I Picked up the Demon King - Chapter 116

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

Chapter 116

 

“What’s the reason that fellow Dahan didn’t come personally?”

 

“He’s the owner of a trading company called the best on the continent. He’s also one of the top executives of the Dawn Order. I heard he’s currently developing new business in the western continent, so even ten bodies wouldn’t be enough for him.”

 

“Well, I’ll be.”

 

The man, unable to hide his bewilderment, continued reading the paper he was holding to the end.

 

“Uh, hmm. It’s only been a little over a year, but many things have changed while you were sleeping.”

 

It seemed like he was a guide sent to help me, who would already be confused.

 

“It started on the day the Great Demon was subjugated.”

 

Great Demon.

 

For some reason, a pure white face flashed through my memory. I shook my head to shake off the memory. Something with a name like Great Demon couldn’t possibly have such a face.

 

Soon, the massive darkness that covered half the continent and even blocked out the sun came to mind. It seemed like a fairly old memory, but had only a year really passed?

 

“The demons and monsters that appeared in various parts of the continent increased explosively, and the Dark Mages who had been hiding formed an alliance.”

 

Dark Mages forming an alliance.

 

It was a surprising story. Dark Mages were the type who wouldn’t properly follow even the Demon Lord’s orders and lived in hiding as they pleased. I became curious about who the leader of that alliance was.

 

“Who is the leader of the alliance?”

 

“Uh, we haven’t been able to identify that yet.”

 

The man answered while blinking his eyes. It seemed that the paper didn’t contain any information related to that.

 

But it was a situation where Dark Mages were openly gathering together. Seeing that the Empire, Holy Kingdom, or Hero weren’t immediately rushing in to subjugate them meant that their leader was no ordinary person.

 

After being momentarily flustered and not knowing what to do, he soon smiled awkwardly and returned his gaze to the paper.

 

“The Empire didn’t let go of the Hero they had obtained. Ruin Epeldor became a reliable sword protecting the Empire and Imperial Family, but he paid no attention to any other damage.”

 

That would be typical of the Empire.

 

Since they had obtained the Hero while enduring massive losses. They wouldn’t want to waste him on useless tasks.

 

‘…?’

 

I questioned the thought that suddenly came to mind.

 

The Empire accepting massive losses to get their hands on the Hero? What could that possibly be about? It felt as if someone else’s thoughts had flowed into my head.

 

However, since I only kept it in my mind, the man didn’t notice my doubt and continued reading the paper.

 

“The various nations that had been relieved by the peace achieved by the Second Hero were forced to suffer great damage. Thanks to this, support for Johnny and his companions, who are traveling the continent subjugating demons and monsters, is explosively increasing.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Support for Johnny, was it. Somehow it was a story that made me want to burst out laughing.

 

“If you recall how immature he was a year ago, it would be hard to believe, but they are accomplishing great deeds worthy of their position.”

 

It was quite surprising.

 

That Johnny was accomplishing great deeds worthy of the Hero’s position. Indeed, the Goddess seemed to have made at least minimal preparations even in that urgent situation when she was raging with anger.

 

‘Though I can’t recall what this Johnny person’s face looks like.’

 

Judging by the emotions I’m feeling now, he must be quite an unreliable person.

 

“They’re growing. The entire continent is rapidly depleting the power it possesses and growing even more than that.”

 

It was an environment where they had no choice but to grow.

 

The mana and life force spread widely across the continent was abundant enough to bring about evolution-like changes over several centuries even if one just stayed still.

 

The moment they entered fierce survival competition, humans had no choice but to greedily devour and absorb it to grow.

 

“Therefore, I dare to say this.”

 

For some reason, the man couldn’t easily read the last sentence. Only after Remal cleared her throat and gave him a hint did he open his mouth.

 

“Congratulations. The end of the plan is gradually approaching.”

 

“Plan, plan indeed.”

 

Various thoughts came to mind the moment I heard it, but they were stories I couldn’t easily understand.

 

What kind of plan could the owner of the Golden Star Trading Company, supposedly the continent’s largest trading company, and I have made together? How was humans gaining stronger power than before related to that plan?

 

I couldn’t tell.

 

Therefore, I looked at the man standing there with a forced smile while tense and said.

 

“That was delicious.”

 

“Ah, that’s a relief. I carefully selected those restaurants. I haven’t tried them myself yet, but well…”

 

“Now, bring me that thing.”

 

The man looked around visibly flustered.

 

But besides him, there was only Remal here. Soon he let out a sigh and approached me, holding out a piece of paper.

 

I reached out to snatch the paper, but the man wouldn’t let go. I wrapped mana around the paper to prevent it from tearing and pulled hard.

 

“Ah…”

 

The man leaned forward as if about to lunge. However, Remal had already grabbed the back of his neck.

 

“Move carelessly and you’ll have a special experience.”

 

“What kind…?”

 

Remal didn’t answer and smiled coldly. It was a beautiful smile, but it carried an eerie quality.

 

The man spoke with a dejected expression.

 

“Do, do whatever you want.”

 

His voice sounded resigned.

 

I glanced at his face briefly, then quickly scanned through the paper in my hand. Though the tone was slightly different, the stories were largely similar to what the man had read.

 

And the very last line. The paper stated that if I wasn’t satisfied, I could kill him. It was written in concise yet elegant handwriting.

 

“But, I’m really quite useful, you know…?”

 

I looked up at the man again. The man who had seemed resigned was now straightening his posture.

 

He appeared quite servile and not very trustworthy.

 

“…”

 

I leaned back against a tree and fell into thought for a moment.

 

Was there any need to keep this man alive? He claimed to be very useful, but he didn’t seem trustworthy. He was noisy and vulgar.

 

But still, yes. It was a pleasant day.

 

“This letter says I can kill you.”

 

“….”

 

“Should I kill them?”

 

“No. It doesn’t specify who it’s referring to. I’ll need to think about this a bit.”

 

Not everyone can always be perfect. These small variables sometimes bring great pleasure.

 

“…Thank you!”

 

The man prostrated himself and shouted from where he was. Watching him, I smiled with satisfaction, then suddenly frowned.

 

* * *

 

Unexpectedly, the man proved to be quite useful.

 

Until we reached the nearby territory, he skillfully guided us along paths that avoided patrolling soldiers and groups of monsters.

 

Occasionally there were things he missed. Those were dealt with by Remal shooting them with her bow. Seeing her take down what appeared to be fairly powerful monsters with a single arrow made it seem like the man wasn’t that helpful, but his true usefulness lay elsewhere.

 

“Hey, are you kidding me? You’re only going to give me that much?”

 

“If you don’t like it, leave. Even if you go elsewhere, they won’t offer you more than this.”

 

“Ah, fine. I’ll sell it to the store across the street for half the price you offered.”

 

“What? W-wait. What do you mean….”

 

The artifact he carried, his spatial bag, contained quite a lot of items that could be sold for money.

 

Of course, there would have been the option of killing the man and taking everything. But without him, I wouldn’t have been able to sell things for their proper value. Watching the man threaten the merchant with practiced ease, I stepped outside.

 

Remal was strong, but she wasn’t skilled at dealing with people like that. Whenever something happened, she would reach for her bow or dagger first.

 

“Hah….”

 

I clutched my throbbing head and leaned my back against the wall.

 

A day had passed since escaping from the former capital of the Holy Kingdom. Contrary to what the letter had said about being fine in a few days, my memory showed no signs of returning to normal.

 

The headaches grew worse with each passing day, and I couldn’t be certain whether the occasional thoughts and memories that surfaced were even my own.

 

Since only a day had passed, this might be natural. However, I felt certain that I wouldn’t be able to recover my memories by just staying still. I needed to move.

 

‘Without any clues?’

 

I had asked Remal, who had watched over me while I was unconscious, but she too couldn’t provide a clear answer.

 

“Lord Jude is…. the savior who rescued us elves.”

 

I could only spout the unbelievable story that I had revived the World Tree that had disappeared long ago. I couldn’t specifically say what I had done or how, or even what kind of person I used to be.

 

I thought about going to the Great Forest where she said we first met. But since the World Tree, which could be called the entirety of the Great Forest, was with us, it didn’t seem like going there would make much difference.

 

“…Dark Mage.”

 

“Hm?”

 

“Lord Jude was a Dark Mage.”

 

Remal suddenly said that.

 

Somehow, hearing her words, something clicked. The man arguing with the shop owner inside the store. It was the thought that came to mind when Eton was explaining about the Dark Mage Alliance.

 

As a Dark Mage, I seemed to know quite well about the habits of Dark Mages.

 

“Even after losing your mana, you always carried yourself with pride as a Dark Mage.”

 

“…”

 

Pride. Was it pride?

 

It seemed like it was a slightly different emotion from that.

 

But it was definitely worth keeping in mind. I didn’t want to miss even the smallest clue to escape this frustrating situation as soon as possible.

 

“Alright.”

 

Just then, the shop door opened and Eton walked out with confident steps.

 

“Hah! Did you see that? No, you probably couldn’t see. Didn’t I tell you? I’m quite useful.”

 

“Let’s go to the Dark Mage Alliance.”

 

“Look at this heavy gold coin pouch… What?”

 

The pouch in his hand dropped to the floor.

 

The pickpockets who had been watching from a distance tried to approach, but when Remal scanned the area, they quickly fled.

 

Unaware of this, Eton picked up the pouch and smiled awkwardly.

 

“Ah, what a mistake. They say even elves fall from trees sometimes, right? Haha. But what did you just say…?”

 

“Dark Mage Alliance.”

 

“The Dark Mage Alliance. It’s a terrible place. They say screams never cease there.”

 

“Let’s go.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

Eton let out a deep sigh and looked around as he walked. Arriving at a deserted alley, he asked as if he couldn’t understand at all.

 

“Why exactly do you want to go there?”

 

“Just. I’m a little curious about it.”

 

“Just, just you say. Ah, haha.”

 

I didn’t know who it was, but it was fascinating that someone had gathered the Dark Mages together as one group when they were like a ragtag bunch doing whatever they pleased. I was also curious about what the Dark Mages looked like.

 

“Was that place called the Black Tower?”

 

“Yes. Though they say it’s not actually a tower despite the name.”

 

What could be the reason for naming it that when it wasn’t even a tower? Perhaps it revealed an inferiority complex toward the other Magic Towers. If my guess was correct, it truly couldn’t be anything but a pathetic name.

 

But Black Tower, huh.

 

Not bad. The sound of it seemed quite decent.

 

With Remal and Eton around, I didn’t feel particularly uncomfortable. However, somehow it felt empty. It was a feeling that this alone wasn’t enough.

 

Could the Black Tower perhaps fill this emptiness?

 

I couldn’t be certain, but I was thinking of trying to get my hands on it for now.

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