The Dark General Rizzeto had been exchanged to the Demon King's Castle.

　He should have been given the task of rebuilding Lasperda Fortress at the front line, but he had urgent business to attend to.
　Although he had assumed a key position in the Demon King's army, the position of the Dark General, he still held the role of special agent in the Demon King's army.

　The special agent was a position that supervised the incompetent Four Heavenly Kings and sometimes performed their duties on their behalf, so he naturally had to react to any major moves on the part of the Four Heavenly Kings.

　The Four Heavenly Kings began to make big moves in the army as soon as the new members joined, and as a special agent, he couldn't afford to overlook this.

　He immediately returned to his home base from the front lines.

　It's a good thing that you're not the only one who knows the harshness of your position.

The only thing that can make you jealous of Dariel at times like this is the fact that he's so jealous...?

　In his mind, he thinks of his former colleague.

　When Lizete joined the Demon King's Army as a young dark soldier, there were hundreds of peers, but the man who stood out among them was Dariel.

　Even though he couldn't use magic at all, he had a sharp mind and wild judgment, and he never doubted the slightest bit when it came to life-or-death situations, nor did he ever make a mistake in his decisions.

　On top of that, he was a favorite of the Four Heavenly Kings Granbaza, the chief executive at the time, and was given an important role while remaining a lowly dark soldier, unable to use magic and remaining the lowest-ranking dark soldier.

　He was off the mark, saying that those who didn't talk were 'favourites', but Lizet knew that.

　That it was an important role that only Dariel could play.

　In fact, Dariel's decisions had saved the Demon King's army more than once.

　Such a Dariel was also involved in the political upheaval and was chased out of the Demon King's army.

　But in the end, it was probably a good thing.
　After Dariel's departure, the Demon King's army was in turmoil, and it was plunging into the most difficult time of modern times.

　Grumberza, the hero of the previous era, and Dariel, who supported Grumberza from the shadows.

　The Demon King's army without these two men was like losing a pillar stone, and under the young and inexperienced New Four Heavenly Kings, the chain of command was torn to shreds by a series of arbitrary instructions.

　Lizet recalls that those days were the most painful.
　In fact, back then, Lizet had once collapsed due to sores on her stomach wall.

　On the other hand, Dariel, despite being dismissed from the Demon King's Army, had managed to find a new place to live, and he was sailing his life with smooth sailing there.

　I knew he was a guy who could make it wherever he went, but when his true birth was discovered and he gained his aura abilities according to his origins, his former colleague finally became a true monster who was out of his depth.

　He possessed a general talent, expositional strength, and determination. In addition to that, he also has the strength to defeat a thousand troops and horses with a single rider, so he was a strong man who could make himself a brave man or the Four Heavenly Kings.

　And yet, he has selflessly retreated to a rural village, where he works as the village chief.

　He got a wife, was blessed with children, and had a life that was so peaceful and full of life that the current Lizet could not even imagine.

''Well this one is just too busy to handle it.

　He was so busy that the number of visits to his old friend's house had decreased so much that he had mistakenly thought he was a child of his peers who had grown up in the Rasperda fortress.

　He is still very busy right now.

　After the death of the problematic Bashvaza, the New Four Heavenly Kings did not cause any major problems, but this time, for the first time in a long time, there were indications that something outrageous was about to happen.

　Even though the two old males had joined hands with each other, and the period of calm since the beginning of the human and demonic struggle had arrived....

''Why are you moving your army at this time...?''

　Resist the urge to scream out, and yet he hurriedly returned to the Demon King's Castle.

　A unit of the Demon King's army was already assembled there, ready to launch an attack.

　The commanders were the newly selected members of the Four Heavenly Kings.

◆

"Bezzeria-dono!

　As soon as they arrived, they were bitten by the Four Heavenly Kings.

　It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what to expect when you're in a position to do something about it.

　The only person who could make things happen was the Four Heavenly Kings of Water, the only person who had survived the reshuffle and was now an old hand.

''What do you think you're doing, Bezalia-dono!　Raising an army without consulting me, a special agent?
Calm down, Lizet?　We're both old. You don't want to get too angry all the time, do you?

　Whose fault is it that my blood vessels are about to burst........

　Lizet takes a deep breath, suppressing the urge to scream.

''Well, aren't you a wizard who's good at the water attribute, too?　Can't we just get along as fellow water mages?

　Despite his familiarity, Lizet is wary of the depths of this quadruple-king, as he can't quite see it.

　He is the only survivor from the previous regime. Bezelia of the 'muddy water' that cannot see into the depths........


Yeah, we'll be in charge of each other.

　The Four Heavenly Kings have a particularly special role in the Demon King's army.

　Their main objective is to stop the assassins who are aiming at the Demon King from being brave enough to kill him.

　

　The rest of the Demon King's Army will carry out miscellaneous duties such as eliminating monsters and criminals in the Demon territory, while the Four Heavenly Kings will focus only on countermeasures against the brave.

　For that reason, the Four Heavenly Kings, who had the authority to give orders to the entire Demon King's Army, were in a very powerful position, and at the same time, it was a proof of the seriousness of their mission.

　The Demon King's army.......the Four Heavenly Kings must stand in the way of the brave men with their pride.

''It's true that the earlier attack on the heroes was a shock. I was able to reach the Demon King without anyone noticing.
''Yeah, I was completely outsmarted by my stakeout at the ruins of Lasperda Fortress. I thought that the only way for a brave man to attack up to the Demon King was to pass through that place.

　To be precise, Droyer and Zebiantes noticed and went to stop it, but neither of them mentioned it.

''Since then, the defense system of our Demon King's army has been blanked out. The premise that it's enough to protect the Rasperda Fortress has fallen apart, and the brave men don't know where to enter the Demon King's Army from...!
That's why it's considered best for us Four Heavenly Kings to stay back and protect the Demon Lord in his immediate vicinity. Instead, you've been promoted to the rank of Darklord, and you'll be the one to go to the front lines.

　To be honest, one could wonder if there was any point in rebuilding Lasperda Fortress under these circumstances, but the work was necessary to keep the truce agreement with the human race alive.

　No matter how you look at it, the conflict with the human race was just a hassle that would slow down the progress of the demon race.

''The front line will be left to the regular leaders of our Demon King's army, and the Four Heavenly Kings will take up the defense in the Demon King's immediate vicinity. I'm not going to be able to get a new hero to attack again any time soon. Wasn't that supposed to be the plan?
I'm not going to be able to tell you what to do. I'm sure you're not the only one.
".........huh?

　An attitude that seems to have groped that human being.
　The praise seems to belittle the opponent.

　I'm not sure if Bezelia has lost all her colleagues and is leading an unreliable newcomer, or if she has been freed from all the fetters and is now able to show off her creepiness to the fullest.

'And besides, I don't run the army for no reason either, you know?　It's something to think about. I hope you get the idea of that part, don't you?
Where the hell do you want to hit?
It's a mithril mine.
'Mithril mine?'

　Hearing the name, Lizet is more and more confused.

　It has already been six years since the Mithril Mine, which was once in the hands of the demon race, was stolen by the human race.
　Since the loss of the mine was the fault of the demon king's army (Bashbarza alone, to be precise), the action to recapture it was forbidden by the demon king's order.

You must have cooled down by now.　The Mithril Mine is of outstanding importance. I think it's about time we got it back in the hands of the demon tribe, don't you?
Why is this happening at this time?　A truce has now been signed between the demons with the rebuilding of Lasperda Fortress as the main objective!　If we take military action now, we will have broken the agreement!
''It was the human race that did that first. Remember at what point the brave man attacked the Demon Lord?

　That being said, it was hard to argue with Lizet.

　When the brave raid happened, the agreement almost collapsed as well, but it was somehow averted by the desperate mending of both human and demon camps.

　After all, no one wants warfare.

　And yet, if Bezzeria took an unnecessary step and attacked the Mithril mine with an army, it was now a noble military action.
　The situation will get worse, and the demon race and the human race will probably plunge into an all-out war.

If this is the result of your whims, Bezelia-dono, I will do my best to stop you. We can't let the wavering that threatens the world out of the demon race's side.......!
'Don't lump me in with Bashvaza, please. I don't see the word 'fickle' in my dictionary.
So...?
It's a probe, Mr. Lysate, it's a probe.

　Bezelia said with an unprecedented seriousness.

'My theory is that the brave men are staring at us from the Mithril mines.
What?
They actually have a bunch of adventurers stationed there under the guise of security, don't they?　Neither Droyer nor Zebiantes spoke up until the end. That's why we'll just have to shake things up from here, won't we?

　The Mithril mine is a key location.
　If that location is compromised...

The other party will have no choice but to make a move. The mastermind who sent the brave man to the Demon King. This is just one step in a far-reaching plan.

　In order to protect the Demon King, it was urgent to identify the secret raid route of the heroes.
　If that policy was issued, it was impossible for Lizet to rebel any further.

''This is my hunch, though. The identity of the mastermind might be someone you and I both know more than we think, right?

　After something like that, Bezelia left at the end of the day.
　It was probably to order the troops he had gathered to march in earnest.

　His discarded line stung deeply in Lizet's chest. The face of his long-time friend came into his mind.

''...Dariel, is that you...?''

　Rizzet knows that the man who is practically ruling the Mithril Mine now is none other than that man.

　Dariel's current village of Lux Village is surprisingly close to the Demon King's Castle, and with his talent, he could send a brave man to the Demon King's Castle without anyone noticing....

　

''Dariel.......You were once a member of the Demon King's army and now you want to threaten the Demon King?

　Lyseto, who has never known the series of disasters caused by the inferno, can only think so.
　Knowing the true desires of the Demon King and finding out that sponsoring a brave man is not in any way inconsistent with his loyalty to the Demon King, Lizet cannot reach him.

''If you become a human race in body and mind and try to kill the Demon King-sama. I must defeat him as a member of the Demon King's army...!

　One responsible man prepared himself.

　The Demon King's Army went to the Mithril Mine with its actual abilities........