Demon Continent, Gaslow region, Necros Fortress.
Deep within the most impregnable fortress on the Demon Continent.
In the depths of a rarely used prison, the convict was there.
"...Grrrrrrrr."
The convict had shackles on both wrists.
An iron ball was chained to their feet, and they were dressed in blue-and-white striped pajamas.
A pathetic sight.
"Grurururururu."
The growling that echoed through the prison rumbled from the very depths of the convict's stomach.
That ill-tempered sound was proof enough that the convict was none too happy with their current situation.
Or maybe they were just hungry.
"Get out!"
Abruptly, the prison door was thrown open.
Two burly figures clad head to toe in jet-black armor had arrived.
They hauled the convict to their feet and dragged them out of the cell.
The iron ball scraped along the ground with a grinding, heavy sound.
But the convict didn't seem to care about the iron ball. They were apparently rather strong.
The convict was led by the black knights out of the prison.
Up long corridors and staircases, the convict was brought to the audience chamber.
"Move it!"
The convict was shoved from behind as if being delivered for judgment, stumbling forward into a circular courtyard ringed by purple candelabras.
When they raised their eyes, there sat a throne.
Upon the very throne the convict had once sat, the Demon Empress now held court.
"Kishirika..."
A woman—the Demon Empress—draped in jet-black armor.
The instant the convict laid eyes on her, fury contorted their face.
"...What is the meaning of this?!"
The convict roared.
Roared from the very depths of their stomach.
With nothing inside it, the voice carried far.
"Hmph! I serve whoever is stronger than me! That was true during Laplace's time, and it was true after!"
Across from them sat the Demon Empress.
The most feared Demon Empress on the Demon Continent glared down at the convict with a defiant look.
"Disgraceful! The late Necros would weep!"
"My old man told me to live however I damn well please!"
"That's because you're such an idiot who never listens! He gave up on you because he knew you could only ever live however you pleased!"
"I'm not an idiot!"
The Demon Empress seethed.
But the convict couldn't have cared less about her rage.
With a carefree expression, they scoffed.
"You are an idiot. You've been a colossal idiot since way back. You know it yourself—the moment someone dangles food in front of you, your brain shuts right down."
"That's not true! Carl told me I was clever! He said I had a good memory too!"
"About that, Kishirika..."
The convict declared.
Declared to the Demon Empress.
Words that should never have been spoken.
"Those were just flattery."
The Demon Empress snapped.
She snapped with fury that could have split the heavens.
The surrounding black knights tried to restrain her, but she shook them off.
However, the black knights weren't about to lose—they linked up in a scrum and held the Demon Empress firm.
The Demon Empress flailed her arms wildly and sentenced the convict to death.
"You're dead! I'll kill you! Die one more time!"
"Hey, hey! If you're so mad, why not learn some arithmetic?"
"Uraaaagh!"
Provoked further by the convict, the Demon Empress mustered every ounce of her strength and pushed back against the black knights.
"Kishirika, stop this! No more provoking Kishirika!"
"Shut it! I only came along because they said they'd feed me something good, and THIS is how I'm treated?! I can't let it go unless I say at least this much!"
Yes—the convict had been trapped. Ambushed.
They'd been duped by men who had removed their trademark black armor, saying "Hey little lady, I've got something tasty for you, just come this way," before dropping them into a pit.
Yes—they'd had food dangled in front of them, followed along without a second thought, and fallen right into a trap!
The promise had been broken.
The convict never got to taste the good stuff.
"Besides, I still haven't even been told why I was captured in the first place!
What am I supposed to have done!
I didn't do anything... anything... wait, did I do something bad?"
At that, the convict fidgeted with their hands.
They had too many possible offenses to count.
Looking back, they'd done nothing but bad deeds—or so it seemed, having committed so many misdeeds that they could almost believe it.
No wonder someone would be angry.
"Hmph! You haven't done anything wrong!"
But that was what the Demon Empress declared.
Her anger had cooled in mere seconds. She knew better than anyone that getting angry at this particular convict—of all people—was largely pointless.
"Then why?! Even if it's you, you wouldn't do something like this to someone who's done nothing unless you really hated them! The times you do things like this are when you've either misunderstood something or been tricked by someone..."
Then the convict suddenly realized.
"I see—you've been tricked again, haven't you?!"
"No! I haven't been tricked!"
"Everyone who's been tricked says that. Fine! If that's the case, tell me everything. There's still time to fix this before it's too late—I'll help you. So come on, take off these handcuffs already...!"
The convict thrust their cuffed hands forward insistently.
The Demon Empress, meanwhile, gazed off into the far distance with a wistful, melancholy air.
"Deception is resolved through dialogue. But we're not like that. We fought. We clashed. And after that battle, I acknowledged my defeat."
"You liar! Someone as sore a loser as you would never admit defeat!"
"The man who made me admit defeat... was him!"
The Demon Empress pointed.
There stood a mage draped in a mouse-gray robe.
The mage looked unpleasant.
He had the sort of lewd face that suggested he kept about three women on the side.
Or perhaps that terrible look was simply his finest smile.
"You... you're... Rubens!"
"Close."
"Y-yes, if it's you, with that total mana output, even Kishirika could..."
The convict trembled with fear.
Only twice before had a human mage appeared.
The first time, they'd laughed at the disgustingly enormous mana reserves.
The second time, they'd laughed at mana powerful enough to drive back a Demon Empress.
The third time—there was no laughing.
A man who had brought Kishirika to heel and engineered his own capture... impossible to laugh at.
"Heh heh..."
The mage looked down quietly, his mouth twisting into a grin.
"The truth is, I have something I'd like to give you, Kishirika..."
"Wh-what is it?! A death sentence?!"
"Heh heh heh. Something much better."
The mage crafted a slimy, malicious smile brimming with pleasure.
"D-don't trick me! Humans are always like this! Coaxing me with sweet words to lead me into a trap!"
The convict resisted, but there was no escape.
Trembling, letting out little panicked cries, clutching their crotch to stave off incontinence, they looked around desperately for somewhere to run.
"Will you still say that after seeing this?"
The mage lowered the bag from his shoulder and reached inside.
What he produced was a black box.
"Hk—!"
A small scream escaped the convict's throat.
An utterly black box!
The mere imagination of what could be inside such a dark, ominous box sent the convict's terror spiraling beyond all bounds.
What on earth was inside?
After all, it was a black box.
Not merely black—utterly, profoundly black.
Something terribly frightening must be inside!
Because it was so black!
"If you accept this, you'll want to do whatever I say."
"Wh-what did you say...?!"
The box was opened.
Inside, ring-shaped objects the size of a fist were packed tightly together.
The rings were yellow, but something white—like mold—clung to them in thick patches.
Their eerie shape, their dangerous color, and the sweet aroma drifting from them made every hair on the convict's body stand on end.
"Wh-what is that... what are you going to do with it...?!"
"Heh heh. It's simple. Like this."
The mage picked one up and brought it toward Kishirika's mouth.
At the same time, the two black knights seized the convict's shoulders, immobilizing them.
"Say ahh."
"S-stop... stop... STOPPPPP!!!"
--- Rudeus's Perspective ---
The Demon Empress Kishirika Kirisils was eating the donuts I'd brought, crying as she did so.
"So something this delicious existed in this world... something like this!"
Donuts made with fresh eggs and sugar procured from the Millis Holy Kingdom.
The maker was Aisha Greyrat.
Apparently, she'd heard from Nanahoshi that such a food existed and had taught herself to make it.
Since we already made plenty of oil-based dishes at home, gathering the ingredients had been easy enough.
"Unbelievable...! Perhaps I was born to encounter this flavor...!"
When Kishirika first came to the audience chamber, she'd seemed in a foul mood, but now she seemed just fine.
The donuts' power, no doubt.
For these donuts, I'd had Roxy try them during the taste test, and the effect was extraordinary.
I don't think I'd ever seen Roxy look so happy before.
I can't make her look that happy.
No—wait. I was the one who established the supply route from Millis. So technically, I'm the one who made her look that happy.
Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, I'm making Roxy happy. With Aisha's donuts.
In any case, these donuts had the power to corrupt demonkind.
"Ah..."
But magic power was finite, and magic had its usage limits.
After finishing all twelve donuts, Kishirika wore a sorrowful expression.
"Is that all there is...?"
"Yes."
"...If you were to bring more, I would grant you any wish?"
"That's exactly what I wanted to hear."
When I smiled, Kishirika suddenly looked stricken and hugged her own body.
"Hnn...! As I suspected, it's about my body...! No matter how delicious that food was, my body belongs to Badi's...! But having been fed something that good...! Hnn!"
"I'm currently abstaining, so that sort of thing isn't really necessary."
"Is that so...? Restraint isn't good for you, you know?"
"If I ever can't hold back anymore, I'll ask my wife."
"Wife? Oh, so you're already married. My, my—humans do grow up fast..."
Now, then. Time for the real reason I came.
Kishirika had said she'd reward anyone who fed her, so I'd gone to the trouble of having donuts made.
"First, I'd like you to use your power to find a man named Geese."
"Oh? Geese, you say..."
"Yes. His characteristics are—"
I told Kishirika all of Geese's distinguishing features and the name that I believed to be his real one, as written in the letter.
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm... sounds like someone I've heard of... Hold on just a moment."
With her mouth still smeared, Kishirika rolled her eyes in circles.
Clicking like a slot machine, her eyes suddenly locked into place.
One of Kishirika's magic eyes: the Thousand-Mile Eye.
She fixed that gaze into the sky.
Frowning, she began scanning.
"Oh... hmm... this is... ah, looks delicious..."
Muttering under her breath, Kishirika's gaze darted about.
Then, at a certain moment, she froze.
"Found them."
In the blink of an eye.
"The eastern edge of the Northern Lands, the Kingdom of Biheiril.
They're in a forest there, talking with someone... my, my, what an unpleasant face..."
Kishirika chuckled while leaning further forward.
"Now then, who they're talking with... hm?"
Suddenly, her expression darkened.
"I can't see them anymore."
Kishirika's demeanor shifted entirely—she wore a grave expression and closed her eyes.
She tilted her face toward the sky, eyes shut, as if resting them.
But after a while, she slowly opened them.
"This sensation... So that's it. The one you're fighting now is..."
the Human God,
"isn't it?"
She carried an utterly different aura—calm and quiet, like an entirely different person.
"Yes."
"If you're fighting the Human God, then that means you've sided with the Dragon God?"
"...Yes."
"Hmm..."
Kishirika crossed her arms and drew her chin in.
An exaggerated thinking pose.
Seconds later, she gazed up at the sky, as if looking at the moon.
Of course, it was daytime and the sky was clear.
Only clouds drifted past.
"So, Kishirika. You've sided with this man?"
"Yeah."
"So that's how it is... Perhaps this too is fate."
Gone was the usual silly atmosphere.
She seemed like a sage.
What happened to her? Did the donuts go to the wrong place...
"You knew about the Human God?"
"Mm. There's a history between us. Honestly, I'd hoped never to be involved again."
"A history?"
"Nothing dramatic. About 4,200 years ago, I was used. The Human God wanted Laplace dead, and he used me and Badi to do it."
4,200 years ago...
Ah—the Second Human-Demon War.
"That was when the Fighting God and the Dragon God fought, wasn't it?"
"Correct. Badi donned the Fighting God Armor to protect me, and they fought the Dragon Emperor Laplace."
"Wait... Badi Guardi, His Majesty was—?"
Was this a bombshell revelation?
The Fighting God's true identity was Badi Guardi...?
Orsted never told me that.
But I felt like I'd heard it somewhere...
Ah, from Randolph.
So that was actually true...
"The Fighting God Armor has been lost for a long time... but if Badi Guardi shows up, be wary. He still bears a sense of obligation toward that Human God. He may end up on their side."
"...Understood."
I had no desire to fight that cheerful Demon Empress.
But I needed to be prepared for the possibility of him becoming an enemy, too...
Ideally, he'd have long forgotten that sense of obligation and fought on my side.
"Still, with Kishirika on your side, I think you could probably handle Badi as he is now. But if possible, don't kill him."
Badi Guardi was Kishirika's brother and had been engaged to Kishirika.
He was family.
The demon race was broad-minded, but surely not so much that they'd stay silent about having a relative killed.
"Understood. Though I doubt I could kill that man so easily."
"Mm. The immortal demon race is nothing if not tenacious."
As Kishirika said this, she glanced at Kishirika.
Kishirika struck a smug pose.
But I'm pretty sure that wasn't a compliment.
"One more thing... come a little closer."
Kishirika beckoned.
I was drawn in, approaching her.
She brought her hand to her mouth.
Was she going to tell me a secret?
"Get your face a little closer."
"What is—"
"Take this!"
Kishirika suddenly drove a finger straight into my left eye.
Searing pain shot through me.
"GAAAAAAH!!!"
I tried to recoil backward.
But Kishirika had seized my hair—there was no escape.
I was even wearing the Magic Armor Mk. II, so how could I not get away?!
It hurt! It hurt!
Ah, no wait—but this... maybe I didn't need to resist.
"Oh, you've calmed down."
I accepted what Kishirika was doing.
The pain was real—it pulsed through my brain like electric shocks.
She'd jammed her finger in without warning and was digging around, but I knew what was being done.
After all, this was the second time.
"It's done."
At last, Kishirika's finger was pulled free with a wet pop.
Lingering agony. The sensation of going blind.
But I knew very well that my eyesight hadn't been lost.
"My rule is: for every delicious meal, one token of thanks."
"..."
"This will be the second."
I pressed my still-paining eye and knelt on one knee before Kishirika.
"I won't be involved in this battle, but..."
the Human God...
"well, I do have a bit of a history with that one. So consider this..."
a parting gift.
I removed my hand.
My vision was doubled.
It was as if someone had placed a palm in front of one eye—two completely different scenes were displayed simultaneously.
My head was starting to ache.
"The Thousand-Mile Eye. It lets you see things far away—that's all, but it should prove useful."
The Thousand-Mile Eye.
I immediately closed my right eye and channeled mana into my left.
Adjusting my mana the same way I did for the Prediction Eye, I gazed into the distance.
The entrance of Necros Fortress, visible from the audience chamber.
There, a lone black knight had removed his helmet and was scratching the top of his head.
I shifted my gaze further.
Pouring in more mana, my vision soared through the sky.
Like a camera with limitless zoom, I flew ever further.
I saw a crater.
Inside the crater was a town.
But I couldn't see the whole town.
I tried to push my vision even farther.
But a mountain stopped me.
I could make out the fine patterns of rock on the mountainside and a giant tortoise yawning, but that was as far as it went.
When a physical obstacle lay along a straight line, my vision was cut off.
When I stopped channeling mana, my sight immediately snapped back to my original location.
It was simply the ability to see far away.
I couldn't exactly call it user-friendly.
But it wasn't bad, either.
"With your current abilities, you should be able to wield both magic eyes simultaneously."
"Thank you."
I expressed my gratitude sincerely.
"Mm. Then, Rudeus! If you're ever in trouble again, feel free to call on me! I'll help as long as it doesn't involve the Human God!"
Kishirika snapped the handcuffs open and chopped through the chain that had been attached to her feet.
Then, with a flourish, she tore off the blue-striped pajamas and was back in her usual bondage outfit.
And then she leaped high into the air.
"Farewell! Fare—WHUMP?!"
Kishirika face-planted.
Kishirika had grabbed her ankle with a firm grip.
"Hold it."
"What is it?! You dare interrupt my supremely cool exit scene?!"
Blood trickled from Kishirika's nose as she glared at Kishirika.
Kishirika, showing not a shred of remorse, looked down at Kishirika.
"Hear my wish, too."
"What?! You're the one who threw me in prison in the first place—why should I listen to your wishes?! Let go! Shoo, shoo!"
Kishirika wiped away the nosebleed and tried to brush Kishirika off.
But Kishirika ignored her completely and grabbed a fistful of Kishirika's chest.
The bondage outfit stretched taut, exposing the tips of Kishirika's modest chest.
Whoa!
No, no—abstaining Rudeus would not be swayed by such temptation...!
"Tell me where Alek and Alek are. Rudeus will need strong allies, won't he? Those two should be a good fit."
"Oh, but I already told Rudeus earlier... I even gave him the bonus magic eye as a special service... I can't do any more than that."
Alek and Alek.
Who were they?
If Kishirika was saying it, they must be people of some use...
"Tell me."
"No, no, no."
But Kishirika showed no sign of complying.
Still, I now knew where Geese was.
I didn't know what Geese was doing, and I wanted to bolster my allies even if it meant being a bit pushy.
You can never have too many allies.
Pushy...?
Ah, right. I had that thing.
I remembered the ominous skull ring on my finger.
Randolph's ring.
"Kishirika. Kishirika. Please look at this."
"Hm? What's that? I feel like I've seen it somewhere before, where was it..."
"Randolph's Wish."
"Mm...! Randolph! I remember! That was his ring!"
Kishirika's reaction was dramatic.
Specifically, her face went white as a sheet.
"Right, right... his wish... He did so much for me, an absolutely ridiculous amount... Why does that man always laugh and say 'You can repay me whenever, whenever—fffufufu' every time he helps me...? Every time I see that smile, I tremble at what he might demand..."
"This should settle it, right?"
"Yes! That's right! Then, hold on just a moment!"
Kishirika again rolled her eyes skyward.
It took only seconds to search.
What a convenient search engine.
"I can't find Alek. I think he's in the Asura Kingdom, but either he's somewhere with dense mana or using a mana-suppression technique—the image is blurry. Alek is walking along a highway... He's heading toward the Kingdom of Biheiril."
The Kingdom of Biheiril again...
Coincidence?
As I pondered, Kishirika nodded in approval.
"Good. That works out nicely. Rudeus—when you go to the Kingdom of Biheiril, find a man named Alexander. He should be of use to you."
"What kind of person is he?"
"North God Kalman III!"
Oh.
North God Kalman III!
He was one of the people I'd been wanting to find and talk to.
His name was Alexander? I'd assumed he went by Kalman.
...Wait?
But why was he in the Kingdom of Biheiril?
Where Geese was?
Coincidence...?
No. It was a trap.
Yeah, definitely a trap.
"All right, is that everything? I'm leaving now! Legs good, back good, shoulders good—nobody's grabbing me? Then farewell! Fwahahahahaha! Fwahahahahaha! Fwah-fwah-fwahahahaaa!"
Behind me, as I pondered and Kishirika stood with arms crossed, her laughter faded into the distance, complete with Doppler effect.
Had she been captured on purpose?
She really was a force of nature, as always.
In any case—
I'd found Geese's location and obtained the Thousand-Mile Eye.
---
I parted ways with Kishirika and returned to Sharia.
Geese's location had been uncovered.
But at the same time, I'd also learned that one of the Seven World Powers—the North God, Kalman III—was heading to the same place.
I could only have a bad feeling about this.
So, what to do?
Should I go recruit the Sword God and then move out?
Or should I move before Geese made contact with the North God, recruit the North God myself, and then take Geese down quickly?
Ideally, the latter option—reducing enemies while adding allies—was better. But if Geese sensed my presence, he'd flee immediately.
If he didn't flee, that meant he'd already assembled his forces, which made the former option preferable.
Hmm...
I should scout first, as always.
Then cut off his escape routes, deploy my forces, and corner him decisively.
It was a shame Kishirika had left. If she were still around, I could have gotten more detailed intelligence.
That convenient search engine—couldn't I somehow keep her on retainer?
Lost in thought, I returned home.
"Yo, welcome back, nya."
"Right on time."
There, I found two rare visitors.
Linia and Pursena.
They were sitting on our living room sofa like they owned the place.
No—that wasn't quite right.
The one sitting like she owned the place was Eris.
Linia and Pursena had their heads resting on Eris's lap, being scratched behind the ears.
They were completely domesticated.
"Welcome home."
"I'm back."
Eris didn't stop petting them even when she saw me.
"Boss, we have a report, nya."
"And it's good news, too."
Despite saying that, neither of them got up.
They were purring contentedly.
Totally under her spell.
"Here, nya."
Pursena, still lying on her back, handed me a sheet of paper.
What an attitude...
Whatever.
"A report came in from the east, nya. 'We found a demon of the Spell Tribe with green hair resembling that doll, with a gemstone on the forehead'... This is the report, nya."
"Oh! Finally!"
I took the paper and read it.
Inside was a concise report of the discovery and its circumstances.
Apparently, a merchant in a certain kingdom had conducted a transaction with a single man.
He carried a white-patterned staff with cloth wrapped around the tip, wore an iron headband, and was clad in a thick robe with the hood pulled low—but when the wind blew it aside, glimpses of green hair revealed that beneath the robe, he wore something resembling the same ethnic garment as the doll.
He'd been moving about, avoiding public attention, and purchasing medicine.
I didn't know what medicines he'd bought, but his appearance was a dead ringer for Luijerd.
"...Huh?"
I stopped at the last line.
Discovery location: Half a day west of the Kingdom of Biheiril's second city, Irel. A village near Dragon Valley Forest.
The Kingdom of Biheiril.
Hearing the same name three times in one day—even someone as dense as I was could figure it out.
"So that's how it is..."
Geese, the North God, Kalman III, and Luijerd.
With all three converging here, it couldn't be a coincidence.
Something was about to happen in the Kingdom of Biheiril.
No—Geese was planning to make something happen.
This letter might also be a trap from Geese.
Was he using Luijerd as bait? Or had Luijerd actually turned against me?
I didn't know.
But there was one thing I did know.
If Luijerd was in danger—
If Luijerd was being used as bait for me—
Then I had no choice but to go.
The preparation period was over.
The time for battle had arrived.
End of Chapter 22: Youth Arc, Organization Chapter
Next Chapter: Chapter 23: Youth Arc, Decisive Battle Chapter