Another Demon Lord's Mansion

Boom!

Amid a thunderous splash, seven figures fell from the sky and plunged straight into the enormous lake atop the mountain, throwing up massive waves.

Shien rushed into the water and instinctively held his breath, only to discover that he could actually breathe underwater.

Not only that, but his clothes were completely dry. It was as though he had entered not a lake, but a cloud pool shaped like one. He could not even feel any water pressure.

That made Shien curious.

"Come on, keep going down."

Lidas, whom Shien held in his arms, urged him onward.

Her voice traveled underwater without any obstruction. Only when she spoke did strings of bubbles appear, as though water were pouring into her mouth.

Shien tried opening his mouth. Bubbles appeared as well, but no water entered it.

"This is neither magic nor science."

Leaving behind that remark, Shien held Lidas and darted toward the lakebed.

The other Demonkind immediately followed, continuing to dive deeper.

As the group kept descending, the visibility did not decrease either, in a way that was equally neither magical nor scientific.

But Shien had already grown used to such things. He simply buried his head and kept diving, offering no further thoughts.

After diving for who knew how long, Shien finally saw the bottom of the lake.

There stood a mansion, quietly rising from the depths like an underwater villa.

"What is that...?"

At the sight of the mansion, Shien could not help stopping his descent.

There was no other reason.

It was simply because this mansion was not unfamiliar to Shien.

Though he had only seen it once, the mansion, filled with birdsong and flowers like a paradise cut off from the world, had left a deep impression on him.

That mansion had another name.

—"Hanamaru Mansion."