Woooong!
With a powerful vibration, the dimensional rift above the heads of the three princesses of the Demon Realm began to expand gradually.
At one point, a threatening plasma arc erupted from the rift.
Pzzzzzt!
The multicolored, brilliant plasma arcs grew in size and spread in all directions.
At the same time, a fierce storm of causality arose from the dimensional passage and distorted spacetime.
"Ugh!"
Elizaveta and the other two princesses of the Demon Realm groaned in pain but poured their energy into maintaining the rift.
Zeke, who had been watching, extended his hand toward the rift.
Tsssss—
The shadow that rose from his body enveloped the three princesses and eroded the cracked dimensional rift.
Pzzzzzt—
Soon, the plasma that had spread in all directions was absorbed into the shadow.
Any plasma that leaked out midway was snatched up by Raven, who had emerged from the rift, and swallowed in one gulp with its beak.
Woooong!
As the shadow Zeke had summoned stabilized the unstable rift, the three princesses could now endure with less strain on their power than before.
However, the storm of causality still raged on, and the shaking of spacetime could still be felt.
Zeke kept the shadow's power steady and quietly opened his mouth.
[Stabilize.]
It was a word-binding infused with divinity, spoken in the Draconic Tongue.
At Zeke's word-binding, the storm of causality subsided, and spacetime stabilized.
The three princesses quickly widened the rift to form a passage.
Woooong!
The now-expanded passage stabilized and took on a circular shape.
Zeke gazed into the interior of the dimensional passage created by the princesses.
A castle resembling the architecture of Pandemonium existed beyond the passage.
Zeke slowly levitated his body.
Arataso, behind him, mounted his horse and followed Zeke.
As Zeke approached the passage, an immense backlash swept through the mansion's interior.
Rumble rumble rumble!
But when Zeke raised his hand, the fierce waves subsided, and the dimension stabilized once more.
Zeke extended his hand, pierced the dimensional barrier blocking the passage, and stepped inside.
Pzzzzzt—
The law of karma tried to block Zeke from crossing the dimension, but it was futile.
His constellation title was "He Who Surpassed the Wall." No wall could stop Zeke.
Woooong!
Having crossed the dimensional wall, Zeke and Arataso entered the passage.
It felt as if someone had suddenly yanked him, pulling him somewhere.
Rumble rumble rumble—
At the same time, the dimensional passage through which he had entered closed completely, and Zeke and Arataso were drawn along as if being pulled.
Tsssss—
Feeling that they had arrived, Zeke looked around and found that the scenery had changed to the interior of the castle.
"This must be Mephistopheles's domain."
The castle's interior was adorned with antique decorations.
Arataso, beside him, exclaimed in surprise.
[Oh! That's a rare piece of pottery from the days of Babel. Oh, and that one's hard to find these days too!]
True to his interest in art, Arataso marveled at the various artworks that decorated Mephistopheles's castle.
"For a demon, he has quite refined tastes." At Zeke's words, Arataso nodded.
[Mephistopheles may not be trustworthy, but it's hard to deny that he has the finest aesthetic sense in the Demon Realm.]
As they admired the artworks, someone appeared before Zeke and Arataso.
"Welcome. We greet you to the depths of Pandemonium, the city of intellect and art." A slender woman in a maid outfit bowed politely to the two of them.
Turning his gaze from the artworks, Zeke realized the maid was not a living being but an automaton.
He asked Arataso, his vassal, via telepathy.
—Is this part of Mephistopheles's tastes as well?
—I wouldn't know about that, but I do remember he once assembled a combat unit made entirely of similar-looking automatons.
—Why make a combat unit out of maids...?
—Who can fathom the mind of an archdemon?
As they conversed, the maid took another step toward Zeke, bowed her head, and spoke in a courteous voice.
"My master has ordered me to escort the lord. The castle's paths are complex, so allow me to guide you."
Zeke nodded at the maid's words.
He followed the maid with Arataso toward where Mephistopheles was.
At the same time, he tried to gauge the maid's capabilities.
"More sophisticated than the doll Germain of the Nostra Family used as a clone."
Initially reminded of Germain, he now compared it to the golems of the Nirvana Family and Mephistopheles's automaton.
The head of the Nirvana Family had unraveled the theory of 9th-Circle magic and found a clue to creating golems capable of automatic full repair.
That was an astonishing advancement, but even so, Nirvana's golems could not move or act as naturally as the automaton before him, which resembled a human.
They could only faithfully execute pre-programmed commands.
"If this maid were armed with magic and artifacts, she could handle combat without issue."
If the seemingly delicate exterior led to complacency, only for it to unleash merciless bombardment, it could deliver unexpected damage.
Zeke thought Mephistopheles might have designed automatons with such appearances to exploit enemies' blind spots.
As Zeke pondered, the maid stopped before a lavish and grand door.
She extended her hand, and a magic circle rose from the back of her hand, reacted with the door's lock, and opened it automatically.
Rumble rumble rumble!
As the door opened, an astonishing sight unfolded within.
"Ahahaha!"
Surprisingly, a large swimming pool filled the spacious room, and a man with purple hair played in the water in swimwear with several women.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Loud music blared from all directions, a female bartender mixed cocktails at the poolside bar, and other women played pocket billiards or various games.
Zeke and Arataso gaped at the scene.
"...Wasn't this supposed to be the city of intellect and art?"
With over a dozen women in swimwear leisurely enjoying the party, it was hard not to feel bewildered.
But the maid who had brought them approached the man playing with the other women in the pool and whispered something.
The man immediately emerged from the pool and rushed toward Zeke, still dripping wet.
"Zeke Draker! Welcome!"
A handsome man with long purple hair and geometric tattoos covering his body.
He was Mephistopheles, the Demon Archlord of the Demon Realm and one of the five great lords, titled "The Master of the Irresistible Contract."
Mephistopheles grinned and placed a hand on Zeke's shoulder. "I knew you'd come here. As a new lord with the qualifications, that is." He winked charmingly at Arataso behind Zeke.
"It's been a while, Captain of the Dawn. Back to your original form, you look radiant. Buer
—that is, 'Clear Verdant Aspirationʼ—might feel a bit jealous."
The unit Arataso had led, Morning Star 1st Battalion, was commonly called the Dawn Battalion, so Mephistopheles addressed him as such.
[The captain will respect my choice.]
"Well, it was a temporary transfer from the start. I don't mind."
Mephistopheles said that to Arataso, then turned his gaze, patted Zeke's shoulder, and spoke to him.
"Come on, this way. Or would you like to get a bit wet too? Time flies when you're having fun here."
Zeke furrowed his brow at Mephistopheles's words and shook his head.
The archdemon hadn't expected Zeke, the most strict and diligent among human knights, to join in the poolside revelry.
"I figured as much. Come, this way. Captain of the Dawn, wait here for a bit. Take off that stuffy armor and relax."
With those words, Mephistopheles led Zeke past the pool into an inner chamber.
Just one room away, the scenery changed completely.
A grand library appeared, its vast space filled floor-to-ceiling with countless books.
Mephistopheles, still in swimwear moments ago, was now dressed in a neat suit.
Mephistopheles personally guided Zeke to the reception desk in the center of the library and offered him a seat.
As the two sat, a maid appeared from somewhere with freshly brewed tea.
Mephistopheles lifted his teacup and savored the aroma.
"I always take a break with black tea around this time. I heard you like tea, so I prepared a fine variety. Give it a try."
Zeke wondered just how far his tea preferences were known.
Without responding, he lifted his cup, inhaled the aroma, and sipped.
Mephistopheles looked intrigued and asked Zeke.
"How does it compare to the teas of the Phenomenal World?"
"...It's not familiar, but it's good."
Mephistopheles's face lit up with satisfaction at those words.
"Getting that evaluation from you makes me happy." He savored his tea and continued.
"Do you know how long it's been since an outsider other than the other lords entered this space? It's the first time in centuries. So forgive me if I seem a bit excited." Zeke nodded at his words.
Then, glancing at the various maids standing around, he asked.
"Those automatons are all your creations, I assume."
Mephistopheles smiled warmly at Zeke's question and replied.
"Yes, all my masterpieces. They move naturally, think for themselves, and even express emotions to some degree. Hard to see them as mere dolls, isn't it?" Indeed, his automatons showed no outward difference from living beings.
Zeke looked at him and spoke again.
"The ones outside seem to be automatons too."
The women in swimwear who had laughed and chatted with Mephistopheles in the pool.
Some mixed cocktails, others played pocket billiards, and still others conversed.
But none among them were truly alive, with souls.
At Zeke's words, Mephistopheles's expression changed.
"That's right. They're all beings I created."
He spoke in a tone laced with self-mockery and ennui.
Seeing Mephistopheles's reaction, Zeke pondered briefly and asked.
"Mephistopheles, are you trapped here right now?"
At Zeke's question, the smile vanished from Mephistopheles's face in an instant.
The domain of an archdemon no one could enter.
Aside from other archdemons who could withstand its dimensional power, no one could approach recklessly.
Even the three princesses—top-tier demons and adopted daughters of the archdemon— suffered the backlash of causality just from opening a rift to reach this place.
Thus, the only being that could exist in the depths of Pandemonium was Mephistopheles himself.
Mephistopheles did not answer Zeke's question immediately.
Soon, he lowered his head, and his shoulders began to shake.
Then, he suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"Khahaha, khahahaha!"
The laughter grew and echoed through the entire library.
Zeke showed no reaction to the cackling archdemon.
After laughing for a while, Mephistopheles abruptly stopped.
Unlike his initial impression, a hint of madness gleamed in his eyes.
Mephistopheles brushed back his long purple hair and looked at Zeke.
"Zeke Draker, you're different indeed. Unlike any constellation or demon I've seen so far." He sat back down and snapped his fingers.
A hookah device, commonly smoked by mages of the desert regions, appeared on the table.
Unlike before, Mephistopheles now wore a languid expression as he placed the pipe in his mouth and inhaled.
He exhaled sweet-scented smoke and said to Zeke.
"You're right, Zeke Draker. I... no, all us lords are imprisoned in cages we made ourselves."
The smoke from his mouth gradually filled the surroundings.
Mephistopheles gazed at Zeke with hazy eyes and spoke again.
"The Arrogant Savior, the soul of the only free great lord..."
The smoke enveloped Zeke's body and began seeping into it.
At the same time, Mephistopheles's eyes darkened, and his voice changed.
[I suppose I'll have to take that for myself.]