The demon world. Lord Armadelux said that it was a kind of underworld that was different from this world. He mentioned that this realm is inhabited solely by a grotesque race known as demons.
These creatures occasionally venture from the demon world into our world, wreaking havoc on human society according to their desires before returning. In most cases, by the time their involvement in any incident is uncovered, they will have already retreated to the demon world. Therefore, they are among the most despised races among humans.
When I think of demons, I understand them to be cunning, cruel, and capable of leading people to ruin after seducing them. Lord Armadelux also advised, “Never trust them,” confirming my belief that, while not all are utterly vile, they are certainly not a force for good.
Humans have tried to retaliate by pursuing these demons, but never with success. The reason is that entry and exit from the demon world are generally possible only through specific portals in our world, the locations of which even Lord Armadelux does not know, hence he has never visited the place.
Now, a ticket to this realm has been granted to Moth-san and the others. And it was “Legendary Class” which was ranked as the second-highest rarity. We have to use it!
“I can only speculate, but I think only those who received an invitation can go. Isn’t that right, Maria?”
“Yes, exactly. But be warned, the demon world is a dangerous place. Whether one can return after going there depends on the individual. However, you are wanderers. So even if you were to die, our powers could revive you, so you might as well go without worry.”
Lady Maria nonchalantly explained to us the scary truth: only those who had received an invitation, like Moth-san and the others, were able to step into the demon world. I also wished to go, but alas, I didn’t have any such letters in my inventory. Too bad.
“Although I feel sorry for everyone else… I will go without hesitation.”
Even if they were to journey to the demon world, we were compelled to base our operations in the “Dragon’s Sanctuary” going forward. This was due to the time-consuming adjustments and repairs required for the battleship we had received. At the very least, we need to repair and reassemble the ship until it is operational, and if possible, I would like to have some armament as well.
The collection of materials for this purpose was about to begin. We planned to scavenge through the debris of the “Ancient Ruined City” for usable items and solicit the cooperation of Iris and the craftsmen of the “Dragon’s Sanctuary” for their mechanical expertise. This was a decision made after a thorough discussion among us all. Even with the advice of the onboard AI and the available facilities, accomplishing everything would not be an overnight task. We estimated it would take at least a month in real time. Let’s move on without rushing.
“Sorry, everyone!”
“We’ll bring back souvenirs!”
“No need to worry. We’re not in a hurry, and it’s not like only the three of you are going on a long journey.”
Having achieved our collective goal of reaching the “Dragon’s Sanctuary”, our next objective was the repair of the battleship. However, some members found focusing solely on this task tedious. Having come this far together, we wanted everyone to pursue their individual interests from here on. Indeed, Jigoro intended to test his evolved powers by heading to the Aquaria Islands, with Seventh Armor and Sei expressing their intention to accompany him.
Some members expressed their desire to stay behind; they were either eager to see the ship completed or because there was nothing they wanted to do at the moment. It’s possible they were considerate and they chose not to join Jigoro and the others. I truly appreciate that.
“If you could take down those Demon Spirits and the Spartois left in that forest, I’d be grateful. They’re a real nuisance.”
The “Black Death Ice Forest ” was still teeming with Demon Spirits and Dragon Spartoi monsters. These undead creatures weren’t originally part of the forest. Therefore, it seems that they would like to have these foreign objects disposed of. This was treated as a quest that could be undertaken at any time with rewards on offer, so let’s take advantage of it.
And how did those undead creatures arise in the first place? It was because MacFarlane created them. At first, only Demon Spirits were present, but the situation escalated when a young dragon attacked those lingering too long near the barrier.
However, the young dragon who had just left the “Dragon Sanctuary” was no match for McFarlane, who had that enhanced armor. Despite the armor sustaining damage from repeated battles with dragons, the tide turned when McFarlane began using the dragons’ corpses as materials for creating powerful undead.
From the dragons’ teeth, the Spartois were created, and combining the materials from the monsters killed by the Demon Spirits and Spartois in the “Black Death Ice Forest” led to the creation of False Bone Dragons. With this amassed force, even the most vigorous young dragons began to steer clear of that area, leading to the current situation.
The reason Lady Langhort, the Ancient Light Dragon Lord who had cast the barrier overlooked McFarlane’s actions was apparently because she saw it as an opportunity to test the abilities of wanderers. Despite McFarlane being a troublesome figure, his significant strength made him a perfect benchmark. Those who could defeat him were deemed worthy of an audience with Lord Armadelux.
“Well, it was because that Lan girl had only set up the most basic of barriers back then that thieves managed to sneak in…” Lord Armadelux said.
“Dear”
“Oops, my bad. Slipped out there.”
Lady Maria maintained her smile but her eyes were not smiling at all. Her intervention suggested that this was information we were meant to discover on our own. However, the brief mention revealed something significant: the phrase “thieves managed to sneak in” strongly implied that those who stole the Dragon’s Jewel were likely acting under the orders or requests of some foolish noble. The strengthened barrier further supported this conclusion.
McFarlane’s mention of “taking back the laboratory” and the Gravekeeper’s claims that “civilization was destroyed by biological weapons created by humans,” along with his claims that “dragons defeated and sealed them away,” made piecing together the puzzle easy.
“…So the first civilization was destroyed in the war between humans, and the dragons sealed the ancient weapons that caused their downfall. The second civilization was destroyed by the dragon race because they stole the dragon’s jewel afterward, right?”
“…Dear?”
“C-calm down! This is just what he deduced from the information he gathered, right? I’m saaafe! Totally saaafe!”
Maria’s face was smiling, but her eyes were not, in contrast to Lord Armadelux’s nervous demeanor. This was certain. A piece of this world’s backdrop had been unveiled. I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself, having unearthed the truth of history.
“Anyway! The battleship can serve as your base! From there, you can return to your original world! I-I’ve just remembered something urgent I need to attend to, so I must go!”
“…Excuse me.”
With those hurried words, Lord Armadelux made a hasty retreat from the drydock, as if fleeing. Maria, without any rush but exuding an odd sense of intimidation, followed after him. It was likely he was in for a severe scolding. It was pitiful, but it can’t be helped. All we could do was join our hands together, pray for his safety, and send him off with our eyes.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
Yes, I logged in. After the wrathful goddess had departed from the drydock, those of us left behind were educated by Sir Mathis, who was also left behind, on what must not be done in this “Dragon Sanctuary”. Though when I say educated, there was nothing particularly special. He mentioned that as long as everyone behaved within the bounds of common sense, the others would respond kindly.
Afterward, we logged out on the battleship we had been gifted. Just as Lord Armadelux had said, this battleship had the capability to serve as a base for logging out. It was fully compatible with base transfer teleportation, so once repairs were completed, it would become our fully operational flying base. Our horizons for adventure were about to broaden greatly!
But leaving that aside, we were now gathered in the grasslands of the “Dragon Sanctuary”. The purpose, of course, was to witness the use of the “Invitation from the Demon World” letter. It was said to be a valuable item, and we were curious about the kind of spectacle it would entail.
“Are the others not here yet?”
“No, everyone who’s coming today is already here.”
Even though I said we “gathered”, a few were absent as they had real-world commitments. We conquered the “Black Death Ice Forest” with all guild members, but it wasn’t possible for everyone to be online all the time. Today was a holiday, but, in fact, I too had to go to work after seeing this through. Aaah, so depressing.
“Then, I shall proceed to ignite it.”
Following the instructions of the “Invitation from the Demon World” Moth-san and the others tossed their letters into a pre-prepared bonfire. As the three black invitations were consumed by the flames, a plume of red-purple smoke rose up. The smoke emitted a sweet yet somewhat unpleasant odor, like that of an overly ripe and rotten fruit.
“What is this smell?!”
“It’s overwhelming.”
Shishu and Wool who were standing close to the bonfire seemed astonished by the smell. Moth-san was also coughing from the odor. The young dragon pups who had been watching our actions with curiosity scattered away like little spiders, and Karl too flew away silently without a word….It’s good to see them getting along so well, in their own way.
Even if I decided to stop escaping from reality, this is such a strange smell. If we didn’t have a clear purpose, we might have distanced ourselves too. As we resisted the urge to move away, a change finally occurred. The red-purple smoke defied the laws of physics as it converged into a single tentacle-like form. This tentacle then quivered and split into three at its tip.
The split tentacles of smoke writhed around, enough to provoke a visceral disgust in those who didn’t like such sights. However, we were quite used to seeing Iris, so everyone was fine.
“Wai?!”
“Kyaaa?!”
“Oh dear…”
While we were caught off guard by the surreal sight of the smoke turning into tentacles, these tentacles swiftly entangled Moth-san and the others before we could react. By the time we attempted to intervene, it was too late. The smoke that had captured the three of them formed a sphere in mid-air, then abruptly contracted and vanished with a deflated “poof”, taking the bonfire’s flames and our companions with it.
“Th-this, this is okay, right?!”
“Calm down, Iris.”
Iris, perhaps out of agitation, was frantically moving her tentacles. I was impressed by how they didn’t get tangled up with each other despite the vigorous movement. Panicking wouldn’t help, as there was only one thing we could do now.
“First, we need to check on their safety. Let’s try contacting Moth-san and the others.”
“Through chat, right? I’ll give it a try.”
After saying that, Seventh Armor deftly used his beak to start pecking at the void as if he was interacting with an invisible display. It seemed that, for manipulating the virtual display, his beak was more useful than his wings. However, the sight of him rapidly moving his beak to type messages in the chat made him look more like a woodpecker than a crow. Perhaps I shouldn’t be telling him that.
“Ah? There’s a reply! Everyone’s safe!”
“That’s a relief.”
We sighed in relief when we received a proper response from Moth-san. It would have been too pitiful if it had turned out to be a trap.
“They’re in some creepy building right now he said. It seems to be called the Demon Palace on the map.”
“The Demon Palace… Could it be the stronghold of the demons?”
What was their purpose in inviting players from this world to the Demon Palace, which clearly seemed to be an important base for them? We silently awaited Moth-san’s response.
“I see. It seems Moth-san has figured out their purpose.”
“What is it?”
“It appears they intend to recruit Moth-san and the others to join the demon ranks.”
The invitation was an attempt by the demons to recruit them. When I heard that, I found myself strangely convinced by their motive.
Leave a Reply