I am the Sky King, the King of the Sky Island, the great ruler of the Holy Sky Kingdom of Seraphium, the king of the Sky Island that floats in the heavens.
　Although he is not true royalty, his ancestors wrote that it was inevitable in order to maintain order in the sky island.
　And I'm glad of that, because it gives me a good life.

By the way, when I ascended the throne, I didn't have a commoner's name, and the Sky King was my name.
　And now I'm looking for a queen.

　Since I reigned on the throne for more than ten years, we've had our share of food problems and magic item degradation, but for the time being the country has held together.
And the country was supposed to be held together peacefully from now on.

　Until those groundlings came to our country.
　When I heard that the illegal immigrant appeared in our country, I ordered my trusty Knights of the Sky to capture the intruder. Of course, you also tell them that you don't mind killing them if they disobey.

　However, the earthly man who calls himself Rex defeated the knights and the knights of the Kingsguard with fearsome strength and attacked this celestial castle, and even destroyed my trump card, the golem army.

　To be honest, I thought I was going to die, but for some reason he asked me if I knew why the Celestial Continent that once existed had collapsed.
I don't know for sure, but when I kindly answered the question, this little boy easily returned the kibisu to me and tried to leave.

What in the world is he doing here?
You don't really think that was the sole purpose of the question?

　And then, for some reason, I had come to Morishima.

Why did I come to such a dangerous place as Morishima Island...

　Since a strong man has come all this way, I asked him to eliminate the demons that are the main cause of the food problem.
There was also the problem of the deterioration of magic items.

And then that little boy Lex, he dragged me to Morishima forcibly.
　He told me that he was going to slay a demon and that he wanted me to see it up close.

　I've got the knights and guards with me, but they're nowhere near as good as the fearsome demons that nestle in Morishima.
　Frankly speaking, I want to go home right now.
　Could it be that I asked the wrong person to do the job?

Now, we will take out the demons that occupy Morishima Island!

　The little boy stands in front of the Order and declares.
　He is a hateful little boy, but he has to admit his power.
　Do your best to be of use to me.
　You'll have to be useful or I'll be in danger.

"So, Lex-dono, how in the world are you going to defeat the demons of the forest island?

　Calm asks the kid to come up with a concrete plan.
　No matter how strong he is, it's impossible to defeat the demons lurking in this vast forest island without a plan.

　This is a surprisingly large island in the sky.
　It's true that it's smaller than the former Sky Continent, but even so, a large Empty Island is as big as a small country.

　　This Morishima Island, which I visited, is also a decent size among the empty islands, with most of the island being forest.
　In fact, it had to be that big to support our people for hundreds of years.

''We'll solve that with this.''

　And then the boy took out the treasure from the magic box that was found in my treasure room the other day.

You can't do that. You can't defeat a demon with a necklace.

　Yes, the little boy took out a necklace that is one of the treasures.
　It's true that it has a number of large jewels on it, so its monetary value would be high, but that kind of thing is of no use in defeating demons.

I'm not so sure about that. To tell the truth, this is a magic item.

　'Magic item,' said the kid.

'Is it?　Magic item?

Yes, this is undoubtedly a magic item.

What kind of magic item is that?

　The kid's companion, I think it's called Liliella..............................asks the kid what kind of magic item she is.
　Mm-hmm, you can work on behalf of me.

''It would be quicker if you could see it in person.

　As he said this, the little boy touched the jewelry on the necklace.

''This magic item is called Substitute Ruin.

　What is that blatantly suspicious name?

"This magic item is activated by pressing the gem in the middle.

　The forest starts to buzz in response to the boy's words.

What's going on?

Your Majesty!　Give me a handout!

　Calm and Baldy step in front of me and hold their weapons.
　Yes, protect me.

"Kid!　What's the effect of that magic item!　Does it have anything to do with the forest anomaly that's going on right now!

　When Yu asked a question, the little boy nodded with a smile.

''Yes, this magic item is a decoy magic item that, when activated, will attract demons within 5km of the surrounding area.

　It's a decoy magic item that attracts demons to you.

A decoy?

　Wait a minute!　Doesn't that mean that all the demons in the area will be attracted to this place?

""Gao-ohh!"

　Dozens of demons emerge from the forest.

"Hiiii?

"All hands to protect your Majesty!

　The Knights surround them to protect the world, but the demons are more than twice as numerous as the Knights.
　There's no way they can win.

Ha ha ha ha!

'It's okay.

　The little boy fiddled with the necklace again, but this time he threw it vigorously into the sky deep in the forest.
　Then the demons followed the necklace thrown by the boy and soared into the sky.

　As I see it, if the necklace attracts them, the demons will leave if you throw the necklace far enough away.
　No wonder.

So what are you going to do now?

Yes, this is how you lure a demon in for a while...

　The little boy breaks the word once and then tells him.

'The necklace is going to explode in a big way.'

...What?

　At that moment, with a terrific explosion, the sky was enveloped in light.

''Wha, what the hell?

''Your Majesty!''

　Calm and Baldy protect me from the blast, protecting me from the blast.
Good job, boys!　That's my vassal!

　Then, after the light and blast disappeared, all the demons that were there up to that point had disappeared.
　All that was left was some of the demons that were blown up.

''Kyu!''

　The beast that the little girl was holding jumped out and began to eat the flesh of the demons scattered about.
　Will you not be a little frightened by this situation, animal!

''And thus, the substitute doom is a magic item that attracts the demon, then explodes and blows up everything.

What kind of a dangerous thing is that?

　Who in the world has created such a crazy magic item!

It's a clever name for a substitute because it attracts demons and explodes to destroy them. It's different to evaluate whether this is a substitution item used by the guards to protect the Lord, or whether it was a two-tiered trap to assassinate someone or take the place of someone you don't know anything about.

Either way, it's the worst item in the world!

How could such a vile magic item be hidden in my castle?

But thanks to this magic item, we've been able to defeat a lot of demons without any casualties.

Well, that's a good thing.

''By the way, based on the size of the jewels used in this magic item, I'm guessing that in terms of money, it would have been worth several hundred gold coins.

"What the hell?

　Worth several hundred gold coins?　It's true that my Celestial Kingdom depends on earthly tributes for its food, but that doesn't mean that they don't trade in money.

They even have secret deals with merchants from other towns on the ground without telling the town that they're asking for tribute.
　Of course, I've ordered them to do business without their wings so that they don't find out that I'm from the sky.

　I'm the king, after all.
　It's an important role for a king to spend money to keep the economy going.

　That's why the boy's statement that he blew up a jewel worth hundreds of gold coins was unpardonable.



....

　The little boy smiles silently.

"Hey, hey, won't you answer my question!

'No, we have to get back your precious hunting grounds in Kuuujima!

　With that said, the boy takes out a number of treasures that look like magic items from his pocket.
It's a very good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

I'm going to have to ask you a question!

　How much is it worth in the world?

　◆

Hahaha, this is fun.

　Well, once I realized that this king is not a real king, but a king to unite people, I couldn't recognize him as an enemy in the true sense of the word.

　But it is true that he tried to capture me without question, tried to kill me, and tried to silence me, so I wanted him to apologize for that part, though.
　In the end, this king didn't apologize to me.

　Then I came to the treasure room and when I found the treasure inside the magic box there, it hit me.
　Oh, it's a magic item.

　It's a good thing that you have a good idea of what you're looking for, because this is a very common disguise for old magic items.

　As for the effects, I remember the boasting of magic items owned by someone I knew in my previous life and past life, and the magic item illustrated book in the country's library explained how to use it, so I knew how to use it.
　Oh, and depending on the item, knowing the person who made it was also a big deal.　

　I didn't think I'd ever have a chance to see magic items made by someone I knew in my previous life after my reincarnation.
　So I came up with an idea on how to get rid of those magic items successfully.

　Yes, surprise the King of the Sky with this.
　And so, I surprised the King of the Sky by using up all those precious and expensive magic items one after another.

　You might think it's a waste of money if I sell them, but I can't let these dangerous items go to the market anyway.
　Then it's better to be useful to people like this.

　It's a fun way to get back at the people who tried to kill me, so I can kill two birds with one stone!

　By the way, I briefly explained to Liliera-san right after I detonated the bomb.
　She scolded me for telling her those important things first, though.

　I'm going to use the rest of the magic items!
　Well, when I've used it all up, I'll beat you to it with this.

I'm going to...　

　As he pushes his way through the forest, a 20 meter tall monster appears ahead of him.
　Before the knights can intercept the monster, the boy holds up a magic item in his hand.

''This is a magic item worth 1500 gold coins!　Once you use it, it shatters to pieces!

So wait!

　A dazzling light was emitted from the magic item and it cut the demon in half.

''Gishaa!

　This time, an insect-shaped demon with huge horns appears.
　The little boy pulls out a beautifully decorated sword.
　Finally, he's going to fight normally.

''This magic item is worth 2,000 gold coins!　Of course it blows up when you use it!　How to use it is a throw!

"Why do you take the shape of a sword in that usage!

　When the sword pierced the demon's forehead, the demon was blown away without a trace.

The only thing you can do is to make sure that you have the right information. This is definitely worth 3,000 gold coins, let's take it down with this disposable magic item!　Of course, once you use it, it breaks without a trace.

Halt!

　So!　Why!　You little bastard!　Without hesitation!　You can now spend all your precious and expensive magic items!
　How much money have you been throwing away on this?

　Yes!　What in the world does this little boy have in mind?

　After knocking down the swarms of demons that were appearing one after another with disposable magic items, we had come deep into the forest island. We've come.
　Ah, another expensive magic item shattered.....

　The eyes of the knights were already staring at the faraway place, and even the little boy's fellow lasses were staring at him with resigned eyes.

''Oh?　Is there a big one on the way?

　That's when the little boy muttered.

''Tu!''

　A chill went through me.

".........tuh?

　I tried to scream, but I was too terrified to do so.
　It's not just me, but Calm, Bardi and the Knights as well.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this.

　This can't be....

　I remember the day when I was a little boy, when my father, the former King, had brought me to the edge of the empty island.
　From there, as the two of us looked at Morishima, my father told me.

"Behold, that is the abominable enemy that has robbed us of our livelihood.

　When Yo saw the demon towering over the trees on Morishima, he felt a strong fear.

　The fear from that day had struck me again.
　And this time it wasn't from across the island, but at close range.

''Goooooooooooooooooooooo!''

　A fearsome demon with jet-black scales moved in to destroy the intruders who were raiding its own territory.

''Storm Heavenly Demon Beast, Bahamut...''

　That was the name of the doomed demon that once attacked our country and still plagues the empty island.

''Bah, isn't Bahamut the most powerful class of demon, the S-ranked of the S-ranked?!''

The little boy's fellow lass screamed here.
　Haha, you finally grasped the situation, silly girl.
　But I do have a little sympathy for you.

''Lord Lex!　That demon is the hateful demon that stole this forest island from us!

　Calm cries out excitedly, but do you really think the boy can defeat that monster?

Goooooooooooooh!

Huh?　Oh, oh.....

　Ikan, Bahamut has captured me.
　I'm about to lose consciousness from the rage and murderous intent Bahamut unleashes.
　The mere presence of Bahamut is enough to make him fearful.
　If your instincts can't win, you scream out that there's no point in running away.

　Ah, it was still impossible.
　No matter how strong the little boy was, no matter how powerful his magic items were, it was completely useless in front of this substandard demon.......

I'm sorry.

　The little boy's completely unenthusiastic voice blew Bahamut's head off.

''...?''

　Hmm?　Did I say anything funny?
　Bahamut's head has been blown off, of all things, is a ridiculous thing.

　I look at Bahamut's figure as he stands up.
　Mm, as I thought, he doesn't have a head.
　........no?

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
　Once again, I look at Bahamut.
　Hmm, I still don't have a head.

"...Huh?

　Yoh, once again, I'm sure you're aware that Bahamut's head is wiped clean.

'It's not there!

　On this day, the horrible demon that had been tormenting us for so many years died, having lost its head.
　Enough, you little bastard.