Unlike Eugene, I left the royal capital without a word to anyone and headed for the Mountain of Death.
　We traveled on a hovering carpet, off the road, from the green and blue plains to the wilderness.
　I was somewhat concerned about whether or not Gradius' massive steel body, which stands over three meters tall when upright, would fit on the hovering carpet, but my fears were unfounded.
　The rank A magic item, of which there were only five in Luxta, was so nimble that I didn't even feel like I was carrying a large, heavy item, and it moved easily over any rough road.
　When they reached the Mountain of Death, the steepness of the slope was nothing to sneeze at.
　Eugene and his team are three days ahead of us, but we could certainly catch up with them on this one.
　I must thank Narsai's manly spirit for lending me a ride, I must thank him!

　--anyway.
　I arrived at Delvembro's castle before the sun went down.
　Surrounded by steep, swashbuckling mountains, the atmosphere of the castle is even more dangerous.
　It would take a lot of courage just to step inside.

　I pushed in through the entrance without fear.
　But be careful.
　I stepped off the hovering carpet and didn't step on the back of Gladius, but rather let him guard my side in a state of wariness.
I've been told that even the small fry monsters in the castle are dominated by level 10 to 13 guys, according to the strategy book.
　I can't do the same thing as I did in the great tunnels of Megolaus, where I can comfortably overrun them and make a rapid advance.
　But that's not to say that it's difficult to go deep into the tunnels.
　I'm saying that while having Gladius to guard you, you should stop and steadily clean up the compartments where the small fry monsters are hanging out one by one with Series III attack magic to ensure your safety and advance steadily.

　That's how I did it, and I made sure to invade Delvenbro's demon castle.
　The inside of the castle is also a complex maze, with a plethora of traps prepared like a fair.
　However, they are not an obstacle to me having a "strategy book".
　The only thing I need to do is to be careful not to be surrounded by monsters that serve as guards by sheer force of numbers.
　At some point, I even managed to take advantage of the castle's intricate structure, which is full of tricks.

Hmm. This is it.

　I was tapping on the stone wall of a certain corridor with my Great Magic Staff as I went along, when I discovered that part of the wall sounded different when I tapped on it.

"Glory to you, Lord Delvembro!

　He chanted the password with a wry smile, which was quite vain.
　Then a section of the wall slides open to reveal a hidden passage.
Just like the information in the attack book. We can now take a significant shortcut.
　We might be able to catch up with Eugene and the others, or we might pass them. Well, it's the same either way.

　Gladius and I proceeded leisurely along a single, gently arcing path.
　There are no small fry monsters placed in this one.
　That's right, small fry monsters.

　Clank........clank.......clank........clank....

　The sound of footsteps approaching from the back.
　It's a heavy bass, like a pounding of metal.
　Me and Gladius stopped and waited.
　Soon after, the thing came.
　A silver-fleshed giant about five meters tall.
　This is the mid-boss monster that guards this hidden passage.

　A mithril golem.
　Level 26.

　Although it was far lower in rank than me, it could not be underestimated.
　The reason is that this mithril-encased creature has an extremely high level of resistance to magic.
　It is a natural enemy of wizards.
　So I'm going to order you to go.

"Go, Gladius!

　A steel golem in the form of a brown bear, shouting in the air without a yell.
　It was unafraid because the other party was a higher-ranked Mithril, and it faithfully obeyed the Lord's orders, and there was still a certain professionalism in it.
　The Mithril Golem also silently responded to Gladius.
　The four full, metal giants teamed up.
　But Gladius is still outnumbered.

　I chanted a series of spells.
Enchant Weapon, Magic Armor, Magic Shield, Magic Shield, Strength, Toughness, Quickness, Agility, Agility, etc., etc., etc.
　I'll support Gradius with all kinds of strengthening magic.
　And, of course, it's amplified by the special effects of the Great Magic Staff.

　Gladius strikes and Mithril Golem strikes back.
　Clearly, Gladius had the upper hand.
　Okay, good........!

Fran Ren S.Z.L.!

　I also cast an attack spell and hit the Mithril Golem.
　This is the Freeze IV I just learned at level 32, which made the spell a little longer than normal and gave it resistance penetration.
　Even though Mithril Golem has a high resistance to magic, that doesn't mean it's completely immune to damage. I've also given it the ability to pierce through resistance.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the future. This will help Gradius in his flesh-and-blood combat.

　The frosty surface of the Mithril Golem was covered in a thick layer of frost, giving it the appearance of a frosty golem.
　The movement was becoming slower and slower, and then Gradius lashes it with his left and right claws.
　Although it took a little time - Mithril Golem, defeated.

　The item that was dropped was a large amount of High Purity Mithril Ore.
　Normally this would be an impossible amount to carry around, but right now I have a Magic Tool Bag III. It looks small, but it's a rank A magic item, capable of packing a considerable amount of stuff inside.
I had gotten it as a reward for completing the "Request of Marum, the Great Merchant, Part 8: Break through the Blocked Road" when I was doing all the subquests.
　I guess it was a good decision to do all the subquests, after all.

　After retrieving all of them, I moved forward through the hidden passage.
　There were no longer any monsters to hinder me, and I could easily reach the spiral staircase at the back of the passage.
　From here, I can go up to the fifth floor at once. Incidentally, according to the information in the Strategy Book, Delbembro's Demon Castle has a total of six floors.

　Climb up the spiral staircase and use the hidden door at the end of the staircase to get out. You'll find the labyrinth on the fifth floor of the castle.
　Checking the map in the Strategy Book again, you'll find a pattern of a skull on the floor.

''Hm........''

　I stepped on that skull and looked down at it sullenly.
　And - then I heard the sound of multiple people's footsteps.
　Apparently they were slightly overtaking me.
　I looked back at them and said.

Hi. You're not so fast, Eugene.
"You are a........Magnus!　How did you end up here!