Deep within the vast forest spreading out near the Sorcerous Dynasty Sarion, there was a hidden dwelling belonging to a certain Demon Lord.
It was the home of the Demon Lord [Labyrinth], Ramiris, the fallen [Spirit Queen].
Now that she served as a guide for the [Pixie]s, the place where she lived looked exactly like the word labyrinth suggested: a classic dungeon that seemed like a minotaur might come charging out at any moment.
Endless vines clung thickly to the ancient stone walls, and the outer walls and ground were cracked and broken in many places, giving the whole place the feel of something extremely old.
And judging by the architectural style, which seemed to date back to ancient times, it was clear this was not a labyrinth that had existed in completed form from the beginning, but one Ramiris had built herself because she loved making things.
Or perhaps it had been built by "the previous Ramiris," when she still carried out the duties of the [Arbiter]—
"Wait a second!! Why are you two sparring here of all places?!"
A loud voice suddenly burst out from the side.
It was Ramiris shouting, but unlike usual, there was a distinctly mature air about her instead of her normal childishness.
Her way of speaking still didn't suit a Demon Lord at all, but her appearance now was completely different from usual.
"No matter how tough my [Labyrinth] is, it has limits, you know!"
Her blonde hair had grown long enough to fall well past her waist, she wore a green dress instead of her usual one, and even her body had matured until she was almost the same size as Ria.
Right now, she had returned to the form she possessed in her prime, when she had been called the [Spirit Queen].
The form she had in the age of the primordial Demon Lords, when she possessed might that surpassed even the True Dragons alongside Guy Crimson and Milim Nava, those bizarre monsters who stood at the pinnacle of the world.
"...You're making way too much of this. Since you've returned to your prime, the [Labyrinth] itself is much more durable too. It can block Milim's attacks a few times, can't it?"
In the past, Ramiris had once intervened in the bloody clash between the rampaging Milim and Guy, and barely managed to stop the magic power of those two, whose energy was even denser than that of the True Dragons, by using her own body as a medium.
Because of that incident, after falling into a [Pixie], she had to wait at least a hundred years, and as many as a hundred and fifty, before she could return to the form of her prime again.
Even after getting stronger, she's still just as timid...
This was the second time I had seen Ramiris in her prime.
The first had been about a hundred and twenty years ago, when I happened to see her while sending her back to the [Labyrinth] after Walpurgis, the banquet of the Demon Lords, ended.
And because of that experience, I had become able to sense the magic power of Ramiris in her prime, which was why I had come to this [Labyrinth] together with Milim.
There was only one reason.
We needed a place that could withstand both my attacks and Milim's at the same time.
I could have asked Velzard, but if I did, Guy would probably interfere too, so I deliberately chose not to go to the White Ice Palace.
If she'd just change the way she talks, she'd really seem like a queen. How does that childish tone even come out of someone who looks like that...?
And it wasn't just her way of speaking. Her strength was the same story.
Ramiris in her prime was clearly stronger than me, a monster who was effectively third among the current Ten Great Demon Lords.
To begin with, she was the one Veldanava, the [Creator God], had chosen as the [Arbiter] before Guy, so in terms of raw power she more than qualified to stand among the [Catastrophe]s.
"You're always bragging that your prime self was the strongest, aren't you? If that's true, then you should be able to take Milim's attack too, shouldn't you?"
"Urk...! W-Well, that's true, but... Milim still makes me nervous! If she really goes berserk, there's no way I can stop her by myself! At the very least, not unless Guy comes too..."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. You're saying that because if Milim loses control, this [Labyrinth] will be destroyed."
The [Labyrinth] boasted defensive durability nearly on par with [Absolute Defense], almost the highest hardness possible, but there was no need to bring Guy into it; even someone on Veldora or Velgrynd's level could destroy it if they wanted.
I could cut through a few floors myself with [Arts], so if it were Milim, there was no point even testing it.
"Then—"
"But this time, it'll be fine. We were only planning to exchange a single blow from the start."
It felt a little wasteful to let this chance slip by when Ramiris had finally returned to her prime.
After all, it was an easy chance to kill two birds with one stone: keep Milim entertained with a spar and check my own current level.
"We'll each attack exactly once. No [Skill]s, only [Arts]."
As I said that, I smiled faintly while looking at Milim, who was chatting noisily with the little glowing [Pixie]s in one corner of the [Labyrinth].
"If you help us this time, I'll show you around the Kingdom of Blumund. Back when you had a fairy body, you couldn't disguise yourself, so I couldn't take you. But now, you can hide your appearance."
"...Ugh... but still—"
For Ramiris, who always wanted to visit lively, bustling places, it was an offer she could hardly refuse.
Once I saw her thoughts gradually tipping toward agreement, I drove the final nail in.
"And I'll throw in a year's worth of snacks."
"——All right! Deal!!"
For Ramiris, who only looked like an adult on the outside, the power of snacks was devastatingly effective.
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