Chapter 1

Thats right, animals have a natural instinct, and that is to try and breathe as long as theyre still aliveIm no exception. Without waiting for my vision to clear, my mouth and nose are already desperately trying to breathe.

Oxygen and seawater assault my tongue at the same time, and the insides of my nose are stinging painfully, just like how it feels when I fail at diving in a pool full of chlorine. But although I can breathe, it feels like someone is pulling my collar from behind, which is why my constricted throat hurts so much.

Whats the matter? What on earth happened? Oh, yeah, I fell into the sea.

Murata and I fell into the blue-black whirlpool that suddenly appeared between the waves.

Although I nearly drowned, I think I still held on tightly to that important friend of mine that I cannot be separated from no matter what. However, my friends body in my embrace keeps flailing about.

MnHang in there, Murata, your injuries arent serious at all.

Otherwise theres no way he would still be this energetic, and flailing about non-stop like that.

Hm? Flailing about?

I force my eyes open. I dont hesitate or hold back with it, instead using so much force it almost makes a shutter sound. But the dazzling sunlight and seawater sure hurt my eyes.

Silver skin and a neat, detailed mesh pattern appear in front of my eyes.

The one Im holding on to so carefully isnt Murata, but a large bonito.

What is this!? Why am I hugging a bonito!?

Hm Although I wear glasses, Im not Nakajima[1], yknow

I want to look towards the direction the voice is coming from, but my head is fixed in place and cant turn properly. Even if I want to wave my legs, I cant move an inch be it forward or backward. And though my limbs cant move, my whole body is still swaying. I was about to ask why I feel so floaty, then I realize that were caught in a fish net, and suspended in mid-air too. No wonder I feel that way.

Other than the bonito Im hugging tightly, there are silver fish scales pressing on my back, front, left, right, brain and stomach. In conclusion, weve fallen into a fishermans net together with a school of fish.

Were hanging in the fishing net directly above the fishing boat, looking down on the fishermen underneath us, but theyre grinning from ear to ear at the rare harvest they got.

Ive only had baseball on my mind for the past sixteen years, so although I experienced batting an out that got stuck in the net, Ive never experienced being trapped in a fishing net myself. No, wait a sec! I think I did get successfully caught in a bug net before, but that was just a game between children, after all.

On the other hand, getting pulled upwards together with fish in a net by fishermen is an experience I probably wont get again in this lifetime. I should say, if possible, I hope Ill never experience it again.

Ah~~ How troublesome, if Aniki found out about this, he would definitely look down on me He would surely say Im a Human Sunfish.

Sunfish are a docile species of fish, and they get caught even if they noticed the net because they cant avoid itSpeaking of which, why are you hugging a bonito so tightly?

Youre still asking me why?

My arms are still wrapped around seafood until now.

But theres a reason Im holding on so tightly. Not because Im hungry, but because I must never get separated from Murata no matter what.

Murata and I jumped into the entrance of the Star Tour together from the sailing mazoku vessel. Although Ive long since gotten used to this kind of commuting, the Star Tour is still a journey to a different world. Maybe I have to ask Ulrike or Miss Anissina to find out what combinations and devices allow us to fly to a different world.

And judging by my current condition, I dont have any elite humanoid flying robot or guardian fighter jet. Add that to the fact that were guided by maryoku, moving in a space that isnt Earth or Shin Makoku, and the consequences could be irreparable if we got separated from our comrades.

So I have to hold onto him tightly! When we were engulfed by the rapid water, thats the thought that immediately came to mind.

And besides, I hadnt planned to return yet, it was Wolfram beside me that pushed us into the sea from the back, so even if it wasnt of our own volition, in the end we still fell down towards the blue-black whirlpool.

Just as Wolfram said, I know he did it completely out of kindness. He probably wishes I can return to Earth and sleep peacefully, eat Moms cooking, then recharge and rest up properly before returning to Shin Makoku. But in the end

This is very obviously not Japan.

I think so too, huh.

Although that guy made such a decision to give us a push, if he finds out later that we didnt return to Earth, I sure hope he wont blame himself too much for it.

Were like animals caught in a trap and hanging from a tall tree, the people with hair and eye colors very unlike Japanese ones pointing at us from below. Their hair is brown, red-brown, red, even blonde. As for the fishermens sun-baked skin, rather than the color of wheat, it looks more bronze.

Although we really hope this is Earth, it seems that wish isnt likely to come true. The proof is that I can understand what theyre saying. If this were Italy or France on Earth, putting aside Murata for now, I shouldnt be able to understand what theyre saying.

But after they got over their initial shock, their expressions are now turning to fury, while they yell things like No matter what youve gone overboard and This is obstruction of fishing, getting more and more agitated as they go. Obstruction of defense or obstruction of base-running I hear a lot, but this is the first time I heard of obstruction of fishing.

Even so, any fisherman in any world would be disappointed to find something they cant grill with salt or make sashimi out of trapped in the net they worked so hard to spread. Im really sorry that today your harvest is made of high school boys.

How troublesome~~ What if they ask us to pay damages for their fishing losses and net? The I dont understand what youre saying excuse wont work, either.

Now isnt the time to be worrying about that.

A deep, charismatic baritone sounds from beside my ear, almost making me jump,

Gwendal!

That is the oldest of the very similar three mazoku brothers, Lord von Voltaire Gwendal. He really likes the Bando dolphin keychain, but I cant be sure if he likes living bonito. That Gwendal is pulling my collar tightly from behind with his large hand, no wonder Im having difficulty breathing sometimes.

W-why is Gwendal here?

That should be my question.

When I finally turn around while straining my stiff muscles, I find that a frowning Lord von Voltaire is also trapped in the fishing het. Although hunks like him look handsome no matter what, the seaweed entangled in his hair does cost him a lot of points. Even if I say it as positively as I can, he still looks like a drunk salaryman.

Watching the king and His Eminence fall into the sea, which idiot would stay still and not do anything? Thats why I dived into the sea without hesitation, planning to grab hold of you two

But in the end you were sucked into the terrifying water currents? Sorry, it was our fault for dragging you into this.

Dragging me into this?

MnThe reasons behind it are very complicated.

Let me explain, then!

Murata says excitedly. Im glad that youre so energetic, but our situation now is that moving one hair moves us all, so please spare me. As for the fishermen, they seem to have given up on todays harvest, so they start steering the ship back to the port, making our situation even more unstable.

We fell into the sea in the evening, right?

Right.

But now its the middle of the day. See, the sun is way up high in the sky.

He puts his hand near his face, pointing at the sun above his head,

Right? This means theres a time difference, so were not anywhere near where we started. Unless we lost consciousness together, and drifted on the sea for a whole night.

For all three of us to be unconscious on the sea from evening to the next day when the sun is blazingdoesnt seem too possible no matter how I think about it. Putting aside outsiders like Murata and I, Gwen is an excellent fighter, so something like that would never happen to him.

My conclusion is that although we were preparing to return to Earth, there seems to have been some interference, and in the end Lord von Voltaire came along for the ride to somewhere far away but in the same world as Shin Makoku.

But, by some interference, what do you

Gwendal clears his throat softly,

It wouldnt happen to be me, would it?

Ah~~ I think it shouldnt be you

Murata peels off the algae plastered to his cheek, and even takes a bit from that really salty-looking rim,

Although its just my guess, I think it may have been Shinous doing. I think theres a high chance he would do something like this.

Eh!?

A deep voice instantly overlaps with the perfectly-pronounced voice. Although Im really surprised, I didnt think Lord von Voltaire would be too.

Speaking of Shinou, hes something close to God to the mazokus.

What should I do? My friend, who may yet live for many years, suddenly said he heard the voice of God. Since hes a smart guy, even if the world is destroyed or threatened, theres no way he would be cheated by a strange cult.

The bonito in my arms seems to agree, flailing about non-stop.

But Gwendal expresses his interest one step ahead of me,

You two spoke!? You and His Majesty Shinou!?

MnIm not sure if we spoke or met.

You two met each other!?

Hes getting more and more farfetched, what do I do now? He actually said he met God? I patted my friends shoulder,

Murata, its best not to talk about that sort of thing with others. Because everyone think God is unattainable.

You dont have to advise me so solemnly, I wont sell the news to the paparazzi.

Such dangerous gossip, I think even Tokyo Sports Paper doesnt publish stuff like that anymore.

You say you met God- Wouldnt that have terrified you--?

Please! Shibuya, its not like hes a ghost.

Poor Gwendal, this seems to be a test for his previous religion. And his brow is creased even more tightly now, as he murmurs, To think that other than the oracle priestess, there are others who can hear His Majesty Shinous voice. By now I cant be sure if he truly believes what Murata is saying anymore.

Poor things, the mazoku have way too many dreams and hopes towards Shinou.

You cant blame them, His Majesty Shinous position in Shin Makoku is just like a god. Like Pele place in your heart Eh, is it Pele? Or Zico? Maradona?

Its Beckenbauer!

The fishing net trapping us tilts and sways. It seems that since the boat is about to enter the port, their steering angle is huge.

Anyway, not long ago I met Shinou, its just that its hard to explain in concrete words.

Please dont say it in concrete words, Im really bad at sciences.

I think youre bad at sciences and languages, all the development has gone to your limbs.

In order to help me understand, Murata explains it to me in the same style as elementary school compulsory reading assignments.

The mystery of the pyramids and the secret of the Boxes.

The bespectacled adventurer Murata Ken, jumped through dimensions from Japan on Earth and into the pyramid. He used the theory that a piece of the Box and the Box itself would attract each other. But back then, Murata Ken had not jumped directly through the dimensions to the pyramid.

Murata, I think you can use slightly harder words for sixth grade elementary students.

In the middle of the journey, I was pulled to the space he exists in.

What does that mean? Isnt His Majesty Shinou dead?

Hes not really alive but neither is he dead. He used his own power to create a unique space, and his soul now exists there.

Then he really is a ghost

No, ghosts dont have the power to change the course of the world.

In that case, how would the soul youre talking about change the course of the world?

Hell send word to the priestess and have the people do his bidding, or hell use maryoku to get in the way of someones actions. Just like us now.

So thats it!

In other words, according to Muratas speculations, the reason we cant return to Earth successfully isnt because Gwendal followed us down into the sea, but His Majesty Shinous soul used maryoku to prevent us from going back But what good does it serve him to do that?

Does His Majesty Shinou not want me to go back to Earth?

A ray of light flashes past Muratas slightly inaccurately-powered glasses, and he says solemnly,

Maybe, that guy seems to be having some funny ideas.

Hey hey hey, dont suspect a god-like guy just based on your instinct.

If you really want to put it that way, what about you who assumed he was a god just based on your instinct? How will you explain that?

Ugh, hm

Hes right.

Someone in my memory said this, Its best not to deify His Majesty Shinou too much. Hes really good at fighting, but although he really loves the mazoku, hes still a man who wont be satisfied until he has everything under his control. Such as fame, authority and also violent power. How could someone as petty as him be a god?

When you put it that way, it does seem like hes not.

And his leadership charisma is really bothersome too.

You would think its bothersome! Because hes a great king and at the same level as a god, of course its good that he has charisma! I mean, it should only be expected, right!? Like me, Im all troubled because Im not good enough in that area.

Its bothersome precisely because his charisma overshadows the current Maou.

My usually cheerful friend hits me over the head with those words, making me especially embarrassed. I have to take the words of someone who met Shinou for real seriously. Although I dont know how he managed to get to his resting place, but this is the era where you could get to an alternate world by being flushed down the toilet, even if your wish to go to an ancient tomb becomes welcome to the world of my heart, its nothing to be surprised about.

But instead of leadership charisma, Shibuya wins by his passion and justice, now thats not too bad either, is it? And anyone can tell that you dont have any ulterior motive.

it sounds like youre saying Im a catcher with no calls at all

If I really look like I have no plans at all for the rest of my life, thatd be really bad. No one would want to follow an empty-brained king.

Whats so bad about that? You look like youll do exactly what you say, at the very least youre much better than that guy who collects dangerous items for his own interests.

Baseball cards arent dangerous, yknow.

Not baseball cards, Boxes.

Having gotten everything off his chest at once, Murata sighs heavily, his expression spelling out to think my own people are being idiots too, at this rate the problem wont be easy to solve.

By Boxes, do you mean that!?

Thats right. That guy, in other words His Majesty Shinou is planning to collect all the Forbidden Boxes. Although he cant do it.

Dont tell me His Majesty Shinou really wants toto the Forbidden Boxes!?

Completely confused, Lord von Voltaire cant help but interrupt as well,

His Majesty Shinous plan is to gather all the Boxes in Shin Makoku?

Strictly speaking, he wants to keep them by his side, he hopes to control all the Boxes and Keys. Because hes a man who will only rest when he has everything under his control. Those Boxes could be called the proof that he sealed the soushu, to Shinou theyre like trophies showing off his past achievements. Although theyll cause a disaster if theyre opened by accident, even though to us theyre terrifying and low grade souvenirs, to him theyre toys that make people tremble in their boots. He wants to make it so they can be activated at any time, and then keep them by his side.

Collect? It cant be, right?

My friend wants to wave away my muttering, but he cant move because his fingers get hooked on the net,

No, in order to protect his reputation I must admit, he doesnt plan on using the Boxes, that will really tick him off. Because he wants everything to be in his control.

But Ulrike didnt

Thats right. As long as the oracle announces the sacred decree of the god-like His Majesty Shinou, all the people of Shin Makoku would most likely obey that order. If he ordered to gather all four Boxes in this country, even if their hearts are full of questions, they would probably obey anyway. The fact is he didnt make his intentions known, so forget ordering them to be gathered, I even wanted to bury the Forbidden Boxes.

Im guessing he didnt mention this to the oracle, or to anyone at all. In other words, to him, the current situation at least is beyond his expectations.

Does he think its easier for people to find the Boxes based on their own imagination? Or could it be because

Maybe its because I swallowed some air together with my saliva, so my throat makes a strange noise.

I wanted to throw away the Boxes?

Maybe. I dont know, maybe its not just because of that.

Murata shakes his head lightly,

But you dont have to do according to his wishes.

The fishing vessel successfully enters the port, and I hear the heavy sound of the ship going across the surface of the water. That sound incites my imaginationIf the Boxes that breed disasters were to sink into the sea, would they make that sort of noise? But thats just the sound of the ship setting anchor at the jetty.

Sorry, but I still want to throw it away.

I murmur to myself, telling the absent His Majesty Shinou.

I want to sink that to the bottom of the sea.

You just have to do what you want to.

Murata nods lightly,

But if you want me to give you a suggestion, each Box has a resting place suited uniquely to itself.

Resting place?

Mn, you could see its a place to keep them, or to throw them away. In any case, its a place where the soushu sealed inside will lose their power forever. Even if the best course of action now is to sink them to the bottom of the sea where no one can reach them, I still hope to bury them in those places in the end.

But Murata, do you know where those places are?

The hints are right there in their names.

The names of the Boxes are Winds End, End of the Earth, Inferno in the Tundra and Mirrors Depth, separately.

It sounds to me like none of them exist.

I think so too. There isnt a place in this world where the wind stops, if the planet of this world is round it shouldnt possibly not be round In that case we wont know where the ends of the earth are either, and there cant possibly be a tundra where an inferno burns.

Besides, the one thats like a mirror isnt the waters depth, but the surface, right? Exactly, its precisely because those are four places that couldnt possibly exist, thats the only way the Boxes can lose their power.

In other words, no matter what we have to find these places?

Dont worry, I already have some ideas.

Murata looks very happy, but Gwendal hasnt said a thing the whole time. Hes very intelligent, and extremely experienced too, so he should contemplating things even further after that.

But as for the danger right now

My friend narrows his eyes behind those lenses,

Its the possibility that your cute Lord von Bielefeld might be a Key.

Wolfram I remember now, you said before not to let Wolf approach that Box, right?

Thats right, didnt I mention it? The Keys to the Boxes will show up on someone in those four clans respectively. Well, instead of clans, I should say on close blood relations. Because it may also show on their relatives from their mothers side.

Do two of those Keys belong with the current Weller clan and the Voltaire clan?

Hearing Gwendals angry question, Murata retorts instinctively,

How did you know?

Because there was that incident with Conrads arm, and someone related to me by blood also lost an eye to one of the Boxes.

Thats right, and unfortunately these people were all very close to the real Keys, as in they may have been born just a few hours apart. Well know if we just investigated their birthdays, but unfortunately

Gwendal narrows one eye and forces out the words, as though it was his face that was burned,

Because mazoku dont place any importance on birthdays, we dont keep detailed records.

Thats right, and thats a bad habit as well, yknow!

No wonder Murata would sound so upset.

Thats why we cant predict exactly who the Keys are, and the only one with all the information is that calculating Shinou. If you had the habit of recording births in detail, we could look at the day the previous owner of the Key died and choose a child that may have that persons soul.

Hm? In that case, the moment the previous owner of the soul dies, the next person will use that soul again?

In theory if no one else tries to keep the soul somewhere, thats how it goes. But if the Box doesnt do anything, most of the people who were chosen to be Keys would live their whole lives without knowing their own importance. And then among the two remaining Keys

Is the Bielefeld bloodline, right?

Gwendal frowns,

As I thought.

Eh? That means all three of you brothers are!?

Calm down a little, Shibuya. That just means that the bearer of the Key was born in their clan, it doesnt mean that all three of them brothers are Keys. Only, unfortunately, Lord Weller seems to be it.

I think back to the time when Conrads arm almost opened one of the Forbidden Boxes.

But in one sense of the word, its lucky hes aware that hes a Key. And he would try his best to make sure he didnt get too close to the Boxes, so he might even be able to control the power of the soushu when push comes to shove.

Just might?

Then Ill switch it to he can control it properly. As long as he still keeps his senses at that time.

And he even has to keep his senses?

But when faced with such an insane threat, I think no one would be able to keep their senses.

You could say we were lucky that time in Caloria, because not only was the Key different from the Box, the Key itself wasnt whole either, so it all ended in an instant, and the damage was kept at such a minimum.

Thats right, I mean, that cant be right. Didnt you say that if its the first Key, even if the effect doesnt match, it will still affect all the Boxes?

I did say that.

What does that mean?

Just as I said, the triggering mechanism is very simple. Because its simple, it can open all of the door slightly. But even so, it can open slightly. Add that to the fact that its just the arm of the wielder, and thats why it would burn out in an instant. No, it didnt really burn out. But think about it, that was left arm. As a part of the body, isnt that a considerably simple and easy part to use?

Then who does the left arm Conrad is using so freely now belong to?

Asking who seems strange, because after all someone elses arm shouldnt be able to become your own. Although I cant understand the overly complicated things, but without the most advanced medical techniques to perform a transplant, that shouldnt be possible, right?

In that case, could it be a prosthetic limb? Or a convenience store item that operates with convenient majutsu? But Conrad doesnt know majutsu, the possibility that its a ma-powered device isnt high.

Just like that Im stumped, and I cant ask him either. Because Muratas next words weigh down heavily on our hearts.

If its just the arm, you wont have to worry about losing your life.

Dont

I have no choice but to take a breath before continuing,

Dont tell me the other Keys are even more dangerous?

Thats right. Because they were designed to be even more closely tied to the soul and body. Maybe itll be easier to understand if I explained it according to the process.

Even though hes the one speaking, Murata might also be feeling the pain, because his gaze moves downwards,

When we created the first Key, we also repented on it. Thats why the other three Keys had to be more closely tied to the soul and life. Thats also why, the relationship between the Box and the Key, as well as between the Key and the power became tighter, and in the end only one Key would react with one Box. Theoretically, at the same time the disaster is released, it can be controlled.

That was what the ancestor of your soul and Shinou did.

My friend raises his solemn face, staring at me steadily. His gaze on me is full of confusion, as though I said something weird.

Thats right, isnt it? Did I say something wrong?

You didnt say anything wrong. Thats right, its just as you said. It wasnt me, but my soul the person who owned my soul a long, long time ago who did it, ha~~

The reason the end of Muratas sentence sounds weird is because the net trapping us sways violently from side to side, and our bodies move in tandem. Being suspended in mid-air and swinging violently makes us so unstable we cant help but scream.

Waa-yea! Waaaaa!

AhahaIt feels like weve become prizes in a claw machine!

Then what about the last Key?

I didnt think Gwendal would stay so calm, pushing Murata to continue talking even under these circumstances.

Who is the last Key?

The last Key? OhIts Wincott! But you dont have to worry about that now, because Mirrors Depth isnt in this world!

When Murata says that in a manner as though yelling, the bottom of the net that had been wrapping us tightly suddenly gives way, so the three of us end up flying through the sky. Although we brace for impact, either luckily or unluckily we land on a heap of fish, so our bodies dont hurt, but were covered from head to toe in silver scales and sticky slime.

My friend closes one eye as he wipes away the scales sticking to his lenses with his hand,

It was sent to Earth. The first owner of my soul betrayed His Majesty Shinou.

Betrayed His Majesty Shinou?

I ask carefully. Because according to the prime minister-cum-my royal instructor Lord von Christ Gnter, did the ancestor of Muratas soul, the Daikenja get along very well with His Majesty Shinou?

If he betrayed His Majesty Shinou, then arent things really bad?

Their opinions differed, plus both of them were very childish, so it became a situation where neither would give to the other.

In that case, its not so bad. The problem is you said that great character who wouldnt give in to God is very childish, now isnt that going a little too far? They were the great people who established the mazoku country, after all.

Theres no such thing, the two of them arent as great as people think. I dont know how the descendants exaggerated things, but I hope youre not too scared.

Murata finishes saying those words that would definitely make Gnter faint, and then tosses his head vigorously, shaking loose a ton of fish scales and water droplets from his long-ish hair.

In any case, weve escaped the fishing net. I glance at Gwendal, trying to figure out what he plans to do next, but hes just sitting there motionlessly in the fish pile, pressing his index finger to his brow, which is even more creased than usual.

Even though hes cracking his head over me, the rookie Maou, I figure hes long since gotten used to that, so it should be the new Earthling he just met that brought him too much excitement. Its no wonder, after all the brat that hes facing now actually treats Shinou, the one whos treated as a religious symbol, like a friend. Since hes naturally strict, he must really be at a loss now.

If I told him now that Murata is only sixteen years old, I wonder how he would react. Although Murata keeps talking about all these ancestor stories, his own life experience is only sixteen years long, like mine.

WaaBut my whole body reeks of fish~~ I feel like cat food

On the other hand, Murata, I wanna ask you a strange question.

What question?

Does Shinou look a lot like Wolfram?

Does he look like Lord von Bielefeld? About that How should I put this~~

Muratas expression is saying what kind of a question are you asking so randomly as he takes off his glasses and considers. As for me, I just want to know what kind of an impression he gives off to people, so I can prepare myself in case we meet one day. But this is also because of your dont be too scared line just now.

I think Lord von Bielefeld is a lot cuter than him

Is that so?

At least now theres a lower chance of the danger that I would shirk away in fear when facing a pretty boy thats too pretty.