With such questions lingering in his mind, Alain gazes intently at the old man.
Feeling such gaze from the boy, The old man seemed to ponder something for a moment and then said, "Hmm, perhaps that fortunate? Since we've come this far, it wouldn't be a bad idea to share the story from the beginning."
"Really?"
"Consider yourself lucky. Stories like this are not easy to come by. At least nowadays, only someone like me, who worked in a low-ranking government position in one of these countries, would have known such tales."
"..."
"Ha ha ha," the old man chuckled as he began to unravel the tale.
"First of all, the story begins 500 years ago. The monsters I mentioned earlier… all start with a madman known as the Demon King who created those monsters. At that time, there was a great war on the surface, resulting in countless deaths. Regardless of the circumstances, it is said that 'half' of humanity was slaughtered by the Demon King."
"..."
At those words, Alain frowned slightly. Did they really kill that many, 'half' of humanity?
"Well, there may have been some exaggeration in history. However, the Demon King indeed occupied half of the human lands in the eastern part of the continent, so it's not entirely incorrect. All the humans living in that land must have met their end."
"..."
"Regardless, because of the existence of the Demon King, humanity was truly cornered. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was a life-or-death crisis for the whole of humanity. But then, at that moment,"
"At that moment?" asked Alain
"... the Demon King suddenly disappeared."
"...?"
"No one knows why. There are various stories about it. Some say an assassin squad from a certain nation succeeded in killing the Demon King, but whether that's true or not remains uncertain."
"..."
Alain frowned at the old man's words. He didn't understand. 'Why was the existence of the hero not mentioned in the old man's story?'
To Alain, that hero was nothing short of a sworn enemy, someone he wouldn't hesitate to tear apart. Yet, to humanity, the hero was, in some ways, their saviour.
Given that, it wouldn't be strange for tales of praise to be passed down through generations.
But for some reason, the old man's explanation did not include the existence of that hero at all.
Meanwhile, the old man continued his explanation.
"People were both bewildered and overjoyed. Naturally, as the Demon King's castle in the Dark Forest collapsed, signs indicating the Demon King's death were reported from various places."
"....."
"And the knights on the front lines... Well, at the time, they were mostly men. Regardless, the knights who bravely fought against the demon tribes saw this as an opportunity and attempted a total offensive to reclaim the lands occupied by the monsters. But as a result—"
"...What was the result?" Alain asked hurriedly.
"... For some reason, they only discovered that all of the demon tribes had vanished."
"...!"
"It sounds almost unbelievable. According to the records I've come across, it took only about a week from when they noticed the collapse of the Demon King's castle to launch a full assault on the demon tribes. But by then, the demon tribes had already vanished somewhere, like phantoms."
"..."
"Moreover, it wasn't just that. The monsters they were leading around also vanished without a trace."
"..."
At the old man's words, a small flicker of joy began to bloom in Alain's chest.
'They are alive!'
His subordinates! Those who rose with him from the demon realm are alive!
It had been a persistent concern in his heart.
Worrying about the existence of the subordinates who had followed him, and about their possibly tragic ends on this surface.
But now, hope began to ignite in Alain's heart.
Perhaps his subordinates, the demon tribes, might still be alive.
And they could have returned to somewhere on the continent, or even to the demon realm.
But discovering that was something he would have to do himself.
With that thought, Alain suppressed the surge of joy rising within him. After all, what is more important now is to gather all the information.
To obtain as much information as possible from this old man to use for his future plans. With that in mind, Alain focused on the old man's words.
"So what happened then?"
"Having only just subdued the East, humanity once again began to experience an era of peace. While many cities had been destroyed by the demon tribes, the fortresses and new settlements constructed by the demons were said to be of decent quality. This made it easier for humans to establish themselves in the East."
"..."
"...But that peace didn't last long. Do you remember what I told you earlier?"
"What are you referring to?"
"The monsters. The monsters created by the Demon King."
"Monsters...? But didn't you say that they all disappeared when the demon tribes were defeated?"
"At first, it seems everyone thought that way, at least according to the records from back then. But it turned out not to be the case."
"..."
"Ten years after peace began to settle in, absurd events started occurring. Monsters began to suddenly appear all over the world. And unlike before... they were multiplying in ridiculous numbers."
"...!"