Welcome to the Impregnable Demon King Castle

248 – Respective Fanservice 1

「They said it’s gonna be done through a lottery.」

「Lottery?」

I tilt my head at Wraith’s statement.

We are in the courtyard of the inn that Wraith and co. are staying at.

It’s an inn that handles all sorts of races, consisting of four buildings. Although the buildings are sectioned off depending on the customer’s physique or lifestyle, they are able to meet up in the courtyard.

All of the party members, except for Melania, sat around a table. Both the table and the chairs were made of wood.

The Half-Cyclops Melania was crouching nearby.

It was midday. Melania’s shadow provided shade for our table. This made it feel pretty nice and cool.

「Right, right. I came to talk about how the matching for the second stage is gonna be decided via a lottery.」

「Ah, I see. So it’s going to be a lottery.」

As I nod, Josh was reminded of something and said…

「You do sorta see this sorta in sports games and stuff, right?」

「Is that so?」

I don’t really know much about anything that isn’t related to Adventuring, so I didn’t know.

Even Melania went「Hwoah…」in admiration.

Fran was absentmindedly staring at a tree that was planted in the courtyard. In time with the swaying of the leaves, the sunlight streaming through the leaves changed shape along with the rustling sound of the leave, as if the light were changing shape.

「Yeah, it’s just as Josh said, and just like those sports ones, it looks like this is gonna broadcast online as well.」

I see, this is probably in order to draw attention to the event starting from the matching phase.

「Also, at least the leader of the party has to participate, but the whole party going along should be fine too.」

「It would certainly be complicated if a hundred parties gathered in one place just to draw a lottery.」

「By the way, the place they’re holding the lottery is in this town.」

A hundred parties will be split into four groups by drawing a lottery.

Each group will hold a tournament, and only the party that rises to the top of each group will move on to the third and final stage.

In other words, only four parties, totaling twenty people, will be able to do battle with the legends.

We are currently in the town where the Impregnable Demon King Castle resides.

Then after the lottery, each group will head to the towns where the north, east, south, west Demon King Castles reside.

That’s right, the tournaments will happen in the stages set up within each Demon King Castle.

Of course, the final stage will happen in the Impregnable Demon King Castle.

Her Highness and Fellow may be at odds ideologically, but she cannot refuse to turn it into the place to welcome back my master.

「Just so you know, I’ll take a long time to get there if no one comes with me.」

「You’ll get lost. Definitely.」

Fran switched her gaze from the sunlight streaming through the leaves to Wraith and declared that.

「I always get there in the end.」

「I’ll go with you. To make sure you don’t get lost.」

「Yeah, yeah. I figured you’d say that.」

Wraith and Fran, currently it feels like I shouldn’t get in the way of these two.

If this were them making plans to go out, I can read the room and be silent, but this is a precious opportunity that I cannot miss to see the fierce combatants that will be moving on to the second stage.

「I’ll go too.」

Following that, Josh and Melania also said that they’ll go along.

In the end, it turned out that the entire Wraith party will be going to the lottery.

Then, on the day itself.

The venue was at a Dungeon different from the Demon King Castle.

There are two Dungeons in this town.

The first is, of course, the Impregnable Demon King Castle. The hardest Dungeon to Clear in the industry.

The second is the Intermediate Level – Dungeon of Departure.

There are barely any Clear videos on the internet for this Dungeon.

In collaboration with Schools, this is a Dungeon especially for the use of the training and tests of its students.

There are very few Dungeons that can do mock Dungeon Clears, so Adventurer trainees from Schools all over the country come here.

Those who conquer this Dungeon leave this town and travel across the world, and eventually aiming to end up back in this town again.

To take on the hardest Dungeon that towers over their town of departure.

…Or so they say. I didn’t go to School, so I don’t really know much about it.

Fenix and Alba seemed to have because they mentioned how nostalgic it was to be back in that town when we first attempted to clear the Demon King Castle.

That aside…

We are at the Intermediate Level – Dungeon of Departure.

Its entrance is a hole on a giant boulder enshrined in the middle of the town. After walking to the center of the boulder, you continue down the basement using a spiral staircase.

Once you surpass this unexpected sensation, you reach a door, and just past it is the reception desk.

…This is, of course, if you were a normal visitor.

But what we use this time is something else.

Since one hundred parties will be gathering here, just using the staff-only back door is not good enough. If all the parties gather at the same time, it’ll get crowded, and the parties who got here first will be waiting quite a while for it all to be sorted out.

So, they turned to using a Teleportation Recording Stone.

In the facilities that are lent out to the Festival management committee, Teleportation Recording Stones connected to the Dungeon Core are set in place.

With this, you are able to teleport from various facilities to the lottery venue within the Dungeon.

There are five facilities designated as meeting spots, including the back door.

The staff concluded that a maximum of twenty parties per spot is acceptable, and this is assuming that each party comes as a whole party, which not all will.

On the day, as we continued on the route laid out for us by Fellow, we understood his intention.

「Ah, so that’s it. Seems like something that old guy would do.」

Said Wraith, smiling. While smiling, he waves.

「Wrai~th!」
「Oh my gosh, is that the Water Hero? He’s smaller than in the videos~. So cu~te.」
「Ah, he’s smiling. No way… I can tell he’s a genius from the shape of his face… His smile could kill…」

Shrill voices rang out.

Not waiting to go out, but waiting to come in.

After following the route as instructed to some extent, they appeared.

A barricade was put in place to stop the citizens from getting in the athletes’ way.

And, of course, the general public gathered in a row to see those who have advanced to the second stage.

…I see. Did info accidentally leak out from somewhere that fans might be able to meet the parties advancing to the second stage?

Or rather, was it intentionally leaked out? This will hype up the All-Heaven Festival Contest even more.

This truly is very much like Fellow.

「Aha. Thanks for your support, ladies.」

Wraith was throwing around glittering smiles at them.

Their screams got even higher and even louder.

At the same time, I could…hear the sound of Fran’s giant fist gripping tightly.

「Oh my gosh, it’s Fran. Wraith’s childhood friend.」
「S-so cute… She’s like a moving doll.」

Fran was unresponsive to all these voices.

「Told ya, Fran. There are people who get you.」

Wraith said so happily, to which Fran’s shoulders jolted.

「…I don’t care…」

Her expressions are very hard to read, but her anger seemed to dissipate.

From a different area, this voice could be heard.

「That white-haired person… He’s so handsome…」
「Oh, it’s the White Sorcerer Josh. She’s so pretty.」
「What? Is she a woman?」
「I’m not sure.」

Perhaps able to hear them, Josh had a bitter smile on his face.

「I’m a guy… Do I really look that much like a woman?」

During the Original Dungeon investigation, even I could barely tell when I first saw him, so I didn’t say a word.

「It’s the giant girl… She’s…smaller than I thought she’d be.」
「No, she’s still big, though… But I guess it’s ’cause she’s a Half Cyclops?」
「Even her eye is huge… I’m so jealous.」
「That’s ’cause she’s a Cyclops…but I totally get you…」

Indeed, I don’t dare bring it up myself, but all the members of the Wraith party, excluding one, have exceedingly impressive appearances.

The excluded one is, of course, me.

「How about that guy in black?」
「Hm? Mm, he’s that Black Sorcerer, right? I think they were saying how great he was on TV.」
「Right, right. That Aerial guy said he wanted to fight him or something, right? Was that after the preliminaries? But that’s still pretty amazing, right?」

News about me started colliding with each other.

「Wasn’t her formerly of the Fenix party? He’s super good.」
「Really? …Ah, I remember hearing this. That Alba chased him out. If he’s so good, why would Alba do that?」
「…That…’cause…he’s too plain? I heard that Black Sorcerers aren’t really needed.」
「I guess there are few parties that have them. Then…why did Wraith choose to add him in?」
「That’s why I said he’s super good.」
「Huh, so it’s based on his ability? Cool.」

The number of criticisms that were usually hurled at me when I was in the Fenix party has decreased somewhat.

Of course, society’s outlook on Black Sorcerers won’t be changed in a day, and there are still probably a lot of people who doubt my true abilities.

But something has definitely changed.

While it’s sad that they don’t remember my name, there are a plethora of Adventurers so I can’t blame them.

I’ll just try my best to be one that they can remember.

Proceeding a little further forward, I could hear clamoring voices coming from somewhat further ahead.

Carried by the wind, something else came by along with the cheers of the crowd.

「…Snow.」

Muttered Fran.

Even though this isn’t the right season, snowflakes danced about the air.

The answer to this puzzling sight is simple, magic.

「It’s Aunt Snow.」

Said Wraith.

To call the world’s 6th ranked Snow-White Hero that way…no, in his case, he might actually be acquainted with her.

For someone like Wraith, whose father is the Unyielding Hero Altreed, he even calls Aerial Uncle Air. If she’s an acquaintance of his father’s, then it isn’t strange that he calls her that.

「You know the Snow-White Hero?」

Wraith nodded at Josh’s question.

「Yeah, she’s dropped by the house a few times. We even have a signed copy of her book at home.」

「You have a signed copy of the author Snow’s book?!」

Josh raised his voice in surprise.

「Huh? Yeah. What? You a fan?」

「No-not really…well…I did read her book a lot when I was a kid.」

Josh confirms with a slightly red face and clearing his throat.

「That so? Well, when this is all over, I’ll ask her to sign your book.」

「Eh?!」

「Author…Snow…?」

Melania’s voice could be heard coming from a little above our heads.

「Yeah, the Snow-White Hero Snow is a famous picture book author. Her Snow Kid from Winterland series is especially famous. The bookstore in my countryside hometown didn’t carry it, but there were two books in Fenix’s house, so I read it when I was young.」

Once upon a time, in a land with nothing but snow, a young little snowman was born. The little snowman cried tears out of loneliness, but then he heard a voice from the heavens. In this country, much like you, life dwells in things that are shaped by snow.

So then, the boy set about to make a friend out of snow with all his might.

He made a fellow snowman, a four-legged snow creature of his own imagination, and a creature that can fly in the sky.

The boy obtained a joyous life bursting with friends, but among them, there was one with hate in their heart…

Or so the story goes.

「I see…」

Melania nodded along, fully invested.

Snow’s age is in the latter half of thirty, but she still looks like a beautiful woman with youthful features still remaining on her face.

A woman with an ephemeral atmosphere, as if she were a teenage girl who grew up without being exposed to the impurities of the world.

Even the way she talks, like a character from a fairytale, doesn’t sound odd coming from her.

She has beautiful long hair like scattering snowflakes and striking, crystal clear blue eyes.

She seems cold but is always warm.

「It’s the Snow Kid!」「Snow Pup’s there too!」「Huh? Why the Snow Thief?! I thought he’s the bad guy?!」

I wonder which came first? The Adventurer or the author? The publication of the book probably came after she was an Adventurer.

She formed a contract with a Lesser Spirit of water. She gained the power to control ice. Thus, she can make various living creatures out of ice, and use them to battle Monsters.

In a Dungeon Clear, which is a form of entertainment, her visually fun way of doing battle greatly amused young children.

Adding her picture books onto all that, the Hero Snow has caught the attention of countless children and parents alike.

Right now, she is walking along with her characters from her story brought to life.

To anyone who has read her books at least once, there is no reason not to get excited.

At that moment, Snow turned around and caught sight of Wraith. She smiled gently and gave him a little wave.

Wraith waved back while whispering to us.

「Ya think we should do something like that too? I could make a water dragon or something.」

「No. While there are parties who give a treat to fans like that, I don’t think this is something we need to be competitive about.」

「Ah, you’re right.」

As I said that, Wraith turns to the female fans calling out his name, and winked.

Those girls clutched their chest, trembled with delight, and fell to their knees.

「Bet the Snow Kid can’t do that to his fans, right?」

「…Ahaha.」

What a fearsome boy, and I mean that in more ways than one.