I Picked up the Demon King - Chapter 101

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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 101

 

This place has changed a lot too.

 

The New Holy Kingdom Capital.

 

It didn’t seem like it had been that long since I last stopped by, but it had changed so much that I couldn’t recall its previous desolate appearance.

 

At this rate, it seemed like it would function properly as a capital before the year was over.

 

Such massive construction requires enormous manpower and supplies, and naturally it’s bound to be crowded with people chasing after them.

 

What that means is, the prices were damn expensive.

 

The money I had taken when leaving the Magic Tower was already almost completely depleted.

 

‘It wasn’t a small amount, I think.’

 

Of course, compared to what Dahan had given me as severance pay, it was far short, but the prize money from winning the Exchange Meeting was considerable. It was an amount that ordinary people couldn’t even dream of touching in their lifetime.

 

Some was lost during the battle with the dragon too… Anyway, the situation wasn’t exactly comfortable.

 

There were many things I needed, but no money to buy them. Wasn’t there some way to get money?

 

“There is a way.”

 

Remal said with a confident attitude.

 

Indeed, an elf. You can’t ignore the wisdom accumulated over hundreds of years.

 

“What is it?”

“We kill someone who has money. Then we take it.”

 

A passerby walking by flinched and trembled. Worried that there might be a misunderstanding, I answered firmly.

 

“No.”

“Then let’s kill the merchants selling the things we need. And if we take them…”

“That won’t work either.”

 

I’d heard this so many times over the past few months that I didn’t even feel like saying anything anymore. Are all elves like this?

 

Since I hadn’t had much opportunity to have such conversations with the Tree Searchers, it remained an unresolved question.

 

I wandered around the market chatting about this and that with Remal. Since I didn’t know how much longer I’d have to stay, I wanted to stock up on many supplies, but my empty pouch was disappointing.

 

“No, wait.”

 

After receiving a large sum from Dahan, I hadn’t really been short on money.

 

But what about before? When Master left and I survived alone for several years. When I traveled from Andril to the Gate of Demon Realm, did I have money?

 

I didn’t.

 

That meant if I tried somehow, I could manage.

 

Coincidentally, there was someone who had set an example for me in this area.

 

‘Albeng.’

 

I didn’t have the same Holy Power as him, but I had two people with labor power that surpassed knights. Earning a few coins should be nothing at all.

 

“Follow me, Remal. I’ll show you something good.”

 

Let me inject the joy of earning money through honest work into this damn elf’s life. Then wouldn’t there be a change in her disposition to kill first and ask questions later?

 

With that resolution, I moved to find people who needed help.

 

* * *

 

To cut to the conclusion, my plan to obtain the necessary supplies using Albeng’s method failed.

 

There were several reasons, but the biggest one was Remal herself.

 

Remal had a history of being mistaken for a demon at the Papal Palace, so she couldn’t carelessly show her face. There might be ways to prove she wasn’t a demon, but it was too late to do that now, you could say.

 

It was also true that she had caused considerable damage to the fanatic group, and she had even clashed head-on with the Holy Knights. The danger of being recognized had increased rather than decreased compared to before.

 

So we wandered around with her robe pulled deep over her head, looking for people who needed help.

 

That’s right.

 

I hadn’t thought about it, but thinking about it now, we must have looked damn ominous.

 

Where money and people gather, criminals naturally flock. Most people probably judged us as one of the criminals. From halfway through, we were even chased by soldiers who had been dispatched after receiving reports.

 

“I’m sorry.”

“…No.”

 

If that had been the only reason, I could have just wandered around alone. Naturally, there was another problem.

 

There was no suitable work to be found.

 

This was a place designated as the Holy Nation’s new capital. Naturally, the Holy Nation’s soldiers continuously patrolled and managed public order. Even among the ordinary citizens doing business, there were those mixed in who knew how to handle Holy Power.

 

That meant they solved most problems on their own.

 

Unlike priests in other countries who didn’t care about unprofitable work, here it was their own business. Even criminals who had snuck in chasing money were instantly detected and dragged off to prison.

 

It was a nice place to live. If only we weren’t foreigners like us.

 

At this point, maybe it would be better to secretly kill one or two people and take supplies as Remal suggested. I was confident I could do it well since I’d been robbed many times.

 

“No way.”

 

Living with that strange elf seemed to have done something to my head. My pride as a Dark Mage wouldn’t allow such petty acts like robbery.

 

“Let’s go back. We’ll make do with hunting, and if that doesn’t work, we can just pick and eat grass.”

“….”

 

It was a method I often chose when I was left alone in Master’s Dungeon. I never succeeded in hunting back then though… With the World Tree around, there shouldn’t be a shortage of grass to pick and eat. It might even be quite nutritious.

 

So we left the village under construction and tried to return.

 

People kept streaming in endlessly. Wagons loaded with construction materials and various goods continued to arrive.

 

The sight of people moving busily seemed so far removed from me that I stood there for a moment, watching them.

 

“Well, well. Isn’t that Sir Jude?”

“…?”

 

I heard a rather smooth voice and looked up. In front of a line of wagons that weren’t fancy but looked sturdy, a man who had been talking to a coachman while holding a bundle of papers was waving his hand.

 

“Somehow, I wanted to come here personally. It would have been terrible if you hadn’t come.”

 

The smooth smile typical of merchants. It was Dahan, Johnny’s patron.

 

After confirming that Remal pulled her robe again to cover her face, I walked toward him.

 

“How did you know?”

“A merchant’s keen eye is their lifeline. Since we’ve met like this by fate, wouldn’t you like to stop by our Trading Company for a moment?”

 

I nodded without thinking. Dahan smiled happily and handed the papers he was holding to a merchant beside him.

 

“Handle the rest and send it up for approval. Check the quantities carefully. I’m counting on you.”

“Yes.”

 

Watching that scene, I immediately regretted it. Dahan was Johnny’s patron. Surely he must have met and talked with Johnny separately after the Papal Palace collapsed.

 

Then, he must have heard that it was caused by me.

 

‘Is this a trap?’

 

The Golden Star Trading Company had now become so large that there wasn’t anyone on the continent who hadn’t heard of it. They would naturally have connections with high-ranking clergy.

 

It would be quite troublesome if we arrived at the Trading Company Branch to find Paladins and Priests lying in wait.

 

Thinking of how he was when we worked together at the Trading Company, he didn’t seem like the type to set up traps. But becoming the owner of such a large Trading Company wasn’t something that could be done with ordinary cunning.

 

Did my concerns show on my face?

 

“You don’t need to worry too much.”

 

Dahan laughed heartily and said.

 

“I’ve heard the story about Sir Jude. But I don’t think it was because of you, Sir Jude.”

“What?”

“Well, because I believe in you, Sir Jude.”

 

Was he saying he trusted me more than the story he heard from Johnny? That made it even harder to trust. No matter how unreliable Johnny might be, he was still the Hero after all.

 

“You look like you don’t understand.”

 

Then someone approached Dahan with a wagon. Dahan smiled and waved his hand.

 

“Ah, that’s fine. I’d like to walk and talk with someone I haven’t seen in a long time. Is that alright with you?”

“Yes, sure.”

 

Walking would be easier to respond to than riding in a wagon that might have unknown devices.

 

Remal was with me, and I had also become more accustomed to physical activities than before. Even if something happened, escaping should be possible.

 

“The time when Sir Jude joined the Trading Company, when we had only a few Staff members, is still vivid in my memory. It’s just been over a year now.”

 

I couldn’t tell what expression Dahan, who was walking ahead, had. Why was he bringing up such stories now?

 

“It was a chaotic time. If Sir Jude hadn’t been there, the Trading Company wouldn’t have grown like it has now. I still sometimes think about that terrifying document processing speed.”

“Ah, haha.”

 

I suddenly remembered the pile of documents I had processed back then. They weren’t particularly difficult, but the documents that multiplied no matter how much I processed were exhausting just to look at.

 

“Forget grudges, but never forget kindness.”

“What?”

“The late previous Trading Company Owner… my father always used to say that.”

 

Processing documents might have been helpful, but I didn’t think it was to the extent of hearing such words.

 

I looked at Dahan awkwardly, but I couldn’t tell what he was thinking from just seeing his back.

 

“When you do Trading Company work, you encounter many conflicts. If you hold onto each one as a grudge, you’ll end up with no one to trade with later.”

 

He cleared his throat with a “hmm, hmm” and then a low voice flowed out as if he were acting.

 

“But likewise, there will be many times when you receive help. A merchant who forgets kindness cannot be trusted.”

“Why are you suddenly telling me this…”

 

Dahan suddenly stopped walking. Then he turned about halfway around to look at me. The smile that appeared on his face had lost its smooth feeling.

 

It was an ordinary and sincere smile, just like when we met in the Balaih Kingdom.

 

“Didn’t Lord Jude save my younger sister?”

“Uh….”

 

I stood there momentarily speechless, but Dahan didn’t wait and threw open the door while shouting loudly.

 

“Miril!”

 

No answer came back, but Dahan gestured to us and strode inside with large steps.

 

Before following him in, I examined the building from a step behind. It was a clean building that looked newly constructed, but it had a very familiar appearance. It was remarkably similar to the Golden Star Trading Company building in the Balaih Kingdom that had collapsed during our fight with the Holy Knight Order.

 

“I brought someone you’d be happy to see.”

 

Then he gave me and Remal a slight wink and brought his index finger to his lips.

 

“I’m busy, so later. You know this branch office is busy since it’s in its early establishment phase.”

 

A calm voice flowed out from inside.

 

Though much of the youthful look had disappeared over the year, it was a voice that I couldn’t help but feel familiar with, just like this building.

 

“If you knew who it was, you couldn’t say that?”

“It’s probably just some noble brat again anyway.”

 

A deep sigh could be heard. The sound of a chair being dragged, and papers being roughly set down. Then irritated footsteps followed.

 

Leaning against the wall with a face full of fatigue, she looked quite annoyed. Perhaps this kind of situation was familiar to her.

 

“I suppose you’d like me to get married? The trading company running without me… Lord Jude?”

“Oh, Miril. It’s been a while…?”

 

Miril disappeared straight into the inner part of the office. Movement faster than most knights. It was so quick that for a moment I wondered if I had seen it wrong.

 

“Puhup…!”

 

As I failed to understand what this situation was, Dahan couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.

 

“Ah, thank you. That was entertaining thanks to you.”

 

Dahan, who had been laughing while holding his stomach, wiped away tears with one hand as he spoke.

 

“Welcome.”

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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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