“Now we should be able to sneak inside without anyone noticing us.” Wallenstein glanced at the castle in the center as he observed that they shouldn’t have any issue.
They’d taken care of everywhere where they could possibly be spotted from the south. And because the castle sat in the center of the valley, no one would be able to see them from the north. All they had to do now was march in and infiltrate the castle from the south.
“All right, it’s just about time,” Mira said.
“What’re you all waiting for? This is super exciting!” Meilin added.
So, just what would they find beneath the castle that stood in the heart of the valley, where they thought the sword of the Monster-Ruling God had to be, and that they believed was connected somehow to dark demons?
Having descended the mountains from the south, Mira and her companions took the shortest possible route as they dashed through the valley.
As they did, Meilin and Wallenstein noiselessly took out the bizarre monsters that happened to be along their route.
Meilin’s skills in deftly penetrating her foes’ vital spots were very much indicative of a true professional. However, because she was dressed as a transforming princess, they could only laugh at how ridiculous she looked in the process.
Meanwhile, Wallenstein seemed to be quite a practiced hand at this as well. Quickly sealing his foes in a small-scale barrier, he instantly incinerated them before they had a chance to give any signal or make so much as a peep.
Not being quite as skilled at operating quietly or clandestinely, Mira followed after the pair and, lamenting that she didn’t have a chance to show her stuff, murmured, “If only Wasranvel was here…”
On that note, she’d assigned Wasranvel to Bruce to ensure both his safety and success. Sticking out her bottom lip and pouting, Mira added that she didn’t really regret it while she watched Meilin and Wallenstein go on before her.
They had now arrived in the castle that stood in the middle of the walled city. Appreciating how the castle still stood quite solidly, even though it was in ruins, Mira and her companions successfully sneaked inside.
Near the entrance, moonlight filtered in, making visibility still somewhat good despite the darkness.
Looking around, they found that they were in a sort of lobby. It was quite a commodious space, indicating how well built the castle was. Despite being very old, it looked to have been constructed with considerable technical prowess. Even in its current ruined state, it was splendid enough that it looked like it wouldn’t crumble easily.
And yet, because of this, the cracks and gaps in the stone were so fine that light couldn’t make its way through, and so the area opening up from the entrance lobby was pitch black.
“Hrmm, I’d like to light this place up a bit, but…” Mira muttered before turning an imploring gaze toward Barbatos.
“Good point. I don’t think it should be an issue,” Barbatos answered. Apparently, there weren’t any lesser demons keeping watch inside of the castle.
“But don’t you think it’s strange? You’d think that they’d have even more lesser demons keeping watch here,” Mira said concernedly while suspending balls of light using Ethereal Arts.
There was undoubtedly something just beneath the castle. And so, if they really wanted to protect whatever it was, then security ought to be even stricter inside of the castle.
“I’d imagine that the reason has something to do with the unpleasant vibe that’s clinging to this place…”
According to Barbatos, the closer one got to the castle, the stronger an unpleasant vibe similar to the one he’d felt when shown the fragment of the Monster-Ruling God’s sword got.
Lesser demons possessed similar sensory capabilities to those of regular demons, and so they probably couldn’t handle getting quite so close. That was what Barbatos presumed, at least.
Mira concurred that it therefore made sense why there weren’t any lesser demons in the castle. At the same time, worried if Barbatos would be all right putting himself in such a situation, she asked, “I see… So, I guess it’s a bit late to ask, but is that okay? Now that I think of it, you found this place looking for whatever turned demons into dark demons, right? So, if whatever that is happens to be somewhere here, could that mean that you’ll become one again too?”
They’d only just succeeded in changing Barbatos back into a light demon. Was there a chance that, for whatever reason, he might become a dark demon once more? And were they forcing him to go with them against his will, then?
“No, there’s no need to worry about that. It just feels a bit unpleasant. Also, we’ve completely sealed the power that was responsible for that change, and I’ve got an amulet to protect the seal. Not only that, Wally made this himself, and gave it to me just in case. We all have them,” Barbatos said, taking a small bag out from his coat and showing it to Mira.
The seal should be more than enough for the time being, but perhaps because Wallenstein was a bit of a worrier, he’d given all of the light demons a protective amulet. It surrounded them with a special barrier which prevented anything from interfering with the seal.
“Hrmm, I see. You used to be embarrassed to get presents, but now you have no trouble making handmade ones. You’ve grown quite a bit, and I’m glad to see it.”
This was addressed to Wallenstein, who’d struggled to communicate even with the fellow Wise Men he was so friendly with. It was the very same Wallenstein who’d often fled when those he’d rescued had tried to thank him. Incredibly impressed that he’d given a present of his own volition, Mira patted him on the shoulder and nodded vigorously, looking quite pleased at how much he’d grown.
“Just forget about what I was like back then, please…!”
Back then, Wallenstein not only had extreme social anxiety, but also still acted very much like an edgy tween. It seemed that this embarrassing period of his life, which was still very recent, would make him the butt of no shortage of jokes. While this conversation was going on, they suddenly heard a voice.
“Let’s hurry and go. I bet it’s this way!”
It was Meilin. She’d been wandering back and forth through the entrance lobby, but it seemed that she could no longer wait.
But where exactly would they find the path leading underground inside the castle? They were supposed to look for this, but she seemed to be more preoccupied with whatever powerful enemy was waiting…or that she presumed was waiting for them underground. Meilin then suggested that there was something suspicious about the area up ahead and began forging ahead.
“All right, all right. Hold on a second, will you?”
Figuring that there was no stopping Meilin when she got this way, Mira quickly hurried after her.
“Should she be doing that, Wally?” Barbatos asked, wondering if they should carefully examine their surroundings beforehand like they usually did.
But Wallenstein simply smiled as if it weren’t a problem and said, “Well, in times like this, her gut is usually right,” before following the pair.
“It’s a surprise seeing Wally like this,” Barbatos said, following the three after a moment.
Wallenstein was always so methodical, and he would only set about a mission once he’d come up with a proper strategy. Not only had he not stopped her from following her gut, he’d actively followed her.
Noting that unexpected things did indeed sometimes happen and sensing that Wallenstein must really trust Meilin, Barbatos watched the three enviously as they continued on ahead of him.