As Alain listened to the old man recounting humanity's plight at the hands of monsters, memories from his own past resurfaced.
Monsters.
As mentioned, these were the creatures that Alain had created during his time as the Demon King.
According to the old man, the monsters started to proliferate ten years after the Demon King's death, attacking humans.
In fact, according to the old man's description, some of these monsters even raped humans and made them bear children.
However, upon hearing this, Alain couldn't help but wear a look of disbelief.
"This was impossible, as the creatures Alain had created were, in fact, beings entirely stripped of any reproductive capability."
This was a simple matter when considering the reason Alain had created the monsters. They were created to compensate for the insufficient number of demon tribes.
Even though, the number of demons who ascended to the surface alongside Alain was by no means small, still their numbers were far too few to confront humanity.
Thus, Alain created monsters as beings to supplement the numbers of the demons.
In short, he had made them take on the role of 'soldiers' in an army of humans.
To fulfil the role of those soldiers, the monsters were the perfect beings for the task.
Physical strength beyond that of humans.
Ferocity.
And tenacious vitality.
Moreover, they had their reproductive abilities removed, eliminating the risk of causing trouble in the military. Despite this, they could rapidly multiply their numbers and receive commands through a control device known as the 'Orb of Dominion.'
One of those Orbs was likely located in the Demon King's castle. The other would have been somewhere on the front lines, but its exact location was unknown.
Furthermore, the old man had mentioned that the monsters had once disappeared from this world.
It would be reasonable to interpret this as the monsters succumbing to death, liberating themselves from the Orb of Dominion's influence. If that were true, it would mean that the Orb of Dominion itself had effectively disappeared.
Yet, despite that, the monsters reappeared in the world once again.
This time, they had reproductive capabilities and were even engaging in actions such as attacking and raping humans, causing them to bear children.
What on earth could be the reason for this?
"..."
Questions began to surface in Alain's mind.
However, these questions were not ones he could answer at this moment.
For now, Alain decided to set aside those questions and started pressing the old man for the next part of the story.
"So, how did the humans manage to fight against the monsters?"
"Hmm, where did I leave off... Well, setting aside the details of how the women were slaughtered back then... in any case, humans faced tremendous losses from the monsters that began appearing everywhere. As a result, humanity was plunged into another vast crisis, much like during the reign of the Demon King."
"..."
Some speculated whether this indicated the Demon King's resurrection. However, that didn't appear to be the case. The monsters' actions resembled sheer chaos more than the calculated movements of a guiding force. Reports even surfaced of monsters battling each other for territory. This behaviour was entirely different from how they acted under the Demon King's command.
"Um..."
"In the end, the only option left for humans was to resist in any way possible—that was all they could do. They had no choice but to fight against the advancing monsters. Ironically, the fortresses constructed by the demon race proved to be somewhat beneficial in this regard. While the western part of the continent lay in ruins due to the sudden emergence of monsters, the eastern region managed to hold its ground relatively well, thanks to the fortifications left behind by the demons. Nevertheless, contending with the relentless tide of monsters remained a formidable challenge. They could manage the smaller creatures, but the larger ones posed a significant problem."
"Orcs, Minotaurs, trolls... Great spiders, ogres... Unimaginable monsters kept appearing. Among them, there were even some that had forms that deviated from the shape of beasts."
"..."
"The only way to confront such monsters was through magic, yet many of them had resistance to it. Furthermore, wizards weren't available in endless supply. Despite their efforts to resist, humans felt utterly helpless. Ultimately, they found themselves waiting for doom with their hands tied."
"...So, what happened next?"
"Yet, in such a situation, a way to overcome this suddenly appeared, as if it had been waiting for the right moment. I mentioned earlier, didn't I? There exists a 'weapon' for dealing with the monsters. The existence of that weapon was like a lifeline thrown down from the heavens. However, this weapon had a very troublesome issue. That is...."
"...The fact that only women who underwent the coming-of-age ceremony can wield it?"
"...Yes, that's it. That was the problem."
As he answered, the old man scoffed.
"Now you see, don't you? Why the world has become like this and why men are so subservient to women. Without that 'weapon,' humans are powerless against the monsters. Yet, if they permit the women to undergo the ceremony to wield that weapon, the women would instantly gain the strength to overpower the men. It's a dilemma, to put it simply. Eventually, as time went on, men found themselves with no choice but to submit to women."
The old man's voice was tinged with self-deprecation. In response to the old man's words, Alain voiced his final lingering question.
"But I still don't understand. That weapon allowed people to face the monsters... But what kind of weapon could turn the world upside down like that?"
"Hmm, that is—"
Just as the old man was about to explain,
Boom!
The ground shook.
A'n earthquake?' As he thought this, the rumble resonated again.
"Hmph, just in time."
"...?"
"It would be better for you to see it for yourself rather than just listen. You can see the central plaza clearly through the window. Go and check it out yourself."
"..."
Nodding at the old man's words, Alain made his way to the window. He creaked open the window.
At that moment, the ground shook once more with a thud. Alain blinked slightly at the pouring sunlight.
Under the setting red sun, the scene of a lumberyard came into view.
Sprawling temporary structures and workshops. And in the centre, a large open space caught his eye.
That must have been the central plaza.
Beyond it, clean buildings with bright white tones came into view.
Those buildings are castles when compared to the makeshift structures near the hut where Alain is situated.
And then,
"Bang!"
A sound reverberates through the ground once again. At that sound, Alain turned his gaze back to the central plaza. Unbeknownst to himself, he let out a groan.
'They were there.'
'They were there.'
Near the border of the central plaza. There were beings in the form of people who were facing each other with their swords drawn.
Every time those beings, looking like armoured knights, moved, the ground trembled.
'Why?'
The reason was simple.
It was because they were so enormous.
Three times, or perhaps even four times the size of an ordinary human?
With incredibly fluid movements, they swung their swords at each other, engaged in a desperate duel.
And as Alain stared blankly at the scene, an old man's voice echoed in his ears.
"To face a monster, you must become a monster yourself."
"...!"
"I heard this was said by some noble who saw a golem for the first time. Really... doesn't it fit perfectly?"
'Golem.'
Is that the name of that battle device?
Alain turned his attention back to the plaza. The fight between the armoured giant knights was coming to an end. One of them plunged a sword into the neck area, cutting away the ornament hanging above.
Then, the golems finally stopped fighting and began to pull away from each other.
And the golems knelt down and clanked as they opened their chests.
From between them emerged slender shadows.
They were women.
Though Alain could not discern their exact features due to his distance, he could tell that those objects were battle devices operated by humans.
And Alain found himself nodding involuntarily.
He understood.
Indeed, if it involves those things, it's possible to fight and defeat even the largest of monsters.
As he nodded like that, the old man behind him grinned wickedly.
'Not yet. Not yet. The rookie still did not understand something important.'
The old man had deliberately hidden some facts.
It was still too early to find out, what thoughts would cross his mind, and what kind of despairing expression would he wear?
Thinking that way, the old man's lips quirked.
"Well, he'll come to realize it sooner or later."
Muttering this, the old man chuckled again. And Alain would come to understand the truth, just two days later, just as the old man had anticipated.
He would realize that this logging site was, in fact, hell.