After meeting up with Lilliwood-san and exchanging brief greetings, she continued speaking with a gentle smile.
"I would like to say we should take our time and tour Yugfressia... but I suspect Isis would be quite cross with me if we did."
"Huh?"
"Isis is truly looking forward to your arrival. She even insisted on coming to pick you up herself, but as you might expect, her presence near the Gate would cause quite a commotion..."
Come to think of it, Isis-san and the other Six Kings usually moved about using Teleportation Magic rather than passing through the Gates. While a city ruled by Lilliwood-san might be manageable, the areas around the Gates were always crowded; a member of the Six Kings appearing there would certainly cause an uproar.
In Isis-san's case, her Magic Power of Death would make things especially difficult...
As I was pondering this, Lilliwood-san tilted her head as if she had just noticed something.
"Oh? Kaito-san, is that a Magic Tool on your arm?"
"Eh? Oh, yes. It's a teleportation tool Kuro made for me."
On my arm was the white magic crystal bracelet—the Teleportation Magic tool Kuro had crafted. According to her, it was a high-performance item that could store up to fifty locations, cross the boundary between the Human Realm and the Demon Realm, and be reused after only ten minutes.
When I explained this, Lilliwood-san looked genuinely impressed.
"As expected of Kuromueina. With that kind of capability—aside from the short cooldown—its performance is essentially equal to the Teleportation Magic used by us, the Six Kings."
"The only thing is... I tried it once as a test, and it made me feel pretty sick."
"Teleportation sickness is common when you aren't used to it. I believe you'll grow accustomed to the sensation after a few more uses."
"I see."
"We've strayed a bit from the topic, haven't we? Since we shouldn't keep Isis waiting too long, shall we head out?"
"Yes."
As I nodded, branches extended from the tree Lilliwood-san was integrated with, intertwining like yarn until they formed the shape of a chair.
"Please, have a seat. Going by Teleportation Magic would take only an instant... but since this is your first time in the Demon Realm, I thought we might travel while seeing the sights. Oh, rest assured, Isis has already agreed to this... though we will have to move a bit quickly."
"I understand. Thank you."
It seemed we weren't just going to teleport directly to Isis-san's castle; she was going to give me a brief tour of the realm instead. I was grateful for that. I was curious about what the Demon Realm was like, and if Isis-san had given her blessing, I definitely wanted to see it.
From my current vantage point, it just felt like being in a dense forest, so I couldn't quite get a feel for the landscape. My mental image was of a dim, rocky wasteland...
As I sat in the wooden chair she had provided, imagining all sorts of hellish landscapes, the chair lifted into the air and began to move at an incredible speed, trailing after Lilliwood-san. I was surprised by how fast we were going, but a magical barrier seemed to shield me from the wind pressure, making the ride perfectly comfortable.
"Wait, come to think of it, Lilliwood-san, how are you moving?"
"I'm actually floating just a little bit."
"...Oh, you're right."
I had wondered how she moved while fused with a tree, but looking closely, the base was indeed hovering slightly above the ground.
For a while, the scenery blurred past like the view from a bullet train. As we sped through the woods, I saw light ahead—it looked like we were finally breaking out of the forest.
When we emerged, what stretched out before us wasn't a rocky wasteland at all, but a vast, vibrant grassland.
"...Huh?"
"Fufufu, is it different from what you imagined?"
"Well, yeah..."
"For some reason, visitors from the Otherworld always seem to imagine the Demon Realm as a dark, craggy place."
It was true. I had definitely been picturing something out of a nightmare, but the reality was completely different. It reminded me of the African savanna; herds of various monsters and animals, large and small, roamed the wide plains, and giant birds soared through the sky.
"It looks a lot more like the Human Realm than I expected."
"Yes, well, despite being separated by the Dimensional Wall, it is still the same world. Of course, the local biology is quite different... there are many more large monsters and animals in the Demon Realm."
"I see."
"Naturally, each region has its own character. The Southern Region, for instance, is full of high, jagged mountains with plenty of shadows—that might be closer to your original image."
As we traveled, Lilliwood-san gave me a brief overview of the Demon Realm's geography.
We were currently in the Northern Region, which featured an ice-covered land at its northern tip but was otherwise mostly grasslands and forests. This was the area where Isis-san and Lilliwood-san lived.
The South was dominated by rocky mountains and was home to many dragon species; the Dragon King made his home there as well.
The Western Region was apparently a land of deserts and volcanoes, where the city ruled by Megiddo-san was located.
The East was relatively similar to the North, with many grasslands and lakes. Kuro’s home was supposedly there, but she didn't seem to rule a specific territory in the same way; it was a region of many towns and villages rather than major metropolises.
As for the Phantasm King, she apparently didn't have a fixed castle anywhere, and even Lilliwood-san didn't know where she usually spent her time.
While each region had these broad characteristics, the Demon Realm was so gargantuan that every area contained a variety of environments. Lilliwood-san told me her explanation was only a general rule of thumb.
As I listened to her polite explanation while gazing out at the grassland under the blue sky, the wooden chair gradually slowed to a halt.
"...Oh, how rare. Kaito-san, look over there... it's a Behemoth."
"Huh? A Behemoth? I've seen—Wait, it's huge!?"
I followed her gaze and saw a monstrosity with a deep purple body. I had been thinking of Bell, but the Behemoth standing there was gargantuan. Its massive frame rivaled a skyscraper, and it had red horns that made me feel like I was watching a kaiju movie.
Had I encountered it alone, I would have fled instantly. But with Lilliwood-san here, I felt perfectly safe.
The Behemoth noticed us, flinching when it saw Lilliwood-san, before letting out a low, rumbling growl.
"...This is troublesome. I had hoped it would get scared and run, but it seems it thinks it's trapped and intends to attack us instead."
"What!?"
Lilliwood-san spoke with an exasperated sigh, but I couldn't help but panic. No matter how powerful she was, the Behemoth was dozens of times larger than her, and its presence was absolutely terrifying.
Red lightning began to crackle from the Behemoth's horns, gathering around its mouth. Was that... a Breath attack?
I reflexively cowered, but Lilliwood-san didn't even flinch. As the red light reached its peak and a flash of energy was released, a wall of massive tree roots rose up to block my vision.
"Don't worry... brushing away a tiny spark like that is a simple task. As long as I am with you, I will not allow you to suffer even a single scratch, Kaito-san."
"..."
Effortlessly blocking a blast from that mountain of a creature, Lilliwood-san began to quietly expand the magic power she was clad in.
"...Good grief. I don't care for senseless fighting. I'll just intimidate it enough to make it—Oh?"
"Wha—!?"
Just as Lilliwood-san was about to unleash her overwhelming power to scare the Behemoth off, the earth shook violently.
"A-An earthquake!?"
For a moment, I thought it was a natural tremor, but the rhythm was all wrong. The ground shook, stopped, and then shook again. It felt impossible, yet unmistakable—it was as if the earth was trembling under the weight of someone's footsteps.
"...How unusual. To think he would come all the way out from his territory..."
"Eh? —!?"
Drawn by Lilliwood-san's surprised tone, I turned around and was immediately lost for words.
"What... no way..."
It was an unbelievable sight.
The Behemoth we had just encountered was already far larger than Megiddo-san—the biggest being I had seen until that moment—and I had been stunned by its size.
But now... even that Behemoth looked like a tiny pebble.
Looking back toward the far horizon, a mountain was approaching us. No, it wasn't a mountain—it was something as massive as a mountain, moving in our direction.
What in the world was that? We were clearly still a vast distance away, yet it was so enormous that I couldn't even wrap my head around its full scale. For it to look that big from this far away, was it the size of Mount Fuji... or even bigger? Was that really a living thing?
"...Is that... could it be..."
"Yes. Just as you suspect, Kaito-san. That is the largest living organism in the Demon Realm—no, in the entire world. The Dragon King, Magnawell."
"!!"
It was essentially a walking mountain range. Standing over 5,000 meters tall, it shook the very foundation of the world with every step. It was a monster in the truest sense of the word. It wasn't just the largest creature I'd ever seen; it was a dragon more massive than any mountain I had ever laid eyes on.
Dear Mother, Father—shortly after arriving in the Demon Realm, something truly outrageous has happened. Along with a sight more shocking than anything I've ever experienced, quite literally—a giant dragon piercing the heavens appeared.
Dragon King: "Sorry, I think I stepped on a forest."
World King: "Drop dead, you lizard!"