First Outer World Story Series: The Black Mist that Devours - Chapter 92
Translator: MadHatter Editor: MadHatter
(Third person POV)
In a certain place, there was a gathering spot for four demons with different masters: Fog of the Mist King, Ice Cube of the Snow Sage, Cherry Blossom Sprout of the Dragon Sovereign, and the Little Fire Fox of the Fox Princess.
Each of them was a demonic entity of the lowest tier in their respective dungeon, and they were not expected to be productive outside the dungeon unless a significant number of them congregated since they were not promising in terms of their combat ability.
Moreover, the dungeons to which they belonged were entirely distinct from one another. Even if the demons simply locked their gaze with each other, they would generally strive to battle to the death.
Nonetheless, they had assembled in one place.
The reason for this lay in their master.
[O Mist King, I would like to have a word with you.]
The Little Fire Fox spoke to Fog with an imperious demeanor that defied her stature.
“R-Right now, my master is not connected to me. I’ll call him, call him?call him?”
Fog reacted with trepidation to her remarks and called his master, the Mist King.
Ordinarily, the Demon King’s lowest rank demons would not be able to summon their master. But the demons in this place had been specially allowed to do so due to the reason for their presence here.
[What do you want, Fox Princess? It is now midnight.]
Fog, who was a demon of the lowest rank, emitted a presence that mirrored that of the “King of the Devouring Black Mist”.
[Hmph, I bet all you do is just fooling around with someone you took a fancy.]
However, the Little Fire Fox… or rather, the Fox Princess, swore at him, indifferent to the Fog King’s words.
[Well said, you bitc*y fox.]
The Mist King, on the other hand, cursed without regard for the Fox Princess’ petulant utterances as well.
Now, it was time to address the reason why this kind of place was established.
It was for the Demon Kings to engage in a direct dialogue with each other.
[Let’s cut to the chase.]
The Fox Princess adopted a more solemn face than ever before.
The Fog King also slightly straightened his posture to signify that he was paying attention.
[Those that identify themselves as Kirijin are staying in the town that surrounds my dungeon, the ‘Fox City of the Beasts of War’, They will be hunted in a week’s time.]
[Heh. The Kirijin, huh? Do you expect me to permit you to do such a thing?]
All at once, the tension in the air between the two Demon Kings grew acrimonious.
[Then, why don’t you order them to leave? The Demon King and their kin are always connected except under special circumstances.]
[Hmm. But if you dare to do such a thing, I shall be obliged to follow suit in your footsteps with the Kitsunejin lurking here.]
Even though the two Demon Kings were relying on the lowest tier of demonic beings, the leakage of magical power was manifesting as a natural phenomenon around them, producing foxfires and thick mist.
Should there have been ordinary human beings here, they would have fled in a heartbeat.
[Try it if you think you can.]
[Ah, yes, that’s right. I’ll give it a shot.]
And once the murderous intent embodied in the two Demon Kings’ presence reached a boiling point, their presence was simultaneously extinguished, leaving only the two demons inside whom the Demon Kings had departed.
————–
(Kurokiri POV)
“What do you plan on doing!”
Chirito’s thunderous voice reverberated across my private room, as he had been discreetly listening to the exchange between me and the Fox Princess.
“Shut up. Who cares what happens anyway? Mibako and Senku aren’t included in the operation anyway.”
While meddling with the body of my new favorite girl, I listened to Chirito’s complaint.
“That doesn’t mean I can tolerate it! How devastated do you think Mibako would be when she learns that her own kind would be hunted!”
I let out a sigh.
“You know, Chirito. The hunt starts in a week, alright? If I were the Fox Princess, I’d have the Kitsunejin out of the area by the end of the week.”
“But that doesn’t mean… ah.”
Chirito’s mouth was wide open, revealing a startled expression as if he had caught on to something.
“Well, I suppose that’s how things are developing. Within a week’s preparation, even I can surreptitiously make the Kirijin retreat. There’s no reason why the Fox Princess can’t pull off the same feat, right?”
“Oh. So that’s what you mean.”
“Right.”
With a look of understanding on his face, Chirito withdrew from the room.
To tell the truth, the story of the Fox Princess proved to be a godsend.
Because a specific problem had been arising frequently in the villages surrounding the “White Mist and Black Swamp Forest,” and the Fox Princess’ cooperation was required to handle the dilemma.
Now, as for the problem at hand, it was a fairly simple one.
There were humans posing as “Kitsunejin” invading communities while disguising themselves under the name of the Fox Princess.
Notwithstanding, for the general public, this was an extremely complicated subject. After all, the Demon King was the entity behind the name, and if a mere human were to incur the Demon King’s wrath, their entire family may be wiped out, putting them in a vulnerable situation.
Yet, these people… those who are storming the village under the name of the Demon King fail to grasp the gravity of the matter.
“Well, whether they’re real or fake, if they’re going to pose in the name of kin, they’d better be prepared to face the consequences…”
The name of the Demon King, be it authentic or phony, was not something that can be used by those who possess only the power of a kin.
The bond that existed between the Demon King and their kin cannot be easily severed.
Those individuals will grasp the enormity of offending the Demon King.