EX-level dungeon—the 'Royal Tomb of Salomon'
The dungeon where Salomon's soul, the King of Magic, rests is guarded by countless demons summoned from hell.
I had tried the dungeon many times in the game, and although I had a vague memory about the structure of the floor, I still knew it generally. Now, with me in the lead, the group moves down the 'Royal Tomb'.
"Haa!"
"Hmph!"
I swing my sword and cut through the enemies standing in the passage.
At the same time, Shakuna aims a whip at their head from a little distance away.
Ahead of us stood a demon with human torso and fly head.
I acted as the vanguard attacker, while Shakuna supported me from the middle distance with sword dances and magic.
Ryuna, a healer and the sole low-ranking member of the party, is in the back, and Hadiss, a 'Paladin', is standing in the back as a guard.
"Eat this!"
"Kishiiiiii!"
Shakuna leaps forward, and with a slash, the fly-headed demon, whose skull is shattered, falls to the ground.
The dead demon vanishes in a puff of white smoke, leaving only the insect wings as a drop item.
I have seen this scene many times since entering the royal tomb.
Every since we entered the underground of the ruins, creepy monsters have been appearing one after another, which make us lose our sanity just by looking at them.
They are demons summoned by Salomon, or his family.
"What a horrible monster... Why did King Salomon, the legendary magician, summon such a monster to the earth?"
Shakuna muttered in a creepy way as she stared at the disappearing monster.
At her sister's question, Ryuna, who was standing behind her, opens her mouth.
"A thousand years ago, during the era of King Salomon, there were many dynasties (王朝) that fought over a limited amount of rich lands. In order to end the never-ending warfare, Salomon summoned the armies of hell and ruled the land. I heard that these ruins were originally intended to trap the demons that he summoned so that they would not misbehave."
"Isn't it strange that he keeps the demons he summoned locked up? If he had no more use for them, why not just send them back to hell?"
"Even after King Salomon established a unified kingdom, there were many people who rebelled and planned to rebel. In order to check the rebels, it seems that the demons could not be sent back to hell."
I have read this story in the setting material.
Salomon conquered the desert with the help of demons, but in his later years, he seems to have been in fear of rebellion and assassination.
Well, in most cases, the rulers who brought about a change by overwhelming military power are the ones who die in the end by assassination treason.
Like Oda Nobunaga was killed by Akechi Mitsuhide. Caesar was stabbed to death by his comrades. Even Qin Shi Huang and Alexander the Great were assassinated.
King Salomon must have been frightened by the remnants of the dynasties he destroyed and conquered, and by his men and relatives who wanted the throne.
"But... It seems he was wrong. King Salomon died of illness without sending the demon back to hell, and as a result, countless demons have remained in the ruins. In exchange for not leaving the ruins, the demon demanded that Salomon's remains be handed over to them, and the next king who succeeded him agreed to this. It is said that Salomon's soul was buried in the ruins along with the remains, and is still trapped with the demon."
"..."
I know that.
Salomon cannot leave the deepest part of the ruins, and he is still suffering.
Salomon is a man loved by the demon. So, to keep him out of the hands of God, the demon locked him in this Tomb of the Kings.
"Yandere, huh... It's scary..."
I muttered with a grimace on my face.
I don't know why... but I feel it familiar.
I feel as if it will happen to me someday, that I'll be locked up forever because I'm loved.
When my face was pale with unidentified fear, Ryuna looked into my face curiously.
"Is something wrong, Baskerville-sama?"
"No..."
I shook my head.
Everything's fine. It's okay, Urza and Levienna wouldn't do anything like that. They're my loyal subjects. They won't lock me up against my will.
Nagisa will be fine. And Aeris...
I don't know why. I had a vision of myself being locked up by Aeris and forced to have sexual intercourse with her day and night... Is this really my fantasy?
"It's not good... I'm getting terribly frightened."
In a way, it's more terrifying than the demons in this dungeon.
Why do my trusted relatives seem to be more like messengers from hell?
"Don't worry about it. Don't look so frightened."
"Ryuna..."
The 'Priestess' girl smiles kindly at me, as I am frightened and delusional on my own.
"Zenon-sama is a person who confines rather than being confined. A person who confines me and does such things to me can't be confined without good reason."
"..."
Here is another one, I was possessed by another unexplainable delusion.
After all, priestess can see the future... I wonder what kind of character I am in her mind.
"What are you two talking about!?"
"Well, we can't stand still here without the enemy chasing us. Let's go forward."
"...Yeah"
Shakuna and Hadiss urge me to go deeper and deeper into the tombs of the king.
It's been an hour since we entered the dungeon.
We had already reached the ninth floor. Even though I knew the approximate route, the pace still quite fast.
The next level is 10th floor. This is the room where the first boss would be waiting for us.
"Let's do our best, Baskerville-sama!"
"..."
I head to the next floor, feeling a sense of uneasiness from Ryuna, who is smiling at me in a very friendly way.
