As Abigail, I caused trouble in infinite space.

This is the true nature of their "swarm of elves".

"...Are you testing me?"

“No, this child’s meeting with you was accidental, but for us it was the final miracle. The group did not deliberately intervene in this matter.”

The young spirit being drawn to the ancient bird was not a deliberate arrangement.

The group told Kudo Asuka that the spirits were drawn to her because of destiny.

"The truth of what happened on June 26, 1284, and the true identity of the imposter piper—let us tell you everything."

"The greatest masterpiece we have created, the final gift forged using the minerals bestowed by the Star Sea Dragon King—I present it to you."

“What was once considered an impossible wish has now been brought here by the 131st comrade.”

"Sending you here, who may become the bearer of miracles, has been a journey through countless years, and it has certainly not been in vain...!"

The massive door opened slowly with a creak, and the "contract document" on the door quietly floated into Asuka Kudo's hands.

"The decision is yours to make. Are you willing to... participate in our game of grace?"

"................."

Kudo Asuka focused her gaze on the document, which lacked the Community's signature. They probably hoped her signature would indicate her choice regarding whether or not to accept the Gift Game.

After confirming the contents of the document, Kudo Asuka suddenly looked up.

"I just want to confirm one thing. If I have the blessing you created... can I beat those guys?"

"As long as you can command..."

"As long as you can make it obey..."

"As long as you're willing to bear it..."

"Then it will surely lead you to victory."

The voices of the crowd echoed within the hollow. Given this, there was certainly no reason to refuse.

Kudo Asuka nodded and signed her name on the document.

"Nameless and ancient bird, I will carefully accept your challenge."

The glowing documents flew into the room, leaving trails like road signs. Kudo Asuka quickened her pace and followed.

Deep inside the gate, in the center of a vast, egg-shaped landscape, you can see sunlight streaming in from the distant sky.

A red steel giant, about thirty feet tall, stood silently in the center of the hollow.

"This is... the steel doll that was originally in the exhibition hall?"

The giant's armor was adorned with abstract paintings, presumably in sunlight, and embellished with opulent red and gold decorations—its opulence was beyond description. It possessed enormous hands and feet, almost twice the size of a human's, and a head and body of equal width. As Kudo Asuka looked up at the giant in speechless disbelief, the voice of the horde spoke to her:

"Within the seven days leading up to the final battle, you must make Dean willing to obey your commands."

"This is the content of this Gift Game. Please use your power to ignite the life-giving flame of the steel soul."

In that instant, life was poured into the hollow, enormous body.

The rumbling steel giant shook the earth, and its eerie single eye flashed with light.

Then, the red giant let out its first cry, a cry that seemed to shake the heavens and earth:

"————DEEEEEEeeeeEEEEEEEN!"

The red steel giant "Dean" twisted his hollow body and roared.

Even when faced with a fatal illness, it wouldn't collapse; the demon, capable of operating forever, stood up.

In order to fight against the Demon King, Kudo Asuka's trials begin.

The exhibition area of ​​the Boundary Wall.

Now that the place was deserted, Pest and her group had made it their base. After all, this exhibition hall displaying various artworks was the perfect place to pass the time during intermission. On their way back to the exhibition hall after the negotiations, Latte, swaying the hem of her white dress, happily said to Pest:

"Um, Master! What are we going to do to get through the next week?"

"It's nothing, I have no plans."

Compared to the elated Radyn, Pest's response was rather cold. Her previous eloquence had vanished; she said nothing more and simply walked quietly toward the great void.

Weser, who was walking at the very back, asked Ratine about something that had suddenly come to mind:

"Hey, Lading, did you find the imposter rat catcher?"

"Ah~ That won't work at all. The mice seem to have discovered something, but it seems they let the other party escape. Oh well, it seems the other party participated in the game. Maybe everything will come to light on the eighth day?"

The two shrugged. The three of them browsed the exhibited artworks along the way, and only after arriving at the Great Hollow did they widen their eyes in surprise at the strange changes that occurred there.

"...Oh dear? Where's that steel doll in the center?"

Pest tilted her head in confusion, while Lartin and Wesley were far more surprised than she was.

The two of them rushed to the center of the great void, frantically searching for any trace left behind after the steel doll disappeared.

"How is that possible! How could such a huge steel doll just disappear like that!"

"No, that's not the point! I remember that the creator of that steel doll was indeed—"

The community of "Ratcatchers." A giant iron man, created by someone alluding to the Grimm's fairy tale "The Pied Piper of Hamelin," vanished without a trace.

Just then, several mice ran toward the two astonished people, bringing news that made matters worse.

"Wh...what?! The girl in red has disappeared too! What are you doing, you incompetent idiots?!"

Upon learning that Kudo Asuka and the Iron Doll had both gone missing, Latin, in a fit of rage, stomped on a rat.

Wesley clicked his tongue and gave instructions to Latine:

"What are you doing, Lating! Quickly send the mice to look for them! They shouldn't have gone far!"

"I understand! Ah, Master! I'll go deal with those lawbreakers right away. Please excuse me for leaving for a moment—"

"Just leave it alone. It's too much trouble anyway, and I'm already tired today."

Pest yawned, lay down on the tablecloth, and prepared to go to bed.

Latine, whose momentum had been interrupted, was at a loss for what to do, while Pest gave her a chilling, cold smile.

"Let them struggle. Whether they're obstructors or imposters—kill them all in eight days."

Is that all? "Black Death Demon King" revealed a calm and carefree smile.

Boundary Wall, Stage Area, Dawn Mountain Foothills. Art Exhibition, Exhibition Venue. Demon King's Headquarters.

Four days passed after the negotiations. Pest, Larkin, and Weser continued to occupy the large hollow deep inside the exhibition hall. After admiring the beautifully designed lanterns, candlesticks, and stained glass in the exhibition hall, Larkin gathered her favorite items in the center of the large hollow and admired them with great relish.

"Ah, so beautiful. As expected of the birth festival of the ruler of the hierarchy, the creators are especially motivated. Especially this candlestick made of will-o'-the-wisp! The defiant attitude of the demonic blue flame is deliberately engraved on the silver candlestick! I really wish this skilled craftsman would be in charge of engraving the banner of our Fantasy Spellbook Group Hameln!"

"Impossible. Wasn't that thing made by Jack-o'-lantern? That guy isn't a participant, and he won't join even if we win."

Weser's indifferent tone made Latine puff out her cheeks in a huff.

Also, I'd like to mention during halftime that Jack apparently owned a blacksmith shop before he died.

"Ah~ Ah~ What a pity~ There's no way to drag Jack into this now?"

"Are you stupid? Jack infiltrated the festival in the same way we did. If we rewrite it now, wouldn't that be the same as revealing the answer to the mystery?"

"That's true... Master, what do you think~?"

"...I hate the smell of pumpkin."

Is that the point? Both trusted confidants wore wry smiles at their master's willful behavior.

Pest, wearing a black and white polka-dot dress, gazed silently at the dragonfly on the candle lantern. So eloquent during the negotiations, Pest now wouldn't speak unless one of the other two initiated the conversation. Perhaps worried about her mistress, Latte always found topics to talk about with Pest.

"Four days have passed, and it seems that the infected person is slowly starting to show symptoms."

"Yes."

Pest responded coldly. Latine pouted, seemingly a little sullen.

"Ah~ Ah~ Everything was going so smoothly, but the missing steel doll and the runaway girl are nowhere to be found. And the owner won't even talk to us~ So bored, so incredibly bored~! If Snow White or Cinderella were here! I could order their minions to put on a funny and entertaining opera."

"...Snow White and Cinderella?"

It was rare for Pest to take the initiative to ask a question in return.

Lating's whole face lit up, and she happily explained to her owner:

"They're also from Grimm's Fairy Tales in the Book of Magic series, so they're like sister books to us. Basically, they're a bunch of noisy characters who think they're a band and cause trouble every night. Like making the dwarves wear magic shoes and tap dance on a hot iron plate or something."

"Oh, that's really funny. Cinderella may be a bit gloomy, but she has a good sense of humor."

Two trusted confidants covered their mouths and laughed heartily.

Pest, who shared no memories with them, could only tilt her head in bewilderment.

Is the Fantasy Magic Book Group a happy community?

"Of course! After all, the reason our previous master became the Demon King was pretty stupid!"

"He said: 'I will become the Demon King and replace the lazy gods to make the garden even more magnificent!' That's the kind of person I am. At first, I was annoyed that I had drawn such a bad lot. But to be honest, even until the very last moment, he showed a way of dying that was worthy of the name Demon King."

The smiles on the faces of the two confidants vanished.

Having witnessed many changes of time, the two reflected on the past years, their thoughts drifting far away.

"Oh, right, Master. There's something important we must tell you first."

"what?"

"You have already held the Gift Game as the Demon Lord. From now on, you will probably become the target of many communities. And after fighting and fighting as the Demon Lord, you will surely be destroyed in the end."

"Definitely."

"......"

"Please understand that in this miniature garden of gods, the Demon King is such a system. No matter how powerful, how ferocious, or how arrogant he is, one day he will inevitably be destroyed by an opponent. Whether the opponent is a hero or a god or Buddha is not the point."

"After all, if you look up, it's boundless. The upper level of the Little Garden is a demonic realm where Asuras and gods roam. However, since we've become demon kings, we can't survive without constantly aiming for the higher levels. In order to stay outside the order of the Little Garden, the price we pay is that we have to bear the fate of being eliminated by whoever restores that order. Uh, these are just theories we learned from our previous master."

Weser leaned against the iron railing in front of the exhibits and shrugged jokingly.

"You two really liked your previous owner."

"Because he's a good man, even his base of operations is just a snap of his fingers, easily summoning a magnificent building that rivals Neuschwanstein Castle. He's a very capable person..."