250
I Killed the Demon King. It Was a Mistake
Chapter 250
Gloria projected her 'will' to remove the armor.
However, strangely, Gloria's armor only trembled but would not come off.
"Huh...? What's going on?"
Trembling.
Gloria projected her intention several times, but the armor would not come off.
"M-Master, the armor won't come off!"
-N-No! I don't want to go!
-Gloria! Please don't let me fall into that man's hands!
"Why is this happening? It was working fine just a moment ago?"
This is an interesting one. As expected of a gargoyle, it knew how to use psychometry. That's why even though Gloria kept telling it to come off, it was firmly refusing while trembling.
"Hold still."
Caesar said while tapping the armor.
"Looks like this is defective. Well, it can't be helped. I'll have to tell the Demon King to take it back."
-W-What?!
"What's the point of keeping a defective armor that can't even be properly put on and taken off? I'll return it..."
Whoosh!
Finally, the armor melted like water and moved to Gloria's neck. The armor transformed into a beautiful ruby necklace and hung there.
"I guess I'm not used to handling this one yet."
"Can you give it to me for now? There seems to be some issue, so I'll go talk to the Demon King about it."
"Can I come along too? I want to know what's wrong with my armor."
Caesar thought for a moment and then nodded.
"Well, I suppose that wouldn't be bad. Come along."
Though he knew the reason very well. Caesar received the ruby necklace from Gloria. The ruby necklace trembled. It was more of a trembling from shame rather than anger.
-Di-Disgusting! A dirty man touching my body...!
-Gloria, please clean me quickly!
-Ughhhh...!
This one's androphobia is more serious than I imagined.
'Of all things, a gargoyle with androphobia.'
It seems like all good things always have some kind of flaw.
***
Agatha was at the dock with Raven.
"You're removing the magic now?"
"Yes."
As Agatha waved her hand, the succubi maintaining the illusion flowers withdrew their power. Then the flowers that had filled the coast disappeared instantly, and the dock vanished like a dream.
Following that, Raven and the mages began using magic in unison. Complex spells that Caesar couldn't understand began intertwining, and solid rocks rose from the sea.
Rumbling.
Hundreds of rocks rose up, causing a small earthquake along the entire coast. Then the rocks began to be kneaded like soft mud and formed a flat dock.
"...Magic truly is magnificent."
How long did they say it took to build the dock in Luxhope?
I heard it took almost a year of hard work, but with magic, the dock was completed in just 10 minutes. Raven wiped her sweat and said to the wizards.
"Do the final safety check and tell them to begin unloading."
Only then did Caesar approach Raven and Agatha.
"Magic really is amazing. Creating a usable dock just like that."
"It's not perfect since it's a temporary dock built on sand. It'll last three years at most? We made it roughly since it's urgent, but we'll need to rebuild it properly later."
Raven glanced at the ruby necklace in Caesar's hand.
"By the way, why did you bring that? Is there some problem?"
It seems Raven had already noticed this wasn't a normal armor.
"The armor doesn't seem to listen very well. I came to get a proper explanation."
Agatha looked at it with eyes that seemed to say she expected this.
-De-Demon King...
-When you look at me with such disappointed eyes...
Trembling.
-It feels so good yet so sad...!
Caesar was overwhelmed with the urge to throw this thing away immediately. Does this one like all women? Agatha spoke while holding the ruby necklace.
"Want me to explain everything?"
"Since this one needs to use it, it would be better to know most things."
Agatha nodded as if she understood.
"If that's the case, it would be better for it to explain directly rather than me explaining."
Agatha threw the ruby necklace in the air and said.
"Explain who you are yourself. Primachos."
The ruby necklace emitted light and transformed into armor. The armor stood before Agatha on its own.
However, it continued to speak to the Demon King without moving at all. It seems it still doesn't want to reveal that it's a gargoyle.
-Do you really want me to explain everything?
-What if Gloria ends up hating me...!
However, since Agatha couldn't possibly use psychometry, only Caesar could hear it.
Gloria tilted her head and spoke.
"Primachos? This armor had a name?"
"Every Moon Knight armor has a name. There's one called Geogon, and others like Hemagos, Pyradracos."
"I guess the blacksmith who made it named it that way?"
"No, gargoyles name themselves."
"...What? Gargoyles?"
Agatha tapped Primachos as she spoke.
"Do I have to explain everything? Primachos? Stop being evasive and explain everything yourself."
Primachos hesitated for a moment but finally moved.
Clank-
Only Gloria jumped back in surprise.
"Eh, ehhh?"
Primachos crossed its feet habitually, not knowing what to do.
-I, I knew this would happen.
-She's afraid of me...!
-She was the first owner I really liked in 100 years!
-What if she hates me?
-We haven't even become close yet...!
"What is this? Is it really a gargoyle?"
Primachos, seemingly resigned, began writing letters on the ground with his finger.
[Hello? Gloria?]
Gloria felt goosebumps all over her body, as if her hair was standing on end.
"What, what's going on? You were really alive?"
[Sorry, I hid that I was a gargoyle because I thought you'd be scared.]
"What?"
Gloria reflexively looked at Agatha.
"You didn't tell me this when you gave me the armor!"
Agatha shrugged her shoulders.
"Well, it wasn't a situation where I could explain everything. And this one wanted to hide its identity."
Primachos hastily wrote:
[Gloria, I really like you. I love your silky hair, your skin, and your firm muscles! So please don't be scared...]
"Aaaaaaahhhh!"
Gloria screamed and hid behind Caesar. Agatha shook her head and sighed.
"I knew this would happen."
Caesar also got a headache. To think that an end-game armor that fell into Gloria's hands would turn out to be such a pervert. Even with good performance, Caesar wouldn't readily give such armor to Gloria.
"I think we need to return this?"
[Wait, wait! I have something to say.]
"You better think carefully about Gloria who has to wear a pervert like you."
[I'm not a pervert!]
"So far you've been exactly that?"
[I just appreciate beautiful women! Like myself!]
"...Like yourself?"
[Look. Where else can you find armor with such a beautiful figure like mine? I think that to wear beautiful armor like me, you need to be at least as beautiful as I am.]
It placed its hands on its waist and struck a model pose.
This is truly incredible.
"A narcissistic perverted gargoyle..."
This seems to have gotten even more dangerous?
[What's wrong with valuing myself? Just as knights want to wear good armor, I want to meet a good partner. And that's you, Gloria!]
Gloria looked at Primachos over Caesar's shoulder and said:
"...Why do you like me?"
[Because you're beautiful! Not just your appearance, but your desperate desire to grow and your bravery to never kneel before any enemy! I was so impressed by your inner beauty as much as your outer appearance.]
Primachos had unexpectedly understood Gloria more deeply than anticipated.
[Gloria, I can make you stronger. Since my birth from Demon King Diana's hands 250 years ago, I've met three partners. And each of them became legendary knights.]
"...Legendary knights?"
[Yes. You must have heard of them? The Platinum Knight Liana, the Wild Lioness Yura, and Red Crescent Wendy. They all met me and left great marks on this world.]
Gloria's eyes widened.
The Platinum Knight Liana, the Wild Lioness Yura, and Red Crescent Wendy. They were legendary knights that any knight would have heard of. And they all shared the commonality of being female wandering knights.
[You have talent, Gloria! If you partner with me, you can surely become a legendary knight like my past partners! You're more than capable!]
Interest began to spark in Gloria's eyes.
"How can I become stronger?"
[I'll be your teacher. I can teach you everything from how to handle me to how to wield a sword!]
Gloria emerged from behind Caesar. As Gloria began to properly look at it, Primachos became ecstatic.
[Let's be together, Gloria.]
Gloria looked at Caesar and said:
"Master. What do you think?"
Caesar crossed his arms and looked at Primachos. If it were just a sturdy armor, there would be no need to accept such a pervert. But if it has much experience and can teach Gloria, that's a different story.
After all, Liana, Yura, and Wendy that it mentioned were truly legendary knights who had been immortalized in fairy tales and plays.
Liana, as a daughter of a fallen noble family, had brought down the entire viscounty that had caused her family's downfall.
The Wild Lioness Yura was a female knight who formed a blood pact with barbarians and defeated Count Vex's army that had tried to exterminate the barbarians.
Lastly, Red Crescent Wendy was an honorable knight who made her name during the time when the Devil of Plague ran rampant.
If this one had worked with such knights, it would surely be of great help to Gloria.
However...
"Let me ask you a few questions, Primachos."
[I don't really want to talk with you, Caesar.]
This fellow doesn't seem to read the atmosphere.
"Gloria, it seems he and I don't match well. I'll find you another armor."
"Well, if that's the case, it can't be helped."
When Gloria gave up more easily than expected, Primachos was startled.
[Wait! Wait! Ask me! What do you want to know?]
"I thought you didn't want to talk to me."
[I do! Hurry and ask!]
Indeed. Now you finally see who's in charge, don't you?
"The Platinum Knight Liana. I'm curious about that knight's end."
[Liana? Why about that friend's end?]
"From what I know, Knight Liana died from fatal wounds after completing her revenge, is that correct?"
Primachos couldn't answer immediately.
[Legends are always bound to be distorted.]
"When did Knight Liana die?"
Primachos couldn't answer immediately and stopped moving its hand. The reason Caesar knew so well about the Platinum Knight Liana was because he had played the Valent Saga as an 'Adventurer Origin.'
While playing as an Adventurer Origin, one receives a quest to find the Platinum Knight Liana's sword. As you progress through the quest to find Liana's sword, you can discover a small note in the 'Fallen Fortress' where Liana was said to have died.
[Do you know a lot about Liana?]
"Knight Liana wasn't a knight obsessed with revenge. Rather, she was a knight who understood honor. I've always thought that such an honorable knight wouldn't kill everyone including children without exception. What really happened?"
Primachos pondered for a moment before beginning to write.
[Liana died absurdly from poison right before taking her revenge. Those damned crow bastards must have thought she would seek revenge against them, so they poisoned her food.]
The crow bastards referred to Liana's rival family, the Viscount Cuervo family.
[Liana asked me for revenge while coughing up blood. She begged me to take revenge on those crow bastards. So I killed all the crow bastards without leaving a single one.]
The note left in the Fallen Fortress contained an assassin's letter to Viscount Cuervo. It stated that Liana had died coughing up blood after being poisoned. In other words, unlike the fairy tale version, the revenge was carried out after Liana's death.
[What's wrong with that?]
"No, while the lack of mercy in the execution is somewhat concerning, I find it quite satisfying. Then what happened to the person who poisoned Liana's food?"
Primachos's fingers twitched.
[Of course I killed them.]
"Who was it?"
[Gent, Liana's lover and most trusted friend.]
Primachos stopped writing and stood straight facing Caesar.
It was predictable what he would say next.
-That's why I don't trust men.
-Liana, Yura, and Wendy all died or were severely injured because they trusted men.
-So even if Gloria trusts you, I will never trust you.
-Gloria should only trust in her own strength.
The cause of Primachos's pathological aversion to men became clear. All of her partners had been severely betrayed by men.
Primachos wrote in front of Gloria.
[Gloria, you said you wanted to become stronger? I know of treasures hidden throughout the continent. I can find a sword that suits you, and artifacts you need.]
[So let's travel together for a while. Just 5 years. If you travel with me for 5 years, you'll become stronger than Caesar.]
Primachos extended his hand to Gloria.
-So come with me, Gloria.
Gloria answered immediately.
"I'm sorry, but I have no intention of separating from my master. And my only master is Sir Caesar. I have no intention of serving another master."
An ominous aura emanated from Primachos's body.
-...I see. You still can't trust me.
-Right, that's understandable. You don't know how strong I am.
Primachos removed its gauntlet and threw it at Caesar's chest. Then it wrote on the ground.
[It's a duel, Caesar.]
[We'll determine who can be of more help to Gloria.]
"Hooh......"
A duel.
Isn't that quite a simple yet clear solution?
"Well. I suppose living as armor for 250 years lets you imitate a knight somewhat?"
[Why, are you scared?]
"No, I'm quite pleased with how straightforward this is."
Caesar picked up the gauntlet and handed it back to it.
"If I win, you must cooperate fully with me for 5 years. Of course, the standard for cooperation will be based on my criteria."
[Fine. Conversely, if I win, you'll stay away from Gloria for 5 years.]
"Not bad."
Caesar drew out Thunder.
"Then I'll have to control my strength. I can't give Gloria a heap of scrap metal as a gift, after all?"