The Demonic Realm (4)
It defied all imagination.
That was Arhen’s very first thought upon setting foot in the Demonic Realm.
This was a perilous expanse where most priests and nuns feared to tread, trembling at the mere thought of entering. Yet the Saint of this generation had stepped forward without an ounce of dread, braving the frozen hellscape to rescue countless souls. To the soldiers stationed here, who balanced on the precipice between life and death every waking moment, it would have been far stranger not to adore her. She had willingly offered her own flesh and life force to drag the fallen back from death's door; it was only natural that they revered Aria as though she were a living goddess.
"..."
Arhen quietly regarded the girl sitting before her.
While she did not know every intimate detail of what had transpired in this northern wasteland, it wasn't hard to piece together. The way the battle-hardened soldiers doted on her like overprotective fools, worshipping her like a divinity descended upon mortal soil, made it abundantly clear how much agony she had endured. To put it bluntly, Aria must have died an uncountable number of times.
‘Eris...’
The Saint who had sacrificed herself for the sake of the world.
Now, Arhen was the only living soul who still remembered that girl. Though they had merely managed to seal the Demon King rather than vanquish him, even that desperate seal would have been impossible without Eris; the world would have succumbed to the apocalyptic calamity and burned to ash. Yet up until the moment of her death—until the very instant her essence dissolved into nothingness—Eris had maintained a gentle smile. As agonizing and unbearable as it was, she had never ceased wielding her divine authority to save others.
Having witnessed that tragic end with her own eyes, Arhen could not simply stand by and watch Aria follow the same horrific path.
"[What brings you here to speak with me?]"
Should she consider it a blessing that the girl had not lost her childlike innocence?
Even after arriving in the Demonic Realm, before the formal reception had properly concluded, Aria had radiated untainted purity toward everyone, including the Grand Duke. Remembering that scene brought a faint smile to Arhen's lips. Yet if she continued to expend her miraculous authority without regard for her own shattered body, then one day...
The fleeting warmth vanished from Arhen’s face.
At the very least, she had to prevent Aria from crumbling before the Demon King was vanquished. That much was imperative. And yet...
"..."
This world never allowed a Saint to rest in peace.
Arhen exhaled a silent, heavy sigh.
"This isn't necessarily a conversation meant for a private visit, but... there is something I wish to discuss. No, something I must tell you. That is why I carved out this time."
"[Something you must tell me...?]"
"...As you likely know, I was once a member of the Party of Salvation. In this day and age, virtually every citizen of the Empire is aware of that fact."
Having attained the realm of Archmage—a being capable of bending the very laws of the world—she had transcended aging and survived across centuries. She had lived for hundreds of years. Naturally, since a Saint only manifested when impending doom loomed over creation, no Saint had appeared during that long era of relative peace. Centuries ago, however, things had been different.
"During the Calamity War, when the realm was being ravaged by the Empire’s brutal war of conquest... the Demon King seized on humanity's exhausted state to launch an invasion."
"[I am aware. The northern territories collapsed beneath the weight of that war—a frozen region whose people primarily worshiped Solanis, the God of the Sun.]"
"Indeed. That land was the very driving force behind the Empire's prosperity, as vast veins of magic stone were unearthed there."
Then, one day, an emperor consumed by the mad ambition to bring the entire continent to heel declared war. Countless demi-human slaves were dragged into the northern mines, forced to excavate mountains of magic stones to fuel the machinery of conquest.
And then, the Demon King struck.
"A calamity descended."
A monstrous disaster befell the north.
Quite literally, an enormous demonic beast.
Arhen closed her eyes, drawn back into the horrors of that memory. A beast stretching dozens of meters in height, cloaked in fur as stark white as bone. A creature whose mere presence summoned violent squalls of mana and howled with blizzards cold enough to freeze reality itself. Recalling that golden-eyed abomination that had introduced itself as the Lord of Nastron, cold sweat pricked Arhen’s brow. She seated herself and continued her explanation.
The moment that living calamity descended, the northern territories—once hailed as the heart of the Empire—had collapsed without even a chance to mount a defense. Vile beasts emerging from the Demon Realm carved out their own deadly ecosystem, transforming the north into a perpetual wasteland of ice and snow. Eventually, the miracle known as the Party of Salvation managed to seal that beast deep beneath the earth.
"They say the demonic beasts have been acting strangely of late."
"[Yes, they have.]"
"Bringing the students here on a field excursion was partly for pedagogical reasons, but my primary objective was to inspect the state of that beast's seal. I could not justify abandoning the Academy solely on an unconfirmed hunch, after all."
"[Ah... Is that why we came here...?]"
"Every soul in the Empire knows of the two long years of selfless devotion you poured into this place. I apologize if bringing you back here stirred up painful memories."
Arhen bowed her head, genuine remorse heavy in her voice. A startled Aria swiftly conveyed that it was quite all right, yet Arhen maintained her bowed posture for a moment longer before slowly lifting her chin.
"Grand Duke Valencia mentioned that you once plummeted off a cliff, correct?"
"[Ah... Yes, that did happen.]"
"The people you encountered then are likely the remnants of the tribes who survived when that demonic beast laid waste to the northern territories centuries ago."
"[...I did see them. They were the ones who rescued me after I fell.]"
Well, the truth was slightly more complicated than that.
‘I warned them before leaving that a demonic beast would awaken here soon... Wonder if they managed to escape in one piece.’
She had warned them in advance so they wouldn't end up dead, giving them a chance to prepare for the monster's awakening. Sure, she had only encountered them a handful of times in the original game and had barely interacted with them since transmigrating into this world, but they were living, breathing people nonetheless. Aria genuinely didn't want them getting slaughtered.
Falling down the ravine hadn't been intentional, but they had carried her battered, unconscious body to safety after she took the dive. As a small token of gratitude, she had simply dropped the intel that a cataclysmic beast was stirring. She figured that would scare them into packing up and getting out of dodge.
However...
"I intend to meet with them."
"[...Pardon?]"
Arhen's calm declaration that she planned to track them down and speak with them made Aria freeze solid. There had never been a story beat in the original game about meeting and conversing with those survivors. This sudden departure from the script threw her completely off-kilter.
‘Wait... Hold on a second.’
Come to think of it, in the original game, visiting the Demonic Realm and triggering a boss raid against the resurrected beast was an identical event sequence. Had the original expedition always been about inspecting the barrier, only for some unforeseen incident to trigger the beast's revival right then and there? As that realization dawned on her, Aria bowed her head, sinking into deep contemplation.
Facing the beast was an undeniable necessity.
‘For Evan to grow—and for me, too—we need to clash with a calamity-grade beast at least once.’
If they avoided confronting it, nothing catastrophic would happen right away, which sounded great on paper. But looking at the bigger picture, Evan had to face an even nastier monstrosity during the upcoming final exams. If he hadn't undergone his proper awakening by then, he wouldn't be able to do squat. And what happened if the Hero was utterly helpless?
‘What else? Total party wipe, that’s what.’
In any case, to prevent such a disastrous game-over, she needed to use this golden opportunity to trigger his first awakening. And to keep a firm grip on the reins and steer the situation however she needed, accompanying them in person was non-negotiable.
‘Should I bring Evan along too?’
Everyone present already knew he was the Hero anyway. Although the beast hadn't fully awakened yet, descending into a ravine teeming with vicious demonic fiends alongside a Swordmaster like Grand Duke Valencia and an Archmage like Arhen would serve as top-tier exp grinding and combat experience.
Well... she doubted the natives would still be hanging around down there. Still, on the off chance that a few stragglers had stayed behind, going down to check wouldn't hurt. Which meant...
"[In that case, wouldn't it be wise to bring Brother Evan along as well?]"
"Evan... You mean the current generation's Hero?" Arhen asked, a look of mild puzzlement washing over her features.
Dragging him along under the pretense of 'giving him good field experience' sounded unnatural and suspicious, so Aria needed a convenient excuse. Fortunately, Evan had just the companion for the job hanging at his hip.
"[I thought Lady Estel might be able to offer valuable insight and counsel.]"
"Ah... True enough. If that chatterbox is involved, having her present would certainly be an asset. Very well, let us bring Evan. With both myself and Grand Duke Valencia accompanying him, it hardly poses any real danger."
Bingo.
‘Nice...!’
Everything was falling neatly into place. Aria cheered inwardly, keeping her triumphant grin strictly out of sight.