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Wowww—!!

Cheers echo all around.

Orcs, Goblins, Trolls, Kobolds, Dark Elves, Vampires, Lycanthropes, Cyclopes—those whom humans dismiss as ‘monsters’ or ‘demon races’, all scream out.

“Glory to the Demon King’s Army—!!”

It’s an era dedicated to the Demon King’s Army.

A figure with black hair and red eyes, raising their fists high, entered the room to applause.

“I’m excited! Do you really like being called the Demon King?”

“I love it.”

The Demon King crossed their legs and sat down.

On the bed in the room sat a white-haired woman, clad in a white dress reminiscent of a wedding dress.

“Now, a foothold has been established for counterattacking humanity. No longer will demon races be killed just for possessing magic or having a magic stone in their hearts.”

“Well, from my standpoint, I’m not really bothered by that…”

“Why aren’t you bothered? Your kin, even those from the frozen lands, are treated as demon races.”

The Demon King threw a magic stone towards the woman, ‘Snow Queen’.

“This is….”

“It’s the magic stone of an Ice Dragon that had suffered under human heroes’ grip. They refined the Dragon Heart into a magic stone, and I acquired it.”

“…Thank you.”

The Snow Queen bowed her head and clasped the magic stone with both hands.

“In the name of the gods, may you be reborn anew under the guidance of the Ice Spirit. I, Celcius, bless you.”

Swoosh.

White mist began to swirl around the Snow Queen, soon enveloping the magic stone to form a single shape.

Thump, thump.

With the heart-like beating, the white mist traced an oval around the magic stone, transforming into what looked like an ‘egg.’

“Creating life, huh? Doing that, you’re bound to be scorned by the Celestial folks.”

“Who cares? I’m just ensuring my kin can continue to live. Those who meddle like that in someone else’s world are the real wrongdoers.”

“Someone else’s world, huh….”

The Demon King smirked at the Snow Queen’s words.

“I have no interest in your world disputes. The squabbles over who owns the three worlds mean nothing to me. I care about but one thing.”

The Demon King stood and opened their arms wide.

“A world where demon races are no longer hunted.”

“…But you hunt humans.”

“Not at all. Hatred only breeds more hatred. I simply wish for humans and demon races to coexist as equals in this Intermediate Realm.”

The Demon King thumped their chest, smiling brightly.

“That is the true Demon King’s duty to those wrongfully classified as demon races in the Intermediate Realm.”

“…No matter how much you say that, humanity will eventually try to hunt down all demon races, especially with the Celestials on their side.”

“Exactly why the Demon King of the Demon Realm has come down to lead demon races here, right? Well, I didn’t intend to drop down, but…”

The Demon King chuckled and approached the Snow Queen.

“What do you think, esteemed piece of the ‘Guardian’? Do you think my actions as the Demon King are misguided?”

“…I’m not interested.”

The Snow Queen pouted, hugging her legs closer.

“I’m merely a part of nature. Whether Celestial-backed humans dominate the Intermediate Realm and hunt demon races down, or demon races eradicate humans and push the Celestials out of this world, I simply exist as a part of nature and its laws.”

“Ahaha, yeah. Just stay that way.”

The Demon King walked up to the Snow Queen and patted her head.

“Just observe. All I ask of you is to maintain neutrality. Even if I should lose to a Hero… even if I’m stabbed by the Holy Water Sword imbued with your power, just watch.”

“……Who would interfere?”

“Hehe. That’s how the laws of nature work. If you take sides, the balance of the Intermediate Realm will be severely disrupted.”

The Demon King pressed their lips to the Snow Queen’s forehead.

“Never choose a side. Even if it seems like I’m going to die, just let it be. If you take my side… the Celestials would then have grounds to interfere with the Intermediate Realm.”

“……Who would help you?”

“Because it sounds like someone would.”

The Demon King leaned down and gently lifted the Snow Queen’s chin.

“Understand? If you help me, you’ll come to genuinely resent it. Even if it looks like I might die, you must just watch, just as you have till now.”

“……Hmph, what do you think of me?”

The Snow Queen scoffed at the Demon King.

“I’m not going to help you. Absolutely not.”

*

“…….”

I woke up.

Though ‘woke up’ feels a bit off.

Recalling past memories isn’t dreaming nor is dreaming something that counts as sleep.

‘Is it because I’m sleeping in a cold place?’

Maybe it’s because I set a barrier and slept in the middle of a snowfield, or perhaps because I entered the domain of the Ice Spirit Celcius.

Once I remember the conversation with Celcius, irritation suddenly flares up.

‘Of all times to help me.’

Does Celcius know that her actions almost opened the door to the Celestial Realm?

That’s why I had to self-destruct to close the door to the Celestial Realm.

‘I really ought to make her suffer at least once for that.’

Dying once doesn’t mean you’re done.

How can I kill Celcius, who is the very embodiment of the laws of nature?

Instead, I can make her suffer enough to feel like dying.

Like, for example, placing a ‘curse that causes her pinky toe to bump against the threshold unexpectedly every day’ or ‘a curse that sticks fish bones into her palate every time she eats fish.’

These may be trivial curses, but for someone who has to live through a lifetime, they would surely be painful and tormenting.

Seriously.

If she had just stayed quietly as she was—

“Master.”

“Huh?”

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

“Thinking about old times.”

There’s really no reason to hide it.

While I can conceal the content, it’s really not strange for a bent-back undead who has reappeared in the present after 500 years to reminisce.

“What kind of thoughts are you having?”

But Lucius probes further.

I want to brush it off and say I’m just lost in thought, but right now, it’s only Lucius and me who are awake.

The night watch.

While the other three are asleep, I’m quietly keeping my eyes closed beside Lucius.

So naturally, it must be a bit boring, and he probably needs something to talk about.

Hmm.

I get it.

“…You know, the northern continent you all talk about used to have a different name.”

“Is it the name from 500 years ago?”

“Yeah. It’s probably a defunct name. Back then, this place was called ‘Glacius.'”

The Great Ice Land.

“Lucius, how wide do you think the land we’re standing on is?”

“The width of the land?”

“Yeah. How deep do you think the ground beneath us is?”

“…You wouldn’t bring that up unless it’s significantly different from other places, right?”

As expected of Lucius.

“Exactly. To put it numerically, the ground is barely 50 meters deep.”

“…That doesn’t really register.”

“Beneath a castle’s height, there’s merely water. It’s a vast reclaimed land floating above a colossal sea. That’s the reality of Glacius.”

I lightly tapped the ground.

“Even by human standards, it’d be a bit difficult to build and live in a metropolis here. One might sink after all. So this vast land is said to have been inhabited by life forms enough to withstand its weight. A very scant few.”

I conjured mana before Lucius, shaping it into a picture.

“It’s as if a wide plate of land extending from the continent is floating above the ocean. It’s simply because that plate is about 50m thick that life can’t survive. The natural environment is also harsh enough for such intense snowfalls.”

“How did such terrain come to be…?”

“Well? I heard some tale where the Earth Spirit fought the Water Spirit.”

“What?”

“If the continent and coastlines were regarded as territories of the Earth Spirit and Water Spirit, the Earth Spirit played a trick on the Water Spirit. ‘All land extending from the continent belongs to the Earth.'”

“……When did that happen?”

“During the Genesis.”

I sensed Saintess Yan flinch.

“According to the Order of the Goddess, during the Genesis, the two goddesses created the world saying, ‘Let there be moonlight—.’ That’s the truth. But in reality… well, let’s just say I won’t elaborate further.”

I don’t want to be labeled a heretic just yet.

It’s not that I want Lucius or anyone else who hears me to spread my words and be deemed a heretic.

“What’s important isn’t the history lesson, but the true nature of the northern continent we must head towards.”

“…Wouldn’t it be better to talk about this when everyone’s awake?”

“We can talk again during the journey. I need to sort things out while explaining to you.”

I gather my thoughts while talking to Lucius.

“Why? Do you not want me to tell you beforehand?”

“No.”

Fortunately, Lucius didn’t seem to mind being used as a test subject.

Indeed, Lucius is a good target.

“Let’s check what you know first. You said the ones living in the northern continent are all monsters residing in snowfields, right?”

“Yes. I heard they are the remnants of the Demon King’s army from 500 years ago, living by cannibalism.”

“Those are the undead. You’ll realize once you see them; they look like people because their bodies don’t rot due to the cold.”

“Undead…?”

“Yeah. Let’s unleash the undead in the northern continent so that people can’t approach carelessly. That was the Great Demon King’s plan.”

“…Approach ‘carelessly’?”

Uh-oh.

Lucius is perceptive.

His insight catches my verbal slip before I even realize it.

“Yes. There was a secret base of the Demon King’s army in the northern continent.”

“Oh, I see.”

And it’s also my responsibility to clean up.

“The Water Spirit, Celcius, obviously lives in the water, right? So where do Celcius’s kin and those who were exiled to the northern continent 500 years ago reside?”

“…Um, maybe they made an ice castle…?”

“You’re about to find out.”

If nothing has changed after 500 years.

“A deep underwater city.”

 

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