Chapter 474
Chapter 474. Under Guidance
“—Hey! Is that song about Hero Alexander for real?!”
As the bard finished singing, Liliana rushed over, asking for details with enthusiasm.
“Uh? Yes, of course! This tale of a hero was gathered by none other than myself,” the bard replied proudly, his nose twitching as he basked in the attention from the breathtakingly beautiful forest elf.
—Actually, it seemed that the song was originally about Hero Arthur, but after hearing numerous accounts at various places, he realized from circumstantial evidence that the companions were Duke Graham and Duke Johannes. Thus, he hastily changed the leading character.
“Mentioning Arthur’s name in Kaemuran now sends the mood plummeting like a funeral, doesn’t it?” the bard chuckled weakly.
“……” Liliana’s expression darkened as she realized the truth.
(Alex and… Mr. Arthur might have known each other…)
If the bard’s song were to be believed, he could have been a comrade of Alex. And Demon Lord’s Prince Zilbagias had laid his hands on such a human hero.
He had laid his hands on him…
No matter the reasons given, murder can never be justified. Understanding this, Prince Zilbagias continued to accumulate sins in his quest to defeat the Demon Lord and obliterate the Demon Lord Kingdom.
However, even if he was fully prepared for everything, Alex was not the type to brush it off completely. That’s why he could forge a contract with the forbidden Demon God. One must know the pain of the human heart for a taboo to remain a taboo—
I wonder how much stronger Zilbagias has become after this incident?
Liliana desperately wanted to reunite with Alex, but at the same time, she felt a chill of fear. If he were significantly stronger, it would mean that he had suffered that much more.
…I was worried.
Yet, I had no idea where he was.
Not that it mattered much, but the next morning, Liliana decided to visit Bacchos.
None of the three knew Bacchos, but it was a city along Aulitos Lake, so they could eventually get there by moving along the lakeside. They powered their boat forward with incredible speed, racing like a dragon in flight.
“Maybe, just maybe, there might be a clue,” Liliana mumbled, and both Helena and Orderju silently accompanied her.
—There wouldn’t be any clue at all. Even if his footprints were left behind, it wouldn’t matter where he was now.
I understood that intellectually. Still, I couldn’t remain immobile. It was better than doing nothing in despair. I told myself this as I thought.
(If this doesn’t lead anywhere…)
As they headed toward Bacchos, on the shaking boat, Liliana pondered.
(Maybe I should return to the village…)
If Alex continued to act as Hero Alexander, there was a chance I could intercept him by following his trail.
However, with him causing chaos as Prince Zilbagias and disappearing without a trace now, it would be impossible to spot the demon race fleeing on dragons.
After boasting so much to Mother and the senior members, even bringing along the elderly Orderju, who could kick the bucket at any moment, returning without any results was downright embarrassing.
(Waiting might be better than running around aimlessly…)
Perhaps Alex would come visiting the village in search of me, and if not, he might still come to see me before returning to the Demon Lord Kingdom.
“……”
Drawing a depressingly passive conclusion based on wishful thinking weighed heavily on me.
(Oh dear…)
But for someone like me,
“Waiting” might just suit me better…
As Liliana sagged in disappointment, Orderju’s controlled boat burst forward, kicking up splashes of water, covering a distance that would take normal passenger ships several days to traverse in just a few hours, successfully arriving at Bacchos—
—Bacchos was wrapped in a somewhat giddy atmosphere.
Well, that was understandable. The Kaizaan Empire’s invasion, the intervention of Prince Zilbagias, the swift repelling of the imperial army, the death of Arthur, the death of Emperor Kaizan, the abdication of the foolish “acting king” Oranio, and the sudden ascension of Duke Johannes, who had been missing for years.
Such shocking news usually doesn’t come along more than once in several decades.
“Well, we can’t do much about wars and kings now, right?”
“Forest elves, if you’d like, feel free to soak in the hot springs!”
“Trade has resumed, so there are lots of souvenirs available!”
I asked the townsfolk, and they responded cheerily. In addition, they recommended steamed sweets utilizing the hot springs, and while Orderju and Helena hesitated, Liliana bought them without second thoughts.
“Oh, Hero Alexander, right? He was so cool!”
“He spoke so eloquently.”
“His battle with the mountain bandits was just so vivid…”
Even among the distinct characters of Arthur and the old folks, Alexander seemed to have left a noticeable impression on the people.
In his previous life, Alex was more of the quiet type, but since being reborn as Prince Zilbagias, it felt like he had become more talkative.
…….
No, perhaps that was his true nature. In his previous life, he could have just been too exhausted from the fight to have the energy to chat during his spare time…
While munching on the steamed sweets, a deep sadness washed over Liliana.
“Oh, ruins? If you take that mountain path over there…”
She was even given directions to where the ruins lay, where the mountain bandit sword saint had been defeated.
—By the way, they also proposed the idea of turning the ruins into a tourist spot.
However, due to the terrible access from the town, the eerie amount of dead bodies, and the longstanding local belief that “monsters appear,” it was ultimately shelved.
Once there, it was indeed a rough road. A rugged mountain path littered with sharp rocks would be tough for ordinary humans.
However, for the forest elves favored by the earth spirits, it was nothing. They breezed through, reaching the ruins deep in the mountain.
“This is…”
In a cave, ancient stone tablets and shrine-like structures were left behind. Liliana gazed around the ruins with great interest.
Honestly, she hadn’t expected much from the ruins themselves, but for the forest elves, it was quite an interesting place.
“I wonder if this is the leyline. The earth’s magical energy is strong here.”
Helena said, placing her hand on the ground.
“It resembles the Demon Lord Castle… or rather, like a dragon’s cave.”
There was an inexplicable sense of nostalgia. Liliana nodded.
“Hmmm… The saying that ‘monsters appear’ might not be entirely nonsense after all.”
Orderju’s words heightened their vigilance. Certainly, in a spot wrapped in such thick magical energy, it wouldn’t be odd for a rift to form in reality. It would be best if this treated as a so-called “sanctuary,” but since it was feared by the indigenous people, there was a possibility that negative concepts had accumulated, causing harm.
In other words, anything could happen.
Cautiously and without letting their guard down, Liliana and her group moved forward—
Led in such a manner, they arrived at the shrine-like center of the ruins.
“What…? What’s this?”
Helena tilted her head.
On the stone-paved floor, mysterious patterns were inscribed in a circular formation.
It looked like letters of some sort.
But even highly learned Helena had never encountered anything like it.
“What is this…!? No way…”
Orderju’s eyes widened as he played a lively melody through his whistle. His breath created a small whirlwind that blew the dust off the circular patterns cleanly.
“…What the— D-demon script! It’s been years since I’ve seen it!”
“Demon script?”
“Yes. It’s the writing used by demons, though I don’t know how to read it myself. I saw it long ago when I was younger…”
Demon script… Liliana mulled over the term.
The first thing that came to her mind was Sophia the Knowledge Demon. She had educated Zilbagias, and Liliana had seen him studying diligently while napping and lounging around.
However, she had never heard of demon script. Magical race scripts would still make sense…
“What is this…?”
Liliana crouched down and gently traced her fingers over the patterns.
“Princess, be careful. If it’s related to demons, who knows what danger lies—”
Orderju raised his warning—
And then, at that very moment.
Zwoooosh, the magical circle on the floor glowed red-black.
“?!”
Liliana’s eyes widened. From her fingertip, a terrifying sensation of being dragged into the void enveloped her.
No—this is!!
Her magical energy was being sucked away! At an incredible pace!!
“Wha—”
She tried to resist, but even with Liliana’s strength, it couldn’t be stopped! It was as if she had tossed a weighted rope into an immeasurably deep pit and was being dragged down by its gravity and momentum—
Liliana was also being pulled in!
“Princess!”
“Lily!!”
Noticing the anomaly, the two tried to pull Liliana away from the magical circle.
But.
With a heavy sensation, the space distorted.
A pitch-black darkness, blacker than the night, an unfathomable void.
It expanded as a sphere, swallowing Liliana whole.
“—Princess!!”
Orderju, his face turning pale, attempted to leap into the【dark hole】.
But.
At that moment, from the pitch-black sphere, Liliana popped her head out.
“Oh. Uh, I’m back?”
Walking out as if nothing had happened, Liliana looked around with a flicker of sentiment, opening and closing her hands as if checking the feel of her own body.
“Oh…”
And behind her, the【dark hole】evaporated as if vanishing.
This occurred in less than a few seconds since Liliana had been swallowed.
“……Princess! Are you safe?!”
Orderju grabbed Liliana’s shoulders, pouring various dispelling and healing powers into her.
“Liliana, right?”
Helena, too, cast a few orbs of light toward Liliana, a bit suspiciously. These soft bubbles burst like soap, tickling Liliana’s skin, and would have burned flesh without mercy if they had been dark beings.
And the fact that she accepted them without a care confirmed she was not a demon at least—
“Princess! What in the world was that!? What just happened!?”
For the moment, Orderju was relieved that Liliana was safe, but he gritted his teeth, frustrated by his inability to respond to this unexpected incident.
“…To put it simply,”
Liliana replied with a wry smile.
“That was a gate leading to the Demon World. …I made a contract with a demon.”
Orderju and Helena froze in shock.
“I’ll introduce them to both of you.”
And suddenly, without any warning, a mass of magical energy erupted from Liliana.
“The demon I contracted with is—”
A【demon】 appeared before the astounded forest elves.
