---

After tying up Droniel.

Caw, caw.

A seagull cries out like a crow and flies into the sky.

As we watch the birds soaring in the blue sky, we teleport using the Dragon Lift…

“Using teleportation still consumes mana, right? I’ll create a barrier. If we move quickly before anyone notices, certainly, no one will find out.”

…for this reason, I was stopped from using teleportation magic by Lucius.

Not using mana is certainly good for my lifespan.

After all, a well-trained disciple knows how to take care of their master.

Thus, we landed a bit away from the Dragon Lift through the barrier.

If someone had seen it, it would have looked like a golden orb popping out of the sea and rolling toward the land.

Even though our appearance was a bit ridiculous, thankfully, we were able to land without being spotted by anyone.

“For now, let’s keep our identities hidden until we’re revealed. The ones we need to be most careful of are Lucius and Yan.”

The Hero and the Saintess.

If you were to choose the most renowned people in our party, it would naturally be these two.

Honestly, it wouldn’t matter much if the rest of us were exposed.

An ordinary High Elf.

The younger sister of a Count from another kingdom.

And an Undead Lich.

“How do we get past the guards?”

“We’ll enter as adventurers. We’ll submit the adventurer certificate we received from Normans.”

If it’s the Sorceress of Crimson Lotus and her party, there shouldn’t be any major issues.

The potential problem would be if the guards make a fuss or something…

‘How many people could possibly recognize us from this physically distant location?’

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say Normans and the Dragon Lift are at opposite ends of the continent.

With such physical distance, there shouldn’t be anyone able to recognize us right away.

“If we secure lodging at the Dragon Lift, you’ll find that staying in the Bride Ship is much better. It’ll probably take at least two to three days. The first day, we handle paperwork, the second, we buy the ship and load it with supplies, and on the third day, we depart while transferring the supplies to the Bride Ship.”

A perfect plan.

“Let’s also gather some information about the Demon Lord. They didn’t just give him the title of Demon Lord for nothing. If we happen to encounter the Demon Lord, and if he’s like the ‘Sea Dragon’…”

“We will liberate the Principality from the Demon Lord’s hands.”

“Exactly.”

It wouldn’t be just any Demon Lord, but one who genuinely came up from the Demon World.

Though it may not be many, they must serve as my strength.

Just like Beelzebub and Leviathan do.

“Then let’s go.”

Surely, they won’t pry into where we came from, so we’ll just have to make up some excuses.

I headed with my party towards the front gate of the Dragon Lift, where many people were already lined up.

“It looks like it’ll take some time to get in. Lucius, while we wait, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“It’s about the remaining Demon Lords. Silence.”

I muted my voice so that only our party could hear.

The silence magic spread around me, within a radius of about 2 meters, allowing only my companions close to me to hear my words.

“There are seven Demon Lords in the Demon World. First, we have the Demon Lord Belphegor, whom you all know. And the other two Demon Lords we previously encountered, Leviathan and Beelzebub. Do you perhaps know the remaining four?”

“One of them is well known. Satan, the longtime nemesis of the Order of the Crescent Moon Goddess.”

“That’s right. It’s Satan. A typical demon, but also quite muscular.”

The deep, dark assembly chairperson, a typical demon, yet a well-muscled male demon.

An entity capable of hitting 300 kg without relying on magical strength.

Of course, considering he’s a demon, his level of pure strength without magic aid might still be at 800, compared to human standards.

While the strength ratio between demons and humans isn’t exactly 20:8, Satan’s strength is certainly at an astonishing level.

“Lucius, you won’t be able to endure easily, either.”

“…Are you referring to the time he used his power?”

“Yep. Right now, it’s okay to talk. There’s no one listening to us. Even with the power of the Holy Sword, you’d be able to withstand purely through sheer body strength and will. It’s understandable…”

“One of the three strongest in the Demon World.”

“Correct. Not counting Belphegor, but still.”

You could say he’s the second strongest being after Belphegor.

“The most frightening thing about Satan is that he has countless demons under his command. He’s also the leader of the massive group in the Demon World known as ‘Pandemonium’. Countless demon race followers follow behind him due to his overwhelming power. Probably about 40% of the Demon World belongs to Satan’s forces.”

Excluding myself and my legion, Satan’s army is the largest and most enormous.

You could genuinely call him a true “legion.”

Boasting overwhelming numbers while also competing for the second and third-highest individual strength among Demon Lords.

Naturally, I am number one.

“Do you know anything more about Satan, Yan?”

“…Coincidentally, his followers have caused quite a disturbance in the Intermediate Realm for the past 500 years.”

“Disturbance?”

“Yes. You might have heard of Rosmas, but do you know the story of the ‘Storm Island’?”

“Oh, I know. They tried to summon a Demon Lord by sacrificing everyone on the island, but a passing hero took care of it…”

“That’s right. The demon race that traded with the necromancers back then were trying to summon…”

“Satan.”

For the past 500 years, Satan’s followers have repeatedly crossed into the Intermediate Realm to try and summon him.

– Even the Demon Lord of Sloth caused chaos in the Intermediate Realm; why wouldn’t our Demon Lord?!

Due to this reason, Satan has almost been summoned several times into the Intermediate Realm by his subordinates.

– Well, they’d say “Don’t do that!” but they proceed to do it anyway.

He laughed heartily while lifting a 300 kg dumbbell, but his subordinates, if they succeeded, would just say, “I’ll cause a bigger ruckus than what you just did.”

Indeed.

The reason he grew interested in the Intermediate Realm after not caring about it before was because my own notoriety surpassed his.

“…So, Satan is a muscle-bound demon leading a large-scale army. If it comes to a battle of strength, it could become dangerous in an instant. Remember that.”

“I will.”

Satan is power.

“Now, continuing from here, we have four Demon Lords, right? Have you heard the names of the other three?”

“Hmm…”

“I may have mentioned them once while passing by, but since we’re talking about it, I’ll tell you again. There’s a Demon Lord named ‘Lucifer’.”

A fallen angel.

“A long time ago, it seems that the Celestial Realm and the Demon World fought among themselves for dominion over the Intermediate Realm. During that time, some Celestials fell into the Demon World, becoming the ‘Black-Winged Angels,’ the fallen angels. Lucifer is their leader.”

Compared to Satan’s legion, their numbers are not that many, but Lucifer’s “Legion of Pride” consists of exceptionally strong individuals, each capable of taking on ten men.

Additionally, Lucifer is also a member of the deep, dark council.

“When facing an enemy like Lucifer, it’s easier to think of it as dealing with a sorcerer. When he uses divine power, think of it as the power of corrupted magic. At least for now.”

“At least for now…?”

“He’s muscular. I’ve heard he’s not the hulking type.”

Despite having a considerable graceful appearance, he has a lot of lean muscle, and his practical compression muscles stand out.

– One who wants to become a Demon God must have divinity. Behold, these beautiful muscles…!!

Still just a member of the deep, dark council, though.

“However, these two probably won’t frequently be summoned into the Intermediate Realm.”

“Why not?”

“Because they’re too strong. There are gaps even among Demon Lords.”

While it could be discussed as a whole legion, let’s simplify it like this….

“At the top is Belphegor. Next, Satan and Lucifer are vying for second and third. Beelzebub’s fourth. Leviathan is sixth. You can think of the other two as being fifth and seventh.”

“So… the seventh-ranked Demon Lord would be a bit easier, right?”

“Yep. I could easily devour five dragons without issue.”

I felt a slight surge of emotion.

Even being the lowest among Demon Lords, if he were to bring that power into the Human World, excluding the power of the Holy Sword, he could obliterate humans in an instant.

“There’s one Demon Lord who would be particularly dangerous for Lucius.”

“Who is it?”

“Asmodeus.”

“…Who’s that?”

“In the Intermediate Realm, he’s widely known by another name. That would be….”

I pretended to claw at Lucius with my nails.

“Succubus Queen.”

“…….”

“Be careful. Being a Hero doesn’t mean you’re immune to charm. No matter how much you’re not the top priority for Succubi anymore, still be cautious. Don’t get caught up in their schemes. Understand?”

“…I don’t think that will happen to me.”

Lucius displayed confidence with a calm smile.

“True. With those even more formidable than Succubi around you, that’s understandable.”

I shifted my gaze to my party, and they briefly averted their eyes from me.

There seemed to be some discomfort.

I didn’t know why.

“Anyway, be cautious. They say that if you mistakenly cross paths with the Succubus Queen, your bones will erode away.”

“Witch, does that mean the Succubus Queen is the seventh-ranked Demon Lord?”

“No. Fifth place. The seventh is someone else.”

Relatively younger compared to the other Demon Lords, and at the same time, the most vigorous.

“Their name is….”

“Stop.”

While we were talking, it was soon our turn.

“Who are you and where are you from?”

“We’re adventurers. All five of us. Here’s our party certificate.”

I dispelled the Silence magic and handed the certificate to the guard.

The guard picked up something resembling a long, horizontal stick and directed it towards the certificate…

‘A scanner?’

Beep!

A red light flashed from the item that looked like a scanner.

The guard closely examined the back of the scanner, then quickly turned his head back.

“It’s the Hero Party!!!!”

“…….”

Oh no.

“Sorceress of Crimson Lotus Bel! Welcome to the Dragon Lift!!!!!!!”

Ah.

“I’ve heard of your exploits in Normans and Count Odrone’s Territory!!!!!!!!!!!”

Waaaaaah!!

 

---