and a fantastic residence where humans would bring delicious food without them having to do anything.

It truly deserved to be called paradise for beasts.

I couldn’t help but smile wryly imagining the Beast King, who had never been on a ship or lived in the allied nations himself, somehow scraping together knowledge to comfort his people.

This guy seemed to be struggling as much as I was. If I was shouldering the fate of the Empire, the Beast King was responsible for all the beasts at the border.

We were even similar in controlling our groups with false hope.

Although there was a difference—the Beast King genuinely cared for his subordinates while I reluctantly took on the responsibility—I couldn’t help but feel a strange sentiment. Who would have thought that the leader of beasts who could crunch small animals with bones and all would have similar concerns to mine?

Of course, I couldn’t just sympathize with the Beast King’s hardships and leave it at that.

If left unchecked, the situation could become quite problematic.

The Beast King’s current stance was “pretending to search for gold veins while blocking human invasion and looking for openings,” but if the Demon Lord’s army wasn’t stupid, they were likely monitoring him. After all, the border was the Demon Lord’s army’s front yard.

Could a cornered Beast King serve as an excellent guide?

The outlook was bleak for now. Perhaps the Demon Lord’s army would use the Beast King in reverse to gain an advantageous position.

‘I can’t use him if I leave him like this.’

It might be better to use him before his value plummets.

Having made up my mind, I spoke immediately.

“Leoneo. It’s impossible for you alone to perfectly control all beasts. Of course, no beast will maliciously betray you, but there will certainly be some who unknowingly serve as the eyes and ears of the Demon Lord’s army.”

“…I won’t deny that.”

“You need to move first before such unfortunate events occur.”

There was no immediate response.

By now, the Beast King was probably cursing me internally. He might be regretting having joined hands with someone like me.

And more than anything else, he probably didn’t like the idea of gambling his race’s fate.

However, I didn’t feel sorry at all.

The gamble I was forcing on the Beast King had an overwhelmingly higher probability of winning than the Empire’s lottery, at least.

***

After the communication with the Hero ended, the Beast King remained silent for a while.

He had been doing his best to deceive the eyes of the Demon Lord’s army for the past few months.

He had sent beasts to search for gold dust and avoided confrontation with humans. The Border Commander had also cooperated by reducing the number of border patrols. They even dropped off food and necessities for the beasts at designated locations (negotiated with the Hero) and left.

“I’ll just take advantage of gold-crazed humans until the ceasefire agreement ends.”

This was the excuse the Beast King gave to the Demon Lord’s castle.

However, the Beast King knew better than anyone that the Demon Lord’s army didn’t trust him. They might not think he had genuinely joined forces with the Hero, but it didn’t change anything. He was being suspected either way.

It was clear that he needed to try something before it was too late.

The problem was that the method proposed by the Hero was too dangerous.

– You need to step forward yourself. There’s a way to use the Demon Lord army’s suspicion of beasts against them.

The Hero said that if successful, it would not only reduce the Demon Lord army’s strength but also potentially advance the timing of the Demon Lord’s subjugation.

But if things went wrong…

‘I’ll die.’

It wasn’t just about the Beast King’s own death. If things went wrong, the lives of all beasts could be at risk.

He knew that without taking risks, he couldn’t deceive the upper echelons of the Demon Lord’s army, but he couldn’t readily implement it out of concern.

What should he do?

Unfortunately, Leoneo wasn’t even allowed the luxury of agonizing. A beast barged into his quarters.

“Leo sir! We’ve made another big haul today!”

It was a report from a mature canine beast with moisture beading on its fur.

He had been searching for gold dust as instructed by the Beast King.

These days, beasts were taking turns by tribe, gently sifting through the soil and sand accumulated at the bottom of valleys and streams. They hadn’t suddenly become obsessed with get-rich-quick schemes; they were just following the Beast King’s instruction to “find shiny particles mixed in the sand.”

Beasts diligently carrying out the Beast King’s orders for hours each day, not even knowing what gold dust was.

‘These guys don’t follow me because they trust me completely either.’

It was more reasonable to assume they were following orders despite being filled with doubts.

They moved while questioning whether this activity had any meaning, whether it was right to trust humans and float on seawater for weeks on a ship. All while hoping that Leoneo wouldn’t betray their expectations.

The Beast King finally realized it wasn’t the time to worry.

He had already decided to side with the Hero.

The choice had been made, so all that remained was to take responsibility. If things went wrong, he would fight to the death.

Having made up his mind, Beast King Leoneo contacted the Demon Lord’s army staff for the first time in a while and announced:

“We’ve found gold dust. This likely means there’s a gold vein nearby. I’m wondering if I should inform the humans, no, the Hero. What do you think I should do?”

The gold-obsessed Hero predicted that the Demon Lord, who had developed a taste for amateur scheming, would take the bait if he recited this. The Beast King thought the same.

Of course, no gold dust had been discovered yet, but by now, the Beast King could lie without hesitation. It was a basic necessity for survival in these chaotic times.

Indeed, the Demon Lord showed interest not long after.