Chapter 20

Sixthdays and seventdays were the two days when they didn’t have any university classes. Thus, a lot of Meline’s heavier responsibilities she did during either of these two days. Today was no different. Meline had received a request for investigation, although not a regular one.

“Whoa…” Kade caught his breath. He stood in front of a magnificent castle hidden away in the snowy mountains. Many of the buildings that had once surrounded it were claimed by the snow, their remains barely visible. The castle remained the only thing standing.

“Is this safe?” Kade asked.

“How did you think it survived this long? Besides, if anything happens, I’ll… umm… protect you… Anyway!” Meline ran straight through the front door, knocking it down in the process.

That certainly didn’t look safe, Kade thought while he followed after her.

Normally, they would have a team from the Demon Lands’ safety bureau investigate the site, but this was different. It involved swirling rumors of a fourth demon lord’s spear. Meline had heard about the spear before. It existed, but no one knew of its fate. No one even knew whether it was a true demon lord spear or just some regular spear. The fourth spear simply disappeared one day, leaving nothing but mysteries.

“... It seems the wolfkins didn't mess with this,” Meline murmured, looking at the dusty interior. There was no furniture inside, just a massive empty hall. Sunlight streamed through the windows, lighting up the space.

“Do they hate you that much?”

“Hate is a strong word.”

The wolfkins weren't fans of the demon lord. Something happened in the past, shattering the relationship. They lived around this region. Since Meline was officially missing, they didn't want any attention on her, especially not from the wolfkins. Hence why she came here without escorts. If something happened, she could teleport back immediately.

“Besides, how do you lose a spear in the first place?”

“Excuse me? Me? I wasn't the one who lost it!” Meline scoffed, her voice echoing through the empty space. “It was gone from my grandmother's time!”

“Has no one ever looked for it?”

“We just gave up.” Meline shrugged. It didn't seem like something you would just give up.

“Besides, the fourth one is always a mystery.”

“A mystery?”

“Each of the spears represents a pillar of Demon Lands, remember?”

Strength, love, and connection. There didn't exist a fourth pillar. Meline never held the fourth demon spear, so she had zero idea on what it represented.

“What if it's dangerous?” Kade asked.

“If it's particularly dangerous, it should be recorded in the archives. But what we do know is that it once existed and was once used by the previous demon lord. Nothing else, I tell you.”

The castle itself was also something left by one of Meline's ancestors. Back then, the Demon Lands weren't as united. The castle was built near where their closest allies lived. The relationship soured over the years, however.

“What if it's the opposite of dangerous? What if it's just a regular spear?”

“That is a possibility. A possibility, indeed. An annoying one, I might add. Only one way to find out.”

They received the request from a concerned wolfkin, stating that weird magic flowed from the castle and demanded that the country investigate. When asked for details, he stated that he had seen a spear being moved around, citing it as a possible cause.

“Imagine if all this is because of a cat,” Kade said for no particular reason. He often saw lazy cats, but he could imagine one doing some mischievous things, like smuggling items.

“It would be interesting, indeed.”

“... Do you want to be my cat?”

Meline turned back to Kade, looking as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard. “... Kade, that's a terrible pickup line. Absolutely, utterly, terrible.”

“... I know.”

Even in his previous life, he had zero experience in romance. This was expected. However…

Meline stopped.

“Meline?”

She looked up at him, clenched her fists, and brought them up to her shoulders. Her cheeks turned red.

“Me- meow…”

She rested her head on his chest. Kade slowly patted her head.

“Ahhh! Absolutely embarrassing! Humiliating! I'm the demon lord!” She shouted before running away.

•••

Most of the castle had remained intact throughout its centuries of existence. No one damaged it, no one tore it down, but no one protected it, either. It was left to the elements. Nature could do whatever it wanted with it. And, as it turned out, nature had been kind with the structure.

“There's nothing here, either,” Meline murmured. They were in the north tower. The tower provided a great view of the surroundings. The magnificent mountains to the north, the valley to the south. They could also see a portion of the wolfkins village below.

“... I kind of want to go there…” Kade murmured. From high above, he couldn't see any buildings. Instead, what he could see were places carved into the mountainside, like many caves. It looked interesting.

“We can visit.”

“But… wouldn't it…”

“I can use a disguise. They wouldn't expect the demon lord to go around with just a human.”

“A human can enter?”

“... You can wear wolf ears and a cloak.”

“Well, if you're fine with it…”

It looked like an interesting village. It would be a waste not to visit.

With the north tower checked, they went back to the main castle. They had looked through the entire building and found absolutely nothing. They headed to the south tower and looked for clues there, but also failed to find anything.

“Can't you sense the fourth spear?” Kade asked. They were now in the main building, sitting on the floor.

“I never came into contact with it. I don't know what it's like. I couldn't sense any magical presence, either.”

The report didn't state when the flow appeared, just that it would appear and disappear randomly, and it was strong enough to be felt by the people in the village.

“Should we camp here, then?” Kade asked.

“Pretty much our only option.” Meline held his hand and brought the two of them back to her capital castle. She picked up some camping equipment, like sleeping bag, and then brought them back to the old castle.

Meline cooked dinner, and they relaxed for a bit, enjoying the sunset from the north tower.

•••

Nighttime had come. Kade was sleeping peacefully when he felt a shake. He opened his eyes, it was Meline.

“You… feel something?” Kade asked. Meline nodded before bringing her index finger to her mouth. Kade rose, pulling Meline up.

Meline flicked her fingers, and a small fireball appeared at the tip. Kade followed Meline through the dark halls. The pale moonlight shone through the windows. What was once a bright and stunning scene turned creepy in the darkness.

They stopped at the spot near a raised platform. It used to be where the demon lord sat and addressed their subjects. The throne. Now, it has collected dust. They had looked through this section earlier today. They didn't find anything.

Meline kneeled in front of where the seat used to be. Using her hand, she wiped the thick dust from the floor. A thin gap in the shape of a square was barely visible on the ground. It hadn't been visible when they went past it earlier, thanks to the dust cover.

“Is there something down there?” Kade asked.

“Yes.” Meline pushed it, but nothing happened. She slipped her fingers through the gap and pulled it up. The opening creaked as it revealed a set of stairs underneath.

“I didn't know this room existed…” Meline murmured.

The two descended the stairs. At the end of the stairs was an unused passageway. At least, it was supposed to be unused. Warm light filled the small tunnel; its torches looked fresh. There was not a single speck of dust on the path itself.

The tunnel extended in two directions. One part headed north toward the mountains, while the other headed south toward the village. They decided to follow the north path.

In the distance, they saw an opening. A small room. Chatter came from that direction.

“She's definitely screwed…”

“... Not that bad, is it?”

“... But…”

They couldn't hear the specifics of their conversation, but it didn't sound important. They shouldn't be here, however. No rules prohibited people from entering the castle, but this late at night? Suspicious.

“They aren't kids playing around at night, are they?”

Kade had wished he could experience such a thing on Earth. Sneaking around with a friend into one's old school sounded fun. He never did that. He didn't even have friends who could accompany him.

“Doesn't seem to be the case.”

They moved closer and closer, yet the conversation didn't change into anything important. Inside, two large men conversed with each other. They had wolf ears on their heads and a long, fluffy tail behind their backs. The two fully armed wolfkins were talking about how an inn owner was having a tough time dealing with her son. It seemed the son wasn't interested in working and became a burden.

At some point, both of them completely forgot what they came for, immersed in the gossip.

“So I told her to just send him to join the demon lord's army.”

“You're trying to ruin it from within?”

“That or the army ruined him. Maybe, he'll finally grow up that way.”

“That's laughable.”

“... We're not a place for problem kids…” Meline murmured. Unfortunately, she spoke her complaint a bit too loudly, and the two people stopped conversing. They turned around. There was no space to hide, so Meline rushed forward and knocked both of them out.

She pulled them to the side, then looked around the room. There were some boxes there, and inside were weapons and various equipment. Some regions had strong monsters, so tribes weren't prohibited from having their own defense force. These looked to be weapons used by the wolfkins.

“We need to be careful,” she warned before proceeding deeper. She didn't use her spears, not wanting to harm anyone. The demon lord going around killing her subjects would make headlines.

It wouldn’t be long before they woke up. They have a very limited time in discovering what was hidden underneath the castle.

“Have you ever been in this section before, Meline?” Kade asked while they moved from one room to the next.

“Nope. I don’t even know this place exists.”

They had studied the layout of the old castle before they departed. The map didn’t mention anything about an underground section.

“It is surprising to me as well. Very surprising, I tell you.”

“Maybe it’s kept as a secret on purpose? Hence, why people didn’t notice?”

“Maybe yes, maybe no. Regardless of the reason- We have arrived.”

They arrived at the end of the path. There was a large room with numerous boxes in it. Meline leaped forward before, knocking out the two guards before they could react. Meline took a careful look around. The many boxes scattered throughout the room all had weapons.

One box stood out. Unlike the other boxes, this one wasn't square. It was long. It sat next to a table with some papers on it.

Meline opened the box, revealing a single spear, similar to her own spears. Meline grabbed it, while Kade recovered the documents. They then teleported away.