I Picked up the Demon King - Chapter 24

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

Chapter 24

 

A commotion could be heard from outside the office.

 

Several soldiers stood with a priest in tow, controlling the people trying to leave the building.

 

Looking out the window, it seemed this wasn’t happening only at this trading company, but simultaneously occurring at other places as well.

 

“Please pass through one person at a time in order.”

“What’s going on all of a sudden?”

“We have intelligence that a Dark Mage has infiltrated the capital. We ask for your cooperation despite the inconvenience.”

 

Most of the staff looked unconvinced, but they had no choice but to comply with the soldiers’ control.

 

Once the words “Dark Mage” were mentioned, there was no other option. On the continent, the term “Dark Mage” carried that kind of weight.

 

As people grumbled and formed a line, the priest placed his hand on someone’s head. After white light emanated from his hand, he nodded, and the soldier let the person pass.

 

It was a cumbersome procedure if anything. But people’s complaints weren’t as significant as expected.

 

“Here, please take this.”

“…What is it?”

“These are supplies provided by the Royal Palace as there may be problems with food supply for a while.”

 

Even a small amount of divine power was enough to make the body feel refreshed. With accumulated fatigue relieved and supplies given as well, people seemed puzzled but pleased.

 

Soon it was almost my turn.

 

Since my mana had increased significantly, it would be impossible to pass by emptying my mana core like I did in Belive Territory.

 

‘Deception.’

 

I crossed my arms and activated deception magic while being careful not to let the magic circle show. This time, what I was hiding wasn’t my appearance but traces of mana.

 

Fortunately, no one seemed to notice as the priest extended his hand.

 

After the unpleasant sensation of divine power sweeping through my body, I calmed the mana that was thrashing as if having a seizure and opened my eyes. The soldier handed me a pouch.

 

“You may pass.”

“…Yes. Thank you.”

 

I slightly opened the pouch to check its contents and saw supplies that looked familiar somehow.

 

‘Did you know?’

-Well, I had a hunch.

 

The supplies the Royal Palace had requested the trading company to purchase over the past few days.

 

The Demon Lord had already anticipated this kind of situation while working on documents.

 

I felt a surge of anger that he knew but didn’t tell me, but for now, returning to the lodging without drawing attention was the priority.

 

‘Let’s settle this when I get back. …Ah.’

 

While walking at a controlled pace to not look rushed, I suddenly had a thought and looked back toward the direction of the Black Moon Trading Company.

 

No matter how much Simone was a race that parasitized human minds, his essence was still demon. Since he had no particular combat abilities, if caught by a priest, it would be hard for him to remain safe.

 

“….”

 

Just then, I saw a soldier shaking his head as he came out of the building.

 

-Move quickly.

 

Just before making eye contact with the soldier, I turned around following the Demon Lord’s urging.

 

Had Simone safely escaped? Or had he already been captured by the soldiers? If his identity was exposed, wouldn’t the connection to the Golden Star Trading Company also be revealed?

 

My mind was complicated, but I soon had no choice but to completely turn my attention away from Simone.

 

When I arrived at the inn, I saw dozens of soldiers. Among those moving busily, I could also see Holy Knights wearing pure white armor.

 

“What’s going on over there?”

“I heard traces of dark magic manifestation were discovered.”

“You there! Don’t gather around, disperse!”

 

Traces of dark magic manifestation. What came to mind was the soul magic I had used this morning.

 

Who would have thought that magic I used without much thought would lead to this situation.

 

To understand the detailed situation, I modified deception magic to hide my appearance and eavesdropped on the soldiers’ conversation.

 

“Have you confirmed the identity of the person who was staying here?”

“Yes. We’re cross-referencing the detailed information with citizens’ reports, but apparently a young man has been staying here since a few days ago.”

-It’s getting dangerous now.

 

My mana was nearly depleted from maintaining deception since the trading company.

 

I was curious about how the situation was unfolding, but it would be dangerous to eavesdrop any longer.

 

Before the magic wore off, I quickly left the area.

 

* * *

 

“To exit the city, you must undergo inspection. Please follow the procedures!”

“If you leave, it may be difficult to enter again for a while, so please decide carefully!”

 

In front of the city gate, soldiers were shouting and controlling the crowd.

 

One knight watching this scene. The Holy Knight Commander’s face was completely twisted with displeasure.

 

“We can’t catch him with this method. Didn’t I tell you? He’s someone who even evaded the Holy Knight Order’s pursuit. With just soldiers and ordinary priests…”

“Perhaps it’s time you started to realize something.”

 

The old man sighed as he chided.

 

“Such statements only amount to saying the Holy Knight Order is incompetent. I fear who might hear this.”

“Incompetent! I’m just stating the facts…!”

“Even if it’s fact, there are things that shouldn’t be spoken aloud. Surely you know that each of us represents the Goddess’s authority?”

 

At the tone that sounded like teaching a child, the Knight Commander looked more dumbfounded than angry.

 

“I suppose the Knight Commander has been so focused on physical training that there hasn’t been enough time for studying faith.”

“What are you…?”

“Since things have come to this, how about spending some time reading scripture with me while you’re staying in the kingdom?”

 

The Knight Commander, finally coming to his senses, sighed and asked back.

 

“Are you trying to joke with me?”

“Of course not. I’m merely trying to fulfill my duty as a priest.”

“Ridiculous. I’m leaving. The Holy Knight Order doesn’t have time to play along with such nonsense.”

 

Just as he was about to leave with a hardened expression, one paladin rushed over and shouted.

 

“We found traces!”

“What?”

 

The Archbishop wiped away his smile, and the Knight Commander asked interrogatively.

 

“Where? Did you find him?”

“No. However, we seem to have found the lodging where he was staying. We discovered traces of dark magic having occurred in an inn room. We’ve identified him through testimonies from the inn owner and citizens, and are currently tracking his whereabouts.”

 

The paladin answered in a voice that showed no signs of disorder despite having run a long distance.

 

“His name is Jude. He appears to have just reached adulthood based on his appearance, but his exact age is unknown. Multiple people have witnessed him regularly entering and leaving the Golden Star Trading Company, so we’re currently searching the trading company. However, most of the staff had already left for the day…”

“Golden Star Trading Company?”

“Ah, I’ve heard of it.”

 

When he expressed confusion at the unfamiliar name, the Archbishop who had been listening interjected.

 

“It was originally a small trading company, but the owner’s son who returned from studying abroad secured tremendous investment. I remember them because they made a large donation recently.”

“Hmm… That’s truly suspicious.”

 

The muttering Knight Commander’s eyes gleamed coldly. It seemed he had already convinced himself in his mind that the Golden Star Trading Company was a minion of the Demon Lord.

 

“The trading company’s rapid growth… And now they’re even evacuating their staff as soon as we start searching. Now that I think about it, it is suspicious.”

 

As the Archbishop added encouragingly, the Knight Commander shouted.

 

“Let’s go right now. I need to see this with my own eyes.”

 

* * *

 

As soon as I entered the alley where no light reached, I dispelled the magic.

 

Having run frantically, the pouch I had received from the soldier was nowhere to be seen.

 

My mana was running dangerously low, and rather than the crisis of nearly getting caught, my anger toward the Demon Lord came first.

 

“What exactly are you thinking?”

-What do you mean?

“Don’t play dumb. You said you predicted everything that’s happening now. What were you trying to gain through this?”

 

However, the Demon Lord only laughed nonchalantly.

 

-Why are you getting so angry? Calm down. You didn’t suffer any losses, did you?

“How can you say that now…!”

 

As I got angry, my head also cooled down. The Demon Lord’s words weren’t completely wrong.

 

The only loss I suffered from this incident was at most not being able to use the inn room I had been staying in.

 

“…”

 

Based on the information about me, the soldiers would surely reach the Golden Star Trading Company soon. But I had only infiltrated briefly to obtain the Eternal Ice, so I didn’t care what happened to the trading company.

 

“…”

 

That said, I couldn’t help but be angry.

 

More than anything else, I couldn’t stand being used in the Demon Lord’s plans without knowing why.

 

-Well, yes. I’ll apologize for this incident.

“What?”

 

Unexpectedly, the Demon Lord admitted his wrongdoing so readily that it was confusing.

 

-I’m apologizing for making plans without telling you. Though I had sufficient reasons, I lacked consideration.

“What do you mean…”

-Like the first time, it was an attempt to intentionally adjust the trial.

 

At this unexpected statement, my thoughts couldn’t keep up.

 

-There are six materials for the lost Holy Sword in total. Coincidentally, it’s the same number as the trials needed until you can handle the Holy Sword. Replacing the trials with the process of retrieving those materials, then using the completed Holy Sword immediately after to be reborn as a complete Hero. Isn’t that quite a good plan?

 

If that was really possible, it was certainly a good plan as he said.

 

Passing the trials and collecting the Holy Sword’s materials were both things that definitely had to be done. Combining them was like cutting the work in half.

 

But the Demon Lord added with a tone of regret.

 

-Seeing that the ritual didn’t respond, it seems to have failed spectacularly. As expected, nothing is easy when only a soul remains.

 

Whether it was from consuming too much mana after so long, or from the stress brought on by the Demon Lord’s words, a headache struck and I held my head.

 

“What do you want to do going forward?”

-First, let’s go retrieve the Eternal Ice. Ah, you’d better not think about going to the trading company. The religious order bastards are probably swarming all over it by now.

“Then?”

 

The Demon Lord answered as if stating something obvious.

 

-We’ll have to find another passage. Since there was such a massive furnace, there must obviously be ventilation shafts… There would have been another entrance for the trading company owner to use, wouldn’t there?

 

The Demon Lord said this and then guided the way. Even though it was underground, it seemed that guessing directions wasn’t difficult for a demon.

 

How long had we walked?

 

While we were avoiding the soldiers’ gazes with such strange ease that it made me think it was peculiar, I stopped walking due to the unpleasant feeling that kept rising and spoke.

 

“It’s not everything, is it?”

-What are you suddenly talking about?

“What you said earlier. You didn’t tell me all the reasons, did you?”

 

It wasn’t just something I was saying based on intuition. Even if the Demon Lord’s words were true, that alone couldn’t explain what he had said to Simone earlier.

 

And the fact that he hadn’t checked the location of other passages beforehand also bothered me. No matter how much of a Demon Lord he was, there would surely be a big difference between finding a path by guesswork and retracing a path he had taken before.

 

There must be other plans besides what he told me. A demon’s plan couldn’t be this flimsy.

 

-Well, hehe.

 

The Demon Lord neither confirmed nor denied it. But thanks to that, I felt like my head was clearing up.

 

“I’ve decided.”

 

That I won’t be manipulated by the Demon Lord anymore. No, beyond that…

 

‘I’ll get rid of the Demon Lord.’

 

I quietly swallowed the words that had risen up to my chin.

 

The Demon Lord just laughed quietly.

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