Konbini Ossan Volume 8 Chapter 35 — Expanding Branches
After hearing many things from Satira, a great deal became clear.
First, in a sense, the current war with the Runegard Kingdom could be said to have been initiated by the Demon King’s Army.
However, this is tied to the unique political system of the Demon King’s territory.
What we of the Runegard Kingdom recognize as a single nation called the Demon Realm is not, in fact, one unified country.
In reality, it consists of seven provinces and three autonomous districts. Each of these functions much like what we would consider an independent nation.
The names and characteristics of each province and district are as follows:
• Oni Province: A province primarily inhabited by the Oni race.
• Dragon Province: A province mainly inhabited by dragons and dragonkin.
• Steel Province: A province of inorganic beings such as golems. It is a barren mountainous region difficult for other lifeforms to inhabit.
• Demi Province: A province primarily inhabited by demi-humans, including beastkin, elves, and dwarves. It has the greatest racial diversity among the seven provinces.
• Human Province: A province primarily inhabited by humans. It includes natives, those captured in conflicts with human nations, and their descendants, as well as displaced peoples driven from their lands for various reasons.
• True Province: A province ruled by demons. It upholds the biased belief that demons are the supreme race and should rule as kings. Other races that revere demons also reside there. Due to its ideology, many malevolent races gather within it.
• Heaven Province: A province governed by winged races such as angels.
• Great Forest Autonomous District: A vast forest region bordering the Runegard Kingdom. It is inhabited by monsters of low intelligence and extremely primitive civilization, locked in constant power struggles.
• Sea of Decay Autonomous District: An autonomous district located in a barren wasteland. The monsters here can survive only in this environment and cannot leave it, nor can outside lifeforms enter.
• Traditionalist Autonomous District: A district established to preserve the traditional lifestyles of elves and dwarves. Elves live self-sufficiently in forests, while dwarves dwell in mines they carve into mountains.
The Demon King is the figure tasked with overseeing and managing these provinces and districts so that they do not wage war against one another and can cooperate.
One representative is selected from each of the seven provinces.
Of those seven, one becomes the Demon King, while the remaining six assume the roles of the〈Four Heavenly Kings〉, the Chancellor, and the Aide/Bodyguard.
Soldiers are gathered from each province under these seven leaders, forming the Demon King’s Army.
This army serves as the military force enabling the Demon King to fulfill their duty.
Because the overseeing authority possesses the military strength of the Demon King’s Army, the seven provinces cannot act recklessly and must maintain a degree of cooperation.
By selecting representatives from each province, fairness is preserved.
The Demon King does not interfere in internal governance but holds authority only in disputes between provinces or matters involving external threats to the Demon King’s territory.
That, apparently, is the nature of both the Demon King and the Demon King’s Army.
It is for this reason that the Demon King’s Army is drawn into war with the Runegard Kingdom.
As for the claim that the Demon King’s Army initiated the war, that is not entirely accurate.
In truth, the spark of war came from one of the seven provinces and three autonomous districts within the Demon King’s territory: the Great Forest Autonomous District.
The autonomous districts are troublesome in that each, for various reasons, does not participate in the Demon King’s Army alliance.
The Sea of Decay District cannot join due to its limited survivable environment.
The Traditionalist District refuses to join because maintaining its traditional lifestyle conflicts with the army’s regulations.
As for the Great Forest District, its inhabitants are so low in civilization that enforcing laws upon them is nearly impossible, and thus they cannot be incorporated into the Demon King’s Army.
The problem is that the monsters of the Great Forest District, lacking intelligence, sometimes invade the Runegard Kingdom on their own accord.
Naturally, the Runegard Kingdom retaliates. If left unchecked, the monsters of the Great Forest District would quickly be annihilated.
That would place a potential enemy nation directly adjacent to the other provinces, which poses serious issues. Therefore, the Demon King’s Army is deployed for defense.
Thus, through such circumstances, conflict between the Demon King’s Army and the Runegard Kingdom has recurred since ancient times.
If the Runegard Kingdom would confine itself strictly to defense, the Demon King’s Army would have no reason to intervene.
Unfortunately, opportunistic invasions often follow, making inaction impossible.
Moreover, certain provinces conduct trade with the Great Forest District, and some races even consider it their homeland. These factors also prevent it from being ignored.
In this way, intertwined and complex reasons leave the Demon King’s Army with no choice but to fight.
“I see. I understand the general situation now. You truly are in a complicated position.”
“Indeed. I too wish to avoid war if possible. However, the Demon King’s Army does not possess the authority to make such political decisions.
…
We can only respond to the demands of the provinces.”
“Is there no movement among the provinces to avoid war?”
When I ask, Vladgaria shakes her head.
“Throughout our long history, Demon Kings have been slain time and again. All are filled with the resolve to strike back. Moreover, every province seeks new territory.
…
Even if we succeed in defense, the next step would simply be invasion from our side. In the end, until I die, the war will continue.”
She speaks with a weary, resigned expression.
In other words, the only way to end the war would be to remove the symbol of the Demon King, thereby stripping the Runegard Kingdom of its justification to invade.
From humanity’s perspective, the Demon King is seen as the leader of monsters. Defeating the Demon King is believed to prevent invasions.
From their viewpoint, that logic appears correct.
Thus, it is not unreasonable for humans to conclude that monster incursions are directed by the Demon King and to attempt to eliminate that threat.
Indeed, if the Demon King falls, the Demon King’s Army, the force maintaining cohesion among the seven provinces, would become dysfunctional.
Its movements would slow. It would lose the capacity for retaliatory invasions.
Then, during the period of reorganization, until the Great Forest District once again launches uncontrolled invasions, peace, at least from humanity’s perspective, would prevail.
Perhaps through repeated cycles of this pattern, the tale of the Hero defeating the Demon King to preserve peace was born.
This war must be stopped somewhere.
Both sides harbor ambitions of expansion, and the Demon King’s Army lacks ultimate decision-making authority.
As long as the Runegard Kingdom continues the war, casualties will persist.
“I understand. Now that we grasp the situation, let us move to the main subject. Our request is a single one.”
I voice the move intended to break this stalemate.
“We would like permission to establish a branch of Otogi Trading Company within the Demon King’s territory.”
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E/N:
Very well thought out scenario… Can Ossan stop this vindictive cycle?
Stay tuned!
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