That place was a land of nothingness.
The wasteland stretched flat and featureless, with neither dust nor wind, expanding like a void. It was a land so distorted it seemed as if not life, but even time itself did not exist.
In the southern reaches of the Idoragia continent. Farther south than the lands held by Mynoghra and Fonkavun.
That barren territory, called the Uncharted Lands, was as empty and devoid of presence as if it had no settings defined.
In such a valueless, meaningless land, one man gazed down at the earth in silence.
He was a mysterious man.
His age was unknown. Yet the wrinkles carved into his skin suggested he had lived many years.
He was wrapped entirely in a tattered black cloak, frayed and torn in places, an attire that could almost be mistaken for a beggar's. But his features betrayed that he was no common man.
Short, neatly cropped black hair, and a sharp, penetrating gaze. His body, discernible even through the cloth, was that of one accustomed to battle, yet his eyes shone with brilliant intelligence.
The man stared fixedly at the earth. Quietly, only quietly.
"Ah! Great Demon Lord! What is it that you are looking at?"
One who broke the silence appeared.
It was a woman. Pale-skinned, clad in a dancer-like costume based in light green, she addressed the man directly as "Demon Lord."
The barbarian invasion from the south that now plagued Takuto and the others of Mynoghra.
Its entire source was this man, and this phenomenon—the game.
The RPG game "Brave Questus." The final trial awaiting the player at the heart of the popular, traditional fantasy game.
An entity with no name, known only as the Demon Lord.
That was the mark given to the man.
"He is looking at the earth."
The man—the Demon Lord—quietly responded to the woman's words.
His gaze remained fixed, as always, on the ground. From his posture alone, it was impossible to fathom what he was thinking.
The woman, too, likely found it difficult to gauge what occupied the Demon Lord's mind.
Though her attitude was somewhat theatrical, a hint of confusion was visible beneath it.
"Oh my! The earth? Do you have some concern about the soil of this world?"
"No, it's not that. I was admiring what magnificent land this is."
The fragrant scent of grass and trees carried from afar, the birds soaring through the sky, the occasional gust of wind, and the sheer vitality of the earth—all filled his senses completely.
He took a light breath, and the crisp air filled his lungs, spreading through his entire body as a surge of vitality.
This was utterly different from the scorched earth under a dark sky and the poisonous mist that plagued his lungs—the world he knew.
For the Demon Lord, this was an incredibly profound experience.
Until now, he had sat deep within his Demon Lord's Castle, never once stepping beyond its confines.
From the moment of his birth until the moment of his death.
It was not part of the design for a being like the Demon Lord to ever leave his stronghold.
Of course, he knew of concepts like earth and sky. But there is a vast difference between knowing and experiencing. That difference was now stirring within him an unmatched, overwhelming emotion.
He might seem ridiculous, but this was the first time he had ever set foot outside.
The depth of that joy was almost too much to bear...
Part of him wanted to discard reason and voice the surging passion he felt, but he recalled that the woman—his one of the Four Heavenly Kings—could never truly comprehend this awe. He sealed his lips again.
"Ahh, how splendid! It seems the Demon Lord is pleased with this land! Yes! Yes! If you would but command it, I would present this very land to you at once! Please, give the order! As our king, issue your decree to all your vassals!"
In truth, the woman of the Four Heavenly Kings spread her arms wide in an exaggerated manner, seething as if intent on conquering this entire world and making it theirs.
Her submissive demeanor was, as a subordinate, admirable, but unfortunately, at this moment, it was not the sort of thing to sway the Demon Lord's heart.
More than anything, he had already seen enough of that attitude from her to lose all interest.
He looked up at the sky, and a sudden question arose: what should be done in this beautiful world?
"What do you think I should do?"
At those words, the woman blinked with a baffled expression.
"Eh? Ah, n-no, not at all! My sincerest apologies! You took me by surprise with such a sudden question. Of course, you are absolutely right!"
He was fully aware that such phrasing was inappropriate for the Demon King of the Maga-Clan.
But the Demon Lord had deliberately posed the question. Therefore, even if the woman displayed a somewhat disrespectful attitude, he let it pass.
Though, it was possible he simply did not care how his subordinates treated him...
In any case, the question had been asked. All that remained was to await an answer.
The Demon Lord quietly gazed at the earth while waiting for the woman's response.
After a while, there was a stir of embarrassment, and finally, she gave her answer to his earlier question.
"Regarding your question just now, -- of course! It is as the Demon Lord wishes! Whatever the Demon Lord desires becomes law! For now, perhaps you might begin by bringing this world under your control? Yes! That would be appropriate!"
Exaggerated, overblown, and laced with flattery.
--And exactly the dreadfully boring answer he had anticipated.
"I see... Yes. Indeed, that would be so."
With that, the Demon Lord fell silent.
The woman felt a chill run through her, wondering if she had made some terrible blunder. However, she lacked the courage to open her mouth here and apologize for her mistake.
If she were merely mistaken, that very apology might be the thing to displease the Demon Lord.
The woman could only smile with a strained expression as cold sweat broke out across her skin.
Even the Four Heavenly Kings—absolute terrors to humanity who had plunged many nations and cities into fear—were, in the end, merely subordinates of the Demon Lord.
Before the absolute being that was the Demon Lord, they were nothing but timid souls, wretchedly scurrying about.
"Go. I shall gaze upon this land for a while."
After a moment, the Demon Lord seemed to recall something and issued the order to the woman.
Relieved of the tension in her expression as if a weight had been lifted, she offered her usual elaborate farewell and vanished swiftly from the scene.
...The Demon Lord was lost in thought.
Even after the Heavenly King had departed, his gaze remained fixed on the earth, silently absorbed in his own musings.
No one knew what lay behind that finely sculpted, handsome countenance.
But having confirmed with his preternatural senses that no one else was present, the Demon Lord murmured a few words, as if questioning himself.
"—I certainly said that..."
What meaning, exactly, did those words hold?
It seemed like both a confirmation and a question to himself.
Had all Four Heavenly Kings been gathered here, someone might have dared to ask for his true intent.
But here, there was only the Demon Lord.
It was precisely because he was alone that the Demon Lord had uttered those words.
It almost seemed as though he simply could not resist voicing a secret that absolutely should never be overheard.
"That here is where peace lies—the peace I seek."
Again, a murmur of words escaped his lips.
Spoken with a strange sadness, the words drifted on the wind into the sky.
Without being asked by anyone, without being understood by anyone.
From afar, the voices of monsters could be heard.
What was perceived—by hearing far beyond even that of magic-born creatures—was the war cries of monsters far away, intent on ravaging humankind.
It seemed that once again, a conquest of the world was beginning.
It was the start of a long journey. A long, long journey with no end...
The Demon Lord was lost in thought.
The time for confrontation was near.