Chapter 110 Demon Lord’s Dungeon ③
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
With a deep, grinding echo, the great door opened at last.
Beyond it spread a vast, round arena of stone. A faint light shimmered across the magic circle carved into the floor, while the ceiling above was swallowed by darkness. And at the center stood—
”The King Minotaur…!”
Mirei raised her two-handed sword.
It was twice the size of a normal Minotaur, a monster built of rock-hard muscle. Its eyes were bloodshot, its breath heavy, and on its shoulder rested a massive battle axe. The creature itself was a vision of raw, merciless power.
”Let’s go!”
Reis charged first, shield and sword ready, meeting the beast’s wild rush head-on.
”Ghh—!”
Dust burst into the air as the floor cracked under Reis’s boots. She was pushed back, struggling to hold her ground.
”Reis, hang on!”
At Lurua’s call, a warm light surrounded her. Her wounds closed as if time were rewinding.
”Nice timing… healing’s perfect!”
”Next strike incoming!”
A surge of mana flared behind them. Lilim’s robe swept through the air as her chant reached its end.
”Eleven Burst!”
Purple lightning poured from the unseen ceiling and struck the Minotaur’s shoulder. The giant flinched but did not falter—it raised its axe again, roaring.
”Not a chance!”
Mirei leaped in from the side. Her movements were sharp and fluid as she unleashed a storm of slashes.
Step by step, the King Minotaur began to fall back.
(With this party… we can win.)
Reis gritted her teeth and held the line. Lurua’s healing never stopped; Lilim’s lightning and dark magic carved at the monster’s strength; Mirei danced around it, cutting deep into the gaps between its muscles.
But—
(…Kanata’s too quiet.)
The thought crossed Mirei’s mind. Kanata was attacking—striking at its legs, throwing in poison when he could—but always just enough to keep up. Never to finish it.
(What’s wrong, Kanata?)
She glanced at him for only a moment.
Then, the Minotaur let out a final, furious roar and went berserk.
”It’s coming!!”
It charged, swinging its axe like a hurricane. Reis stepped forward once more, bracing herself to block the full force of the blow.
”Uwooooooh!”
”Now!”
Mirei dashed forward. Lilim caught the signal instantly.
”Abyss Spike!”
A spear of dark thunder shot out, piercing the Minotaur’s knee.
The beast dropped to one leg. Mirei crossed her twin blades—
”This ends now!”
Her spinning strike drove deep into its neck.
A dying roar shook the arena as the giant body collapsed, slamming into the ground with a thunderous crash.
Silence followed.
”…Phew. We did it,” Lurua said, lowering her staff. The tension broke at last.
”Man, I thought we were done for… but we actually won!” Reis dropped onto the floor, laughing breathlessly.
Mirei turned toward Kanata.
”Hey, Kanata… why were you—”
But she stopped. He gave a small shake of his head, eyes saying *not now.*
(…He can’t talk about it yet.)
That look said everything.
Mirei bit her lip but said no more.
Their victory’s warmth—and a faint unease—faded slowly into the quiet of the arena.
*
The air grew heavy and still. The Minotaur’s fallen body lay motionless; the heat of battle was gone. Only broken axe fragments, scorched stones, and dark stains remained.
”…Nothing left,” Reis muttered, kicking at the corner of the room. No hidden doors, no magic devices, nothing at all. Just a plain arena.
”If this was really the Demon Lord’s Dungeon… it’s kind of a letdown,” Lurua whispered. Lilim scanned the room in silence, eyes narrowing.
”For now, let’s rest,” Kanata said quietly. “We all burned through our strength.”
No one argued.
Each of them sat where they could. Lurua hugged her staff and closed her eyes. Lilim took off her robe and let out a deep breath. Reis leaned against the wall, head drooping as sleep pulled at her.
Kanata sat alone in a corner, back to the wall, silent.
His eyes rested on the ground, but he wasn’t really looking. He let his thoughts empty out, cooling the storm in his mind.
After a while, soft footsteps approached.
”…Kanata.”
It was Mirei.
Without hesitation, she sat beside him—close enough that he could feel her warmth.
Kanata said nothing, eyes lowered.
”You know,” she said quietly, “you were strange today.”
His shoulder twitched.
”It’s not that you didn’t fight. You did. But… you weren’t serious. I can tell. We’ve been together too long for me not to.”
There was no anger in her voice, only honesty.
Kanata couldn’t find an answer.
”I think… there’s a reason you can’t say anything,” Mirei went on. “When Reis talked about the Demon Lord, about all that ‘intel’—I saw your face. You didn’t trust it. You felt something was off.”
She looked up, studying his profile in the dim light.
”You’re keeping quiet because… there’s a reason, isn’t there?”
Kanata’s eyes narrowed, just a little.
(If I could… I’d tell them everything right now. But… I can’t. Not yet.)
Mirei didn’t try to force the truth out of him.
”…I’m not doubting you,” she said softly. “I just got a little scared. But still—”
She gave a small smile.
”Even so, I trust you. Maybe that’s selfish, but I do. So keep your eyes forward, okay?”
At her words, Kanata’s face finally relaxed, if only a little.
”…Yeah. Thanks, Mirei.”
A quiet silence settled between them. Yet it wasn’t awkward—it felt gentle, bound by something unseen, a quiet trust.
From somewhere far off came Reis’s steady breathing.
Someone murmured a joke; Lurua giggled in her sleep.
In the corner, Kanata let out a faint sigh.
(Someday, I’ll tell them everything. And that day is coming soon…)
*
Peace had returned to the room where they’d fought.
Everyone was drained, speaking little, resting where they could.
Lilim sat with her fingers still tingling from leftover mana. She stared at them for a moment, then looked away.
There—leaning against the wall—Reis slept soundly. Her mouth hung open, her usually proud face slack in sleep. The brave swordsman was gone; only a young man freed from battle remained.
”…Honestly. So careless.”
Lilim’s lips curved faintly as she sat down beside her.
She should have been exhausted, but sleep wouldn’t come. Her thoughts drifted—to the fight, and to Kanata’s strange calm.
(Kanata’s words… were too vague.)
So many times she’d wanted to ask, *”Did you really not know anything?”* Yet his eyes had never looked like those of a liar. No—he wasn’t lying. He just wasn’t telling the whole truth.
Even so, she couldn’t see him as an enemy.
But still…
(Is it really safe to keep going like this?)
The unease was always there, a shadow by her side.
Still, Lilim looked back.
When her eyes met Reis’s sleeping face, something warm rose in her chest.
She never stopped moving forward, no matter the danger, the doubt, or the fear.
(I decided I’d be the one to support her back.)
No matter how dark the truth might be, no matter what Kanata was hiding—
If Reis kept walking, she would walk too. If she stopped, she would stand beside her. If she ran toward a cliff—she’d leap after her.
(I wouldn’t regret it, even if it cost me my life.)
She gently pulled up her slipping jacket.
”Honestly… you’re such trouble,” she whispered.
Then Lilim closed her eyes. The heat of her mana finally cooled, and a soft light bloomed behind her eyelids.
And within that light, she always saw Reis.
—No matter what darkness lay ahead.
For Reis’s sake, she would keep moving.
That was the promise she made quietly in her heart.
*
Exhaustion weighed on her body as Lurua leaned back against the wall, hugging her knees.
Before her, Reis slept peacefully—and beside her sat Lilim, watching over her like a guardian.
Lurua couldn’t look away from her sister’s face.
It was calm, kind, yet somehow lonely.
(…Big sister.)
She could see how deeply her sister cared for Reis. It hurt to see it so clearly.
That wasn’t just how one looked at a teammate.
(So… big sister also loves Papa…)
Her chest tightened.
Maybe she’d been hoping she was the special one—that to him, she was the most important of all.
But she wasn’t.
Her sister loved him too. She always had.
Even so—
(It’s okay.)
Lurua lowered her eyes.
She swallowed her childish jealousy and the ache in her heart.
(Because I love them both—my sister and Papa.)
Even if her feelings never reached anyone.
Even if she could never stand between them.
As long as they were smiling—that was enough.
(…But still.)
Her gaze drifted across the room.
There sat Kanata, alone in the corner, distant from everyone.
His face looked calm as always, but something behind it was hidden, unseen.
(I know you’re hiding something.)
Even before they came to this dungeon, she’d sensed it. There was something in Kanata’s words—something he knew but wouldn’t say.
And when she thought that secret might put Reis and her sister in danger—her chest burned with anger.
(If you hurt them, I’ll never forgive you.)
Her small eyes glared sharply at him.
Her hands tightened around her magic staff.
No matter who the enemy is.
Even if a traitor hides among them.
(I’ll protect those two. No matter what it takes.)
A child’s resolve flickered quietly to life.
In her eyes glowed a strength far beyond her years.
*
At the far end of the boss room, a heavy stone door rumbled open.
Beyond it stretched a vast Great Hall wrapped in shadow. Black marble floors reflected the dim flicker of torchlight. The ceiling soared high above, and in the dark air hung a heavy, solemn silence.
And ahead—
On a raised platform stood a massive throne of obsidian.
From the throne—where no one should have been sitting—a voice suddenly echoed.
”…You have done well to come this far, heroes.”
The voice was deep and heavy, yet oddly pleasant to the ear. It seemed to come from everywhere at once, impossible to locate.
…Tsubasa, you’re reading that way too flat.
But none of the others noticed anything strange. They instantly shifted into combat formation.
Lilim frowned, Lurua gripped her glowing staff tighter, and Mirei drew her two-handed sword without hesitation. Reis already had her weapon raised.
The Demon Lord—Tsubasa’s act—continued.
”I shall grant you a reward. If you would only join me… become my allies…”
A shimmer stirred in the darkness, and a shadow appeared before the throne.
It had a human shape, but its body wavered like smoke. Six black wings spread behind it, and a crown of twisted horns sat upon its head. Its face was eyeless, yet somehow, it stared straight at them.
…Well, the look is fine, I guess.
”I will give you half the world.”
…But that delivery’s so stiff. And he still sounds embarrassed.
As silence filled the hall, Kanata quietly sighed, mentally critiquing Tsubasa’s acting. If Tsubasa had heard, he probably would have flushed red and dropped the role altogether.
While Kanata silently groaned to himself, Reis stepped forward.
”…Don’t mock us. We didn’t come all this way for a deal like that.”
At his words, the Demon Lord’s shadow rippled as though it were laughing.
”Then perish.”
In that instant—the Great Hall exploded with hostility.
The air warped, bursting with overwhelming mana. The walls trembled. The air itself grew heavy and sharp.
”It’s coming!”
Mirei leapt forward, Reis raised her sword, and Lilim and Lurua began their chants.
The Demon Lord unleashed magic like black lightning.
Reis blocked it, but the force gouged the floor and cracked the walls. A casual swing carried the power of a natural disaster.
Mirei’s blade cut in from behind—but bounced harmlessly off the shadowy body.
”Tch…!
”Lurua’s buff spells struck, Lilim’s flames engulfed the Demon Lord—but most of it was deflected, leaving only faint scorch marks.
They clashed again and again, each exchange heavier than the last. As time passed, their movements slowed.
Lurua gasped for breath. Lilim’s mana was fading. Mirei, wounded and bleeding, still forced herself to stand—but her strength was nearly gone.
”Why… is it this strong!?”
Lurua’s cry rang out.
”This power—can it really be just a monster!?”
The Demon Lord said nothing. It only moved, slowly, steadily, crushing their resistance piece by piece.
…
Kanata watched from the back.
He knew the truth: the Demon Lord’s “magic” was nothing more than Tsubasa’s custom-built machine gun, loaded with thunder rounds.
Every blast came from tech, not sorcery. But to Mirei and the others—who’d never seen such weapons—it must have looked like alien magic from another world.
Occasionally, Tsubasa glanced back at him.
Behind that mask, his eyes seemed to say, *”How long are we keeping up this act?”*
The Demon Lord’s assault didn’t slow.
Reis’s shield screamed under pressure. Lilim and Lurua panted between spells. The battlefield had descended into chaos; everyone was on the edge.
Kanata took a slow step back.
…Yeah. It’s about time.
If this dragged on, both sides would only end up hurt for nothing.
He was just about to end it when a quiet voice reached him.
”—Kanata.”
He turned. Mirei was there, right beside him, closer than he’d realized. Her eyes were calm—too calm for the middle of a fight.
”I’m going in,” she said. “Cover me.”
There was no hesitation in her voice.
”The Demon Lord’s focused on Reis and the others. This is our only chance. Please.”
For a moment, silence.
Then Kanata nodded slightly.
Mirei saw it, drew a deep breath, and fixed her gaze ahead, her presence vanishing into focus.
”…Now!”
With that sharp cry, Mirei dashed forward like a flash of light—or she should have.
But—
”—!”
A violent shock struck her from behind.
The air burst from her lungs. Her vision shook.
Her legs buckled, and she fell hard to the cold floor.
Her whole body went numb; her thoughts slowed, as though time itself had stopped.
(What… what was that…?)
She couldn’t understand. The impact on her back—she knew that feeling. It was a blade. The intent behind it had been pure killing.
Her sight dimmed, but she forced herself to turn her head.
And she saw—
Kanata. Standing behind her. Sword raised. Looking down at her in silence.
”…Wh… why…?”
The whisper slipped from her lips, tasting faintly of blood.
There was no anger on his face.
No sadness. No doubt.
Only quiet, cold eyes.
(No… Kanata…?)
In her fading vision, she saw the man she had trusted—the man she had believed in—now wearing the face of a traitor.
Her thoughts scattered, the world fell away, and sound vanished.
Then Mirei sank—quietly—into darkness.
Notes:
• Mirei – An energetic adventurer joining Kanata’s party in Chapter 108. Appears in dungeon prep. Brave, impulsive, admires Kanata’s leadership. Female.
• Reis – A stoic swordsman and Kanata’s comrade. Prominent in dungeon arc, leads combat. Reliable fighter trusted by the team. Female.
• Lurua – A healer in Kanata’s dungeon party. Supports allies with healing spells. Calm, dependable, close companion to Lilim. Female.
• Lilim – A magic user in Kanata’s party. Appears during dungeon exploration casting lightning and dark spells. Loyal teammate, thoughtful in battle. Female.
• May – Blonde, soft-eyed shrine girl. ch14–15. Gentle and pleading (“Please… just let us go…”), timid but loyal, relies on Mina’s strength. Came with Mina to save Sara, but was disarmed and bound by Kanata as his captive maid.
• Tsubasa – A classmate, and a gift holder of Creator. He has an androgynous charm, popular yet approachable, bonds with Taichi’s group. The only son of the Ninari Conglomerate family.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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