The Hard Times

The kingdom barely kept itself from falling into complete chaos after word of Demon Monarch König Geistdunkelrustung destroying all of the Divine Artifacts spread. The Corruption of the Last Champion and Last Saintess, and their inhuman massacre of the highest members of nobility, royalty, and high society, devastated the public’s trust in the ones left to fill their positions.

Liamion sat in the seat he never thought would be his. His father’s large frame suited the wide design perfectly, and his older brother was supposed to have been the one to inherit it. It was far too large for him. But there was nobody else to ascend to the throne. Qualified or not, prepared or not, whether he wanted to or not, the vibrant lavender locks of his hair and the golden luster that shone in his eyes after awaking from that night a week ago were proof that he had been recognized by the Goddess Lini. He had the divine right to rule.

But the young prince wasn’t the only one unprepared to take on the position thrust upon him. Over eighty percent of the old King’s Council had, according to the knights and servants who witnessed what had transpired after König Geistdunkelrustung departed the banquet, been preyed upon by, and then devoured by the Corrupted Laimessa and Lilith. Even many of the successors of each Council member had been targeted, leaving only an inexperienced generation to stumble their way through keeping the kingdom from tearing itself apart.

The biggest thing that kept the incident from completely ruining society was that, after all the dust had settled and families began to figure out how to mourn with no bodies to bury, the members of the church discovered that they could learn revival magic again.

As Liamion tried to follow along with the reports and plans to prepare for whatever move the dark-armored, shadowy greater demon made next, a palpable shift in the air washed through the chamber. Everyone in the room froze for a moment, knowing physically that something had changed, but unaware of what that change was.

“What was that?”

“It felt as though it came from the west.”

“Was it the Demon Monarch!? What do we do?”

As the sense of unease spread like wildfire, threatening to consume the inexperienced leaders of the kingdom, Liamion was about to say the first thought to come to his mind, whether it would have been helpful or not, when he heard a voice whisper in his mind.

“Liam? Come and play with me~”

Inessa?! Jumping up from his seat, he slammed the oversized scepter that was difficult enough for him to carry on the floor, silencing all the panicking voices and drawing all attention to him. That was Inessa, I know it was. She’s reaching out to me! “A-Assemble a party, I care not if they are knights or adventurers, and send them to investigate the Demon Monarch’s ruins. We must first gather as much information as possible before we act.”

The manner of speech and composure were not his own. He was merely imitating the confidence and presence his father projected. But in the uncertainty that was drowning the nation, he had no choice but to be strong. Strong enough to get Inessa back.

*****

The search parties and reconnaissance teams sent into the Badlands returned months later, sending messages back to the border towns and capital outlining the drastic changes to the terrain. Most notable was the near-complete lack of Dark Magic Corruption in the land, which promoted unprecedented growth in the formerly inhospitable land. Vast plains of grass and flowers, lush forests that sprouted from seemingly nowhere, verdant swamps, fertile valleys, snowcapped mountains, ore-rich caves and tunnels, and all lush with high-quality resources brimming with Mana.

All the changes to the terrain made locating the site of the Demon Monarch’s castle more difficult than predicted, but a party of daring adventurers was eventually able to find it, and it seemed to be completely abandoned. There hadn’t been any reports of demons or monsters populating the new environments in the Badlands.

Initial exploration of the castle revealed that there were no Corrupted inhabiting it, but there were dangerous traps and random chests filled with treasures scattered throughout. None of the traps were inherently fatal, and further investigation showed that they automatically reset after enough time passed, but most importantly, enduring or bypassing the traps also awarded Experience! But only the first time.

However, the biggest discovery came from the throne room, where, behind an ornate throne cleaved in two, was a set of doors that, according to the maps some adventurers drew of the castle’s layout, should have led nowhere. The magically inclined adventurers, though, could sense the power infusing the doorway, with a note addressed to Liamion specifically nailed to it.

“Dear Liam,

Seriously, what am I even doing, writing you a note like this? I’m sure you must hate me now, since I’m the reason you… Well, Lia helped with that, but still, if you’re willing to read this, I’ll let you know what Geisty’s done.

The castle is now a ‘Dungeon’, as he calls it. A place where people can come to get stronger by overcoming deadly traps, find rare treasures, and fight against monsters and demons. There are multiple floors, and the deeper you go, the higher-level everything gets, but if you make it all the way to the bottom, you can face Geisty directly!

You said you were going to get stronger to come and rescue me, right? Well, just be careful, alright? Geisty says that if you’re going to come kill us for Experience, it’s only right that we get to kill you back. Oh, and Lia and I get to be ‘Floor Bosses’, so if you’re quick enough, you’ll get to see me again sooner than later!

Anyway, Geisty made the castle something like a test area, and none of us Corrupted will be leaving the Dungeon, but you’re not going to just leave us all by ourselves, right? After all, even if you don’t want to fight Geisty, you can still get into Superior, or even Legendary rank if you’re skilled or lucky enough.

Hope to see you soon,

Laimessa”

The note ended with a violet impression of her lips on the page, along with a few strands of purple hair from the tassel she took from him.

I don’t have time to be sitting around like this. Liamion thought as his Council argued and debated risking life and limb entering what could be nothing more than an elaborate trap. Reportedly, a couple of brave, or crazy, adventurers had already entered this ‘Dungeon’ and returned just fine. Just you wait, Inessa. I’ll come and get you. I promise.

Training was about to become a whole lot more important.