episode_0170

A demonic research facility said to have conducted research to amplify the demon lord’s soul in order to secure victory from the warriors.

After persistently inquiring from Xaviel about the location of the research facility called Calosium, I finally received an answer.

Xaviel showed me where Calosium was and gave me a few warnings.

“What happens to you there is none of my business, but make sure the monsters in there don’t come out.”

“I wonder what’s there… … .”

“You’ll find out when you go. I said it clearly, don’t drag the monster out there. You want to build a good relationship with us demons, right? Then you’d better take my words to heart.”

“Shouldn’t you tell me the reason clearly?”

I felt a little frustrated with the way Xaviel spoke, so I spoke directly.

If there’s a monster that requires so much attention, shouldn’t you tell them everything you know?

Just tell them not to blindly drag you out… … .

“That is the place where the Demon King’s soul was studied. The monsters there eat up magical energy. This means that it is full of monsters that should not exist in nature. If you let those guys go outside, you are essentially causing a disaster in the demon world.”

“If I don’t go, will they stay calm inside?”

“It’s been a long time since demons stopped visiting that place. So far, no monsters have escaped from inside, so I guess there is no problem. But even a quiet beehive can cause problems if disturbed. I don’t even know what that place is like now.”

“So… Are you saying that the demons created a research facility called Calosium to study the demon king’s soul, but an accident made it unusable, so it has been left off-limits to this day?”

When I asked Xavier to summarize what he said, he nodded.

The more I heard the explanation, the more reluctant I felt, but the strong intuition that what I wanted was there was stronger.

It’s a monster that eats up magical power… … I honestly don’t know how dangerous it is just by listening.

Well, I guess I have no choice but to go first.

After listening to the story, it seemed like Xaviel only knew that the place was dangerous, but didn’t know what the current situation was.

Could it be that we were lucky enough that the risk factors disappeared after too long a period of time?

no… … That won’t happen… … maybe.

“Hmph… Anyway, I told you what I wanted. And I gave you a warning. Don’t drag the monster out there. This means that no matter what you encounter inside or how dangerous it is, don’t run outside with your demons attached.”

Xavier gave a stern warning once again.

I don’t know if he’s underestimating me or if I’m underestimating the place.

However, there was no choice since information about the unknown Demon King’s soul was needed.

* * *

“… … Is it the Demon World this time?”

“Yes, as expected, I feel most reassured by Mr. Mileia.”

After hearing from Xaviel about the location of Calozium, a facility where demon lord souls were studied in the past, I returned to Kubel and looked for Mileia.

She had recently returned to Kubel after clearing out all remnants of the rebels in the kingdom’s capital.

After the issue of the Demon King’s army was resolved, Edward entrusted the task again. I heard that the rebels in the capital were destroyed and no longer pose a threat to the kingdom.

A woman who can accomplish such a task on her own using pure force.

It was only natural that I chose Mileia as my companion to head to Calogium, a place where some troublesome monsters might emerge.

“Yunoa, whenever you need me.”

Mileia agreed to my request to go to the demon world’s Calogium with me without asking why.

He agreed so coolly without asking or questioning anything, so I actually asked him back.

“That… Do you have any questions?”

I suddenly became curious.

If we were to rank the people with the greatest hatred for demons, is Mileia, one of the few in the kingdom, really so indifferent?

Her hometown was burned by the demon Bloodstein.

She, who has lived to kill demons and demons for a long time, is concerned about what she thinks of this situation as she is now trying to improve her relationship with demons.

In response to my question, Mileia closed her mouth with an expressionless expression and tilted her head slightly to the side as if she had no idea what she was talking about.

I asked again.

“The kingdom is currently making efforts to peacefully improve its relationship with the demons. Mr. Mileia said… … .”

“Of course, feelings of dislike still remain.”

“Is that so as expected?”

“And Bloodstein died. Even if you kill all the demons and monsters, this unpleasant feeling will not go away.”

Mileia spoke to me with an expressionless expression.

You say scary things in a calm tone.

Is it too much to hope that Mileia will accept the current situation positively?

“The place you have to go is the Demon World, so if it’s inconvenient, you don’t have to come.”

“No, it’s okay. This is different from the remaining unpleasant feelings.”

“Hmm?”

“I know. What is the current situation, Yunoa, what do you hope for by doing this? I definitely hate demons. But there are people among humans who don’t like it. Now that Bloodstein is dead, my personal revenge has been achieved. So, this unpleasant feeling is just my honest feeling, and I do not intend to use it to go against the current situation and point my sword at the demons.”

After saying that, Mileia just stared at me with an expressionless expression.

Dislike and revenge are two different things… … I have some complicated feelings, but does that mean I can accept this situation?

“Yunoa, shall we leave? I’m ready.”

Milleia told me.

That’s how we entered the magic circle leading to the Demon King’s Castle.

* * *

The demons’ research facility, Calozium, is located much further west than the Demon Castle.

So, it was a barren land where not even demons lived, and even wild monsters were few in number.

The continent was almost split in half, with the kingdom in the east and the demons in the west.

The land of the demons called the Demon World was an incredibly difficult land to live in compared to the kingdom, but to the west of Kutranux, the Demon King’s castle in the deepest part of the Demon World… … So, in fact, the extent of the land that could be considered the western end of the continent was very severe.

The place was so dry that it had become a desert. No matter how much I walked, I couldn’t see a single ant.

There was a vast expanse of hot sand, and the plants that grew by feeding on magical power, which were often seen in the demon world, were nowhere to be seen.

It is literally a land of only sand, wind, and hot sunlight.

Why did the previous Demon King create a facility to study the Demon King’s soul in a place like this?

“Milleia, are you okay?”

“Yes.”

I was worried about Mileya, who was walking along with me in the hot sun that threatened to burn her skin, so I asked her and the answer came back immediately.

Even in this environment, she was following me with an expressionless expression, without breaking a sweat.

If you look closely, you can feel the subtle magical energy surrounding her skin.

She was using her magical powers to regulate her body temperature to respond to the environment.

“Ah… … .”

After seeing Milleia and belatedly realizing this, I also sent out magic energy to my entire skin, slowly cooling my body.

I had used the same method to warm my body before when I was climbing a snowy mountain with Sylphy, but I couldn’t remember it.

There are many ways to use magic, but I realize once again that it is of no use if I cannot think of a way to use it.

As I continued walking in a much better condition, I saw something that looked like a strange hole in the sand that did not fit in the middle of the desert.

As I got closer, I saw that it was an old stone staircase that seemed to lead to an underground desert.

It was clear that this place was Calosium, a demon king soul research facility.

“Is it okay…? … .”

The wind continued to blow sand around the area, and about half of the stone steps were buried in sand.

I was worried because it looked like it would be buried in the sand at any moment, but since it was in this condition despite being left for such a long time, it was probably okay.

“Now, let’s go down.”

As I spoke, Mileia drew her sword and ran ahead of me to stand in front of the stone steps.

“I will take the lead.”

Because it was a place where you never knew what might come out, I didn’t necessarily refuse to leave the lead to Milleia, who had much more combat experience than me.

So I slowly followed Mileia down the stone stairs.

The stairs snaked endlessly downward.

Long ago, when I first fell into the Underworld of Demon World, memories of the underground passage I used to come up to the surface from the Caria village came to mind.

Although the Caria people are demons, they rarely interact with demons on the ground due to their nature of hiding deep underground.

When I think about that, I don’t think it would be strange at all if there was something underground in this desert.

After going down the stairs for a while, I saw a large, tightly closed door made of stone.

There was a massive, thick stone gate in the basement that looked like it had never been opened for a long time.

“Yunoa, back for a moment.”

As soon as Mileia saw the door, she made me step back a little to the top of the stairs and pulled out her sword.

He then slashed the tightly closed door horizontally with his sword, destroying the thick stone gate in an instant.

Rumble-!

And the next moment, I noticed a small lever next to the door.

Among the remains of the broken stone gate, there were many gear-like things.

“… … .”

this… Maybe there was no need to break it?

Well, it doesn’t matter as long as I can get in anyway… … .

Without hesitation, I followed Mileia, who was leading the way.

* * *