I Picked up the Demon King - Chapter 82

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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 82

 

“Haah….”

 

Shtidy let out a deep sigh.

 

The lodging provided by the Golden Star Trading Company that sponsored the Hero was incredibly luxurious. When she lay on the large bed, it was as soft as if she were on a cloud, and the splendid night view visible through the window was as beautiful as jewels.

 

That wasn’t all. The meals provided at every mealtime, with names she had never even heard of, were so delicious her eyes nearly popped out, and the hot water never ran out no matter how much she used.

 

Outside the door, well-trained servants were standing by to provide whatever was needed at any time.

 

Yes. This place was nothing more than a luxurious prison to her.

 

She missed the research room. The memories of not washing for days because only cold water came out, the time spent reading papers through the night. Even the coffee she drank while catching her breath after meeting her targets.

 

At least there, she could make an effort to find clear answers.

 

But what about now? She had become the Hero’s companion, but there was nothing to do. Weeks had passed, but she couldn’t understand what was happening or how.

 

“You’ll understand if you wait.”

 

Dahan, the Golden Star Trading Company Owner who claimed to be the Hero’s sponsor, had said that. Always maintaining his good-natured smile.

 

He was a busy man. Under the pretext of sponsoring the Hero, he frantically moved around meeting all sorts of nobles in the capital. Instead of handling a busy schedule that would be insufficient even with multiple bodies for an ordinary person, the Empire’s enormous wealth poured toward him.

 

But why was it? Was it too much to think that she couldn’t feel even a bit of humanity in the smile he wore?

 

“Wait, he says.”

 

The Hero’s companion.

 

In the fairy tales she read as a child, the protagonist was always the Hero. But even the companions who were merely supporting characters were heroes who had achieved tremendous accomplishments in reality. Like the Archmage who built the First Magic Tower, the first Saint, the Elf Queen, and the Shadow Lord.

 

She had no interest in becoming a great hero. She wasn’t particularly courageous, nor was she prepared to sacrifice herself for someone else.

 

She would have been satisfied with the simple happiness of doing research and drinking coffee.

 

Humans are truly fickle creatures – when she first heard that she had been selected as the Hero’s companion, she was a little excited. But such expectations quickly faded.

 

‘Come to think of it….’

 

She had been selected as the Hero’s companion. Why did they use the word “selected”? Were there other candidates? Who chose her? What was the reason for choosing her among them?

 

Having nothing to do only made her mind more complicated. She desperately wanted a cup of coffee.

 

Shtidy asked the servant waiting outside the door for coffee. Before long, warm coffee arrived.

 

Both the aroma and taste were top quality. They must have used beans that cost entirely different amounts from what she had at the Magic Tower, but… for some reason, even drinking coffee didn’t organize her thoughts.

 

She sighed and got up from her seat. If she stayed cooped up in this room, she felt like she would really go crazy.

 

“Johnny, are you inside?”

 

When she knocked on the door of the adjacent room, she heard crashing sounds from inside.

 

Only after a long while did the door open. Johnny, the Hero, was looking around with a frightened face as always.

 

“Sh, Shtidy. What’s the… what’s the matter?”

“….”

 

He was an incredibly frustrating human. From when she first met him until now, he had never once properly met Shtidy’s eyes. Could such a thing really be called a Hero?

 

It was completely unbelievable that this was the person who had shouted at the Holy Nation’s soldiers in Balaih Kingdom and made them retreat.

 

Perhaps it was because he was such a person that he became a Hero. A Hero was literally like humanity’s infinite possibility, an existence that starts from the bottom and rises to the highest position.

 

Shtidy decided to think that way. If not, the only conclusion would be that she was being caught up in a massive fraud.

 

“Want to take a walk for a bit? The weather was nice today.”

“Ah, no. I’m fine.”

 

Johnny seemed to think for a moment, then looked around and answered that way. His expression was so serious that even Shtidy, who already knew there were only servants around, found herself looking around as well.

 

“Then, let’s go inside.”

“…What?”

“Let’s talk a bit. I’m bored. Whatever the case, we don’t know how long we’ll have to stay together. It wouldn’t hurt to become friends, right?”

 

Pushing past the flustered Johnny and entering the room, Shtidy quickly scanned the interior.

 

It was a space that didn’t feel like a room where a person lived. Except for one bed, there were no items that showed signs of use. Shtidy’s eyes narrowed.

 

“Um….”

“If you have something to say, say it. Don’t act so frustratingly.”

“Shtidy, you’re from the Green Magic Tower, right?”

 

Shtidy, who had pulled out a chair and sat down, nodded. When she was about to let out another sigh at Johnny’s hesitating appearance for who knows how many times.

 

“Jude….”

“Yes?”

“I’d like to hear about a mage named Jude.”

 

Johnny said while looking directly at Shtidy.

 

Shtidy was bewildered. A completely unexpected name had come from the mouth of a completely unexpected person.

 

“How do you know our youngest?”

“…Youngest, you say.”

 

When Shtidy was looking at the slightly furrowed brow and was about to question Johnny again.

 

Crash-!

 

The window shook violently. The entire building vibrated with a tremendous roar. Johnny screamed and collapsed miserably to the floor.

 

At the same time, a chilling sensation swept over Shtidy’s entire body.

 

“What, what is…”

 

An intense wave of mana that he had never experienced even once before.

 

A vague memory came to mind. A few months ago, the powerful life force that had suddenly covered the continent. Thanks to it, there weren’t many deaths from freezing this winter, which was known as the coldest in continental history. Some claimed it was a monumental event announcing the birth of a new Hero.

 

But then, what was this?

 

The mana accumulated in his body was stimulated and amplified further. Just being affected by it made him feel omnipotent.

 

Shtidy barely managed to steady his staggering body and approached the broken window.

 

“Crazy…”

 

Could what Dahan had said have been with this in mind?

 

That couldn’t be.

 

Shtidy eventually couldn’t endure it and collapsed.

 

* * *

 

I left the Magic Tower and walked aimlessly toward the capital.

 

The snow that had fallen continuously for the past few days was piled much higher than when I first arrived at the Magic Tower.

 

I recalled the words of a senior Mage who had patted my shoulder and said that if it weren’t for this snow, I would still be stuck in the reception room.

 

An environment where even the nobles of the capital found it difficult to visit. Naturally, it wasn’t easy for a Mage from the Magic Tower to go out to the capital either. If the Ice Spirit hadn’t cleared the path ahead, even I, with my Knight-level physical abilities, might have given up and returned to the Magic Tower.

 

Looking back, the pouring snow instantly covered the path I had taken. The footprints had disappeared long ago, and any other traces would vanish within an hour.

 

-How boring.

 

The Demon Lord said languidly. As expected of a demon, while I was suffering like this.

 

-Will you be alright? Like a lost stray dog, without even setting a destination.

“…If you’re bored, why don’t you tell an interesting story?”

 

It was cold enough to make me lose consciousness. Without listening to even the Demon Lord’s nonsense, it seemed I’d have trouble reaching the capital.

 

-An interesting story…

 

The Demon Lord trailed off for a moment, but I wasn’t fooled. From the moment he first brought up the topic, he must have already decided what to say.

 

-The First Hero. And his companions were, regardless of whether I liked them or not, quite remarkable for mortals. Well, of course. They were the ones who killed me, after all.

 

Had the Demon Lord ever praised humans before? Especially the Hero who killed him?

 

When I first discovered his soul in the ruined Demon Realm. Recalling the hostility he had shown toward the Hero then, this was quite a surprising story.

 

-They were noble and brave. How could they gather only such people? It was admirable enough to make me gasp in spite of myself.

 

Master Sevian had said that Heroes were neither that great nor beautiful. Having read his thesis, I now thought the same way.

 

So it was unexpected.

 

That the Demon Lord would evaluate the Hero so highly.

 

-So this time too… I actually had quite high expectations.

 

But the words that followed showed a drastic temperature difference.

 

-It was disappointing.

 

It was colder than the bone-cutting wind. I could feel deep disgust and displeasure.

 

-Neither brave nor noble. Unlike those who would sacrifice themselves for a mere beggar, they didn’t hesitate to sacrifice large armies for their own convenience.

“…”

-Efficient, if you could call it that. Yes, it was efficient. They reached me several times faster than expected. I had to revise my plans multiple times.

 

Extreme efficiency. That was more like a demon’s way than a human’s.

 

Was it really?

 

Perhaps what was closest to demons was humans themselves.

 

-At the center of it all, that woman was there.

“That woman?”

-Kaela Rowan.

 

It was a name I had never heard before.

 

But there was a face that naturally came to mind. The Mage with blazing red hair, the one who was said to be the Hero’s companion.

 

-Her talent was outstanding. Enough to remind me of a Mage I saw a thousand years ago. But what was even more outstanding than that was her tongue. Have you ever thought about it? In battles where they could collapse castles with a single attack, what could mere trained soldiers possibly do?

“…”

 

Nothing.

 

Even Jude, who could barely use a few spells, had defeated the Belive Territory’s Guard Unit. Master Sevian had swept away thousands of subjugation forces in an instant, and the Elf King had annihilated his own race with a single gesture.

 

Numbers are meaningless in the face of overwhelming power difference.

 

Most of the Subjugation Force that departed with the Hero to face the Demon Lord were, in fact, unnecessary.

 

-The Subjugation Force Soldiers died with smiles on their faces. Even as their hearts were pierced by monster attacks and their flesh was torn apart, they showed no fear. It was quite a masterpiece. All for the reason of preserving the Heroes’ stamina. Just to buy a few minutes of time for a meal.

 

What could those soldiers have been thinking?

 

As someone who prioritizes survival above all else, it was behavior I could never understand.

 

-The Ability to Exploit Mental Weaknesses Through Desires was at a level superior to most demons.

“Why are you telling me this story now?”

 

The Demon Lord, as if having said everything he wanted to say, only let out laughter instead of answering.

 

It was unpleasant.

 

At any other time it might be different, but this wasn’t a story worth hearing while being pelted by snow in such cold weather.

 

Suddenly.

 

A tremendous roar erupted along with vibrations. The already strong wind burst forth with a shockwave. The accumulated snow crashed over me like a wave.

 

“An explosion…?”

 

No.

 

With the World Tree’s help, I barely managed to push through the snow and could hear the cry of a massive beast.

 

A torrent of mana. And within it.

 

Fragments of pure power incomparable to anything else. I felt clear traces of Divinity.

 

I raised my head toward where the cry had come from.

 

A location slightly away from the Capital. A hideous stain was spreading across the sky.

 

Though I was seeing it for the first time, my instincts screamed out its identity.

 

The legendary creature that countless Mages had tried to recreate.

 

A Dragon.

 

It had been resurrected into the world.

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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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