ALL NOVEL Chapter 13
Chapter 13. To the Demon World
Hello, it’s Zilbagias, confronting the world’s distortion for the first time in my life.
The Dark Portal. It could only be described as a pitch-black hole.
No matter the angle, it looked like a flat black circle. It felt unreal. I couldn’t grasp its entirety. Without the magical circle drawn on the ground, my sense of distance would be thrown off.
Just looking at it made me feel like I was getting sucked in.
My body, my heart.
Even my soul.
It radiated a dangerous vibe. My hair felt like it might stand on end.
The world itself was proclaiming that this was something unnatural.
“…What was the first Demon Lord thinking when he jumped into that?”
A candid question slipped from my lips. Now it’s regarded as a door connecting to the Demon World, but wasn’t jumping in without knowing just plain suicide?
Or perhaps he was so desperate for the future of his race that he went crazy. Even so, that’s quite the level of reckless abandon.
“Surely the first Majesty had some thoughts on it…”
Platy made a knowing face. The ability to rephrase “I don’t know” into something that sounds profound is truly the convenience of language.
“Well… in any case, there’s a Demon World on the other side of that.”
“Yeah. You’re surprisingly calm about this, Zilbagias. It’s reassuring.”
Platy seemed genuinely impressed.
“I felt overwhelmed when I came here for the first time, too.”
“Maybe it’s so bizarre that it’s oddly calming?”
I live surrounded by a sense of discomfort and foreignness all the time. Everything is strange to me. This Dark Portal is particularly so, but honestly, if I just accept it as it is, that’s that.
“Well then, I’ll be going. Since it’s my first time, should I look for a servant or something?”
“Things will unfold as they will. Some people forge contracts with lesser demons as a starting point, while others make formal contracts with higher demons on their first visit. You’ll surely meet someone you need.”
“Got it.”
Here I go.
I approached the Dark Portal without any hesitation.
Surprisingly calm, I might add. Was there even a single hero from the Holy Church who had charged into the Demon World? The great war of the gods—a relic from the mythological era, right? When you think about it calmly, crossing worlds is an impressive feat.
…Though I don’t realize it, I might also be quite reckless.
Alright, whatever.
I let out a light sigh and jumped into the hole.
†††
For a while, it felt like I was drifting aimlessly.
I needed to mingle with the unfamiliar wind, light, and sounds.
Like the feeling of drunkenness after consuming strong alcohol. The world appeared vague, and my senses were unreliable.
I stood on dark soil.
No, maybe it was bright. The light was black.
Could this be a forest? I couldn’t tell. Although the horizon stretched infinitely, trying to focus further revealed swirling shadows of trees that obscured my view.
Dense.
The information. The density was different.
I felt exceedingly small.
I felt thin. That’s how it appeared to me.
“Hello.”
I turned around at the sound of a voice.
There stood a cane dressed in a tailcoat. There was simply no other way to describe it. A wooden cane with an old-fashioned ambiance stood upright, dressed in a full tailcoat.
“It’s rare for someone like you to come here.”
It was a calm male voice. Was this cane the demon itself? It looked quite lofty despite its appearance.
I couldn’t tell. Magical energy had become hard to perceive.
“Hello. Who are you?”
I responded naturally to that gentle voice and its oddly fitting demeanor.
They say that entering the Dark Portal means meeting the demon I need, but is this cane one of them?
“Nice to meet you. I am the guide. The guiding demon Odigos.”
The clothing that seemingly had not been through any sleeves moved on its own, politely placing a hand on its chest and bowing.
I suddenly understood. This demon Odigos was quite fashionable. It couldn’t pull off being just a plain stick, so it was dressed in a tailcoat.
“Oh, thank you for your politeness. I am uh—”
Wait. What am I saying?
“—Zilbagias. The Prince of the Demon Race.”
“Oh, my, my. It seems a truly rare guest has come.”
Odigos swayed curiously. It had no face, not even a body, yet an expression seemed to float before my eyes.
“My job is to guide visitors from the mortal realm to the appropriate place in the Demon World. Likewise, I shall point you to your path. The path that befits you.”
As soon as it said that, Odigos fell down as if it had just snapped a thread.
Thud, plop.
The cane rolled over, along with the tailcoat.
What it pointed to was far beyond the horizon.
A black sun setting in the west.
“Head over there.”
Odigos stood upright, brushing off the dust from its tailcoat as it said.
…Wait, was that a ‘guidance’?
It just fell over, didn’t it?
“Is it really that way?”
“There’s no mistake in my guidance.”
Odigos was full of confidence.
“After all, I am the guiding demon. I show you the rightful path.”
“What kind of demons are waiting ahead?”
“I don’t know. Knowing what awaits is beyond my power.”
Really?!
Well, if a demon says so, it must be true.
“Understood. Well then, I’ll be going. Thank you.”
Not like I had any other leads or anything.
After bowing to Odigos, I began to walk.
“Just wandering around aimlessly could take centuries.”
Odigos’ voice reached my back.
“What is your goal? Keep that in mind as you proceed. Well then, good day.”
When I looked back, it was already out of sight in its tailcoat.
I felt like I was in a completely different place compared to just moments ago.
“A goal, huh…”
I had that figured out.
“To defeat the Demon Lord. And to annihilate the Demon Lord Kingdom. I want the power for that.”
To gain further strength, I would contract with a demon.
Just like the first Demon Lord.
—Suddenly, I felt a tugging sensation in my body.
I was accelerating. If there’s any meaning to the concept of speed.
Rapidly, the scenery changed.
I leaped over mountains in a single breath, crossed great rivers in a single stride.
I passed through valleys, climbed waterfalls, crossed deserts, and crossed seas.
It felt like I was tracing the history of the Demon World.
Toward the western beginning.
To the land where the dark sun rises.
And then I stood before a palace.
No, it almost resembled a graveyard. I couldn’t tell whether the towering stone structures were towers or tombstones.
I walked through the empty palace, stepping on black and white tiles.
After passing through thousands of corridors, I entered a dim hall.
“—What’s this, a visitor?”
A lisping voice echoed.
It was sweet enough to send shivers down my spine, equally poisonous enough to rot my insides.
At the center, the Obsidian Throne.
With smooth brown skin and hair that reminded one of the starry night sky.
Too young to be called a girl, yet too mature to be called a child.
Inappropriately, she lounged sideways on the throne, carelessly throwing her bare feet against the armrest.
Her murky, stagnant, chaotic, and vibrant eyes lazily gazed at me.
—Is this girl really the demon who befits me?
I couldn’t perceive magical energy well. I didn’t know how much power she held. While I struggled to assess her strength, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“—Why is a human here?”