The Argland Council State was formed two hundred years ago after the war between the Demon Gods and the Thirteen Heroes. Several demi-human nations united to establish it.
Amid countless surrounding mountain ranges, demi-humans built a series of city-states.
It became a multi-racial union governed by a parliamentary system, where councilors elected from each race managed and mediated the affairs of the state.
Above them stood five Dragon Lords who served as lifelong councilors, led by one of the True Dragon Lords, the Platinum Dragon Lord.
In terms of population, demi-humans made up the majority, while humans accounted for less than ten percent.
Militarily, even without considering the Dragon Lords, demi-humans were far stronger than ordinary humans. Those demi-human races that had developed relatively advanced civilizations could become even more formidable after proper training.
Overall, their strength far surpassed every human nation except the Slane Theocracy.
...
Argland Council State, Capital.
Compared to the capitals of human empires, the buildings here were noticeably rougher. Perhaps it was because most of the inhabitants were demi-humans.
Yet this roughness gave the city a kind of wild charm, very different from the luxury and prosperity of human cities.
The streets were filled with all kinds of creatures moving about. Lizardmen and many other demi-humans walked openly among the crowds, with a small number of humans mixed in as well.
In the distant past, humans had once been nothing more than food for demi-humans, living every day in misery and danger.
Later, a Beastman spoke up on their behalf, securing certain rights for humans and raising their status from food to slaves. Even so, it was little more than a temporary relief.
Only after the Six Great Gods descended did humanity finally gain true liberation.
Returning to the present, even in the Argland Council State, conflicts between humans and demi-humans still existed.
However, because of the five Dragon Lord councilors, those conflicts rarely escalated beyond minor disputes.
The Argland Council State was one of the few places where humans and demi-humans could barely coexist.
Of course, that balance existed only because of the overwhelming power of the True Dragon Lords.
Recently, however, even the slowest-witted orcs could sense that something within the Argland Council State had begun to change.
The conflict between two of the councilors, the Obsidian Dragon Lord and the Wyrm Dragon Lord, had been steadily intensifying.
Their respective followers within the council state had also begun clashing openly, and a tense atmosphere was slowly spreading.
What made things more suspicious was that the highest councilor, the Platinum Dragon Lord, had made no move to stop it.
This caused many observers to begin speculating.
Although the Blue Sky Dragon Lord and the Diamond Dragon Lord tried their best to keep things quiet, fragments of information still leaked out.
On the surface, the Argland Council State appeared calm.
In reality, the undercurrents were already surging.
And then, at that very moment, an unexpected declaration of war appeared and completely stirred the troubled waters.
An entity known as Nazarick had declared war on the Argland Council State in an extremely high-profile manner.
The messenger delivering this declaration was Hamsuke, whose strength had undergone a dramatic transformation, raising her level to above seventy.
In order to prove her worth, and to guard against certain individuals who might try to undermine her position as the beloved pet of the Supreme Beings, Hamsuke decisively threw herself into the fierce competition among Nazarick's many monsters for this mission.
By adorably currying favor with both Momonga and Naohara, she successfully stood out and obtained the task.
At first, the Dragon Lords paid little attention to the declaration of war.
The Obsidian Dragon Lord even attempted to crush Hamsuke with a single claw.
However, to the shock of the other Dragon Lords, he was instead knocked unconscious by a single tail strike from Hamsuke.
That instantly made the other Dragon Lords wary, and none of them dared attack again.
And so, those proud Dragon Lords could only endure the humiliation of watching Hamsuke slap the declaration of war document directly onto their faces before swaggering out without a care.
...
Conference Room.
Four Dragon Lords silently stared at the declaration of war laid out before them.
The reason given for the war was extremely straightforward. Even as Dragon Lords, they had no way to refute it.
Only the strong have the right to rule everything.
There were no grand speeches.
Just ten simple words.
But those ten words alone felt like a deep insult to the four Dragon Lords. Wasn't this simply another way of calling them weak?
"This is a disgrace!"
The Obsidian Dragon Lord let out an enraged roar.
Having been knocked unconscious by a single swipe of Hamsuke's tail, he was undoubtedly the most emotionally unstable among them.
"With the Platinum Dragon Lord absent, with our strength… I'm afraid…"
Ignoring the Obsidian Dragon Lord's futile fury, the Diamond Dragon Lord spoke with clear concern.
Hard as it was to admit, even if the four of them joined forces, they might only be able to defeat one Hamsuke at best.
"Heh. That's no longer up to us."
The Wyrm Dragon Lord spoke calmly.
Unlike the other three Dragon Lords, he appeared completely composed, as if the coming war meant nothing to him.
His dragon eyes flickered continuously, as though something was turning in his mind.
At the same time the declaration was delivered, countless additional war notices had already been distributed across the Argland Council State.
Through the power of magic, the moment a letter was opened, glowing words would float into the air for everyone nearby to see.
The Argland Council State no longer had the luxury of choice.
"Sigh… Blue Sky Dragon Lord, still no news from the Platinum Dragon Lord?"
The Diamond Dragon Lord sighed and turned toward the Blue Sky Dragon Lord.
If the Platinum Dragon Lord could return, the outcome of this battle would be beyond doubt. The power of a True Dragon Lord was far beyond what they could match.
The Obsidian Dragon Lord and the Wyrm Dragon Lord also looked over. The former's eyes held a faint hope, while the latter's gaze was somewhat… strange.
"No. I've tried every method I can think of, but I still can't determine the Platinum Dragon Lord's location. I can only sense that he's still alive."
The Blue Sky Dragon Lord had been wondering why Hamsuke carried such a familiar aura. Hearing the question snapped him back to the present, and he shook his head.
"Then can we contact the other True Dragon Lords?"
The Diamond Dragon Lord sounded unwilling to give up.
"An enemy called Nazarick might attract the attention of the True Dragon Lords… but we're already out of time."
The Blue Sky Dragon Lord suspected that Nazarick might very well be Players.
For all they knew, the moment they left the Argland Council State, they could immediately be attacked.
"Hmph! This won't work, that won't work. If it comes down to it, we'll just fight! Who knows who'll win!"
The Obsidian Dragon Lord roared angrily, then stormed off on his own to prepare for the coming battle.
"Well… I'll go make my preparations too."
The Diamond Dragon Lord shook his head. With no better option available, this was all they could do.
Watching the two dragons leave, the Wyrm Dragon Lord turned toward the Blue Sky Dragon Lord.
"Blue Sky, for you… which matters more? The future of the Dragon race, or the Platinum Dragon Lord?"
The Wyrm Dragon Lord suddenly asked.
The question caught the Blue Sky Dragon Lord off guard.
Looking at the Wyrm Dragon Lord's expressionless face, something stirred in his heart, but he kept his composure and replied calmly.
"The Platinum Dragon Lord is the future of the Dragon race."
"Is that so… I understand."
To the Blue Sky Dragon Lord's surprise, the Wyrm Dragon Lord simply nodded and left without another word.
The platform fell silent.
The Blue Sky Dragon Lord stood there with his eyes closed for a long time.
After taking a deep breath, he finally made up his mind.
He walked to a nearby pillar and looked at the crystal sword sealed within. It was plain and unimpressive, more like a decorative piece than a weapon.
At least this weapon…
[Message]
"Rigrit, could you come here for a moment…"