Chapter 6 – Steel King

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1

Blessed with many underground resources, the Schultz Federation has been digging for coal over many generations.

Iron Scrap Town Agito was the last coal mine town on the surface. The human city, which had become an important supply base for Schultz’s Resist, was currently deadly silent. A town bustling with coal miners had now become a ghost town with tumbleweeds rolling across the streets.

In one section of such a town…

“It’s over here! No need to hurry! All of you, calm down and get in the car!”

Assuran guided people with wild gestures.

The residents, who had been late in escaping, were boarding the cargo compartment of the guntruck one after the other. Elderly people with their families and the mercenaries of Schultz’s Resist who had continued to protect the town.

“How is it going, Saki?”

“Umm, 18, 19…yep, this should be everyone!”

Saki was checking the town’s population register inside the truck.

“Did you check twice to make sure? It won’t be funny if we missed someone.”

“I looked it over four times.”

With a grenade launcher hanging from her shoulder, Saki leaped into her seat, brimming with confidence. Seeing that, Assuran moved to the driver’s seat.

“Alright. We’re going to get out of here while those Steel devices are gone. Kai. Damnit! Kai! We’ve gotten enough scouting done, man!”

“……I know.”

Kai was patrolling while meddling with a claw of the sub-dragon. His needless worries should have ended with all of the residents having boarded the truck. All that was left now was to quickly withdraw from here. But, there was one thing that was bothering him, no matter what he did.

“Assuran, don’t you think it’s weird?”

Not a single of the buildings was damaged. There was absolutely no change to the townscape, compared to when Kai had visited this place around two weeks ago.

“It also bothered me when I saw the town from outside, but there are no traces of this town actually having been invaded.”

“Hmm? I mean, the report only stated that the town was surrounded. It means they prevented an invasion, doesn’t it?”

“……”

Kai didn’t try to object to this. But, he had his doubts about that view. He couldn’t believe that the few remaining mercenaries in the town would have been able to fend off an attack by Steel devices.

…One Steel device and five devils were scattered in the Graveyard of Devils. The four devices from earlier could have easily wiped out this whole place. Them having been able to defend it makes it seem odd instead.

“Wait a sec! Kai! Where are Rinne and Reiren? Please call them over quickly!”

Saki’s face peeked out of the truck’s window.

“We’re going to leave this dangerous place as soon as possible. Also, call that devil, too.”

“Hinemarill?”

“Yep! Anyway, get every──…ah, you’re coming at the perfect time, Rinne!”

Rinne and Reiren were returning from the town at a fast pace. Those two, who were excelling in their senses of hearing and smelling, had the task to do a final check on whether they had missed any other humans. But, Hinemarill wasn’t nowhere to be seen.

“Rinne, what about the devil?”

“You know, Kai, we found a strange place. It might be a nest of Steel devices.”

Rinne pointed into the town, “In the cave over there.”

“J-Just a moment, Rin!? Just now you said something really, really scary, didn’t you!?”

“This place is a mine. There’s plenty of iron and steel to feed the Steel devices,” the elven priestess calmly stated while disregarding Assuran’s panicked remark.

“It was just a coincidence that we discovered it. It’s because this thing fell into the entrance of the coal mine.”

“…A fragment of iron?”

“Some time ago, the succubus lord drove them away, didn’t she? It’s a part she cut off with that big scythe. Some of her magic is still stuck to it.”

“The two Steel devices that ran away earlier, huh!?”

Two devices were destroyed. The remaining two went underground.

The destination of their escape is around here?

“The succubus lord is watching the entrance. Or rather, she’s brimming with the desire to enter the nest, even all by herself. So I thought it’d be best to talk it over with you for the time being, Kai.”

“…She didn’t listen even when I told her to give it up, you see?”

Guessing the meaning behind Reiren’s words, Kai grimaced.

…Just when I thought she’d obediently come here, it looks like she’s still pissed off. A devil’s spitefulness is hardcore. Then again, Hinemarill has accumulated quite a bit of hate over having her subordinate attacked and having a bullet shot at her head. She must be considering this to be the perfect chance to carry out her revenge.

“The transport of the residents takes priority. In reality, returning right away would be the model answer here, but…”

‘The succubus lord is essential for the battle against the mythical beasts. And I can’t predict how that devil would take it if we forsook her in this place. Even if she didn’t change sides, it’d likely become a problem if we hurt her feelings.

“I’d like to consult with Saki and Assuran, if possible.”

“Ah, I don’t wanna hear. Yep, my ears are deaf! My danger sensor is ringing at full blast right now!”

“I don’t want to hear any of it either!”

“It’s fine for you two to keep waiting here. The residents will need some guards after all.”

“H-Hey!?”

“Let’s stay in touch. I will contact you every fifteen minutes. If there’s no contact from me, get in touch with me from your side. If you can’t reach me despite doing this, I’d like you to flee from this place together with the residents.”

“…Wait a sec, Kai…are you serious!?”

“I mean, even Jeanne is in a similar situation.”

The northern and southern allied forces are in the process of heading into a nest of mythical beasts while going after the mercenary king. Their side was facing a similar danger, too.

“Ah, geez. You’re so damn stubborn. Make sure that the communicator’s batter got enough juice!”

“I charged it in advance.”

“Ah, about the communicator…last night Rinne and I fiddled around with it, so it’s power should be low.”

“Hey!? …We’ve been conserving its power for situations like this.”

Taking Reiren, who didn’t show an ounce of apologetic feelings, with him, Kai began to head into the town.

 

—————– End of Part 1 —————–

 

“Kai, come, come, this way!”

Rinne proceeded through the deserted town. Her destination was the entrance to the coal mine which the miners used to frequent in the past.

“Oh my, that makes me happy. I didn’t think you’d come here for my sake,” said the devil girl while looking back.

She had taken off the Resist uniform she wore in public and manifested her back Succubus wings.

“You’d have pouted, if I hadn’t come here in person, right?”

“Of course, devils hate it to feel lonely.”

“I’ll keep it in mind. …Oh, right. Rinne, you don’t need to hide your wings either. Reiren, you’ll feel anxious if you don’t have this, won’t you?”

He had Rinne take off the spirit clothing coiled around her waist and hand it to Reiren. Right now, there was no danger of them being spotted by humans. Rather, it was the time for the devil, sidhe, and elf to show their full power.

“Mmh, as I thought, it calms my mind to have seven layers.”

“Is such a thin cloth going to help you in any way against the attacks of Steel devices? Won’t it be riddled with holes in no time?”

“Shut up. Let me tell you in advance: you told Master that you want to come here, so we will have you work hard for him. We’re just tagging along.”

“Yes, yes.”

The Succubus Lord started to proceed along the narrow path as if she was owning the place. A small electric light was installed every three to four meters. They could barely see in all directions, but on top of the path going slightly downwards, you couldn’t see far into the tunnel because of the bending path.

“Ugh, I hate the smell of this place.”

Reiren traced the texture of the reinforced wall with her hand.

“It’s a sterile place. There are no nutrients or anything to be found. I doubt any vegetation can grow decently here.”

“Just like your chest, right?”

“I already told you before, shut up! Succubus, you’re pointlessly fat!”

“…Both of you, quiet down a bit.”

The tunnel was filled with noise. If any Steel devices were lurking nearby, they’d likely attack them after hearing their voices.

“Say, Kai, they aren’t coming out.”

“We’re still far up in the mine. It wouldn’t be weird for them to have run to a much deeper layer. But, Rinne, even if you find them, please avoid fighting until I tell you otherwise.”

“Eh? Why?”

“The ceiling will come down. Or what’s commonly called a cave-in.”

This tunnel was like an ant’s nest. Because its tunnels had been dug through a mountain, the walls and ceiling would immediately cave in.

“If the ceiling comes down, we’ll be buried alive here. Do you understand, Hinemarill? No matter what happens, don’t release your magic as soon as we run into Steel devices.”

“Huh? I don’t mind. A devil won’t suffocate, even if buried underground.”

“Ah, so you’re okay with your face becoming pitch-black from dirt and soil? It’ll spoil your beauty, but sure.”

“……”

“Please be careful.”

“……Okaaay. Looks like I’ve got no choice,” Hinemarill agreed after a little while with a sullen look.

“We have to go this way. But, it’s still further down. Have they possibly escaped deep, deep underground?”

Hinemarill was holding a steel fragment in her hand. It had come off from a device’s armor during the battle on the surface.

“My magic is stuck to them, so no matter how far they run, they won’t be able to get away anyway.”

“What are we going to do if this place is really their nest?”

“Destroy it, no?”

“Even if there’s hundreds or thousands of them?”

“In such a case, we’ll return to the surface, blow away the mountain, and turn the underground into magma. Even their steel bodies will be done once they melt into goo,” the Succubus Lord proceeded with big strides while showing a ferocious smile that would make even carnivores shirk away. “One must get rid of hindrances. I’m sure Elder Sister Vanessa is going to praise me, if I eradicate the Steel devices.”

“────”

The tunnel fell silent. Kai had already heard about the meaning behind the name mentioned by Hinemarill.

“Devil reincarnation, was it? I have heard that it’s unclear whether it succeeded once in a hundred attempts even for high.ranking devils.”

“You elves know a lot, don’t you? But, that’s not entirely true. That probability doesn’t apply to the highest demons.”

“…The Dark Empress and Master, too?”

“Who knows? I don’t know since I never tried it. I’ve never lost yet.”

The devil girl continued downwards. The tunnel, filled with the scent of dust and mold, was still as deserted as ever.

“But, it’s really strange, isn’t it? Kai, what did you do to Elder Sister Vanessa?”

“In what sense?”

“After succeeding to reincarnate, I was pretty sure that I’d be ordered to attack the capital while aiming for Rinne’s and your head.”

“…True. To be honest, I had resolved myself for that as well.”

The troublesome part was this answer.

…I was certain it’d go just like that. That’s the sort of relationship between humans and devils, after all. It’s a steady exchange of attacking and being attacked.

But, it had been different.

“Search for the human (Kai).”
“Revenge? Did you think I’d order you to carry out something so insignificant?”

“She said she wants to talk about 『Sid』. I don’t understand just what Elder Sister was thinking while giving me that order. What’s Sid anyway?”

“A human.”

“And?”

“It’s a person I’m looking for. He’s a human from a hundred years ago, though.”

“Huh? How would someone like that be related to Elder sister? Even when I asked her, she wouldn’t tell me.”

“I don’t mind talking about that, but you were the one talking about wanting to explore this mine.”

“Okay, then we’re going to continue this after I crush all the Steel devices.”

The air was stagnant. Probably because they had reached a fairly deep place, the wind didn’t reach this place anymore. In short, there was absolutely no air exchange down here.

“Oh?”

The devil stopped.

 

—————– End of Part 2 —————–

 

She started to survey the area within the dim tunnel, as if checking the situation.

“How odd. Did we go too far because of all the chatting? …The response of the Steel devices, who ran away from me, comes from the other side, though.”

She suddenly placed a hand on the tunnel wall. Even though they had followed the tunnel the Steel devices took, they were now confronted with the enemy being inside the wall. The tunnel was right in front of them, but going by the response of the magic, the Steel devices apparently didn’t take that path.

“It’s really strange. We’ve been going after the marking spell I applied. I wonder, was there a fork somewhere on the way here? Far from getting closer to them, they’re actually increasing the distance.”

“Do you know the current distance between them and us?”

“Hmm…around 500 steps from me?”

So roughly 300 meters.

Kai had deduced this ratio from the step width based on Hinemarill’s height.

“We chased after them straight through the tunnel. On the other hand, the Steel devices fled, using something similar to a hidden pathway…?”

The mine is full of steel that could serve as food for the Steel devices. If this was their race’s nest, it wouldn’t be odd for them to be familiar with escape routes and branch tunnels unknown to the humans.

“Say, Kai, isn’t this here the place?”

The elven priestess, who had been walking at the end of their group, had trailed back around ten meters without Kai and Hinemarill noticing. She was currently stopping midway along the descending slope, touching the wall.

“There are traces of digging over here.”

“gh! Seriously!? …….Wait, umm,I cannot tell the difference.”

A black, hardened layer of soil. The weak illumination added to as well, but even if you deducted that, Kai still couldn’t tell why Reiren was touching that part of the wall.

…It’s no different from the rest of the wall. It’s got the same soil color and hardness.

“God, could you elf stop running your mouth just because you want to stand out? This wall? There’s nothing strange about it.”

“Well, of course not. Or did you think the Steel devices would leave clear traces behind for us?”

“Okay, how can you tell then?”

“No one in this world can win against dwarves when it comes to tampering with soil. And us elves have been coexisting with the dwarves. So you better don’t look down at me.”

The elf retrieved a red and white folding fan from her sleeve. As a human tool, it’s being used to create a breeze by waving it. But, the fan owned by the elven priestess most definitely wasn’t a simple tool like that.

“Take a look.”

She stabbed the tip of the fan into the wall, and in the next moment…

…it rumbled.

A sound similar to burning firewood popping, followed by the thick, sturdy wall crumbling apart as if the string holding it together had been untied. Beyond lay a gaping wide cave.

“See? As I thought, they had closed up a hidden path.”

“……No way.”

The Succubus Lord blankly looked back and forth between the elf and the cave with her eyes so widely open like Kai had never seen before.

“…A fluke, huh?”

“Just praise me honestly, will you? Anyway, now that we know the route they too, the pursuit…hmm?”

The cloud of dust had finally settled down. Staring at the cave, illuminated by the faint lighting, the elf blinked repeatedly in utter disbelief.

“What the heck…?”

From a reddish-brown soil wall to a weird, white stone wall. The wall’s surface was beautifully shining at several places, almost as if a spell had been applied to it. Further inside was concealed by maze-like barrier walls with the cave branching out in many paths.

Mechanical──

From that point of view, it fitted with the image of a Steel device nest, but if one were to look for a more accurate description, 「futuristic」 would be more appropriate. It made Kai think that it’s a historic ruin which had been built with power, technology, and design which didn’t exist in this world as of yet.

“The interior…of a Graveyard…?”

He stepped onto the floor with a crunching sound. In the past Kai had explored two Graveyards. One belonged to the devils, and the other to the mythical beasts. And even though this place had exactly the same vibe to it, Kai couldn’t help but wonder what it was.

“Why is just this place pure white?”

Graveyards were 「Black Pyramids」. One existed in each of the four confederations. They all should be common in the official and the other history. But, the thing in front of him didn’t exist within Kai’s memory.

…Is this a Graveyard of the mythical beasts because it’s in the west? No, that’s wrong. If it’s the same as listed in the official history, the Graveyard of the mythical beasts should be located further northwest from here. This isn’t the Graveyard of the mythical beasts.

──The fifth Graveyard.

An undiscovered Megalith was present in this place.

“Hmm? What’s wrong, guys? Why are you looking so dumbfounded with your mouths open? This is the nest of the Steel devices, right?”

Only the devil girl remained indifferent. But that was only natural. Unlike Kai, Rinne, and Reiren, Hinemarill had never experienced walking through a Graveyard. She probably thought of it as no more than a nest created by Steel devices.

…The fifth Graveyard? But, why is only this place pure white? Besides, what is this place sealing away?

According to the official history, Cid had sealed the four races away at the same time as he crushed the four heroes. Based on that, four Graveyards should be more than enough.

“Hinemarill, this place might not be the nest of the Steel devices?”

“Haah?”

“It might be their nest right now, but it probably wasn’t so from the beginning. I feel it resembles the devils using the buildings of humans.”

This Graveyard existed before the Steel devices came here. And the Steel devices found this place and settled down in it. Kai assumed this to be the correct turn of events.

“So? What about it?”

The Succubus Lord folded her arms. She looked around while striking a bewitching pose by pushing up her ample chest.

“What does it change anyway? There are Steel devices in here. And I came to this place to crush them. I don’t think I need to worry about anything beyond that.”

“It’s possible that something besides those Steel devices could be lurking in here. I’ll say it while quite aware of the possibility that I’m mistaken, but it could be Rasterizer, a monster you don’t know.”

“……”

Hinemarill remained silent.

 

———— End of Part 3 ————

 

 

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