A large number of carriages and people were standing in long lines behind the large fortress walls of the Frozen Kingdom. Merchants had brightly shining faces as their eyes settled on the kingdom that had boundless opportunities. Nobody in their right mind could explain the agricultural boom that had occurred, but as long as there were products, there would be people to buy and sell them.
Among the merchants, there was still the usual flow of refugees coming into the kingdom. Every single person was being checked thoroughly before entering, the guards being on the highest alert.
A little girl was swinging her legs happily as she rode on top of a carriage and looked upon the fortress walls with shining eyes.
Demon King Orias had finally arrived in the northern kingdom.
The carriage she was on passed through the checkpoints with no problems, and soon the sights of a bustling town with people rapidly moving about made itself clear. Orias was observing everything around her with rapt attention as she listened to the conversations she heard.
"The King is retiring so soon huh? I'm excited to see the coronation of the queen in the days to come!"
"Bah, you're still going on about that? That's the wrong thing to focus on man, it's all about the new foods being distributed and sold right now. I wonder how the princess was able to do what she did."
"Haha, its a blessing from the world, simple as that! Come on, let's go buy some more and stock up for the future!"
The people in the kingdom seemed to be relatively happy, not the types that knew they were in the middle of the war with invaders breathing down their necks.
Orias absorbed these sights as a small red pen and black notebook appeared in her hands as she began writing notes.
-Morale is high in the kingdom. Change in leadership is imminent.-
The carriage she was on came to a stop at a certain shop as the merchants began to batter and unload their products, looking longingly at the shining produce that could be seen in many of the shops around them.
There were signs of construction going on across the town and in most other places you looked at as more inns and houses were being built to accommodate the continued refugees that fled into the kingdom. Orias continued to scribble in her book.
-Unlike how most other kingdoms in this world are currently, the kingdom in the north seems to be actively expanding.-
She was recording the littlest of things as she tried to be very thorough. Even if they didn't seem important, when she went over them later she might find something that could point her in the right direction.
She moved around carefully as she continued to observe the kingdom, most of her information coming from the conversations that continued to occur around her.
"Sir adventurer, I heard you were in the battle and watched first hand how the hero defeated the demon king, can you describe what you saw?!"
A small conversation quickly made her ears perk up as she neared the location where a bunch of mercenaries and adventurers were cl.u.s.tered.
"Haha you wanna hear about how the demon king fell? Very well, listen closely! The hero flew valiantly in the skies with wings of light blinding the demon king. Hell flames were summoned all around as the hero raised his hands to the sky...and called down a golden sword of light that vanquished the demon king where he stood! Haha…"
The notes Orias was writing in her book stopped as she looked at this drunkard that definitely did not see how that crucial battle went, but she continued to collect any information about the newcomers that appeared that day. They were the individuals she needed information about the most.
She continued to walk around the first town of the kingdom as she looked towards the four floating peaks in the skies. Her eyes turned into slits as they shined red and focused, her figure disappearing from the crowds of people as she silently teleported to one of the peaks in the skies.
Her unique skill, [Spatial Travel] had been used. Orias's daring figure appeared on Snowy Peak, the floating landmass where most of the talk about the soon to be enthroned queen was taking place. If there was anywhere with abundant information, it would be here.
The figure of the little girl inconspicuously moved across the crowds of merchants and adventurers on Snowy Peak as she continued to collect information in the next few hours.
-A significant amount of time has been spent observing so far, nothing out of the ordinary. Except a distinct feeling where I received looks longer than I should have, but that could just be from my cautiousness.-
She finished her last note as she prepared to find a hideout to stay in before she carefully continued tomorrow, with another body and face at that too. It was at this moment a dark-haired man that seemed like the most overly dressed noble opened the door to his carriage that was passing by the road.
"Ah! Such a sweet little child, where are your parents?"
The man seemed very caring as he looked at the figure of Orias, his eyes showing a disgusting expression as they sn.a.k.e.d up and down. The demon king's attention was quickly picked up as she smiled cutely.
"Haha, I was lost, and I'm looking for them right now. Would you help me find them, mister?"
The man holding the carriage door open looked around the environment, as if checking to see if anyone was paying attention before replying,
"Yes, yes, I'll help you find them! Come into the carriage and you can tell me where you lost them."
He seemed to hurry her along as if he didn't want to be seen. Orias looked at this bumbling man as her eyes shined dangerously. This was one of the reasons she preferred this small form so much. It seemed so defenseless and easy to bully, that disgusting people like this would always appear to throw themselves at her.
She enjoyed killing these disgusting creatures in the most vilest of ways. The moment they thought they were a predator about to prey on an innocent girl, they found themselves headless with their lives turning into complete darkness.
Orias smiled innocently as she stepped into the carriage which closed its doors. It looked like she had found her hideout for the day, as the location this carriage was heading to would only find itself bathed in blood today.
She looked at the disgusting expression on the man's face that seemed to say he couldn't wait as his slimy hands reached out towards her and landed on her shoulders. A dangerous light passed in her eyes as she prepared to innocently ask what the man was doing when a drastic change occurred!
A flash of silver light erupted from the man as his expression wholly changed to become one of utter focus as killing intent erupted. After the silver light passed, the carriage became empty.
In the short span of time that was one minute, the area around the carriage had been completely cleared as preparations put into place and luck met all at once, causing this astounding scene to occur.
The 59th ranked Demon King as well as the dark-haired man that baited her...had disappeared!