As we continued inside the gate, the landscape gradually changed.
It shifted from natural scenery to a place where human intervention became more apparent.
Crystals with a soft red-purple light illuminated the area like streetlights, and bright green plants and mushrooms, gently glowing, were neatly arranged underneath them.
Various colors of light mixed together, making the light appear somewhat white.
This was probably the whitest place in the abyss.
Further ahead, we could see a tower-like structure made of crystals.
“Is that the Demon King’s castle, maybe?”
It didn’t look as ominous as one would expect from a Demon King’s castle.
The tower had an overall elegant design. It had a sense of taste and sophistication.
“Marbello, is someone living there?”
Since you were there, you should know, right?
[Yes! That’s where the Demon King, who created us, resides!]
…Ah, right. I knew that!
However, it’s probably a good idea to ask just in case.
“Marbello, weren’t you a servant of the Demon King? Is it okay for you to be with me?”
I did feel a slight sense of guilt about this whole situation. Slight.
[Yes! The Demon King indeed created us, but he is not our master!]
[Our master is Lord Maito!]
[If Lord Maito orders us, we won’t hesitate to attack the Demon King! Just you wait, Demon King!]
“Stop it, you idiots! Are you trying to get us killed?”
I mean, come on! He had a fight when that goddess was still a goddess and not a book, and apparently, the Demon King got completely trounced by the goddess. But there’s no need to compare that to us! He’s definitely strong!
Picking a fight with someone like that is just plain insane!
…Anyway, we have something we need to ask the Demon King about. That’s ”Abyssal Ash”. The goddess told us to ask the Demon King about it. So, we have no choice but to ask him.
Therefore, the option of starting a fight is out of the question.
“Marbello, we won’t be hostile to the Demon King. So, make sure you don’t attack him. In fact, make sure you don’t harm him in any way.”
[Yes, understood!]
[As you command!]
[We won’t attack him, no matter what!]
Yeah, that should be fine… I hope.
And here we were, at the Demon King’s castle.
At the entrance of the beautiful tower, we decided to give “Transfer” another try.
To cut to the chase, it still didn’t work. Yep, it felt like we were being blocked by some mysterious force.
So, we had no choice but to enter the Demon King’s castle as planned.
“…Should we at least knock?”
“Sure.”
Even though it was the Demon King’s castle, it was someone’s home, so we decided to knock on the door.
Knock, knock.
“Please come in.”
Oh, well, that was unexpected. So, we decided to go in…
Wait, what?
The unexpected situation left all of us a bit stunned. I mean, we assumed the Demon King would be inside, but the invitation was a bit too polite, wasn’t it?
“What should we do?”
Unusually, Suzumoto looked a bit perplexed.
“Well… we don’t really have a choice but to enter, do we?”
Hagasaki urged us to go in, though his tone lacked conviction. Still, no one seemed eager to take the first step.
“Uh, I… I really don’t want to do this!”
Hariu seemed ready to make a run for it.
…
“I’ll go ahead.”
I wasn’t in the mood to wait around, so I decided to be the first one to enter.
Since he had said, “Please come in,” I decided to approach the situation head-on.
Leaving my slightly stunned companions behind, I opened the door. Inside, there was an elegant table set, a chessboard made of crystal with intricately crafted pieces, and a man with silver hair who was playing chess by himself.
The man looked up from the chessboard when we entered.
His eyes were a deep crimson. The instructions from the Goddess Book were quite specific about the appearance of the Demon King I was supposed to confront – “silver hair and red eyes.” From the looks of it, this man was indeed the Demon King.
The Demon King’s crimson gaze briefly widened as he looked at us.
“…Who are you?”
“We apologize for intruding! We are from another world, dropped into this one. We are otherworldly travelers!”
In a situation where offense or defense was the norm, it was better to take the initiative with an introduction like this.
“…From another world. I see.”
After introducing ourselves, he closed his eyes and seemed to contemplate something, or perhaps he was just deep in thought. Then, he spoke.
“Since you’ve come all the way here, you probably already know, but I’ll introduce myself anyway. I am the Demon King.”
The Demon King appeared different from what I had imagined. I had expected something more menacing or inhuman, considering the title “Demon King.” However, he looked like a man in his late twenties to early thirties. His appearance was quite ordinary.
Contrary to my expectations, he didn’t exude an aura of malevolence. And he didn’t appear overly muscular, despite his tall stature.
…Um, the chemistry club’s advisor mentioned that he was 183 cm tall, but this guy looks even taller. He might be around 2 meters tall.
“You’ve come quite a long way. …Wait a moment. How about some tea?”
Saying that, the Demon King stood up.
“Oh, please don’t mind us.”
“Don’t be shy. Sit and wait.”
With those words, the Demon King gave a slight smile and snapped his fingers.
As a result, tables and chairs made of crystal emerged from the floor. There were ten delicate chairs in total.
Then, the Demon King went off to the back.
Wait, doesn’t the Demon King’s castle have any tea-serving maids? Is the Demon King personally making tea?
Well, let’s just accept it for what it is. I resigned myself to the situation and pulled a chair to sit down.
Oh, the chair is quite comfortable.
“I guess we were told to sit and wait, so let’s sit.”
President pulled a chair beside me and took a seat. Yeah, that’s right. It’s strange to be overly cautious just because he’s the Demon King.
From what I heard from the Goddess book, it seems like the Demon King has more common sense than the Goddess, at least.
“I can’t take it anymore. What’s with this world? The Demon King is making his own tea? It’s different from the Demon King I know.”
It seemed like Hagasaki-kun had also reached the point of resignation as he pulled a chair beside me and sat down.
Once we started sitting, others who were hesitant to sit down also took their seats.
“…Is this where I belong?”
“You’re technically the club president, so…”
This is what they call a “birthday seat.” On the opposite side, there’s a designated “Demon King’s seat.” Just so you know, the seats closest to the Demon King are occupied by President and Toriumi.
Namu!
“I kept you waiting.”
After a short wait, the Demon King returned with crystal cups of tea and tea sweets on a tray.
Oh my!
“Oh, please don’t worry about it.”
I hesitated to let the Demon King serve us, so I decided to help.
“Oh, thank you.”
…I received thanks from the Demon King…
In a way, it’s quite disrespectful considering that the Goddess Book is also a goddess, but meeting someone in person is completely different from reading about them in a book.
Yeah, if the Demon King were just a character in a book, they could probably take a more carefree attitude, but in reality, they are the Demon King.
There’s no ominous aura or anything, but there’s a certain… unapproachable feeling. It’s like an imposing presence, or nobility, or being otherworldly. At the very least, it’s an aura you don’t encounter in everyday life.
So, after the tea was served, I decided to take a sip from my cup next to the Demon King.
Well, it’s a taste test. If it’s a slow-acting poison, it won’t matter, though.
Surprisingly, the tea was delicious. It had a refreshing aroma and taste. Is it a product of the Netherworld?
“Now then, you’ve come all this way. Do you have some business with me?”
With the Demon King broaching the subject, I decided to ask without hesitation, but it was not me who spoke up; it was Suzumoto.
“Do you know about the ‘Ashes of the Abyss’?”
Suzumoto asked directly, and the Demon King, after taking a sip of tea, calmly replied.
“Yes, I know. Although I’ve used most of it… If it returns, it will become the ‘Ashes of the Abyss’ again.”
Wait, return? What?
“Do you know about the ‘Void Orb’?”
…What’s the ‘Void Orb’? I must have shown confusion on my face because the Demon King set down the cup, turned towards me, and pointed to my left arm.
“It’s attached to your collar, isn’t it?”
Oh, the ‘Origin,’ right!
I reached into my collar and took out one of the ‘Origins.’ The Demon King looked at it nostalgically.
“I created this. So, when this one crumbles, its remains will fall back to me as the ‘Ashes of the Abyss’… So, why do you desire the ‘Ashes of the Abyss’?”
“We need it to resurrect people.”
Suzumoto replied, and the Demon King narrowed their eyes slightly.
“In other words, have people finally reached the point where they can create human lives?”
“Yes.”
The atmosphere became tense for a moment.
It was probably a bad move after all.
However, in the next moment, the Demon King burst into laughter, dispelling the tension.
“I see! So, humans have finally come this far!”
After laughing for a while, the Demon King squinted their eyes nostalgically.
“…If she knew, he would surely find it interesting.”
Hmm.
“Regarding the Goddess, she actually found it quite interesting. She said, ‘Humans continue to advance no matter how far.'”
I mentioned this, and the Demon King, looking surprised, turned to me, gazing at me for a moment as if coming to some understanding on their own.
“Ah, you found the ‘Alive Grimoire.'”
“You seem to know a lot about it.”
I wondered if the Demon King could read people’s memories with just a glance.
“When I saw you, there was a faint sense of nostalgia, and it all makes sense now… Fianna must still be the same.”
With those words, the Demon King took another sip from the cup, smiling with delight in their eyes.
As we continued inside the gate, the landscape gradually changed.
It shifted from natural scenery to a place where human intervention became more apparent.
Crystals with a soft red-purple light illuminated the area like streetlights, and bright green plants and mushrooms, gently glowing, were neatly arranged underneath them.
Various colors of light mixed together, making the light appear somewhat white.
This was probably the whitest place in the abyss.
Further ahead, we could see a tower-like structure made of crystals.
“Is that the Demon King’s castle, maybe?”
It didn’t look as ominous as one would expect from a Demon King’s castle.
The tower had an overall elegant design. It had a sense of taste and sophistication.
“Marbello, is someone living there?”
Since you were there, you should know, right?
[Yes! That’s where the Demon King, who created us, resides!]
…Ah, right. I knew that!
However, it’s probably a good idea to ask just in case.
“Marbello, weren’t you a servant of the Demon King? Is it okay for you to be with me?”
I did feel a slight sense of guilt about this whole situation. Slight.
[Yes! The Demon King indeed created us, but he is not our master!]
[Our master is Lord Maito!]
[If Lord Maito orders us, we won’t hesitate to attack the Demon King! Just you wait, Demon King!]
“Stop it, you idiots! Are you trying to get us killed?”
I mean, come on! He had a fight when that goddess was still a goddess and not a book, and apparently, the Demon King got completely trounced by the goddess. But there’s no need to compare that to us! He’s definitely strong!
Picking a fight with someone like that is just plain insane!
…Anyway, we have something we need to ask the Demon King about. That’s ”Abyssal Ash”. The goddess told us to ask the Demon King about it. So, we have no choice but to ask him.
Therefore, the option of starting a fight is out of the question.
“Marbello, we won’t be hostile to the Demon King. So, make sure you don’t attack him. In fact, make sure you don’t harm him in any way.”
[Yes, understood!]
[As you command!]
[We won’t attack him, no matter what!]
Yeah, that should be fine… I hope.
And here we were, at the Demon King’s castle.
At the entrance of the beautiful tower, we decided to give “Transfer” another try.
To cut to the chase, it still didn’t work. Yep, it felt like we were being blocked by some mysterious force.
So, we had no choice but to enter the Demon King’s castle as planned.
“…Should we at least knock?”
“Sure.”
Even though it was the Demon King’s castle, it was someone’s home, so we decided to knock on the door.
Knock, knock.
“Please come in.”
Oh, well, that was unexpected. So, we decided to go in…
Wait, what?
The unexpected situation left all of us a bit stunned. I mean, we assumed the Demon King would be inside, but the invitation was a bit too polite, wasn’t it?
“What should we do?”
Unusually, Suzumoto looked a bit perplexed.
“Well… we don’t really have a choice but to enter, do we?”
Hagasaki urged us to go in, though his tone lacked conviction. Still, no one seemed eager to take the first step.
“Uh, I… I really don’t want to do this!”
Hariu seemed ready to make a run for it.
…
“I’ll go ahead.”
I wasn’t in the mood to wait around, so I decided to be the first one to enter.
Since he had said, “Please come in,” I decided to approach the situation head-on.
Leaving my slightly stunned companions behind, I opened the door. Inside, there was an elegant table set, a chessboard made of crystal with intricately crafted pieces, and a man with silver hair who was playing chess by himself.
The man looked up from the chessboard when we entered.
His eyes were a deep crimson. The instructions from the Goddess Book were quite specific about the appearance of the Demon King I was supposed to confront – “silver hair and red eyes.” From the looks of it, this man was indeed the Demon King.
The Demon King’s crimson gaze briefly widened as he looked at us.
“…Who are you?”
“We apologize for intruding! We are from another world, dropped into this one. We are otherworldly travelers!”
In a situation where offense or defense was the norm, it was better to take the initiative with an introduction like this.
“…From another world. I see.”
After introducing ourselves, he closed his eyes and seemed to contemplate something, or perhaps he was just deep in thought. Then, he spoke.
“Since you’ve come all the way here, you probably already know, but I’ll introduce myself anyway. I am the Demon King.”
The Demon King appeared different from what I had imagined. I had expected something more menacing or inhuman, considering the title “Demon King.” However, he looked like a man in his late twenties to early thirties. His appearance was quite ordinary.
Contrary to my expectations, he didn’t exude an aura of malevolence. And he didn’t appear overly muscular, despite his tall stature.
…Um, the chemistry club’s advisor mentioned that he was 183 cm tall, but this guy looks even taller. He might be around 2 meters tall.
“You’ve come quite a long way. …Wait a moment. How about some tea?”
Saying that, the Demon King stood up.
“Oh, please don’t mind us.”
“Don’t be shy. Sit and wait.”
With those words, the Demon King gave a slight smile and snapped his fingers.
As a result, tables and chairs made of crystal emerged from the floor. There were ten delicate chairs in total.
Then, the Demon King went off to the back.
Wait, doesn’t the Demon King’s castle have any tea-serving maids? Is the Demon King personally making tea?
Well, let’s just accept it for what it is. I resigned myself to the situation and pulled a chair to sit down.
Oh, the chair is quite comfortable.
“I guess we were told to sit and wait, so let’s sit.”
President pulled a chair beside me and took a seat. Yeah, that’s right. It’s strange to be overly cautious just because he’s the Demon King.
From what I heard from the Goddess book, it seems like the Demon King has more common sense than the Goddess, at least.
“I can’t take it anymore. What’s with this world? The Demon King is making his own tea? It’s different from the Demon King I know.”
It seemed like Hagasaki-kun had also reached the point of resignation as he pulled a chair beside me and sat down.
Once we started sitting, others who were hesitant to sit down also took their seats.
“…Is this where I belong?”
“You’re technically the club president, so…”
This is what they call a “birthday seat.” On the opposite side, there’s a designated “Demon King’s seat.” Just so you know, the seats closest to the Demon King are occupied by President and Toriumi.
Namu!
“I kept you waiting.”
After a short wait, the Demon King returned with crystal cups of tea and tea sweets on a tray.
Oh my!
“Oh, please don’t worry about it.”
I hesitated to let the Demon King serve us, so I decided to help.
“Oh, thank you.”
…I received thanks from the Demon King…
In a way, it’s quite disrespectful considering that the Goddess Book is also a goddess, but meeting someone in person is completely different from reading about them in a book.
Yeah, if the Demon King were just a character in a book, they could probably take a more carefree attitude, but in reality, they are the Demon King.
There’s no ominous aura or anything, but there’s a certain… unapproachable feeling. It’s like an imposing presence, or nobility, or being otherworldly. At the very least, it’s an aura you don’t encounter in everyday life.
So, after the tea was served, I decided to take a sip from my cup next to the Demon King.
Well, it’s a taste test. If it’s a slow-acting poison, it won’t matter, though.
Surprisingly, the tea was delicious. It had a refreshing aroma and taste. Is it a product of the Netherworld?
“Now then, you’ve come all this way. Do you have some business with me?”
With the Demon King broaching the subject, I decided to ask without hesitation, but it was not me who spoke up; it was Suzumoto.
“Do you know about the ‘Ashes of the Abyss’?”
Suzumoto asked directly, and the Demon King, after taking a sip of tea, calmly replied.
“Yes, I know. Although I’ve used most of it… If it returns, it will become the ‘Ashes of the Abyss’ again.”
Wait, return? What?
“Do you know about the ‘Void Orb’?”
…What’s the ‘Void Orb’? I must have shown confusion on my face because the Demon King set down the cup, turned towards me, and pointed to my left arm.
“It’s attached to your collar, isn’t it?”
Oh, the ‘Origin,’ right!
I reached into my collar and took out one of the ‘Origins.’ The Demon King looked at it nostalgically.
“I created this. So, when this one crumbles, its remains will fall back to me as the ‘Ashes of the Abyss’… So, why do you desire the ‘Ashes of the Abyss’?”
“We need it to resurrect people.”
Suzumoto replied, and the Demon King narrowed their eyes slightly.
“In other words, have people finally reached the point where they can create human lives?”
“Yes.”
The atmosphere became tense for a moment.
It was probably a bad move after all.
However, in the next moment, the Demon King burst into laughter, dispelling the tension.
“I see! So, humans have finally come this far!”
After laughing for a while, the Demon King squinted their eyes nostalgically.
“…If she knew, he would surely find it interesting.”
Hmm.
“Regarding the Goddess, she actually found it quite interesting. She said, ‘Humans continue to advance no matter how far.'”
I mentioned this, and the Demon King, looking surprised, turned to me, gazing at me for a moment as if coming to some understanding on their own.
“Ah, you found the ‘Alive Grimoire.'”
“You seem to know a lot about it.”
I wondered if the Demon King could read people’s memories with just a glance.
“When I saw you, there was a faint sense of nostalgia, and it all makes sense now… Fianna must still be the same.”
With those words, the Demon King took another sip from the cup, smiling with delight in their eyes.
