Chapter 317 : The Vermilion Sword, Sunset

"...??"

The Demon King, Aktir, who had returned from the battlefield, blinked his eyes at the sight of Ashuban, who had returned to the Demon King's Palace (a two-story wooden house).

"You haven't left yet?"

"I've been and come back."

"...What?"

His eyes widened, and then he nodded his head with a look of understanding.

"Ah, yes. I heard that the demonic energy feels quite strong to outsiders. I forgot that you need time to adapt. How many floors did you go to? Did you see the waterfall? The view there is amazing."

Ashuban nodded his head.

"Yes, it was a magnificent sight. I never imagined the demon realm would look like that."

"Haha, right? It's completely different from what you see from above. It's good that you reached the second-floor cliff area on the first day. Even Guston went up to the fourth floor on his first day and came back grumbling that it smelled rotten."

Aktir sat down across from him with a good-natured laugh.

"Perhaps because you're Guston's successor, you adapt well to the demonic energy. Usually, people only stay on the first-floor cave on the first day and come up with a pale face. You guys will probably be able to go to the third floor tomorrow."

Ashuban and Tifri stared at him blankly.

Aktir, who had received their gazes, tilted his head.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

Tifri answered.

"We've been to the third floor."

"Oh, really?"

Aktir's face lit up.

"As expected of you. That Guston guy has a surprisingly good eye for people. To reach the third floor on the first day, that's amazing. Wasn't the demonic energy strong?"

"I didn't really feel it."

"Haha, that's a relief. Then why did you come back so soon? You could have done some searching while you were there."

Ashuban stared at Aktir without a word, and Tifri, who was sitting next to him, said with a strange expression.

"We brought the princess."

"...What?"

Aktir couldn't believe his ears.

He had mobilized nearly half of the people of the Kingdom of Sorrow, who came and went from the demon realm as if it were their own home, to search, but they couldn't even find a trace.

And they had found and brought back Viola in just a few hours?

And an outsider who was new to the demon realm at that?

Aktir looked at Ashuban, who had a rather indifferent expression, and then at Tifri.

"Is that true?"

Tifri nodded his head.

"It's true."

"No, but how...?"

He couldn't even imagine how they had found that squirrel-like girl.

Ashuban answered with an indifferent expression.

"She came out when I called her."

"She came out... when you called her...?"

Aktir, who was momentarily stunned by the unimaginable method, looked around with a dazed expression.

"Then, where is our Viola...?"

"She's catching up with her colleague."

Just then, the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs was heard, and the door to the Demon King's office opened.

Siri, with her eyes swollen, and Viola, who was gently wrapping her arm around her shoulder, came in.

"Viola, my daughter!"

The overjoyed Aktir opened his arms wide.

"You're finally back! Come to daddy's arms!"

Viola slowly approached Aktir, and just as he was about to hug her, she deftly lowered her posture and lightly avoided the hug.

And then, she scurried over to Ashuban, who was sitting in a chair, and clung to him like a slug.

"Ashubaaan..."

Ashuban pushed away Viola, who had started to cry again.

With a face that said, 'Here we go again.'

"Get off me."

"But..."

Meanwhile, Aktir, who had hugged the empty air instead of his lovely daughter, looked at the two with a happy yet sad expression.

He was happy that his runaway daughter had returned, but he wasn't exactly pleased to see his daughter clinging to another man, barely even looking at her father, as soon as she returned.

Ashuban pointed to the seat next to Aktir and said.

"You go and sit next to the Demon King over there. We have to talk about work."

"Ugh... but..."

"If you don't want to, you can go out."

"No. I'll sit."

Tifri, who had been sitting next to Ashuban, tactfully got up, saying he was off duty, and Siri, who had burst into tears with Viola, sat down next to her.

Aktir carefully spoke to Viola, who was sitting next to him.

"Daughter, are you not angry anymore?"

"Don't talk to me. I didn't come because of you."

"..."

Viola, who seemed to be pouting, crossed her arms and turned her head to the other side.

Unlike her attitude towards Ashuban, a cold wind blew.

Ashuban, who had been watching the two blankly, took out the commission request from his bosom and placed it on the desk.

"As you said, I have kidnapped your daughter. Since I have successfully completed the commission, please sign it."

And then, he took out a pen and wrote something small in the margin of the commission request, and then handed it to Aktir.

Aktir looked at the commission request once, and at Ashuban once, and then signed the commission request.

As he signed, he read the note that Ashuban had written in the margin.

'Your daughter seems to be quite upset. Shall I mediate? Of course, it's not free.'

Aktir wrote a small memo under it and returned the commission request.

'Please do. If you can reconcile me with Viola, I will grant you one more request, within reason, separate from this commission.'

'Good. But, I need the Demon King's cooperation.'

After seeing the note written on the returned commission request, the Demon King nodded with a determined expression.

Aktir asked in a feignedly nonchalant tone.

"So, will you take the reward now?"

Ashuban naturally took his words.

"That's good. But before that, we need to resolve what needs to be resolved. It seems it will interfere with our work if we don't."

Ashuban said, looking at the sulking daughter and the dejected father.

"You two, please reconcile."

Viola shouted timidly.

"I-I don't want to!"

Ashuban looked at Viola with a calm expression, as if he were used to it.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to! I'm not going to talk to dad."

Hmph!

Seeing her turn her head away completely, it seemed it was no ordinary matter.

Ashuban asked in a calm voice, not caring.

"Why did you fight?"

As if she had been waiting, Viola poured out what was inside her.

Perhaps she needed a mediator like Ashuban.

"W-well, you see. I was talking to dad about something important, but he didn't answer, so I looked... and dad was dozing off."

"...You ran away from home because of that?"

"No...! I wouldn't have said anything if it was just that. I woke him up and was talking to him again, and dad suddenly farted! I can understand dozing off, but a fart...! Isn't that really too much...?"

Ashuban blinked for a moment.

"So, you fought because of a fart?"

"No, that's not it... It's not that we fought because of a fart. We fought because he farted in the middle of an important conversation...!"

Ashuban exchanged a glance with Siri, who was listening blankly from the side.

'Is it important?'

'I think so.'

So it meant that she had run away to the demon realm just because of a fart.

Ashuban sighed inwardly.

It was a reason worthy of her.

'She was this kind of person.'

The image of Viola, who would get upset over trivial things and cry her eyes out, was clear.

It wasn't for nothing that she was called Crybaby Viola.

Did the gods give this strong race all the combat power and take away their abilities in other areas?

Looking at the childish father and daughter, Ashuban decided not to ask about the reason she had run away to the Maia Kingdom before.

Since he had received the commission, and whatever the reason, it was better to resolve the emotional rift quickly, so Ashuban decided to play along with them for a while.

From experience, in most cases, if he took her side, the crybaby's anger would quickly subside.

After exchanging a glance with Siri, Ashuban looked at the Demon King, Aktir, with a serious, sunken gaze.

It was almost the gaze of an investigator interrogating a criminal.

"Demon King. Is that true?"

Aktir hung his head as if he had nothing to say even if he had two mouths.

"...It's true."

"Your daughter was talking about something serious, but you had to fart at that moment? Isn't this basic etiquette?"

Ashuban said, tapping the desk as if he were interrogating him.

"Then how would the person talking feel? 'This bastard, he doesn't want to listen to my story, so he farted on purpose, right? Is he listening to my story with his asshole?' Wouldn't they think that?"

As the interrogation continued, Aktir's head bowed like a ripe ear of rice.

And the triumphant Viola muttered, "That's right, that's right," and crossed her arms, nodding her head.

Ashuban, with the noble intention of holding Ophosis's famous sword, further berated the 'great sinner Demon King Aktir who had farted in the middle of an important conversation' and then concluded.

"Apologize to your daughter. And that you will never again disperse the main point with a gas attack during a serious conversation."

Aktir looked at Viola with a very repentant expression.

"Daughter, I'm sorry. I will never again scatter the main point with a fatal gas attack during an important conversation."

"Hmm... A-alright."

"Are you not angry anymore?"

"Yes...!"

Ashuban said, looking at the father and daughter who had quickly become friendly.

"It seems the thread of conflict has been well resolved. Then, may I request the promised reward now?"

Aktir stood up from his seat with a much more comfortable expression.

"Yes, let's move for a moment. You two can talk for a while."

* * *

Aktir left Siri and Viola behind, and then took the vermilion two-handed sword that had been leaning against one wall and left the room.

He went down the stairs and entered a certain room on the first floor of the Demon King's Palace, and only then did he look back.

"Thank you. Thanks to you, we seem to have reconciled well."

"I'm glad it worked out."

The Demon King, who had let out a sigh of relief, said.

"So, is there anything I can do for you? Feel free to say it. I'll help you as much as I can."

Although I had already thought of something, I decided to receive what I was supposed to receive first.

"May I receive the reward for the first commission first?"

"Of course. Here, take it."

Aktir readily held out the two-handed sword he was holding.

As if telling me to draw it myself, he held the scabbard and held out the hilt towards me.

"Hoo... Master, I'm going."

[Just hurry up and hold it. We have a long way to go.]

I took a deep breath and then held the hilt of the sword.

Screech—

As soon as I drew the sword slightly, the blade shone with the light of the sunset, and a voice was heard.

[Welcome, apostle of Ketel. It seems the time has finally come.]

Unlike its owner, it was a surprisingly heavy and calm voice.

"Were you waiting for me?"

[It would be a lie to say I wasn't. Since I heard the story from Lux.]

"Lux?"

[My second brother, the Pure White Sword, Lux.]

"Aha."

I had heard that he often fought with the Hero of Light on the battlefield, so it seemed they had talked about various things while clashing with each other.

[I am the fifth.]

"I guess so."

[Do you know about another brother who is sunk at the bottom of the demon realm?]

"I've heard rumors."

[...Please take care of him.]

By then, the tingling black bracelet had become quiet, and when I peeked inside, a vermilion line resembling the sunset was engraved.

[Please, save my brother from the abyss.]

I put the sword that resembled the sunset back into its scabbard.

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

I had held five swords, and now it was time to go and hold the sixth.

I looked the Demon King straight in the eye and said.

"May I request the second reward right away?"

"Say it."

"I must go and retrieve another of Ophosis's famous swords that is sleeping at the bottom of the demon realm. Please cooperate."

The Demon King sighed with a troubled expression.

"I thought you might. I guess we can't put it off any longer."

The information I had put in my head while coming here came to mind one by one.

The famous sword of Ophosis that was said to be sleeping at the bottom of the demon realm. The quadra-horn that was originally said to be two.

I had already noticed that there was some story behind it.

"It's a long story, will you listen?"

"Yes."

The Demon King began to tell the story of his son.

* * *

The next day.

At dawn, before the sun had even risen.

"Ugh..."

"Heeeng..."

Ashuban took the two sleepyheads, who were not fully awake, and left the Demon King's Palace (a two-story wooden building).

"Where are we going...?"

Viola, who had been subdued with a pressure point strike for invading his room crying in the middle of the night, muttered as if she were dreaming.

"The demon realm."

"The demon realm? Why the demon realm again..."

Ashuban ignored her and walked briskly toward the demon realm, which was located in the center of the city.

He only stopped when he reached the front of the large hole.

"Siri."

"Yes...?"

Fortunately, Siri, who had come to her senses on the way, answered, rubbing her eyes.

"Can you throw a light into there? Like throwing a stone."

"That's not difficult."

Siri immediately created a light in her hand and threw it into the demon realm.

The light passed through the first-floor cave area, the second-floor waterfall cliff area, the third-floor ancient forest area, and then fell endlessly toward a deeper place, the fourth and fifth floors.

Ashuban looked at that blankly and then gestured to Siri.

"Siri."

"Yes?"

"Get on my back."

"Okay."

She got on his back readily, without any questions.

"But Big Brother, aren't we going to the well?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Why, when there's a shortcut?"

"...A shortcut?"

"Hold on tight."

"Ugh. Don't tell me?"

Before Siri could even express her doubts, Ashuban lifted up Viola, who was leaning against the wooden fence around the demon realm and dozing off.

"Nnng?"

"Are you sleepy now?"

With Siri on his back, and holding Viola in front of him.

Ashuban placed one foot on the wooden fence and grinned.

"Fortunately, there's a special medicine for waking up."

Siri, who had guessed Ashuban's next move, closed her eyes tightly and hugged him tightly from behind.

And the gloomy, timid Viola, who still hadn't grasped the situation, blinked her eyes, held like a princess in Ashuban's arms, and asked.

"A special medicine? What is that...?"

"No, Big Brother, right?"

Ashuban grinned, kicked off the wooden fence, and threw himself into the demon realm.

"Vertical drop!"

"Kyaaaaaaaaaak!"

"W-waaaaaaaaaak!"

The screams of the two women, and.

"Hahahahahahaha!"

The laughter of a madman echoed in the demon realm.

They, who had become stones themselves, passed through the first-floor cave area and the second-floor cliff area in an instant.

And fell into the endless darkness.

(End of Chapter)