The Devil is a Part-Timer! Light Novel Vol. 3

Prologue

Violet streaks of twilight stretched out across the sky as the sun sinked over the horizon.

A petite figure was moving in superspeed over the waist-high grass plains not far from the main path.

"Honestly, I'd be there in no time if I could just fly."

The figure's voice was that of a woman.

"Flying or walking, I'd get caught either way...this world is becoming so annoying."

The figure continued to progress forward while surveying ahead to avoid detection.

Finally, she came across a staunch wooden wall.

"That's kinda fast. It hasn't even been more than a year."

The woman noticed a cross composed of five separate motifs on the wall.

It was the symbol of the Intercontinental Union of Knights, representatives of the East, West, North, South and Central continents.

The Intercontinental Union was once a military organization established by uniting all human forces gathered under the banner of Emilia the Hero, with the purpose of opposing the invasion of the Demon King's army.

The Union's current goal is to support the resurgent government of the Central Continent, after its total annihilation by the Demon King's army.

The Union probably set up this impregnable wall to prevent outsiders from entering the premises.

As if in sync with the darkening sky, the ominous presence of 'that place' spread out over the entire continent.

Demon Castle.

This stronghold of the Demon King's army also served as the residence of the Demon king himself. It is said that the only ones who have seen this castle and lived to tell the tale are Emeralda Etūva, Albertio Ende and Orba Meier, the three companions of the Hero.

Following the disapperance of Emilia and Satan, the Union launched a series of exterminations against the Demon King's army's remaining forces in the Central continent.

The loss of Satan and the last Demon General Alciel completely destabilized the once-feared Demon King's army to the point that one could say the whole affair was a lie. It took the Union only a year to eliminate all of the largest remaining demon forces.

However, incidents involving surviving demons still plagued the Central continent.

And so, the Union set its sights on destroying Demon Castle as their final mission of the extermination campaign.

To set demon domination of Ente Isla in stone, Demon Castle was built at the center of the world in Isla Centuelm, once the largest trading metropolis of the Central continent.

The huge fortress which appeared overnight following the invasion of Isla Centuelm was of a scale far beyond that of the holy Cathedral of Saint Ignold in the West continent and the ancient palace of the capital of the East continent.

The interior of Demon Castle was a vast labyrinth. Even now, rumours of undead spirits haunting the corpse-filled underground dungeons or demons faithfully patrolling the halls still spread from ear to ear.

Letting such an ominous structure stay in full view of the world not only left a bad taste in one's mouth but also hurt the recovering humans' morale, so the Union sent troops inside to begin work on dismantling Demon Castle.

However, strange phenomena, mysterious infections and demon resistance have drastically slowed down progress. Additionally, with the defeat of the Demon King's army, the issue of which of the four cardinal continents should facilitate the restoration of the Central continent remains unsettled. For now, all the Union can do is wall up the area and set up barricades to prevent unauthorized entry until they can come to a political consensus.