I Picked up the Demon King - Chapter 39

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

Chapter 39

 

The Demon Lord’s voice, which felt like I hadn’t heard in ages.

 

The time I’d carried the Demon Lord around and the time he’d been asleep were almost equal, so it really had been quite a while.

 

“Are you awake?”

 

With nothing much I could do right now, the Demon Lord awakening was welcome news.

 

Even if he had lost his power and fallen from grace, that guy was still the Demon Lord.

 

He was one who stood at the pinnacle of magic and had been the ruler of a world. He surely had enough capability to reverse the current situation in an instant.

 

-Kkie?

 

However, the Demon Lord’s answer didn’t come.

 

As if hearing that voice had been a delusion, all that reached my ears were the Ice Spirit’s cries and explosive sounds.

 

‘Is his recovery still incomplete…?’

 

Just as I was thinking that and experimentally shocking the Demon Lord’s soul.

 

-…Grk, stop that. I told you to become a Hero, and now after passing just one trial you’re thinking of annihilating me?

“What? If you were awake, why didn’t you answer?”

-Well, I was busy grasping the situation. But this is unexpected. To think you came this far alone.

 

The Demon Lord muttered as if he knew everything without even hearing my explanation, but hearing those words, I couldn’t help but make a strange expression.

 

Moving forward to save Master was naturally something I had to do. But it wasn’t something that deserved praise from the Demon Lord.

 

-To think you’re seeking the second treasure. Let me see… From the aura I sense, is that the World Tree Branch? That Dark Mage has it. And also… No, there’s no need to mention this.

 

My head went blank for a moment. The World Tree Branch?

 

One of the reasons I’d decided to come to Andril Territory was because of information that one of the Demon Lord’s treasures had flowed into this area, so it wasn’t entirely wrong. But why was Master the one who had it?

 

Could there be some connection to Master being alive when I thought he’d died participating in the war? Then that Elf who attacked the dungeon last time was…

 

-Quite a long time must have passed. To think they’re trying to mobilize the Magic Tower people for subjugation. It seems I haven’t taught you in vain all this time.

“Wait. That person is my Master. He’s not a target for subjugation, but someone I need to help.”

-What?

 

Even while I was informing the Demon Lord of the truth, the situation was flowing urgently.

 

Master wasn’t being pushed back at all despite being surrounded by multiple mages, and was actually gradually overwhelming them. But they weren’t the only ones he had to face.

 

A group of people charging toward Master. Despite wearing thick iron armor, they moved at speeds difficult to follow with the eyes. Andril Territory’s Knight Order had begun to move.

 

Leading them was a face I’d briefly seen from afar during the expedition ceremony – Count Andril. He was moving with a vivid aura wrapped around his sword, more distinct than any others I’d seen before.

 

-A Sword Master?

“Sword Master?”

-You could call it the pinnacle of knighthood. He’s too exceptional a talent to be in such a small country.

 

The voice mixed with admiration that seemed to acknowledge humans, contrary to the Demon Lord’s usual words and actions, naturally made tension rise within me.

 

“Compared to the Holy Knight Commander I saw before…”

-That human would overwhelm him. The Holy Nation has many knight orders, but Sword Masters are hard to find even searching the entire continent.

 

Having heard that much, I couldn’t contain myself.

 

No matter how great a mage Master was, it didn’t seem like he could remain safe while facing multiple mages and a knight order that included a Sword Master.

 

I ran at full speed toward where the mages were.

 

They seemed to have considerable combat experience, not slowing their vigilance of the surroundings even while facing Master. But that alone couldn’t stop me.

 

Deception Magic didn’t just hide appearance, but concealed presence and mana as well.

 

If it were a mage superior to me, breaking through the deception wouldn’t be impossible. This was a fact I knew from the experience of being thoroughly beaten by the mage I’d met in Belive Territory.

 

But being discovered then was because I’d used magic right in front of him. In a state where they didn’t even know if I existed, no one would be able to detect me.

 

-Hmm…

 

I momentarily felt the Demon Lord’s displeasure about something, but my movement didn’t stop.

 

“Damn it, what’s with that guy? His mana isn’t decreasing at all.”

“Ugh, crazy! He blocked that again? His casting speed is ridiculous.”

“Does he have six more heads instead of arms?”

 

I stood in front of someone wearing a red robe who seemed to be the leader of the mage group.

 

I involuntarily swallowed.

 

He was on a completely different level from that stupid mage in Belive Territory. Just from the aura I could sense, I could tell how tremendous this mage’s abilities were.

 

No matter how powerful a mage might be, they couldn’t survive having their throat pierced. I drew my scythe from within my clothes and swung it down toward the mage’s neck. And then.

 

-It was a robe with Shield Magic inscribed on it.

 

The robe the mage was wearing glowed, and a translucent barrier appeared to block my decisive strike, but…

 

“Guh, guhk…!”

 

The aura recreated with mana shattered the shield as it was and pierced through the opponent’s throat.

 

At the same time, rippling waves of mana.

 

The Deception Magic was forcibly dispelled, revealing my form. Though the mages hadn’t intended it, the cancellation of their incantations produced an effect similar to Dispel.

 

“An assassin? A mage!”

“What, what is that…!”

“Those arms on his back, is that Sevian?”

“No, Sevian is over there. Judging by his face, that must be his disciple.”

 

The mages who quickly assessed the situation focused their attention on me.

 

Attacks came rushing before I could even feel tension. The magic that had been targeting Master changed direction toward me.

 

It was intense Fire Magic that I wouldn’t have been able to withstand for even a moment normally, but something moved faster than that.

 

-Kieee!

 

It was the Ice Spirit, boasting tremendous defensive capabilities. A wall of ice rose with a shriek, blocking the magic.

 

However, even the Ice Spirit wasn’t invincible. The colony that had barely recovered over the past few weeks scattered. Though not as fast as when facing the Holy Knights, it was still quite rapid. I couldn’t hold out for long.

 

A desperate crisis.

 

If there was any fortune, it was that they seemed quite exhausted as their magic’s power gradually weakened, and the magic targeting Master had completely stopped.

 

From the distance came the screams of knights. The mages also seemed quite concerned about that direction, continuously flinching.

 

I had to buy time somehow.

 

With this much commotion, Master must have noticed too. I opened my mouth to wait until those guys became exhausted or Master finished dealing with the situation and came to help.

 

“Do you have time to worry about me? The knights over there don’t look to be in very good shape.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

 

However, my attempt was immediately blocked by a confident and self-assured voice.

 

“Count Andril may be old, but he’s a Sword Master, of which there are only two in the entire Empire. He’s not weak enough to be defeated instantly just because he lacks our support.”

 

Seeing that no one around contradicted the Glasses-wearing Man’s words, he appeared to be the leader of this group of mages.

 

“Your name?”

“Jude.”

“Ha, I see. Were we thinking about this wrong?”

“…Jude, you said?”

 

For a moment, a questioning voice came from a little distance away, but I couldn’t pay attention to it.

 

‘Weren’t they exhausted?’

 

Because an undeniable aura emanated from the mage before me. He simultaneously wore a meaningful smile as he asked.

 

“You’re the Hero of Belive Territory… right?”

“…”

“We were completely wasting our efforts. Well, it doesn’t matter. We found you now.”

 

The mage nodded as if satisfied and sought agreement from those around him. His attitude of not caring about his companion’s death felt unpleasant, making me frown.

 

Then he finally smiled and sought my agreement as well.

 

“Wouldn’t capturing that disciple be much better than facing a High-rank Dark Mage? From what I can see, he seems to have inherited that progress too.”

 

His gaze wasn’t directed at my face but slightly behind, toward the bone arms extending from my back.

 

Only then could I realize the reason why multiple powerful mages, difficult to find easily, had volunteered for this subjugation.

 

Perhaps they were connected to the mage I had faced in Belive Territory. It seemed they had mistaken me for Master and tried to take revenge.

 

But an even bigger reason was to steal Master’s magic, ‘Six Arms.’

 

“And what’s that Stealth Magic? Is that also Sevian’s secret technique?”

 

Grind.

 

My teeth ground together involuntarily.

 

I had already heard and experienced enough about the nature of mages. If they captured me, they would surely torture me repeatedly to somehow steal my magic.

 

But more than that, I was frustrated that my actions to save Master had actually benefited them instead.

 

‘I’ll escape somehow.’

 

I immediately abandoned my previous plan of waiting for Master’s help and thought of ways to get through this situation on my own.

 

‘Deception won’t work. The difference in our levels is too severe. If they cast Dispel, my mana core won’t be able to withstand it. The Ice Spirit seems to be struggling just to hold on. Then.’

 

Though learning magic from the Demon Lord had incomparably increased my maximum mana capacity, my magical capabilities themselves hadn’t improved much.

 

The number of spells I knew was absolutely limited, and my theoretical knowledge was infinitely inferior.

 

But there was one area where I had grown to a degree that made comparing to before seem rude.

 

‘I’ll go with close combat.’

 

I started with the Lowest-grade Wind Magic.

 

Though it was a spell with so little practical power that it was hard to call it magic anywhere, the story changed when I poured in mana that had increased several times compared to before.

 

The wind rushing from all directions didn’t possess the power to harm people like before. Still, it was enough to make dirt and sand from the ground swirl up and limit visibility.

 

“Block it! He’s making a move!”

 

The mages tried to use Dispel without panicking, but they didn’t seem to expect that I would eliminate the ice wall and charge at them in that gap.

 

The performance of my body, strengthened through trials, was in no way inferior to that of any decent knight, and I could use aura as well, albeit limitedly.

 

The mage’s choice when facing a knight charging at close range was simply to close his eyes.

 

I took down one mage like that, and now seven remained. I had to hurry. I had eliminated two without major damage, but my chances of winning weren’t great if this turned into a prolonged battle.

 

I moved the bone arms attached to my back to pick up spears and swords that had fallen to the ground. I had the Ice Spirit block the magic that stabbed in without missing even a brief opening, and also took down a mage who was a few steps away.

 

I can do this. If I move quickly like this, I can take down all of them. That’s what I thought when.

 

-Duck.

 

An arrow grazed past my head.

 

If I hadn’t reflexively lowered my body at the Demon Lord’s words, I would have surely died.

 

“Dryad. Bind him.”

 

Right after I heard a voice as beautiful as a rolling glass marble, thick and tough tree branches sprouted from the ground. Though I had left the forest long ago, the trees shot up without any concern.

 

-Tch. Tree Searchers of the Elf Tribe, is it.

 

A group of elves began to intervene in the battle.

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