I Picked up the Demon King - Chapter 92

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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 92

 

A rumor began to spread throughout the Holy Nation.

 

A rumor that the Hero would attend the upcoming Grand Mass.

 

“The Hero… you mean Ruin Epeldor?”

“No, they say it’s the Third Hero…”

 

The reaction of the Holy Nation’s citizens was peculiar. It was too ambiguous to say they were purely happy about it, but there weren’t many who openly disliked it either.

 

It was an inappropriate response toward the Hero, who was the Goddess’s representative and the world’s savior, but considering the Third Hero’s track record, it wasn’t incomprehensible.

 

“That incident in the Balaih Kingdom…?”

“His name was Johnny, I think. Such a common name.”

“I was there too, at that place.”

 

It was Johnny, known as the Third Hero, who had stopped the holy war declared by the Pope.

 

His heroic actions of reproaching the Holy Nation’s immoral conduct without backing down even an inch before a great army had become an inspiration to many across the continent. But for devout followers of the Goddess, it was a confusing matter.

 

Because the Goddess’s sword had stopped the holy war.

 

Not many people could easily accept the fact that the religious order they had believed in and followed their entire lives was wrong. But it was also difficult to think that the Hero was wrong.

 

In the end, most believers suspended their judgment and could only show such ambiguous attitudes.

 

But that was only the story of the Holy Nation’s people. For tourists visiting the Holy Nation, there could be no better spectacle than this.

 

Many people flocked there.

 

Those who had been in nearby villages and those who had finished their sightseeing and were about to leave also returned.

 

In such circumstances, the day of the Grand Mass arrived.

 

“Wow, I…”

 

Being pushed and shoved repeatedly. There were so many people that it was hard to even speak properly. Even Remal was struggling to follow along, trying to prevent her robe from being pulled off.

 

Would we even be able to enter the Papal Palace at this rate?

 

I didn’t know how spacious the chapel would be, but it seemed impossible to accommodate such a large crowd. More than that, it probably seemed already full.

 

But the line gradually shortened. As if there was a door to another world somewhere in the Papal Palace, people endlessly entered inside.

 

After about two hours like that, we finally crossed the threshold of the Papal Palace.

 

Without even having time to admire the ornate sculptures or chandeliers, we were pushed by the crowd and went down underground. The fact that there were a few priests waiting on the stairs to maintain order was fortunate, if anything could be called fortunate.

 

And finally.

 

The true appearance of the Papal Palace, which wasn’t visible from the outside, came into view.

 

“This is…”

 

Exclamations echoed from here and there.

 

The giant cavern formed underground, with streams of water flowing along the walls, was truly a spectacular sight in itself.

 

At the same time, it seemed large enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people. In terms of scale, it was incomparable to the altar where the Elf King had been. To accommodate all the people who visited the Holy Nation, it would need to be at least this large, but it was absolutely astonishing.

 

How could such a space be created?

 

-It’s a remnant from the distant past.

‘The distant past?’

 

If the Demon Lord called it distant, how long ago must it have been? It might be a story reaching back to the Mythical Age.

 

Since there seemed to be quite some time left before the Grand Mass would begin, I tried to concentrate on whether I could sense the Great Demon’s horn and listen to the story.

 

-The Mythical Age… That’s the story of an era when gods actually existed in the Middle Realm. Naturally, its end is the destruction of the gods.

‘What an obvious story.’

 

No matter how few records remained about the Mythical Age, there were always things that came up when investigated. I had read dozens of related papers at the Magic Tower. This was enough knowledge to show off anywhere.

 

Gods. Beings that the Demon Lord also called spirits.

 

The doctrine of the Goddess’s religious order officially denied that. They looked down on them as merely mortal beings, not gods. Considering that they ultimately perished and disappeared, it wasn’t entirely wrong either.

 

-Divinity can exert tremendous power with even its smallest fragment. You should know this from your experiences so far.

 

The Ice Spirit froze everything, the World Tree possessed immense life force, and the dragon held infinite mana.

 

Each one possessed power that wasn’t easy to deal with. It was even more so when considering that these were merely weak fragments that weren’t even complete.

 

-Then, why did those gods perish?

‘…’

 

The authors of the papers had concluded this: that their immense power came from people’s faith.

 

That as ancient humanity, who had been ignorant and blindly worshipped strong things, gradually gained wisdom and turned their eyes away from myths, the forgotten beings lost their power and disappeared.

 

But what if that wasn’t the case?

 

Who could have defeated the complete gods of that time? It was a realm that thoughts couldn’t easily reach.

 

The Demon Lord was now hinting at that. That this space was a trace suggesting the battle of that time.

 

“Lord Jude.”

 

At that moment, Remal called out to me.

 

“It begins.”

 

The grand worship service had started.

 

From an incredibly distant place, so far that it was difficult to make out any shapes, someone moved.

 

Would this really allow for a proper ceremony to proceed?

 

Just as that thought crossed my mind, massive holy power came rolling in like waves from the distance.

 

‘If I had even a little mana, I would have definitely died.’

 

Breaking out in cold sweat, I looked around. It wasn’t difficult to find the source of the holy power. The citizens filling the Holy Nation. Everyone who could use holy power was emanating it.

 

It was a moment when I could understand why the Holy Nation, despite its small size, was called a great power comparable to the Empire.

 

Divine power settled into the people.

 

Physical abilities were enhanced and concentration increased. The platform that had only been faintly visible in the distance now seemed as if it were right before my eyes.

 

Majestic music resonated throughout.

 

It felt as if this place wasn’t reality. The people who had been chatting while waiting for the start fell silent. They even tried to hold their breath, finding even the sound of breathing bothersome.

 

I felt like I could understand why fanatics were born. Anyone who experienced something like this would become devoted to faith.

 

“We shall begin the worship service.”

 

The wrinkled priest spoke.

 

* * *

 

“Johnny is not the Hero.”

 

When the dragon that appeared in the Empire fell, and rumors somehow began circulating that they were the ones who stopped it, Shtidy rushed to the trading company owner Dahan.

 

Those were the first words she heard then.

 

It wasn’t shocking.

 

She had felt enough during their time together that Johnny wasn’t someone suited to be a Hero.

 

He had no special abilities, no outstanding talents, and wasn’t particularly brave either.

 

At best, he was average.

 

“Naturally, you’re not the Hero’s companion either.”

 

However, the words that followed were somewhat shocking. No, rather than shocking, it felt like being hit in the head.

 

Why had the Tower Master pushed her into this group of fraudsters? She felt foolish for abandoning her research that had been progressing well.

 

That’s why she couldn’t understand the words that followed.

 

“I intend to make Johnny into a real Hero.”

 

No, was that really the reason?

 

Making a fake Hero into a real Hero. Wouldn’t it be natural for anyone to not understand such a story?

 

When she let out a hollow laugh, not even feeling it was worth responding to, Dahan tilted his head slightly and turned his gaze to the side.

 

“Being a Hero is no different from magic born through one massive ritual.”

 

The Green Tower Master was sitting there.

 

The Tower Master uttered just one sentence and closed his mouth. How long had he been there? Her eyes trembled slightly, but no one paid attention. Dahan continued speaking.

 

“Do you know about primitive magic?”

“Before the First Tower Master established the towers and systematized magic. Magic that existed in the distant ancient times. Now called sorcery and said to be passed down among a few minority tribes.”

 

It was a story that any mage who graduated from the Academy would have heard at least once during liberal arts classes. It was only mentioned to honor the First Tower Master’s achievements, but didn’t hold value as a field of study itself.

 

“That’s not true. Current magic, while taking a systematic form, has aspects that correspond with primitive magic. And if used well, it can show very powerful strength.”

 

Dahan shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.

 

Shtidy frowned, feeling annoyed. From what she heard, he seemed like a junior from the Academy, but who was he to act knowledgeable when he wasn’t even a magic major?

 

But she didn’t show it any further. The Green Tower Master wasn’t showing any reaction at the moment.

 

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because the Hero’s trial can be seen as one of those ancient magics. Of course, reproducing it would be extremely difficult, but…”

 

Dahan rested his chin on his hand and raised one finger.

 

“What happened once can happen again.”

 

The first principle of magic.

 

It wasn’t a particularly difficult concept. Just as practicing throwing a ball improves accuracy, just as swinging a sword increases precision. The more a specific phenomenon repeats, the easier it becomes for it to happen again. Being able to omit even incantations after repeating the same magic was also part of this.

 

Understanding the principles of the world and reproducing phenomena was the role of mages. Going further, contributing to humanity’s advancement by utilizing them.

 

Conversely, drawing out new phenomena was the work of dark mages.

 

“I intend to make Johnny into a real Hero.”

 

Dahan repeated once more.

 

“The Hero is already a phenomenon that has been repeated twice. The third time will inevitably be easier than the second. Of course, since Johnny cannot overcome the trial, we’ll use something else.”

“…Something else?”

 

Only then did Dahan smile.

 

“Faith.”

“Faith….”

 

Dahan rose from his seat and approached Shtidy. Walking leisurely, he spoke word by word as if humming.

 

“Rituals, ceremonies, worship. What they all have in common is that they are based on faith. People’s faith is powerful magic in itself. If everyone believes he is the Hero, if they believe he is the one who overcame the trial.”

“With just something like that, he becomes the Hero?”

“Do you think it won’t work? If everyone in the world believes it, then it already becomes fact.”

 

Dahan placed both hands on Shtidy’s shoulders and whispered in her ear.

 

“Have you ever heard of a race that steals existence by impersonating others?”

“Doppelganger.”

 

It was a demon from the Demon Realm famous for having insignificant power but instilling the fear that it might be taking your place at any moment.

 

“Now, you’re telling us to do such a thing?”

“Why, can’t you do it?”

 

Shtidy squeezed her eyes shut.

 

If someone could steal another’s achievement and become the Hero, what would happen to the one who originally accomplished that achievement? What would it mean to achieve something worthy of becoming a Hero yet receive no recognition from anyone?

 

How would they react if they knew everything they had accomplished had been stolen?

 

“…dy, Shtidy!”

 

When she opened her eyes, Johnny was looking at her with concern.

 

She took a deep breath. She could see what appeared to be tens of thousands of people quietly looking up at the platform.

 

Johnny was standing beside that platform, speaking.

 

“It’s our turn now. Let’s go.”

 

Shtidy began to walk.

 

Toward the massive fraud against 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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