Chapter 60

※I revised the previous story around 8:40 PM last night.

※I changed the princess's name to Nobara-hime.

The morning in the capital city.

After clearing the Undead Dungeon, I returned with Ririsia.

Approaching Koh, who was at the back of the hall, I took out the dungeon core from the bag.

"Then, before we go to the Demon World, make me a Magic Bag and a sub-device."

"Yes, sir!"

The side of the sphere opened with a clunk.

I put in three core-like gems.

The small window closed, and Koh started to shine brightly.

Then, two treasure chests appeared at the end of the hall.

Approaching and opening them, I found a white backpack and a thin, board-like sub-device inside.

Holding both in my hands, I asked,

"How much can this Magic Bag hold?"

"About the size of a castle in the capital, it can easily fit?"

"Wow! --With this, we can pick up a lot of things in the Demon World. Ririsia, you can use the sub-device."

"Yes, Master!"

Handing the sub-device to Ririsia, I packed the Magic Bag with essentials like preserved food, ropes, and lanterns.

As expected, it was incredibly spacious.

Shouldering the Magic Bag, I said,

"Alright, then connect us to the Demon World."

"Sure thing."

A passage appeared in the hall.

Sophia, in her monk's robe, was surprised.

"Th-the Demon World!? Is it really okay?"

"Well, it should be fine. --Sophia, take care of the shop and Koh's guard."

"Yes, please be careful."

"Yes, yes! Have a safe trip!"

With Sophia's puzzled voice and her blue hair swaying, Ririsia and I entered the passage.

◇ ◇ ◇

We passed through the passage and exited the entrance.

The sky was red, and the ground was black.

Twisted, eerie trees with purple leaves were growing.

But as I took a step forward, all the leaves fell.

Then, a rumbling sound came from the distance.

"Huh? What's that sound?"

Ririsia, looking at a simple map, said,

"There seems to be the Demon King's Castle in that direction. I heard it was half-destroyed. That must be it collapsing."

"I see. Let's be careful and watch out for traps."

"Yes, sir!"

Holding my sword and keeping a lookout, I moved forward.

However, I didn't see any monsters or demons.

Gradually, the ruins of the collapsed castle came into view.

But something was strange.

Several lights were rising from the ruins into the sky.

"Huh? What's that?"

"Ah!"

"What's wrong?"

Ririsia gasped and held her breath.

Then, she immediately placed her hands together in front of her, and her white wings spread out to cover her body.

"---Holy Soul Guide! Nobara-hime!"

As her palms glowed gold, a small, white sphere was drawn into Ririsia's hand.

She pressed it to her chest, and it disappeared.

I asked, surprised,

"What's wrong, Ririsia? Could it be...?"

"Yes! This is the soul of the princess of Yamata that Edgar was looking for!"

"In the Demon World...?"

"I'm as surprised as you are. To think so many souls would wander here..."

"It must be some kind of ritual or the Demon King's scheme."

Ririsia nodded with a determined look.

"I think so. The Demon King might have been revived after all."

"Well, whatever it is, it's good that we foiled their plans."

"Yes, Master!"

Arriving at the ruins where the souls were rising, I instructed Ririsia,

"Next, find the Philosopher's Stone for me."

"Yes, sir---Dark Magic Detection."

Ririsia placed her hand on her chest, leaned forward slightly, and spread her white wings.

Concentric circles of white light radiated out like waves.

Her wings spread out as if riding the waves...

After a while, Ririsia looked up.

She smiled brightly and said,

"I found it, Master! The Philosopher's Stone!"

"Really? Where is it!?"

"Over here!"

Following Ririsia's lead, we stepped over the rubble to reach the location.

Stopping in the middle of the ruins, she frowned.

"It's underground... and it seems quite deep."

"Like a treasure vault... Removing this rubble will be tough."

"Yes, it will take several people."

"Hmm. That's a problem. --Wait, I have an idea?"

"What is it, Master?"

I took out the sub-device and held the Magic Bag.

"Let's have Koh absorb the materials, and store the usable stones in the Magic Bag. We can use them as needed. What do you think?"

"Brilliant, Master! That should work!"

Ririsia's violet eyes sparkled as she smiled.

I held the sub-device to my ear and said,

"That's the plan. Can you do it, Koh?"

"Yay, I can! The Demon World is full of magical materials~"

"Great, let's do it. --Lead the way, Ririsia."

"Yes, this way!"

As we absorbed the rubble and created steps to go down, Koh complained, "No magic essence, just purified stones~" but I ignored it.

We found a treasure chest.

"Is this it?"

"No traps."

Opening the treasure chest, we found a gem the size of a fist.

It was an octahedron, with two pyramids joined at their bases.

It was a translucent green and faintly glowing.

--Is this what I've been looking for?

One of the items needed to rejuvenate multiple times.

Trying to hide my excitement, I said casually,

"It looks like a big gem."

"It's an emerald, but it's definitely the Philosopher's Stone... It's glowing. Congratulations, Master."

Ririsia said, looking through a magnifying glass.

I nodded.

"Thanks. It's all thanks to you, Ririsia... By the way, are there any other notable items?"

"Gold coins and... a cursed axe. It's called the 'Lazy One-Hit' and can incapacitate you occasionally but is a one-hit kill."

"Let's pick it up just in case. If we don't use it, it can be material for Koh."

"Yes, this way."

We then obtained the gold coins and the axe.

I put everything in the Magic Bag and said,

"That was easier than expected."

"Yes, the Demon King wasn't there either."

"The castle was still in ruins. He's probably hiding in a safe place, knowing a hero might come to the Demon World."

"Indeed, the Demon King is not to be underestimated."

"Let's head back."

"Yes, sir!"

With Ririsia's cute response, I returned to Koh's dungeon.

◇ ◇ ◇

A little earlier, at the Demon King's Castle.

The thin Demon King was sitting on his throne in a vast hall with columns, marking up a stack of manuscript paper with a red pen.

Only a few guard monsters were stationed along the walls.

The mage Goub, standing beside the Demon King, shouted,

"Next! Step forward!"

The double doors opened, and a man with a wolf's face entered.

He walked up the red carpet to the throne, holding a small treasure chest.

"Hehe! I've successfully miniaturized the Mimic, Your Majesty!"

"Isn't it too small and weak?"

The Demon King glanced up sharply from his manuscript.

The wolf man nodded enthusiastically.

"Exactly, Your Majesty! I've made it undetectable by danger detection skills! For example, if you put it in a drawer or a treasure box in a safe, a careless hero or adventurer will be caught off guard!"

"Hmm, well done! I commend you! It's adopted! Hahaha!"

"Hehe, what a great honor!"

The wolf man bowed deeply.

He was rewarded with gold coins.

Goub shouted again,

"Next---huh?"

The Demon King's Castle shook with a creaking sound.

The Demon King looked around the columns and ceiling with a puzzled expression.

"An earthquake? In the Demon World?"

Suddenly, with a loud crash, the ceiling collapsed.

A bluish-white wall of light surged in.

The Demon King hastily stood up from his throne.

"What, this!?"

The wall of light enveloped and erased the monsters.

The screams of the guard monsters, lined up along the walls, echoed in the hall.

"Aaaaah!""No way!""Save me, Your Majesty!"

"Aleks---gah!"

The orc who shouted was shattered and erased.

The Demon King spread his cloak and embraced Goub, enveloping them in black magic.

He ran out while shouting desperately,

"Run, everyone, evacuate! --Gah!"

The wall of light continued to destroy the Demon King's Castle, and the Demon King was hit by the light, rolling his eyes in agony.

Goub, held in his left arm, cried out,

"Your Majesty! Please leave me behind and escape, Your Majesty!"

"Don't underestimate me---Quick escape spell, Magic Step!"

The Demon King extended his right hand, holding the stack of manuscripts.

A bulky ring on his finger, not yet consumed by the light, glowed black.

It was a ring prepared for escape in case of Aleks.

In the next moment, the Demon King was outside.

The castle behind him crumbled with a rumble.

Looking up, the Demon King's eyes widened in shock.

"Is this Aleks!? Has Aleks come!? How did he get here!? --Why? I sealed off the entrance to the Demon World, destroyed the legendary mattock of the dwarves, and threw it into the sea!"

"Your Majesty, please escape!"

The bluish-white wall of light was approaching at a walking pace.

"Gah!"

The Demon King clenched his jagged teeth and ran.

In just a few seconds, his hair was disheveled, his clothes and cloak were tattered, and his skin was marked with burns.

He kept looking back while running.

Almost no one had escaped from the collapsing castle.

Then he saw a strange light.

Pure, shining orbs were rising from the ruins of the castle into the sky.

"---What is that?"

"Those are likely the souls of humans used in the Death Soldier army, Your Majesty! We integrated the pure souls of obedient children into the command structure, but they've all been destroyed... all of them... all of them!"

"I see... The Death Soldiers and my elite forces are gone... I'm sorry, it's all because of my lack of power!"

Tears welled up in the Demon King's eyes.

--The loyal subordinates I gathered and raised over twenty years.

The military strength I assembled over twenty years.

All of it turned to rubble and vanished.

The Demon King shouted while running,

"My... my twenty years! Everything is being erased and disappearing... This is beyond unfair, it's despicable! What is this incomprehensible power!"

Goub, crying in his arms, tried to comfort him desperately.

"Your Majesty, please stay calm!"

"How can I stay calm! They say truth is stranger than fiction, but this is beyond even a story! What is this! --I won't accept this! I won't recognize Aleks as a hero! Damn it!"

"Your Majesty...! What will you do now?"

"Ugh, I'll have to seek his cooperation..."

"You mean that person? Impressive, Your Majesty!"

"Just you wait, Aleks...! In ten or twenty years, after you're dead, I'll surely destroy the world!"

His voice was confident, but the tears he shed for his subordinates wouldn't stop.

The Demon King clenched his jagged teeth, holding the sobbing Goub and his unfinished novel, and fled from the Demon World.

Since the princess usually doesn't get a good name from her parents, I thought "Nobara" (wild rose) fit well. (Sakuya is probably the eldest or second daughter)

It's also a reference to Schubert. Thank you to everyone who gave me feedback.

Thank you to everyone who supported me with bookmarks and ★ ratings!

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So, how was the "What goes around comes around" chapter for the Demon King?

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The next chapter will be updated tomorrow

→ 61. For Edgar!