I Was Summoned to Die, so I’m Climbing the Pantheon for Revenge!

Location: Border Gate - Between Frontierra Nation and the Kingdom of Sunderland

The massive, rune-carved iron gates of the Frontierra Nation groaned open, echoing with a heavy finality that signaled the end of one journey and the beginning of another.

Shiori Asano stepped through the threshold, followed closely by Saintess Evelyn, Yua, Mei, Kazura, Shota, and Yoshi. As they crossed the border, the crisp, magically purified air of Frontierra was immediately replaced by something entirely different. The scent of burning coal, ozone, and hot iron assaulted their senses.

Welcome to Oclarc City, the border town of the Kingdom of Sunderland.

Unlike the medieval, high-fantasy aesthetic of Frontierra, Oclarc City was a sprawling monument to mechanical progress. Towering smokestacks pierced the graying sky, and the rhythmic, deafening chug-chug-chug of heavy machinery vibrated through the cobblestone streets.

Despite the grand spectacle of the city’s massive steam engine train station looming in the distance, Shiori’s face remained profoundly somber. Her lavender-highlighted hair blew gently in the smoggy wind as her eyes darkened with unresolved anger.

The Kingdom of Sunderland, Shiori thought bitterly, her hands clenching into fists inside her coat pockets. The nation of high society elites. The people who betrayed Aria. They threw a little girl to the monsters just to hoard her treasures.

A cold fury simmered in her chest, but she forcefully exhaled a long, heavy sigh, letting the tension bleed from her shoulders. She had to be rational. The cruel aristocrats and greedy adventurers who had betrayed the Witch of Loneliness were all long dead. The tragedy of Floor 50 had occurred centuries ago. Shiori couldn't exact vengeance on ghosts. Instead, she shifted her focus to their primary objective.

Vanguard City... Sunderland's Capital, she thought. The Goddess’s Oracle indicated that more of our summoned classmates are located there. I wonder who we'll meet? And more importantly... how has this industrial nation treated them?

"Whoa! Look at the size of that thing!" Shota yelled, snapping Shiori out of her brooding. He was pointing excitedly at the colossal iron beast resting on the tracks ahead.

Mei bounced on her heels, her eyes shining with equal enthusiasm. "It's a real steam train! It looks like something straight out of a steampunk anime!"

Yoshi had already jogged up to the barrier to observe the machine’s mechanics.

"Fascinating," he muttered, quickly sketching in a notebook he had pulled from his inventory. "It's not entirely reliant on coal. Look at the boiler chassis—those are specialized mana conduction runes. They're using high-density Fire Mana Stones to instantly superheat the water, and Wind Mana Stones to regulate the exhaust. It's a hybrid magi-tech steam engine structure!"

Saintess Evelyn stood frozen a few paces behind them, her holy staff gripped tightly in her hands. Her jaw was slightly unhinged in pure awe. "By the Goddess..." she whispered reverently.

"I have only ever seen illustrations of such mechanical leviathans in the Grand Library's forbidden engineering texts. To think a machine so massive can move without a beast of burden... it is truly a marvel."

While the others marveled at the train, Yua jogged back from a nearby vendor stall, her arms loaded with warm, paper-wrapped pastries and skewers of spiced meat.

She bumped her shoulder playfully against Shiori’s. "Hey, Ice Princess," Yua teased softly. "Don't think so hard. You'll get wrinkles."

Shiori glanced at the healer, a faint, rare, and entirely silly smile breaking through her stoic facade for just a fraction of a second. Yua smiled warmly in return. "I haven't forgotten how to make you smile," Yua said, handing over a pastry. "Eat up. We have a long ride ahead."

Because of their newly acquired status as Rank S Adventurers and officially recognized Summoned Heroes, the Sunderland border officials fell over themselves to accommodate the party. Within twenty minutes, they were ushered past the crowds and seated in the ultra-luxurious VIP cabin of the Frontierra Express, sinking into plush red velvet seats as the train's whistle blew a deafening, triumphant note.

Location: Kingdom of Sunderland - Capital Vanguard City Train Station

Several hundred miles away, beneath a canopy of thick, yellowish smog, another train hissed to a halt at Vanguard City’s central platform.

Inside a private, dimly lit carriage, Cain—currently occupying the identity and female body of Lady Ashford of the Vileblood Family—was fast asleep, his head resting against the vibrating window.

"My Lady. Lady Ashford, please wake up," a gentle, melodic voice coaxed.

Ashford slowly fluttered her eyes open, blinking away the sleep. She sat up, adjusting her elegant, dark gothic dress. Sofia, the stunning vampire noblewoman, was smiling down at her, while Sebastian, their demonic butler disguised in a pristine tailcoat, stood dutifully by the carriage door with their luggage.

"Have we arrived already?" Ashford asked, her voice carrying the refined, haughty tone of the noblewoman she was impersonating. She rubbed her eyes. "That was not nearly as long a journey as I anticipated."

"The magi-tech trains of Sunderland are exceptionally swift, My Ashford," Sofia replied smoothly. "We are in the heart of Vanguard City."

As Sebastian opened the carriage door and assisted them down onto the platform, Ashford’s eyes widened slightly. If Port Triton had been a bustling trade hub, Vanguard City was an absolute mechanical titan. The sheer volume of people flowing through the station was staggering. Men in sharp suits and top hats, women in elaborate Victorian dresses adorned with brass clockwork accessories, and heavily armed steam-knights marched past in a chaotic symphony of modern life.

However, as advanced as the city was, it came with a heavy cost. The atmosphere was incredibly thick. The air tasted metallic, dominated by a suffocating blend of carbon dioxide, sulfur, and alchemical exhaust gases. Ashford wrinkled her nose, suppressing a cough.

As Ashford, Sofia, and Sebastian walked toward the station's grand exit, a deafening whistle echoed through the cavernous terminal. Another massive luxury train, the Frontierra Express, was just pulling into Platform 1.

The two groups were separated by a mere fifty feet and a crowd of hundreds.

The VIP doors of the Frontierra Express slid open. Shota practically leaped onto the platform, throwing his arms wide open to the smoggy sky.

"HELL YEAH! WE ARE FINALLY IN THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION ERA!" Shota bellowed at the top of his lungs, drawing irritated stares from passing nobles.

THWACK.

A perfectly executed, blindingly fast knifehand strike chopped down directly onto the crown of Shota's head.

"Gah!" Shota yelped, grabbing his head and crouching down.

Shiori stepped off the train, adjusting her coat, her eyes narrowed in severe irritation. "You are too noisy, Shota-kun. We are in a foreign capital. Act with some dignity."

Shota looked up at her, rubbing his bruised scalp, and offered a sheepish, apologetic grin. "Sorry, Shiori-san. I just got a little too excited."

Behind them, Saintess Evelyn stumbled out of the train, clutching Yua’s arm for dear life. The sheer noise, the grinding gears, and the thousands of rushing people were entirely too much for the sheltered cleric. Evelyn’s eyes were spinning in dizzy, comical >< shapes.

"Oh dear... the ground is shaking... there are so many people... I think my soul is leaving my body..." she mumbled, swaying precariously.

"Easy there, Saintess Evelyn, I've got you," Yua laughed, holding her up.

None of them noticed the elegant, gothic-dressed noblewoman and her two attendants disappearing into the city crowds just a few platforms away.

Location: Vanguard City Streets - The Vileblood Carriage

Ashford, Sofia, and Sebastian sat inside a luxurious, black horse-drawn carriage bearing the Vileblood family crest, navigating through the smog-choked streets of the capital.

As they moved deeper into the nobility district, Ashford suddenly stiffened. A chill ran down her spine, completely unrelated to the weather. The ambient mana in the air felt heavy, oppressive, and distinctly bloodthirsty.

Ashford glanced at Sofia. The vampire’s crimson eyes were narrowed, staring out the carriage window.

"You feel it too, don't you?" Ashford asked quietly. "The atmosphere here... it is somehow demonic. It's suffocating."

Sofia nodded slowly, her expression deadly serious. "Yes, My Ashford. The source is currently residing within this very city. It is one of the supreme commanders recognized by me. Crimson Scarlet."

Sebastian poured two cups of warm tea from a magically insulated thermos, his white gloves pristine. "Lady Sofia is correct," the butler chimed in, his tone conversational despite the terrifying subject matter. "The Great Demon Generals have grown restless. They are actively mobilizing across the human kingdoms, searching frantically for their Demon Lord."

Ashford (Cain) took a sip of the tea, hiding a nervous swallow. The irony was palpable. The Demon Lord they were searching for had lost her aura and was currently sitting right here, as a human noblewoman.

"Even though the Demon Lord's aura has completely vanished from this world, they refuse to believe Lady Sofia is gone," Sebastian continued, his eyes glinting with a dangerous, hidden amusement. "We must tread carefully. If Scarlet detects our true nature, the situation in Vanguard City will become... explosive."

"Understood," Ashford replied, forcing her voice to remain perfectly calm.

The carriage soon turned off the main thoroughfare, passing through a set of towering wrought-iron gates, and stopped in front of the grand Vileblood Family Mansion. The estate was an architectural masterpiece of gothic design, standing in stark contrast to the industrial factories of the lower city.

As the carriage doors opened, a welcoming committee was already lined up on the pristine stone steps.

There were four maids, dressed in immaculate black-and-white uniforms, and an elderly man in a sharp three-piece suit who served as the estate’s head treasurer.

The moment Ashford stepped out of the carriage, the professional composure of the staff completely shattered.

"My Ladies!" the head maid cried out, her voice cracking. Tears began to stream freely down her face. The other three maids immediately followed suit, openly weeping as they saw Ashford and Sofia standing before them.

"You're alive... thank the heavens, you're alive!" another maid sobbed, bowing so deeply she nearly touched the stone stairs.

Ashford maintained her regal posture, but internally, she was deeply moved. To have servants who weep with such genuine joy just at the sight of your safe return... the original Lady Ashford must have been an incredibly kind and benevolent person to them. I have to play this role perfectly. I cannot tarnish her memory.

Sofia stepped forward, her usual intimidating aura melting into a warm, genuine smile. "I am back," Sofia said softly, her eyes sweeping over the crying staff. "Martha, Clara, Beatrice, Lucy... and you too, old Henry. My precious family members. I am so glad to see you all again."

Henry, the elderly treasurer, gasped. His lower lip trembled violently as the esteemed Lady Sofia addressed him by name, calling him family. He hastily wiped his eyes with a silk handkerchief. "It is the greatest joy of my life to welcome you home, Lady Sofia. We feared the worst when the Triton reports came in."

"Please, allow me," Henry insisted, stepping forward with surprising agility to take the heavy leather briefcases from the carriage.

Sebastian smiled warmly, stepping back and accepting the treasurer’s help with a gracious bow. "Thank you, Sir Henry. Your assistance is greatly appreciated."

As they began to walk up the steps, little Lucy, the youngest of the maids, cautiously approached Ashford. She looked up with tear-filled eyes, her hands clasped together.

"We missed our Ladies so much," Lucy whispered, her voice full of pure, unfiltered devotion. "The mansion was so cold without you."

Ashford stopped. She reached out, her gloved hand gently patting the young maid's head, projecting all the aristocratic warmth she could muster. "We are home now, Lucy. And we do not intend to leave you again."

As the doors of the Vileblood Mansion closed behind them, sealing away the polluted air of Vanguard City, the board was finally set. The Summoned Heroes and the hidden Demon Lord had finally arrived in the same city, completely unaware that their paths were destined to cross in the shadows of the steam engines.

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