I Picked up the Demon King - Chapter 76

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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 76

 

You must never trust demons.

 

This was a proverb widely spread throughout the Continent… no, at least throughout the Balaih Kingdom, and it was something that Dark Mages especially had to keep in mind.

 

This applied even if the opponent was a Demon Lord, and it didn’t change even if they were bound by spells like Soul Contracts.

 

When did it start?

 

When the Demon Lord stopped calling Jude master? When he didn’t announce the overcoming of the trial despite winning the battle against the Elf King?

 

No.

 

“Soul Magic.”

 

Soul absorption to elevate one’s rank—that technique, more fitting to be called Dark Magic than anything else, was the first thing the Demon Lord had taught Jude.

 

Thanks to absorbing various magic through Soul Magic, his talentless body had become familiar with Spear Technique and Swordsmanship, and he had even gained Elven Senses. Even in the battle against his Master.

 

Back then, the Demon Lord had said:

 

Even Soul Contracts that destroy the soul the moment they’re broken weren’t impossible to circumvent.

 

At that time, I was able to reduce the influence of the contract I made with my Master through two conditions.

 

First, by absorbing others’ souls, my soul had grown and changed, making the conditions different from when the contract was made. Second, by absorbing fragments of my Master’s soul, I gained soul homogeneity between the contracting parties.

 

If that’s the case.

 

Wouldn’t the Demon Lord, who had been absorbing the same souls as me all along, achieve both conditions?

 

“I noticed long ago. That part of the souls absorbed through Soul Magic were also flowing into you.”

 

I had been suspicious since escaping from the Balaih Kingdom. Why hadn’t I noticed it before then?

 

My guess was that it was because the Demon Lord had lost consciousness. He must have been deceiving my senses through some method so I wouldn’t notice.

 

-…I don’t understand. Shouldn’t you be curious about other things?

“Don’t change the subject.”

 

From then on, I tried various ways to confirm whether my expectations were correct. One of them was the pain I periodically inflicted on the Demon Lord.

 

I knew the pain of a soul being shattered from direct experience. It wasn’t the kind of thing you could get used to, no matter how hard you tried.

 

But as I listened, I could distinguish it. The Demon Lord’s screams lacked sincerity, and they even grew weaker over time. Just now, I could barely feel any effort to act.

 

Of course, if he claimed to have exceptional endurance and was used to it from experiencing it twice when defeated by Heroes, there would be nothing I could do about it.

 

-Well, I’ll admit it.

 

The Demon Lord admitted it cleanly.

 

-So what, are you suggesting we fight here?

 

Then he asked back instead.

 

-Anyway, you have no choice but to move for my goals right now.

 

Jude was speechless at his confident attitude.

 

The Demon Lord’s words weren’t completely wrong. Having made enemies of both the Religious Order and the Dawn Order, to survive, his goals had to align with the Demon Lord’s to some extent.

 

Moreover, if it were entirely the Demon Lord’s fault, it would be different, but most of it was the result of Jude’s own choices.

 

-Nothing will change. I’ll help you survive, and you’ll move for my goals. Isn’t that right?

 

However.

 

You must never trust demons. Demons cannot be trusted.

 

Now that even the Soul Contract, the only thing that had been trustworthy, had become void, what could I trust to stay with him?

 

This was why Jude kept his mouth shut, pushing aside the numerous questions that arose from reading his Master’s thesis.

 

* * *

 

For several days after that, Jude holed up in his room.

 

He had consumed too much mental energy being holed up in the library. He needed to think about the facts he had learned, and he had to consider the Demon Lord as well.

 

Fortunately, no one bothered Jude. The morning after returning to the Tower, Telon, who seemed to be in a better mood than usual for some reason, came with Shtidy—that was all.

 

“See? I told you I’d be back first, didn’t I?”

“You’re right. Haa… Do you know how worried we—no, I was?”

“…I’m sorry.”

 

When Shtidy, frowning deeply, sighed and seemed about to continue with endless advice, Telon stepped between them and calmed Shtidy down.

 

“Well, he’s back safe and sound, so that’s what matters, right? He’s not even familiar with the Capital, so what could he have done? He looks tired, so let’s leave him alone and go do research.”

“No, this kind of thing needs to be handled properly from the start. Otherwise, he won’t listen later.”

“Like you?”

 

Though hidden behind his back, I could guess Shtidy’s expression from the strong killing intent I suddenly felt.

 

“Now, now. Calm down. Want to eat the cookies I bought yesterday? They go well with coffee.”

“Did you try them by yourself?”

“Of course not. I just know because it’s a store I’ve been to before.”

 

Telon, who was dragging Shtidy away, only turned his head to wink at Jude with one eye.

 

He looked several times happier than usual, but Jude, who couldn’t understand the reason, was simply dumbfounded.

 

“What the hell.”

 

Like a storm had passed, the situation had flowed by chaotically. Jude muttered while looking at the wall stacked with items the two had bought yesterday and left behind.

 

It seemed they had wandered around for quite a long time even after parting with Jude, as there was more than he remembered. Jude felt a newfound respect for Telon and Shtidy’s stamina.

 

“Magic research might actually be harder than knight training…”

 

That day was spent organizing the items.

 

The time to find a research topic was approaching, but he wasn’t too worried. Just thinking about the books and materials he had read while studying his Master’s papers, he was confident he could write a decent paper within a few days.

 

It would just be a compilation of existing research, not a fresh and innovative paper, but considering he was a newcomer mage who had just entered the tower, others probably wouldn’t expect such a high level from him.

 

It got a bit noisy at times. The Magic Tower, which had been experiencing a financial crisis, seemed to be getting back on track, and various things appeared to be starting up again.

 

Of course, this was just Jude’s speculation based on the Tower Master’s warning.

 

Since entering the Demon Realm, this was the first time he had spent such comfortable time doing nothing…

 

“…Actually, it wasn’t.”

 

When staying at Mike’s house, when working at the Golden Star Trading Company, and even when he first arrived at the Great Forest, the first few days had been peaceful times.

 

When Jude’s thoughts reached that point, alarm bells went off in his head.

 

What had always followed peaceful times were brutal fights. Jude reflexively got up, driven by the sense of crisis he had learned from several experiences.

 

The thought that the entire Magic Tower might have gathered to set a trap, and the thought that perhaps Melissa had betrayed him and the Dawn Order might come to attack. Various other possibilities appeared and disappeared in Jude’s mind in an instant.

 

‘Something will definitely happen.’

 

Whether the problem was the Demon Lord clinging to him or the Hero’s trials, he didn’t know. But his conviction that this peace wouldn’t last long only grew stronger.

 

Eventually, Jude stepped out of the room where he had been lying for several days.

 

And he immediately sensed something strange.

 

As if the recent commotion had been a lie, the Magic Tower was eerily quiet. To find out why, he headed to Shtidy’s research room.

 

“….”

 

This was Shtidy’s research room, which had maintained a fairly neat state for a mage, saying she was gradually filling it with various things. While Jude hadn’t visited, several pieces of equipment whose purpose was unclear had been added.

 

Shtidy wasn’t there.

 

But if that was all, there would have been no need to worry. He would have thought she was somewhere having coffee with Telon.

 

Even if it was crumbling, the Green Magic Tower was one of only three Magic Towers on the continent. No matter how bold a thief might be, they certainly wouldn’t dare to intrude carelessly.

 

They wouldn’t want to be caught by some sudden magic and used as biological experiment material.

 

But right now, Shtidy’s research room was in disarray as if thieves had broken in.

 

“…Is she dead?”

 

He looked around briefly but didn’t find Shtidy’s corpse. Jude set up a fallen chair, sat down to organize his thoughts, then went outside.

 

His steps headed to the first floor of the Magic Tower. Avoiding some scattered traces of disorder, he headed to the reception desk.

 

If Shtidy was on duty, that would be fortunate, and even if not, he had become acquainted with most of the other mages, so he could ask what had happened.

 

Jude, who had arrived in front of the reception desk, let out a sigh of relief.

 

It wasn’t Shtidy, but Telon, who was almost always with her, was on duty.

 

“Oh, Jude.”

 

Telon, who was always smiling cheerfully, spoke weakly. It was hard to attribute this to simple boredom from work, so Jude approached and asked.

 

“…Did something happen?”

“Something happen, something happen… There was.”

 

Telon leaned back in his chair and sighed.

 

What was he thinking about? Jude wanted to urge him, but looking at his expression, he waited patiently.

 

Fortunately, it didn’t take very long for the next part of the story to come out.

 

“Yesterday, a Hero came.”

“A Hero…?”

 

Why would a Hero suddenly come up?

 

From Johnny, whom he had encountered recently, to his Master’s papers. Countless thoughts flashed through Jude’s mind. If the Hero Telon mentioned was the Hero who had defeated the Demon Lord, then a life-threatening crisis had passed without his knowledge.

 

“The third Hero, I think. Not the person who recently entered the royal family. I’m not even sure if he’s really a Hero. But since the Tower Master said he was, he must be.”

“….”

 

Fortunately, the Hero who visited the Magic Tower seemed to be Johnny.

 

His suspicion that encountering the Tower Master in the capital’s alley wasn’t a coincidence grew stronger. What connection could the Tower Master and Johnny possibly have?

 

‘Was Melissa’s visit to the Magic Tower for that purpose? Perhaps the Tower Master was also a member of the Dawn Order…’

 

But Jude’s contemplation didn’t continue for long.

 

“Our junior, Shtidy, well… apparently became a companion of the Hero?”

“What companion?”

“Hah…”

 

Telon let out a sigh without answering.

 

The way he held his face with one hand showed considerable fatigue. His eyes were bloodshot red as if he had stayed up all night.

 

Telon picked up his cup and gulped down the beverage before standing up from his seat.

 

“…Telon?”

“Sorry. I’m busy with research.”

 

The atmosphere made it difficult to strike up a conversation.

 

Jude could only stare blankly at Telon’s back as he walked away with lonely steps.

 

Telon soon disappeared from Jude’s sight.

 

‘Senior Shtidy became Johnny’s companion…’

 

The companions are exactly those who always appear in the Hero’s legends. Most notably, there was the Spirit Mage who gave birth to the Elf King, and there was the Archmage who established the First Magic Tower.

 

They were all heroes who achieved great accomplishments just as much as the Hero. To think that Shtidy became such a companion of the Hero. Come to think of it, where are the Second Hero’s companions and what are they doing?

 

Perhaps there were no companions. Even Jude himself didn’t particularly have anyone he could call a companion yet.

 

‘…’

 

Jude, who had been sitting for a moment organizing the story he heard from Telon, suddenly stood up.

 

“Wait, you were on duty. Where are you going!”

 

Telon had already disappeared from Jude’s sight long ago.

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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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