I Picked up the Demon King - Chapter 46

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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 46

 

While I hesitated to answer, the person beyond the door came inside.

 

“As expected, you’ve awakened.”

 

An elder with grayish hair spoke with a wrinkled smile.

 

“…Who are you?”

“I am Marvin, serving as the head butler of Count Andril’s house.”

 

I didn’t know why I had awakened in Count Andril’s castle, but given the circumstances, there was a high possibility that my identity as a dark mage was already known.

 

Yet his attitude showed no sign of this at all. If anything, he seemed respectful.

 

“Are you feeling a bit better? We’ve treated you with potions, but if there’s anywhere uncomfortable…”

“No. I’m fine.”

 

It wasn’t just empty words—I really was fine.

 

There was no stiffness or muscle pain. For a body that had been on the verge of death, I felt not just light but refreshingly invigorated.

 

Could even the most expensive potion restore a human body to this extent?

 

“That’s a relief. You were lying unconscious for two full days, so I was worried.”

“…”

 

Worried about a dark mage? I couldn’t fathom his intentions at all.

 

As I suppressed my suspicious expression and watched carefully, the Demon Lord was laughing frantically as if something was incredibly amusing.

 

“Shall we have you eat first? Would it be alright to discuss the details afterward?”

“…Yes.”

 

When I nodded, servants in clean clothes brought food. I was almost amazed by the sight of a table being set up instantly so I could eat without leaving the bed.

 

It seemed true that I had been unconscious for two days, as my stomach churned upon smelling the food.

 

A simple breakfast centered around easily digestible soup. However, I couldn’t rashly pick up the spoon.

 

‘It’s not poisoned, is it?’

 

The Demon Lord burst into laughter again.

 

-If they intended to kill you, there would have been no need to heal you first. Don’t worry. Eat. …Though it probably wouldn’t be a big problem even if you didn’t eat.

 

I carefully scooped up some food and smelled it. The man who had introduced himself as Marvin watched me with a kind smile.

 

If the Demon Lord was saying that much, there was certainly no poison. I closed my eyes and pushed the soup into my mouth.

 

I didn’t remember much of what happened after that. When I came to my senses, the bowl was already empty. Only a slight feeling of fullness insisted that I had safely finished my meal.

 

“…”

“If you’re feeling well, would you like to take a short walk?”

 

I carefully got up from my seat and examined my body. The scythe was nowhere to be seen. They probably put it away somewhere while treating me. The Six Arms had been completely destroyed at the end of the battle, so I was now essentially empty-handed.

 

Still, since my body had recovered, I could at least run away if necessary. The condition of my mana core seemed fine too.

 

Even as we passed through the door, walked down a long corridor, and crossed a garden where flowers bloomed beautifully, Marvin didn’t say much.

 

Normally this would have been quite an anxious situation, but thanks to that, I had the leisure to converse with the Demon Lord.

 

‘So, what exactly happened?’

-You collapsed, and that female mage brought you here. That’s all.

‘You know that’s not what I’m asking about.’

 

I had already guessed that much. The problem wasn’t that.

 

‘The World Tree branch.’

 

The cursed object that had shattered Master’s soul and caused a terrible disaster.

 

I remembered being pierced by that rampaging thing and losing consciousness. I was certain I should have died, so why was I alive? And what had happened to that branch?

 

-Originally, your soul should have been completely absorbed by the World Tree branch, and its seal should have been broken.

 

If that had happened, the aftermath wouldn’t have ended with just my death.

 

The explosively grown tree might have endlessly craved life force to restore its original form. Just like Master had done.

 

Thinking of Master, whose soul was damaged and who was half-controlled by the branch, this couldn’t be dismissed as mere speculation.

 

‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’

 

It was something that didn’t happen anyway, and even if it had, it would have been after my death.

 

The fact that I was alive meant the World Tree branch hadn’t absorbed my soul. Perhaps the Demon Lord had blocked the branch to fulfill the contract.

 

-But now it’s the opposite… You’ve absorbed the World Tree branch.

“…What?”

 

At words beyond my understanding, I involuntarily let out a voice.

 

I felt Marvin, who had been walking ahead, pause momentarily, but I was too bewildered by this story to care about him.

 

-Should I say you were lucky? It happened because it coincided with passing the Second Trial.

 

The drastic changes that had occurred in my body when I passed the First Trial in Belive Territory. It was an experience that went beyond simple growth, completely reconstructing my body anew using the surrounding energy as fuel.

 

If such a thing had happened again while I was unconscious, it wouldn’t be entirely incomprehensible… but how did I end up passing the Second Trial in the first place?

 

And to think I absorbed it, no matter what. Suddenly, I felt an unbearable discomfort throughout my body.

 

Of course, it was just my imagination.

 

There was nothing wrong with my body. If I hadn’t heard it from the Demon Lord, I would never have known such a thing had happened – there really was no change at all. For having absorbed a branch of the World Tree, a peerless treasure, it was a disappointing result.

 

The reason was easy to guess. Most of the power must have been consumed in digesting the World Tree’s branch and healing my body.

 

“We’ve arrived. This should be enough of a walk.”

“…?”

 

As I was organizing my thoughts, Marvin, who had been walking ahead, turned around and spoke.

 

I raised my head to examine the building before me.

 

A small annex room at the end of the garden. It was neat but felt too simple to be for the Lord’s personal use. It was probably an annex room provided for guests.

 

“There is someone who wishes to speak with you.”

 

His appearance, slightly bowing his head in silence, seemed to be telling me to go inside.

 

“….”

 

There was no running away at this point.

 

I straightened my back and entered the annex room, where I saw the figure of a somewhat familiar woman in the dark room with drawn curtains.

 

The mage who had helped me before I lost consciousness.

 

‘Her name was Melissa, wasn’t it…’

 

Come to think of it, she had said she had something to discuss after the battle ended.

 

For her to have watched over my condition for several days in a territory where the Lord had died, and to occupy a separate annex room like this, her status must have been higher than I thought.

 

“You said you had something to discuss?”

“…Your body looks fine. What monstrous recovery power.”

 

What a reaction, considering she was the one who provided the potions. Was she picking a fight?

 

Then Melissa shook her head once and lifted up a fist-sized glass orb, saying:

 

“It’s not me who has something to say. It’s the guy inside this.”

-A communication crystal orb.

 

A communication crystal orb. An artifact made in sets of two that could contact the other half at any time. Since the glass surface had to be smooth, it was difficult to engrave magic circles on it, making the manufacturing difficulty considerable. Judging by how clear the man’s face visible through the crystal orb was, this was a high-quality piece. It would be so expensive that even minor nobles wouldn’t dare dream of it…

 

In the middle of continuing my thoughts, I suddenly came to my senses.

 

‘How do I know such things?’

 

I had known of the existence of communication crystal orbs. Well, that was natural since I was also a mage.

 

However, knowing the special circumstances of their manufacture or estimating their price would have been absolutely impossible for the original me. This was the first time I was actually seeing such an item.

 

I had gained quite a lot of knowledge thanks to absorbing Master’s soul fragment, but there was nothing about expensive artifacts like communication crystal orbs in the memories I had seen.

 

-Are you alright?

 

The man in the crystal orb asked with a worried tone. In my confusion, I quietly nodded my head.

 

-That’s a relief. If your body is still not well, please say so. This seems like it will be quite a long story.

“…Just tell me.”

 

I heard the sound of someone clicking their tongue. However, neither of the people before me – the man in the crystal orb nor Melissa – seemed to have made such a sound.

 

Then that was…

 

‘The Demon Lord?’

 

The likely suspect was the Demon Lord, but I couldn’t think of a reason why he would click his tongue at this timing.

 

-Let me introduce myself first. I am Atol Valayh.

 

Regardless of what I was thinking, the man began to speak. Thanks to that, my thoughts vanished instantly.

 

The man’s surname, Valayh. That was…

 

-I am the First Prince of Balaih Kingdom. It’s an honor to meet the Hero of Belive Territory.

 

* * *

 

“I don’t mean to reproach you, but the situation has become quite complicated thanks to you.”

 

In a room within the royal castle, the blonde prince spoke. His half-closed eyes and the dark shadows beneath them showed just how exhausted the man was.

 

It couldn’t be helped.

 

Until just a moment ago, he had been putting effort into diplomacy with neighboring countries to stop the Holy Nation.

 

In the midst of this came news of Count Andril’s death. The death of the kingdom’s Sword Master and guardian of the border would surely be a great disadvantage in the coming war with the Holy Nation.

 

To make matters worse, the Red Magic Tower was refusing to send additional personnel due to the deaths of the disciples.

 

If he had any energy left, that would mean he wasn’t fulfilling his duties as a prince. As a prince who had left the kingdom for several years saying he would see the world, he couldn’t turn away from his responsibilities in this situation.

 

“Hah…”

 

The Prince held his throbbing head at the mere thought and let out a brief sigh before looking down at the crystal orb.

 

A considerably youthful face was reflected. He was probably just a little over twenty at most.

 

The Prince spoke without even considering that his counterpart might only be fifteen years old.

 

“You must know that public perception of Dark Mages isn’t very good, right?”

 

Jude beyond the crystal orb nodded silently.

 

“According to Kingdom law, Dark Mages face immediate execution. However.”

 

He appeared slightly tense. At a glance, he looked like an ordinary young man of that age.

 

“In Belive Territory, and in this recent battle… the number of people you saved wasn’t small.”

 

If his counterpart had been an ordinary Dark Mage, this wouldn’t have happened. But Jude’s actions so far had been different from those of typical Dark Mages.

 

Just in Belive Territory alone, he had saved hundreds of people. And this time too, hadn’t he saved nearly ten soldiers and sent them back to the territory alive?

 

Though there were still many in the organization who opposed it, the Prince couldn’t think of Jude on the same level as ordinary Dark Mages.

 

What had been the reason for trying to recruit Sevian in the first place? Though it had stemmed from a misunderstanding, it was because they needed to borrow even the hand of a notorious High-rank Dark Mage to face the Religious Order.

 

“What do you think of the Holy Nation, of the Religious Order?”

-I don’t think very highly of them.

“Good. Then let me make you a proposal. Won’t you join our Dawn Order?”

-…Dawn Order?

 

The Prince explained about the Dawn Order. They were those who fought to stop the Religious Order’s evil deeds and open a world for humans, not gods.

 

At the same time, he explained the benefits Jude would gain if he joined the Dawn Order. If the Dawn Order members spread across the Continent actively helped him, he would face far fewer difficult situations due to being a Dark Mage.

 

He could even receive considerable support. The Prince was confident that Jude couldn’t refuse the proposal.

 

After hearing the entire explanation, Jude finally opened his mouth.

 

-Do I really need to…?

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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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