Interlude
The Demon Lord Goes Fishing
In a lake in the forest near the western border of Zoltan floated a ship that looked too big to be a riverboat. It had a single aft mast, yet it wasn’t designed to hang a sail. After all, this was a flying ship.
It was a smaller model, about the same length as a midsize sailboat, that had been constructed approximately thirty years ago for use in reconnaissance. It was newer in design than the previous demon lord’s flying ship Ruti and Tisse had used, but it was far inferior in capabilities, lacking the ability to land on solid ground. As such, it couldn’t lift off again under its own power unless it landed on water.
Demons and dwarves possessed the technology for flying ships, but it was unknown to the Asuras. They could only use the simplest of the flying ships captured from the former demon lord’s armies.
And this flying ship, which was so precious to the Asuras, had smoke rising from it.
“Lord Taraxon, please stop cooking fish on the deck.”
“The fish here are truly delicious. I want to eat them while they’re fresh.”
“What will we do if the wooden deck catches fire?”
“Don’t be so uptight. There’s plenty of water around us to extinguish it with, isn’t there?”
This was the Demon Lord Taraxon and his retainer, Shisandan, both currently in their human forms. Taking the shape and name of a man he had eaten long ago, Shisandan was attending the demon lord in the guise of Bui. Taraxon, meanwhile, was holding a fishing rod in his right hand and eating a grilled fish on a skewer using his left.
“This ‘bamboo’ is quite handy. Perhaps we should bring some back to grow.”
“Please do not bring an unknown plant from a far-off land back with you. We cannot know what effects it might have.”
“Hmm. Is there any knowledge of this bamboo in the memories of the people you’ve eaten?”
“I have not eaten any botanists…so the only memory pertaining to bamboo is that it has an extraordinary ability to grow and, when not carefully managed, can encroach on the surrounding environment.”
“Oh-ho! I never would’ve thought it such a sinister plant! Perhaps this is the demon lord of the plant realm. Hahaha, how very interesting.”
Taraxon laughed as he pulled in another fish.
“The fish here resemble those in Asura Kshetra, yet they are not quite the same.”
“Presumably because they live beneath the sun.”
“Hmm. I wonder why God created the sun.”
“Those who live aboveground need the sun to survive, so the logical explanation is that it was created for ground-dwellers, is it not?”
“God is omniscient and omnipotent, though. Wouldn’t it be simpler to make people capable of living without the sun?”
Bui shrugged.
Though Asuras challenged God, there was much they didn’t understand about him.
They weren’t gods themselves, so they couldn’t say whether it was easier to create a world without a sun or a world that needed one. God’s power was beyond comprehension. If it weren’t for the fact that they were Asuras capable of effectively being reborn endlessly, they would have been exterminated long, long ago.
“You know, Bui…”
“Sir?”
“I can’t believe Demis created the entirety of this world.”
“However, there is no mistake that it was, indeed, created by Demis.”
“I know… Nevertheless, I feel the illogical nature of this world itself is in conflict with Demis’s designs. As if the entirety of this world is not as God wished, just as we were born against God’s wishes.”
“…This is quite the difficult subject.”
Bui turned away, unable to follow his master’s line of thought.
“I shall bring some alcohol and pickled vegetables.”
“Oh, that sounds like it’ll go perfectly with the grilled fish. As expected of my trusted retainer,” Taraxon said, laughing loudly.
Bui knew the location of the ancient human ruins where the Sacred Avenger they sought was sealed away. It wouldn’t be long before they finished assembling the Hero’s full regalia.
“Ruti and Gideon… From what you said, they are truly superior humans. I should like to talk with them.”
Taraxon wanted to discuss why the Asuras had stolen the demon lord’s power and declared war on the world, as well as what their goal was. He was curious what the two humans would say if they knew. Perhaps they would discover an answer the Asuras hadn’t been able to.
“It’s dangerous…and yet I cannot help but be intrigued.”
With that, Taraxon pulled in another fish, skewered it, and put it over the fire.
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