I Picked up the Demon King - Chapter 94

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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 94

 

-Kill.

 

With those final words, the Saint collapsed weakly to the ground. The holy power that had filled the underground completely disappeared without a trace.

 

‘What was that just now…?’

-She must have been quite desperate. To forcibly attempt divine descent even when intervention was blocked. For just saying a few words, she’ll have to pay a great price. You’ve gained an advantage.

 

The Demon Lord spoke with satisfaction.

 

-That is, if you can safely escape from here.

 

The people who had been in ecstasy looked around with confused expressions. It was partly due to the backlash from the holy power, but more than anything, it was because the divine oracle had been incomplete.

 

Kill. Kill whom? Why?

 

Naturally, it was obviously me. It was the Goddess who had issued the oracle, knowing that I had brought the Demon Lord’s soul out of the Demon Realm. There was no way she wouldn’t have sensed my entry into the heart of the Holy Nation, which could be called her front yard.

 

“Heretic!

 

Someone’s shout became the signal flare.

 

Starting with a few people who quickly sprang into action, people began to move.

 

“There’s a heretic in here!”

“Dark Mage, demon worshipper!”

“Kill the enemy of the Goddess!”

 

Not everyone present was a devout follower of the Goddess.

 

However, it seemed that anyone who directly heard the voice of God would gain faith rivaling that of a High Priest. I began to see familiar madness in people’s eyes.

 

Could I escape from here?

 

There were hundreds of High Priests alone. Even when I could freely use mana, these were enemies I’d find it hard to be confident of victory against. On top of that, with people turned into fanatics, could I really fight my way out?

 

-Don’t worry too much.

 

The Demon Lord spoke in a bored tone.

 

-That thing sees much, but doesn’t know everything. Even with great power, it’s not omnipotent.

 

Was he referring to the Goddess? Those words weren’t comforting at all. In a place that was practically the Goddess’s front yard, what good would any of that do?

 

-Think about it. If that thing were complete, wouldn’t it have pointed you out directly? There’s definitely a gap to escape through.

‘Instead of just spouting such vague nonsense, quickly tell me a method…!’

 

Suddenly, Remal grabbed my body and pulled me along.

 

“Quietly, follow what the other people are doing.”

 

Led by her, I pushed between people and surveyed the surroundings.

 

Holy power spread out from various places. It didn’t have the same feeling of blessing as before. It was clearly waves meant for searching. I was once again grateful for having no mana, but paradoxically, I couldn’t escape because I had no mana.

 

“The exit is already blocked.”

 

That was the first thing the priests who had been waiting at the entrance did.

 

A dozen priests had closed the door and were watching the surroundings. The moment anyone showed movement to escape, they would obviously rush forward.

 

“It’s not impossible to force our way through, but we’d draw that much attention.”

 

Escaping from here wouldn’t solve everything. Unfortunately, this was the underground of the Papal Palace. The moment we got out, we’d face the Holy Knights.

 

The situation would worsen as time passed.

 

Remal wasn’t the only one with her face covered, but at this rate, they would try to verify identities before long.

 

Ashen skin and red eyes. The only trace that revealed she was an Elf was her pointed ears, but Elves were originally a rare race. To the eyes of excited people, even that might look like a demonic mark.

 

-A method… Right. I’ll tell you one. In your current situation where you can’t even properly handle the mana in your body, the surest way for you to survive is to sacrifice that Elf.

 

Point her out as a demon who infiltrated the Papal Palace, and escape while attention was focused on her. Given the Remal I’d seen so far, it was a choice she would readily agree to.

 

There wouldn’t be no attempts to find other demons or minions afterward, but it wouldn’t be easy to identify me specifically.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

When my steps stopped for a moment, Remal asked in a worried tone.

 

“…Yeah.”

 

Of course, that wasn’t among my options.

 

Just a few days ago, Albeng had seen me and her together. Not just Albeng, but other people in the Holy Nation would have witnessed it knowingly or unknowingly. But that wasn’t the only reason.

 

Having someone sacrifice themselves for me, watching that happen – it wasn’t a particularly good memory.

 

It would be nice if there was even a little leeway in space and time.

 

If I could draw a magic circle, even in my current state, I could probably activate one or two simple spells. Escaping through Deception wouldn’t be impossible either.

 

However, drawing a magic circle in this situation would obviously look suspicious to anyone watching. Especially since the floor was hard, making it necessary to use something like blood as a catalyst.

 

“Let’s go to the inner area.”

 

This was the underground of the Papal Palace, of all places. That couldn’t be the only exit.

 

If I go deeper inside, I should be able to find another exit.

 

After securing some space there, I can use Deception to hide my appearance and get out.

 

I slowly mixed into the crowd and pushed inward.

 

I probably wouldn’t stand out much. After all, the others were just running around shouting without any clear purpose either.

 

-It would be good to hurry. The madness of a group is….

“Kraaak…!”

 

Before the Demon Lord could finish speaking, a scream erupted nearby.

 

“That’s the one! He’s always complained about the Religious Order! He’s definitely a heretic. Kill him!”

“I, I’m…!”

 

It was indiscriminate violence. No, looking closely, there were people subtly inciting violence within the crowd. They would point at someone to make people excited, then quietly slip away. Such scenes were happening everywhere.

 

I couldn’t tell who they were or what purpose they had.

 

They could really be Dark Mages who had infiltrated the Religious Order, or they could be the Dawn Order. Perhaps they were even someone from the Religious Order trying to eliminate enemies using this opportunity.

 

It wasn’t something I needed to worry about.

 

What I had to do now was just push deeper inside, hoping not to be targeted as their next victim.

 

‘Shtidy and Albeng are…?’

 

How were they dealing with this chaotic situation? I looked toward the platform where they had been positioned just moments ago, but there was no one there anymore.

 

Neither the Pope, nor the Saint, nor Johnny and the other companions were there.

 

My speculation that there must be more hidden passages became a certainty. Even during this time, the people’s madness didn’t stop at all. Rather, it seemed even worse than before, not any less.

 

Someone grabbed the robe that Remal was wearing.

 

“…!”

“Ah, it’s a demon! Here…!”

 

When Remal threw a punch, all the teeth of the shouting man were completely shattered. Thanks to that, his cry didn’t continue, but several people’s gazes were already focused on us.

 

Remal quickly put the robe back on and said.

 

“For now, it seems we need to separate here.”

“It’s a demon! A demon has appeared! What the Goddess spoke of…!”

“I’ll follow you shortly. See you in a moment.”

 

Remal left only those words and quickly disappeared.

 

Perhaps it was because she had been taking care of me until now, but it was hard to follow with my eyes her movements as she slipped between people.

 

“…!”

 

A mass of Holy Power that flew from somewhere exploded in the area where Remal was presumed to be. No matter how lacking in offensive capability Holy Power might be, with that amount, it could have sufficient power depending on the purpose.

 

Would she be okay? I watched for a moment then turned away.

 

I didn’t have time to keep watching forever. I had to move quickly while Remal was drawing attention.

 

-Hmm. If it’s come to this, there’s no need to look for an exit, is there?

‘Shut up. You’re not helping.’

 

I change my objective.

 

There was no way to catch Remal who had already disappeared far away. Then I had no choice but to divert people’s attention.

 

Of course, I had no intention of becoming bait myself.

 

Even without me, something that could divert people’s attention surely existed in the Holy Nation.

 

‘It hasn’t been detected yet, right?’

-Well, that’s right.

 

The Greater Demon’s Horn.

 

I couldn’t know how that ominously named thing came to be placed in the Holy Nation. But guessing its purpose wasn’t difficult.

 

They must have noticed the power contained within it and tried to use it in some way.

 

I didn’t know if they had achieved satisfactory results, but even just its traces should be able to change the direction of that madness.

 

If that doesn’t work, I’ll have no choice but to threaten them by taking Johnny hostage.

 

* * *

 

“Where are we going now?”

 

Following the endlessly continuing staircase, Johnny asked among those moving busily.

 

However, no answer came back.

 

The one leading ahead only silently continued walking. Eventually, Johnny, growing impatient, spoke again.

 

“The situation outside is not normal. If we don’t return quickly to calm things down, there’s no telling what might happen.”

“Tsk.”

 

Suddenly, the Pope clicked her tongue and stopped in place.

 

“You talk too much. Without knowing your place.”

“…What do you mean?”

 

A cold gaze flew toward Johnny.

 

It was only for a brief moment. Before Johnny could even notice whether what he felt was real, the Pope resumed walking and spoke.

 

“The Goddess directly issued a Divine Oracle. She who had been silent no matter what was done, spoke directly at this moment. Don’t you understand what that means?”

 

It was a pace too fast even for young Johnny to keep up with. Shtidy was already panting for breath. But the Pope spoke without catching her breath even once.

 

“It’s the Demon Lord.”

 

The sound of someone gasping could be heard from somewhere.

 

“What the Goddess spoke of is most likely the Demon Lord.”

 

Johnny reflexively touched his mouth. To check if the frivolous breathing sound had come from his own lips.

 

“It’s not that I don’t want to experiment… but I cannot repeat past mistakes. Especially when our forces are already weakened.”

 

Who were those words directed at? Before he could interpret the meaning, the Pope’s footsteps stopped once again.

 

“We’ve arrived.”

 

Only then did Johnny lift his head to look ahead.

 

“This is…”

 

Dark.

 

That was his first impression. But in the middle of that darkness, an old sword emitting light by itself caught his attention.

 

“It’s the Holy Sword.”

 

The Pope, who had somehow appeared beside it, looked down at the Holy Sword with complex eyes and spoke.

 

“The First Emperor who founded the Empire, the First Hero left this in our Holy Kingdom… Yes. As a token of friendship.”

 

What naturally came to Johnny’s mind was the Hero’s strike that split the dragon. As if thinking the same thing, Shtidy caught his breath and asked.

 

“If it’s the Holy Sword, wasn’t that what Hero Ruin Epeldor possessed?”

“That one was newly made. I did consider handing this over. But considering it ended up going to the Empire anyway, it was a good decision.”

 

Though she continued to answer questions, the Pope’s responses were not at all considerate to the listeners.

 

There was no consideration. Her attitude showed she didn’t care at all if they couldn’t understand. She might have just been rambling about whatever she wanted to say.

 

“Come now, try pulling it out.”

 

Too naturally, too calmly. In exactly the same tone as when answering other questions, the Pope said this.

 

For a moment, Johnny didn’t realize the words were directed at him and asked back.

 

“…Pardon?”

“Heh…!”

 

The Pope let out a small laugh. Then she looked at Johnny with inorganic eyes and spoke.

 

“I said try pulling it out. If you’re truly a Hero, that is.”

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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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