That evening, Orsted and I proceeded towards the Earth Dragon Valley.
Towards the bottom of the Earth Dragon Valley.
A leveled path where blue mushrooms and moss were growing in abundance.
There was a carefully hidden small hole on the wall.
The hole that was about 1 metre in diameter was in a slightly curved position. It looked like a dead end at a glance if seen from outside.
However, a huge room awaited if someone were to proceed some 10 metres inside it.
There, a large magic formation was shedding light with one sword as its core.
Though I say it’s large, its radius was 5 metres at best.
One male was lying within that formation.
“Hmm, so you’ve come.”
It was Demon Lord Badigadi.
His body had been separated into 5 pieces, and each of them were sealed in different places in the valley.
His main body was here.
This barrier would never get destroyed unless all of the remaining 4 seals were destroyed first.
And then, the barrier was operating using the mana of Badigadi’s body, which was further amplified with the Dragon King Sword and Fighting God Armor as a catalyst.
It could keep operating almost forever.
The Barrier Magic Formation was reverently made by Perugius himself.
It was the God-Class barrier magic created in order to seal the Demon God.
If the sealing object that would become the medium and the magic item that would become the intermedi-ary were strong enough, they could increase the barrier’s strength.
In addition to the Fighting God Armor, even the Dragon King Sword was used by this seal as a catalyst. It was powerful enough that not even Orsted could break out of it.
It’s possible that using two God-Class equipment as one part of the barrier was somewhat wasteful.
However, both of them would be terrifying weapons in the hands of the enemy.
Since the enemy proved this by using the teleport formations for their own gain, if these things were getting used up here then it’s not such a bad thing.
As long as this seal existed, not only Badigadi, but the Fighting God Armor and the Dragon King Sword would be sealed here as well.
If this was destroyed then there would be no choice left but to give up.
That’s the conclusion I’d come with.
Orsted had requested Perugius to set up this barrier.
He bowed his head and requested to borrow his strength.
And, Perugius acknowledged that.
He became Orsted’s brethren, his ally.
But Perugius was someone that must be killed.
Which meant that Orsted had chosen the path of betrayal.
I owed both Orsted and Perugius a lot.
As an individual, it’s a complex feeling.
But I could understand that Orsted had no choice left but to choose that path.
On top of that, if it’s something that Orsted had decided on, then I was in no position to complain.
I did think that it would’ve been nice if we at least knew some way to reach Hitogami’s place without using the five Dragon Race treasures, but it was clear that just a little bit of research wasn’t going to be enough to find it.
Well, perhaps I didn’t really need to think about that.
The enemy was in front of me right now.
“I must terribly apologize, Your Majesty. I had no choice but to do this if you were to become Hitogami’s apostle again.”
“It’s quite uncomfortable. Can you let me move a little bit more?”
Badigadi said pompously while lying in a pose similar to the sleeping Buddha.
Even for my personal opinion regarding this jail, this was certainly an uncomfortable and narrow sealing barri-er.
Still, I couldn't bring myself to kill him.
Please don’t kill him - was Kishirika’s earnest request to me.
“I’m terribly sorry, this is the best I can do right now.”
“Hmm. Then it can’t be helped.”
Badigadi said and laughed with a FUAHAHA.
He had two arms and his body was comparatively smaller than before.
This was the result of the seal.
“So what’s your business here? Don’t tell me, did you come here to have a drinking bout with my charming figure?”
“Orsted-sama has something to talk with you.”
I said that and handed over the scene to Orsted.
“Demon Lord Badigadi.”
“Good evening, Dragon God-dono. What would be your business today?”
“Abandon Hitogami and work under me.”
Badigadi looked blankly for a few seconds.
But quickly laughed out loud.
“FUHAHAHAHAHA!”
Badigadi’s laughter echoed within the cave.
“The despicable Dragon Race is asking ME, one of the Immortal Demon Race to join HIM!?”
“Although you became an enemy for a while, you bastard are still Rudeus’s friend. Alex, Aleksander, and Atofe have already turned to this side, so do you have any room for consideration?”
“NO!”
He declared plainly.
“But why? Respected Granduncle.”
Alek, who was standing near the entrance, came forward.
“You have already lost, you know? Then in accordance with the Immortal Demon Race’s law─”
“Do not misunderstand, Lil’ Alek. That is not the law of the Immortal Demon Race. That’s only Atofe’s own rule.”
“Then, Respected Granduncle. Have you pledged allegiance to Hitogami?”
“Wrong.”
Badigadi raised his body and shook his head.
And then, he folded his only two arms and sat cross-legged.
“I don’t like fighting anyone to begin with.
What I do like is going on journeys, laughing while drinking alcohol, making advances on casual women, sleep with them, getting shout at by my fiancee at times, drinking alcohol along with friends, laughing, singing, and looking at the sleeping but satisfied faces of tired people.
I went out of my way this time only because Hitogami requested me while bowing his head.
He wanted me to kill Rudeus Greyrat and Dragon God Orsted no matter what.
Do you know just thanks to whom both me and Kishirika were able to live up till this age?
I remembered the matter of 4200 years ago and simply wanted to repay back my debt.
On those terms I accepted, but ‘only once’.”
“..........”
“And now, that only once is over.
I won’t be becoming anyone’s ally from now on!
If given the choice of getting sealed here or fight, I’ll choose to get sealed.”
If that’s how it is, then I think that it would be fine to let him out.
Of course, on top of being Hitogami’s apostle and his nature of getting deceived so easily, I couldn’t just thoughtlessly leave him alone.
Yep.....
“At any rate, when the fight between you and Hitogami is over, won’t you let me out then?”
Badigadi said to the perplexed me with a broad grin.
“.......Yeah.”