I Picked up the Demon King - Chapter 137

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

Chapter 137

 

Cain sat down in front of the Hero’s party with staggering steps.

 

“You can’t be out of your minds.”

 

Cold eyes swept over their appearance.

 

The dejected current Hero, Johnny. The pale-faced mage, the priest with his mouth firmly shut. And the assassin who couldn’t sit still and avoided eye contact.

 

They looked more like defeated soldiers than heroes.

 

“Tell me. What exactly were you thinking when you said such things.”

 

Johnny observed Cain.

 

Though he was far from his prime, this was a companion of the previous Hero who had personally slain the Demon Lord. Despite his seemingly defenseless posture, there wasn’t a single opening to be found.

 

The total amount of power Johnny possessed with the Holy Sword’s assistance would be greater. But he couldn’t bring himself to think he could win.

 

‘No, perhaps…’

 

He swallowed.

 

Maybe their power levels weren’t so different after all.

 

Even knowing it couldn’t be true, he couldn’t shake off such thoughts. The composure of an overwhelming powerhouse. Something Johnny didn’t yet possess.

 

“Is this Hero mute? I didn’t hear anything about that.”

 

“…Kaella Rowan is dangerous.”

 

At the blatant sarcasm, Johnny finally opened his mouth.

 

“I know.”

 

Cain answered with a yawn, as if bored.

 

Johnny gritted his teeth at that attitude. Having witnessed the disaster that tore through the sky, he couldn’t tolerate such behavior.

 

Though he didn’t know why it had disappeared midway, she was an existence that could have destroyed the continent. This wasn’t something a hero who had defeated the Demon Lord should dismiss.

 

“Someone who knows that…”

 

“Whether we liked it or not, we saved the world. We killed the Demon Lord. That’s exactly why.”

 

“What does that mean!”

 

Cain spoke while sinking into his chair, fiddling with a dagger he had drawn.

 

“Immense power and achievement tend to threaten authority built solely on bloodlines without any real ability.”

 

Nobles form knight orders to protect themselves with inherited wealth and power. They hire mages and recruit soldiers.

 

Long-established traditions create authority, preventing those beneath from daring to covet their power. They grant titles to those with exceptional talent, making them join their side.

 

But that’s only true to a certain extent.

 

“Nothing is without danger. Heroes and their companions are always such existences. Me, His Majesty the Emperor over there. The Pope of the Holy Nation is the same. Would you be any different?”

 

Uncontrollable immense power and achievement tend to shake existing power structures.

 

“The world is not just. The concepts of good and evil hold no meaning.”

 

The existing Emperor and nobles and power holders of various nations thought they could control the Hero.

 

That’s why endless competition and cooperation arose.

 

If they could control them, heroes and their companions would be an undeniable asymmetric force. They possessed the potential to turn a weak nation into an empire and maintain that structure for a thousand years.

 

The moment they realize they cannot control that power. Heroes and champions become nothing but threats.

 

“But clear evil does exist.”

 

Cain let out a sigh.

 

The young Hero before him seemed not to have realized this yet. At least the others beside him seemed to understand a little, so perhaps that was fortunate.

 

“Are you talking about demons?”

 

Still, none of them stepped forward. He had no choice but to match the Hero’s level.

 

“Demons are evil, and the Goddess is good. Do you believe that?”

 

Johnny, who was about to answer indignantly at the mocking gaze, closed his mouth.

 

He couldn’t readily answer.

 

“You there, Saint. Alben Mahir. A descendant of the First Saint, I hear. Do you think the same?”

 

“…”

 

Albeng lowered his head with a dark expression. Watching him, Cain smiled and muttered.

 

“Yes. You seem to know.”

 

Johnny couldn’t understand.

 

Having spent quite a long time together, he knew well enough that Albeng was quite an unusual person for a priest.

 

However, he also wasn’t someone who would let insults to the god he served slide.

 

“Certainly from our perspective, the Demon Lord was evil. That’s why we slayed him without hesitation. But if we’re being precise, the Goddess isn’t entirely good either. If she were, she wouldn’t have made a fake hero like you into a Hero.”

 

“…!”

 

Johnny’s eyes widened in shock.

 

After being officially recognized by the Goddess, for the past year or so. He never thought he would hear the words “fake Hero” again.

 

“How did you…!”

 

“Oh my. So it was true.”

 

The pressure and fear of pretending to be a false Hero had been tremendous. Even when he thought he had escaped it, he could never completely break free. He couldn’t help but overreact.

 

“It’s just a rumor going around. I threw it out there just in case, but it seems it was real.”

 

Cain said with a hollow laugh.

 

Who would have thought the street theater troupe’s performance was true. There was no telling how far this influence would spread.

 

The fact that the Hero’s sponsor was the minister, Dahan, was something everyone in the know was aware of. But upon investigation, it turned out the Golden Star Trading Company was also backing the theater troupe from behind.

 

What on earth was that inscrutable human planning to do? Cain shook his head and continued speaking.

 

“The Goddess is not good. Humans go without saying. If we were to discuss individual evil deeds, there would be no end… Even His Majesty the Emperor sitting over there, or myself for that matter.”

 

The Emperor, who had been sitting with his chin propped on the throne, let out an uncomfortable sigh. Cain smiled and waved his hand.

 

They were companions who had brought down the Imperial Palace together. It was far too late to be concerned about such trivial jokes.

 

“Do you know how many different races originally existed on the continent? But now? Only a small number of Elves barely maintain their lineage.”

 

The different races recorded in history. Orcs who were passionate about battle, beastmen with various characteristics, Dwarves known as the race of craftsmen. Plus various other minority races on top of that. So much time has passed that now there are hardly any who remember them.

 

At best, it seemed a few Mages were trying to revive traces of the past. What a ridiculous thing.

 

The act of trying to recreate what they had destroyed with their own hands. Wasn’t it foolish behavior, like trying to piece together a broken plate?

 

“So what I want to say is one thing.”

 

Humans are not good. Beyond the individual level, the same applies when considering the entire species. To the vanished races of the past, humans would have been no different from the Demon Lord and demons.

 

That’s not to say it was wrong.

 

The world is not a fairy tale. It doesn’t flow according to simple logic like good and evil. Then what constitutes this world, and what moves this world?

 

“What benefit does that give me?”

 

Cain asked.

 

If he couldn’t understand even after such a kind explanation, he would be an idiot.

 

Don’t appeal to petty sense of justice, make a proposal tempting enough to participate in killing a companion. Though it was materialistic for words spoken by a Hero who saved the world, what could be done when the world he saved operated this way?

 

“….”

 

Johnny, the Hero, couldn’t rashly open his mouth.

 

Perhaps he felt disillusioned with the world he was trying to save. He might be confused. Unfortunately, if so, that was a failure. It would be the same even if he randomly threw out conditions.

 

Cain had already established a twice-in-the-world Achievement and gotten the continent’s underworld in his hands. What more could he possibly need? It was practically equivalent to a refusal.

 

Just as Cain was about to get up from his seat with a click of his tongue.

 

“Kaella Rowan has a high probability of being connected to demons.”

 

Shtidy, with his pale complexion, opened his mouth with difficulty.

 

“Since you completed the Demon Realm subjugation, you know better than anyone. The remaining demons are the new Demon Lord according to the Divine Oracle.”

 

“Well.”

 

“Defeating Kaella Rowan is an essential condition for subjugating the Demon Lord. That’s how we judge it.”

 

His interest had disappeared.

 

After talking this much, what came back was more Demon Lord talk. It wasn’t even certain, and it was an existence they had to deal with anyway.

 

There was no reason to bother getting involved.

 

“You’re right. The concepts of good and evil are vague and abstract. However, you defeated the Demon Lord. That Achievement will remain in history and be remembered forever.”

 

Albeng, who had been silent with a dark expression, added.

 

After defeating the Demon Lord, perhaps even before that, it was a story he had heard to the point of being sick of it. It didn’t feel much different from the fact that there was only one sun in the sky. He was fully aware of it, and hearing it would only be boring.

 

“The same goes for Johnny. As long as he has received the choice of the Holy Sword and the Goddess, defeating the Demon Lord is an unchangeable destiny. So….”

 

What stopped Cain from getting up from his seat was the story that came right after.

 

“Your Achievement is not unique. The First, and us as well. You’re just awkwardly stuck between the three.”

 

“Ha.”

 

It was a petty provocation.

 

However, it wasn’t a completely unrealistic story. The First Hero had been passed down as a legend for a thousand years. But it had only been a few years since they defeated the Demon Lord, and in that time a new Demon Lord had even appeared.

 

Didn’t the Hero make a mistake? How could a Demon Lord appear this quickly? Though not easily spoken aloud, it would be a question all continentals had.

 

Though there were no immediate problems due to becoming Emperor, future history would remember. That the Second Hero and his companions fell short of the First.

 

“But if you help us, if you succeed in defeating the Demon Lord together.”

 

Albeng said, turning his eyes away from Cain.

 

His gaze was now directed not at Cain but at the Emperor, Ruin Epeldor. Though it was presumptuous behavior, no one present cared about that.

 

Because he could anticipate what would follow.

 

“A Hero who has defeated the Demon Lord twice. It would surely be a unique Achievement that neither the first generation nor we could possess.”

 

Cain felt laughter about to burst out.

 

But before that, loud laughter could be heard from afar. The Emperor sitting on the throne had abandoned his solemnity and was laughing. The entire Imperial Court seemed to vibrate from his booming laughter and the tremendous power mixed within it.

 

“…Honor, is it. You have quite the silver tongue, befitting a cleric. You’ve got yourself a rather useful companion.”

 

The Emperor, who had been laughing for a while, finally calmed down and spoke.

 

“I have no desire for honor.”

 

Albeng’s face twisted slightly. He took it as essentially a refusal. The Emperor smiled faintly upon seeing that expression.

 

“However.”

 

Johnny, who had been frantically trying to follow the flow of conversation, felt that his smile was quite violent.

 

It was strange. To get such a feeling from a smile as beautiful as if it had been sculpted. Cold sweat ran down from the tension, and his hand reflexively moved toward the Holy Sword.

 

“A fight with the Demon Lord. That’s not bad at all.”

 

And with the words that followed, Johnny realized the reason.

 

The more Trials a Hero completes, the more they lose their humanity. Because they must contain Divinity within their body. To transcend humanity, the first thing that must be abandoned is humanity itself.

 

“I’m curious, you see. Whether it’s actually possible to defeat the Demon Lord now that fate’s protection has disappeared.”

 

That Emperor, the former Hero—all that remained in him was an obsession with battle.

 

Johnny trembled at the ending that might befall him as well.

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