Within three days of Shuna's abduction,
the Jura Great Forest became agitated.
To be precise, the entire world began to stir.
Due to the presence of Storm Dragon Veldora, although there were small-scale conflicts among the races in the forest, they had always coexisted peacefully.
But the true nature of monsters would not change; hatred had been accumulating and building up for three hundred years.
They only needed an opportunity, a fuse, to completely erupt.
At that time, the peace of the entire Jura Great Forest would be shattered.
Because Draco's butterfly wings had flapped ever so lightly, a chain reaction followed.
War was about to erupt.
The Ogre Tribe's large-scale intelligence-gathering was misunderstood by clans unaware of the truth as the prelude to war.
A hundred years ago, the major tribes had fought tooth and nail for dominion over the Jura Forest.
They were certain the ogres' movements were anything but simple.
Rumors stop at the wise, yet in the forest—aside from the Sanctuary's Treants—there were precious few sages.
Through the snowball effect, the gossip grew ever wilder, yet sounded increasingly plausible.
Weak clans began to ally; powerful ones stockpiled food and weapons.
The forest grew so tense a gust of wind could sound like a crane's cry.
To avoid becoming meals, many monsters bolted toward the forest's periphery.
The borderlands of the Kingdoms of Brumute and Falmuth were the ones to suffer.
Brumute Kingdom, Freedom Association branch office.
Fiz, head of the branch, rubbed his temples as the documents on his desk gave him a headache.
The Jura Forest had been peaceful for three centuries—why was it suddenly in turmoil?
He couldn't fathom it.
"Someone, come here!" Fiz called to the guard at the door.
The guard hurried in. "What are your orders, Sir Fiz?"
"Release this commission."
Fiz picked up the request form he had penned himself and handed it to the guard.
"Yes, sir!"
…Freedom Association, a guild of adventurers.
Just then, two men and a woman walked down the street outside the guildhall.
"Young Lady, is it really all right for us to sneak out like this?"
The speaker was a middle-aged-looking man with a red bandanna tied across his forehead.
"Kidd, we're already out—why worry now?" replied Kabaru, his long hair parted in the middle.
"Exactly. You two keep bragging how tough you are—what do I have to fear with you around?"
Eren chimed in.
The trio were adventurers from the Magic Dynasty of Sarion, every member B-rank in strength.
The lively blonde girl in the center was Eren, royal princess of Sarion.
She had slipped away this time purely to taste the adventurer's life.
The two beside her were bodyguards dispatched secretly by her father, the Duke of Sarion, to protect his daughter—both true A-ranks, sealed to B-rank for discretion.
Chatting and laughing, the three arrived at the Freedom Association's gate.
Yesterday they had registered as E-rank adventurers; today they came to pick up a quest.
The moment they stepped into the adventurers' hall they spotted Fiz's freshly posted mission.
"Investigate the cause of the monster rampage in the Jura Great Forest—B-rank, reward ten gold coins."
(One copper equals ten yuan; ten gold equals a million.)
"Whoa, big bro, that's a fat payout."
"Kabaru, shall we take it?"
Kidd and Eren looked to their captain, Kabaru.
"But it's a B-rank quest—dangerous stuff." Kabaru hesitated.
"Yet the gold could kit us out with new gear."
"Exactly—we're almost broke."
Urged on by the pair, Kabaru finally agreed.
Shortly after the trio accepted the quest and left, a masked girl entered.
She headed straight upstairs; the staff clearly knew her and raised no objection.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Come in."
The girl stepped inside, removed her mask. "Mr. Fiz, long time no see."
Hearing that, Fiz glanced up from his papers.
"Ha! Miss Shizu, haven't seen you in ages—how have you been?"
The girl was none other than Izawa Shizue.
"Have a seat. It's been… ten years since we last met?"
Fiz pointed to the sofa and sat. "Yes, the day I officially retired."
"How have these years treated you?"
"Quite well—I'm a teacher now."
Soon the office rang with their cheerful conversation.
Fiz learned Miss Shizu was currently instructing five children from another world.
The kids had only two or three years left to live.
She had set out to find a way to save them.
Shizu, in turn, heard of Fiz's present troubles.
As old friends, she decided to lend a hand.
After all, she too was grasping at straws for a cure.
Whether one existed, she couldn't say.
Yet when Fiz discovered three E-rank adventurers had taken this B-rank quest, he nearly flipped the desk.
A B-rank mission—what were a bunch of E-rankers doing there?!!
Weren't they just offering their heads?
"I understand—they can't have gone far. I'll catch up."
Shizu said understandingly, bade Fiz farewell, and headed for the Jura Great Forest.
At the Freedom Association branch in the Kingdom of Falmuth, the same commission was posted.
Several B-rank adventurers spotted it and accepted.
The once-peaceful Jura Great Forest had been thrown into chaos by Draco's "innocent" act… Meanwhile, the diligent Demon Lord Chii, striving so humanity could survive, nearly burst a blood vessel reading the report.
The Demon Lords had a pact: none were to set foot in the Jura Great Forest.
The reason—Storm Dragon Veldora was sealed there, and no one wished to see him free again.
That foolish dragon was simply too troublesome.
All Demon Lords had agreed: the seal must remain untouched lest it weaken.
"Three hundred peaceful years—nothing must go wrong now."
"Misari, notify the Demon Lords—summon the Demon Lords' Banquet!"
Behind him, the maid-dressed Primordial Green Misari frowned slightly.
"Isn't that making a mountain out of a molehill?"
"Hmph! If Veldora breaks free, guess who'll be worked to the bone in the end?"
Misari understood—she had no wish to work overtime every day.
So she immediately contacted the other nine Demon Lords.