Chapter 198 – Hell – 1

‘……I have no idea what’s going on.’

No matter how hard I tried to understand the situation, it was difficult. How could I be dragged to hell while trying to catch the Golden Dusk Knight Commander?

The demon sanctuary DLC starts with a malfunctioning summoning circle dragging a player dealing with devil worshippers into hell.

I had never heard of such a thing happening while trying to catch the Golden Dusk Knight Commander.

‘I don’t even know what the cause is.’

Anyway, something must have influenced this situation, but what exactly was shrouded in mystery.

It was practically impossible to guess the cause since it strayed so far from the story of the game I knew.

“Hell, huh….”

Kaiquilia scoffed.

“I share the same sentiment. What else could this horrific scenery be if not hell?”

I fully agreed that the expression “horrific scenery” was an understatement.

With hills made of human skulls, rivers of human blood, and trees adorned with impaled humans, what else could be considered horrific scenery?

“Knight Commander of the Dark Night Order… tsk, it’s too long to call you like that. From now on, I’ll just call you Delta.”

“Yes. Please, Your Majesty.”

Kaiquilia, who almost called me the Knight Commander of the Dark Night Order, clicked her tongue and changed her address. I was now completely used to that name as if I should be wandering around the deep sea city with a drill.

“Do you know a way out or something similar?”

“I do. Although there are a few things we need to take care of before we can escape, as far as I know, this is the only method.”

There was no reason to lie now that I was dragged here, and Kaiquilia was in an atmosphere that assumed I’d know for sure, so I nodded calmly.

Of course, I knew the way out. It was just that it involved beating the final boss here. Since I couldn’t teleport using the statues, there was no other choice.

Besides, to proceed more smoothly, I needed to feature Kaiquilia prominently. It was far more efficient to have her handle everything even if it meant sacrificing some experience points.

“That will do. No need for further explanations.”

Hearing my answer, Kaiquilia once again raised the holy sword.

“Shall I guide you by method?”

“You don’t understand the heart of your lord when you offer guidance like that. Truly a disloyal subject.”

A faint smile appeared on her face. It was a smile full of joy but exuded a creepy, murderous aura.

“I have been waiting for this day. It’s my chance to permanently annihilate those things; why should I seek an escape route already?”

“……”

Wondering why she suddenly acted like that.

I briefly pondered while looking at Kaiquilia, who was grinning with unrestrained glee, and decided on a destination.

“Your Majesty, then let me guide you another way.”

“Another way?”

“Yes. No matter how Your Majesty is, you will need a break in between exterminating demons. I know a place where someone can assist us.”

To be honest, calling them “someone” was a bit misleading, but they were the only non-hostile NPC here, so there was no choice.

In the game, I could rest on statues, but that wasn’t possible right now. At least, we needed a place for minimal rest.

“You just said human? In this hell?”

There was a hint of doubt in that voice. It made sense. The very notion that a healthy human existed in hell was questionable.

“You will understand when we arrive.”

If the holy sword reacts, I figured that after a few exchanges during that time, they would be convinced enough.

In the imperial palace’s conference room, the atmosphere was eerily silent. This stifling tension had combined with the night sky where the moon rose, deepening the gloomy mood to its lowest point.

How long had the silence lasted? After a small sigh, Minerva was the first to speak.

“How is the Pope of the Sun?”

“……I hear she has stabilized considerably. She is praying to the deity now.”

Luna bit her lips slightly as she replied.

When Luna, ready with the Inquisitor and the Inquisition, arrived at the imperial palace, Floretta was on the brink of losing her mind.

Having never seen her sister so flustered, Luna froze up without even thinking about stopping Floretta as soon as she saw her like that.

Minerva, who was next to Floretta trying to calm her, briefly explained the situation, and Luna immediately prayed to the sun and moon upon hearing the message to confirm the distinguished guest was alive.

Only after shouting several times that the sun and moon assured the distinguished guest’s survival could she barely settle down Floretta’s hysteria.

Once the hysteria subsided, Floretta began to cry, and after soothing her enough to calm down, Luna moved her to the Sun Cathedral and then returned to the imperial palace for a more detailed explanation.

Upon receiving all the explanations, the first thought that came to Luna was that such a reaction was understandable.

Since it was an unforeseen situation, it would be hard to hold anyone morally accountable, but the fact that she couldn’t protect the distinguished guest, even though she was nearby, was enough to crush Floretta with guilt.

And if Luna had been in Floretta’s position, she would have behaved the same way.

“For now, I’ve decided to take charge of the Kaiquilia matter for a while. Word about the Empress being missing won’t bring anything good. I’ve erased everyone else’s memories as well, so don’t worry.”

“Understood. That is a wise decision, Eternal Magician.”

As both Delta and Kaiquilia remained alive and well, all they had to do was wait for their return.

Now, the only problem was when that “return” would be.

After their brief conversation, Minerva and Luna fell silent. Just before another silence enveloped the conference room, someone hesitantly spoke up.

“Umm… Your Holiness.”

It was Lize.

“Speak, Knight Commander of the Silver Dawn Knights.”

“You mentioned that Delta and the Empress are still alive; could we perhaps know where they are?”

Lize’s gaze towards Luna was filled with desperation. The same went for the other three Knight Commanders. Though they didn’t show it outwardly, all four were deeply shocked.

“I do not know.”

Luna slowly shook her head.

What she received from the deity was simply confirmation that Delta and Kaiquilia were alive. She hadn’t gotten answers to any other questions.

It would have been nice if they at least gave her some vague words like always, but while Delta’s survival was assured as soon as she asked, there was no such assurance for any other questions.

This was a first even for Luna.

She felt bewildered and, at the same time, amazed. As she continuously experienced firsts whenever the distinguished guest was involved, she could genuinely feel her certainty about him growing deeper in her heart.

“……Understood.”

Lize weakly hung her head. As she did, Minerva turned to Iris, who was also bowing her head.

“Iris, have you sent news to that child?”

“Yes. I included the teleportation scroll you gave me in the message. I stamped it with the highest priority seal, so it should have arrived at the territory by now.”

The child Minerva referred to was Aurora. Since Minerva herself had brought Delta here, she thought Aurora should know what was happening.

The reaction was likely as expected.

“……The distinguished guest will surely return.”

Luna murmured softly. It was unclear whether that murmur was for the reassurance of those present or herself.

—Kkeeek…….

The demon let out a feeble sound, lowering its head. Soon after, a blade glowing with radiant sunlight cleaved its head precisely in half. Dark red blood gushed from the severed edge.

The demon’s corpse was sliced in half vertically, starting just below the sternum and extending to the crown of its head, as it flailed momentarily in mid-air before tumbling backward. Thud, dry dust kicked up around it.

Kaiquilia, who sheathed her holy sword, looked around. She wore a beaming smile, one I had never seen on her before.

“Was that the last one?”

Now, there were no more challengers left.

“……It seems so, Your Majesty.”

There lay a small hill made entirely of demon corpses on the path Kaiquilia and I had passed. Dark red blood flowed down from the still-fresh severed edges like a tiny stream.

I had taken down around twenty myself, but the vast majority had fallen to Kaiquilia.

Once I warned her of a few patterns to watch out for, she sliced through them all on her own. The more demons she killed, the brighter her smile became. I never knew the Empress could have such a bright expression.

Well, her bright expression was not to the extent of a broad smile. It was merely a slight upward curve at the corners of her mouth and a softening of her gaze, but compared to her usual intimidating demeanor, this was a world-altering change.

‘It’s the first time I feel sorry for a demon.’

Since there were no unique system mechanics in the game, companions would charge in regardless of how many fell. But here, many demons opted to flee when their comrades were ruthlessly slaughtered.

Of course, Kaiquilia chased after and eliminated them all.

Some, realizing they were overmatched, even charged at me while I was spectating, but after slicing through around twenty, no one dared to engage again.

“We have arrived. It is over there.”

Thanks to that, the remaining journey was a breeze. Although that “remaining journey” was just about a minute’s walk.

I pointed to the smallest gap among the secluded places in the valley. In between was a house built to blend in as much as possible with the surroundings.

“I understand.”

Kaiquilia walked toward the house I pointed at without hesitation. She didn’t even ask who lived there. It seemed her trust in me had solidified remarkably.

It looked just like the house from the game but slightly larger, a one-story building made of withered wood. She knocked on the door. Knock knock knock, the noise echoed loudly.

—Creak!

In just a few seconds, someone hurriedly opened the door and rushed out.

“Are you crazy? What if the demons hear you……?”

Whoever burst out seemed about to scold me, but upon seeing the hill of demon corpses lining the path behind us, they lost their words and froze in shock.

‘It’s a woman.’

The homeowner was undoubtedly a woman.

She had long brown hair tied in a ponytail, falling to her ankles, with beautifully tanned skin, as if she had been sunbathing.

She wore a quite revealing yellow bikini, and while she had a generous bust, by now, I was desensitized to such attire.

After everything, reacting to such clothing had become so unremarkable.

“All those demons are in that state.”

“Uh… uh, yeah.”

“Can I come in?”

“Huh?”

The girl, who was wide-eyed and struck dumb with astonishment, reflexively stepped aside at my request. Surprised even after yielding, her already round eyes turned perfectly spherical.

I stepped aside slightly and signaled to Kaiquilia that it was okay to enter. Kaiquilia boldly stepped inside. I followed behind her.

The girl alternated between glancing at the mountain of demon corpses outside and the two of us who boldly entered her home, and cautiously closed the door.