I Picked up the Demon King - Chapter 23

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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 23

 

The Balaih Kingdom at the southernmost tip of the continent was classified as a weak nation even within the Alliance.

 

Even before the Alliance was established, it didn’t possess particularly strong national power, but its strength began to seriously weaken a few years ago. It was after the Gate of Demon Realm was discovered in a small territory located in the southern part of the kingdom.

 

Even though demons hadn’t opened that gate and emerged, the damage the kingdom suffered was enormous.

 

Monsters became stronger under the influence of demonic energy, and Dark Mages rampaged daily. Farmlands were devastated and famine struck.

 

They received support from various parts of the continent, but it wasn’t enough. Talented individuals fell before they could even bloom.

 

What clearly showed that influence was right now.

 

“Well, have you given it some thought?”

“….”

 

An old man speaking with a benevolent expression and smile.

 

Already the second time this week. Though he was a troublesome opponent, the King of Balaih couldn’t refuse his audience.

 

“Do you need more consideration? I understand you’ve been replenishing supplies since a few days ago. I thought you had made your decision.”

 

What the Archbishop requested was a thorough blockade of the Royal Capital. And cooperation in searching all the people within the Royal Capital.

 

Considering the size and population of the Royal Capital, it was obvious that the process would take considerable time. The sudden replenishment of supplies was reasonably thought to be for that purpose.

 

“Or surely, you’re not thinking of something else, are you?”

 

The Archbishop said this while slightly raising his head with the same smiling face. It was an impious act of daring to look directly at the King’s face, but there was no one who could stop it.

 

“Something else? How could that be, Archbishop Sireu.”

“Hehe, if not, that’s fortunate. I was worried that Your Majesty might be trying to oppose us.”

 

Words delivered like a joke. But they were absolutely not words that could be taken lightly.

 

“…Before being a monarch, I too am a believer of the Goddess. How could I oppose the Religious Order? Your joke goes too far.”

 

When the King briefly clenched his fist so others couldn’t see and spoke with a sigh, the Archbishop smiled with satisfaction.

 

“But I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Your request is to root out Dark Mages hiding in the Royal Capital. But even so, it’s just one Dark Mage. Is there reason to go this far?”

 

While it was natural for a kingdom that suffered great damage from Dark Mages to oppose them, any surviving Dark Mages at this point after the war’s end would be of insignificant level.

 

The Archbishop’s request was excessive beyond what words could express.

 

“Well. I can only hope it’s not worth it.”

“…?”

 

Everyone who heard those words made expressions of disbelief.

 

But the Archbishop only gave a bitter smile before leaving his seat.

 

* * *

 

-How does it feel?

 

Just now, I absorbed the souls of the Knight Commander and the Mage that I had brought from Belive Territory.

 

Thanks to getting sufficient rest while handling trading company business for the past few days, the burden accumulated from excessive use of Soul Magic in Belive Territory had been resolved.

 

“I’m not sure….”

 

However, even though I absorbed the souls, the changes I could feel weren’t significant.

 

-Think about how you briefly fainted from the backlash before. The fact that you’re fine despite absorbing two souls means your soul has grown.

 

That was true, but that wasn’t what I was talking about.

 

Except for the brief glimpses of the lives the souls experienced as always, I didn’t seem to be able to emit aura immediately or use new magic.

 

Thinking about it, except for when I absorbed Mike’s soul, there were never any major changes.

 

Though there was the special aspect of growing the soul, perhaps Soul Magic was actually a rather useless magic.

 

-…What ridiculous nonsense.

“Then what use does it have?”

-Souls have various functions, but what I focused on was their role as vessels.

“Vessels?”

 

It was hard to understand. When thinking about which was more like a vessel between body and soul, wouldn’t the former be more appropriate?

 

-I’ll explain it simply. The limits of innate talent. Do you think all humans can learn magic or use aura if they try hard enough?

“That’s…. No.”

-Right. No matter how hard they try, there are those who cannot sense mana from birth. There are those who, despite shedding blood and sweat their entire lives, cannot handle aura, let alone accumulate it in their bodies. In fact, such people are the majority.

 

It was a story I already knew. When I first learned magic, Master had said the same thing.

 

-Tsk. The Soul Magic I taught you is a ritual that melts others’ vessels to expand your own.

 

Whatever was so unpleasant, the Demon Lord clicked his tongue as he spoke.

 

-Just because you’ve expanded the vessel doesn’t mean you gain its contents. You must fill that yourself.

“Then, I can handle aura too?”

-If you put in enough effort. Of course, it would be much more efficient to do other things in that time.

 

By other things, he probably meant magic. But that was for me to decide.

 

“If you’re going to say that, why don’t you come up with some useful magic first?”

-Hmm? Were you concerned about that?

 

A reaction as if he hadn’t even thought about it. I was the one who felt absurd instead.

 

-There’s a reason for everything.

“What?”

-It’s a trial.

 

The Demon Lord spoke as if teaching me.

 

-Trials come according to the level of their target. If it’s too easy, it’s not a trial. Of course, if you’re completely inadequate, you’d be swept away unable to endure it… The stronger the power you possess, the stronger trials you’ll face.

 

I was bewildered. Just thinking about those I faced in Belive Territory – numerous soldiers and one Knight Order. Plus an unidentified mage on top of that.

 

To think that was thanks to my power being weak.

 

-Did I mention it before? You asked me to teach you magic that could burn the world. If you learned such magic, think about how difficult the trials you’d face would be. Of course, trials don’t simply test power alone…

“So you’re saying I shouldn’t get stronger?”

 

Of course, I wasn’t convinced by that.

 

I didn’t want to feel that sense of helplessness I experienced when facing the mage again.

 

I also disliked the idea of trial intensity rising endlessly, but I still needed to build up power to a certain level.

 

-Well, do as you please. You’re the one who has to endure the trials after all.

 

The Demon Lord said that and fell silent. It seemed he had no intention of teaching me new magic.

 

Taking advantage of his silence, I fell into thought.

 

His words about not teaching new magic out of concern for trial intensity were probably true. He couldn’t lie to me after all.

 

‘But that’s not everything.’

 

Not lying and telling the complete truth are different things. Just concealing part of the facts can change many things.

 

Never trust demons. I recalled that maxim anew.

 

Perhaps the Demon Lord’s recent relaxed attitude toward me was mocking my apparent forgetfulness of that principle.

 

‘Use but don’t depend.’

 

The Demon Lord and I have a relationship of mutual exploitation. The moment I depend on him, the balance will inevitably break.

 

What methods were there to build strength without relying on his knowledge? What would Master have said if he were still alive?

 

Since my physical abilities had greatly improved after passing the first trial, training my body like knights do might not be bad either.

 

‘A Dark Mage who emanates aura…’

 

With that pleasant thought, I arrived at the trading company with light steps.

 

“Ah, Mr. Jude…”

“The Calculation Mage has descended…”

 

As always, the trading company members with their dying faces welcomed my arrival. The mountain of piled documents was a bonus.

 

Several days had passed since the contract with the Royal Palace was signed, but there was no sign of the workload decreasing.

 

Though everyone was still managing to hold on somehow, they were starting to suggest raising my salary if I’d work overtime.

 

For me, already worrying about how to build my strength, this was a situation I had to avoid somehow.

 

‘So, how long do I have to wait?’

 

I had originally started working at the trading company to retrieve the Eternal Ice.

 

Now that I’d found its location, how long would I have to spend time on paperwork?

 

-Impatient fellow. Ah, set that document aside. The notation is a bit strange. The staff must have made a mistake because they’re tired.

 

While bickering with the Demon Lord and mechanically processing documents.

 

“Good morning, everyone.”

 

Dahan, the deputy manager, entered the office and spoke.

 

“What’s with the formality all of a sudden? We were just together until a moment ago.”

 

From the staff’s reaction, it seemed he too had come early to work and had just stepped away briefly. The dark circles gradually expanding under his eyes supported that thought.

 

But despite his fatigue, Dahan’s face was bright.

 

“Everyone can go home after finishing what you’re currently working on.”

“What?”

“Is, is that really true?”

“…Going home, how long has it been…”

 

A shocking statement. Naturally, questions arose.

 

Though documents were still piled like mountains on desks, this was an amount I could handle by morning with the Demon Lord’s help.

 

Early dismissal in a situation where work was increasing due to the contract with the Royal Palace.

 

“Is something happening?”

“There is.”

 

At one staff member’s question, Dahan answered with a smile as if he had been waiting for it.

 

“The Royal Palace said they no longer need any more supplies.”

 

It was true that work had increased as the trading company’s scale grew rapidly, but most of the current workload was due to dealings with the Royal Palace.

 

If the dealings with the Royal Palace ended, it was clear that the current busy workload would decrease. However…

 

“Is that really a good thing?”

 

From the trading company’s perspective, wasn’t this losing an opportunity to make money? It didn’t seem like a reason for Dahan, the deputy manager, to be happy.

 

Perhaps his mind had snapped due to stress from excessive work.

 

“You know the Royal Palace pursued deals with multiple trading companies simultaneously this time, right? They selected several excellent companies from among them.”

“Don’t tell me…”

“That’s right. Our Golden Star Trading Company was included. Once this is announced, our company’s credibility will skyrocket, and we’ll have advantages in future deals too. It’s all thanks to everyone’s hard work.”

 

Cheers erupted in the office. Judging by the sounds from outside as well, it seemed the news had been delivered simultaneously to people handling other tasks.

 

“You can look forward to a generous performance bonus this month. Oh, and about the company dinner after work today…”

“No thanks, I want to rest.”

“Actually, me too. I was worried about what to do if you all wanted to have a dinner party.”

 

Among the people who started working to get off early, Dahan approached.

 

“Jude, you’ve worked hard too.”

“No, I didn’t even work overtime…”

“The others worked hard too, but without you, Jude, we wouldn’t have achieved this level of results. That’s a fact.”

 

Feeling embarrassed, I scratched my head, and Dahan patted my shoulder before returning to his seat.

 

The office instantly regained its vitality.

 

The staff finished their work faster than usual, and most tasks were completed shortly after.

 

-Good.

“Huh…?”

 

When people were smiling and preparing to leave work. It was the moment I questioned the Demon Lord’s sudden remark.

 

“Suddenly a Dark Mage? What are you talking about?”

 

Noisy sounds began to be heard from outside.

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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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