In a shocking turn of events, and, not entirely too far removed from the realm of possibilities amongst isekai stories, was the unexpected murder of the current reigning royalty. While these scenarios would often be tragic, they ultimately setup the protagonists for their adventure in a brand-new world. As it would seem, this cliché development appeared to be following me along my journey as well.
[Hahaha! You always entertain me with your monologuing Ko. What’s next, are you going to tell me demons are usually involved as well?]
No… I wasn’t going to go that far... It may by a trope for demons to cause problems in isekai stories, but the guard never said the king was murdered, only that he had died…
Do… Do you know something about this? I wouldn’t exactly appreciate you withholding critical information surrounding the death of a nation’s leader, even if I didn’t like the man.
[You really are naïve Ko. I’ve already given you more than enough information. After all, where is the fun in spoiling everything? Once again, I advise you to remain vigilant.]
…
Looking towards Raya, her forced face of composure, gave into the horror it was desperately trying to hide. While her skin was typically fair by all measures of the word, it had somehow managed to find an even greater absence of colour upon hearing the news of his majesty’s passing. The heroes weren’t any better, with most of them appearing just as confused learning that King Solar had died while we were in the labyrinth. Then, Raya spoke to the group in her commanding voice, after noticing the square had finally been secured by her fellow guardsman.
“Understood soldier. Today is truly a horrific day in Solara’s history. How long ago did his majesty pass?”
Still catching his breath, the guard spoke as best he could to the resolute commander.
“Not more than an hour. Once Queen Emilia found out… Well… I feel it’s best you see for yourself. Daemonium has also specifically requested the heroes and tournament champions upon your return… Urgently. We already had several messengers stationed at the labyrinth’s entrance, ready to receive you. Some had even ventured to the 5th floor in the hopes of finding your group earlier as well. We also haven’t revealed the passing of King Solar just yet to the citizens, as part of procedure.”
“Understood. I can only imagine the sorrow princes— Queen Emilia is going through right now. I will do my best to be there for her. Champions, heroes, with me. Daemonium has requested your presence, and I trust you will keep this information a state secret until further notice.”
After finishing her command, Raya began leading us towards the palace gates. However, I did take note of the interesting facial expressions of the guard during the conversation. His face shifted uncomfortably whenever Emilia’s name was mentioned. While I had only briefly met the princess once during my breakfast before the labyrinth, his reaction was all the more telling that something was clearly abnormal. For whatever reason, this thought tangent brought some spine-chilling hissing noises from Coileene, who chose to remain silent, instead of offering her unsolicited comments on the situation. Looking at Inari, she was just as speechless, with her ears pinned back in sadness, contemplating the recent series of events.
Continuing our somber walk, the sky itself seemed to transform natures canvas to better match our depressing and dreary march. As we ascended the long and excessive stairs to the grand entranceway, hideous and ominous grey clouds, blanketed the sky above, viciously blocking out the suns, while the heavens roared with a brilliant crack of light across the horizon. Then, in a fury one would image was brought forth by the god of storms himself, heavy rain violently began pouring down upon us, drenching us in it’s cold and bitter chill. Arriving, and, cautiously passing through the gargantuan, metal gates to the palace’s foyer, the lobby was filled to the brim with attendants, guards, and the subjects of everyone’s attention, Queen Emilia, and Advisor Daemonium. However, while the two were standing elevated above us on the 2nd floor, their behaviour, or rather, Emilia’s behaviour, was anything but appropriate for mourning the passing of her father.
Standing above us, with a face filled with an unnatural, and creepy smile, was Queen Emilia. Her dress was a pale blue, that was long and flowing to match her equally kept silver hair, happily glistening under the chandelier’s light. Adorning her subtle forehead, was an intricate, silver tiara, neatly completing the proper image of ruling royalty. While that was where I would normally stop my description for such an individual, her behaviour was anything but royal-like, prompting me to continue scrutinizing her details further. In what was almost an effort to appear abnormal, Queen Emilia was carelessly caressing Daemonium’s face with her elegant fingers, playfully gliding them across his chin while staring off into the distance. Continuing to be enthralled by his… Facial features, Emilia began pressing her body into the advisor’s arms, grasping them in a tight embrace while staring into his eyes. Then, noticing we had entered the palace proper, and, oblivious to the uncomfortable stares of her attendants, Emilia cocked her head to the side, almost startling me with its owl-like movements. Finally, she spoke to us in an emotionless, and forced voice.
“Raya! Heroes! Champions! I am so glad you’ve returned from the labyrinth without harm. Now, since everyone is in attendance. I would like to make a proclamation as the new Queen of Solara.
With the tragic, and, sudden passing of my father, King Solar, it now rests upon my shoulders to lead the Kingdom of Solara. However, while I would normally be happy to assume such a responsibility, the death of my father has instead, released a tremendous weight from my heart. Thus, I proclaim and profess before all of you, my loyal attendants and champions, that I am in love, with Daemonium.
Ever since his arrival at the palace, I’ve been enthralled with his presence, with just the mere sight of him being enough to sweep me off my heels! My heart was a flutter from the moment my eyes gazed into his own. I just knew, ever since our very first meeting, that it was fate we would be together. However, my vile, bastard of a father, Solar, would never have approved of such a relationship. Fortunately, as fate would have it, the abhorrent man is no longer amongst us. As such, as your righteous queen, I declare that Daemonium and I, shall be wed, relinquishing my royal duties, to him.
Everyone! Please join me in hailing and welcoming, King Daemonium!!!”
…
Huh.
While I by no means consider myself affluent to the general workings of royal successions, I feel even a layman would notice the abnormalities of such a declaration and assertion. Fortunately, to my left, Inari could only look at the disturbing duo in sheer horror, clearly agreeing with my assessment of the unusual proclamation. That was, until she tugged on my arm, whispering to me the cause of her sudden terror.
“K-k-k-Ko…. I… That’s… Daemonium… He’s…!”
“I know, I don’t exactly like the guy either bu—”
“No!!! I… I’ve never seen a human like that before!! He has horns, wings, and a tail!! Do you… Not see them? Remember back when we first entered the palace, and I thought I felt the presence of powerful illusion magic? I… I can clearly see an illusion over his body now, creating the image of a human!”
“Wait… You’re telling me he’s not a human? Does that mean... Can you—”
I paused, realizing that what I was about to suggest, could either end very poorly for us, or, prevent whatever was about to happen to Solara under King “Daemonium’s” rule. If Inari was truly able to see through an advanced illusion spell now, that potentially means whatever being is creating the illusion, is just as powerful as us, perhaps more. However, having just received a massive power boost, along with the heroes and guards presently in the room with us, we might just stand a chance against this infiltrator if we engaged them. Furthermore, everyone around me seemed on edge, validating my fears that this whole scenario was clearly abnormal, only made possible due to the fact no one dared to go against “royalty”. Maybe I really was naïve, but I wanted to place my trust in Inari’s instincts, and my new found powers. Thus, recollecting my thoughts, I nodded towards Inari, while whispering my plan to her.
“Inari. Can you dispel the illusion magic over Daemonium? Whatever happens next will clearly result in a conflict, but I’m willing to take the gamble we can win. I’m sure with the other heroes help, we can eliminate whatever he truly is once his visage is dispelled.”
Showing her agreeance, Inari shakenly nodded to me while starting to gather mana around her paws. She still looked quite nervous, but I was hoping that dispelling whatever illusion Daemonium was currently maintaining, would be more than enough to change the current mood within this sudden inauguration. That’s when I finally started paying attention to the conversation currently going on between Raya and her majesty again, further validating my suspicions.
“But Raya, I had already told you, my father died of natural causes, with a solid piece of 3ft steel through his chest, calmly resting in his study. Surely you can see the absurdity in requesting a formal investigation into his death?”
“Emilia! As your retainer, I implore you to see the reason in my statements! You’ve always trusted my advice, so why are you casting aside my words now?!? I’ve only ever had your best interests in mind!”
“Oh Raya, surely, you’ve been misunderstanding our relationship. Your role is to lead the royal guards, and protect my person when requested as my retainer. I’ve never once trusted, or confided in you with any matters that were important to state affairs. After all, why should a princess, or, rather a queen now, care about the opinions from her servants?”
“Emilia! I refuse to believe your words! This… This isn’t like you! After all we’ve been through together, I… You’ve always trusted my—"
“Commander Raya, can’t you see your words are bothering the queen just now? She has been more than adamant about her feelings. You should be ashamed of yourself, pressuring her in such a manner, just hours after she has lost her father. As commander, I would expect more acumen from someone of your standing. Obviously, we will have a—”
Cutting off Raya’s words, I could see her stalwart expression beginning to falter, almost on the verge of tears, as Daemonium continued to publicly berate her for failing to consider the queen’s feelings. Making matters worse, was Daemonium’s own flirtatious actions towards Emilia, as he continued to receive her unwavering affection towards him, pulling her head towards his chest, while stroking her silver hair. Anxious, and, ready to give him a piece of my own mind, Inari finally indicated to me she was ready to dispel his illusion. Nodding towards her while gripping my sword, I caught Daemonium’s gaze lock with mine as he noticed my subtitle movements.
“Now that the matter with Raya has been dealt with, I would now like to resolve matters with the summoned heroes and accompanying tournament champions. As I was saying, as your new ruler and king, the plan going forward regarding the labyrinth is—”
Just as Daemonium was continuing to ramble about how Inari and I would no longer be required at the palace to assist the heroes, her spell was finally released, slowly dissipating the carefully crafted illusion spell he had been using to hide his true form. Shocked, and, taken back at his image being exposed, Daemonium’s disgusting face was filled with rage, while my eyes widened in terror having realized the terrible miscalculation I had just made.
---
Name: Daemonium [Hidden – Zalthazar] Level: 100 Rank: G
Race: Demon HP: 1,500/1,500 MP: 4,000/4,000
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Age: 284
Profession: Lesser Demon - Infiltrator
Status: Strength: 300 Defense: 500
Magic: 800 Dexterity: 500
Skill Proficiencies: [Illusion] [Magic Detection - Flawless] [Magic Affinity - Poor] [Ancient Magic - Basic] [Spatial Manipulation - Excellent] [Charms – Excellent+]
Titles: None
---
While appraisal was clearly a useful tool, the phrase “ignorance is bliss”, felt warranted based on the information I had just received. Though some of the skills seemed abnormal, such as poor magical affinity in relation to his absurd magic status value, I immediately regretted my decision to try and act like the hero of a novel.
Daemonium, or should I say, Zalthazar, looked very similar to the demons I had become accustomed to from the untold anime and isekai manga novels I had seen while on Earth. His demonic form was tall and imposing, possessing putrid black skin, sharp white claws, and bat-like wings across his entire back, easily surpassing 6ft in length. Atop his head, were two ivory curled horns, twisted to match his equally corrupt crimson eyes. Finally, his tail was long and thin, possessing the stereotypical “spade-like” shape at the end of the slender limb. As punishment for my rash actions, the demon masquerading as a human, roared in anger towards Inari, while casting his arm in a wide arc across the room. Instantly, a translucent bubble encased Inari, Raya, and myself, in response to his actions.
[Mind control magic. Stay close! I can only protect you from it’s influence while you remain within the barrier spell!]
Coileene violently hissed her words of warning in my mind. Looking around the room, all of the guards, attendants, and heroes, now held the same, emotionless expressions of Emilia. A lifeless husk of their former selves, void of any further actions under the demon’s control. Then, Zalthazar’s voice bellowed ferociously throughout the foyer, staggering my stance, as my ears recoiled from its horrid assault, and distorted tone.
“You insufferable, FILTHY BEAST!!! This is the VERY REASON we’ve worked so tirelessly to ostracize the beastkin race from the royal palace. My unimaginable effort, centuries long subterfuge, carefully laid out plans for succession, AND IT’S ALL UNDONE BY A DISGUSTING, REPULSIVE ANIMAL!!!!
MY MIND CONTROL!!! HOW ARE YOU RESISTING ITS EFFECTS!!!! WHAT IS THAT BARRIER?!?! RAAAAAAAGHHHH!!!”
Overcome with rage, the demon swiftly launched a barrage of fireballs towards our direction. Fortunately, the barrier Coileene had erected seemed mostly unfazed by the flames assault. The bubble flickered slightly upon receiving the impact in full, causing an eruption of sparks and flames to blow past our sanctuary, obliterating most of the floor, and attendants unfortunately standing behind us in the process. In response to the sudden assault, Raya leapt from beside me, bounding to the 2nd floor in a seamless motion, while delivering a powerful vertical slash to the demon.
But it was in vain.
*Schreen**Schh*
Unimpressed at the pathetic assault, Zalthazar calmly stopped the blade with his powerful claws, while delivering an equally sharp stab to Raya’s navel.
“RAYA!!!!”
I called out in horror, as I witnessed the commander’s armor part like butter. The demon’s claw, effortlessly pierced her frail body, skewering Raya cleanly through her abdomen. Blood burst from the soldier’s body, as it gushed and dripped down the horrid claw, and onto the palace floor, dyeing the crimson carpets and even deeper shade of red as the liquid continued to gleefully leave her body. Violently coughing up blood, Raya’s body was thrown off the balcony to the unamused face of her assailant. Without thinking, I dashed out of the protective sphere in an effort to catch her descent towards the stone flooring.
[YOU FOOL!]
Coileene’s voice bellow within my head, vibrating against my very skull as I felt her attempt to take control over my body. I knew leaving her barrier was reckless, and that Raya was most likely already mortally wounded, but I had to try! This scenario, it was entirely my fault for being too confident after receiving a stupid power boost in the labyrinth. My arrogance had only made the situation worse, and if I did nothing now, I would only regret my actions later if I remained hesitant!
Somehow, resisting Coileene’s attempts, I managed to activate my dash ability, narrowly catching Raya before her collision with the stone flooring. Next, I felt another surge of power above me, as the demon launched another volley of fireballs towards my direction. Thankfully, to my surprise, the balls of oppressive heat seemingly vanished from existence just before impacting with my body. Noticing I was still alive, I quickly dashed back towards Coileene’s barrier for safety.
“RAGHHH!!! HOW CAN A BEASTKIN, CANCEL MY MAGIC!!!!!!”
Daemonium’s voice continued to roar throughout the hallway, hurling insults towards Inari and myself for refusing to die like the pitiful insects we were. Examining Raya, her mana signature was weak, but still present, thankfully indicating she was still alive.
*cough**gaaaghh*
More blood came out of her mouth as she tried to focus her vision, forcing whatever strength she still held into her right arm, raising it towards the queen.
“Emi…lia…”
The queen’s name softly left her lips, as I suddenly felt my body become levitated above the ground, oblivious to gravity’s influence. Then, I heard the demon screech his decree in a maniacal and hysterical manner, as he forced his mind-controlled puppets to stare towards our suspended bodies, still encased within the protective barrier spell.
“HAHAHHA!!!! Pathetic worms! Minions! Let it be known, that the tournament champions, along with the commander of the royal guards, have been found guilty of murdering King Solar! They infiltrated his majesty’s study after returning from their expedition into the labyrinth below Solara, under the guise of reporting startling news surrounding the strange miasma. As such, they will hereby be summarily executed!”
Then, raising his right claw into the air, the demon cackled as powerful magic began to coalesce around us. Finally, he offered his parting words before the spell’s materialization.
“I don’t know how you pathetic, inferior species are defending against my mind control magic and fireball spells, but if I can’t penetrate your barrier, I will just transport your entire spatial position to the depths of hell itself.
Farewell, “heroes”.”
In an instant, after witnessing the demon snap his claws, I felt my entire body compressed under unimaginable pressure, as if my entire existence was being pushed through a thin, hydraulic press! Then, just as I felt like I was going to explode into a fine misty paste of blood, the pressure released itself, and I had the startling realization, we were no longer within the palace, but somewhere else entirely.
…
…
…
The floor was a cold and damp, stony texture, with next to no light illuminating the area we had suddenly been teleported to. Off to the side, I could see some faint blue hues, pulsing and humming in the distance as I ran my hand across the grooves of the stone flooring.
“DAMNIT!”
I yelled out in anger at myself, slamming my fist into the hard floor. Why had I been so reckless? Why did I want to be a hero? How foolish was I, thinking that just because I had gotten slightly stronger, that I was invincible.
“KO!!!! Help me!!! NOW!!! I need assistance with Raya!!! Her signature is fading, and I can only keep her stabilized!”
Glancing up and to my right, Inari was desperately channeling mana into Raya’s body to keep her stable and mend the wound she had received from the demon. Raya’s eyes were closed, and her breathing was heavily laboured as she continued struggling for each breath. Nodding at Inari, I verbally berating myself while assisting her with the injured commander.
“You’re right Inari, I really am a fool. Even now I failed to consider where my priorities should be. Continue keeping her stable, I’m going to apply one of my bandages.”
Shifting myself to get closer to Raya’s body, I quickly removed a single bandage from my spatial storage and applied it to the struggling knight’s forehead. Thankfully, powerful mana began to gather as expected, activating the full body restoration spell. Brilliant, blue light, engulfed Raya’s body as the bandage’s effects proceeded to close the gaping hold in her abdomen. Finally, after the spell had run its course, Raya’s pained facial expression relaxed slightly, as her breathing eased in intensity. She was unconscious, but going to survive the fatal injury she had received attempting to slay Daemonium. Turning towards Inari, I apologised to her for my brazen actions which led us to our current predicament.
“Inari… I’m sorry. I really thought that we could—”
“No, it’s fine. I also could have chosen to ignore your request to dispel his illusion, but I didn’t, so you’re not entirely at fault. Besides, Raya’s stable now, so next we need to reassess our bearings and determine where we are. That’s the next step I have written in my journal for “Recovering From Unexpected Scenarios”.”
“HA! If you’re not going to berate him for the fool he is, then I’ll start. Ko, you’re an absolute failure of a competent being!!! I dare say goblins have a stronger will for self-preservation than the utterly STUPID actions you’ve so brazenly displayed! I would have died if you didn’t manage to have a somewhat capable party member with you. Seriously, the audacity that I was forced to choose you as my vessel… The nerve of your pathetic existence…”
Rightly annoyed, while choosing to make her opinion known to Inari as well, Coileene decided to materialize herself in between us, startling the poor fox, causing her to produce an incredibly high-pitched, and cute yelp.
“Ah! Ko!!! What… Who is this person!?!? Where did they?—”
“Ahahaha! That’s right, little one, you are speaking with the one and only true ruler of Terra! The most powerful existence the universe has ever known! I am the creator, and the destroyer, the giver of life and the bringer of agh—”
“That’s enough!” I said, as I tightly grasped my hands around Coileene’s mouth, much to the dismayed muffling noises she was continuing to produce. Then, deciding to forego the extravagant introduction Coileene was going to unfortunately grace Inari with, I went with the simpler cliff notes version instead.
“Inari, meet Coileene, the world serpent. She is the divine being that saved me from death, and the reason for my unexpected power boost. As a condition for saving me life, I have allowed her access to my body.”
Finally freeing herself from my grasps, the annoyed demi-human serpent hissed while offering her less than enthusiastic reply.
“How insolent! For a mere mortal to so brazenly assault a god! You’re lucky I don’t burn your soul out of pure spite and return to my prison beneath the labyrinth! The nerve of a male such as yourself. You should know your place human!”
“The… The World Serpent?!?! But— There are no historical records indicating a—”
“Pfft, while obviously there are no historical records of my existence. Some arrogant bastard decided I would be better left buried thousands of feet beneath the surface! Seriously, once I find out which god did this to me, I’ll have them groveling at my feet, begging for the sweet release of death to grace their insignificant existence!”
Fortunately, to my relief, Inari didn’t seem too alarmed learning about Coileene’s identity as a powerful deity, as she continued to ramble away about the “horrible” things she was going to inflict on whichever god banished her to a pathetic prison. Wanting to realign our goals, I suggested that we examine our surroundings to understand what had happened. Unfortunately, this was met with a very arrogant and condescending reply from Coileene.
“Humph, honestly, you should be thanking that demon Ko. After all, that pathetic weasel managed to bring us even closer to my goal! A fragment of my power... I can clearly sense its alluring presence now.”
“What’s the supposed to mean?”
“Ugh, you really are a fool Ko. Just examine the room and you’ll see what I mean soon enough.”
Once again annoyed at her haughty attitude, I nodded towards Inari who produced a powerful luminous spell to provide some lighting to the room we were in. The area we found ourselves in was rather small, roughly reminding me of the size from the royal palace’s foyer, except severely lacking in the pleasing aesthetic department. The room was rectangular in shape, mostly comprised of stone walls on either side, most of which were plain with simple grooves. At one end of the chambers, was a large stone door, similar to the one I observed before entering the labyrinth, while the other contained a passageway with stairs descending further. Inari chose to walk towards the passageway, leaving me to investigate the stone doors with Coileene.
As we approached, I was able to appreciate another set of intricate carvings embedded into the towering rock gates. On the left-hand door, was the same elaborate design from earlier. Images of a dragon, wolf, and 9-tailed kitsune were present, along with the likeness of a hawk, with accompanying serpent dangling from it’s—
“Pfft, that insufferable bastard! Seriously!?!? I can’t believe they drew my bad side on these pathetic rock slabs!”
“Wait a minute… You think that snake is you, Coileene???”
“Well, obviously is has to be me, I’m unaware of any other serpents amongst Terra’s deities… And look! On the right-hand door, there’s a snake, bound in chains against the floor, with a lock through their right eye!”
“But, if your memories and powers are sealed, how can you be so sure there aren’t any other gods that are—”
“Oh enough from your tongue Ko. Even with the alteration of time, a god such as myself would surely notice my depiction engraved in such historical tablets, even if the artwork is second rate…”
While I was mulling over Coileene’s statement about clearly recognizing her appearance from a simple stone carving, I heard Inari’s panicked voice calling out to me from across the room.
“Ko! I… I think you should see this!”
Jogging over to join her, she was stopped in front of the stone staircase descending towards presumably a lower floor. Then, she pointed to a set of blue, glowing runic words next to the archway, which read:
“Solara’s Labyrinth – Hidden Trials – Floor 51”
Shocked at having finally pieced together what had happened to us, I was just about tell Inari what the words meant when she interrupted me with a startling realization of her own.
“I… I can read them! It… It says: “Solara’s Labyrinth – Hidden Trials – Floor 51”. Are we really—?”
“You’re welcome little fox” Coileene said with her snarky attitude. “And yes, we are currently on the 50th floor of Solara’s labyrinth. Consider your ability to read this pathetic language a gift from yours truly. Come now, praise me as you wish!”
Looking at Inari, her face was filled with an expression of immense fear, probably similar to my own. My heart was uncomfortably racing within my chest at the realization of where we were. We had barely managed to survive the 15th floor of the labyrinth, and now, we were suddenly teleported to the 50th floor?!? Thus, breathing a heavy, defeated sigh, I mumbled the words that had been bothering me, while responding to Inari’s concerns to my saddened expression.
“Wha— What is it, Ko?”
*Sigh*
“Amongst all other worlds, why did it choose such a clichéd setting?”