Body, Dissolved.
Soul, Unstable.
Techniques, Unstable. Risk of Collapse.
Available Mana, 20%.
Senses, Blocked.
Pain, Uncontrollable.
Controlling everything from sight to sensation, the wide-area magic that allowed me to move both my clone and main body through a specific region had completely stopped.
With the helpless power of my true self drained, there wasn’t much I could do.
I had to rely on the things that were already created.
At least until I figured out where I was and what kinds of beings lived here, this was an unknown world for me.
Even after countless hours, and in previous iterations, I hadn’t known anything about this place.
This was my first time arriving in this world.
My coins were already all spent. What remained for me was my last chance.
So, I should be cautious…
Damn it… I was told I’d know everything, but in the end, that was just arrogance.
There was nothing I could do.
The situation had already slipped through my fingers.
So…
[I leave it to you.]
○○○○○
“Omnomnom~”
“Just stop eating already.”
“But the Demon King’s Castle is just… so delicious…”
“Sigh…”
Thus, Shia and Yujin successfully (?) escaped the Orphan’s Sanctuary that imprisoned them.
The escape mechanism was simply to eat through the edible floor and walls, making a hole large enough for the two of them to pass through, but unfortunately, Shia couldn’t pass up the wonderful taste of Beef Wellington.
Thanks to Shia, who ate at a painfully proper speed, a hole large enough for Yujin and Shia to use had been made a while ago, but Shia just sat down, munching away like Hansel and Gretel devouring a witch’s candy house.
This side tasted like pork.
That side tasted like beef.
The window frame had a chicken flavor.
The pillars tasted like goblin meat.
In the middle of the Orphan’s Sanctuary sat a desk that tasted like wyvern meat.
“No, was it dragon meat? I remember eating the red dragon that attacked the Empire with Teresa.”
The taste of a dragon was quite a mysterious one.
It had the smooth texture of beef yet had a taste that was universally liked like chicken, with a deep richness that would definitely rank it much higher than wyvern meat.
“Phew, what a relief…”
“What exactly is so relieving? That there’s enough wall and tile for you to eat like a pig?”
“No, I’m talking about the taste of the meat.”
“The taste of the meat? Ah, right. I guess you must be really relieved then.”
Yujin answered irritably, but Shia looked at her with calm and gentle eyes, smiling serenely.
When Shia’s gaze suddenly grew intense, Yujin flinched slightly.
This didn’t look like the face of someone just joking around.
“The taste of the meat was good. Yes…”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Yujin, don’t you understand what I’m saying?”
“Well, aside from the fact that there were flavors of chicken and beef from the walls and pillars, I don’t really know. It wasn’t inedible, but I don’t want to be a beggar, tearing down walls and eating tiles again…”
“There was no taste of human flesh.”
At that moment, silence hung in the air between them.
“……..”
“Did you really feel a diverse range of meat flavors? I sensed goblin meat and dragon meat too. But there was no taste of human flesh. Isn’t that a relief?”
Though only mere seconds passed, Yujin looked at Shia with an expression of slight shock, while Shia, genuinely relieved, let out a sigh and smiled brightly as usual.
“This is the Demon King’s Castle, isn’t it? A place where all kinds of abhorrent phenomena and traps can occur. Do you know what my first thought was when I saw this candy structure… I mean, meat castle?”
“What was it?”
No matter how much of an Orphan’s Sanctuary it was, it couldn’t create something from nothing. So the Beef Wellington space Shia just devoured meant that there had to be a basic foundation of meat and ingredients available.
“I thought for sure that it was made by tormenting people and turning their bodies and souls into this castle. If it’s a Demon King’s Castle, that would make enough sense, right?”
“…That’s true.”
However, even though Shia devoured the meat castle joyfully, its ingredients seemed incredibly wholesome by her standards.
In fact, it felt like it was filled with only the meats Shia would absolutely love.
Naturally, Shia felt a strange sense of discomfort here.
If the lord of this castle, or anyone controlling the Orphan’s Sanctuary, were indeed the Demon King, they might have lured Shia into a false sense of security to force her to eat human flesh and cause her to go berserk.
But… instead, she ended up just enjoying the flavors.
While Yujin viewed Shia’s actions as foolishness, Shia remained vigilant, even as she munched away on the Orphan’s Sanctuary, ready for an attack at any moment.
No, in fact, she was in a state of ‘Let something happen, I’ll kill it.’
If she detected any taste of human flesh, she planned to blow the whole Demon King’s Castle to pieces without hesitation.
“So you mean you were eating the walls and pillars like a madman…”
“Yeah, I was wondering if there might be any human meat. Well, after tasting a bit of everything, I’m really glad there wasn’t.”
Of course, her hunger played a big part in that as well.
With a bright smile, Shia gently shifted her steps.
Her light steps seemed to show that she felt truly at ease.
“And if there had been human flesh, what would you have done?”
“Well…”
“You trap me and then present me with a puzzle where I could only escape by eating meat mixed with human flesh?
If that were the case…”
Shia’s lips curved slightly.
But it wasn’t a smile.
Something in her expression seemed to bubble up and simmer down like a volcano.
“…I wouldn’t have let it slide, right?”
“So what about now?”
“You know that you’re a hero, right? A hero protects. A saint isn’t just someone who destroys, she can also forgive.”
“Are you saying you’d forgive the Demon King?”
“I can forgive anyone, as long as they have the proper attitude and intention.”
With a light-hearted laugh, Shia casually exited the meat castle. Yujin paused and looked at her back for a moment before following.
Does she mean she’d forgive even the Demon King if they don’t cross the line?
‘I still can’t stand the thought of letting the Demon King live…’
Being careless or lax was never what Shia was about.
She was a saint who had already saved the world once.
Even if she appeared oblivious, Yujin could sense the subtle vigilance lurking in Isia’s demeanor.
Shia was definitely on another level compared to him, both as a human and a returnee.
○○○○○
[Kyaaaaaaaaa!!!!]
A black breath turned the insides of the castle into a mire.
The identity of the abomination attacking Shia and Yujin while destroying the inner sanctum of the Demon King’s Castle was the black, skeletal corpse commonly known as the Skeleton Dragon.
Having become a corpse, it still possessed the immense life force and massive mana from its living days; its powerful strikes and breath tore through the air unabated. The dragon relentlessly pressured the intruders, Yujin and Shia, with overwhelming destruction.
“Geez, there’s no flesh…”
“Of course not, it’s a Skeleton Dragon.”
Neither Shia nor Yujin felt any genuine sense of danger.
They had hunted dragons in the previous world before, after all.
Plus, the movement of the Skeleton Dragon seemed quite awkward and stiff compared to a living dragon.
It was a beat slow to recognize Shia and Yujin, and its fierce instincts to destroy made it a mere easy target for the two.
Although no matter how slow its movements were, and despite Yujin and Shia being able to handle it, the dragon’s sheer existence alone was capable of collapsing mountains and evaporating seas.
With a single swing of its claws or tail, an entire floor of the Demon King’s Castle would shatter and the solid pillars would be uprooted, causing Yujin and Shia to feel the ground beneath their feet continuously changing.
[Kiaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!]
Yujin and Shia continued to sidestep the ferocious roars of the Skeleton Dragon.
Unable to hold back their rage, it screamed, causing the air around them to tear apart terrifyingly and bringing in a whirlwind of mana and mindless spirits that howled, getting sucked into the dragon’s maw.
Normally, dragons release massive and pure mana in a high pressure, high-temperature stream, but this black Skeleton Dragon’s breath sucked the mana and lives of others before shooting it out.
What it stole from others granted unparalleled destructive power beyond description.
“Breath incoming.”
“I’ll handle it.”
Boom!!!
[Miracle – Orphan’s Sanctuary]
A gigantic breath that corroded everything it touched merged with the air of undead that seeped throughout the Demon King’s Castle causing the ground and pillars to crumble.
However, those crumbling pieces were deflected by a mysterious force before they could even hit the ground, as the Skeleton Dragon’s contaminated breath was stopped by a translucent barrier and scattered into the air, never reaching Yujin and Shia.
No matter how it looked, seeing a corpse dragon trying to harm the saint of the dead was truly laughable.
“Ah! If we boil the bones, we could make Skeleton Dragon bone soup, right? Yane would probably like that…”
“Please just stop eating, Isia!”
“Aren’t you downplaying the importance of bone soup? It replenishes the body’s vitality, so it serves to boost Yujin who might be dehydrated from Olgania…”
“Shut up, we need to focus!”
With Yujin nervously brushing past the still-salivating Shia, she clapped her hands loudly, drawing the attention of the approaching Skeleton Dragon towards her as she dramatically extended her fingers.
[Soul Transfer – Ouroboros]
[Kruoo!!]
Hundreds of half-real, half-illusionary snakes opened their sharp mouths, sucking in the corrupted breath emitted by the Skeleton Dragon, and then wrapped around its arms, wings, and legs tightly.
These snakes were undoubtedly smaller and thinner than the dragon, yet inexplicably, the Skeleton Dragon couldn’t budge an inch against the movements of the snakes.
As the snakes absorbed the corrupted breath exhaled by the dragon, they interpreted the mana resonance within and began to exert equal power against it.
Eventually, the Skeleton Dragon squirmed in resistance against the snakes summoned by Yujin, but soon, it was completely bound and unable to move.
Seizing that opportunity, Shia charged towards the dragon.
Bang!!!
Launched like a cannon, Shia crushed the Skeleton Dragon’s skull and didn’t stop there, reaching for its teeth, jaw, neck, spine, and finally, its nasty blackened heart—wherever it drew strength from. And with a firm yank, she ripped out the heart.
While the skeleton dragon had no flesh, the heart she held was still beating wildly.
Grrrggg!!!
Though it didn’t spray blood, the massive form of the Skeleton Dragon collapsed as it lost its power source, and Shia smiled at the gigantic wave of mana and malice pouring forth from the heart.
“Whew~ The smell of malice WWWWW”
I could grill this, grind it, and make sausages as a side dish!
“Well… this is something,”
“But why is there only one dragon? I was prepared for a battle, but this dragon is just noisy and doesn’t have much substance.”
The Demon King’s Castle was originally a nest filled with traps, alarms, and a plethora of monsters and malignant minions set up by the Demon King.
Yujin and Shia had expected to be welcomed by goblins, imps, succubi, wall demons, evil spirits, and skeletons, but instead, there was only the single Skeleton Dragon blocking their path.
“Well, it looks like they had hopes of wrapping things up with just that dragon. I suppose other hunters would consider that dragon an S-grade boss monster,”
“Really? Seems like anybody can be an S-grade monster.”
“We’re just out of specification, Isia. Besides, even among S-grade monsters, there’s a hierarchy, so don’t let your guard down.”
Still, if the Demon King wanted to create monsters, he would need power or sacrifice, so if this castle was in a near self-cannibalizing state, it wouldn’t be surprising to witness the present situation.
“By the way, this place…”
Outside remained eerily silent.
But as the two emerged from the Orphan’s Sanctuary, a seemingly welcoming long red carpet lay out ahead, and whether it was an optical illusion or not, the hallway appeared to stretch endlessly.
Could the length of the hallway even reach dozens of kilometers?
Yujin and Shia walked down the quiet corridor.
Their footsteps were gentle as if they were on a leisurely stroll, but unseen Ouroboros swarmed around Yujin, while Shia was ready to unleash a miracle with the divine energy charged in both her hands.
Though they appeared to chat and laugh, deep down, they were a fake hero and the saint of the dead who would gladly bare their fangs if the Demon King chose to cross them.
They wouldn’t let their guard down until the complete conquest of this castle and its safety was assured.
Thus, the two walked through the seemingly ensorcelled corridor without end.
Some hallways had gravitational directions reversed, forcing them to walk on ceilings, while others were submerged in murky, unidentifiable waters that soaked their boots.
Moving even further, they encountered places where fire and ice intertwined, resembling a pit of mud.
Still, Shia and Yujin had no reaction as they walked through.
Whenever danger seemed imminent, the Ouroboros of Yujin would first step in to intercept or counter the attack before Shia had to respond.
As long as no monstrosities that directly threatened them emerged, nothing could halt their progress.
After quite some time, Yujin and Shia finally reached the end of the corridor.
“…..Be careful, Isia.”
“Is this the place you mentioned where the Demon King is?”
“Yes… But wait, didn’t you come straight here just before falling into the Orphan’s Sanctuary?”
“Ah….”
Shia briefly avoided Yujin’s gaze, her mind racing desperately.
“Ah, um. Right! I met the Demon King in that wide hall earlier. But as soon as we met, the ground suddenly collapsed beneath me…”
“Is that so? Yeah, I suppose that could happen.”
“Ugh…”
“Why the sigh?”
“It’s nothing…”
Reflecting back on it, Shia felt embarrassed for getting caught up in the smell of food and falling into a trap.
Anyway, now face to face with the Demon King, Shia closed her eyes.
Her senses sharpened, and the toxic mana and malice in the air became palpable, eventually leading her to feel the presence of something vast across the door, like a still ocean.
“I’m going in.”
“Okay.”
There were no further signals.
Yujin and Shia, steeling themselves for an incoming attack, swung the door open. The gigantic door, more than three times Shia’s height, opened easily, as if it were merely a regular bedroom door.
“……….”
Behind the opened door was a massive table.
It bore a striking resemblance to the banquet hall Shia remembered from her previous world.
Though called a banquet hall, it was essentially the same setup as the long table that provided Shia with her three meals a day.
At the very end of that banquet table sat a familiar figure.
“…………It’s really you.”
[That’s right, it’s you.]
It was almost identical.
Such thoughts filled Shia’s mind.
Her snow-white hair, skin like jade, the same appearance, and even the saint’s attire she wore according to the standards of her previous world, complete with a massive pouch of divine energy.
However, not everything was the same.
While Shia’s eyes were golden, the Demon King Shia had a pair of pitch-black eyes, and unlike Shia, there were no tentacles growing from her back.
Whether they were hidden or truly absent was uncertain.
“Ugh…”
Shia sighed deeply within.
She had really hoped it wasn’t true, but here stood Demon King Shia.
Although the malice emanating from her didn’t seem excessively immense or on the verge of explosion, just the fact that she had the same face as Shia was quite shocking.
Phew, well…
“There was that tea bag of a demon king, so… Let’s start with a conversation first.”
The Demon King Shia hadn’t yet crossed any lines.
She hadn’t mixed human flesh into the meat castle or actively attempted to kill anyone with the traps in the castle.
More like a warning to stay away.
Even though the Skeleton Dragon’s threat level would have been fatal without Shia or Yujin around, it had appeared only to block their way after they’d traveled deep enough into the Demon King’s Castle. Ultimately, it could be concluded that the Demon King Shia hadn’t crossed any lines.
“Yeah, let’s at least have a conversation…”
[Shall we eat first?]
“…Huh?”
“Eh?…”
And then, with a slightly cheerful yet bright voice, the Demon King Shia spoke casually.
[Let’s eat first and think about it. What do you say?]
“…………..”
“…………..”
After a moment of hesitation, Shia suddenly broke into the brightest smile.
What a good kid you are!
