Searching for Kishirika

[coment and give me power stones please bro!]

Outside, I found myself on a steep slope. The steep inclinewas covered in reddish-brown soil, with rocks scattered as far as the eye could see.

In the distance, there was a forest that resembled a fishbone, a unique sight found only on the Demon Continent.

I also spotted what appeared to be a large turtle on the horizon.

There was no town nearby, at least not that I could see. I wondered how close I really was to Kishirika. Did I have to look for the nearest town?

And besides...

"Haa... I'm stupid!!" I yelled in frustration as I slapped myself on the forehead.

I hadn't asked about Kishirika's appearance. I got carried away again! Why do I keep doing that!

But as I continued to complain about my stupidity...

"Whoa!" The edge of the slope dropped abruptly into a sheer cliff. My eyes widened in shock at the sight beyond.

It wasn't an ordinary cliff, but a massive one. An entire city stretched out below me, nestled inside a crater. In the center were the ruins of an iron castle.

I knew this city; I'd heard about it in my magic classes with Eva back in the days at the mansion...

The crater acted as a natural protection, preventing monsters from invading. At night, the magic stones embedded in the interior walls lit up, illuminating the city.

I also knew the castle's origins.

It had once been the seat of the Great Emperor of the Demon World, Kishirika Kishirisu.

The site was badly damaged in a conflict during the Laplace War. It was now known as Old Kishirika Castle.

I quickly ran down the slope and could see the city gates in the distance, along with two guards guarding them.

The heat in this place was intense, as intense as the Sahara Desert or something...

I walked quickly toward the city entrance, and the guards stopped me.

[Stop! Identify yourself!] One of them shouted in the Demon God's language... shit, I haven't used this language in centuries.

[I'm human... I'm a guild... looking for a guild,] I muttered in embarrassment.

The guard just let out a dismissive "Hey!" sound while scratching his chin and looking at me with a slight smile.

[You may enter,] he said, and so I continued walking through the place.

The open market near the entrance was large enough to leave me speechless.

It was less crowded and bustling than those in Millis and Ars.

There were adventurers of all races here, many of them mounted on lizard beasts. But despite these differences, they behaved in the same way as the people of Miliis. Merchants quarreled with adventurers, townspeople milled around, looking at the shops with great interest, and beggars begged shopkeepers for charity, receiving a kick for their troubles. It was a sight you could see anywhere. I was used to it, but the different races of demons had caught my attention.

Orsted mentioned that there's a high probability that she's here and that she only eats once a year...

Am I supposed to give her food then?...

But in that case, why would the demon empress come to this city specifically and what's stopping her from attacking me?...

Besides

I have no money...

I couldn't collect my bounty on those wolves because of Gesee and Alek and I gave all my savings to the girls.

They better be using it correctly!! I screamed in my mind as I looked at the ground.

"But wait...I still have one thing..." I muttered as I searched inside my robe.

Inside this I took out my family seal...

This small seal, no more than five centimeters thick, was used to validate the letters and mandates that my family made. My father gave it to me when I turned five years old and I only used it once, to send that letter to my mother when I was in Millis...

It might be the only memory I would have of my days as a noble, but this ring was made entirely of gold...

The decision was clear and without discussion.

I left the market and went into an alley with no people and with a small fireball I started to melt the ring.

With my left hand I used combined fire and gravity magic to spin the ring and with my right hand I created a sturdy stone no more than ten centimeters.

Being honest wouldn't work now.

It took me about fifteen minutes but in the end the ring was melted and I manipulated the liquid gold to put it around the rock.

The gold remained as a simple aluminized layer around the rock but it was perfect.

Now i just needs a place to change it and luckily this city had an adventurers guild.

But the guild of this city...is in ruins in a nutshell.

It's a single-story building, six by six meters, made entirely of wood. It looked more like a bar than anything else, and the receptionist...

The receptionist had three tits...

The atmosphere of this place seemed more like a tavern than anything else, even the wooden doors made it look like one.

I opened the doors softly and silence fell among the people.

I don't know if it was because of my shabby appearance or the obvious tiredness in my eyes, but everyone only looked at me for a couple of seconds before losing interest.

Likewise, I walked up to the receptionist who offered me a professional smile as I struggled not to stare at her three enormous breasts...

[Hello young man...how can I help you?] The woman with green skin and three breasts spoke to me in a friendly tone and I gulped loudly.

[I want to exchange this for money] I said slowly as I placed "the gold nugget" on his counter.

The woman looked at the "nugget" for a few seconds, took it in her hands feeling its weight and then looked at me for a few seconds and then nodded.

"Fuu..." I breathed a sigh of relief as I waited.

The woman returned with a kind of scale and placed the nugget on top.

It looked more like one of those scales that statues use in courtrooms and that things.

[300 grams...] The woman muttered and I could see her shudder slightly.

I've never bothered to research gold prices...well yes, but only when I was robbing my mother's jewelry store in my old world to buy marijuana, but that's another topic.

The green-skinned woman looked at me for a few seconds, I could see the sweat running from her forehead, and then she sighed.

[You want the entire weight of gold in cash, right?] She asked and I nodded firmly.

[Okay...wait a moment please] she muttered as she handed me "the gold nugget" and she went to a room behind her counter.

"..." I waited for a few minutes and she came back with a brown ball in her hand until she stood back at her conter.

[Okay, that's a total of 20 green coins for your gold nugget, sir.] She muttered as she looked at the nugget.

I extended my hand towards the bag, she hesitated for a few seconds but finally passed it to me and I handed her the nugget which made her breathe a sigh of relief.

Apparently she thought she could escape with Pepita and everything...I'm not that deceitful!

I quickly opened the bag and sure enough, it was twenty green coins, which in Asura would only be equivalent to five silver coins...

This was hardly the only one, first I had to put out a search order for a woman named Kishirika Kishirisu and then lure her with food according to Orsted..

I quickly bought a piece of paper and a pencil and started writing the petition, but my information was terribly limited.

But just as I was racking my brains to make a good request, I felt someone tap me on the shoulder.

[Hey! What do we have here? A human child? You don't see many of your kind around here, friend!] A man with a horse face muttered behind me in a mocking tone.

[What do you need? I'm busy] I muttered in exasperation.

[Haha! Calm down, calm down, my friend! I'm not here to rob you or anything like that! I see you're new around here, right? I think you could use some help!] The horse-faced man muttered with a horrible smile.

Honestly, the mere appearance of this guy gave me the creeps, I felt my racist side awaken for the first time.

But I just ignored my American impulses and looked into the eyes of the creature in front of me, if he bothered me too much I could simply cut him in two and that's it.

[And what kind of help could you give me?] I asked him as I turned to look at him.

[Heh! You ask for it and I can get it for you...ah! Where are my manners?! My name is Nokopara by the way, and you?!] The horse-faced man said as he extended his hand for me to shake.

I hesitated for a moment and generated a tiny barrier aura in my hand and gave it a hand shake.

[Well...I'm looking for a person, could you help me find her?] I asked while looking into his eyes.

[Hehe!, it depends on how much you are willing to pay!] He said as he extended his hand forward and toward the "come" sign.

[If you give me clear and precise information about that person before the sun sets, I will give you two green coins, one for now and one when you get it] I declared.

At that precise moment Nokopara's playful attitude disappeared and I could see her black eyes wide open.

"T-two green coins?!, really?!" He said totally surprised.

I guess it's a number he doesn't see every day then...

[Yes, this matter is that urgent, what do you say you accept?] I asked him and he nodded fervently.

[O-of course! Just tell me who you're trying to find and I'll do everything I can to find information!!] He declared totally in shock.

"Okay...listen carefully..." I murmured and started telling him.

...

[hmmm...what did you say his name was?]

[It's Kishirika! Kishirika Kishirisu!] I said in exasperation and the horse head nodded while scratching his chin.

[Okay, fine, I'll be right back here before the sun sets, but you'll have to pay me half first.] He said, holding out a hand and giving a wicked grin.

Honestly, I didn't trust this guy at all. He could just be a scammer trying to steal a coin from me...

But well, we'll have to try it this way for now.

I took a coin out of the bag and handed it to him, he quickly retracted his hand and nodded.

[Okay, see you later huh?...]

[Paul, my name is Paul]

[Okay Paul, wait for me here then and I'll come back with your information!] He said and so he left the guild.

It was just after noon so he had approximately six hours to gather information and this city was not small so i doubt his results very much.

Hours passed and I ordered a light meal which I almost threw up and when I asked the receptionist she told me it was giant turtle meat...

I applied Detox magic to the food just in case while holding my nose and chewing it quickly, it wasn't pleasant

And I got a bigger surprise because just before the sun set, Nokopara burst into the guild with a triumphant smile and scanned the place he found me.

[Hey Paul! What do you think?!] He said with his horrible smile and sat in front of me.

[What did you get?] I asked him while staring at him.

[Nah, not until you give me the other half!] He said holding out a hand.

I controlled my urge to cut off his head and took another coin out of the bag and gave it to him.

He took the coin and quickly put it in his chest and sat up straight.

[Ahem! I'll search the entire merchant district for someone who might have seen something and it won't take long!] He said and I raised an eyebrown.

[Turns out there was a girl a couple of hours ago who introduced herself as Kishirika Kishirisu and appeared in the market...begging for food...] Nokopara said with a snort of disdain.

A girl begging for food...ok.

[And what happened? Did you discover anything else?]

[Indeed, many food stands kicked her out and I followed the trail of testimonies to a tavern on the other side of town, there I found that she entered a bar and challenged a man to to a drinking duel, the man accepted and surprisingly the girl won, becoming almost sober...but there came the problem] Nokopara explained while drumming her fingers on the table.

I just nodded as I listened to him carefully, I hadn't heard Kishirika's behavior so this was all I could have.

[As the girl is from the street and consequently does not have a penny, she was caught and the owner of the bar told me that a few hours later some soldiers in black armor took her away and that's all he knows...but he was able to identify where those guards were from...] Nokopara said as she approached me, to whisper in my ear.

[They say they are the soldiers of the Demon Queen Atoferatofe Raiback...] The guy muttered while looking around making sure no one could hear us.

[Of Atoferatofe?...but what would they want from her?] I asked.

[I don't know, that's all I could hear and according to the bar owner that was before noon so it was just a few hours ago] the guy grumbled.

"..." I was silent for a while, why would Alek's grandmother want something with her?...and if they have her captive then I'll be able to see her?

Ugh...this whole thing is getting more complicated than it should be.

But I must not stay here doing nothing, no matter if I even have to face Atofe herself.

[Nokopara..one last favor] I murmured as I looked into his eyes.

[hmm?, what is it, what do you need?] He asked while scratching his chin...again

[Please tell me if you know where Atoferatofe Castle is.] I told him seriously and he blinked in confusion.

[Atofe doesn't have a castle...she invaded a part of Kishirika's old castle] he grumbled.

Oh...so it's in this same city...makes sense

...

IN SHORT, the old Kishirika Castle was a picturesque piece of demonic architecture.

It was built with specially crafted ironstone, and while it lacked the intricate details and elegance of the now-destroyed silver castle, it was still a sight to behold. In fact, someone with more practical tastes would probably like it more.

Its only flaw was a sizable hole in the central tower.

The place was a tourist attraction, so it was usually open to the public (as long as they paid admission), but the areas they could access were limited.

I was led directly to the audience chamber. Not the spacious and gaudy one used to dazzle visitors, but a narrow one that was more commonly used.

Knights in black armor lined the narrow chamber, and their presence made everything feel oppressive and stifling. The icing on this unpleasant cake was that the throne in front of me was empty.

[Isn't her taking a while?] I asked one of the guards.

I'd been standing here for about two hours and hadn't heard from her or Kishirika. As soon as I asked for an audience with Atofe, the guards let me in.

[Lady Atofe doesn't have a good sense of timing, it'll take her a while to arrive] one of the black-armored guards said nonchalantly, and I frowned.

But just as I tried to retort,

[Move] A voice sounded behind me.

I looked over my shoulder and saw a woman. Of all the women I'd ever met, she most resembled the stereotypical demon.

Her skin was blue-black, her hair white, and her eyes blood red. She had wings like a bat's, and a single, thick horn protruded from her head.

Like the knights, she also wore black armor, though it was clear hers had seen far more battles than theirs.

It was covered in scratches, and the decorative elements had long since been torn off.

From her waist hung a massive sword that seemed far too large for her scrawny arms. Its scabbard was far more extravagant than the other soldiers'.

It wasn't as Tall, probably of average height for an adult woman. Taller than me, but by barely a head.

What was most remarkable about her was something entirely different. There was an indescribable aura of rage and hostility about her. If violence were a fragrance, she would wear it like a perfume, for it was obvious she would use force on anyone who tried to disobey her.

She was like a female knight—no, a cavalry captain, to be more exact. It would be prudent not to provoke her.

[Didn't you hear me? I said move,] she reiterated with a frown.

[Oh, yes, of course.] I obediently moved out of the way.

[Much better,] she grumbled.

Long strands of white hair whipped around behind her as she walked to the throne and turned to face me.

She sat down and, after removing the scabbard from her waist,

lowered her sword between her legs, assuming a royal pose.

She took a deep breath and shouted: [I am the Immortal Demon King Atoferatofe Raiback!!]

"huh?..." I couldn't help but be confused, she was Atofe and she had entered through the same door as me...

[Lady Atofe! I've already told you that you must enter through the designated door, not the guest area!!]An elderly guard reprimanded her, and Atofe just frowned.

[That's much faster! The normal way is confusing!] She said and with just a punch of her fist the guard's head burst like a watermelon...

Needless to say, I stood frozen in place at such a scene.

[So?! Why did you request a meeting with me? Talk now!] She shouted and I nodded.

[I'm looking for Kishirika Kishirisu for one of her demonic eyes] I declared as I looked into the woman's eyes, after seeing Orsted, no gaze seemed more terrifying to me.

[Hmmm?!, Kishirika?!, why?, your debts are not my concern!] She said as she stood up from her throne.

[So you wouldn't mind if I could talk to her, right?] I stated, my gaze firmly fixed on the woman's.

"Ha!" With a cry of surprise, Atofe flapped his wings and made a huge leap until he landed in front of me.

Her fall kicked up dust and she held my gaze firmly but I returned her gaze without flinching.

"Lady Atofe..." The voice of the guard whose head had exploded a moment ago reached my ears, but I don't see it

After staring at Atofe for a while she smiled wickedly and took a step away from me.

[Hahaha! I see, I see!! That determination and that bravery! I propose you a deal, kid! Defeat my guards and me in a fight, show yourself worthy and I'll allow you to speak with Kishirika!!] Atofe said while laughing maniacally.

I stood there as I analyzed her words.

This was the most feared and respected Demon Queen of the entire Demon Continent and if I have to face her to find Philemon...

[I agree] I announced and Atofe's already terrifying smile became even more terrifying.