Chapter 172: Demon God Castle
“Hyaaah!”
I lopped off the ogre’s head and looked around; there were no monsters left standing.
Is this it?
“Phew…”
How many days has it been since we abandoned the carriage and started climbing the mountain?
We, ‘Reginleif,’ had already reached about halfway up the mountain where the Demon God awaited. The Demon God Castle, the final dungeon, should be just a little further.
From here, I could see the vast forest below and the Baumgarten Territory beyond it. Black smoke was rising from the area around the Baumgarten Territory, making me unpleasantly aware that we had no time to spare.
“Everyone, are you injured? Don’t hesitate to tell me, even if it’s a minor wound.”
“Would you mind? It seems I’ve sprained my ankle…”
“Got it.”
I used Heal on Eleonore’s ankle.
“Thank you, Dee.”
“No problem.”
I pulled Eleonore up by her arm and then looked over the other members. They all looked dirty, but it seemed no one was injured.
“I want to take a shower…”
“Mmm…”
“Let’s not talk about that…”
Cornelia sighed while fiddling with her hair, and Lily and Claudia agreed.
“Sorry. I want to defeat the Evil God as quickly as possible. Please bear with it.”
“It’s not your fault, Dee. Defeating the Evil God as soon as possible is what the world wishes for.”
Eleonore gave me an encouraging smile.
“That’s right. It’s not Onii-sama’s fault. I’m sorry for being selfish…”
“It’s not your fault, Ria. I want to take a shower too. But let’s hurry on.”
“Mm.”
“Once we defeat the Evil God, we can bathe all we want. Let’s go.”
Lily and Claudia nodded, and we resumed our climb. However—
“Upper right sky! Gargoyles! Four of them!”
“Mm!”
Claudia’s enemy report came out, and Lily immediately used magic.
DOBOOOOOM!!!
A flower of explosive flames bloomed in the sky, and what used to be gargoyles rained down into the forest in pieces.
“The monster encounter rate has been increasing, hasn’t it…”
“Yeah. Lily, how much Holy Power do you have left?”
I nodded at Claudia’s words and checked with Lily.
“More than half.”
“Got it.”
Replenishing her Holy Power can wait then.
“Let’s keep moving. To that castle.”
From here, the Demon God Castle at the summit was already visible, appearing and disappearing from view. It was a large, black castle with a sinister aura. Just looking at it sent shivers down my spine and gave me goosebumps. It felt like looking at some disgusting insect. Like the underside of a pill bug or something.
◇
After that, we slowly made our way up the mountain, encountering enemy attacks many times.
Before us loomed a massive castle gate. Behind it stood a castle so tall that looking up at it would make your neck hurt.
The castle was made of a seamless, black, metallic-looking, lustrous material. I could tell at a glance that it was no ordinary thing.
I’ll be honest. I might have been overwhelmed. I was terrified by the power of the Evil God, who could create something like this instantly.
“Onii-sama…”
“Onii…”
“This is…”
“What in the…”
Even I, who knew it was possible to defeat the Evil God, felt that way. It was no wonder Cornelia and the others were muttering breathlessly.
“Let’s go. This is what we came here for.”
I said it to steel myself, then, making up my mind, I stepped into the Demon God Castle.
◇
“Gargoyles, three from the front!”
Eleonore’s warning voice echoed through the Demon God Castle’s garden. Looking ahead, gargoyles that had been camouflaged as castle decorations were dropping down from above.
We were already fighting three gargoyles. An additional three gargoyles would be tough.
“Lily, release your magic restraints! Wreck ’em!”
“Mm!”
Lily’s magic activated instantly, and giant spears of sharp rock pierced through the garden floor, intercepting the gargoyles from below.
The satisfying sound of stone colliding with stone echoed, sending the three gargoyles flying into the air.
However—!
The gargoyles’ bodies were cracked, but not enough to defeat them.
The gargoyles, knocked into the air, spread their wings and glided towards us.
“Follow-up attack…!”
As Lily muttered, three stone spears materialized in front of her. It was Lily’s specialty, the Stone Javelin spell.
The Stone Javelins were launched the moment they appeared, and this time, they pierced and shattered the gargoyles.
“Hya!”
Just as the airborne gargoyles were dealt with, Cornelia cut down the last gargoyle on the ground. The cross-section of the gargoyle was a smooth surface, showcasing Cornelia’s high swordsmanship skill.
“Good work. Anyone hurt? Alright, shall we go? Ahead, there’s a corridor, and all the suits of armor decorating it are Living Armor, moving armor monsters. Watch out for surprise attacks. Their weak point is the red jewel on their chest. Aim for it and destroy it.”
“Understood. Um, Dee?”
“I know. I’ll answer your question about how I know all this later. For now, let’s hurry.”
“Understood. Also, I believe in you, Dee. No matter who you are, my love for you will not change.”
Eleonore. That’s pretty much like saying you love me, right? I’m happy about the sentiment, but I can’t imagine the modest Eleonore confessing so directly without meaning to. She probably doesn’t realize the meaning of her own words. She’s smiling, but Eleonore might be quite fatigued. I’d like to rest somewhere… but was there such a place?
I desperately tried to recall my memories from my past life, the game’s information.