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Finally… I’ve arrived!

Stella, who had to walk all the way to the hospital since her teleportation magic was unavailable, was further delayed by having to dodge people.

“Just a bit more to go… What is this?”

As soon as she stepped into the hospital, she felt an eerie presence, something different from magical energy.

Despite sensing that strange energy, she hurried toward the patient room.

“I have a bad feeling. I need to get to Nova quickly.”

Stella arrived in the corridor where Nova’s room was located.

In the corridor, there was a man in priestly garb strolling about.

A priest in a hospital? It just didn’t fit no matter how much she thought about it.

They were beings that rejected modern medicine, a hassle for those who accumulated wealth through treatments using divine powers.

“…”

But that was not what was important to Stella right now.

Just as she was about to sneak past him with a sidelong glance—

“Where do you think you’re rushing off to?”

“Huh?”

A gigantic shadow fell over Stella from behind.

When she finally turned around, she saw a huge black creature opening its mouth wide.

That mouth reminded her of a massive mammal—either a whale or a shark.

Thump!

Before she could react, the colossal beast swallowed her whole.

*

“…Where am I?”

Stella opened her eyes to find herself in darkness, an abyssal space devoid of any light.

“I can’t believe it… I’ve walked into such a trap.”

Normally, she would have been on guard from the moment she encountered it.

If only she had leaped forward when the man spoke earlier; she might have escaped.

But there was no point in regretting now.

“Where is this? The inside of a beast…?”

It was far too spacious to simply be inside a stomach.

The creature that swallowed her was large enough to devour an adult man in one bite.

How could such a being suddenly appear from behind? There were only Stella and two priests in the corridor, after all.

“I remember hearing that priest’s voice somewhere…”

“My, my… Have you forgotten my voice already?”

Stella quickly took a stance and aimed her staff.

At the end of that staff stood the priest she had just encountered.

“That fly-shaped mask… You were the one who summoned the monster back then!”

“You’re quite perceptive. It’s been a long time, new star.”

With noble etiquette, the Executor of Gluttony, Alastor, formally acknowledged her while having been the demon who caused the previous demon incident that led Nova to the brink of death.

Stella, who was about to unleash a barrage of magic without further ado, quickly sensed something was off.

“Where’s my magic…? It won’t come out?”

When she tried to gather her magical power to release it, mana vanished the moment it attempted to leave her body.

Stella, in a panic upon witnessing the phenomenon that looked as if it was dissipating into smoke, realized,

“It’s not that I can’t summon it… It’s absorbing from the surrounding space.”

“Impressive, that’s correct. This place is within the belly of the whale monster, Mobydick.”

“I see… So it was your summon?”

“Yes, all the monsters from the Demon World are essentially under my command.”

Alastor, with a sinister smile, looked at Stella while crossing his arms.

In his hands lay complex summoning sigils.

“Mobydick’s stock is formidable magical power; you’re poorly matched against me, a mage.”

“…Hey.”

“Hmm… I know what you want to say—what have I done to him?”

“What’s happened to Nova?”

“Well, I’ve never been particularly interested in that guy…”

“You better tell me what you did!”

Alastor remained unfazed by Stella’s killing intent, which would have made an ordinary person faint. Eventually, he scratched his head and replied.

“I did nothing at all.”

“Stop lying.”

“How curious… I never lie, you know.”

“Then why are you here? Right in front of Nova’s patient room?”

“I was just asked to keep you here, that’s all.”

“What do you mean…?”

“No more chit-chat… Shall we begin that revenge match from that day?”

Dozens of magic circles began to inscribe themselves on the ground.

From the depths of darkness, more profound darkness emerged, and monsters appeared.

Threatening black mammoths with menacing horns, a ferocious saber-toothed tiger, and even a skeleton army appeared.

“I’ll capture you this time and take you to the Demon World; that would be convenient.”

At those words, Stella’s eyes sharped with intensity.

The pressure that emanated from her was enough to warp the space around her.

“Who are you… to take me away?”

With her fists clenched, Stella took her stance.

She resembled a sprinter poised for the start.

Whoosh!

With a leap that cut through the air, she accelerated.

Two hulking soldiers blocked Alastor’s path.

A thunderous roar echoed from the shields they raised.

Boom!!!

The sound of grinding shields, and the force of the impact sent soldiers flying backward.

“Even without magic, I can handle you just fine.”

“What on earth are you? Are you some kind of wild boar?”

“Shut your mouth and get me out of here right this instant!”

The monsters roared vigorously as they charged at their foes.

It was as if they felt threatened by the small presence in front of them.

The calmness vanished from Alastor’s expression.

“It seems this won’t be easy, even if I’m prepared to kill… I might have made a mistake with this favor.”

At Alastor’s command, the monsters lunged fiercely toward Stella.

Stella gripped her staff with reverse hold and infused it with magical power.

The light emanating from the staff transformed into the shape of a sharp knife.

“This level of magic should suffice.”

Even as she faced an army of monsters charging to trample her,

Stella’s expression showed no sign of hesitation.

“But it’ll be enough!”

There was no hesitation in her steps as she cut through the multitude of enemies.

*

Meanwhile, in the heart of the Empire, where the Emperor resided,

Clorind Castle, a small conference was taking place.

“So, what is the reason you summoned us all here?”

Inside the conference room, about a dozen individuals surrounded a table.

A man with sky-blue hair and sharp features expressed his dissatisfaction.

The luxurious fur-trimmed cloak he wore indicated that he was of considerable noble rank.

“The North is currently in chaos due to the emergence of monsters. Sorry, but I don’t have time to help.”

“I apologize for summoning you so urgently, Duke Gruwein.”

“Don’t flatter me with titles like ‘Princess’… The rulers of the North become arrogant when praised.”

“Ragenpender… You, who are running a peaceful territory in the South, should just be quiet.”

The man radiating a cold energy that froze the surrounding air was Nuer de Gruwein, one of the ten strongest men in the Empire, known as the Lord of Frost in the North.

“Ha… Spending time in a cold place has frozen your brain. Should I warm you up?”

The woman who countered with fiery heat was Sharonia Ra Ragenpender, also one of the ten strongest, representing the Southern dukedom.

The ground trembled under the pressure of these two titans.

Rumble

“Please, Mother, stop it!”

Beside Princess Ariel, Scarlet Ragenpender, sweating profusely, pleaded with Sharonia to calm down.

The two heroines from the original tale were attending the meeting of the ten strongest today.

“Still, our daughter has taken the position of supporting the Princess… What about your daughter?”

“Siel is just fulfilling her role as a student attending the Academy.”

“Are you saying my daughter is wrong?”

“You both, enough! That’s not why I gathered you here.”

At Ariel’s intervention, the two fell silent, regaining their composure.

“Tch… Well, she’s better than Vladimir, who doesn’t even show his face…”

“He won’t show up; he doesn’t care for boring matters, so let’s just start.”

Relieved by the quiet atmosphere, Ariel took a breath and commenced the meeting.

“First, the reason I summoned you all on behalf of His Majesty is due to two matters.”

The Master of the Silver Tower, who had been sitting in the corner, smiled amiably as he spoke.

“Yes, please tell us, Princess, why have you summoned us?”

“First of all, His Majesty’s health has deteriorated, and he can no longer attend these meetings.”

At her words, everyone in the room fell silent.

Despite the heavy atmosphere, she continued.

“The second matter is that I have some important information regarding my future vision…”

“That’s a big deal!”

Everyone’s attention shifted to the knight who burst into the conference room.

Under the gaze of the strongest beings in the world, he shut his eyes and shouted loudly.

“There has been a massive emergence of monsters at the Academy!”

“What?!”

Everyone was struck with disbelief, and at that moment, the Master of the Golden Tower, Rockpelikan, glared at the Academy Chairman, Valderon, who was beside him.

“Cough, cough…”

Ignoring Valderon’s cough, Rockpelikan unleashing a ferocious aura,

spoke with grave seriousness.

“What happened to Stella?”

 

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