After a good night’s rest, Lindy’s seasickness had, fortunately, completely disappeared. Since setting out to eliminate the Four Heavenly Kings didn’t require any especially unusual preparations beyond routine, we took one more day to rest and do some quick maintenance before heading out of the city.
Even though the location we aimed for wasn’t particularly far from the current city, it was still quite a distance, so we walked diligently for several days, setting up camp under the stars along the way.
“Is this really where one of the Four Heavenly Kings resides?”
After a few days of relentless travel, we arrived at a place that was nothing more than a vast and desolate wasteland. Scattered rocks and sparse clumps of grass were all that were visible. There was no building worthy of being called the residence of one of the Four Heavenly Kings, anywhere in sight. Lindy asked uncertainly if anyone had made a mistake regarding the location, but I was confident. This was definitely the place.
“Yeah. I didn’t just bring this subject up without a reason.”
Though now we had Luna and Lindy with us, originally, it was supposed to be Presia and I coming here together. Of course, the idea of just two people combating the Four Heavenly Kings is absurd. But this particular Heavenly King is different.
Lindy’s doubts were understandable. There were no visible surroundings or even any sign of guards nearby. How could it make sense for one of the mighty Four Heavenly Kings to have neither?
But it does make sense when considering this particular Heavenly King. Based on information I had from my previous life, when I adventured with the Hero’s Party and our friends, it was known that she preferred solitude, staying hidden from her followers.
In fact, in my previous life, this was the very first of the Four Heavenly Kings we managed to defeat here.
And this time, things haven’t changed much. The only difference is the people accompanying me, but defeating this heavenly king first was just as much a certainty in my past life as it is in this one.
“…There’s nothing around here.”
Apparently, after already scanning the area with a detection spell, Presia reported softly in a low voice. She had looked for any trace of magic or signs of anything hidden through spells like invisibility.
But I already knew she was focusing on the wrong things. This particular Heavenly King didn’t use any invisibility magic to conceal her dwelling. Instead, she had physically hidden it.
“Just wait a moment.”
I motioned for the three of them to stop and began carefully looking around the barren landscape. Thankfully, it didn’t take long to find what I was looking for.
“Here, do you see this?”
“This what, senior? Isn’t it just a rock?”
“Ah…”
Luna expressed her disbelief due to a lack of experience, while Lindy, on the other hand, seemed to grasp what I was getting at.
Without responding to Luna, I lifted the rock effortlessly and moved it to the side, revealing a staircase leading downwards.
In dungeons like mazes or ancient ruins, as Presia had already checked, illusions or specific conditions often hide entrances. The same could be said for most demon strongholds. That said, it’s not unheard of for entrances to simply be brutishly concealed. Nonetheless, dungeons that do this tend to be lower-tier and often overlooked by adventurers seeking quick riches. And demons capable enough to maintain a permanent residence usually consider such crude methods beneath them.
Judging by the disbelief on Lindy’s face at the idea that the Four Heavenly King’s hideout could be hidden under a rock, it was clear how unusual this place was. It was a cunning choice, perfectly exploiting the assumptions of two kinds of visitors.
We descended the dimly lit staircase, relying on the glow of Presia’s light magic. The staircase seemed endless, continuing deeper into the cavern.
Finally reaching the bottom, my foot landed on the solid ground, and automatic flames lit the torches on the wall, illuminating the area.
“Hmm… it’s impressive enough, but is this really where one of the Four Heavenly Kings resides? Besides the entrance, there’s no one inside. Isn’t this just an abandoned dungeon?”
Contrary to initial impressions, the interior was unmistakably well-kept for a supposed haven of one of the Four Heavenly Kings. However, there was no sign of any guards, or even of attendant demons — fueling Lindy’s doubts. It was a scene I’d seen before in my past life.
If the Heavenly King hadn’t stepped out of the hideout, she would be waiting somewhere farther inside, most likely. And if my hunch was right, she’s probably already aware that we’re here.
Maybe she’s alarmed that her hideout’s been discovered but still hasn’t shown herself because she feels secure somehow.
“Just trust me and follow. It’s certain; don’t you trust me?”
“Well, no… it’s not that I don’t trust you…”
“I’ve never doubted you once, senior, haven’t I? Haha, you know there’s no one else like me, right?”
Luna loudly proclaimed, wrapping her arms around my arm, cutting off Lindy’s hesitant response. She always seems eager to outdo others, even in such trivial matters at her young age, and it was utterly adorable.
“Keep calling me ‘Aunty’, will you! Elves simply live long… if you translate it into human years…!”
“Baaah, no matter how you slice it, living a long time is living a long time! Human years doesn’t make sense! If we followed that logic, I’d have to bow down to dogs and cats over 100 years old, wouldn’t I?”
“I’m not an ‘Aunty,’ I told you!”
“Then grandmother—”
“You cheeky brat!”
As always, their bickering made it uncertain if they were here to hunt one of the Four Heavenly Kings or to go on a picnic.
To be honest, in Luna’s usual behavior, anyone older than her is an ‘Aunty’ by default. The exception is me, since she follows me loyally and refrains from calling me that. Even Precia, though she owes me something, escapes the ‘Aunty’ label with a ‘Sister.’ Still, if Luna ever discovers my true identity as Zeno, the current cutoff of a four-year age difference might drop to just two.
“There it is.”
As Luna and Lindy quarreled, and Presia explored the surroundings, I found the item I was looking for.
While the rock at the entrance was a psychological ruse, this device before me now was a thoroughly prepared mechanism, designed to counter unwanted intruders.
“What is it? Is it okay to touch this thing? We might trigger some kind of trap, won’t we?”
Naturally, this device, designed to catch intruders, would activate traps if not handled properly according to the exact method. But in my previous life, I’ve already successfully cleared this dungeon and defeated this Heavenly King.
“Pfft, don’t worry. Let’s see… I’m certain…”
Didn’t it start by pressing the furthest left stone?
Click.
A mechanical sound indicated that nothing had happened. No trap triggered, which meant the first button was correctly pressed.
“And the next one…”
But my hand still hovered over the first pressed stone.
“Um… Hmm…”
“Why are you hesitating? Did you make a mistake?”
“No, it’s just… wait a moment. I’m mixed up. I’ll remember soon….”
Perhaps the years had fogged my memory. Did I press the second stone to the left or the middle one after the first? Back then, it had all seemed straightforward.
“Ah, that’s right.”
Suddenly, it came back to me.
I didn’t solve this dungeon personally. I was along, but it was Selian who handled all the mechanisms.
Since I only glimpsed her actions over her shoulder, I mistakenly thought I knew how to bypass the traps.
“AHHHHH!”
“Senior? Is this safe?”
“Sorry! Be careful!”
A foreboding sound began reverberating around the room as the timeout seemed to expire. Alarmed, we all tensed up and looked around. My previous life’s experience didn’t include any traps since Selian had safely disarmed them all.
“Elisya, look down!”
A rare outburst from Presia. Following her voice, I noticed a glowing magic circle under me.
The familiar shape of the magic circle, one I’d seen before, emerged as its light enveloped me. The voices of the three rushing toward me grew fainter.
It was a teleportation circle.
*
“Damn it.”
The place where I landed was a familiar cavern. It was the deepest part of the dungeon where, in my previous life, I had defeated one of the Four Heavenly Kings. The only difference this time around was that I had plummeted here without my companions.
The situation had become precarious. The current heavenly king wouldn’t pose too much of a challenge in terms of raw power. After all, even in my past life, Selian dealt with this heavenly king without much trouble, and now that I’ve grown stronger, I’m confident I can handle it. But no one earns the title of one of the Four Heavenly Kings by being weak.
“Uhu… A cute little one has come.”
A hoarse voice resonated through the enclosed space.
The sound of deliberate, calculated footsteps approached through the darkness, and then a silhouette emerged.
The figure had bat-like wings spread wide, a tail with a heart-shaped tip swaying, and two horns protruding sharply from her head, emitting a potent aura of dark energy.
Her gaze could mesmerize anyone it met, even fellow demons submitting to her influence. She was one of the most faithful servants of the Demon King.
The Succubus Queen.
