I Picked up the Demon King - Chapter 65

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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 65

 

When I asked Albeng, who was trying to hurry out of the village, why he was leaving so quickly.

 

Albeng said it was because he might receive resentment from those who couldn’t be treated. But that wasn’t really a convincing reason. What could those humans who couldn’t receive his treatment—those who were dying—possibly do?

 

Perhaps noticing my expression, Albeng added later.

 

“Going around treating people like this is quite a conspicuous thing to do.”

“Well, I suppose that’s true.”

 

It was the kind of thing that would make him the village’s most popular person overnight. If we had left even a few hours later, there wouldn’t have been anyone who didn’t know him.

 

“That’s exactly why. Being conspicuous isn’t always a good thing.”

 

I still wasn’t convinced. While that might be true for Dark Mages like me, I couldn’t see what harm there would be in a Priest standing out.

 

“I mean that other Priests won’t look favorably upon me.”

 

That would certainly be true.

 

The more Albeng treated people, the more they would compare him to other Priests who hadn’t treated them before. With bad rumors about Priests already spreading, the dissatisfaction that arose from such comparisons would be difficult for the Religious Order to overlook.

 

Given my experience with those fanatics, it wouldn’t be strange if they came forward wanting to kill Albeng. He would know this well too.

 

“But if it’s so dangerous, then why…?”

“Well, each Priest is the face of the Goddess. The Goddess surely told us not to turn away from those who suffer.”

“…”

“And we were short on money too.”

 

Albeng added with an embarrassed smile.

 

What expression would Albeng, now collapsed on the floor, be making? I was briefly curious, but there was no time to check such things. The man who attacked Albeng wouldn’t just stand still.

 

I quickly formed hand seals and calculated magic. Explosion, which I had used many times and grown accustomed to, didn’t require much time to activate even without Six Arms.

 

At the same time, the Ice Spirit moved. A thin ice barrier was erected around my body in preparation for any possible attack.

 

But the man’s reaction was faster than my magic activation.

 

“Wait. You’re the Dark Mage Jude, right?”

 

He spoke while raising both hands as if showing he had no hostility.

 

My body stiffened in bewilderment. Had he come here knowing my identity?

 

“Or would it be more comfortable to call you Johnny from Belive Territory?”

 

I hadn’t left any traces. Recently, I hadn’t used any magic other than Deception. If he could track me through some method I didn’t know, I had to find out what it was…

 

“I’m from the Dawn Brigade. Let’s talk for a moment.”

“…Not the Religious Order?”

 

* * *

 

Albeng, lying in front of the campfire, was motionless as if dead. But he was alive. The moment he was stabbed by the sword, he had somehow held onto life with the Divine Power he possessed.

 

This was possible because he hadn’t used Divine Power for several days since the most recent village we had passed through. If not for that, he would have met death long ago.

 

“Tenacious. This is why Religious Order bastards are troublesome.”

 

The Dawn Brigade Man who had returned from communicating through a crystal orb said.

 

Although there was quite some distance, eavesdropping wasn’t particularly difficult. Most of it was exchanging information that could identify me, including my physical characteristics. Even though the name Jude was rare, that alone couldn’t confirm we were the same person.

 

But, well. From the moment the Ice Spirit displayed its power, it would be certain unless someone was determined to imitate it.

 

It seemed there would be many aspects to pay attention to if I wanted to completely hide my identity.

 

“You’re as taciturn as I heard. That Ator guy would probably like that.”

“…?”

 

By Ator, he must mean Prince Ator Balaih. Setting aside the fact that he liked me, I was quite surprised that he spoke so casually about a prince of a country, even if it was a minor nation.

 

It seemed the Dawn Brigade had a more horizontal organizational culture than I had thought.

 

“…That Priest. How much do you know about Alben Mahir?”

“Just that he’s a somewhat unusual Priest.”

“Unusual, huh. Yes. He’s an unusual Priest in many ways. From your reaction, it seems you don’t know the details.”

 

The man looked into my eyes for a moment before speaking.

 

“I can guess what you were thinking. You probably thought the Religious Order’s higher-ups, who didn’t like his actions, had made a move.”

“…”

“But that won’t happen. Given his background. Mahir is the name of a fallen noble family.”

 

The man casually threw out the words as if discussing something trivial.

 

“You’re not surprised. Did you know?”

“Well…”

 

When nobles were mentioned, was his slightly awkward reaction due to this reason?

 

Even if fallen, inheriting noble blood held tremendous value.

 

But from the perspective of someone who had directly taken the life of the Elf King—legendary to humans—it was hard to feel any particular emotion about a fallen noble status being brought up now.

 

And wouldn’t it be the same from the Religious Order’s perspective?

 

The Holy Nation, which is the headquarters of the Religious Order, possesses greater power than any other nation except the Empire as a single state. There must be more than a few organizations that have been completely erased after earning their displeasure.

 

Just like what the Balaih Kingdom recently experienced.

 

Would such a Religious Order really care about the status of a fallen noble who isn’t even in good standing?

 

The man answered my question with a laugh.

 

“You’re right. If it were any other noble, that would be the case. But Mahir is different. He’s no less than a descendant of a Saint.”

“A Saint’s…?”

“That’s right. From a thousand years ago, no less. The family of that Saint who defeated the Demon Lord alongside the First Hero as his companion.”

 

A descendant of the Saint who was the Hero’s companion. Perhaps the uncomfortable expression the Demon Lord showed when he saw Albeng was because of this reason.

 

“It would be troublesome. There have been dozens of Saints so far, but among them, the one said to be the most noble and beautiful is that guy’s ancestor, Bell Mahir. It would be awkward to lay hands on him carelessly.”

“That’s the first time I’ve heard that name.”

“Of course it is. Besides the Hero’s name, do you know the names of any of his companions? …If that guy completes his training, there’s a high possibility he’ll immediately enter the core of the Religious Order.”

 

Then Albeng’s thinking was on target. The existing Priests who viewed him unfavorably wouldn’t welcome him…

 

Suddenly, a completely different thought crossed my mind.

 

“Is the Religious Order hoping for that?”

“Yes. More precisely, it’s one of several options they’re considering.”

 

If the symbolism of being the descendant of the most noble Saint is combined with his conduct, the people will surely support him.

 

If they try to stop him, it would become a seed of discord. But if they decide to accept him, they could once again receive the people’s full support as a symbol of reform.

 

Wouldn’t it be an excellent means to restore the Religious Order’s prestige, which has been shaken by the birth of a new Hero and the weakening of Divine Power?

 

All that was needed was just the determination of the Religious Order’s officials.

 

“From the Imperial Territory onward, he’ll have the Religious Order’s protection attached to him, knowingly or unknowingly. He’ll safely complete his training and return to the Religious Order.”

 

There wouldn’t even be a need for a major decision.

 

They could just put Albeng forward in appropriate public positions while monopolizing power behind the scenes as they always have.

 

Understanding up to this point wasn’t difficult. However.

 

“It doesn’t seem to explain at all why you people are trying to kill Albeng.”

“….”

 

In Andril, Prince Ator told me.

 

That the Dawn Order was an organization that worked to stop the Religious Order’s evil deeds and create a world for humans, not gods.

 

If their true purpose was really that, wouldn’t Albeng’s existence actually be helpful? If Albeng rises to an important position in the Religious Order, other Priests would also start using Divine Power for the people.

 

Naturally, the number of suffering people would decrease. The Albeng I experienced over the past few weeks was definitely the type of person who would help the world.

 

“Do you really not understand?”

 

The man asked with a truly puzzled face, as if he couldn’t understand why I was asking such a question.

 

“If you heard the explanation up until now, you should be able to guess sufficiently.”

-Kekeke. Humans really are…

 

The Demon Lord’s irritating laughter in my ear.

 

“The Religious Order, which held absolute status, being shaken like this is unprecedented in the past thousand years. But…”

 

Another thought crossed my mind. The same sensation as before. Something I had often felt previously.

 

As if I had become a completely different person, thoughts that I originally couldn’t have conceived took hold in my mind. It wasn’t a very pleasant sensation, but from experience, I had the intuition that this was the correct answer.

 

“Could we just stand by and watch them regain their power? We desperately wish for the Religious Order’s destruction.”

“So…”

“For that purpose, unfortunately, that guy must not be allowed to live.”

“You would prevent the Religious Order, the Priests, from doing good deeds?”

 

A hollow laugh escaped me.

 

The man’s actions were surely representing the opinion of the entire Dawn Order.

 

Regarding the reason for trying to kill Albeng, I couldn’t accept it, but I could understand it.

 

Had there really never been anyone like Albeng in the Religious Order before? Had there never been anyone who was angry at the Religious Order’s evil deeds and tried to change things from within?

 

They probably couldn’t withstand the internal power struggles for long and fell.

 

But really, was that the case for all of them?

 

Wasn’t it possible that this organization called the Dawn Order had actively killed them as they do now, and furthermore, induced the corruption of Priests?

 

It was an excessive leap. But the intuition that had been continuing since earlier was telling me that my current thoughts were likely true.

 

“You people are bad.”

“Is that something you should say? Dark Mage.”

 

The man burst into laughter as if he had heard an interesting story.

 

The mage named Melissa, or Prince Ator with whom I briefly conversed, didn’t seem like particularly bad people.

 

Perhaps not all of them were. There might be those who joined purely out of anger at the Religious Order’s evil deeds. But that was something I couldn’t know.

 

“You should know well enough too. The world doesn’t operate on logic like good or evil. Distinguishing between them is meaningless. Isn’t that right?”

“Then what does it operate on?”

“Well…”

 

Before I knew it, I realized the man’s body had drawn closer. When had it started? He must have been approaching little by little so I wouldn’t notice.

 

I wasn’t stupid enough to have already forgotten how Albeng had been caught, having just witnessed it moments ago. Perhaps he was aiming for a surprise attack.

 

“The thing about Dark Mages is…”

 

But since I was aware of the possibility, there was no need for me to do anything in particular.

 

I simply raised my head and spoke toward the man.

 

I already knew that the world couldn’t simply be divided into good and evil. Even my Master, who was my benefactor, was nothing more than a cruel Dark Mage to others.

 

The same would be true for me.

 

Even Albeng, who had gone around saving countless people and was now collapsed unconscious over there, had revealed the same about himself.

 

In truth, it wasn’t that important.

 

My Master was my life’s benefactor, those I saved in Belive Village regarded me as a Hero, and Albeng was a Priest but quite a decent friend.

 

What I think is the most important thing, isn’t it?

 

“It’s quite magnificent.”

 

In that sense, I couldn’t view favorably the Dawn Order Assassin who swiftly drew a dagger from his chest and thrust it toward me.

 

A rapidly growing Ice Wall blocked the path where the dagger was being swung.

 

But the dagger never touched the Ice Wall.

 

A single thin tree branch that sprouted from the floor was binding the man’s ankle.

 

“You’d better… think carefully. While being chased by the Religious Order, can you afford to make our Dawn Order an enemy too?”

“….”

“It’s the same as making the entire world your enemy. Even now… Gah…!”

 

I snatched the dagger from the man’s hand and stabbed it straight into his heart.

 

Making the entire world my enemy? That made me laugh.

 

“How refreshing.”

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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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