◈ Episode 115. Demon King’s Castle (1)
News arrived that the dwarves had begun to “act” in earnest.
And by act, of course.
It meant hunting the demons of the Arcana Continent.
No, in this case, it would be more accurate to say they were sweeping them away.
Hiiel spoke those chilling words with refined elegance.
“Flames poured down from the airships and burned the demons away without leaving a trace.”
The decisive weapon, the Quernberg Mechanical Tower.
I had felt it when I first witnessed the Mechanical Tower in the rift, but.
The dwarves’ technological prowess was astonishing.
In truth, rather than a hundred words, the fact that even the mighty Magic Tower had acknowledged them.
That single fact was explanation enough.
However.
“As a result, the demons’ resistance has also grown fiercer. Ever since the appearance of the new World Tree, they must be trying to seize the momentum of the changed Arcana Continent back into their own hands.”
At Hiiel’s following words, I flinched.
……
Demon Kings had begun rampaging on the Arcana Continent.
Three of them at the same time, no less.
“The three Demon Kings have not joined forces or formed an alliance, but each of them has reached the peak of their power. Even the dwarves’ airships were stopped before a single Demon King.”
Even if we had raised the curtain on the counterattack.
Even if we had activated the Quernberg Mechanical Tower.
Even if we had sprouted the seed of the World Tree.
The Arcana Continent was still in the palm of the demons’ hands.
As could be seen even now.
Only three Demon Kings had moved.
And yet the winds of counterattack blowing across the Arcana Continent had died down.
But I knew.
That the Demon Kings truly revealing themselves on the Arcana Continent.
Was something that had never happened since the Cataclysm.
‘They must be feeling pressured too.’
But you see.
You made a mistake.
Thanks to the resurrection of Demon Kings, three of them at once no less.
This had unmistakably become a “major incident.”
A major incident capable of shaking the Arcana Continent!
From the days when Arcana was nothing more than a game until now.
Players had always been able to get involved in such major incidents one way or another. I faintly recalled distant memories…… Let’s see, memories from more than ten years ago.
‘Even the Empire’s war of conquest back then.’
At the time, it had been a major incident.
Including me, who had been holed up in Akshan.
Every player in Arcana had been given a quest.
The Empire, or the opposing side of the Empire.
We chose a faction, joined it, made achievements, accumulated contribution, and received rewards accordingly once the quest ended. In other words, I wasn’t making a fuss for nothing.
‘One might be uncertain, but three? It’s guaranteed. This is.’
I could be certain.
In the next regular update, Demon Kings would appear in some form.
Of course, as I just said, there were three Demon Kings.
‘There’s no way to know which one we’ll get.’
On top of that, there was no way to know what level that Demon King would be.
The only thing I could be certain of was that they would be incomparably stronger than Decarabia.
Decarabia had descended in Frost, which had been summoned into reality.
No matter how much of a gutter reality was, it couldn’t be worse than the Arcana Continent, which had already fallen into the demons’ hands.
A Demon King resurrected on the Arcana Continent might very well exude the true presence of a Demon King.
However.
“Whether it is a demon or a Demon King. It does not matter.”
Naturally, I wasn’t intimidated in the slightest.
『The pride of Granfell Claudi Arpeus Romeo, paradoxically, rises highest before demons.』
“Whether such Demon Kings number one or three. It does not matter.”
Granfell’s setting?
Of course, it had an influence.
But even without that setting.
I, too, had been desperately struggling with diligence all this time.
Far more than you have struggled to take over the Arcana Continent!
The Yusra Kingdom and Frost, where the [Authority] function had been activated.
The Magic Tower.
And Muon, the holy land of the Goddess Church.
Those certain connections……
No, those grounds were lending me strength.
A head that did not drop.
A back held straight.
Shoulders spread confidently.
So that I would not shrink back.
I calmly concluded.
“Because to me, they are nothing more than prey.”
Was there something that connected those in a contractual relationship?
Hiiel bowed her head to me with sincerity.
“I, too, shall show results unworthy of neither the name I have received.”
……
I understand how you feel.
But it would be better if you stopped mentioning that I gave you a name.
Especially if you would refrain from telling that full name to others.
Since I wasn’t the kind of person who could concern myself with every little thing.
I immediately set about what I had to do.
Calling it something I had to do makes it sound grand, but it was simple.
‘If I entered a rift, I should clear it and leave.’
With only a few days left until the next regular update.
Even if the experience I could gain was small, dust gathered becomes a mountain. Besides, there were quite a few items in this rift that could be put to use.
[Poisonous Spore Shelter]
From poisonous plants that served as ingredients for poison.
To rare medicinal herbs growing among those poisonous plants.
Yes, as expected, what I had to do had not changed.
‘I just need to do well.’
In that sense, it would be right to check the means I could make use of.
Recommended level 350, [Poisonous Spore Shelter]…… Wouldn’t that be an appropriate level to examine the combat power of Hiiel, who had been reborn as a {Unique Spirit}?
“Hiiel, can you open a path?”
Most of all, at this level, even if [Natural Enemy Relationship] did not activate, I could handle unexpected situations on my own.
Even if Demon Hunter was a defective class with a screw loose, I hadn’t eaten my way to level 390 for nothing.
But then.
“I shall open the path as you will.”
……
What is this?
I flinched at the sight unfolding before my eyes.
She hadn’t done anything particularly grand.
Hiiel had merely swept through the air with an elegant gesture of her hand.
Crackle—rustle—shhh—
The [LV.300~LV.350] plant-type monsters that had filled the area crumbled away.
They returned to the soil……!
To be honest, I had expected something.
After all, Senior Spiritology Mage Feiyan had made quite the fuss, hadn’t he? Through that fuss, I had just learned that a {Unique Spirit} was a spirit that transcended rank.
But the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.
So I had kept my expectations moderate.
And yet this exceeded even the expectations I had first held.
Hiiel opened her mouth.
“Before I received a name, all I could do was bestow blessings. After receiving a name, I have also gained the ability to withdraw blessings.”
Hiiel was, after all, a spirit of the forest.
‘It’s probably an ability limited to plants……’
But even taking that into account, it was a powerful ability.
Satisfying.
Hiiel’s growth alone was satisfying enough.
And I could also add a new concept to that {Nature} and utilize it as [『{Oddity}』].
“Splendid.”
Even by Granfell’s lofty standards, it could only receive a passing mark.
But at Hiiel’s following answer, I shut my mouth.
Truly, I wanted to hide in a mouse hole.
“Hiiel Chrisiad Four Seasons Leaf. In a manner befitting the name you bestowed upon me. I can become a warm spring to them, or a harsh winter. The one who decides that is you alone.”
They were truly loyal and reassuring words.
But that damned naming sense……
I felt my face burn terribly.
Of course, I showed none of it.
I shamelessly said.
“The time will soon come for you to display that ability, Hiiel.”
With combat power like this, in the major incident we would soon face.
Hiiel would be of help in the battle against the Demon King as well.
And in order to forget the past.
In the end, there was no choice but to live faithfully in reality.
I stepped onto the path Hiiel had opened.
Click—
*
Frost.
Frost, which had once been no different from a living hell, was now filled with vitality.
On streets that had once been lined with blood and corpses.
There was now a sea of adventurers, just as there had been in the past.
“Of course, the sight still feels unfamiliar.”
Frost’s fortress.
In accordance with procedure.
Harkon, who was carrying out his duties as acting lord of Frost, looked down at the streets for a brief moment.
To think he would gaze upon Frost’s scenery from the world of adventurers.
“I am gradually growing accustomed to this as well.”
Yes, he was getting used even to the unfamiliar scenery.
But for some reason, his stiff body refused to adapt so easily.
Harkon rolled his shoulders for no reason.
“……
I want to rush out at once.”
Swinging a sword suited his nature.
And yet he was sitting at a desk, doing nothing but scribbling with a quill pen.
It was only natural that he was restless.
“If I cannot handle it at my level, I will end up pushing the work onto Sir Hoyeol.”
He could not impose such trouble on Hoyeol again.
In that sense, Harkon found Hoyeol worthy of respect.
Because Harkon had seen, even if only for a time, what kind of daily routine Hoyeol kept.
Swordsmanship training in the morning.
Handling the affairs of the Yusra Kingdom in the afternoon.
Research at the Magic Tower from night until dawn.
On top of that, Frost was filled with adventurers.
There was also news of this world that he heard through the adventurers.
Not a day passed without word of Hoyeol’s exploits being delivered.
A day’s interval was still generous.
There were countless times when people chattered about Hoyeol after mere hours.
No, even mere minutes.
“I guarantee it, Sir Hoyeol lives a life more exhausting than His Majesty the Emperor.”
Hoyeol and the Emperor.
It was something Harkon could say because he had watched both from up close.
And Harkon was not the only one who agreed with those words.
Yusra Kingdom.
At the corner in front of the Golden Palace Plaza, the Golden Calf Tavern.
The one occupying the front seat with the best view of the TV screen was Rockid. With that bulk of his taking up the front seat, all that could be seen from behind was half the screen.
“Hey! Move, will you?”
At least it was better when Kichi, the leader of the Shadow Mercenaries, was there. Even Rockid, who was insolence itself, would at least pretend to listen when his leader Kichi spoke.
But today, Rockid was alone.
“……
Can’t someone do something and get rid of that thing?”
“Are you crazy? How do you expect us to talk to that monster?”
“Yeah, let’s just be satisfied that he’s quiet today.”
“Damn it. I need to watch this on the big screen.”
The players’ whispering voices.
The prickling gazes pouring into the back of his head.
But Rockid had no mind to care about any of that.
“The more I watch……”
Hot-tempered, filthy, eccentric, and so on.
Evaluations of Rockid’s personality might be divided, but evaluations of his skill never were.
Champion of the Colosseum, giant of the underworld, combat machine……. Those titles, which were no different from praise for Rockid, were proof of his skill.
“That man’s insane.”
Gulp—
He set down his enormous mug.
Naturally, the one whom even the mighty Rockid acknowledged as insane was Hoyeol. Rockid watched the footage of Hoyeol playing on the screen.
True to his title as a combat machine.
He mechanically pictured a battle against Hoyeol.
The battle conditions were set to be no different from an actual fight.
‘A special-class assassination request. The target is Lee Hoyeol.’
First, before the battle, Alkari.
He would have to extort all kinds of potions from that old man.
He would need to obtain every kind of elemental resistance potion, and at the highest grade, no less.
The success fee would be wiped out before he even began.
‘Of course, even if I raise my magic resistance.’
It wouldn’t completely offset the damage.
Besides, Hoyeol was not a mere mage.
You could only see as much as you knew.
And Rockid knew Hoyeol’s swordsmanship skill.
“Sigh. Fuck.”
No matter how many dozens of times he imagined the battle.
He simply could not picture himself defeating Hoyeol.
What bothered him most of all was Hoyeol’s attitude.
That arrogant expression overflowing with confidence.
The ease he displayed.
It meant Hoyeol still had never revealed the full extent of his power.
“But you’ve got it rough too.”
Unlike the Arcana Continent, there were many restrictions in the adventurers’ world.
On the Arcana Continent, overwhelming power was no different from freedom.
But in this world, power was accompanied by useless attention and responsibility.
He had not learned that in particular; he could tell just by looking at Hoyeol.
—“The AAU side will contact Player Lee Hoyeol as soon as possible……”
Rockid was the type to enjoy the attention and gazes of others.
But even that had its limits.
Rockid briefly imagined it.
Inside the moving picture.
What if the woman speaking was talking not about Hoyeol, but about him?
His tongue clicked on its own.
“You must be tired in all sorts of ways.”
Even Rockid could feel the weight Hoyeol was carrying.
So there was no need to express how those who knew Hoyeol better than Rockid felt.
That was why, the moment the letter Hoyeol sent arrived before them, they could not help but welcome it.
“……
Now this is welcome news!”
Harkon and the Lionheart Knights.
“I thought it was too peaceful. There was no way my fate would be that kind.”
Kichi and the Shadow Mercenaries.
“May the Goddess be with us at every moment.”
Talim and Muon, the holy land of the Goddess Church.
“This is the news we have been waiting for.”
Even the Magic Tower, which learned Hoyeol’s will through parchment.
Each had different reasons for moving, but none of them hesitated.
The contents of the letter were not a major issue.
It was only natural.
The strongest knight order of the Arcana Continent.
The hidden power of the Arcana Continent.
The largest religion of the Arcana Continent.
The apex of the Arcana Continent.
Each one of them was a massive force.
For such people to be frightened by the mere contents of a letter and flee?
It was impossible.
Even if those contents were related to Demon Kings……
The following Thursday.
The world was thrown into shock by the Arcana regular update details.
──────
A new rift, “Demon King’s Castle,” will be added.
──────
Because Demon King’s Castles had appeared in reality.
──────
A new rift, “Demon King’s Castle,” will be added…….
A new rift, “Demon King’s Castle,” will be added…….
──────
And three of them, at that.
Only then did the world reevaluate the AAU’s announcement.
—“The threats we can predict are now over.”
That was right.
This was an update beyond prediction, beyond standards.
Not one Demon King’s Castle, but three.
It had surpassed the realm of what could be anticipated.
However, the world soon came to know.
“……
Wait a moment. Is that?”
As if even this absurd situation had been anticipated.
With an unchanging expression.
Hoyeol appeared.
And Hoyeol was not alone.
At the same time.
Frost.
Yusra Kingdom.
Muon.
And movement detected from the Magic Tower.
The world was thrown into shock once more.
“……
D-Don’t tell me all of them are because of Player Lee Hoyeol?”
At a development they could not even have imagined……
The objective was not simple hunting.
Now that the Demon Kings had appeared openly.
What was needed was not some sordid hunt, but a certain report of victory.
That was why I had sent the letters.
Yes.
Today, I.
No, we.
Will crush the Demon Kings.