Dungeon of Pride, Laplace



Prime was with him enjoying his mineral shake while Aisha took the twins and the others with her on a tour of the Cheesecake Fortress.

"How long will it take us to reach our destination?" Simon asked looking at the dark barren land filled with mountains of bones from the observation deck.

"At the pace we are going, we should arrive at the Asphodel Meadows at most within another day" Oswell answered sipping the cola that Simon offered him.

"I see" The latter nodded his head.

"Hey Simon, do you know about the history of the Ten Thousand Bone Mountain Range and how it became the way it is now?" Oswell who was also glancing at the landscape below suddenly started recounting a tale.

"It happened a long long time ago, during the second apex war. This place was not always called the Ten thousand bone mountain range but it was named something else. The Myriad Highlands, that's what the name of this place was before the colossal battle that engulfed the whole world ensued".

"It was a conflict of unimaginable scale, an epic clash of ancient powers that forever left its mark on the various places of the world. Out of all those places, the Ten thousand Bones Mountain Range bore the most marks".

Simon listened intently as Oswell recounted the tales from back then. After he became a Demon Earl, Simon knew a little about this Apex War. It was the Human-Demon war of epic proportions.

Many clans, races and continents were embroiled in this war. One could still see the vestiges of the clash in various parts of the world. Simon didn't expect the Ten Thousand Bone Mountian Range he was currently at, to also be one.

Oswell continued: "It is said that at that time, a mighty force emerged within humans that managed to unify almost all of the kingdoms and countries of the Central Continent. The name of that Empire has somehow been erased from the Historical Records. Other than a few ancient beings, no one even knows about it".

"What's more, the origin of that empire, its location, everything about it is shrouded in mystery. You will not find a single trace that could clue you to it remaining in this world. I tried to investigate it but found no result".

"Anyways, fearing the growing power of the empire, the demon nobles raised their own forces. A horde so vast that it could even blot out the light coming from the sun. The two mighty forces fought in an endless struggle for dominance. Their conflict had raged across the realm for decades or even centuries with countless lives lost and entire civilisations ravaged".

"As the war escalated to its climax, one of the sides started losing. It was the demons, the might of the Empire drove them back, towards the Ten Thousand Bone Mountain range, which then became the chosen battleground". 

Oswell took a pause to gulp down the cola in his hand before looking towards Simon with solemn eyes.

"Do you know why I'm telling you all this? It's because I do not entirely trust these memories that I inherited. That's right, I wasn't born at that time. What I know about this war is from those memories".

"Anyways, let us get back to the topic. After the Empire drove the demons to the Ten Thousand Bone mountain range, the armies of the two sides clashed here. The battle raged on for a long period of time, with magic and skills unleashed with unimaginable fury.

"The earth trembled, the sky darkened and the very fabric of reality strained under the strain of their conflict causing cataclysmic upheavals and unnatural phenomena. The power of the combatants was so immense that their very essence seeped into the land forever altering it".

"Mountains crumbled, valleys split open and rivers ran crimson with the blood of the fallen. The Myriad Highlands, once a majestic range, became a haunting landscape of jagged peaks and treacherous cliffs, adorned with countless skeletal remains of those who perished in the battle".

"That's how the Myriad Highlands came to become the Ten Thousand Bone Mountain range".

So that's how it was, Simon nodded his head. Looking at the land below, he felt like he could see the gigantic battle that engulfed the entire world. The Ten Thousand Bone Mountain range stood as a reminder, a cautionary tale of the long forgotten war.

Simon understood this much; however, what baffled him was Oswell's statement. What was there not to believe about it?

"You see there are a few things in those memories that do not make sense. Like that Empire, what happened to it and how did it disappear? I did some investigation and looked into some ancient records and ruins and through them, I was able to find out some deviations. Like that thing in the sky" Oswell suddenly pointed towards the sky.

"Although you cannot see it from here because of endless dark clouds, but if you fly to an extreme altitude that is impossible with flight skil and breach the obscuring clouds, you will see the thing it is hiding".

"A colossal spatial rift cutting across the sky like a scar. There was no mention of it in the memory or in the records. If it was formed during the battle, why was this information obscured? I find it very strange" At the end of his sentence, Oswell started mumbling to himself.

"Ah, forgive me if I bored you. Initially, I just wanted to tell you about the legend behind the Ten Thousand Bone mountain range. However, I deviated from the topic"…

"Don't worry about it, it was very informational" Simon replied shaking his hand. He got to learn something about the history of this world. Normally, he would only come across information like that at a higher rank.

However, thanks to Oswell, he was even able to learn some of the mysteries of the world that were obscured.

"Though that said, I didn't think that you would be interested in anything other than food" Simon couldn't help but speak out his true thoughts.

Oswell didn't seem to mind on the contrary he even laughed out loud "Haha, you got that right my friend. However, as someone who carries the fate and lives of many on his shoulders, there are some things in this world that I cannot veer my eyes away from. Whether I like it or not, I must do what needs to be done"

Oswell spoke with gravity, an aura of a leader emanated from him.

Hearing his words, Simon fell silent. It was not like he cannot relate to it. In fact, he was also in the same position. His dungeon, the life of his subordinates and the inhabitants living inside it. He carried all their fates on his shoulder and hence must act the part.

"Alright, enough with the serious talk. Right now, what I'm most curious about is where did you get all these amazing food items from. This cola and even the ice cream we had earlier, is something that I have never ever heard of or seen before. Yet you possess so many of them. Are you a cook? Or do you know where they make them"

Oswell became enthusiastic all of a sudden causing Simon to be taken aback.

"About that…" he cannot tell the other party that he was a reincarnator and that all these food items were from his previous world. Hence he could only vaguely answer with a lie to dodge the questioning.

"My subordinates… that right, they are incredible cooks".

Simon decided to go with that. In his mind, he had the figures of the Valkyries. It was not like what he said was a complete lie. The Valkyries aside from their battle prowess, were created to be top notch maids in mind.

They could easily replicate some of the food from his previous world.

"So that was the case" Oswell looked like he believed it as he continuously nodded his head. "Kuh, its regretful that I do not have a cook like that who can create these items. Hmm, maybe I should bring my chefs to your place so that they can learn how to make these items from your subordinates".

Simon sighed in exasperation, this demon would go to any lengths for food.

"Ah, I forgot to ask it before, where is your dungeon located?" Oswell who was busy imagining his own things, suddenly posed a question.

His question caused Simon's expression to change abruptly. He looked at the other party and deliberated what their intention was and whether he should reveal it to them or not.

Even though Oswell acted friendly towards him and there was a cordial relationship between them, it hadn't reached the point where Simon completely trusted him. His encounters after reincarnating in this world weren't very great and it made him all the more distrustful of others after he found out the truth behind the death of a loved one in his previous life.

Thanks to these encounters, Simon had difficulty trusting others. Unless they formed a contract with him or were his close subordinates, he was always on his guard against them. 

"It's located in the Ghastly Winding Forest," That said, he chose to reveal it to the other party.

In any case, Simon would have to reveal the location of his dungeon if he wanted to participate in this Hexennacht where only the demon nobles who created their own dungeon are allowed to attend.

At the rate his dungeon was growing, it would sooner or later come into notice of other demons, so why not introduce it now? Besides, from what he learned from the demon beside him, it looked like they discussed some important stuff at this gathering, not attending it was not an option.