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After finishing all the piled-up work, it was time to hit the road again. Of course, I didn’t manage to wrap everything up in just a few days. I merely tackled the important matters, setting the direction our territory should take.

“Shall we go now?”

But before leaving the territory, I stopped by the Memorial Hall one last time to say goodbye to my parents. By the way, it’s a strange feeling to be staring at my own portrait.

“You’re leaving already? We can leave later…”

As I stood up, my friends who had come with me wondered if I was really leaving. Although I appreciated their consideration, I had achieved everything I needed to at the Memorial Hall.

I had steeled my resolve not only for my parents but also for my sister, whose traces were almost non-existent apart from this body I inhabit, vowing revenge and comfort.

This wasn’t the end; I had also made a heartfelt pledge to return safely and greet them once more.

When I said I visited for the last time, it wasn’t the kind of last that meant I would never see them again, but just the last visit before my departure.

“No, it’s fine. If I want to avoid sleeping on the streets, I need to move quickly.”

Since we still had a budget shortage and couldn’t build the Teleport Gate, my body was fated to suffer until we reached the next destination. Of course, I would take a carriage to the nearest city where the Teleport Gate would be, so I was technically not going to walk the whole way.

So, we took our final steps towards the Demon King’s Castle, which would be our last destination.

*

“We’re really not far now.”

I murmured to myself, taking in the changed scenery around me.

Sometimes using the Teleport Gate, sometimes riding a carriage or a horse, and mostly trudging for days on foot, we finally arrived at the demonic realm.

If I could have gotten a ride on dragon Olivier, like when my friends flew over during Glen’s raid that made the capital chaotic, this distance wouldn’t have taken so long. But she was currently stuck in the capital as the Empire’s guardian dragon, having fallen for the Emperor’s tricks.

Of course, traveling without any major incidents couldn’t be called hardship. But things were different from here on. While the earlier atmosphere felt like a picnic with half-hearted jokes, now it was time to get serious.

This was inevitable as this area was particularly dangerous.

The demonic realm wasn’t limited to just this place. They were steadily spreading darkness across the continent even now. However, this was the only region where they didn’t just gather but also built a city.

Having passed a few cities, we arrived at the fortress that was the Demon King’s Castle, which was our ultimate destination.

There was no doubt that our party had enough power to easily take on a decent army. But that didn’t mean we could genuinely substitute a military force.

The weakness stemming from our small numbers couldn’t be helped. If we caught the attention of the demons and got into a chase, we wouldn’t even have the chance to rest; it would just be a constant fight.

That was how it had gone in the previous round. With a much weaker party than now, an attempt to break through had led to us being surrounded, and after defeating the last of the Four Heavenly Kings, Keltus, I ended up getting trapped, forced to sacrifice myself for my friends.

If you’re escaping after defeating the Demon King, that’s one thing. But creating a ruckus from the start wasn’t beneficial to anyone. Our goal was solely the Demon King.

“Ugh… This place feels really off… and the smell is terrible…”

Among us, Anne, who always seemed so lively and bright, frowned as she spoke.

It was probably due to her lineage’s power and her beast-like keen senses.

For an ordinary human, just spending long periods in this land could lead to corruption by demons, and with some luck, one might become a demonic being or even lose all reason and turn into a demonic monster. Rumor has it that some particularly sensitive to demonic energy change from ordinary humans into demons. But that’s just a rumor, so it wasn’t necessarily reliable.

“By the way, how do we get through the city?”

I asked, looking at the visible demonic city in the distance. The reason humans cannot drive away the demons, even though they are well aware of their territory, is largely due to the geography of the area.

In the center is the fortified city, and on both sides, dense forests act as a long wall preventing human intrusion.

“Can’t we just cut through the forest?”

Seemingly unable to hold back her discomfort, Anne pinched her nose and asked. The one who answered her question was none other than Lilith, who had been following behind me.

“Absolutely not. No matter how much you say you’re a hero, you can’t just wander into the Demon Realm’s forest.”

“Don’t worry. Even if Lilith says that, I have no intention of stepping into the forest.”

The forest tainted by demonic energy is practically a demon realm by itself, and once you step in, unless you’re a demon, you’ll get trapped in a maze where even birds can’t escape, wandering for life.

It might not be common knowledge, but we learned about it in the Academy’s general studies. However, given how poor Anne’s grades were in Academy, she likely didn’t know.

We couldn’t ask the only demon in our party, Lilith, for guidance, as the forest acts like a living entity. If we humans intrude even a bit, the entire forest would go wild. It’s only natural that we’d be discovered by the demons in the city.

But it was too distant to completely detour, leaving us in a bind.

“This is a challenge from the get-go.”

Selian groaned softly and spoke beside me. Since she was the only one who remembered the previous round aside from me, she must also be aware of how dire our situation was.

There were suggestions to sneak in, but while Lilith and Luna might manage to do that, it was impossible for the other friends.

Just as I was concluding that we would have to charge through, Lilith suddenly spoke up.

“Um… Can’t I go in with you?”

“Hey, you need to be more reasonable.”

Lilith, being a demon, would slip past easily without suspicion. But for the rest of us, it was a different story.

I could perhaps hide my worn-out holy sword, but we didn’t have any common demon traits like horns, tails, or wings, meaning we’d get discovered immediately.

Even trying to pass off as similar-looking demonic beings would be pointless since we didn’t even have a hint of demonic energy.

“Actually… Although I might be lacking compared to you, I’m still a Succubus Queen, right? If I brought you all in as my captured slaves, wouldn’t that be okay? After all, it’s common for succubi to charm people and turn them into slaves.”

Lilith’s suggestion was more plausible than I had expected. While there was no telling how smoothly things would go, it was more promising than any of the other ideas we had come up with.

Once I made up my mind, there was no reason to hesitate. My friends and I quickly dirtied our armor and clothes to look shabby, creating the façade that we were a rookie adventurer party charmed by a succubus.

Thus, led by Lilith, the rest of my friends followed with half-lidded eyes as we made our way to the gate. Only Frecia, who could transform into a cat, sat on Lilith’s shoulder.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Lilith spoke casually to the gatekeeper guarding the gate.

“…A succubus, huh? And the ones behind you are your spoils?”

“Hehe, I grabbed a lot since it’s been a while since I went out.”

One of the two gatekeepers was talking with Lilith, while the other scanned us one by one with glazed eyes. After a while, the gatekeeper nodded.

“Take care.”

Without any more delays, Lilith was about to leave quickly.

“Wait a moment.”

But just as she stepped forward, the gatekeeper who had been speaking with her grabbed her.

Damn, did they notice us?

I continued to play my role of being charmed by the succubus, subtly moving my hand towards my holy sword at my waist. If there was even a hint of suspicion, I’d have to draw it right away to delay any chase.

“If you’re thinking of selling goods, please let me know. It’s been a while since I’ve tasted a human heart.”

“Haha… It’s not that kind of merchandise; they’re my slaves. But if I have the chance to catch more next time, I’ll be sure to leave a special one for you.”

“Well… How unfortunate, but it can’t be helped.”

I let out a breath I had been holding tight. Thankfully, without further detaining us, we were all allowed to pass through the gate.

As we entered the city, there were occasional glances thrown our way, but they quickly turned back to their own business upon noticing Lilith.

“There’s one of my hideouts in this city, so let’s rest there for today.”

Lilith whispered, ensuring we wouldn’t be heard, and started walking. Looking around, the atmosphere might have its unique vibe, but the appearance was nothing different from an ordinary human city.

The occasionally grotesque and ambiguous meat that showed up was disgusting, but not intolerable.

“Huh?”

As we entered a less crowded back alley suitable for a hideout, someone recognized us and approached.

“Lady Lilith?”

Technically, they were recognizing Lilith rather than us.

With horns and wings similar to Lilith’s, and most importantly, a heart-shaped tail, it was clear she was a succubus too.

“Um, uh…?”

“You’re Lady Lilith, right? Why are you hiding your face? No amount of hiding would fool anyone from recognizing you.”

I wasn’t the only one startled by the overly enthusiastic succubus. Lilith also looked completely flustered as she glanced between the other succubus and my face.

What a coincidence that a succubus knows Lilith. Especially since Lilith is one of the Four Heavenly Kings who switched sides, this was a dangerous situation.

The gatekeeper might have thought Lilith was an ordinary succubus when he let us through, but with a fellow succubus in front of us, there was no way we could expect luck.

Is this when I need to draw my sword? Thankfully, we were in a back alley where attention was minimal. I needed to handle the situation quickly and hide the evidence while no one was watching.

I tightly gripped the hilt of my holy sword, ready to draw it at a moment’s notice.

“I knew you stayed holed up in your room all the time, but couldn’t you at least keep us updated on your well-being? It doesn’t make sense that no one has any news of you for this long. Even the fan club… I mean, the military has been left in the dark about your whereabouts.”

But as the succubus continued talking, I could finally relax my hold on the holy sword. Ever since I met Lilith, the introvert who would always hide in her room with snacks and light novels while rolling around, her personality turned out to be surprisingly helpful.

Even more ludicrous was that it seemed the demonic side had no idea she was a traitor.

“Haha… I guess that just happened.”

“Still, it’s such a delight to see you out and about. And it seems you’ve brought back quite the haul today?”

“Ah, yeah. I need to eat too.”

“Seems you caught quite a lot since it’s been a while.”

The succubus, engaging with Lilith, seemed to lose interest in us, similar to how they acted with the gatekeeper, lazily examining us one at a time.

“By the way, those are some high-grade goods. Especially this one at the front…”

Shifting her gaze from my friends back to me, the succubus said,

“A slave is….”

Yet for some reason, she couldn’t finish her sentence, stammering, her eyes darting all over the place.

“Your Majesty!”

Suddenly, she dropped to her knees and shouted.

W-what? Did she eat something weird? Why is this happening all of a sudden?

 

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