Slave of the Demon King’s Castle 241

## Chapter 241 – Malice (5)

The only district Ryu had never been to, and the thought of heading there now filled him with an unknown tension. He had heard that while the people of District 7 had become rough and lost hope due to the absence of their leader, the people of District 4 were inherently like fire.

Ryu swallowed hard and asked Low.

“How do I get to District 4?”

“District 4 isn’t on the surface.”

Low didn’t elaborate, glancing at Claire. Though she couldn’t fully understand her intentions, Claire felt this was a test of whether she could protect Ryu. She stepped forward and spoke instead.

“I’ll explain.”

Claire cleared her throat and began.

“You can get to District 4 from any district. It varies from district to district whether it’s two-way or one-way, but as far as I know, District 2 only allows travel to District 4 due to the danger.”

As Claire expected, Low wasn’t just being lazy. The Dullahan were a race that had to protect their lord even at the cost of their own lives, and anyone who could protect Ryu in her absence had to have excellent knowledge of this world.

Low nodded, seemingly satisfied, and started walking again.

“This way.”

She headed towards the center of the forest. The forest of District 2 had an eerie atmosphere that deterred others from visiting, but Claire stayed by their side without concern.

Low studied the ground carefully, then gestured at a patch sealed with chains under the overgrown weeds. At her gesture, the chains, as thick as an adult woman’s waist, vanished without a trace, and a door leading underground opened with a creak.

“Follow me.”

The spiral staircase was dimly visible, but nothing else could be seen. Low conjured a faint light from the beginning to the end of the stairs to prevent Ryu from getting hurt. Only then did Ryu step onto the stairs, swallow hard, and look down.

It was so deep that the end was not visible at all.

Moreover, the further down the stairs he went, the hotter he felt.

Ryu and Claire were quickly drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, but Low, despite wearing a thick cape made of feathers, didn’t break a sweat.

How long had they been walking? He was on the verge of losing his mind. If there was a hell, wouldn’t this be it? He even had that illusion. Then, relying on the light Low had summoned, Ryu felt his vision gradually turn red.

At the same time, Low spoke.

“We’ve arrived.”

The sight before him was so overwhelming that it made him forget the pain he had endured.

An underground city.

The place he had assumed would be dark had its own light sources floating in the sky, and sparks filled the space like fireflies.

Molten lava, hot enough to roast flesh, flowed like a river on the ground, and pillars connecting the underground and surface rose haphazardly.

The clanging of steel that assaulted his ears, as if he were in another world, was as loud as it was body-shaking.

“This is…”

Feeling overwhelmed by its grandeur, Ryu was afraid to take a step. Low stared at him, then smiled kindly and gently took his hand.

“I’m here, so you don’t have to worry so much. Now, let’s go.”

Low led them into the city, where only the sound of hammering steel could be heard.

As they got closer to the city, the sound of steel grew louder, and the heat became more intense on their skin. Just when he thought he would be roasted alive, they passed through the city gates, and the temperature became bearable. Of course, that didn’t mean it was comfortable.

The sound of hammering steel was still constant, and curses flew everywhere, proving that the rumors of their fiery temper were no exaggeration. With a slightly terrified expression, Ryu stuck close to Low and cautiously surveyed the situation. Claire quietly opened her mouth, as if to reassure him.

“It’s okay. They’re not fighting, just expressing their opinions.”

Hearing that, he listened more closely and realized it was a robust discussion about the weapons they were currently making.

Relieved, he took another step into the city when someone recognized Low and a voice came from somewhere.

“Lady Low?”

That word became the fuse, and in the blink of an eye, people swarmed around Low, their eyes shining. Low listened to their stories, wearing a faint smile. They held out the weapons and armor they had made to Low, each adding a word.

“Lady Low! Please accept this shield I made this time!”

“No, the thing I made is definitely better! Ah, instead of doing this here, how about coming inside the store and taking your time to look around?”

The heat of the surrounding artisans intensified as if to get Low’s attention.

He had never seen people approach Low so casually.

Ryu was speechless at the sight of Low looking like the Demon Lord of District 4.

Low answered the people around her appropriately, then looked at a woman and spoke her purpose for coming here.

“Reina, where is Veronica?”

As soon as she finished speaking, the people around her fell silent. Everyone’s eyes were on one woman. The woman called Reina was Veronica’s adjutant.

She stepped forward to Low.

Her face, with an impressive scar that ran across her left eye, was darkly tanned, and her arms had excellent muscles that one wouldn’t expect from a woman. She approached Low with a huge hammer slung over her shoulder.

“The Demon Lord is in the heart of the smithy. Please come this way.”

Low nodded and began to follow her. Ryu and Claire followed behind. The vibration of the iron and the heat of the lava welcomed them with every step.

The closer they got to the heart of the smithy, the stronger the heat and noise became. The sound of hammering steel made his ears numb, and the occasional spurts of lava and scattered sparks temporarily blurred his vision. When they reached the huge gate of the smithy, the gate slowly opened, and a spectacle unfolded before their eyes.

The huge smithy was filled with burning furnaces that seemed to shine brightly even in the dark of night, and blacksmiths moving busily around them. A woman stood in the innermost part. She looked around with unwavering eyes like steel, gave instructions, and then focused on her work.

Compared to the Demon Lords he had seen so far, she was a little shorter, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the muscular arms and prominent thick veins.

A familiar face.

It was Veronica, the Demon Lord of District 4.

Low approached her slowly without hesitation. Reina, who was walking in front of Low, spoke to Veronica a step ahead.

“Demon Lord, we have a guest.”

Veronica answered in a blunt voice without looking this way.

“I told you not to let anyone in when I’m working, didn’t I?”

Even so, Reina didn’t back down, so Veronica swept back her sweat-soaked hair and sighed briefly.

“Okay, let’s see what kind of bastard dared to come all the way here.”

Veronica’s eyes widened as she glanced this way with an indifferent expression.

Veronica dropped the hammer she was holding and opened her mouth in a trembling voice.

“Lady Low?”

Immediately, Veronica approached the direction where Low was. Ryu naturally became nervous and swallowed hard. Given her personality, he couldn’t predict what she would do. To Ryu, Veronica seemed like a human of the same type as Orca.

But he realized that was a misunderstanding with Veronica’s next action.

Veronica smiled brightly and ran quickly to hug Low.

“I missed you!”

Ryu closed his mouth at the completely unexpected reaction.

It might have felt unpleasant that Veronica, soaked in sweat, hugged her without a word, but Low didn’t show it at all. On the contrary, she wore a kind expression and stroked the head of Veronica, who was nestled in her arms.

“Yes, have you been doing well?”

Veronica nodded her head greatly, her eyes shining. She looked like a large dog.

“If you were coming, you should have contacted me in advance. Then I would have gone out to meet you.”

“I had to come suddenly, so I couldn’t help it.”

Only then did Veronica ask, after falling from Low’s arms.

“Is that so? What brings you here today?”

Low’s gaze turned to Ryu behind her.

“I wanted to make something to give to this child… Is that okay?”

Only then did Veronica confirm Ryu’s existence, and her expression frowned slightly. But she didn’t want to show it in front of Low, so she returned to her original expression and opened her mouth.

“If it’s Lady Low’s request, of course I can grant it. I’ll go prepare for a moment before that. I was in the middle of working, so I’m a little찝찝.”

“Take your time.”

Veronica, who greeted Low and walked away, glanced at Ryu for a moment, and Ryu clearly saw Veronica clicking her tongue and looking at him briefly.

Ryu asked Claire, not Low.

“What’s going on?”

“In the first place, District 4 is a non-existent district. It’s a natural reaction because Lady Low directly created one of the districts for artisans who weren’t properly treated in the past.”

Only then could Ryu vaguely feel what kind of malice Veronica had towards him.