Arcana Online

I was listening to a monster-like creature and a headless knight talking, and the whole situation was so suspicious it made my skin crawl.

From the way they were speaking about an invasion, and the countless troops pouring through the gate, I couldn’t help wondering if this had something to do with the quest I’d remembered before.

A spear gleaming in gold.

While I was hiding behind a stone monument and trying to take in the scene, my hand slipped onto the monument and I lurched forward with a dull thud.

In that instant, I felt a gaze settle on me.

Cold sweat prickling my back, I lifted my head and looked up. The monster was staring straight at me.

"Hello?"

"Why is a human here?"

"S-sorry!"

The headless knight, who had been trying to protect me only moments ago, dropped to one knee and begged.

"He’s just a young human who knows nothing!"

"And yet he’s learned of our existence."

The headless knight stepped in front of me, trying to block the being as it moved forward.

The monster drew a sword from its scabbard and pointed it at the headless knight.

"A knight who has lost his lord still goes on about chivalry?"

"......"

The monster let out a sigh and slid the sword back into its sheath.

"I have no intention of harming you. I only want a closer look, so move aside."

"Understood."

The headless knight stepped away, and the monster came closer to stare at me.

I clutched Yongyong tightly in my arms, my whole body tensing up.

"How curious. Even after seeing a human, I feel nothing at all."

The monster studied me for a long moment with obvious interest, then pointed in the opposite direction.

"Go."

Just as the headless knight was about to escort me away, a question sprang to mind.

"Excuse me!"

"Are you speaking to me?"

The monster, which had been about to turn away, stopped in place and looked back at me.

"I have a question. Are you after the World Tree by any chance?"

"How did you know that? Yes, you’re right."

"Why?"

At my question, it looked at me with renewed interest and answered.

"The world I live in—what humans call the Demon Realm—is becoming a land where nothing can survive because of pollution. A cursed land where even the undead can’t live."

"Even the undead? But they’re already dead, aren’t they?"

"That is precisely the problem."

It said the only way to cleanse the Demon Realm, which had fallen prey to an unexplained contamination, was with the World Tree.

So that was why they were invading to seize it.

"Then why not settle this peacefully?"

"And if I asked you to hand over the World Tree, how do you think the elves would react?"

"They’d probably stop you even if it cost them their lives...?"

Ah. So that was a no-go.

Then wasn’t there some better way?

At this rate, the Forest Tribe would suffer terrible damage.

And Elder, who had taken care of me, and Melin-nuna would be hurt too.

That was when I remembered the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠seed Melin-nuna had given me.

??? Seed

I had no idea what it was.

I took the seed out of my inventory and held it out in front of me.

"Can something like this be used for purification?"

"Th-that is..."

As it stared at the seed, looking flustered, something strange happened.

The monster dropped to its knees and begged me.

"Please. Save the Demon Realm."

"W-wait, why are you suddenly acting like this!? Please get up!"

I’d forgotten all about being scared and rushed over to the monster, telling it to get up already. Only then did it finally rise to its feet.

"I’ll help you, so please, get up!"

"Thank you! Then let us head straight to the Demon Realm!"

"That won’t work. I have something I was asked to deliver first, so I’m going to take care of that and come back."

"I understand. I shall wait for you."

I passed by the monster, which said it would wait until I returned, and went over to the headless knight.

He said he would guide me to the exit, so I followed him.

Then, in a low voice, he asked,

"Are you truly all right? The Demon Realm is a far more terrible place than you imagine."

"In the end, it’s just another neighborhood where people live, right? I’ll be fine."

Come to think of it, they weren’t people at all...?

Well, what could possibly happen?

At the cave entrance, I waved to the headless knight and told him I’d be back before long, then headed for Cradle Village.

Once I got to the village, I handed the mushrooms to Bell-nuna and completed the quest.

"You’re back already?"

"Yes! I found them really fast. And I don’t think I’ll be able to come here for a while."

"Travelers have to make travel their way of life. Can’t be helped, then. Be careful out there."

"Yes!"

After saying goodbye to Bell-nuna, I headed back to the cave.

When I entered the cave mouth, the headless knight was waiting for me.

Following him back to where I’d been before, I found that a massive red gateway had appeared there.

"If you use the gate, you can travel directly to the Demon Realm."

"Amazing."

"The environment will be quite different, but don’t worry. I’ve already informed them about you, so no one will lay a hand on you."

The moment I stepped through the gate and went inside—

I closed my eyes and opened them again, and above the dark sky hung two crimson moons.

Moonlight spilled over the land, revealing the shapes of everything around me—and every single thing looked bizarre. Trees that looked as though they’d been struck by lightning turned to stare at me, and something that resembled a massive boulder moved all on its own.

As I was looking around, a monster told me it was time to move.

"Let us head to the Demon King’s castle."

"A castle?"

"The lord of the Demon Realm. The castle where Lord Demon King resides."

More importantly, I couldn’t keep calling him a monster, or the headless knight, forever.

"What’s your name?"

"My name?"

After thinking about it for a long while, the monster said I could just call him by his race.

"Then what race are you?"

"An orc."

"An orc!?"

He did look a little similar, but only a little.

Staring suspiciously at the monster-like orc, I saw beads of cold sweat break out all over him.

"Ahem. The orcs of the Demon Realm are different from the orcs of the Middle Realm."

"The Middle Realm?"

"The world where humans live is called the Middle Realm."

As we talked our way along, I followed the orc and the headless knight beside him—no, the dulahan—down the road, and eventually a huge castle came into view in the distance.

A castle whose size was grand enough to take your breath away at a glance.

High overhead, enormous birds reduced to nothing but bone were flying through the air.

"Kkyuu!"

"Huh? That’s a dragon?"

"Kkyuuuu!"

Their proper name was a bone dragon.

If a dragon died without ever letting go of its attachment to life, it transformed into one of those.

Because of the deathly energy clinging to them, they couldn’t survive in the Middle Realm and had to live here in the Demon Realm instead.

Of the many bone dragons, a few spotted us and started to approach—then the moment their eyes met Yongyong’s—

"Kyaaaaaaah!"

With shrill screams, they turned tail and ran.

What was that about?

"What’s with them?"

"Kkyuu."

If you’ve lost your mind, at least do it gracefully. To think they’d disgrace themselves like that even after death, Yongyong ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clicked his tongue in disdain.

Following the orc and the dulahan into the castle, we found a long corridor. At the end of it stood a massive door, and when it opened, a throne room came into view.

Inside the throne room sat a gigantic throne, and all around it, countless monsters were staring at me.

Among them was the being seated upon the throne.

Jet-black hair and enormous horns.

Crimson eyes and lips as alluring as they were dangerous.

A being in a black Chinese dress, sitting with one leg crossed as she looked at me.

The ruler of the Demon Realm.

"A human!?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"How dare you speak so brazenly in front of Lord Demon King! Show proper respect!"

For a moment, I thought maybe I should at least kneel to one knee, but then something unexpected happened.

The bull-headed creature was flung clear across the room in an instant and slammed into the wall.

And the Demon King rose from her seat.

"To shout at a guest like that. How rude of you. I shall apologize in your stead."

The Demon King even bowed her head to me, and the whole room erupted into chaos.

"Lord Demon King! Please maintain your dignity!"

"Exactly! To think the ruler of the Demon Realm would—over something as trifling as a human..."

And then another one went flying into the wall.

When I said it was okay, she finally lifted her head and looked at me.

"How curious. This is the first human I’ve seen, yet are all beings such as you?"

"What!? N-no, that’s not it."

"Is that so? Then you must be special."

She approached me slowly, and for some reason the pressure was suffocating.

Not from the Demon King herself, but from all the eyes around us. Their expressions all said, How dare you with our Demon King?

The Demon King must have noticed something strange too, because she looked around the room—and just like that, everyone lowered their heads as if nothing had happened.

The moment she looked back at me, I felt that same gaze again.

Then she snapped her head up and stared at me.

No, why are you looking at me like that!?

The Demon King, now standing close enough to touch, introduced herself.

"My name is Echidna. My race is Demon God. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"My name is Yuna."

"Yuna. A good name."

She nodded and looked at me with interest.

"I have heard the story. May I see the object?"

I took the seed out of my inventory and showed it to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her. She stared at it in shock, muttering, "The World Tree’s seed," and then held out her hand to me.

"I beg you. Please save the Demon Realm."