The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 153

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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 153

 

The demon race’s words, naturally interpreted through the system’s automatic translation, indicated that the Demon King was showing me his full support.

 

‘Well, um. It’s a good thing, but saying he’ll accept whatever I ask is a bit much.’

 

He’s someone responsible for governing a nation, isn’t that kind of talk too irresponsible? Does he have no advisors to begin with? Is it okay for a king to conclude such matters all by himself?

 

“Was there no opposition?”

 

The commander of the demon army answered with a puzzled expression, as if wondering why I was asking something so obvious.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

Even in the Central Church, despite me being a Saint, opposition kept popping up here and there. And that’s in the Empire where hierarchical relationships are clear.

 

“Obeying the king is natural. And the current Demon King is the strongest. It is right to be loyal to a strong and wise king.”

 

The demon race’s ecosystem was truly fascinating. Wasn’t Russia exactly like this? Just looking at how they follow strong rulers, it’s exactly like Russia.

 

With barren land and sturdy people, if Russia entered a fantasy worldview, it would be exactly like this.

 

“Thank you for letting me know. May I cross the Demon Realm with my companions? I’d like to meet and discuss with the Demon King.”

 

“I will make contact.”

 

The demon closed their eyes briefly. Then opened them.

 

“They ask who will be accompanying you.”

 

Some kind of special communication artifact? In the game, the demon race wasn’t handled well and was just treated like demons, so I don’t know much about them.

 

It’s surprising that this figure stationed at the front lines has an artifact that can communicate directly with the Demon King. Is it because their rank is quite high?

 

“Six people total including myself. Except for two, they’re all my people. The remaining two belong to the mercenary group Harmony and are temporarily allied with me.”

 

The demon closed their eyes intently again. Then opened them.

 

“They say it would be good if you ensure the Harmony companions don’t act rashly.”

 

“Yes. I’ll naturally keep that in mind. When and how can I meet the Demon King?”

 

“Coming to the capital where he resides is too far and transportation is inconvenient, so the Demon King will come directly to this area.”

 

“Directly…?”

 

“Due to the Demon King’s position, he cannot come to the front lines, but there’s a gate nearby that he can reach quickly.”

 

Ah, a gate. I know about gates. It’s the natural version of the portals the Empire created.

 

The Demon Realm has high magical energy concentration, so nature is also affected… When a lot of magical energy condenses, space gets torn, and when it becomes suitable for safe human travel, they name it a gate and use it.

 

But thinking about it, that just seems like traces of God’s failure in managing the world. Didn’t demons from other dimensions enter through there?

 

“I can guide you now. Do you want to go?”

 

“How many days of travel will it take?”

 

“About a day.”

 

“I’ll tell my companions to prepare.”

 

*

 

We finished everything and followed the demon’s guidance.

 

In the meantime, I received Cardil’s reproachful gaze for saying ‘Isn’t Erendor trying to lure us in to kill us?’

 

Despite clearly hearing that conversation, the demon walked silently as if they hadn’t heard anything.

 

“These… aren’t horses.”

 

“Horses cannot survive in the Demon Realm. These are domesticated monsters.”

 

Since information between the Demon Realm and Empire was extremely limited and showing interest was treated as heretical, only Tuba, Erendor, and Yelena knew much about the Demon Realm.

 

The two from Harmony knew because they were guys who traveled all over the world, and Yelena said she studied the Demon Realm more diligently, thinking it was common sense to know your enemy in order to kill them.

 

“Are we riding these?”

 

What stood before us was a giant beast with fluffy fur.

 

It looked like a mix between a wolf and bear, was as big as a bull, and had tough manes growing on its back. Despite its fierce appearance, its eyes were strangely innocent.

 

“They’re called ‘Karas’. One of the few beasts that can withstand the cold and poison of the Demon Realm. They have gentle temperaments.”

 

When the demon soldier patted the Karas’s neck, it growled and lay down on its belly. Probably making it easier to mount.

 

“It doesn’t… look gentle.”

 

Cardil stepped back in disgust. But Yelena was excited and had already mounted one of them, stroking its mane.

 

“Wow! It’s warm! The fur seems waterproof too?”

 

Despite being an Inquisitor who had beheaded dozens of demon heads, Yelena didn’t seem to feel any particular aversion.

 

I also kept an eye on Cardil’s condition, but other than being unusually less irritable than usual, he was perfectly fine.

 

Celestia also looked at the Karas curiously and plucked some fur. The Karas, feeling the sting, bucked and threw Celestia off. The clumsy Archmage ended up falling from her mount.

 

“You need to be careful.”

 

“Ugh… Yes.”

 

I poured ether into the fallen Celestia to heal her.

 

Cardil quickly picked up his master and placed her back on the Karas. Celestia was so small and light that even the scrawny Cardil could easily lift her.

 

Kalebrin also didn’t follow well, perhaps due to the curse, but when I glared at her a bit, she was able to handle the reins smoothly.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

I skillfully handled the Karas as if I had ridden one before. Actually, it seemed like the Karas was very intimidated by me and obediently listened well.

 

“Do we need to camp overnight?”

 

“We’ll arrive before then.”

 

The travel was swift. The Karas ran fearlessly across rough rocky mountains and frozen tundra.

 

Perhaps because their paws were wide, they didn’t sink in the snow, and they climbed cliff-like slopes with ease.

 

The scenery changed. The sky was tinged purple, and the magical energy concentration in the air became thicker.

 

It was at a level that would cause ordinary people to vomit, but to me it just felt like slightly acrid fog.

 

Since I had magical purification devices and was enveloping the party with my ether, they could move around normally in this magical energy.

 

Of course, if they strayed from my sight, they’d have to rely on just one purification device, which would be difficult.

 

As the sun set and purple smoke became thick, a village appeared.

 

Since we had crossed the mountain range, we could see the entire village at a glance, and in the center there was a tear-like gash with stone buildings around it.

 

“He’s waiting there. Since many wild monsters come out when it gets dark, I recommend staying in that village for a day before moving on.”

 

“The Demon King is there…”

 

Yelena muttered. The Inquisitor facing the king of heretics made an ambiguous expression before soon returning to composure.

 

…Peeking a little into Yelena’s mind, she was now aiming to discover the truth, the full story behind all these incidents. Her goal was to bring down Lumensia. She wouldn’t do anything rash even when seeing the Demon King.

 

‘The Demon King.’

 

That man whose head I severed.

 

The cutscene that ended with incomprehensible words.

 

At first, I thought meeting the Demon King would solve all these incidents…

 

We rode the Karas and stopped at a house.

 

Among the identical buildings, it was a particularly conspicuous structure.

 

Reflecting the harsh environment of the barren Demon Realm, it was a building roughly built with coarse basalt.

 

There were no windows, and the only decorations were bizarre beast skulls erected on both sides of the entrance and unknown symbols painted red above the door.

 

Rather than a church, it looked like the entrance to a giant tomb or fortress.

 

Judging by its use, it seemed to be used as something like a church or cathedral.

 

‘Do demons have churches too?’

 

After parking… the Karas in one place, the demon who was our guide and soldier opened the door without even knocking.

 

The interior was spacious but dim. The only lighting was a few torches hanging on the walls.

 

In the center of the altar, instead of a divine symbol, a giant black stone pillar rose up, and incomprehensible rune characters glowed red on its surface.

 

And in front of that stone pillar, someone was sitting on the podium.

 

“…”

 

My companions’ breathing stopped.

 

He was leaning diagonally against a rough stone chair, supporting his chin with one hand.

 

Gray skin and pointed ears, spider web-like black hair.

 

Bright red pupils and jet-black whites.

 

Magnificent horns on his head.

 

I had slashed his heart and killed him.

 

I was meeting the target I had defeated in the game, while possessing a game character who was about to die.

 

“It’s been a long time… A very, very long time.”

 

“It seems like it’s been a few months since we last met. Sernuan Lumiere, Ascetic.”

 

“A few months… Is it really just a few months?”

 

“…?”

 

The air around him flowed differently. It was on a completely different level from the intimidating aura that masters like Tuba or Erendor emitted.

 

He slowly raised his head to look at us. His red eyes gleamed in the torchlight.

 

When that gaze reached me, a chill ran down my spine.

 

Those eyes weren’t looking at me, but seemed to pierce through something beyond my very existence.

 

The Demon King slowly rose from his chair and spoke in a low, deep voice.

 

“We have met before in the previous world. Isn’t that right?”

 

“…!”

 

The system window I had kept open to ask questions if needed flickered wildly and shook violently. Then it shut off with a flicker, like a computer going into forced reboot.

 

“That….”

 

“…Ascetic, what is this about?”

 

“It would be best for the outsider to leave. You weren’t brought here for this conversation, were you?”

 

The Demon King politely issued an order to leave. Those standing behind me exchanged glances with each other. I turned back slightly and spoke.

 

“It’s fine. Everyone…. Please go to another room. I’ll share the relevant details with you later.”

 

“Hey, he’s not going to kill me after I go there, is he? I’m feeling uneasy since we came to enemy territory without much armament.”

 

I wanted to smack Erendor’s mouth. He acted cheeky with Harmony’s leader, and now he thinks the Demon King is the same.

 

The Demon King slowly blinked his long eyelashes.

 

“A seasoned warrior. It’s not the kind of anxiety I can’t understand…. Just this once, I’ll overlook your insolent words. And I’d prefer if you didn’t think of me as such a petty person.”

 

“Fine.”

 

And the party cleanly entered the room guided by the demon soldier.

 

“Sit.”

 

The Demon King came down from his throne and sat on a long bench. Then he patted the seat next to him with his palm.

 

His long black nails and fingertips that were pitch black like Kalebrin’s caught my eye.

 

“Conversation should be conducted on equal terms.”

 

I obediently sat next to him. Me, pure white as if a bucket of white paint had been poured from head to toe, and him, completely black. With the two of us together, we looked exactly like an angel and a demon.

 

“I’d like to discuss what you mentioned earlier at length.”

 

“You’re in a hurry. Anyway, if we’re going to piece together the information we know and oppose Lumensia, we’ll have no choice but to have a long conversation, so it would be better to stay calm. Ascetic.”

 

“…Yes. You’re right.”

 

“What you’re most curious about is because of my previous world comment?”

 

“Yes.”

 

The Demon King answered obediently.

 

“I made a contract with the God of Time under the auspices of the Forgotten Gods. And it was I who turned back the time of the Second 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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