I Picked up the Demon King - Chapter 10

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 10

 

One must be careful when using dark magic. All dark magic uses mana and inevitably leaves traces.

 

I heard that the Religious Order even has specialists who hunt Dark Mages by tracking those traces. Until I gained the power to protect myself, I had to avoid overusing dark magic at all costs.

 

Even when simply expelling mana from my body before blocking it, I paid considerable attention.

 

Naturally, I had no intention of using Soul Magic in a place like this. Just as I was about to take out a Soul Vial from my pocket and bring it to the soul fragment.

 

-It would be better not to use that. Absorb it right here.

“But…”

-At most, you’re absorbing scraps. You don’t need to use the magic’s full output, so there won’t be many traces left.

 

The Demon Lord was telling me to intentionally reduce the magic’s power when using it.

 

“Is that possible?”

-If you control the amount of mana well, nothing is impossible.

 

The power needed to absorb the soul of a healthy human couldn’t be the same as the power needed to absorb part of a soul.

 

It was natural for the same magic to show different power depending on the amount of mana invested. At first glance, it seemed like reasonable advice.

 

“But…”

 

There was such a thing as a minimum amount of mana required to manifest magic.

 

If that weren’t the case, one could summon Hellfire to use as a lamp, or drop meteors to play ball.

 

-Mana below a certain level simply can’t affect the Mortal World, but the examples you gave aren’t impossible.

 

A shocking statement came out nonchalantly.

 

-There’s no need for that in the first place, is there? If you need a lamp, Light Magic or regular fire would work fine, and meteors aren’t suitable for playing.

“….”

-If there’s a substitute, it’s rational to use the easier method. But there’s no way to substitute Soul Magic.

 

I brought some of the mana I had been preventing from recovering into my body.

 

About one-tenth of my total mana. It took about thirty seconds for that much to recover. By simple calculation, it meant I could recover all my mana in 5 minutes.

 

Once I realized this, I could feel the recovery speed had become noticeably faster than before.

 

I stopped the rapidly recovering mana and drew a faint magic circle with the meager mana that was barely a handful. However, the magic didn’t activate.

 

I thought it would be a simple task of just reducing the size and amount of mana, but it wasn’t easy.

 

-The ratio is wrong. And the upper right is distorted. Somehow it seems much better when you draw by hand.

 

Even the slightest wrong movement would greatly distort the shape. Errors that wouldn’t have mattered if the overall size was large completely ruined the magic circle. It required delicate adjustments that were clearly different from when I handled mana before.

 

-I was mistaken. Well, it was wrong of me to expect success in one try. Even for the Dragon Clan, this isn’t easy…

“Quiet.”

 

The completed magic circle was already in my head. I just needed to bring it out into reality.

 

I closed my eyes and concentrated.

 

The first magic circle I drew in the Demon Realm while listening to the Demon Lord’s explanation. When I looked at it consciously, I could feel how messy it was.

 

The bumpy border caused by trembling hands. The characters carved within were also crooked. It was amazing that magic had activated in that state.

 

I corrected it.

 

The messy border took on a perfect circular shape, and the patterns that had been twisted in different directions straightened out.

 

Up to this point, it was simply something that happened in my mind.

 

-Closing your eyes doesn’t change anything. Sometimes you have to accept reality as it is. …Wait.

 

Ignoring the Demon Lord’s voice, I drew up mana again and drew a magic circle.

 

-What are you, brat.

 

Even less mana than before. Because of that, its size was small enough to fit in my palm. But.

 

A faint light emanated from the completed magic circle, and chains shot out.

 

-You succeeded in reducing mana consumption this much in just two tries? And this level of completion…

 

Thin and short. It was small enough to be called thread rather than chains. But it was sufficient for scraping off the traces left on the wall.

 

The soul fragment pierced by the chains approached my mouth. Without hesitation, I bit the fragment, and it completely disappeared, leaving a slightly bitter taste.

 

“The lingering traces…”

-It’s fine. This level of concentration isn’t much different from what’s in the atmosphere. As long as you don’t use it consecutively, even a Saint would have trouble distinguishing it, let alone an Inquisitor. More importantly.

 

The Demon Lord let out a hollow laugh and said.

 

-You brat, are your parents not human?

 

However, I didn’t have the mental capacity to react to the Demon Lord’s sudden insult.

 

The delayed backlash of Soul Magic had arrived.

 

It was because of the memories from the absorbed soul.

 

* * *

 

A few days had passed.

 

The barracks, which had been filthy due to soul fragments scattered everywhere, regained its cleanliness, and the guards were greatly surprised by the change.

 

“Strange? Before, no matter how well we cleaned, it would be the same the next day.”

“Every time I wake up, I feel so much more refreshed.”

“Isn’t this all because our youngest cleans so well?”

 

Thanks to this, my reputation among them seemed to have improved considerably. Even those who had initially ignored me now approached me first with smiles and greetings.

 

Recently, not only the South Gate Guard Unit where I was stationed, but other guard units also frequently requested cleaning services. I tried to refuse, but I accepted because I liked the conditions they offered as compensation. Thanks to that…

 

“Run!”

“You can do it!”

 

I could confidently do physical training at the training ground,

 

“Spread your legs wide enough, and thrust!”

“Don’t let go with your hands. …The tip is shaking!”

 

I could also learn basic spear techniques. Though I wasn’t officially affiliated, most of them seemed to already accept me as one of their own.

 

“That’s strange.”

“Johnny.”

 

When I was sitting with my back against the wall catching my breath, Johnny approached and spoke.

 

Johnny, a senior soldier of the South Gate Guard Unit, was the self-proclaimed right-hand man of Guard Captain Mike and the person who helped with my training most enthusiastically.

 

“Your stamina seems to improve quickly, but you don’t seem to have any talent for spear techniques.”

 

Such an assessment was natural.

 

When I held a spear, it felt extremely uncomfortable, like wearing clothes that didn’t fit my body. It was a completely different feeling from when I held a dagger or scythe in my hands.

 

-It’s because your talent for using your body is shallow. Moreover, all the souls you’ve absorbed so far are farmers, poor people from this city, and incomplete scraps. It can’t be helped.

 

But would I really be able to feel the same way as when holding a scythe even if I absorbed other souls?

 

The handle wrapping around my hand, as if the scythe and my body had become one…

 

-Don’t talk nonsense. If you could get that kind of effect with just a few souls, that would have to be the soul of a Legendary Farmer or something.

 

The Demon Lord didn’t hide his laughter, as if he found his own joke amusing.

 

From my perspective, it wasn’t funny at all, but since I couldn’t shut the mouth of a soul entity, I had no choice but to ignore it.

 

Though spear techniques didn’t show much effect, there was an unexpected benefit.

 

The duration of Magic Blocking had increased. Even maintaining it for half a day only made my condition slightly worse, so I didn’t need to worry about it being released under normal circumstances. I speculated it was thanks to my improved stamina.

 

“Well, does it matter? Our youngest just needs to be good at cleaning.”

“Ah, ha…”

 

I responded awkwardly to Johnny’s joke.

 

I knew well from my experience that he was a good person. However, it was difficult to open my heart easily.

 

It wasn’t a problem that applied only to him. Mick, who was dozing off in one corner, Dory and Hern playing card games, and even Brad the cook who always asked about my well-being with a smile.

 

Most of the people in the guard unit felt uncomfortably awkward to me.

 

The reason was simple. It was because of the soul fragments I saw every time I cleaned a new barracks.

 

‘The Demon Lord said it wasn’t something to worry about, but…’

 

Was it really normal for objects imbued with traces of souls to be scattered around like this? Were soldiers in other places all in this state too?

 

Most importantly, the soul’s memories that I saw every time I absorbed a soul.

 

Perhaps because I hadn’t absorbed a proper soul, only very brief scenes were visible, but those were…

 

“There you are.”

“Mike?”

 

Guard Captain Mike.

 

A grateful person who provided me with a place to stay and a job despite never having met me before.

 

I still hadn’t seen his face in any of the souls I’d absorbed. He was the only person I could trust at this point.

 

“Weren’t you supposed to rest today?”

 

A day off given for day and night shift rotations. I definitely heard he was going to help with the general store run by his wife Amy.

 

“Well, the thing is.”

 

Mike made an awkward expression for a moment, then spoke.

 

“Sorry, but could you help me with some cleaning?”

“Cleaning?”

“Yeah. My wife’s store is a bit messy. While we were organizing together, I thought of you…”

 

He looked quite troubled. There was no trace of the charismatic captain who was usually respected by his subordinates.

 

I naturally understood.

 

Even though he was a competent superior to his subordinates, he was always helpless in front of his wife. He probably came because he couldn’t withstand Amy’s nagging.

 

“Of course I should go.”

 

Mike’s expression brightened instantly. However, he soon hardened his face and said.

 

“Will you be alright? You look tired. If it’s difficult, tomorrow is fine too. Ah, the payment will be sufficient…”

“It’s fine. How much help have I received all this time.”

 

It wasn’t just Mike. There was Amy, who despite not being fond of me, prepared my share of food every day. If I could score some points with this opportunity, living here would become much more comfortable going forward.

 

“Thank you so much. Then let’s go right away.”

 

I followed Mike toward the street.

 

The city that was awkward at first, but had now become quite familiar. People passing by greeted Mike when they saw him.

 

That must mean his reputation was quite good.

 

Perhaps because they often saw us together, there were also those who greeted me.

 

I thought it wouldn’t be bad to spend a lifetime in a city like this. Even though there were various unsettling things, no great harm had come to me.

 

-Kuhuh…

 

Amy’s General Store wasn’t very far. The building, though a bit old but well-maintained, reflected Amy’s usually meticulous personality.

 

Amy, who had been waiting in front of the door with her arms crossed, greeted us with a smile.

 

“Oh my, you came. It must have been tiring, thank you.”

“Of course I had to come.”

 

However, the warm atmosphere was brief.

 

“It’s not even that far, so why did it take so long? You were fooling around on the way again, weren’t you?”

“Ah, no…”

 

Scolding immediately poured down on Mike. At first glance it seemed excessive, but seeing Mike’s expression made me laugh involuntarily.

 

“Oh my, look at me. Would you like to go in first?”

“Yes.”

 

Soon there might be a lovey-dovey scene that would make one cringe. To protect my eyesight, I opened the door first and entered inside.

 

Various items filling the store. And black stains blooming on those items.

 

Unlike the clean exterior, a considerably messy interior came into view.

 

“How long has this not been cleaned… Huh?”

 

But soon I realized that those weren’t stains.

 

The Demon Lord’s uncontainable laughter could be heard.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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