Book 7: Chapter 27

It was, an infinite nothing.

Nothing would start no matter how far one went.

There was only the end no matter how long one waited.

This was a place that was detached from even the world.

Continuing to drift stagnant, a hollow space.

What floated in this place that was called the Dimensional Gap, there was a single gigantic island.

At the center of that island, was a gigantic castle. And then, a town that spread around its surroundings.

This place, which had been completed to this point, it could possibly be called a country instead.

If it were to be called by its original name, it would be like this.

Dimensional Castle Avaldia──The Alva stronghold, and the Alva Queen’s squatting place.

Therefore, the ones living in the town were not mankind. They were countless Alva.

The ones that were at the lowest level of the town called the Lower Town, were the conventional Alva. And then, the closer it got to the castle, it would turn into sections where the variant-types and the special-types who possessed a high-degree of intelligence would live.

The beautiful castle that was at the center of the town and was made of semi-translucent material had a rainbow-colored radiance, and demonstrated the Alva Queen’s authority.

The ones granted the honor of spending their time together with the Alva Queen in this castle, were only a select few.

There was a man and a woman pair that ran within that castle.

One was a knight clad in full bodied gold armor and held a long spear.

A face could not be seen within the helmet that seemed to have an image resembling a lion, and what was there was only a dark darkness.

The other one was a knight clad in jet black heavy armor, and had a lance and shield at the ready.

Her characteristics were her black hair that was cut rather short and black eyes that gave her a dignified impression.

Beyond the two that ran through the corridor that glittered in a rainbow-color, several Alva appeared as if oozing out.

The moment that they appeared in complete figures, the golden knight swung his spear.

After piercing the one at the lead, just like that, the golden knight chantlessly fired magic.

「Tornado Lance!」

The whirl of wind that sprung forth with the golden knight as its center swallowed up the Alva, and scattered them away.

Running through that place where the obstacles had vanished, the two knights ran down the stairway that they found.

Seeing the gigantic Alva that appeared beyond that, this time, the black knight readied her lance and charged in.

「Bale Spear Technique……Bale Charge!」

The lance clad in a black aura dispersed the gigantic Alva with a single attack, and just like that, the two ran through without stopping.

Among the two that ran side-by-side, the golden knight shouted to the black knight next to him sounding impatient.

「Dammit……What an immense castle! What should we do? At this rate, us using up all of our strength will happen faster, you know!」

「Calm down, Spear Demon-dono. Still……This castle is strange. For a while now, I can occasionally feel space distorting.」

「Did you say distorting? That’s……」

「Kufufu, goodness……what a fearsome person.」

The one who answered the golden knight that asked that back──The one who answered the Spear Demon wasn’t the black knight, but a red-robed Mazoku that appeared together with transfer light, the Staff Demon.

「To think that you would notice in such a short time. In that case, you must have guessed the gist of it all, right?」

「You, Staff Demon……! You damned filthy traitor!」

Although the Spear Demon instantly got close and swung his spear, that spear was repelled by a transparent barrier.

「This is……an Attack Guard!」

「Kufufu, as usual, you really don’t listen to other people talk.」

「Guah!?」

The transparent barrier that was deployed in front of the Staff Demon distorted, and decisively sent the Spear Demon flying.

After adjusting his posture while looking like he was rolling, the Spear Demon looked at the Staff Demon with an astonished expression.

「Attacking with an Attack Guard……? Impossible.」

「Magic is always progressing. That is simply all there is to it.」

After the Staff Demon said that, *kon kon*, he struck the floor with the staff he held in his hand.

「Listen to me, Spear Demon. It is not like I am telling you to betray Shuklous-sama. Think about it more simply. To begin with……」

「Shut up……! I’m tired of hearing your drivel! You said that Shuklous-sama is dead!? In that case, what is my existence doing here! There is no way I could so shamelessly display such disgraceful behavior with Shuklous-sama dead!」

Shrugging his shoulders as if to say “there’s no getting through to him”, the Staff Demon next turned his gaze towards the black knight.

「How about you, Verdia-san. If it’s the intelligent you, then you should be able to understand my story, right?」

「That’s right, I do understand.」

「Ohh, I knew it! Well then……」

「But, so what.」

With the words that Verdia continued with, the Staff Demon’s line was cut off.

「I cannot trust a single one of your words. For you who speaks as if the workings of this castle were your magic, where is your credibility.」

「Mu……」

Having that pointed out, the Staff Demon reflexively sank into silence.

Coaxing the other party with lip service and bringing the talk into his own pace was the Staff Demon’s signature move.

However, this time, he perceived that the opposite of that had happened.

And then, at the same time, he shuddered from seeing Verdia who seemed to understand even the mechanisms of the Staff Demon’s actions just now.

「Ku……fufu, I see. I shall admit that I played around a bit too much. However, if you properly listen to my story, then in due course, you will see what is right and……!」

「You were told to shut up, Staff Demon. I am not in the least bit interested in going along with your stalling for time.」

Verdia said that, grabbed the Spear Demon’s arm……and at that spot, a Transfer Magic formation was deployed.

「Wha……!」

Seeing that scene, the Staff Demon was astonished.

In this place where space was distorted, something like Transfer Magic can’t be used properly.

To use it like the Staff Demon, they would have to be one who is well aware of everything about this Dimensional Castle.

If it were tried out once and failed, anyone would be under the impression that Transfer Magic can’t be used here.

It should be for that reason that the two of them were running within the castle up until now.

「Going too far in trying to direct the scene and having a poor endgame is your weakness, Staff Demon.」

While covered in transfer light, Verdia spoke.

「Trying to surprise us, you appeared with Transfer Magic, right? The spatial distortions that you caused……I properly felt them. In that case, if I just force myself even here, then Transfer Magic can be used. In other words, that’s how it is!」

At the same time as those words, the Spear Demon and Verdia vanished.

The Staff Demon dumbfoundedly saw them off……and irritatedly stomped on the floor.

「Ku……uu……Dammit! So she forcibly connected with the transfer location with a colossal amount of magical energy! Gu……u……oooooh!」

The magical power that overflowed from the Staff Demon exploded, and caused the surroundings to greatly shake.

「Eei, each and every one of them trying to resolve things with power! It’s not beautiful! It’s not beautiful at all!」

Explosions continued to spring forth, and the Alva that appeared close by would get caught up in them and be blown away into very tiny pieces.

After several explosions, a voice that sounded like they were amused by the rough breathing Staff Demon called out to him.

「Oi oi, Staff Demon. You’re goin’ pretty wild, ain’t cha. What? Did those newbies escape?」

「So it’s you, Sword Demon……」

Seeing the Sword Demon who seemed to have completely forgotten everything, the Staff Demon calmed down his own thoughts.

He was different from this idiot. His own memories were perfect.

In other words……he was perfect.

Persuading himself like that, the Staff Demon finally returned to his usual manner.

「Hmph……There aren’t any problems.」

「Is that so? If ya want, I can chase after ‘em and slaughter ‘em, ya know?」

The Staff Demon scorned him in his mind with the thought “promising something you can’t even do”.

If it was just the Spear Demon alone, he might be able to bring him to a tie, but it would be impossible against Verdia.

If done poorly, it wouldn’t be strange if he were completely killed.

Losing this usable piece called the Sword Demon right now, no matter how he thought about it, was not a good hand to play.

「No, there is no need for that.」

「But. How’re you gonna report this to that person?」

「It will be enough if I just report that they escaped. Besides……I have some more interesting things as well, see.」

It was unfortunate that those two had escaped, but after calming down and thinking about it, what Verdia invoked was just Transfer Magic.

The wall between the Dimensional Gap and normal space wasn’t so soft that it could be passed through with normal Transfer Magic.

It might be possible to forcibly pass through it with brute strength, but in that case, a Transfer Accident would undoubtedly happen first.

Putting aside not reaching the place they were aiming for, there was even the possibility that some sort of irregularity would be induced in their souls.

「……If possible, them going completely mad and going wild at the place they arrived then dying would be ideal, I suppose?」

「Huh? Did you say something, Staff Demon?」

「No, I did not say anything at all.」

Replying like that to the Sword Demon, the Staff Demon made a melancholic laugh resound in the Dimensional Castle’s corridor.

Seeing the Staff Demon like that, the Sword Demon had the thought “come to think of it, it seems that he picked up something other than the item we aimed for in that place called the Dark Continent” go through his mind. The Staff Demon would never show it to anyone else, but he was probably planning on using it for something.

According to the Staff Demon, the owner of this castle has grasped a technique to revive those that have died……or so it seems. If that were possible, that would be in the territory of the Gods.

「Well, just do what’cha want.」

The Sword Demon said that, and lost his interest in the Staff Demon and aimlessly walked away.

Well, it would be fine if the Staff Demon thought about that sort of difficult stuff. Brain work had been the Staff Demon’s territory since the past after all.

「……Nn? The past? By past, when was that?」

Completely forgetting even that suspicion immediately as being something that didn’t matter──the Sword Demon, while humming some happy-go-lucky random tune, walked through the Dimensional Castle’s corridor.