Chapter 411 374 – Changes in the Forest

Charybdis was a massive monster that had ruled the skies in ancient times.

It could summon shark-like monsters known as Megalodons and command them absolutely, earning it the title of tyrant of the skies.

Over the course of a cycle spanning several centuries, this monster would repeatedly die and revive.

The last time it resurrected was shortly after Frey had become a Demon Lord, and the territory under her rule suffered tremendous devastation.

In the end, a [Hero], worried that Charybdis would simply resurrect again even if it were killed, sealed it away within the Great Jura Forest.

Now, however, signs were appearing that the seal was beginning to break.

That was most likely connected to the disappearance of the Storm Dragon.

Charybdis was unlike ordinary physical creatures. It was said to be a crystallization of evil thoughts—a spiritual life-form born when a will that craved destruction fused with magicules.

According to legend, when the land became saturated with death and countless corpses, Charybdis would use those bodies as a vessel for its resurrection.

In other words, it needed a physical container in order to revive.

Frey now deeply regretted not paying more attention to the Great Jura Forest earlier.

As for why Charybdis was considered the natural enemy of the harpies, the reason lay in an intrinsic ability both sides possessed: [Magic Interference].

It could seal the abilities of an opponent caught in their claws, giving them an overwhelming advantage against enemies who relied on magic to fly.

The harpies' greatest advantage was their flight. Once that ability was taken away, their combat power would plummet.

Charybdis, however, had no such weakness. [Magic Interference] was practically useless against it.

At this point, all Frey could do was try to make up for lost time and investigate the situation as soon as possible.

At the same time, another thought entered her mind.

If Milim were willing to help, this problem could be resolved with ease.

Frey quietly glanced toward Milim while considering the possibility, but she didn't dare say anything yet.

Milim Nava was different from newer Demon Lords such as Frey.

She was one of the ancient Demon Lords.

As a Dragonoid, she possessed power comparable to a [True Dragon] and ranked as a Special S-class Demon Lord.

Her title of Destroyer was not just for show. In the past, she had annihilated an entire kingdom.

Convincing her to help would obviously not be easy, especially since Frey and Milim were not truly companions. Their relationship wasn't close enough for Frey to casually ask such a favor.

Still, Frey had noticed that Milim was curious about the unification of the Great Jura Forest.

Perhaps she could take advantage of that curiosity and use it as an opportunity to get Milim to help eliminate Charybdis.

With each Demon Lord harboring thoughts of their own, the conference soon came to an end.

While they began taking action separately, Takumi was back at home, renaming Setsuna, Kureha, and the others.

By taking advantage of the naming mechanism, Takumi raised Setsuna, Kureha, and the rest all the way to the Super Demon Lord level in one go.

After receiving such a generous "reward," Setsuna and the others clung to Takumi for three days and three nights straight.

During that time, Shizue, Treyni, and Souka gradually began growing restless.

Treyni and Souka in particular were especially anxious.

As two of the few people granted permission to freely enter and leave the imperial palace, they were naturally utterly loyal to Takumi.

Seeing Setsuna and the others receive such lavish "rewards" was already enough to make them envious.

Meanwhile, Shuna and Shion, the kijin girls, were improving day by day. For Treyni and Souka, standing still was practically the same as falling behind.

Both of them desperately wanted to seize an opportunity that would let them climb the ranks while doing as little as possible!

They even began planning ahead, quietly recruiting attractive young women from among those around them.

After all, the fact that Takumi liked beautiful women wasn't exactly a secret within the empire.

The goblins could only huddle in a corner and cry about their lack of options.

Dryads and evolved lizardmen, on the other hand, actually had a chance!

Completely unaware that they were all secretly thinking about how to "advance," Takumi had only just emerged from the pile of women surrounding him.

Setsuna and the others' strength had finally "stabilized."

All that experience really hadn't been wasted.

Looking thoroughly refreshed, Takumi was soon invited to the conference room for a meeting.

The moment they saw that he had finally appeared, Shuna and Shion immediately stuck themselves to him.

"Lord Takumi, you finally came~~"

The two women each hugged one of his arms, their heavy, soft fullness pressing against him from both sides.

Kagali's face immediately darkened at the sight.

These newcomers were way too good at acting spoiled!

As an artist—no, a secretary—from the older generation, Kagali still couldn't quite bring herself to abandon her dignity like that, which put her at a natural disadvantage.

But veterans had their own methods.

Kagali silently tapped the electronic screen in her hand, and the door beside them slid open.

Shizue, Chloe, Treyni, Souka, and the others filed into the room.

"Big Brother!"

Chloe hadn't seen Takumi for three whole days, so she immediately launched herself into his arms.

Although spending time studying under Shizue had been wonderful too, she still preferred clinging to Takumi whenever she could.

"Morning, Chloe. Sorry, I ended up spending a little too much time on things these past few days."

Takumi rubbed her head and spoke in a helpless tone.

After all, his "generals" had rendered meritorious service. As their king, he naturally had to reward them.

And as far as rewards went, the best one he could offer was himself.

There was nothing to be done about it. He had no choice but to work hard for several days to satisfy Setsuna and the others.

With the spot in Takumi's arms now occupied by Chloe, Shuna and Shion could only stand beside him with sulky expressions.

Once Takumi saw that everyone had settled down, he took his seat at the head of the table and looked toward Kagali.

"If there's something to report, speak. If not, court is adjourned."

"…"

Having watched a few television dramas by now, Kagali immediately understood what Takumi was imitating.

She rolled her eyes, tapped a control, and a holographic projection instantly appeared in front of them.

"What is that?!"

Except for Kagali, every woman present stared in surprise at the three-dimensional image projected into the air.

Kagali responded with a proud expression, silently looking down on everyone else.

"This is technology created by Master. Seems none of you bothered to study or use it."

"…"

Hearing the smug superiority in Kagali's tone, Shuna couldn't help retorting,

"Senior, you were the first one to get access to all of this! I've never even seen it before!"

"You never asked."

"You…!"

Kagali's perfectly bureaucratic reply nearly made Shuna snap on the spot.

"Princess, please calm down!

"Lord Takumi is still here! Composure—we have to maintain our composure!"

Shion desperately held Shuna back while repeatedly trying to soothe her, finally managing to suppress her anger for the moment.

After silently cursing Kagali as an "old hag senior" several times, Shuna sat back down with a disgruntled expression.

Kagali merely gave her an indifferent glance, pride filling her eyes.

Trying to compete with me? You're still too inexperienced.

She hadn't lived this long just to fool around.

Takumi, meanwhile, could only stare speechlessly as they bickered over something so trivial.

The technology they were arguing about had been developed by the Shadow Demon Corps after Takumi ordered them to analyze the Cybertronian spaceship.

Since every member of the Corps effectively possessed [Great Sage], the combined computational power of their network was comparable to [Raphael, Lord of Wisdom].

As a result, the Shadow Demon Corps' technological development had now officially entered the interstellar age.

Combat cybernetics, warp drives, antigravity devices… they could manufacture all of those with ease.

What Takumi had introduced to his nation was merely an insignificant fraction of what they were capable of, used simply to improve the everyday lives of his people.