"Salomon... You mean 'King Salomon'!?"
I couldn't help but scream when the boy appeared without warning.
v
'King Salomon'--as the name implies, he is buried in the Royal Tomb of King Salomon and was once called the King of Magic who summoned and used many demons.
In the game, he is the boss character waiting on the 100th floor of this dungeon and is a balance breaker with more fighting ability than the Demon King.
"Is he real? His appearance is totally different from the one in the game."
The 'King Salomon' in the game was supposed to look like a huge black sphere. It was an oddly shaped monster with countless eyeballs stuck on its surface and a gaping crescent moon mouth.
However... the person in front of me who calls himself Solomon looks like an ordinary boy, and he seems out of place in the dungeon.
"Oh? You have a strange color of soul. It's as if you're not from this world."
"Hmm..."
The boy, Salomon, tilts his head in wonder.
It seems that he is mysterious enough to know who I am.
The boy's words suddenly have more credibility. Or maybe he is the real King Salomon.
"King Salomon... are you talking about the master of this tomb!? This kid!?"
Unlike me, Shakuna seems to be surprised.
Salomon smiles mischievously and puffed out his chest.
"That's right! I am the greatest magician in the history of mankind. I am the man who is called the 'King of Magic'! You may worship me with longing, don't you?"
"Well, uh...?"
Shakuna looks at me and Salomon alternately, puzzled.
Salomon, who seems to have realized that he is being suspected, looks at me and he raised his index finger at me.
"It seems you don't believe me. Then... how about this?"
"Huh...!?"
"What!?"
A tremendous amount of magic power is released.
I jump back involuntarily, and Shakuna is stunned.
Dozens of demons are summoned before us. Sheep, cows, eagles, tigers, wolves, and other beast-headed humanoid monsters with various deformed heads appear before us.
"So many of such demons...!?"
It's not just the number of demons.
Each demon seems to be as strong as the boss monster we had just defeated, giving off an unusual sense of intimidation.
"I-I get it! I understand! I believe you, I believe you, please make that demon disappear...!"
"Really? I hope you believe me!"
Salomon snapped his fingers in response to Shakuna's plea. Immediately, dozens of demons disappear like smoke.
The tense atmosphere is released, and I wipe the sweat from my forehead with my arm.
"It looks like... you are the real Salomon, the King of Magic. But why did the big boss who should be on the lowest floor of the tomb appear at the halfway point of the 50th floor?"
"Well... I usually don't appear in front of challengers every time, and just looked at you guys with magic. However, I had to come out because I realized something..."
"Is something going on?"
"Yes, yes. The resurrection of the snake god. The sacrificial Priestess. And the name Rujanaga. I didn't think the evil god 'Ilyanka Nobulnaga' [イルヤンカ・ノブルナーガ] would try to resurrect in this life. How persistent is that snake priest?"
"Ilyanka...? Is that the name of the evil god at the 'Altar of the Snake God'? And... how do you know about Rujanaga?"
"Rujanaga, the snake-headed priest. He made a mess when I was alive a thousand years ago, so it's only natural. I summoned a large number of demons to confront that abominable man."
"A thousand years... has he been active for that long?"
The Rujanaga I knew was one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army, a conspirator who hunted down Leon through various schemes.
But... from what Salomon has told me, it seems that there is more to him than that.
Perhaps, he is serving the Demon King in his first appearance, and his original purpose is to revive the evil god whom he worships as a priest.
"...Either way, what we're going to do is the same. We'll crush Rujanaga. We'll kill that evil pervert. We'll rescue Ryuna and stop the resurrection of the evil god. That's the decision!"
"Good! You seem to have not only a good face but also great faith! I like you very much!"
Salomon clapped his hands.
He sends his compliments with a twinkle in his eye.
"It's nice of you to compliment me, but why are you talking about my face... you're not going to tell me I have a villain's face too, are you?"
"No way, no way! In case you haven't noticed... you have a very demonic face, you know? You're handsome in your own way as a human being, but in the eyes of the demon you look like a charming man of the world.?"
"That's absurd...what kind of sensibility does the demon have?"
Come to think of it... Urza, the oni-tribe, also treated me as a handsome boy.
What kind of sensibility do demons and oni have?
"No, no, I'm not kidding, it's true. It may sound exaggerated to say this, but... there could be a war that could break out in hell over one of you. I'm sure there are many demons out there who would love to have you, who would destroy nations if they ever came to the surface."
"......"
I feel like I've been told a terrible thing.
Though I have an evil face that is always feared by those who meet me for the first time, I had no idea that in the demon world I am a great beauty.
I had thought that the perverted demon named Veinrun was crazy, but it seems that the sensibilities of demons are quite different from those of human beings.
"...I don't care about my face. I don't care about what I look like... just tell me about the evil god and Rujanaga."
I shook my head and pushed the extraneous information out of my head and asked Salomon what was important.
"King Salomon. From the way you're talking, you're not our enemy, are you? Can you tell us how to save the kidnapped Ryuna and stop the resurrection of the evil god?"
"Sure. I want to stop the resurrection of the old evil god as much as you do too. So, I'll tell you everything I know."
Salomon snapped his fingers again, and a table and chairs for several people appeared as if growing out of the floor of the ruins.
The ancient magician in the form of a boy sits down on a chair, crosses his legs, and urges us to sit down as well.
"......"
We don't know where the demon has taken Ryuna, but we need the help of the boy in front of us to break the deadlock.
But I had complicated feelings like I eat poison when I sit on a chair...
