I left the classroom and walked up the stairs that were right there.

  On my way, I received a [Thought Communication Leaks].

  It was from Melheis.

  “What’s up?”


  “We are finally ready to inform all of Dilhade of the ceremony for the second coming of the Demon King. As you said, at the time of notification, we will not reveal that the tyrannical demon lord is Anos-sama, and we will announce that Avos Dirhevia was a fake. At the ceremony, I will introduce the real you. The date is exactly one month from now, as planned. If everything goes smoothly, we will announce it today via magic broadcast.”


  Melheis was currently hiding in a different place from Midhaze. I don’t know why, but it seems that he’s being targeted. The people making the preparations are the Unification Faction and others who are under his command. The other seven demon princes have also been asked to lie low, just in case.

  As a result, there was a slight delay in notifying them of the ceremony.

  “You are not to show yourself. You may let Elio do the notification of the ceremony.”


  “Got it.”


  In a month’s time, this mess would have to be settled.

  It was a peace ceremony. I want it to go off without a hitch.

  “Speaking of which, it seems that Delzogaide’s magic has disappeared from Midhaze?”


  “Yes, I used it on an errand. It should be back where it belongs soon.”


  [Demon Castle Summoning Delzogaide] would only allow me to move the Demon King’s Castle for five minutes. After that time, the Delzogaide will return to its original location. I summoned Delzogaide before the grading, so it should be about time for that to return.

  If I continue to summon it and use the Sword of Annihilation, it might be easy for me to get to the Spirit King, but the drain on my magic would be too great.

  I’m not sure about what was in store for me yet, but I think it would be a good idea to save up some of my magic, so I don’t run out of steam at a critical moment.

  It was not as if meeting the Spirit King would be the end of the story.

  “Is there anything else?”


  “No, sir. I’ll have it forwarded to you via [Remote Clairvoyance Limnet] when the magic broadcast starts.”


  “Please.”


  “Yes, sir. I’ll leave you to it.”


  [Thought Communication Leaks] was disconnected.

  “Hey.”


  Sasha suddenly called out as if an idea had occurred to her.

  “I was just thinking, Delzogaide is in the middle of another student taking a class right now, right?”


  “Yes.”


  “If we summon the Delzogaide, what happens to the students inside?”


  “Oh, while it’s being summoned, a fake Demon King’s Castle made with [Creative Construction Ivis] will appear in its original location. There is no need to worry that those inside will be moved along with the real Delzogaide.”


  In short, the real and the fake were swapped, leaving those inside untouched.

  Unless you have very good magical eyes, you would even not notice that Delzogaide was summoned and replaced by a fake Demon King’s Castle.

  “I got it.”


  Misha said.

  As they finished climbing the stairs, they came to a wooden plaque with the words [Room of Trials] inscribed on it.

  Looking around, I saw that there were about 20 stairs leading to the top, and in front of them was a large tree that looked like a pillar.

  Suddenly, a face appeared on the tree, just like in the classroom.

  “Hmm. Well, you have come. Now, let me explain to you about the trials of the spirits.”


  The voice of the Great Tree of Eniyunien echoed.

  “If you try to go up to the upper floors, various spirits will block your way and impose various trials on you. If you can successfully pass through them and reach the top of Eniyunien where the Spirit King resides, you will pass. However, the rules of the trials imposed by the spirits must be followed. If you violate the rules, you will never reach the top of the mountain, and you will have to keep climbing the stairs.”


  So it’s no use trying to find a loophole.

  “Also, it is not against the rules for examiners to discuss with each other. They are free to cooperate with each other or cheat each other. That’s part of the test.”


  The examiners could be my enemies or my allies, huh?

  I doubt that the Four Evil Kings would side with me, but it would be convenient to be able to discuss it.

  “Now, let me introduce you to your first test: the Gunnier’s Staircase. You will now choose one of these two staircases and proceed to the upper floor. However, one staircase per person. You cannot choose the same staircase.”


  Did each staircase have a different ordeal?

  “Of the twenty stairs, only five lead to the top, where the Spirit King is.”


  “Well, what happens to those who choose the other paths?”


  Eleonore asked curiously.

  “Whoa, whoa, the wrong path will bring you back to this place. In which case, you will fail.”


  “But then, you’ll have to get lucky before trying to make it to the top.”


  “Indeed.”


  The Great Tree of Eniyunien said matter-of-factly.

  “The stairs of Gunnier are also known as the stairs of luck. The first test is, as the name implies, a test of luck.”


  Hmm. That sounded like a tough test right from the start.