Chapter 137 - Volume 7 (2/2)

As Kanzo called out in front of a huge door with finely cut motifs …… it opened slowly, with a creak.

In the dim gloom, there was a dazzling spectacle reminiscent of a royal palace.

However, neither the shine of spectacular decorations nor red of the carpets remained, and the rotten areas were abandoned, while on the throne, protected by a knight who had become only bones, sat a black figure.

[…… Why. If it isn’t the Hero of Gamble……]

It wasn’t a human. Sounding like a wind blowing through a cave, wrapped up in a jet-black robe that seemed as if it were cut from the darkness was a silver skeleton with a red glow in its empty eye sockets.

Elder Lich.

The culmination of a mad magician who had mastered necromancy. Among the monsters that surpassed death, it was said to be the greatest.

“You have a poor complexion, as usual……”

[…… Well, I’m already dead.]

It seemed that the Elder Lich didn’t want to hear such things from her either.

Kanzo and the Elder Lich weren’t hostile to one another.

In this place in the past, they’d fought, and the Hero Kanzo had won, but she couldn’t completely vanquish him, winning only barely while losing half of her subordinates.

Kanzo didn’t think that she’d lose now if they fought, but a flawless victory was impossible.

Although the winner and loser had long been determined between them, and they were cooperating now, there was a subtle tension between the two.

“Did that little girl pretending to be a Saint come here?”

[……Haha. She hasn’t been here. There seems to be intruders, but aren’t those your subordinates?]

“What…… Do you not have the surveillance camera footage of them?”

[Camera…… Is that a recording device that the Heroes from several generations ago spread? It’s only weaker, more recent dungeon masters who have such things. Well, did you manage to do *that*?]

Kanzo’s eyebrow cocked up a little at the Elder Lich’s last words.

“There was still that matter, huh. Here, look at this.”

The Elder Lich caught the thing that Kanzo threw towards him casually with a single hand.

[………Hohoh. Well done. Is it complete…?]

It was a small magic stone that had the glow and look of a gem.

Magic stones were usually things that were the crystallization of magic within magical beasts that were embedded within their bodies.

The magic beasts who could not use magic power techniques and didn’t exhibit their powers intentionally, but, rather, sent magic power throughout their bodies through their blood. Because of that, it gathered up in the heart and formed a stone, but since it was crystallized from blood, it was usually black or dark red.

At that time, Kanzo realized that a mana stone was attached to the ancient treasures of the Elder Lich, and that it was shining like a gem, and when she heard about it, she found out that it was possible to make a different color of magic stone with a special environment and controlling for the quality of the magic power.

Although the mana stone that was jewel-like had come out of the body of a demonic dragon that had lived for thousands for years, Kanzo thought that it could be artificially done, and repeated various experiments with different magic powers in zombies with the power of the Elder Lich.

Kanzo was dissatisfied.

Mana stones that were supposed to be attached to ornaments that were supposed to be beautiful could not be dirty black.

She didn’t think that there was any point for it as a magic tool, but if it was a beautiful gem there was nothing better for her.

However.

“…… It’s an accidental discovery. I bought it from the adventurer’s guild of Krishare, but the zombies that went there seemed to have absorbed some magic power and then turned out like this.”

[Hoohh……]

“I’ll give it to you. Since I’ll be in town for a while, please investigate what kind of magic power it is.”

[…… Got it.]

As the loser, the Elder Lich was reluctant but accepted it.

Those [Mass Zombie Outbreaks] that happened in Gamble and in the north, which had brought down a number of villages and caused a large number of deaths, had begun with Kanzo’s selfishness.

Kanzo didn’t stop it at all even though she knew that there had been a large number of victims.

[……Wait.]

“Oh?”

The Elder Lich stopped Kanzo, who had turned her back to leave to search for the Saint.

[……The middle layer…… I feel a strong magic power around the corpse warehouse. Is that the person you’re looking for?]

“…… The deadhouse.”

There was a warehouse where a large number of corpses were gathered in the middle layer.

It was impossible to use the usual procedures to enter, and the dead bodies were sent out of the dungeon one by one from there, and when Kanzo visited previously, a couple dozen zombies started to move at her, and it became troublesome.

“Oh, well. It’ll be quite amusing to see the little girl being attacked by zombies. Fufufu…… Well, I’ll be going with you then.”

[…… Don’t break too many things.]

“Fufu, I’m going to be careful.”

Not breaking things, would this be for the dungeon or the Saint……?

Kanzo thought that the Saint managed to get away *by chance* and headed there.

[………]

As he watched Kanzo leave, and the big door closed behind her, the Elder Lich quietly stood up from his throne, kneeling towards the darkness behind the throne, and gently and quietly bowed his head.

[It is as you said. ……Demon Princess.]

In response to that voice, the gloominess of the surroundings darkened a little. Cutting apart the darkness, a girl with beautiful golden eyes and hair stood.

“Yes, it was well-acted, Richard.”

Kanzo didn’t know, but the Princess of the Demon World, who had even given a “name” to this Elder Lich, bestowed upon him a gentle smile for his efforts……

And the Elder Lich received his signed autograph to [Richard-kun] from [Demon Lady Yurushia], carrying it as if it were a precious treasure.

Author’s Notes:

She’s an idol.

Next time, the Demon’s cruel hands, reach out for the elegant Hero.