Chapter 57

After spending a day in Camelot, Naruto left with the team towards the Demon Kingdom. He had already examined the artifacts under Artoria's control and understood their abilities. Further research was delegated to others like Ashiya and Merlin while he continued the journey to find other enhancers for the development of humanity.

The Hero water and Star fragment were in Star Kingdom, and Konoha was trying to negotiate for it. On the other hand, the fruit of power was in the Demon Kingdom.

The Divine water was in the immortal lands but Naruto had not been authorized to bring it to the human world.

So, all he could do was to check on the last one and communicate with the King to avoid any wars since Artoria told him that there was a possibility. The Demon Kingdom had existed for a long time and it had always been at odds with humanity.

Demons didn't really exist on earth but thousands of years ago, after the apparent death of the Sage and during the war of brothers, some evil minded people decided to do anything for power. Power to fight against the brothers.

These people sacrificed thousands and used a most pure soul of a little girl of six as the gateway for the demons. Those people died once the demons started arriving forcing Indra and Asura to stop the demon invasion.

Regardless, not all demons were extremely evil. Some could co-exist with humanity like the Succubus, incubus, imps, vampires, zombies, werewolves and some other creature of such type. Asura and Indra allowed their existence, and allowed the children born from the vile demons to exist.

Those hybrid children grew and survived in the world of humans to build the demon kingdom. However, people of the lands still feared them and hostilities continued over the years. People were extremely vary for a valid reason, the demon kingdom had access to the dark dimension. They could go and come back from the dark world of nightmares.

Hearing the history of the Kingdom, Naruto thought that these people were definitely not going to like him. They had prosecuted for a long time and it would take some time to heal the wounds of the past. This was different from nationalities and culture, these were completely different species.

The team arrived at the border of the Kingdom very quickly even though they were using a horse carriage given to them by King Artoria. The carriage and the horses were enhanced by Kakashi's chakra, so they moved at lightning speed.

Artoria reminded him that it was not appropriate to walk around when going to official duties. They needed to display their authority and status.

As such, the carriage was extremely extravagant and the horses were glorious. Along with the carriage, dozen of armed knights followed on war horses.

Artoria had already sent a message to the Demon Kingdom about their delegation and the guards allowed them entry. From the border, a company of knights followed them and just like that they were guided from one line of defence to another line until finally they arrived at the capital city.

It was a first for Naruto since he had never been involved in such missions. However, the others were already used to such things. It was the norm when you were accompanying nobles to foreign locations.

Most people would have assumed that the corruption of the Dark Dimension would be present in the Kingdom, but Naruto couldn't feel anything. The place was completely normal and extremely organized. Just like the Holy Kingdom of Avalon, the Demon Kingdom was also a proper nation and not some nightmarish land of monsters.

From the moment they had arrived at the borders, Naruto had started seeing all kinds of species and few humans. It was a fact that all the demonic kin lived inside the single kingdom except for fugitives that escaped from the Kingdom or demon kin that were born on other continents. The people of the demon kingdom seemed to have a team that would search out such people and bring them to their home.

The Kingdom even had Embassies in the nearby Kingdoms for proper communication with each other. There was some conflict but it had never reached any serious point in history after the first war.

Arriving at the gates of the capital city, the team was greeted by none other than the famed leader of the ten commandments and the brother of the Demon King called Zeldris. Alongside Zeldris were some of his people and it was clear that they were not getting the royal treatment.

Zeldris was a short yet muscular young man. He greatly resembled his brother Meliodas, though with a few slight differences. His hair was spikey black and grows counterclockwise to Meliodas' and they both had the same demon mark, except his was over his left eye instead of his right.

His attire was a bodysuit, crimson in color, and had a white insignia in several places. The suit had an open collar and exposed his chest. He had silver gauntlets and carried his sword with a strap on his hip.

The man looked extremely calm but it was clear that he was ready to attack at any sign. His eyes were always on Naruto as he seemed to ignore everyone else.

"Greetings guests from afar, it is an honor to play host to such reputable personality. Welcome to our humble kingdom, I hope your journey was smooth and comfortable." Zeldris was someone that respected power and he could feel the overwhelming power from Naruto. To him the man was a worthy person to befriend.

However, he didn't show any fear or desire to back down. It was easy to see that the man was confident in his abilities and potential.

"The journey was unhindered and we enjoyed the sights of your lovely Kingdom. And, it is an honor for us that Lord Zeldris would greet us at the gates. The Demon King has truly shown us his magnanimity with this gesture." Gaara spoke up for the group as he had come to the realization that they couldn't allow Naruto to speak with everyone when they were present. He should only speak with people of his rank when in official capacity, as they were present to deal with others.

It would only lead to bad habits for Naruto as he would end up wasting time by talking to everyone personally while the other officials only twiddled their thumbs and looked at the scenery. Everyone had their role and they couldn't allow Naruto to usurp that role.

"Lord Kazekage, your words bring joy to our ears. I have heard much about your exploits as well, and I would be delighted if you gave me a demonstration of your powers. No, it would be spectacle for all people." Zeldris turned his gaze to Gaara and found that something had changed. They had informants across the globe so they knew about everyone, but the Kazekage was different from the data. Regardless, he didn't mind talking to Gaara as the man was of similar rank and held great strength.

"I am happy to receive your praise. However, I would like to excuse myself from this battle invitation. I don't like to indulge in battle unless necessary."

"I see." Zeldris smiled and it was clear that he wished to fight against them for some reason. The most probable reason would be to examine their prowess, and that was something that the group didn't want to divulge.

They needed to keep their powers a secret, no one should be aware of their full capacity.

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

Arriving in the throne room of the Palace, the team saw the Demon King seated beside his Queen. Just like Zeldris, Meliodas was short and buff while the Queen was tall. The presence of the King was different than any of them had expected.

The man felt and looked extremely informal and friendly for a Demon King.

"Hey, how is it going? Do you want a drink?" Meliodas greeted them like they were old friends but Shikamaru, Gaara and Kakashi were able to tell that the man saw beyond the outward appearance.

"I am doing fine..I don't think drinking would be appropriate at the moment." Naruto couldn't tell why the man was offering him a drink. But, he could feel that Meliodas wasn't evil.

"Don't mind, don't mind, nobody is going to say anything if you do drink now. I think the hero needs to let go and relax. Isn't it stressful to always watch over this world?" Meliodas got up from his throne and walked up to him, and whispered those words into his ear.

"It is not. I am always relaxed since I don't take on anything alone, nor I do ponder on pointless worries. Nonetheless, thank you for worrying about my health."

"Hahaha, I guess you are suited to such things or you would have been a mess by now. Regardless, come on drink with me. All these boring guys drop dead so easily, maybe you can keep up." Meliodas chuckled at his answer as if he had expected Naruto to show some weakness from his words. It was clear that Meliodas knew that Naruto was keeping watch over the world now.

"Can I ask a question first?"

"What is it?"

"Why didn't you intervene during the war? If it is you, I believe you could have fought Kaguya alone." His words shocked the team as none of the had expected that the Demon King was actually that strong.

"Dangerous situations bring out the hidden opportunities, so I didn't intervene. I believe your existence has proved my point…And, people from other places are not my responsibility."

"Do you not feel bad for the deaths?"

Before Meliodas could respond, Queen Elizabeth appeared beside him and held his hand.

"Of course we feel sympathy for the loss, but do understand that my husband's first priority is this Kingdom. There was no guarantee that some other threat might not appear, especially when we are so close to the Dark Dimension. My husband just likes to joke around and take the hatred of others, but I hope you will refrain from putting so much responsibility on him. Hasn't he protected this world for thousand of years while your people continued to kill each other? The guardians of the Dark Dimension were your ancestors and the Tailed Beasts, but where are they." Elizabeth's words were gentle but sharp as she made them feel guilty within few seconds.

"Sorry, I didn't think about it."

"No problem, I know you didn't mean anything bad by those questions. You were just curious. However, you know there is someone that could have prevented everything. The Pharoah Atem has powers beyond our comprehension, and his existence continues to baffle me. I always thought he was the chosen one when he appeared, but then Artoria appeared and now you are here. I don't know who is who anymore, do you?"

"I don't know, but Artoria is a good king."

"I know, which is why I don't mind working with her….Oh, did you think I was interested in the world? I like living an easy life, the world is too big for my taste. I will leave that to you guys."

"If you wouldn't mind, I want to ask if you could allow us access to the Tree of Might."

"I can allow you entry to the Dark Dimension, so you can bring them yourself. Though, that fruit won't help you much anymore. You should target the heart of the weakest Demon King or the Heart of Darkness."

"Please darling you jest, those two items are extremely dangerous so please avoid getting close to them. The weakest demon king is still too strong for anyone. The Dark Dimension is a universe for the abominable beings where the weak can't survive. Even people like us aren't strong enough to become servants of a demon king, so it is best to leave before they know about you. Please, don't let your power blind you to the truth. That world is a nightmare come to life, there is no hope or light. Everything and everyone will try to eat you alive."

"I understand, and thank you for your warning." Naruto was sure that these were good people, and their words had enlightened him to something he had ignored.

What if he had to choose between Konoha and the rest of the world? What if he had to choose between his loved and the world?

And from these questions made him realize that he would choose his loved ones over everyone else. The world came second.

'I really wasn't meant for kingship after all.' It was this realization that freed him of the uncertainty of his role in the world.

Talking a little bit more, Zeldris led them towards the location of the portal. It was there that they came across someone else that had asked for permission.

It was Apocalypse, the Leader of Star Kingdom.