#1086 When Development Goes Array, The Farm Emerges

An explorer and an absolutely extraordinary pioneer!

His name is Racha Leones!!!

We must put an end to this calamity!

The disaster that’s befallen us is called... humans!

The symbol of evil and misfortune that has plagued us demons since ancient times is blocking our way even now!

But justice never yields!

We’ve always pushed aside those wicked humans and moved forward!

Remember how we ended the recent Human-Demon War with a victory? A perfect example!

Now, once again, we demons shall unite to defeat the cruel humans!

This is the turning point that will decide the fate of the world!

“Give it a rest, Racha Leones.”

“Seriously, stop trying to make yourself our leader. We don’t recall signing up to be your underlings.”

Why are my fellow demons giving me the cold shoulder?!

What’s going on?!

“You’re making it sound all epic, but in reality, it’s just a squabble over some settlement land, right? Like a minor skirmish in the middle of nowhere.”

“Yeah, comparing it to major historical events like the Human-Demon War is overkill. The scale is so off that it actually highlights how insignificant we are... It kinda kills the vibe, if anything.”

No way! Don’t get all logical on me!

Dang it, the demons who’ve come to this settlement are mostly washed-up explorers like me.

And let’s face it, explorers are hardcore individualists.

First one to find the treasure takes all—that’s the game. The other explorers are just pesky rivals.

So even though we’re supposed to be a team developing this land together, there’s no way we’re suddenly gonna feel all warm and fuzzy. Not a chance.

To make matters worse, the humans we’re up against attack us with this weird sense of unity.

Their offensive power is through the roof, and with us being all over the place, we can’t even put up a decent fight.

We got our butts kicked in no time and were booted out of the disputed land.

“What the heck?! The righteous demons got defeated!!!”

“Has the world gone mad?!”

Even the other demon pioneers are frustrated and angry about this.

If only we could unite at times like this, but nope, when it really counts, we just can’t seem to work together.

We came here seeking a new home for us demons.

We’re clearing out this overgrown wilderness, building houses, tilling fields, and making it our own.

But apparently, we weren’t the only ones with that idea.

Humans from the neighboring Human Kingdom...

Our old enemies, who’ve been at odds with us for centuries, have also sent their pioneers to claim this land!

No way we’re letting them swipe the land we’ve worked so hard to clear!

So we stood up to them, but as I mentioned earlier... well, you know how that went...!

Figures, those brutal and vicious humans...!

At this rate, they’re gonna completely take over our settlement.

We can’t let that happen, so we’ve been challenging them in multiple attempts to reclaim our territory, but every time we come up short.

“Those humans are tougher than we thought. They’re not just any humans; they’re a bunch of handpicked roughnecks called adventurers...”

Adventurers.

Yeah, I’d heard that the humans’ pioneers were a bunch of those guys.

But why?

If they’re adventurers, we’re explorers!

Adventurers and explorers are basically the same thing, right? So why are we losing so badly?!

“You’re such a fool. Adventurers are a super mainstream profession over there; everyone knows about them.”

“They’ve got an Adventurers’ Guild managing them, and the scale is way beyond anything we have. Plus, they’re ranked from F to S and are constantly training to get better. So, their skills are off the charts.”

“There’s no way we can compete with those guys and expect to win.”

Grrr...!

Are you guys seriously okay with just accepting that?!

If this keeps up, we’re gonna get kicked out of the settlement, and all the sweat we’ve poured into developing it will be for nothing.

You’re okay with that?!

If not, we’ve gotta fight!

No matter how many times we get knocked down, we have to keep fighting with unwavering spirit, and drive out those humans—those adventurers—and kick every last one of them out of this settlement!

All right, let’s charge!

The fate of the demon race hangs on this battle!

Advance with unshakable determination, onward, onward!

There’s no path for us but forward!

***

As this messy conflict dragged on...

“Hey, Racha Leones! Something weird is happening on the battlefield!”

What’s up?

Wasn’t it the usual routine, us attacking the humans, getting our butts handed to us, retreating to lick our wounds, and then attacking again... kinda stuck in a stalemate?

“Well... seems like monsters have shown up. Mostly humanoid types like orcs and goblins.”

Monsters?!

No way! We haven’t seen any monsters around here since we settled!

Monsters spawn from dungeons, and if there’s no dungeon nearby, they don’t just pop up.

Sure, it’s a bummer we don’t have a dungeon as a resource hub, but not having to deal with monster threats is definitely a plus for a settlement.

In that sense, I thought this place was a top-notch spot, so what’s going on?!

Wait, so maybe there’s a dungeon nearby after all?

Or could it be... the humans have unleashed monsters on us?!

“Nah, controlling monsters is our specialty as demons; humans shouldn’t have that kind of magic...!”

“Then what’s going on?”

In any case, standing around here won’t solve anything.

We need to check out the situation and see what’s really happening!

Let’s go!

...Pant... wheeze... okay, quick break, and off we go again!

...We’re here!!!

Whoa!

Sure enough, orcs and goblins are rampaging all over the place!

And they’re attacking the humans?!

“Those monsters are awesome! They’re totally wrecking the humans!”

“Since when were orcs and goblins this strong? The humans can’t do a thing against them!”

T-True, the orcs on the battlefield seem four or five times stronger than the ones I know.

Even those well-trained human adventurers are getting tossed around like ragdolls.

Just like us when we went up against the humans earlier.

Wait a minute... could it be?

“Reinforcements? Maybe they’re from the Demon Kingdom?!”

“Huh? Why?”

“You just said controlling monsters is a demon thing! And these monsters are clearly stronger than normal. I heard somewhere that they’re researching ways to beef up humanoid monsters for battle!”

But I also heard that this cool tech got shelved after the war ended.

Maybe they’ve finally decided to use it here?

About time!

To make those foolish humans, who dare rebel, realize once again the terror of the demons!

“Ah, I see! Now that you mention it, that makes sense!”

“Now’s our chance! Let’s team up with those monster reinforcements and beat the humans to a pulp!!!”

Thinking this was our golden opportunity, we demon pioneers grabbed our weapons and charged onto the battlefield!

All right! Let’s wipe out the humans!!!

Just as everyone was about to leap into battle, totally sure of our victory...

We ended up leaping in a different way.

Because we got smacked and sent flying by the monsters.

“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!”

Why?!

Why are we getting punched too?!

No!

We’re not your enemies!

We’re demons! We fight humans, that lot over there! They’re the enemy!

Got it?!

“What are you babbling about? When did we ever say we were on the demons’ side?”

Huh? Who said that?

Did the monster just... talk?!

Wait, did the Demon Kingdom’s research labs even give monsters the ability to speak?

“I don’t know what misunderstanding you’re under, but we’re not siding with demons against humans. If anything, we’re enemies to anyone who disturbs the peace. And the only one we pledge our loyalty to is one person...”

An orc declares solemnly.

“Lord Saint. By the command of the great Lord Saint, we’re here to punish those who cause trouble in his domain.”