Arsep’s feelings were understandable.
She said she wasn’t always like this, but thinking about someone causing a ruckus in front of the castle every day, regardless of the time, could indeed make someone want to destroy the world.
“I… don’t really want to destroy the world.”
“You can be honest with me.”
“No, I really don’t want to destroy it!”
At this rate, if things continued, she’d probably rush out of the castle and start smashing everything, whether human or demon.
Even a person’s patience has limits.
When I heard about incidents on the news, like someone stabbing someone else or even committing murder due to noise between floors, I thought it was extreme.
But now, having experienced it myself, I could somewhat understand their feelings.
“It seems there’s no other choice… I believe you need a break.”
“A break?”
“I’m saying we should go out for a change of scenery. Getting some fresh air away from the castle for a while might make you feel better. Let’s take a few days to be away from the castle.”
After watching me in this state, Arsep suddenly decided on an outing.
It would be a trip for a change of scenery, and as she said, maybe clearing my mind while getting some fresh air could ease this feeling a little.
I would step away from the castle for a while, throwing off the burdens and constraints of this world, and seek peace of mind.
That actually sounded quite nice, so I started preparing for the trip.
After washing up and changing clothes, I even prepared a lunch to eat outside. I already felt a bit better.
***
“But, is it okay to leave the castle empty?”
I started worrying about leaving the castle unguarded for too long.
What if a thief broke in?
“You needn’t worry about that. I haven’t been idly sitting around over the past month. I’ve made some adjustments to this old castle.”
“Adjustments?”
Clank!
“I installed a lock on the entrance.”
In response to my concern, Arsep reassured me, bringing a massive lock, as big as her head, and attaching it to the gate.
While she was exhausted just from putting up the lock before the outing even began, her expression looked calm and refreshed, even if her body was worn out.
“Securing the door is important when going out.”
“Don’t underestimate my castle. Apart from the main gate, there’s no other way in or out.”
“What if someone tries to climb over the walls?”
“That’s impossible. My castle is protected by a barrier powered by the magic of this very land. No one can enter through any route other than the main gate.”
Upon hearing this, I decided to test it by climbing over the wall.
Arsep mentioned a barrier, but I didn’t feel anything, and I managed to cross over easily without any issues.
“…Except for you and me, no one else can enter through any way other than the main gate.”
I climbed back down the wall and looked at Arsep directly.
She avoided my gaze.
“Aren’t you changing your story a bit too quickly?”
“I-I’m telling the truth…! Haven’t you seen, during your time here, that no one has ever tried to enter over the walls?”
“Now that I think about it, even the birds avoid flying near the castle.”
Looking back, Arsep’s words didn’t seem like a lie.
Everyone who had approached the castle had always come through the entrance, never trying to scale the walls.
Besides, as I mentioned, even the wildlife seemed to avoid this area, as if there were an invisible wall.
It didn’t seem to apply to me, but there was likely some other reason tied to her.
“This castle was built on the remains of an ancient temple. The natural barrier exists because of that.”
“Aren’t you worried about divine retribution for doing such a thing?”
“Ha! Let the gods try to curse me if they dare! …Or at least, that’s what I thought back then. But, it seems I did get cursed after all, haha….”
Leaving the hollow laughter of Arsep behind, I inspected the lock she’d installed.
‘It looked big and sturdy, but was this really enough?’
“Don’t sweat the small stuff. If you worry about every little thing, you’ll end up paralyzed and unable to do anything.”
“Got it. Well, I’ve packed lunch, so let’s get going.”
“Indeed, and most who come here aren’t exactly the brightest.”
Arsep was right.
All the people who had come to this castle and tried to break down the door clearly weren’t the smartest.
In every case I’d seen, even those who came to defeat her had all attempted to smash down the gate, even though it was an ordinary door that could be pushed open.
Considering over a hundred people had come here in the past month, maybe humans in this world weren’t too bright.
“By the way, where are we headed?”
“That’s a secret! But I assure you, you’ll enjoy it. Feel free to look forward to it.”
I didn’t know where she was taking me, but seeing her speak so confidently, I figured it had to be a good place.
***
“What’s so special about that castle that humans are so persistent about it?”
The head of the Demon Army’s Department of Magic Engineering was also troubled by the continued encounters with humans over the past month.
At first, he thought it was just a minor incident, but then, 90% of the familiars his department had created were destroyed in that location.
While it was a useful field test, he couldn’t understand why humans would go to such lengths, knowing it wasn’t without cost on their side.
“They weren’t soldiers, but mercenaries. Likely adventurers from guilds.”
The head of the Surveillance Squad recalled those he had seen on the battlefield.
They were all rather skilled warriors, though they weren’t particularly adept in mercenary tactics, nor were their numbers especially large.
Since there are mercenaries in the Human Realm known as adventurers, they’re probably the ones clashing with the Demon King’s forces.
“Why would mercenaries who only chase money engage in such a pointless war of attrition?”
Of course, the easiest way to find out would be to enter the castle and see what’s inside.
It was certain that there wasn’t anything particularly special in the surroundings that would interest humans, leaving only the castle, which had long since lost its owner.
“The Demon King did say to monitor the area around the castle but not to enter it, yet also mentioned not to worry about humans entering.”
But that was impossible.
The Demon King ordered his subordinates to monitor the area but forbade entry into the castle itself and only permitted humans to enter, not demons.
“Wouldn’t it be faster to ask the Demon King directly?”
“If it were me, I wouldn’t. The Demon King seems to be in a bad mood these days.”
It seemed the Demon King knew what was in that castle, but if he were going to explain it just because someone asked, he would have already done so.
Normally, he would have warned from the start if there was something dangerous inside.
“It’s true there’s been no progress on the front lines. The stalemate has lasted for half a year, so it’s natural he’d be displeased.”
Asking about the castle shouldn’t risk provoking the Demon King’s temper.
“What could possibly justify humans investing so much in the Demon Realm, rather than their own?”
“Could it have something to do with a hero? There’s the old legend of the hero summoning spell that was said to have disappeared long ago. Since the castle also has an ancient history, it might hold some related documents.”
“If that’s the case, there’s no way the Demon King would stand idle. Then again, it’s not impossible. Considering the old legends, it’s entirely plausible.”
“In that case, shouldn’t we report this to the Demon King?”
“Reporting something uncertain to the Demon King is like rushing to one’s own death. Anyway, confirming the facts is crucial.”
“So are you planning to keep sending familiars there? Our reconnaissance squad can’t focus on that area forever.”
“I understand. It’s time to change our approach.”
It wasn’t feasible to continue such a meaningless battle of attrition with humans.
“I’ll handle it myself.”
“What? You mean you’re going to go in person, Director?”
Until now, he had been ignoring the situation to gather practical combat data on the familiars, but it was now necessary to check personally what lay within.
“If the hero summoning is indeed related, and if a hero has already been summoned to this land…”
He was one of the most experienced of the high-ranking demons.
Thus, he would never be complacent.
He would not grant any leniency to the enemy.
Even if a hero had been summoned, they would still be inexperienced, having only arrived a month ago.
“I’ll eliminate the hero before they grow stronger.”
Although he couldn’t know what the humans were plotting, he intended to crush them head-on, no matter what they tried.
***
Meanwhile, in the Adventurers’ Guild of the Human Realm…
“This won’t do. I’ll have to step in myself.”
“The Guild Leader intends to intervene personally?”
“Yes. According to our research, there was once an ancient temple on that land that sealed away an evil god. If the Demon King’s army intends to revive that god… we can’t just stand by.”
It wasn’t something he could be 100% certain of.
The sealed evil god, said to have almost destroyed the world once, was supposedly extinguished long ago.
Legends often change drastically with each retelling.
Still, if there was even a 1% chance, it was crucial to eliminate that threat in advance.
I went on an outing with Arsep for a change of pace.
After enduring a month of stress, my patience had already worn thin, so she suggested taking me somewhere to help me find some peace of mind.
So, trusting her, I followed along.
Boom!
“I’m sorry. This wasn’t exactly what I wanted to show you.”
“There’s no need to apologize. I kind of expected something like this.”
And now, here we were, standing before something enormous, though I didn’t know what it was exactly.
The Demon Realm was a truly mysterious place.
We were simply walking along, and I decided to climb onto a large rock to rest for a moment.
Then, out of nowhere, the ground shook, and something the size of a house—like a giant golem—appeared.
“You puny creatures! I shall crush you all!”
And the rock… spoke.
It clearly had no mouth or vocal cords, yet it shouted loudly enough to echo in my ears.
Come to think of it, they say people even make coffins from stone.
Maybe I should learn to sculpt.
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