Chapter 349

Over the years, they had visited Dark Land during summer vacation and now, during winter vacation, they found themselves going there again. Of course, their companion Ellen had become the next dragon slayer and the greatest swordswoman on the continent. The place they were heading to was located deep in Dark Land, and although the adventurers were leading the development of the area, they had not yet fully explored the vast region. Only three people, including the protagonist and Sabiolin Tana, were needed for the journey, and they planned to reach the demon castle by using warp gates. The castle was currently occupied by the Imperial Army, and although they had already taken everything of value, they were still searching the entire castle. Upon arriving at the castle, the protagonist and Charlotte were speechless at the sight of the war-torn fortress. They disguised themselves and introduced themselves as the commander of the demon castle's garrison, Alfred Viscount. In addition, the commander who had received advance notice of our arrival was waiting for us alone. Charlotte and Sabiolin Tana seemed to be paying attention to prevent unnecessary commotion. "Ah, I see. Nice to meet you, Viscount Alfred." Berthus probably sensed that Charlotte's power was related to the demon king, but she wasn't using it as a weapon. That's why Charlotte came under the pretext of inspecting the demon castle. There seemed to be a focus on exploration and research rather than combat in the army, and there were proper buildings around the demon castle instead of tents. Only a handful of people, including the commander, knew that we were coming to the garrison. After a short meal with the commander, he took us to the map room. The purpose of Charlotte's visit was to investigate the demon castle. The model of the demon castle on the table in the map room was very detailed, and there were many pictures on the wall that seemed to be aimed at the demon castle. The demon castle was very large, and there were still areas where traps were active, so exploration had not yet been completed. The commander seemed to be in a difficult position, but he thought it was better to proceed with caution. The demon castle was still not fully explored due to the traps in some areas. "It is estimated that there were stationed reserve troops in the castle. However, even if it was large in scale, it could not accommodate the countless demons and monsters that we fought against during the demon war. So it is estimated that they recruited demons residing in other areas. The commander confirmed that there are facilities for living such as restaurants and banquet halls on the first floor of the demon castle. And do you see this central courtyard of the palace?" Charlotte asked if it was the place where Lagun Artorius and the demon king fought. The commander nodded. They moved around the demon castle on horseback, and there was a large village called the garrison surrounding the castle. The commander said that all the subsidiary buildings were safe, and there were no traps in the above-ground part of the castle, but the underground part was still dangerous. They should be careful not to go too deep underground. Charlotte asked if many soldiers had fallen into traps. "Are they just soldiers? Even skilled rangers and knights, as well as wizards, often fall victim to mental traps. If it only results in injuries, that's fortunate, but those who fall into mental traps can end up with their minds completely destroyed. That's why exploring the underground area is being handled even more carefully. Hmm... it's about that level of danger. It's not like a dungeon in some remote village, it's a trap in a demon castle. There are cases where you can die or become a complete invalid if you touch something carelessly," Charlotte shuddered at the thought. "Except for Berthus' problem, the demon castle is not such a safe place. The commander has repeatedly warned us not to go too deep into the underground area because it hasn't been properly surveyed for safety. But Nanah, Charlotte, and Tana probably all think the same thing. If there's something, the clues will be in the underground area. We soon arrived at the entrance of the huge and magnificent demon castle. The girl we thought was a poor hostage kidnapped by demons was actually a princess, and the princess had a premonition that she would die horribly if she was not rescued. Darius and I returned and ran our horses to escape from the clutches of the knights of the Sallerian Duchy and obtain a teleport scroll. If I hadn't been there, Charlotte would have died. What is Charlotte thinking? Is she thinking about the fear, pain, and terrible times? But her expression showed sadness. She didn't seem to be thinking about anger and pain. I know what she's thinking. She's probably thinking about Valier. He saved her, but then suddenly disappeared and cut off contact after exchanging letters for a while. Now she's the one who has to think about who he really was in the midst of her pain. And I'm here with her now, under the name of Reinhardt. "Let's go in." Charlotte said firmly. The path to the central courtyard of the demon castle was not that complicated. We just had to pass through long and wide corridors and some halls because the scale was too huge. There were still traces of battle inside the castle. "Of course... Your Majesty probably knows best... After the demon king's death, all the demons surrendered." "That's right." The commander pointed out the traces of battle every time we passed through a huge hall inside the castle. "So most of the traces inside the castle are from the warriors' party." "Ah, I see." Until the demon king's death, the demon castle was not captured. And after the surrender, there was no more fighting, so there was no fighting between the demon army and the alliance army inside the castle. The traces of broken objects and statues or collapsed walls inside the castle were created by the demon army and the warriors' party inside the castle. The commander walked around the castle explaining various things. There was a sense of pride in his tone. The great victory of humanity. And the demon castle was like a museum that recorded that victory. It seemed like that, and his words were not entirely wrong. " A large hall that may have been a restaurant, the commander says as he stands in front of a collapsed wall. He suddenly performs a memorial service in front of a single white flower placed there. "The body of Ragdna Olphi was found here." The location where one of the members of the group's body was found. After the demon king was killed, all the bodies were recovered, so it was expected that the bodies of the warriors' party would be found throughout the demon castle where the battle took place. While recovering those bodies, it would have been recorded where they were found. "And over there, the body of Archilion, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, was also found." Ragdna Olphi, who was in charge of the ranger position in the group. I never heard of Archilion since I didn't set the Four Heavenly Kings. I just did it because it was a kind of cliche to defeat the Four Heavenly Kings one by one as the warriors' party died one by one, and I didn't have any other thoughts. Maybe there was a background to the fact that the Four Heavenly Kings fought one by one against the warriors' party. It's something that can't be known now. Sabiolin Tana and Charlotte followed the commander and bowed their heads in silence, and I did the same. It couldn't be called tourism, but the commander led us as if it was his duty. This time it was a huge corridor, and there was also a white flower that seemed to have been placed there recently. It seemed like someone brought flowers every day. The pillars of the corridor were collapsed, and the commander paused again somewhere among the collapsed pillars. "Mullerun's body was found here." A magician among the warriors' party. "Together with the body of Succubus Queen Reyna, one of the Four Heavenly Kings." Succubus Queen Reyna. The mother of Airi. It was a name I had heard before, so it wasn't a name that came with no weight at all. The commander looked at the traces of the collapse and said, "Succubus Queen Reyna was a very serious problem. When she exerted her influence at night, soldiers numbering in the tens of thousands were afraid of being possessed by nightmares and couldn't fall asleep, and many soldiers who fell asleep couldn't wake up forever." He emphasized several times that the true fear of the Succubus Queen was that its essence was a nightmare. Although it may not be able to enter the minds of those with very strong willpower or those who have received anti-demonic training, many soldiers without such resistance became sacrificial lambs of nightmares. "In fact, besides Larken Simonstate, who killed the most Allied soldiers, it would have been the Succubus Queen and her clan." Sabiolin Tana seemed to flinch slightly at the mention of Larken Simonstate. Was it a mistake? The commander said so and walked ahead again. "I think the problem was that he amplified his magic power beyond his limits to save the party from the powerful enchantment magic of the Succubus Queen... The commander, Alfred Viscount, led the group to each location where the bodies of the fallen warriors were found. Although their original purpose was to see the location where Lagner Artorius and Demon King Bali fought, Charlotte didn't say anything. She felt it was her duty to confirm that the warriors had sacrificed their lives. When they reached the place where the priest Shade died and where it was estimated that Lagner Artorius and the last two people, including the demon swordsman Seizaria, died, the commander let out a sigh. 'Here, the bodies of the strongest Four Heavenly King, Larken Simonstate, and the demon swordsman Seizaria were found. It is estimated that the battle between Lagner Artorius and the Demon King took place shortly after.' Larken Simonstate. I heard that Iri and Nana learned swordsmanship from him. I was lazy and Nana was a top student. Of course, I don't know much about him. However, Sabiolin Tana was silently watching the scene where an enormous battle must have taken place with a stern expression. 'I wanted to kill him with my own hands.' Sabiolin Tana's fingertips were trembling. Charlotte and the commander didn't say anything, as if they already knew. It is clear that only I don't know why Sabiolin Tana is saying that. She seemed to feel my curiosity and smiled with regret as she looked at me. 'He was my master.' '...What!?' I couldn't help but be surprised by the unexpected sound. Charlotte and the commander stared at me in surprise. 'No...you learned swordsmanship from a demon?' '...?' 'Huh?' Sabiolin Tana murmured quietly with her arms crossed. 'You didn't know. Well, maybe you couldn't know...that's possible. Larken Simonstate was human.' The fact that he was actually human, one of the Four Demon Kings, was surprising. No, isn't this a big deal not to know? Fortunately, he was from a poor background, so I feel like I can just let it go. My bones feel numb. 'He was a traitor to the Empire who deserved to be chewed up and killed.' Sabiolin Tana's pupils were burning with calm anger. Come to think of it. 'Yes. Prince Jeha and Princess Jeha learned swordsmanship from Larken Simonstate, who was the first of the Four Demon Kings.' The title of 'knight.' Come to think of it, isn't it a fitting title for a knight?"