I Picked up the Demon King - Chapter 8

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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 8

 

Hero.

 

Among all living humans, there would be none who had not heard that name.

 

Savior of the Middle Realm.

Symbol of peace.

Representative of the Goddess.

 

One who could summon the armies of various nations with a single word, receive the respect of Religious Order priests, and even claim the imperial throne if desired.

 

The name of the Hero itself had the power to make hearts race. Literally a legend and an idol to all.

 

Naturally, libraries and bookstores had entire bookshelves dedicated solely to literature about the Hero, so vast was the collection of materials.

 

-There’s no need to check everything. Most of it is content I already know. What you need to look at is over there. The section about the current Hero.

 

That section was equally vast. The volume that filled an entire bookshelf made me feel overwhelmed just looking at it.

 

‘How are there already so many books…’

-It means the Hero is profitable. It’s a guaranteed keyword that will be reminisced about even after a thousand years… Hide yourself.

 

At the Demon Lord’s urgent voice, I quickly hid behind the bookshelf.

 

Shortly after, I saw a noble in splendid clothing pass by with small footsteps.

 

“Phew…”

 

Books are quite valuable items.

 

There aren’t many people who can read, and considerable magical processes are involved in their production.

 

Naturally, such bookstores are strictly managed, and people without money cannot even enter.

 

Just looking at those visible now – noble children, wealthy merchants, priests, and so on…

 

The robe I was wearing had become so tattered during the journey across the Demon Realm that it could be considered at the level of the poor. The moment someone spotted me, it wouldn’t end with simply being kicked out.

 

-If only there was sufficient mana, we could have even solved lodging and meals inside here. Your pitiful mana always holds us back.

 

I had learned concealment magic from the Demon Lord, but the time I could maintain it was only about ten seconds.

 

I had somehow managed to get in while the staff was distracted, but how would I get out?

 

-There are ways for all that, so don’t worry. First, let’s check the materials. Pick up the books with the titles I call out. ‘Hero Ruin, Who Is He?’, ‘The Life Story of the Hero Who Illuminated the World’, ‘Current Hero Speaks About Demon Realm Subjugation’…

 

Fortunately, the Demon Lord’s reading speed was quite fast, and even while avoiding people, I was able to check all the books before sunset.

 

Of course, that was only the Demon Lord’s story. With pages turning every few seconds, there weren’t many sentences I could remember.

 

-As expected. ‘Heroes are perfected through trials.’ It’s not perfect, but this should be roughly possible.

 

Heroes are perfected through trials.

 

One of the countless repeated sentences I remembered even while frantically turning pages.

 

If we think of the process of a Hero’s birth as one giant ritual, trials would certainly be the core procedure. However.

 

“There’s something more important than that.”

 

All books dealing with the Hero’s life story. Not only that, but a sentence that commonly appears in all traditions passed down over time.

 

“Darkness swallowed light, and the king of demons was born in hell…”

 

The Hero’s story always began after the Demon Lord’s birth, with the Goddess delivering an oracle.

 

In other words, without a Demon Lord, a Hero cannot exist either.

 

Could this creature, who remained only as a soul subordinated to me, truly satisfy the conditions of the ritual?

 

-There’s nothing to worry about regarding that.

 

The Demon Lord’s voice was utterly calm.

 

-Didn’t I tell you? You are my Hero through and through. You will become an agent of evil that goes against the natural order. As long as the Goddess exists, that condition is as good as satisfied.

“…”

-What you need to worry about now isn’t such things. I’ve narrowed down the candidates by comparing information about trials… But you’re the one who has to endure them.

 

I didn’t yet know what kind of trials the Demon Lord had selected. But thinking of the Hero legends I’d heard since childhood, the difficulty would certainly not be low.

 

-Considering his companions, it seems they’ve arranged it so that passing with others would also be recognized, but well.

 

Where indeed would there be those willing to join a journey to kill the Goddess? Even if there were, they would surely have all died in the war.

 

“It’s closing time. Customers, please come outside.”

“What, already? It’s still early.”

“We’re closing early for a while because of the execution ceremony.”

 

It was still early for sunset.

 

The moment I reflexively tried to move at the staff’s voice announcing closing time.

 

-Wait.

 

The Demon Lord’s voice stopped my feet.

 

-Hide yourself and wait until they close the door. When it gets quiet, then you can leave. It’s easier to escape from inside than to infiltrate from outside.

 

‘So that’s what he meant by having a method.’

 

However, it was a statement without a single error.

 

How much time had passed while avoiding the staff cleaning up the store?

 

-Now it’s done. Let’s go.

 

I unlocked the quiet bookstore and went out onto the street.

 

“I feel like I’ve become a thief rather than a Hero.”

-You can’t become a great person by worrying about such trivial things. Didn’t your Master teach you that?

“Be quiet. But…”

 

I looked around at the unsettling feeling.

 

When the gradually setting sun was dyeing the world red.

 

It was time for most people to eat dinner at home and spend time with their families.

 

However, the number of people gathered in the plaza numbered in the hundreds, thousands.

 

There were those who brought bread or lunch boxes to eat, those who brought entire bottles of alcohol. There were also those watching from windows opened in homes or inns.

 

Everyone was laughing and chattering with faces full of anticipation and excitement.

 

“…What is this.”

 

Beyond the Demon Lord’s ominously felt laughter, people’s voices could be heard.

 

“How many today?”

“Fifty, I think.”

“Wow! That many? I wish they’d start quickly.”

 

A fervor that somehow felt only unpleasant.

 

As I headed to a corner to avoid the gradually gathering crowd, a figure in priest robes climbed onto the platform visible in the distance.

 

“Ah, following yesterday, I am grateful to the Goddess for presiding over today’s execution as well.”

 

Execution.

 

Come to think of it, had the bookstore staff mentioned that?

 

“Today’s executioner is Alberto.”

 

When the priest called the name, a man in flashy clothing and makeup stepped forward.

 

“I like that guy.”

“Why? He looks weak too.”

“That’s the charm. He can’t cut necks properly, so it’s worth watching the prisoners suffer.”

 

People’s cheers echoed throughout. The man called Alberto also seemed excited, raising his axe and shouting.

 

“The first criminal is Jack of the Slums.”

 

A man with his eyes covered and hands bound was dragged out.

 

“Having lived his entire life as a pickpocket, he is charged with offering everyone’s hard-earned property as sacrifice to demons.”

“Kill him!”

“Cut off his head!”

 

The priest who waited briefly for the excited people’s shouts to quiet down opened his mouth.

 

“In the name of the merciful Goddess Aision and by the authority granted by the Lord of Belive, I pronounce judgment. Death penalty!”

 

The people cheered.

 

“No, no! I never dealt with demons…!”

 

Pickpocket Jack twisted his body and shouted, but it was useless. His voice was drowned out by the citizens’ roars, and the soldiers roughly laid the man down.

 

The executioner’s patience while waiting for the verdict had reached its limit.

 

Crack.

 

Blood spurted, and people cheered. Jack’s body writhed and then stopped.

 

Only the poor people standing in line awaiting judgment shed tears and trembled.

 

However.

 

“Mana is…”

-Not felt. What would demons do with the pittance of those poor bastards anyway? Originally, demons are not greatly constrained by material things.

 

The prisoner’s soul glowed faintly and disappeared somewhere.

 

The next one, and the one after that were the same.

 

“What kind of situation is this?”

 

I had heard that many demon followers had been captured. But those were just ordinary people.

 

As the Demon Lord said, not a trace of mana could be felt from those dying now.

 

-Well. It’s not that I don’t have a guess… but let’s save that as enjoyment for later.

 

The Demon Lord’s continued laughter from earlier added to my displeasure.

 

-It won’t be bad for you. I guarantee this much. Rather…

 

For a moment, I felt an inexplicable disgust that made me want to retch. I could feel some of the enthusiastic citizens looking at me strangely.

 

-Shall we start talking? The Hero’s trials. They can be divided into two stages: gaining the qualifications to become a Hero and being reborn as a Hero.

“…I only need to pass two things?”

-By proving seven virtues, you can gain the qualification to draw the Holy Sword, and by transcending seven desires, you can freely wield the power of the Holy Sword. Strictly speaking, it should be considered fourteen things.

 

Then he should have said that from the beginning. I got my hopes up for nothing.

 

-Still, that’s for humans. Since it poses no problem for me, I conducted the ritual before dying.

 

However, my stomach was churning too much to voice those words.

 

-Immediate resurrection is out of the question, and instead, ownership of the ritual has passed to you. So you’ve also become the subject of the ritual.

 

I was already having a headache from maintaining the magic blocking. It was hard to concentrate on the Demon Lord’s words.

 

-So, endure it well. The first trial will come soon.

 

In the end, I couldn’t hold it in and vomited behind a deserted building.

 

The Demon Lord’s mocking laughter echoed in my ears.

 

* * *

 

Belive Castle is the greatest city in the territory ruled by Baron Belive.

 

Therefore, Mike, the Guard Captain who managed entry and exit through the castle’s South Gate, took special pride in his work.

 

“Captain, aren’t you going to watch?”

“Watch what?”

“The execution ceremony.”

 

That was why Mike frowned at his subordinate’s words.

 

“Work hours aren’t over yet.”

“Come on. Isn’t it almost time to close the city gate? The night shift workers will be here for the change soon….”

 

The Guard Captain ignored his grumbling subordinate’s voice and kept watch ahead.

 

‘Come to think of it, things have been noisy lately.’

 

They said a large number of Demon Followers had been captured in the slums. There were even stories that their numbers exceeded hundreds.

 

His wife, who ran a general store on Market Street, was happy that petty thieves had disappeared… But he wasn’t sure if it was right for all poor people to be suspected of being Demon Followers.

 

“Stop chattering and keep watch properly. What if a Dark Mage gets into the castle?”

“Come on, does that make sense? They said the Hero eliminated them all.”

“Then what about the ones being executed now? Are you saying the Lord made a false announcement?”

“Why would you say such things…. Ah, how about a drink after work for old times’ sake?”

 

Alcohol.

 

It had certainly been a long time since he’d touched alcohol. Lately, he’d been craving a drink due to some inexplicable bitter feeling. But.

 

“No thanks. My wife told me to come home early.”

“Wouldn’t sister-in-law understand just once or twice?”

“…I don’t think so.”

 

His usually beautiful wife was scarier than anyone when she was angry.

 

Just as a faint smile was about to bloom on the Guard Captain’s face as he thought of his family.

 

“Halt! Show your face!”

 

The voice of his subordinate, who was monitoring the opposite direction, pulled the Guard Captain from his thoughts.

 

The moment he quickly aimed his weapon and checked the target.

 

Someone wearing a somewhat familiar robe slowly moved their hand.

 

“You’re….”

 

What was revealed was an unusually pale face.

 

“Um, by any chance… That thing about looking into a job for me. Is that still valid?”

 

The boy opened his mouth with an awkward smile.

 

“Do you know this guy?”

“…Hmm, it’s someone I saw during inspections today.”

 

The Guard Captain said this while gesturing for his subordinate to lower his weapon.

 

Just then, night shift workers were walking over from the distance.

 

“It’s late today, so tomorrow… But do you have a place to sleep?”

“No.”

 

For a moment, the Guard Captain pondered. If he sent him away like this, would he really be able to see this boy’s face tomorrow morning?

 

Finally, the Guard Captain closed his eyes tightly and spoke.

 

“…Then come to my house.”

 

While preparing to close the city gate, the Guard Captain thought.

 

His wife would probably be a little scary today.

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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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