ㅤChapter 67
ㅤThe place they teleported to was a settlement in the forest surrounding the Demon King’s castle.
ㅤSmall houses made of straw and wood were scattered about. The ones staring at them with wide eyes were Goblins.
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ㅤ”……A Goblin settlement, huh. Is there some problem here?”
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ㅤWhen Theodore asked, the Demon King opened his mouth with a worried expression.
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ㅤ”Can’t you see? My brethren have become emaciated. The Underworld is currently in a food crisis.”
ㅤ”A food crisis, is it……?”
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ㅤNow that he mentioned it…… the Goblins certainly were thin. The adults’ ribs were showing, and their cheeks were sunken. The child Goblin holding hands with its mother had a protruding belly and was sucking on its fingers with a look of longing. The settlement as a whole lacked vigor, and many young Goblins could be seen sitting powerlessly on the ground.
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ㅤ”It’s not just the Goblin village. The entire Underworld is in the same situation right now.”
ㅤ”Why is that?”
ㅤ”Do you know that the miasma covering the Underworld increases and decreases in cycles of hundreds of years?”
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ㅤThe Demon King asked. Theodore and Ruby looked at each other and shook their heads.
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ㅤ”It’s not as drastic as in the human world, but the Underworld also has such climate changes. Right now is a period of low miasma. The thin miasma-filled air is poisonous to us, and the crops clearly don’t grow well. As a result, some are unable to endure the hunger and go to the human world to attack people, or like that Dark Dragon over there, cases of parents abandoning their children because they can’t raise them are increasing.”
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ㅤBlackie, noticing the gaze, whimpered and nuzzled his head against Ruby as if to say, “I wasn’t abandoned!” The Demon King chuckled, saying, “To form a master-servant bond with a human. You’re quite the odd one.”
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ㅤ”All we can do is wait for time to pass, but if possible, I’d like to do something about it. In other words, if you can improve the food situation in the Underworld, I might hand over the Mimicry.”
ㅤ”I see. I understand the gist of it.”
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ㅤRuby smiled at Theodore.
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ㅤ”Your Majesty. Before coming here, I was prepared for what kind of place the Underworld would be, but it’s almost no different from the human world, is it?”
ㅤ”I was thinking the same thing. There’s a king who cares for his people in the Underworld, and a multitude of good people live here.”
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ㅤThey had recognized demons as a ferocious race that attacked humans, but the Goblins in front of them were very docile.
ㅤAccording to the Demon King, most of the demons that appear in the human world are starving, or lost children who have been abandoned. Except for a very small number of ferocious demons, they were originally creatures that lived quietly in their own world.
ㅤKnowing that, their impression of demons had completely changed.
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ㅤ”Demon King-sama. I think I can do it!”
ㅤ”Oh? Then, Great Saintess of Deadly Poison, let me see what you can do.”
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ㅤRuby stepped forward and looked out over the modest Goblin settlement. Then, she shifted her gaze to the black forest surrounding the settlement, the murky sky, the towering Demon King’s castle, and thought back to the caves and lakes they had passed through to get here.
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ㅤ（I want to help the plight of the Underworld. If humans and demons can both prosper and coexist as good neighbors, the world can become more peaceful.）
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ㅤHer prayer transformed into an incantation. She put all the energy she felt in her body into her words.
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ㅤ”By the name of Ruby Rose Delphire, I command: Bring blessings to the Underworld with my deadly poison. Grant peace to all demons!”
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ㅤSeveral jet-black comets shot out from Ruby’s entire body. As they fell in parabolic arcs onto the earth of the Underworld, plants began to grow rapidly from where they landed. Stems and trunks extended, leaves sprouted with popping sounds, flowers bloomed, and fruits formed, threatening to overflow. Clouds formed from the comets that were sucked into the sky, transforming into good quality miasma.
ㅤRuby, single-mindedly offering her prayer, and the world being vividly reborn. Even the Demon King was wide-eyed at the unbelievable sight.
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ㅤ”—This is…… beyond my expectations. With the miasma enriched and the vegetation flourishing, the food chain will begin to turn. The crisis of the Underworld has been saved……”
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ㅤHaving given her all, Ruby finished her prayer and stood up unsteadily. Theodore hurriedly supported her.
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ㅤ”Did you push yourself too hard? Giving the blessing of poison to the entire Underworld is too much of a burden.”
ㅤ”I’m sorry, thank you. I’m alright, just barely.”
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ㅤShe answered with a face full of accomplishment and stepped forward in front of the Demon King.
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ㅤ”This should be enough for a while. But, since we’re at it, I thought it might be a good idea to do a little food distribution for everyone in the demon race! It was well-received in the human world, so how about you all try it too?”
ㅤ”……Food distribution?”
ㅤ”Yes! Since the plants have grown and fruits have borne, how about a nutritious smoothie!”
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ㅤIn front of the blinking Demon King, Ruby fidgeted with her fists clenched in front of her chest.