The plan was simple.
First, I'd borrow Perugius's help to travel to the Demon Continent.
There, I'd track down the Demon Emperor Kishiris Kishiris.
I'd ask her about a cure, or at least about someone who might know one.
Simple enough.
...Provided the Demon Emperor Kishiris was sitting around somewhere in a castle, that is.
As far as I knew, Kishiris was wandering the Demon Continent.
To find her, I'd have to rely on nothing but chance.
I had no idea how many months it would take.
Perugius had said he could draw teleportation circles to the major towns on the Demon Continent.
He could draw them—teleportation circles, that is.
Come to think of it, teleportation circles were a terrifying thing.
Being able to teleport from this castle to locations across the land would be an enormous threat.
The castle sat high in the sky, impervious to attack from below, yet its residents could strike out at will against anyone.
No wonder such magic had been designated taboo long ago.
Of course, Perugius and
Plenty of people in this world probably used taboo things on the sly.
A bit unfair, but that was just how the world worked.
Surely that teleportation ruin was used by others besides Orsted as well.
In any case, the task was to find Kishiris.
Like I'd done with
I didn't know how much time it would take.
But I should be able to wrap it up within a year at least.
After all, travel between towns took only a day.
The problem was that Kishiris might not be in any given town when I arrived, and we could easily pass each other.
To address that, I'd post bounties at the
A cash reward for anyone who found the Demon Emperor.
A Kishiris hunt.
Alive only.
Alive only.
I gathered everyone into a single room and laid out my plan.
Ariel, Luke,
And
Sylphie had regained consciousness while I was talking with Perugius.
But her exhaustion was plain to see.
Her already-thin frame looked even more gaunt than before.
The consensus was that she should rest for at least five more days.
"To help
Ariel nodded immediately.
"In that case, I can provide some magical tools from my side."
Ariel offered me the ring-type magical tool she'd been carrying.
It consisted of a pair of rings—when magic was channeled into them, the gems on both rings glowed simultaneously.
Apparently it was a secret treasure of the
I wasn't sure how useful it would be, but it might come in handy if something went wrong.
Like a pager, basically.
"Zanoba and Elinalise, I'd like you two to come with me."
I asked Zanoba and Elinalise to serve as my escorts.
Say what you would, but Zanoba was a Divine Continent child.
Even against something like a Hydra, he'd manage.
I couldn't wrap myself in battle aura, so my defenses were low, but thanks to my Disturb Magic and magic-absorbing stones, my magic defense was high.
With Zanoba on the front line, we could take on even that Hydra.
I'd rather not get overconfident and have Zanoba killed, but with Elinalise providing support, we should be fine.
"As for me..."
"I'd like to ask Senior Cliff to work on crafting magical tools."
Honestly, I had no idea whether we'd find a cure.
It wasn't certain that Kishiris knew anything.
It was entirely possible that all the time we spent would be wasted.
To hedge against that, we needed to approach the problem from a different angle as well.
Nanahoshi's illness and curses shared similarities.
So if we tweaked Cliff's research a little, we might be able to produce a magical device that could prolong her life.
"I want to go too!"
That was what I'd expected him to say, but Cliff pushed back.
"Please let me stay. I want to do something for Nanahoshi too."
Continuing his research was that something, of course.
But Cliff probably wanted to be more hands-on as well.
The sense of actually doing something couldn't be gained from staying put.
"Please,
Cliff pleaded earnestly.
Come to think of it, Cliff had been away from his hometown for a long time too.
He was short, so he looked about fifteen, but he was actually nineteen.
He'd said he'd left the Millis Holy Country six or seven years ago.
Nanahoshi's longing to return home and Cliff's were different things.
But at their core, the feeling was surely the same.
"Fine."
"Really!?"
I already knew that with Elinalise coming along and Nanahoshi in a frozen state, there wouldn't be much room for research.
Well, there was no need to force everything to happen at once.
Once we determined that no cure could be found, or once we gave up on locating Kishiris, we could shift to supporting Cliff's research with our full efforts.
"Yes. Senior Cliff, I'm counting on you."
Maybe I should keep the search period on the shorter side to make that transition smoother.
Six months to a year, something like that.
"...So, what should... I do?"
Finally, Sylphie spoke up, her face still looking unwell.
Her stamina clearly hadn't recovered yet.
There was no way she could come with us.
Besides...
"Sylphie, stay here and rest for a while."
"Mm. And after that?"
"After you've recovered..."
I hesitated briefly, wondering whether to say it.
"I'd like you to go home and look after Lucy."
"Huh?"
Sylphie's face clouded over, but I pressed on.
"I might not be able to come back for a long time, and I don't think it's good for our parents to be absent that entire time."
I wasn't saying that children absolutely needed their parents.
But the fact was, it was because
Having parents around to look after you was better than not.
A week or two without parents was fine, sure.
But you couldn't just leave things for months.
"Oh... yeah. You're right. If Rudy's not there, then I need to look after Lucy."
"Sorry."
"No, it's okay."
I'd already told her that Nanahoshi's collapse wasn't Sylphie's fault, but she probably still felt like doing something.
"You've done more than enough, Sylphie. Leave the rest to me."
"Mm..."
Sylphie nodded, but she still looked disappointed.
It wasn't as though she didn't love Lucy.
But Sylphie had been forced into self-reliance at the age of ten when she was teleported away.
And she'd lost both her parents without ever reuniting with them.
Even so, she'd made it this far.
There had been plenty of twists and turns, but she'd gotten a proper job, gotten married, and built a life on her own.
For her, maybe parents were something you could manage without.
Or maybe the idea that children could grow up without parents was just the prevailing view in this world.
She was only eighteen.
People don't change their worldview dramatically just because they have a child.
That shift comes gradually, through the process of actually raising one.
When I was eighteen in my previous life, having children had been the furthest thing from my mind.
By comparison, Sylphie was doing splendidly.
We'd save Nanahoshi, and Sylphie would keep watch at home.
She might get jealous again, though.
"But Roxy will probably have complaints too, right? She knows more about the Demon Continent than anyone."
"Yeah, you're right. If we run into trouble, I'll consult Roxy as well."
Roxy wasn't here.
Perugius had been quite firm about not allowing demons into his castle.
I'd asked, but he'd turned me down.
Well, Roxy had her life as a teacher to think about too.
She'd just gotten established as one.
It wasn't like she'd get fired after a single year.
We would save Nanahoshi.
But we had to protect the lives we already had as well.
Both mattered.
So I was asking Sylphie and Roxy to stand guard.
Of course, this was partly driven by my own selfishness.
I wasn't even sure my reasoning was logically sound.
But still—I didn't want Sylphie or Roxy going somewhere dangerous.
Like Paul, dying right in front of my eyes—that was something I absolutely refused to endure again.
I knew there was no truly safe place in this world.
But the magic city Sharia on the Central Continent had to be less dangerous than the Demon Continent.
"This time, don't go losing an arm or anything, okay?"
Sylphie looked worried.
"I'll do my best."
That was what Zanoba and Elinalise were for.
But if they were on the verge of death, I'd sacrifice my right arm to save them.
Of course, I didn't want to gamble with anyone's life...
This time, I'd get it right.
--- I returned home once more and explained the situation to Roxy and the rest of the family.
When I said I might not be able to come back for a long time,
This time around, though, travel would be easy.
I planned to return every few days.
It was more like a business trip.
Saying I "might not come back for a long time" was a precautionary hedge.
It was possible the teleportation circles would suddenly stop working and I'd be stranded.
"Then I'm counting on you to keep things running."
"Understood. Rudy, please take care of yourself."
I'd half expected Roxy to insist on coming along, but once I explained the details in full, she readily agreed to stay.
That was a bit anticlimactic.
Anyway, I'd be making multiple trips back and forth to the floating fortress, so preparation was important.
You never knew what might come up.
Perugius had told me that even if the teleportation circles stopped working, he'd send help if I used a magical tool in front of the monument of the Seven Great Powers.
I didn't disbelieve him, but there was no telling what might happen.
Like, right after we left, Laplace's revival could be confirmed and Perugius could get bogged down dealing with that.
So I prepared extra money and easily portable valuables, and brought along a map of teleportation ruins.
With those, I should be able to get back within six months even under the worst circumstances.
In addition, I brought several other useful items—scrolls of Light Spirit magic and such.
Preparations were complete.
--- The teleportation circle was in the underground level of the floating fortress.
The sky castle was spacious not just above ground, but below it as well.
In fact, the underground seemed even more complex than the surface.
Just descending a few staircases revealed a labyrinthine structure reminiscent of a dungeon.
The upper castle was merely the reception area for guests; the true fortress lay below.
"This way."
Sylvaril led us to a room on the third level underground.
As long as you remembered the route, the location was straightforward enough.
There were no lights in the room, but the teleportation circle glowed a pale blue, so it wasn't dark.
"This is the teleportation circle His Excellency Perugius drew anew.
It connects to an existing circle on the Demon Continent—one that is no longer in use."
"No longer in use?"
"Many teleportation circles fall into disuse when one end is destroyed for some reason, rendering the other end inoperable."
Two halves made a whole.
They'd repurposed one whose other end had been broken.
There must be countless such abandoned circles throughout this world.
"Does His Excellency Perugius have knowledge of all such circles?"
"He is a great man."
Sylvaril spoke with evident pride.
Be that as it may—a teleportation circle.
At times like this, it would be convenient if there were circles in many more places, freely available...
But it was taboo magic, and he wouldn't teach me anyway.
Well, I shouldn't be so selfish that I made enemies of everyone.
And I had to remember that this kind of magic wasn't something only I could use.
A rampaging monster could stumble onto a teleportation circle by bad luck, for instance.
Or I could carelessly create a circle that ended up destroying a village—that wouldn't be pleasant to wake up to.
"His Excellency Perugius said this circle would be the closest to the Demon Emperor's current location."
"His Excellency has an idea of where Kishiris is?"
"He does."
So he had a lead.
I'd been thinking I'd get teleported to some large town and figure things out from there, but...
"He did caution that it could be a wild guess."
"That tracks."
The Demon Emperor I knew was unpredictable.
You might think she was in one place, only to find she'd moved on.
Her fiancé, Badigadi, was the same way...
Oh, right—Badigadi was out there too.
I hadn't seen him in a while; he might have returned to his own territory.
He was long-lived too, so it would be worth talking to him.
"Understood. We'll head out first and see."
"I haven't been able to verify the other side. The exit may be sealed, so please be careful."
"Sealed?"
"The entrance may have been sealed shut to hide the teleportation circle."
No entrance, no discovery.
That made sense.
People might search for hidden doors, but very few would bring a pickaxe to smash through a wall.
That said, the ancient Egyptians did exactly that, and look how much they unearthed.
Beware of archaeologists and tomb robbers.
Teleportation ruins might well have been discovered the same way.
"Well, if it looks bad, we'll come right back."
"May you have a safe journey."
Sylvaril saw us off as we leapt onto the circle.
--- How many times had I teleported now?
The teleportation incident, the trips to and from the Begaritt Continent, Perugius's magical tools...
This would make the fifth.
I was getting used to the sensation of waking from a dream.
"Phew."
We emerged into a dark room.
The smell of mildew and a thick layer of dust filled the air.
It clearly hadn't been used in an enormous amount of time.
There was no light.
Not even a candle stand.
It was like a ruin.
Come to think of it, I'd forgotten to ask where exactly the exit would come out.
"Achoo!"
Cliff sneezed behind me.
I looked back—the other three were just stepping off the circle.
Elinalise looked nonchalant, Zanoba strode out with his usual dignity, but Cliff was staring at the circle with fascination.
"What a terribly dusty place. Let's leave quickly."
Following Zanoba's suggestion, I looked for a way out.
"Hm?"
I studied the walls.
No door-like structure.
No stairs, no hole in the ceiling.
I examined the ground carefully, but there was no passage leading outside either.
A sealed room.
They'd really shut the place up. Just as the intel said.
"Hey, which way do you think the exit is?"
"Mm."
We all split up to search for a way out.
Up, down, right, left, B, A.
"This way."
After a while, Elinalise found open space on the other side of a wall.
She'd knocked on the wall and identified it by the sound.
It must have been quite thick—I couldn't tell even with my ear pressed against it.
That was the long-eared race for you.
"All right. Time to punch. Zanoba."
"Hmph!"
Zanoba smashed through the wall.
A massive hole opened up in what had to be a fifty-centimeter-thick wall.
Using that as a starting point, Zanoba widened the hole as though demolishing a sand castle, until it was big enough for a person to squeeze through.
Elinalise slipped past Zanoba's side and darted through the opening.
"I'll lead the way."
Beyond the wall lay a dark space.
Pitch black.
I could tell we were inside a stone building, but that was about it.
I couldn't tell whether we were above ground or below.
"Rudeus. Light."
I followed Elinalise's instruction and used a Light Spirit scroll to illuminate the area.
A room roughly ten meters square materialized before us.
"Ugh."
Cliff groaned at the sight.
The floor of the dark room was littered with skeletal remains.
The Demon Continent certainly lived up to its reputation—the bones were of all different shapes, almost artistic in their variety.
"It appears this was a prison."
Elinalise pointed out the rusted shackles still clinging to the limbs of the skeletons.
Cliff clasped his hands together, his expression somber.
"May the Lady Millis have mercy on their souls..."
I mimicked his gesture and pressed my palms together as well.
Namu Amida Butsu. Namu Amida Butsu.
Rest in peace.
We're just passing through—we'll be gone soon.
"Shall we move on?"
Still—nothing but bones.
How many people had been locked in here?
None of them could ever have imagined that a teleportation circle lay just one wall away.
Actually, wait—Perugius had connected us to an unused circle.
Did that mean they'd teleported the prisoners here and then sealed the other end?
If so, that was rather tasteless.
"There's a staircase. Let's go up."
In the corner of the room, a staircase led upward.
There were prisoners, but no iron bars that I could see.
I paused—I noticed a rusted hinge lying beside the path to the stairs.
Perhaps there had been a wooden door once, which had rotted away over thousands of years.
Oh well.
At the top of the stairs was a metal lid.
You could call it a door that opened upward, but it was really just a lid.
Elinalise carefully checked for traps and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge.
Something heavy must be sitting on top.
"Right. Go, Robo-Zanoba. Pry it open."
"R-Robo? ...Understood."
Zanoba placed his hands against the lid and exerted his full strength.
With a low, grinding creak, the lid swung open and earth and sand cascaded down from above.
"Whoa!"
"I'll clear the dirt. Keep going!"
"R-Right, Master."
Zanoba shoved the immense lid open with brute force while I used magic to sweep away the falling debris.
He pushed the stubbornly heavy lid wider and wider.
The lid opened.
Sunlight poured through the gap.
It was definitely outside.
Once it was open wide enough for a person, Elinalise slipped through and stepped outside.
"It's safe."
Only after hearing her words did the rest of us follow.
--- Outside, a steep slope stretched before us.
Below lay reddish-brown earth.
A vast, rugged horizon dotted with enormous rolling boulders extended in every direction.
In the distance, a forest of what looked like fish bones—hallmarks of the Demon Continent.
Was that a giant land turtle moving through the trees? It was almost nostalgic.
"So this is the Demon Continent...!"
Cliff swallowed hard, peering cautiously down the slope.
No town was visible nearby.
Was Kishiris really somewhere around here?
Would we need to travel to the nearest town?
Where even were we?
Maybe we should head back first and get our bearings.
No—first we needed to explore the immediate area.
"Senior Cliff, the Demon Continent is home to enormous, aggressive monsters that travel in packs. Please be careful."
"Yeah, I know."
Cliff nodded with a serious expression.
This was dangerous territory.
If you approached it with the same mindset you'd have on the Central Continent or the Millis Continent, even a skilled warrior could lose their life.
"There don't seem to be any monsters nearby. We should be fine."
Elinalise never let her guard down in that regard.
I didn't either—or at least I wanted to think so.
Back when
But the experience I'd gained on the Begaritt Continent should serve me well.
"Also, there are very few Millis followers here. The differences in belief run deep, but please don't pick fights over minor issues."
"Guh... right. Got it."
I might have come across a bit bossy.
But Cliff had never been to a place teeming with demons.
Getting into pointless quarrels would only slow us down—nothing like the time with
"Cliff doesn't speak the Demon God language, so he'll be fine in that regard."
Elinalise jumped in to back me up.
Of course, she couldn't speak it either.
She'd apparently traveled the Demon Continent for nearly two years, but she'd mostly left everything to Roxy.
She did know the erotic vocabulary, though.
She must have had quite the eye-opening daily life if Cliff had asked her about it.
That was the curse's doing, though.
"Master!"
While I was lost in thought, Zanoba had climbed partway up the slope and let out a shout.
Did his dictionary not include the word "caution"?
Probably not—a man who could fall off a cliff without a scratch.
Oh well.
"Did you see something!?"
As I spoke, the rest of us climbed the slope.
"Oh!"
The slope ended at a sheer cliff.
And the vista that stretched beyond it was breathtaking.
"Whoa, that's incredible..."
Cliff let out an exclamation of awe.
We were standing on the rim of an enormous crater.
Below, a town spread out across the basin.
At the center of the crater stood a half-ruined castle of black iron.
And around the castle, a sprawling city.
"So this is what he meant by 'an idea'..."
I knew this town.
One of the three great cities of the Demon Continent.
The crater served as a natural wall, keeping monsters at bay.
At night, the magic stones embedded in the inner walls of the crater lit up, flooding the city with light.
I even knew the castle's history.
It had once been the stronghold of the Demon Emperor Kishiris Kishiris—the very castle where Laplace and the Demon Lord had fought, leaving it half-destroyed.
Its other name: the Old Kishiris Castle.
And for me, a town that held some unpleasant memories.
The town of Rikaris.