The races created by Vida and the races of monsters who worshipped evil gods who had left the Demon King to join Vida's side, except for the Pure-breed Vampires who protected Vida's Resting Grounds, had each created their own nation that worshipped their god in the southern region of the continent.

The Zanalpadna Kingdom was named after its god as it was the only nation to be ruled by two races – the Arachne and Empusa – but the other nations were all named after their races.

Only the Noble Orc empire called itself an empire. Leaving aside the rumors and legends told outside the Boundary Mountain Range, it really was an empire.

As for why only the Noble Orc nation was an empire, that was because it was the leader that united all of the other nations in the Boundary Mountain Range.

"In other words, returning to a kingdom rather than an empire means relinquishing that role of leadership," said Vandalieu.

He was proceeding through the Great Flesh Den, a B-class Dungeon in the depths of the Church of Mububujenge, as he had these circumstances explained to him.

"Yes. As a result of my failure to stop Bugitas's treason, the High Kobold and High Goblin nations in particular suffered great losses. And the power of our nation has decreased drastically as well. In this state, it is impossible for my nation and I to fulfill the duty that is expected of us as an empire," said the newly-crowned Emperor, or rather King, Budarion, as he walked along with light steps.

During the battle against Ravovifard, his Rank had increased and he had become a Rank 12 Noble Orc Abyss High King, the same Rank as the 'Wise Emperor' Buugih of the past. He had obtained enough strength to be called one of the most powerful beings in the Boundary Mountain Range other than the Pure-breed Vampires, but it seemed that he and his vassals did not believe that the fighting ability of a single ruler was enough to solve the problems within the nation.

"I am sorry to the nations who tried to stop me from doing this, however," Budarion continued.

Following his announcement of his nation's new title at the feast, the nations' representatives that were present at the feast had tried to talk him out of it. In a heartfelt, earnest, desperate way.

If these were human nations outside the Boundary Mountain Range, this would be a chance for them to make great advances. Each of them would try to wrest themselves free of these relationships of power that had remained steadfast for over fifty-thousand years and try to establish dominance over the other nations.

Even if the rulers of those nations didn't have such thoughts, there would be some noblemen who would form factions, aiming to obtain greater rights and more land for themselves and their heirs; there was no doubt that some would try to spur the nation into action.

There would also be nations that would take action because they thought it would be bad if the position of leadership was taken by a nation that they had a bad relationship with.

However, the circumstances were different for the nations within the Boundary Mountain Range.

The ruler of each nation also acted as a priest for the god that their nation worshipped, and they would be reprimanded directly by their god if they were to take unreasonable actions. The gods worshipped by the nations considered the flourishing of their own people to be important, but since the maintenance of the barrier protecting this land from Alda and his subordinates was more important, they avoided causing harm to other nations that would weaken the gods of those nations.

And in this environment, where these city states existed inside a dangerous Devil's Nest, the benefits of being dominant over the other nations was minimal.

Most importantly, while one would expect the second greatest nation after the Noble Orcs to begin a struggle for power, the races that lived in that nation had a sense of values that were different from those of royals and nobles in human societies.

"Queen Donaneris is troubled. It is likely that the duty of leadership will fall onto us," said Gizania, who was proceeding through the Dungeon under Vandalieu's protection, as B-class Dungeons were still difficult for her with her current abilities.

"Indeed," agreed Myuze, who was also being protected by Vandalieu. "We people of Zanalpadna are flourishing plenty as it is... and we will likely flourish more from now on."

Arrangements had already been made for Princess Kurnelia to marry Budarion, and her younger sister Gizania and Myuze who was related to the previous queen would marry Vandalieu. It was expected that Zanalpadna would get by just fine even if it did not rise to the position of being an empire.

In fact, the nation was likely full of those who thought that the duties that came with that position would be troublesome.

"By the way, may I brush this?" asked Vandalieu, who was sitting on the back of the large-build Arachne Gizania, touching her lower body half's fur, which was stiffer than its appearance suggested.

"... I don't mind, but I would like you to leave it for later," Gizania replied with flushed cheeks, covering her eyes.

"Vandalieu-dono, what about me?" said Myuze.

"Myuze, you don't have any fur... maybe I could help you look after your wings and sickles?" Vandalieu suggested.

"Oh, please do!" Myuze looked delighted.

The Majin king Godwin, who was listening to this conversation from behind, let out a sigh. "Stop flirting in a time of crisis like this..."

Godwin was a mass of muscle as large as a Titan with two twisted horns, blue skin and a tail with a triangular tip. Every nation knew that he was a powerful warrior.

But right now, his face looked very thin and haggard.

"I thought that I'd be able to toss my successor onto my throne the year after next and return to the sweet days of drowning in combat and alcohol... I'm definitely not becoming the emperor," he muttered.

"... Godwin-dono, I do have to question your choice to speak such words while I and the others are listening," said Budarion.

"Budarion, if you want me to be more considerate with my words, then go back to being an emperor," Godwin said in response.

Godwin seemed to be a selfish, stubborn old man, but such people were common among the Majin race.

The Majin race was a race of strong individuals whose lifespans were unlimited, like those of Vampires. Perhaps because of this, the great majority of Majin did things at their own pace and followed their own paths... or rather, prioritized their own hobbies and interests.

The thing that they all had in common was that they considered individual strength to be important. Even when the kings of their nation were elected through a tournament or battle royale between the candidates. This was true for both the Drakonid and Majin nations, but the Majin nation had a broader definition of strength, so they sometimes elected kings through board games, drinking competitions and contests of wit as well.

Despite that, the Majin felt a firm sense of companionship with each other, with bonds between those who shared hobbies and interests being particularly strong.

That was the kind of race the Majin were, so the position of king was mainly an honorary one, its role being like that of a class representative on Earth, keeping everyone unified.

"If we'd left that fool Gerazorg alone for any longer, he would have brought dishonor to the Majin race," said Godwin. "That fool... we sent him to study abroad in the empire, hoping that he would at least gain some shred of decency."

"... What did this Gerazorg person do?" Vandalieu asked.

"Something that can be described as not being suitable for a child like you to hear," Godwin replied vaguely with a deep frown. "The kinds of crime he committed were all minor, so we weren't able to keep him locked up in prison for long periods of time up until now. His great-grandmother took good care of me in the past, so I tried to rehabilitate him, but... he was deceived by a strange one."

Godwin's tone was so bitter that Gizania and Myuze looked at Vandalieu with eyes that said, "Don't ask any more."

It seemed that Gerazorg was so despicable that news of him had even reached Zanalpadna, which was distant from the Majin nation.

Leaving aside Bugitas, the other two that Ravovifard had chosen as his priests, Gargya and Gido, had both been quite the problem children as well. Not only in their abilities, but in their personalities in particular as well.

It seemed that when Ravovifard was selecting those he wanted to give his divine protection to, the important factors were not the individuals' talents or abilities, but rather whether they had the kinds of personalities that would easily lose their reasoning and release their desires if he were to grant them his power.

"And becoming emperor is definitely out of the question. Mediating disagreements between nations and organizing meetings... I'd be able to provide reinforcements in times of need, but even then, I wouldn't be able to dispatch our army to multiple places. Unlike the Kijin, we Majin are few in number, after all," Godwin continued.

The Majin race had long lifespans. Perhaps because of this, their birth rates were extremely low... their reproductive ability was not much different from Elves and Dark Elves, but it seemed that the Majin race had little interest in leaving descendants behind.

Like Vampires and Ghouls, they had a ritual to turn humans and other races into members of their own race, but apparently it was troublesome in various ways and not something that was conducted proactively.

As a result, while members of the Majin race were individually strong, there were only a thousand or so of them on the inside of the Boundary Mountain Range; they were the race with the smallest population.

However, the Majin outside the Boundary Mountain Range lived in groups of about a dozen or so, so a thousand Majin were more than enough to be called a large group.

"Godwin-dono, the gods will likely deliver their own words on this matter," said Budarion.

"Muh... I always thought you were a promising youngster, but you've really settled down now that your arm and eye have turned black, haven't you," Godwin remarked. "It'll be fine as long as the gods don't say anything strange."

Why were Budarion, Godwin and the others going through the Great Flesh Den immediately after the feast? That was because they had received Divine Messages from the gods.

"Come to the nearest holy grounds."

And the closest holy grounds were the deepest chamber of the Great Flesh Den that existed inside the deepest part of the Church of Mububujenge.

Generation after generation, the Noble Orc empire... or rather, kingdom, had been ruled by those who possessed the strength to solo-clear this Dungeon and the acknowledgement of Mububujenge, who would come to this Dungeon's treasure chamber for audiences with the goddess and hear her words of wisdom.

This was an arrangement that all of the nations on the inside of the Boundary Mountain Range had in common, but... normally, the gods would not summon their priests to the holy grounds of another nation.

Though Godwin had lived for several thousand years, even he could not remember such an event happening. It was possibly the first such event since the founding of the nations.

"While it is true that Queen Donaneris is not present in this nation, I wonder why it is us that have been summoned?" said Myuze.

"Princess Kurnelia is here as well, but leaving that aside... does Zanalpadna have something in mind?" Gizania wondered.

Perhaps because this was unprecedented, Myuze and Gizania had been bewildered as well. There had been cases of those other than the king challenging this Dungeon, clearing it and stepping foot into the holy grounds. But in these cases, the gods would almost never descend upon the world and show themselves, so it seemed that Myuze and Gizania couldn't erase their doubts. Why had they been summoned? Was it really alright for them to go?

"If all of this is a misunderstanding that we have made... if we were mistaken in thinking that we have received a Divine Message... would we not be very out-of-place?" said Gizania.

"Gizania-dono, I would like you to not say such terrifying things!" said Myuze. "And I think it is quite unlikely that both of us would have made such a misunderstanding. With that being the case, there is likely no mistake that these were indeed Divine Messages."

"But even though it was a Divine Message, I could only hear, 'come'... What about you, Myuze-dono?"

"I... could only hear 'holy grounds.'"

It seemed that Gizania and Myuze didn't have much ability for receiving Divine Messages.

"Well, that's how it is for your first time receiving Divine Messages. I was daydreaming and thought my first Divine Message was just in my imagination and ignored it. My predecessor then received a Divine Message from our god Xerx, beat the hell out of me, dragged me to the holy grounds, and then Xerx himself punched me directly," Godwin said with a hearty laugh.

These words didn't seem to make Gizania and Myuze feel any better, however.

"Godwin-dono, I believe that if we were to receive such a punishment, we would simply die," said Gizania.

"Our bodies would break in an instant," said Myuze.

"No, what I was trying to say is, even if it was a misunderstanding, the gods probably won't be that angry..." said Godwin, his words becoming incoherent.

"I have heard that Xerx was a subordinate god of Zantark, the war-god of fire and destruction, so he has a violent personality. You are unlikely to be punched by Zanalpadna," Budarion said, unable to let the conversation end like this, and Gizania and Myuze looked a little relieved.

"If it is a mistake, let us apologize together. I'm sure we'll be forgiven," said Vandalieu, taking over the conversation in a carefree manner.

The Divine Message that he had received from Merrebeveil was, "Excuse me, there is something that I would like to speak with you about, so I would like to request for you to come and meet me."

"If a fist comes your way, I'll object to it," he said.

Violence wasn't good. Violent people should be fought with violence.

"Thank you... but please be gentle," said Gizania.

"Indeed," said Myuze. "This only applies if it was indeed a misunderstanding. So please be calm."

"Yes, I ask this of you as well," said Budarion.

The three of them proceeded as they tried to pacify Vandalieu, who seemed to have been stimulated by some kind of strange trauma.

----------------------------------------------

Perhaps reflecting the personality of the one who had created it, the monsters appearing in the B-class Dungeon called the Great Flesh Den didn't proactively search for and attack those trying to clear it. Instead, the vast majority of them were races that set traps and disguised themselves using camouflage and such, looking to ambush their foes.

Thus, with Budarion leading the way, as he already knew the correct way to go to reach the end as quickly as possible, the party was able to keep the number of battles they needed to fight to a minimum.

And as for the traps and ambushes, Vandalieu could see through them with the Labyrinth Construction Skill and the Danger Sense: Death spell, so even the few battles that they did need to fight were easily won.

Of course, this Dungeon had been designed to turn away those who were below Rank 10, so there were no difficulties with Budarion present, as he had already reached Rank 12.

Even the Dungeon boss on the bottom floor was killed by Budarion in a single instant.

The party would enter the place beyond the boss chamber, the treasure chamber that also served as holy grounds for gods to descend upon, but before that, Budarion explained the rules of the holy grounds.

When a god descended upon the Great Flesh Den, the Dungeon would become a space resembling a Divine Realm. Thus, those granted an audience with the god would be in a state similar to having their bare souls exposed, allowing them to appear before the gods.

Thus, they must not look up under any circumstances. The minds of those with mortal souls would not last if they looked upon the gods. They had to kneel on the ground and look down for the entire duration of the audience.

"Muh, as expected of the former emperor. The way you approach holy grounds is special as well," Godwin murmured.

Without any particular doubts, Vandalieu obeyed Budarion's instructions.

He had already directly met gods such as Fidirg, Merrebeveil and Zozogante, but there was no guarantee that he would be fine after looking directly at Mububujenge.

And Vandalieu was currently in a position where he was intruding on another land. It was true that he was the one responsible for suppressing the coup d'état, but that didn't give him an excuse to disrespect the rules of Budarion's nation.

Thus, he kneeled on the ground and looked down, but he then noticed that Budarion, Gizania and the others who were supposed to be next to him weren't there. Instead, on the ground that he was staring at, there were people, small enough to be placed in the palm of his hand, and there was a strange being on the edge of his vision.

The silhouettes appeared to be Gizania and the others. He couldn't see their faces, as they were on their knees as well (with Gizania being in a posture similar to kneeling), looking at the ground. But it was likely them... though Vandalieu didn't know why they had become smaller.

And he didn't recognize the strange being entering his field of vision. The silhouette resembled a plump human, lying down with their chin in their hands.

But its body surface was covered in writhing masses of flesh and tumors that were repeatedly expanding and contracting, and there were enormous lips shaped like those of humans around its abdomen; this being could not be called a human.

In fact, it wasn't even clear whether this could be called a person, but Vandalieu could see that this 'thing' was looking at him and trembling for some reason.

"Thank you for coming, Vandalieu," said the familiar voice of Merrebeveil.

"Yes. It is an honor to be invited here," said Vandalieu in greeting, still keeping his eyes pointed downwards.

"Not at all, it is we who are grateful to you for responding to our impudent summons," said Merrebeveil.

"I-indeed."

"Welcome, and thank you for coming."

"M-make yourself at home."

It seemed that Fidirg was here as well. With his face still pointed down, Vandalieu looked around him, and something resembling a tree's root entered the edge of his vision. It seemed that Zozogante, the evil god of the dark forest, the god of the Ghoul nation, was here as well.

Vandalieu could relax, knowing that many of his acquaintances were here, so that was convenient.

"Please look up. Of course, only Vandalieu may do this," said Merrebeveil.

"The rest of you, please ensure that you do not look up."

"Also, it would be best to not look behind you."

"Don't ever look. And especially directly above you, don't look there."

"Is it all right for me to do that?" Vandalieu asked Merrebeveil. "I've been told that this is the rule of these holy grounds."

Merrebeveil tapped the 'thing,' which had remained completely still this whole