Demon Capital Avalon

The airship wobbled westward over the sandy desert.

Its speed couldn't honestly be called fast, but considering this terrain, it was still remarkably quick.

"Ahh, I really want to learn space-time magic too…"

Sei said this while sitting in front of a tub with a massive block of ice in it.

"Why didn't you learn it?"

Laila asked while loosening her collar.

"Because they told me it would take ten years…"

"Ten years is nothing."

"Please don't compare me to an elf."

Having crossed the Dragon Bone Continent, the party was finally heading toward the Dragon Fang Continent.

The Dragon Fang Continent corresponded to Africa on Earth, and its entire territory was demon lands.

The official name was the Demon Territory of Augustria, but it was largely divided into lands belonging to various races with their own autonomy, not controlled by a single government.

And on the Dragon Fang Continent, there was one particularly powerful god among the awakened evil gods.

Its name was the God of Greed.

After its resurrection, the god had swiftly brought the southern third of the continent under its control.

In response, the mortal races—with demons as their largest faction—had united their forces, and with the Nihon Empire from the nearby continent also joining the war, they were now advancing favorably.

The demon leadership was located in Avalon, the demon capital near the Dragon Bone Continent.

Since it wasn't practical to issue orders to the distant front lines from there, they had delegated that role to the frontline commander.

The name of that commander was Rei Bradford.

At 3,400 years old, she was the world's strongest warrior among the Dark Elves.

Before a detailed map of the Dragon Fang Continent, Rei and her staff were discussing future developments.

The mortal races' forces were sufficient, and they were effectively repelling the monsters influenced by the God of Greed.

The battle line was gradually being pushed southward, and at this rate, it was only a matter of time before they could defeat or seal the God of Greed.

That was the general thinking.

A minority who thought otherwise—such as Demon King Augustria in Avalon and Rei herself—understood.

If the god directly wielded its power, this favorable situation could easily be overturned.

It was only speculation, but to defeat this god, they would need to completely eliminate its followers, then have a small group of elites challenge it with their lives on the line.

They would need to gather the elites of each race from the demon territories, including the Demon King herself and Rei.

But that was if they fought head-on.

If they could add a force that existed but couldn't be counted on as military strength to their side—

Yes, dragons.

If they could obtain the power of the divine dragon sleeping in the depths of the Golden Corridor, they could probably settle this.

But dragons weren't purely allies of the humanoid races.

Rei, who had met the Golden Dragon, knew she particularly favored beastkin, but the chances of her voluntarily joining the war against a god were low.

For now, at least.

If more gods awakened and the world's order was adversely affected, they would likely destroy or at least seal away the evil gods.

But how many casualties would there be before that happened?

There was one other simple way to borrow a divine dragon's power.

Challenge the labyrinth that divine dragon controlled and conquer it.

If they did that, the divine dragon would lend their power to the mortal races as a reward.

But currently, no one had challenged and conquered the Golden Corridor.

Riding the train with a steady rumble, Sei's party entered the Dragon Fang Continent.

"Even among my kind, it's rare to come this far. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens!"

Kukuri was cheerful even in this situation, but Sei and Mako's expressions were dark.

All seven heroes of the Dragon Fang Continent had gathered. And probably near the front lines against the evil gods.

Judging from their movements, the heroes seemed to be fighting against the evil gods. That was fine.

But was it okay to pull the heroes' strength from the front lines in this war-torn land? Even out of pure sense of justice, some might choose to stay in this world.

"We were told to greet the Demon King-heika first…"

As they approached Avalon, the buildings became more modern and the scenery more urbanized.

And at dusk, the party arrived in Avalon.

"What the heck…"

The station's scale wasn't that impressive compared to Earth. But the enormity of the Demon King's castle visible from the main street was something that didn't exist even on Earth.

A jet-black castle that looked like an entire mountain had been hollowed out—that was the Demon King's castle.

"Um, so we're supposed to meet the Demon King, but… the government offices are closed by now, right?"

"Still, shouldn't we make a reservation or something? It's not like we can just meet them right away, is it?"

Agreeing with Kukuri's words, the party proceeded through the office building district.

"This is more advanced than Earth…"

"At least this area is…"

To Sei and Mako's eyes, the buildings clearly looked futuristic.

"If this level of civilization is maintained even at the front lines, the heroes might not want to go back."

Mako was silent at Sei's words.

Passing by luxurious mansions near the royal castle, Sei's party continued on.

This seemed to be the government district, with many more buildings around.

By the time the sun had fully set, Sei's party arrived at the base of the royal castle.

Naturally, there were guards there, armed with rifles.

One was a Dark Elf, and the other looked human but was a werewolf.

"Can I help you?"

When asked, Sei handed over the short sword and plate he'd received from Ria. Upon seeing them, the Dark Elf man's face stiffened in shock.

"Please wait a moment."

He said this while checking a terminal on his arm. It was clearly some kind of computer.

"Thank you for waiting."

A kobold dressed like a butler arrived.

"The Demon King-heika will see you. Please come this way."

Sei hadn't expected to be granted an audience so quickly after arriving at this hour.

"Um, isn't the Demon King-heika busy?"

When he asked this, the kobold made what was probably a matter-of-fact expression… he couldn't really tell.

"It's wartime, after all. But since she can only meet at night, it can't be helped."

Sei sensed something ominous in those words and deployed his Map.

He searched for "Demon King." Her race was… vampire.

And not just any vampire. An Undying King. A higher species than the vampires they had fought in the labyrinth city.

No wonder she could only meet at night.

The party wasn't led to a grand audience chamber, but rather to what appeared to be a reception room.

They sat on sofas with fluffy cushions, and a maid brought them tea.

Before long, a woman appeared with her guards in tow.

Her outfit, based on black and white, was covered with intricate decorations.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I've heard most of it from Ria."

The Demon King flopped down onto the sofa and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"The heroes are currently at the very front lines of the battle against the evil gods. We assigned scouts to them and had them properly train in labyrinths first."

The vampire's gaze swept over the party but stopped when it reached Lavi.

"Laverna… Why have you come all the way here?"

"… Circumstances?"

Lavi tilted her head cutely as she answered.

"A divine dragon saying 'circumstances'…"

Looking up at the ceiling, the Demon King sighed.

"Currently, it's difficult to pull the heroes' fighting strength from the front lines. We've trained them all to over level 100, and some of them have powerful Gifts."

"However, the existence of heroes—"

"I know. But as a ruler, I can't afford to reduce our fighting strength right before my eyes."

The Demon King drank her tea, then looked at the party again.

"I have a request. If you'll grant it, the heroes will become unnecessary."

"And that request is?"

If the Demon King was asking, it was surely something difficult.

"The labyrinth in the center of this continent—the Golden Corridor, controlled by the Golden Dragon Irina."

She tossed a bundle of papers the kobold had brought onto the table.

"I want you to conquer it and use the Golden Dragon's power to defeat the evil god."

"Um, couldn't my master, the Dark Dragon, ask the Golden Dragon directly?"

"Dragons are neither allies of humans nor allies of demons. And fundamentally, they're not enemies of the gods either. Ria is an exception among exceptions. She was originally human."

Being a vampire, she'd known Ria long enough to call her by her nickname. Sei realized they must have been acquainted for quite some time.

"Even Ria tries not to use her own power as much as possible. Otherwise, the world's order would be disrupted."

"And if we conquer the labyrinth, our wish will be granted?"

"Yes, it's one of the exceptions the dragons established. I believe you can conquer it."

The Demon King shifted her posture again and looked over the party.

"There's quite a level gap. Well, that labyrinth doesn't really need scout classes…"

Indeed, Sei's party had significant level differences.

Specifically, Sei, Mako, and Lavi were far above the rest, with Laila and Gantz at roughly the same level, and Bungol and Kukuri being the weakest.

"I'll assign three guards to you. But be aware they won't be useful outside the labyrinth."

Three guards. The level 100+ warriors who appeared immediately were all vampires.

That explained why they wouldn't be useful.