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Once the ship repairs were finished, we set out for home, towing the island octopus with a fleet of eleven vessels.
On top of the gigantic iceberg that had become the “Demonic Sea,” Master was sitting perched there calmly.
At this point, it was more like a “Demonic Mountain.”
The mermaids who had evacuated earlier also rejoined us, swimming timidly around the island octopus.

“Still, you guys are incredible! Especially you! With this, the shipping lanes are safe!”

Garsche laughed at us in disbelief, so I made sure to add a caution.

“That thing may have been the master of this sea, but eventually another monster could take its place.”

When the top of an ecosystem disappears, the balance among those beneath it changes.
If wolves vanish, deer multiply, and those deer then eat all the vegetation.
We only defeated a single octopus, but it might cause a reshuffling of power among the monsters.
When I explained that, Garsche folded his arms, looking convinced.

“That’s a problem. But if that happens, what should we do?”
“What else?”

I gave the lord governor my best sales smile.

“You get the Demon Lord’s Army’s protection, for the long term.”

Garsche instantly grasped what I meant.
Then he shrugged, looking troubled.

“That’s practically a pirate’s racket. ‘We’ll guarantee your safety, so pay the toll.’”

That’s about right.

But Garsche laughed.

“I’m no good with pretty talk! Dealing with villains is easier for pirates! Looking forward to working with you!”
“Yeah. Leave it to us.”

Monsters that don’t negotiate—or don’t even have language to begin with—are troublesome enemies even for us demons.
Demons have always dealt with both humans and monsters.
Monster extermination missions will probably remain necessary.
Transforming heroes like werewolves are nice and all, but maybe the Demon Lord’s Army should form a specialist kaiju-hunting unit.

As the sun began sinking toward the western horizon, we returned to the port of Belrüsa.

“Launch the dragon flares! Signal: ‘Operation successful’!”

At my order, nighttime signal flares were fired from the warships—basically fireworks.
In response, the Dragonfire Engineers based in Belrüsa launched welcoming flares.
The reflections of fireworks on the water made for a surprisingly tasteful scene.

When the warships entered port towing the frozen island octopus, the harbor erupted.
This port is a living space for the people of Belrüsa. Many citizens actually live aboard ships floating in the harbor—so-called boat houses.
Sailors poured out from ships everywhere, and the port was swallowed by cheers.

“Whoa, amazing! That’s the ‘Demonic Sea’!”
“Long live the Belrüsa Navy! Long live the Demon Lord’s Army!”
“Thanks, Demon Lord’s Army! You guys are reliable!”

Every voice was praising both the Belrüsa forces and the Demon Lord’s Army.

Garsche, well accustomed to this, waved to the roaring crowd from the deck.

“There’s nobody who can beat us Belrüsa sailors! Especially when we’ve got the Demon Lord’s Army with us!”

The citizens were ecstatic, climbing masts and rigging to praise their lord.
Garsche then turned back and grinned at us Demon Lord’s Army officers.

“Look at that. Everyone’s grateful to you.”

Appealing to the public is part of the job.
Might as well wave back.

“Line up!”

I lined up the eight members of the werewolf squad on the warship deck.

“Transform and howl!”

We all transformed into werewolves at once and raised our fists high.

“AWOOOO!”

The werewolves’ roars, serving as a celebratory salute, left the Belrüsa sailors stunned.
At that moment, I shouted.

“The safety of this city and its shipping lanes will be protected by the Demon Lord’s Army! We won’t let anyone interfere with Belrüsa’s prosperity!”

Garsche followed up.

“This guy’s the hero who smashed the ‘Demonic Sea’s’ skull! Come on, applaud this madman!”
“Ooooh!”
“The werewolf who split the Demonic Sea!”
“Belrüsa’s savior!”

Thunderous applause erupted.

I called Filnier and the others over as well.
Filnier, blushing, swung her massive spear in response to the cheers. Senior Marlene waved gracefully, and Engineer Kurtze gave a Demon Lord’s Army-style salute.
Master was… sitting shyly on top of the iceberg in a gym squat, with mermaids swimming around her.
Still in werewolf form, I put an arm around Garsche’s shoulders and waved to the crowd.
Filnier immediately linked arms with me, and the surrounding dogfolk and dragonfolk joined in responding to the cheers.
The place was deafening. The people of Belrüsa seem to believe in never missing a chance to celebrate.

Ever since my reincarnation, humans have mostly been wary of us, attacking us at every turn.
Outside of Lüenheit, it’s still much the same.
So hearing this kind of welcome stirs something in me.

“Feels pretty good, being welcomed by humans.”
“Huh? You say something?”

Garsche asked, and I replied with a wry smile and a shout.

“Looking forward to working with you, old man Garsche!”
“Yeah! Let’s keep this going for a long time!”

Arms around each other, we laughed loudly.

That was when Parker, with his skull-like face, suddenly slid up behind me.

“Why didn’t you call me just now…?”
“Put your hand on your chest and think about it.”

The moment I said that, Parker eagerly placed a hand on his chest.

“Oh my, nothing but ribs!”
“You’re annoying!”
“Ow, ow! That hurts! It doesn’t hurt, but it hurts!”

This is exactly why I didn’t want to show him off.
I locked an arm around Parker’s neck and waved to the citizens with my free hand.

That night, Garsche personally smashed open the doors of the city’s sake storehouse with a hammer and had all the barrels hauled out in a lavish display.
Apparently, this is Belrüsa’s custom when holding its biggest no-holds-barred celebrations.
They call it the “Belrüsa Hammer Festival.”
Garsche, dressed like a pirate captain, waved his saber and shouted.

“Until every last barrel’s empty, you’re not allowed to work! Drink up! Celebrate!”

The Garne brothers were chugging wine barrels, with sailors betting on them.
Oh—Filnier jumped in.
She tilted a barrel like a horse drinking water and won instantly.
Everyone laughed, saying it wasn’t even a contest.
The Garne brothers were spinning and collapsed.

Since everyone’s having fun, I might as well enjoy myself quietly.
Even before my reincarnation, I’d always wanted to eat a gigantic octopus leg to my heart’s content. I like that texture.
By sheer luck, we secured one island octopus leg almost completely intact. I skewered it with a harpoon in place of a bamboo skewer.
Ideally, I’d want octopus with wasabi, but wasabi hasn’t been discovered yet. And eating it raw is obviously risky.
If cooking it, takoyaki or tempura… fried octopus sounds good too.

Still, it’s a monster that slaughtered many Belrüsa sailors. I don’t want people watching me eat it.
So I play it safe and grill it with a soy-based sauce.
Borrowing a bonfire amid the celebrations across the port, I quietly start grilling octopus.
A savory aroma drifts through the air. When the tentacle curls nicely, I brush on the sauce.
Perfectly grilled.
All right, let’s try it.

…This isn’t what I expected.
The texture’s good. It’s past crunchy and into downright tough, but for a werewolf, it’s just right. I bite into it with my fangs.
But while I expected it to be bland, the lack of umami is extreme. It tastes hollow, like chewing rubber.
Is this the island octopus’s natural flavor, or did beating it half to death ruin it?
Either way, it’s not very tasty. Unless you simmer it in a rich sauce, you’d definitely get sick of it.
Do I really have to eat all of this?

While I’m feeling disappointed, Filnier, carrying a barrel of alcohol and clearly tipsy, spots me.

“Ahh, Senioooorrr! I’m not drunk, you knowww?”
“That’s what all drunk people say.”
“Huh? Is that an octopus leg? Why’re you eating it?”

Filnier presses up against my back, rubbing her horse body against me.
I feel like a zookeeper.
With flushed cheeks and unfocused eyes, Filnier looks at me, then suddenly claps her hands.

“Oh! I get it now! Ahhh, I see!”

What exactly did you figure out?

That’s when Garsche shows up in high spirits.
For some reason, he’s got his arms around the Garne brothers.

“Hey! What’s our guest of honor doing in a place like this! Come on, drink up! …Hm? Is that an island octopus leg?”

Why does nobody ever leave me alone.
Then Filnier laughs and explains to them.

“Oh, that’s the ritual where you eat a defeated strong enemy to take in its power. We centaurs do it all the time.”

The Garne brothers and Garsche look at each other and comment.

“Veit’s more greedy for strength than he looks…”
“No wonder he’s so strong, bro.”
“Hey, are all werewolves like this?”
“No, this guy’s special. Think about it—what kind of sane werewolf gets launched by a catapult?”
“Yeah, that’s messed up.”

Say whatever you want.

Because Garsche and the others spread the story as drinking gossip, my nickname “the werewolf who split the Demonic Sea” got overwritten with “the werewolf who ate the Demonic Sea.”
I liked the old one better. It sounded more like a mage…