* * *
It was night.
With summer’s end, a slight chill runs through the wind sweeping across the slopes of the Ranrananga mountains.
The kirkree trees rustle their leaves in an uneasy shiver.
The cloudy sky conceals the twinkling of most stars, the feeble moonlight barely reaching the ground being at the whim of the clouds permitting its existence.
Yet in the midst of this night within the demon realm mountains, a solitary figure is illuminated by that meager moonlight.
A lanky tall man with the left half of his face concealed by long hair……the Demon Lord Army’s middle-ranked commander, the Puppeteer Deogandai!
“Kukuku……Kukukukuku……”
Now then, Deogandai stands alone beside a spring bubbling up within the Ranrananga mountains.
The water gushing forth descends into a stream that becomes a large river.
Named the Samnomno River.
Eventually joining the Jacoby River, this river supporting the agricultural powerhouse of Tezonka is utilized by many for residential and agricultural water supply.
The fortress city of Liheid is no exception, channeling this river’s bountiful waters into the town to enjoy its richness.
“Now then~! Time to wake up~! Madtoddies~!”
Speaking in an unsettling, high-pitched tone, Deogandai extends his palm toward the spring, infusing it with magic power.
Packed in an eerily massive quantity within the spring are gelatin-like orbs the size of clenched fists, each containing a black creature squirming within.
These are mad tadpole eggs.
Dangerous monster eggs brought in by Deogandai.
The mad tadpoles are a type of tadpole.
Exhibiting neoteny by spending their entire lives in the tadpole form instead of metamorphosing, these creatures have a deceptively cute appearance completely betrayed by their ferocious nature as monsters.
Especially favoring human flesh, they actively attack humans.
As such, the Demon Lord’s Army has long researched how to effectively utilize these monsters……but to no avail.
The reason was their hazy hatching conditions were unknown.
Originally inhabiting a certain stream in the “Inactive Continent” Ikkanee, they would hatch en masse every spring to energetically assault nearby residents. However, the eggs placed in tanks by the Demon Lord’s Army stubbornly refused to hatch no matter how temperature or water quality was adjusted.
The demonic researchers were all stumped in frustration.
The one who shed light upon this stalled research was none other than Deogandai himself!
Using his holidays, he visited the mad tadpoles’ habitat surroundings to conduct meticulous fieldwork.
As a result, by chance he discovered that due to the region’s periodic ley line disturbances, a small amount of magic power would seep into the stream where they dwelled every spring!
Hurriedly returning to the Demon Lord’s Castle, he began hatching experiments using magic power concentration rather than temperature or water quality as the condition.
The result? Three days later……the castle’s tanks were overflowing with newly hatched mad tadpoles!
The researchers all rejoiced!
They carried the credited Deogandai up in celebration!
Amid the commotion, the senior lab chief researcher shouted at them, “Keep it down!”
The researchers stopped hoisting Deogandai, straightened their postures, and replied “Yes!! Our apologies!!”
Unable to catch Deogandai, he simply dropped to the floor!
He hit his head!
It hurt!
But it’s fine! Demons are resilient!
Besides, Deogandai was delighted by the research progress too!!
In any case, through such events, the mad tadpoles became capable of artificial cultivation for the Demon Lord’s Army’s forces.
Actually, this operation will be their first official, large-scale deployment.
Which is why Deogandai was feeling particularly fired up for it.
“Now then, is this enough……”
Deogandai takes out a small mana meter to check the surrounding magic power concentration.
No problem.
It meets the mad tadpoles’ hatching conditions.
The mad tadpoles are delicate.
Too high or too low magic power, and they won’t hatch.
“Kukuku……I can already envision the humans’ frantic disarray soon…!”
The mad tadpoles he infused with magic power will likely hatch around dawn, then trace the scent of humans to invade the fortress city of Liheid by following the waterways.
After a few days lying in wait, craving human flesh, they will simultaneously burst forth from the waterways to assault the humans!
This timing will roughly coincide with humans infected by the parasitic mushroom transforming into mushroom monsters and rampaging.
The fortress city of Liheid will devolve into a hellish pandemonium.
What a meticulous and insidious plan!
A low-cost, low-risk, high-return operation only possible through intimately understanding the ecology of these monsters!
Praising himself inwardly, Deogandai smirked……!
The success of this operation can no longer be doubted!
The fortress city of Liheid will fall, and the monsters spilling from the Ranrananga demon realm mountains will ravage Tezonka.
The region’s defensive keystone, the guardian sacred beast Silver Dragon Herensia, has already been weakened by illness due to the Demon Lord’s Army’s machinations.
The day of Tezonka’s demise is also nearing.
Tezonka is a formidable agricultural powerhouse in the grain-abundant Hamejika Continent, also called the “Golden Continent” from the color of its wheat fields.
Such a nation will fall.
Food supplies will drastically diminish, plunging humans into utter chaos.
“Kukuku……!”
Reaffirming the importance of his assigned mission, Deogandai shuddered with excitement.
This operation must not be allowed to fail……!
“Now for the finishing touches……”
Muttering that, Deogandai proceeds to chant the spell for using teleportation magic.
His body is enveloped in a purple glow.
“Kukuku, you humans……you only have a few days left anyway. You may as well enjoy yourselves while you can!!”
After glancing at the still-illuminated, awake town of Liheid, Deogandai vanished into the teleportation light.
* * *
It was night.
With summer’s end, a slight chill runs through the wind sweeping across the slopes of the Ranrananga mountains.
The kirkree trees rustle their leaves in an uneasy shiver.
The cloudy sky conceals the twinkling of most stars, the feeble moonlight barely reaching the ground being at the whim of the clouds permitting its existence.
Yet in the midst of this night within the demon realm mountains, a solitary figure is illuminated by that meager moonlight.
A lanky tall man with the left half of his face concealed by long hair……the Demon Lord Army’s middle-ranked commander, the Puppeteer Deogandai!
“Kukuku……Kukukukuku……”
Now then, Deogandai stands alone beside a spring bubbling up within the Ranrananga mountains.
The water gushing forth descends into a stream that becomes a large river.
Named the Samnomno River.
Eventually joining the Jacoby River, this river supporting the agricultural powerhouse of Tezonka is utilized by many for residential and agricultural water supply.
The fortress city of Liheid is no exception, channeling this river’s bountiful waters into the town to enjoy its richness.
“Now then~! Time to wake up~! Madtoddies~!”
Speaking in an unsettling, high-pitched tone, Deogandai extends his palm toward the spring, infusing it with magic power.
Packed in an eerily massive quantity within the spring are gelatin-like orbs the size of clenched fists, each containing a black creature squirming within.
These are mad tadpole eggs.
Dangerous monster eggs brought in by Deogandai.
The mad tadpoles are a type of tadpole.
Exhibiting neoteny by spending their entire lives in the tadpole form instead of metamorphosing, these creatures have a deceptively cute appearance completely betrayed by their ferocious nature as monsters.
Especially favoring human flesh, they actively attack humans.
As such, the Demon Lord’s Army has long researched how to effectively utilize these monsters……but to no avail.
The reason was their hazy hatching conditions were unknown.
Originally inhabiting a certain stream in the “Inactive Continent” Ikkanee, they would hatch en masse every spring to energetically assault nearby residents. However, the eggs placed in tanks by the Demon Lord’s Army stubbornly refused to hatch no matter how temperature or water quality was adjusted.
The demonic researchers were all stumped in frustration.
The one who shed light upon this stalled research was none other than Deogandai himself!
Using his holidays, he visited the mad tadpoles’ habitat surroundings to conduct meticulous fieldwork.
As a result, by chance he discovered that due to the region’s periodic ley line disturbances, a small amount of magic power would seep into the stream where they dwelled every spring!
Hurriedly returning to the Demon Lord’s Castle, he began hatching experiments using magic power concentration rather than temperature or water quality as the condition.
The result? Three days later……the castle’s tanks were overflowing with newly hatched mad tadpoles!
The researchers all rejoiced!
They carried the credited Deogandai up in celebration!
Amid the commotion, the senior lab chief researcher shouted at them, “Keep it down!”
The researchers stopped hoisting Deogandai, straightened their postures, and replied “Yes!! Our apologies!!”
Unable to catch Deogandai, he simply dropped to the floor!
He hit his head!
It hurt!
But it’s fine! Demons are resilient!
Besides, Deogandai was delighted by the research progress too!!
In any case, through such events, the mad tadpoles became capable of artificial cultivation for the Demon Lord’s Army’s forces.
Actually, this operation will be their first official, large-scale deployment.
Which is why Deogandai was feeling particularly fired up for it.
“Now then, is this enough……”
Deogandai takes out a small mana meter to check the surrounding magic power concentration.
No problem.
It meets the mad tadpoles’ hatching conditions.
The mad tadpoles are delicate.
Too high or too low magic power, and they won’t hatch.
“Kukuku……I can already envision the humans’ frantic disarray soon…!”
The mad tadpoles he infused with magic power will likely hatch around dawn, then trace the scent of humans to invade the fortress city of Liheid by following the waterways.
After a few days lying in wait, craving human flesh, they will simultaneously burst forth from the waterways to assault the humans!
This timing will roughly coincide with humans infected by the parasitic mushroom transforming into mushroom monsters and rampaging.
The fortress city of Liheid will devolve into a hellish pandemonium.
What a meticulous and insidious plan!
A low-cost, low-risk, high-return operation only possible through intimately understanding the ecology of these monsters!
Praising himself inwardly, Deogandai smirked……!
The success of this operation can no longer be doubted!
The fortress city of Liheid will fall, and the monsters spilling from the Ranrananga demon realm mountains will ravage Tezonka.
The region’s defensive keystone, the guardian sacred beast Silver Dragon Herensia, has already been weakened by illness due to the Demon Lord’s Army’s machinations.
The day of Tezonka’s demise is also nearing.
Tezonka is a formidable agricultural powerhouse in the grain-abundant Hamejika Continent, also called the “Golden Continent” from the color of its wheat fields.
Such a nation will fall.
Food supplies will drastically diminish, plunging humans into utter chaos.
“Kukuku……!”
Reaffirming the importance of his assigned mission, Deogandai shuddered with excitement.
This operation must not be allowed to fail……!
“Now for the finishing touches……”
Muttering that, Deogandai proceeds to chant the spell for using teleportation magic.
His body is enveloped in a purple glow.
“Kukuku, you humans……you only have a few days left anyway. You may as well enjoy yourselves while you can!!”
After glancing at the still-illuminated, awake town of Liheid, Deogandai vanished into the teleportation light.
