Short Info:
Unfortunately the author seems to have ended up hospitalized according to his Twitter account, so I guess the joy over a regular continuation could have been premature. Anyway, knowing him, he might have stocked up some chapters, but we’ll see. For the moment, public release will drop down to once a month.
Chapter 296 – Peaceful Days
『Four years have passed since that day ― the 『Cataclysm』 which involved the whole world. The contest over local supremacy has ended in Japan, leading to a lull in the battles.
According to an announcement by the Japanese government, the surviving Demon Kings in Japan number 186 as far as they could confirm. Given that approximately 16,000 Demon Kings supposedly existed right after the 『Cataclysm』, you might call this a drastic drop.
Moreover, a part of those Demon Kings boasted enough power to announce the foundation of a nation. Such announcements by mob Demon Kings were disregarded, but some of the bigger Demon Kings boasted such mighty forces that they couldn’t be ignored.
Demon King Masaki ― ruling over the southern administrative region of Hokkaido which he has expanded into being the biggest Domain in Japan.
Demon King Sumire ― ruling over the Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures and evaluated to hold the most solid Domain.
Demon King Yui ― evaluated as War King who rules over the Kanagawa Prefecture through teamwork and command structures similar to an organized army.
Demon King Hayate ― ruling over the Aichi and Shizuoka Prefectures. He has been mass producing cars and motorbikes inside his Domain, allowing him to wage war with his excelling mobility.
Demon King Yoichi ― ruling over the Hyogo Prefecture and the first in Japan to have started trade with the humans.
Demon King Ginga ― ruling over the Osaka Prefecture with his Domain being estimated to be the most dangerous one with the lowest survivability rates.
Demon King Shion ― ruling over the Ishikawa and Toyama Prefectures and being the first to announce the foundation of a nation.
Demon King Hibari ― ruling over the Wakayama and Nara Prefectures, evaluated as Sorcery King because he yields the strongest magic not only among the humans but even among the Demon Kings.
Demon King Luna ― who usurped the Yamaguchi, Shimane, and Hiroshima Prefectures in the blink of an eye with overwhelming military might.
Demon King Arata ― the supreme ruler of Shikoku who usurped the Ehime, Tokushima, and Kagawa Prefectures.
Demon King Mei ― the ruffian of Kyushu who keeps waging wars while being based in the Fukuoka Prefecture.
The nation foundation announcements by these eleven Demon Kings were recognized by many humans, albeit unofficially.
Adding Demon King Nanashi ― the ruler of the Nagano Prefecture whose name and race remain shrouded in mystery ― and Demon King Keisuke ― celebrated as strongest who rules over 13 districts of Tokyo with his stronghold being situated in Shibuya ― to the above-mentioned Demon Kings, those thirteen Demon Kings have been designated as S-Rank hazards by the Japanese government and are commonly referred to as 『Thirteen Evil Stars』.
The humans have also been cooperating with volunteer organizations and local administrations, but they’re in a situation compelling them to describe the anti-Demon King war as proceeding to their disadvantage.
Buy the next issue and read our special installment about the hopes of humanity ― the Heroes』
“Shion-san, what are you readiiing?”
“A weekly magazine which Takaharu brought back as a souvenir.”
As I was reading the article, my self-alleged strategist and fairy, Kanon, calls out to me.
“Couldn’t you easily read such things online?”
“Reading paper print isn’t bad every once in a while.”
“It’s inconvenient since you can’t look things up in the meantime! Flipping the pages is a chore as well! Anyways, let me see…oh! A special article about the 『Thirteen Evil Stars』?”
“Well, there haven’t been any changes for the last half year, however.”
Just as it has been mentioned at the beginning of the article, Japan has entered a phase of lull at present.
“Now that you mention it, most recently there haven’t been any bigger battles, huuuh?”
“There are still many skirmishes…or rather, areas where the skirmishes ceased have been swallowed by other regions.”
If there’s no battle, the growth ― levels ― of humans and Demon Kings alike stagnate. It’d be no issue if the battles in all areas came to an end, but…even if some regions become peaceful, they’re soon invaded by people who leveled in areas with ongoing battles.
That’s why it’s indispensable to constantly gain experience points…or rather, go to war.
“Shion-san, you’re not going to start a big war?”
“Hmm, I wonder. It’d be fine to invade Niigata or Gifu, but…it’s going to be tough.”
I considered Kanon’s suggestion for a moment, but the losses are bigger than the gains when it comes to invading those two prefectures.
“Lately, the humans have become quite strong as well, haven’t they?”
“That’s one part of it, but with the rules of this world, going on the offensive is disadvantageous, no matter what you do.”
The rules of this world are the cause for the recent lull. Those rules are simply too advantageous for the defending side. At times when you invade a Domain, you’re restricted on the number of invaders. On the other hand, the defenders have no such restrictions. Even when it comes to Reigns, only the Demon King, his kin, and their direct subordinates can go outside the Domain, but such a number restriction doesn’t apply to the defending humans.
Now that the Demon King’s rules and bindings have become clear to everyone, the humans are always targeting the kin.
Moreover, once you put strenuous efforts into starting an invasion, investing huge resources because of the extreme advantage by the defenders, humans and other Demon Kings swarm into the understaffed sectors like an avalanche.
As a matter of fact, it happens extremely often that a Demon King gains one sector in an invasion, just to lose several sectors because of the counterattacks, and it’s a Herculean task to recover a sector you’ve lost once.
“If the neighboring Demon Kings or humans would launch large-scale invasions, you’d attack them at that opportunity, though.”
“Everyone is probably expecting the same.”
And as such the skirmishes never cease, but larger wars don’t happen anymore, and that state of decreased activity has been continuing for more than a year now.
◆
One day, as I was enjoying this stable, everyday life, thinking that it wouldn’t be bad to keep living peacefully as ruler of the Aster Empire…
――!
All of a sudden, a dazzling light spilled out of my smartphone’s screen, and my consciousness blacked out.
T/N: Read the Short Info at the top
Translation Notes:
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