Chapter 14: Demon’s Lair – 03
I ran down the corridor and returned to the edge of the rocky cliff, peering out into the expanse below.
What lay before me was a desolate landscape. A horde of Demons was marching in formation across the barren ground.
I wondered where they were headed, and as I followed their path with my eyes, I spotted a distant black dot far off in the horizon.
The moment I saw it, a jolt of electricity ran down my spine. That was undoubtedly the Gate to Another World.
The Demons were rushing toward the Gate. However, in comparison to the Demons, the Gate appeared to be only about two meters in diameter. Even the smallest of the Demons, which were at least five meters wide, could not possibly fit through that opening.
Yet, the Demons were forcing their bodies into the hole. Naturally, they couldn’t pass through, and as their comrades pushed in from behind, they were crushed and perished one after another.
Of course, the Demons that died transformed into black particles, but then something strange occurred. Those black particles were being sucked into the Gate.
“The Gate is expanding…?”
In the end, nearly all the Demons were crushed and vanished. However, as a result, it seemed that the Gate had subtly grown larger.
Regardless, the fact that the Gate was open was extremely important to me.
I descended the cliff and ran toward the Gate.
A few Demons remained around the Gate, but I crushed them without any particular trouble.
The Gate before me was an oval shape, about two meters tall and one meter wide, and it was certainly large enough for me to enter with ease.
I took a tree out of my Item Box and put it in and out of the Gate, and it seemed there were no issues.
I glanced back at the rocky cliff I had just come from. The Demon Generation Device was concerning, but what mattered most to me was returning to my original world. There were several thoughts I had about the Gate before me, but I could consider them later. After all, this was not the time to investigate in such an irregular situation.
With a sigh, I prayed that it would lead me back to my original world and stepped into the black hole.
On the other side of the Gate, it seemed I had entered a forest.
Considering the sunlight, it was probably around evening. The trees and grass around me looked familiar, so it appeared I had returned to my original world.
When I turned around, the Gate was still open at the same size. If left unattended, it would likely expand gradually, allowing Demons to emerge.
That said, I had no way to close it right now. I tried hitting it with my mace, but there was no response, and it passed right through. From what I had seen earlier, it seemed there was still some time before the opening would be large enough for the Demons to pass through, so for now, I had no choice but to leave it be. I would have to come up with a plan when I reached the nearest town, but I didn’t even know where I was at the moment.
Looking around, it appeared I was somewhere on the mountainside. As I directed my gaze down the slope, I could see a vast plain stretching out through the gaps in the branches. A single road ran through the fresh greenery, resembling a larger highway. I let out a sigh of relief and began walking toward it.
After about an hour, I reached the foot of the mountain. I walked along the flatlands for a while until I came across a stone-paved road.
The road seemed to stretch north and south. I wanted to ask someone for directions, but there was no one nearby. I hesitated about which way to go, but as I squinted, I spotted what looked like a fortress city to the north. It appeared to be quite large, even bigger than Barbadoza, the capital of Count Lautrec’s Domain. However, I didn’t recognize the surrounding scenery, so it seemed it was not a city I had visited before.
I decided to head in that direction. I wanted to reach a town as soon as possible, so I broke into a run. However, after running for a while, I noticed something odd.
The fortress city ahead was enormous, and the road I was on was correspondingly wide, yet there were remarkably few people and carriages passing by.
I had already run about seven or eight kilometers, but I had encountered fewer than ten people. The traffic volume was impossibly low for the Kingdom of Vermillion.
I called out to a middle-aged man who looked like a traveler, heading toward me from the fortress city.
“Excuse me, what is the name of that city over there?”
“Huh? That’s Mekkera, the capital of Mecalinan.”
The man looked annoyed but provided the necessary information.
“Mecalinan? The Mecalinan Country located east of Oz Country?”
“There’s only one Mecalinan on this continent. You look like an adventurer; did you really come all this way without knowing that?”
“Yes, I have my reasons…”
I replied, but internally, I was quite shocked. I never expected that the other side of the Gate would lead me to the infamous Mecalinan Country, and so close to the capital at that.
“It might be unnecessary to say, but don’t do anything reckless in this country. You’ll get caught and end up as a slave in no time. Oh, but I guess adventurers don’t have to worry about slavery. Still, be careful.”
“I’ll take your advice.”
“Also, there are rumors that war is imminent in this country. I just left the capital after hearing that. If you’re an adventurer, it might be better to head to another country quickly. Well, that’s assuming you can get out of this one.”
“Is it difficult to leave the country?”
“Yeah, like I said, tensions are high with the talk of war. And even if you go to the capital, you won’t find any good food. The nobles hoard everything, and even in the capital, there’s hardly any decent food for commoners.”
“Is that the situation? I understand, thank you.”
After thanking the man, I resumed my run toward the fortress city… the capital of Mecalinan.