I Picked up the Demon King - Chapter 63

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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 63

 

The journey with Albeng was more comfortable than I had expected.

 

When moving alone, no matter how well I hid my body while sleeping, I couldn’t sleep deeply since I never knew what might happen. However, now I could get at least some deep sleep thanks to taking turns keeping watch with him.

 

Of course, compared to when I moved with the elves, it was incomparably inconvenient.

 

The Tree Searchers who regarded me as the World Tree’s representative wouldn’t even think of making me keep watch.

 

Still, the food was much better than back then.

 

Even though it was made with things like dried jerky, Albeng could make food that was quite proper cooking. He also dealt with attacks from miscellaneous monsters or bandits before I even had to step forward, so it was incomparably better than when I moved alone.

 

“Good morning!”

“Ah, yes…”

 

If there was one downside.

 

“Did you sleep well?”

“So-so…”

“You look a bit tired. Come over here!”

“Wait…!”

“No need to refuse.”

 

Albeng smiled brightly and cast Divine Magic on me. The unpleasant sensation covering my entire body drove away all the remaining drowsiness.

 

“Ugh…”

“Refreshing, isn’t it?”

 

That guy, he’s definitely doing this on purpose, isn’t he.

 

-Kekeke.

 

Hearing the Demon Lord’s laughter as if mocking my situation, I reflexively squeezed the Demon Lord’s soul. The laughter instantly turned into a pained groan.

 

Of course, there was no way Albeng could know I was a Dark Mage.

 

Deception Magic was secretive enough to fool even the Elf King’s Detection Ability, and I had never used magic in front of Albeng.

 

He probably just thinks of me as a physically healthy traveler.

 

Thinking about it that way felt strange. There didn’t seem to be much for that priest to gain from traveling with me.

 

“What were you doing?”

“I was doing morning prayers. You have a strange expression.”

“Well, I thought you seemed devout.”

 

Albeng scratched his head and got up from his spot. Seeing him rummage through his luggage and pull out bowls, it seemed he was preparing to make breakfast.

 

“There’s nothing strange to think about. It’s convenient to think of it as an occupational characteristic. Let’s see… Knights train every day, and mages research magic every day. It’s the same as merchants checking business contacts or farmers working their fields.”

“Do you usually put those things on the same level?”

 

In the few words we exchanged, excellent stew was completed. Receiving the steaming bowl, I thought that he might actually be the mage.

 

-Actually, it’s not that different.

 

I heard the Demon Lord’s voice. Before I could ask what that meant, Albeng, who had taken a sip of stew, spoke.

 

“The Divine Power we use is power that originates from the Goddess. There’s no way to cultivate it through our own strength. Every day like this, when we pray and praise, we can only hope to please her heart even a little.”

 

For some reason, Albeng’s expression didn’t look very good.

 

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“…Well, I thought it seemed irreverent.”

 

Albeng burst into loud laughter.

 

* * *

 

By evening, a village could be seen in the distance again.

 

Normally I would have just checked the direction and then camped to save money, but Albeng specifically requested to enter the village.

 

“As you know, camping for two consecutive days is not an easy thing. Rest is important.”

“…Didn’t you say we needed to save money?”

“…We’re already saving enough, aren’t we?”

 

This person has a strange sense of money.

 

“Don’t worry and just follow me.”

 

Albeng got two rooms at a bustling inn on the main road. It was clean enough to be burdensome for me, who had been thinking of a cheap inn in the corner.

 

-Aren’t you worrying too much?

“You don’t understand. Money is scary…”

 

Money isn’t something you can spend freely just because you have it.

 

When Master left me behind, he left quite a lot of money, but if I had spent it recklessly, I would have become a corpse in a cold back alley before long.

 

Because of that experience, I tried to save as much as possible even with the money I received from Dahan.

 

-Though you blew it all anyway.

“…”

 

So it’s better to save money. Even while washing with warm water, my hands trembled. Even Mike’s house, where he lived quite well as a Guard Captain, wasn’t this nice.

 

-Well, that was a rural territory.

 

The inn I used to stay at in the Royal Capital was nothing compared to this room. I chose the most secluded spot possible, but still…!

 

Wasn’t this kind of luxury something only nobles could afford? If I had spent a few days at the Lord’s Castle of Andril, I might have gotten a bit used to it, but I came out right away and only got to see the bed.

 

In other words, this room was the greatest luxury of my life. I couldn’t predict how much the room fee would be.

 

-You, aren’t you worrying too much unlike yourself? How about thinking once more about your own magic ability?

 

Of course, I’m a Dark Mage who inflicted near-genocidal damage on the elves. Even if the circumstances aligned well at the time, if I seriously went on a rampage, there would be no one in this village who could stop me.

 

If things got really bad, I could use Deception and run away. But my conscience wouldn’t allow me to do such a thing to those who, far from wronging me, had given me a warm room.

 

-I misspoke. How about thinking once more about your identity?

“Of course I’m a Dark Mage.”

-What exactly do you think Dark Mages are in your head?

 

When I came downstairs after carefully drying my body, worried that I might stain the room’s furnishings, Albeng was already eating.

 

“Did you rest well? I thought you were sleeping and was wondering whether to go wake you up.”

 

The prepared food also didn’t look like it would cost just a penny or two. Now I was starting to feel suspicious rather than worried. Come to think of it, his clothes and items including the sleeping bag he used when camping were all quite luxurious.

 

“Are you perhaps a noble?”

 

The Academy wasn’t something just anyone could attend, and he had a surname too. Mahir, was it? It was a surname I’d never heard of, but I’d never been interested in noble families to begin with.

 

The only nobles I knew were a few families I’d directly dealt with in the Balaih Kingdom.

 

“If you ask whether I’m a noble, then yes.”

“I knew it.”

“Why suddenly… Ah, did it seem like I was spending money too recklessly?”

 

I sighed and sat across from Albeng. It seemed like there wouldn’t be any trouble with being unable to pay.

 

“Even though I’m a noble, I’m just the third son of a family without territory. The family’s support ended with my admission to the Academy.”

 

The food I was putting in my mouth got stuck.

 

Seeing my reaction, Albeng burst into laughter.

 

“Jude, you’re really an interesting person. Proposing to travel together was truly a good decision.”

 

At this point, it was absurd. When I frowned deeply and looked at Albeng, he stopped laughing and raised one finger.

 

“Let me tell you one important thing.”

 

A serious face I’d never seen before. It didn’t seem like it would be that important a story, but I couldn’t help but focus.

 

“Becoming a priest means you’ll never have trouble with money anywhere you go.”

 

Saying that, Albeng approached the Inn Owner. The Inn Owner, who had been taking orders with a tired face, looked at him with a grumpy expression, but he didn’t care.

 

“…What?”

 

Albeng gave a light Silent Bow and said.

 

“May the Goddess’s love always be with you.”

“A priest? Sorry, but we don’t have money to give donations. I’m not planning to discount the food you ate either. Just pay quietly and go up to your room…”

“Is there perhaps someone sick at home?”

“…”

 

The Inn Owner’s eyes turned sharp. The way he quietly moved his hand under the table suggested he might draw a sword if things went wrong.

 

“How did you know?”

“I just had that feeling. This too must be the Goddess’s grace.”

“Grace my ass. If you’re going to talk such nonsense, get out of my inn right now!”

 

Even at the Inn Owner’s shout, Albeng answered without losing his smile.

 

“Let’s go to your home. The Goddess’s love will visit your house today.”

 

The excited Inn Owner thought about the meaning of those words for a moment, then made an expression of disbelief.

 

After slapping his own face a few times, looking at Albeng’s face, then pinching his cheek again, the Inn Owner said.

 

“…Fo, follow me. Hey, Max! Watch the store for a bit!”

“What? Leaving the store to a customer, have you finally gone crazy?”

“Just do it, hurry!”

 

The store owner walked almost running. The man called Max grumbled but moved to where the Inn Owner had been standing. Albeng gestured for me to follow and went after him.

 

I quietly followed beside him.

 

“How did you know?”

“Because the world is what it is. Wouldn’t it be harder to find someone who doesn’t have a sick family member?”

“…”

 

Albeng answered with quite a con-artist-like expression. The pious appearance from earlier was nowhere to be found.

 

The Inn Owner’s house wasn’t far. He probably built the inn in a convenient location for management on purpose.

 

Finding the patient the Inn Owner had mentioned wasn’t very difficult. A middle-aged woman with wrinkles on her face and hands. Probably the Inn Owner’s Wife was coughing with a pale complexion.

 

“Cough. Why did you come back so early? And who are those people behind you?”

“Honey, a priest has come.”

“A priest? I can’t afford it. Are you planning to starve us to death?”

 

The woman who cried out in a cracked voice soon seemed to lose strength and slumped down on the spot.

 

“Don’t worry. I didn’t come here to collect money.”

 

Albeng took her hand and prayed. A bright light emanated from his body and transferred to the woman.

 

Color gradually began to return to the woman’s face. The inn owner was delighted, yet afraid something might go wrong, so he could only stamp his feet without making a sound.

 

How much time had passed? The light subsided, and the woman’s body collapsed weakly.

 

Albeng caught her body and placed her in the inn owner’s arms, saying:

 

“It’s done. The illness is cured, but she’s exhausted a lot of energy. She’ll be fine after resting well for a day or two.”

 

The inn owner held his sleeping wife in his arms and shed tears. Albeng turned his head and smiled at me.

 

In the end, Albeng didn’t calculate the food payment that day. He even tried to return the room payment that had already been paid, which I forcibly pressed back into the inn owner’s hands.

 

“That’s already your money. Didn’t I tell you? I have no intention of taking money.”

 

In the quiet room, hearing the sound of the adjacent room door opening, a question suddenly occurred to me.

 

‘Why does the Goddess share the power called Divine Power with those who believe in her? No matter how much of a god she is, that power can’t be infinite.’

 

The story I heard from the Demon Lord in the Great Forest came to mind. What exactly is the most excellent farmer trying to harvest?

 

Perhaps such things might not be important.

 

One person who had been suffering from illness recovered their health, and it seemed there were some priests among them who were quite priest-like. At least I couldn’t easily picture Albeng killing people for money or personal gain.

 

Then, if I complete my contract with the Demon Lord…

 

If I kill the Goddess, what will happen to them?

 

The Demon Lord did not answer.

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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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