* * *
It was night.
The stars were hidden by clouds, and even the moonlight only reached the ground in a dim haze.
The usual sounds of beast roars echoing through the Ranrananga mountains were absent, the only noise being the occasional patter of raindrops striking the kirkree leaves.
……In the midst of such stillness in the mountains, a purple flash of light suddenly burst forth!
It was merely an instant, and from the vast expanse of the mountain slopes, only a small area flickered.
If one had been closely watching, the watchtowers of the fortress city of Liheid that always monitors the Ranrananga could have confirmed part of the mountainside briefly glimmering.
However, due to the late hour, not a single person noticed it.
“Kukuku……Kukukukuku……”
Now then, that purple flash of light.
Its true nature was the light emitted when using teleportation magic, primarily employed by demons for travel.
After the light faded, the one left standing there while trembling his shoulders in a small laugh was……a pale-skinned man.
A lanky tall man with the left half of his face concealed by long hair.
……It was the middle-ranked commander of the Demon Lord’s Army, the Puppeteer Deogandai!
Deogandai noticed the scattered raindrops pelting his shoulders, extending his palm upward to confirm the light shower.
“Well, well! How fortuitous indeed!”
Saying that with a cheerful laugh, Deogandai dropped the bag he had been carrying to the ground with a thud.
From within, he took out a small wooden box.
“Now then~! Grow lively for me, Parasitic Mushroomsies~!”
Speaking in an eerie, high-pitched voice, Deogandai used tweezers to grab the contents of the box and firmly plant them around the roots of the surrounding kirkree trees.
The parasitic mushrooms.
A type of mushroom only confirmed to exist in extremely limited, narrow regions of the “Fantasy Continent” Niijal.
Do not underestimate them as mere mushrooms.
Any human infected by their spores will have their brain controlled by the parasitic mushrooms, transforming into monsters that attack and devour their own kin!
An extremely fearsome mushroom, which is precisely why these mushrooms are designated as monsters despite being fungi.
However, through his research, Deogandai had succeeded in artificially cultivating them!
“Alright……I suppose this should suffice for now……”
Having planted the dangerous mushrooms haphazardly, Deogandai nodded.
Incidentally, this area was confirmed by Deogandai’s reconnaissance to be a frequent passage point for adventurers operating from the fortress city of Liheid as their base.
……If you’ve read this far, you likely understand already.
This is Deogandai’s attack on the fortress city of Liheid.
One of his operational maneuvers aimed at infecting the adventurers with the mushrooms, depleting their combat forces!
His battle has already begun……!
“With this, the parasitic mushroomsies will sprout in the morning, unfurl their caps around noon to start dispersing spores……! Unbeknownst to them, the humans will be infected by those spores, and within days……Kukuku!”
Imagining the horrific result this operation would yield, Deogandai couldn’t help but laugh!
“Kukuku……Kukakakaka!! ……Kukakakaka, Gah!!?”
However, it seems he laughed too hard.
While arching his back from laughter, Deogandai’s lower back made a creaking “gukiri” sound!
Immediately, excruciating pain assailed him!!
“Ah, ahhh! Ahhhhhhhhh!!”
No matter how far superior a demon’s physique is compared to humans, performing labor bent over for long periods while carrying heavy boxes filled with mushroom spores is tremendously strenuous!
It puts immense strain on the lower back!!
If even a demon suffers like this, it goes without saying for humans!
Everyone, be careful!
Take care of your lower backs!!
“Ah……Ahhh, ahhhhhh……!”
After rolling around on the ground writhing in agony for a while, the demon Deogandai with his resilient physique eventually recovered and stood up, his face contorted.
“Curse you, humans……!”
It wasn’t humans who injured his back.
That’s just venting frustration.
Fundamentally.
He is supposed to be a “middle-ranked commander” of the Demon Lord’s Army.
So why is he personally performing such menial preparatory tasks?
Shouldn’t he have subordinates to handle it?
This is a question repeatedly raised by the other Demon Lord’s Army executives.
However, Deogandai’s answer to that reasonable critique is always “No.”
“Many of the monsters I handle require extremely delicate care. I absolutely cannot leave them to others.”
Deogandai is tremendously knowledgeable about monsters and could even be called one of the world’s foremost monster scholars and biologists.
When an expert says that, the other executives can only respond with “Ah……I see……?” and back down.
That’s why, despite his middle-ranked commander position, the only subordinates Deogandai utilizes are clerk assistants like Longinus for administrative tasks.
Combat operations are solely carried out by the monsters he personally prepares.
According to the Demon Lord’s Army’s definitions, the monsters they command are considered part of the army, so it could be said Deogandai does indeed command the army as a middle-ranked commander.
It’s not incorrect to say that, but……
“But still, why not increase your subordinates a bit to help with the work?”
That is the shared opinion the Demon Lord’s Army higherups have for Deogandai.
The reason he refuses to listen, fundamentally, is because he doesn’t trust others.
He can’t stand the idea of subordinates taking credit for his achievements.
Deogandai prioritizes thinking that way, so he always handles any assigned missions alone.
He is utterly convinced that doing so demonstrates his excellence.
He remains oblivious to being negatively evaluated as “having difficulty building interpersonal relationships despite his middle-ranked commander position.”
“Well then, I should move to another point soon.”
Having recovered from his back pain, Deogandai muttered as he stood up.
He intends to set up the parasitic mushrooms all over the Ranrananga mountains.
His work is far from over.
“Kukuku, you humans……You’ll do well to tremble in terror at the sight of your beloved neighbors transforming into monsters!!”
Saying that villainous line, Deogandai grabs the heavy bag.
A bag densely packed with parasitic mushroom spores.
Carefully shouldering the bag to avoid injuring his back again, he vanished into the night darkness.
* * *
It was night.
The stars were hidden by clouds, and even the moonlight only reached the ground in a dim haze.
The usual sounds of beast roars echoing through the Ranrananga mountains were absent, the only noise being the occasional patter of raindrops striking the kirkree leaves.
……In the midst of such stillness in the mountains, a purple flash of light suddenly burst forth!
It was merely an instant, and from the vast expanse of the mountain slopes, only a small area flickered.
If one had been closely watching, the watchtowers of the fortress city of Liheid that always monitors the Ranrananga could have confirmed part of the mountainside briefly glimmering.
However, due to the late hour, not a single person noticed it.
“Kukuku……Kukukukuku……”
Now then, that purple flash of light.
Its true nature was the light emitted when using teleportation magic, primarily employed by demons for travel.
After the light faded, the one left standing there while trembling his shoulders in a small laugh was……a pale-skinned man.
A lanky tall man with the left half of his face concealed by long hair.
……It was the middle-ranked commander of the Demon Lord’s Army, the Puppeteer Deogandai!
Deogandai noticed the scattered raindrops pelting his shoulders, extending his palm upward to confirm the light shower.
“Well, well! How fortuitous indeed!”
Saying that with a cheerful laugh, Deogandai dropped the bag he had been carrying to the ground with a thud.
From within, he took out a small wooden box.
“Now then~! Grow lively for me, Parasitic Mushroomsies~!”
Speaking in an eerie, high-pitched voice, Deogandai used tweezers to grab the contents of the box and firmly plant them around the roots of the surrounding kirkree trees.
The parasitic mushrooms.
A type of mushroom only confirmed to exist in extremely limited, narrow regions of the “Fantasy Continent” Niijal.
Do not underestimate them as mere mushrooms.
Any human infected by their spores will have their brain controlled by the parasitic mushrooms, transforming into monsters that attack and devour their own kin!
An extremely fearsome mushroom, which is precisely why these mushrooms are designated as monsters despite being fungi.
However, through his research, Deogandai had succeeded in artificially cultivating them!
“Alright……I suppose this should suffice for now……”
Having planted the dangerous mushrooms haphazardly, Deogandai nodded.
Incidentally, this area was confirmed by Deogandai’s reconnaissance to be a frequent passage point for adventurers operating from the fortress city of Liheid as their base.
……If you’ve read this far, you likely understand already.
This is Deogandai’s attack on the fortress city of Liheid.
One of his operational maneuvers aimed at infecting the adventurers with the mushrooms, depleting their combat forces!
His battle has already begun……!
“With this, the parasitic mushroomsies will sprout in the morning, unfurl their caps around noon to start dispersing spores……! Unbeknownst to them, the humans will be infected by those spores, and within days……Kukuku!”
Imagining the horrific result this operation would yield, Deogandai couldn’t help but laugh!
“Kukuku……Kukakakaka!! ……Kukakakaka, Gah!!?”
However, it seems he laughed too hard.
While arching his back from laughter, Deogandai’s lower back made a creaking “gukiri” sound!
Immediately, excruciating pain assailed him!!
“Ah, ahhh! Ahhhhhhhhh!!”
No matter how far superior a demon’s physique is compared to humans, performing labor bent over for long periods while carrying heavy boxes filled with mushroom spores is tremendously strenuous!
It puts immense strain on the lower back!!
If even a demon suffers like this, it goes without saying for humans!
Everyone, be careful!
Take care of your lower backs!!
“Ah……Ahhh, ahhhhhh……!”
After rolling around on the ground writhing in agony for a while, the demon Deogandai with his resilient physique eventually recovered and stood up, his face contorted.
“Curse you, humans……!”
It wasn’t humans who injured his back.
That’s just venting frustration.
Fundamentally.
He is supposed to be a “middle-ranked commander” of the Demon Lord’s Army.
So why is he personally performing such menial preparatory tasks?
Shouldn’t he have subordinates to handle it?
This is a question repeatedly raised by the other Demon Lord’s Army executives.
However, Deogandai’s answer to that reasonable critique is always “No.”
“Many of the monsters I handle require extremely delicate care. I absolutely cannot leave them to others.”
Deogandai is tremendously knowledgeable about monsters and could even be called one of the world’s foremost monster scholars and biologists.
When an expert says that, the other executives can only respond with “Ah……I see……?” and back down.
That’s why, despite his middle-ranked commander position, the only subordinates Deogandai utilizes are clerk assistants like Longinus for administrative tasks.
Combat operations are solely carried out by the monsters he personally prepares.
According to the Demon Lord’s Army’s definitions, the monsters they command are considered part of the army, so it could be said Deogandai does indeed command the army as a middle-ranked commander.
It’s not incorrect to say that, but……
“But still, why not increase your subordinates a bit to help with the work?”
That is the shared opinion the Demon Lord’s Army higherups have for Deogandai.
The reason he refuses to listen, fundamentally, is because he doesn’t trust others.
He can’t stand the idea of subordinates taking credit for his achievements.
Deogandai prioritizes thinking that way, so he always handles any assigned missions alone.
He is utterly convinced that doing so demonstrates his excellence.
He remains oblivious to being negatively evaluated as “having difficulty building interpersonal relationships despite his middle-ranked commander position.”
“Well then, I should move to another point soon.”
Having recovered from his back pain, Deogandai muttered as he stood up.
He intends to set up the parasitic mushrooms all over the Ranrananga mountains.
His work is far from over.
“Kukuku, you humans……You’ll do well to tremble in terror at the sight of your beloved neighbors transforming into monsters!!”
Saying that villainous line, Deogandai grabs the heavy bag.
A bag densely packed with parasitic mushroom spores.
Carefully shouldering the bag to avoid injuring his back again, he vanished into the night darkness.
