26
I Killed the Demon King. It was a mistake.
Chapter 26
Serom couldn't believe what he had just witnessed.
"Ah, to think he killed a demon..."
What is a demon?
Isn't it an evil soul born in humans with little faith, a cursed finger born to overthrow believers?
A single knight had slaughtered a great evil that even holy knights or heresy inquisitors, who specialize in hunting demons, couldn't kill or deal with.
And he did it while laughing like a five-year-old child playing.
"Hmm..."
"Aaaaagh!"
Serom was startled by a sudden presence behind him and almost fired his gun.
Behind Serom stood a man wearing a snow-white coat with a huge greatsword on his back.
Everyone here would know who this man was.
A knight entrusted with the holy mission of being the first to rush in and hunt down demons when they appear.
A Holy Knight.
"I sensed a demon and came right away... But it seems someone has already dealt with it."
The Holy Knight spoke to Serom.
"Did that man lying next to the demon's corpse kill it?"
"Huh? Yes! That's right! Holy Knight, sir."
"Impressive. To kill a demon without holy oil. He must be an exceptional knight."
The Holy Knight approached the unconscious Caesar, stepping over the debris.
The police officers, including Serom, quickly followed.
The Holy Knight examined Caesar's body.
"Hmm..."
"Is, is there a problem?"
"His skin is tough and firm. Not a single scratch. Strong muscles and perfect bone structure too. It's a shame his lower body seems a bit underdeveloped, but with proper training, it wouldn't be bad."
The Holy Knight looked at Serom and asked.
"Do you know this man's name?"
"His name is Caesar Sylvatil. I heard he's a wandering knight."
"Oh, A wandering knight? That means he has no lord to serve, right?"
"Yes! As far as I know, that's correct."
The Holy Knight handed over the blue flame emblem, the symbol of Holy Knights, from his pocket and said:
"Take this and bring him to the Royder Church. He doesn't seem to have any broken bones or injuries, but his aura is depleted. He needs to rest in a safe place."
"Ah, yes! Understood! But may I ask your name...?"
"I'm Joseph, the Demon Eradication Officer in charge of the Homigraph branch. When he wakes up, tell him to contact me immediately."
"Yes! Understood."
While the police officers took Caesar and his axes to the Royder Church, Joseph gathered the demon's corpse into a sack.
Joseph examined the prosthetic artifact attached to the demon's right arm.
"An artifact... Then it must have been a Wizard demon."
Joseph surveyed the surroundings.
There were traces everywhere that couldn't possibly appear if it had been a melee-type demon using swords or simple fists.
A wandering knight who hunts Wizard demons alone, not even melee-type...
Joseph smiled.
"We might have found quite a useful talent."
* * *
An unfamiliar ceiling.
A snow-white ceiling and a soft bed.
Everything in sight is unfamiliar.
"...A hospital?"
As Caesar tried to raise his head and get up, sharp muscle pain tormented his entire body.
"Ow, it hurts."
Was it because he used Berserk three times?
His whole body aches with even the slightest movement.
This is why he didn't want to use Berserk until his body's durability reached a certain level.
He had to overdo it because of that damn demon.
Caesar looked around.
It seems to be a private room, but it's a very modest hospital room far from luxurious.
More importantly, there's a symbol on the wall.
Inside the diamond shape, a single elegant curve connects the left vertex to the right vertex.
That's the symbol of the Royder Church.
'Then is this a recovery room?'
The Royder Church's recovery room is a bit different from a hospital.
While the hospital run by Finn has nurses and doctors constantly making rounds and managing patients, the recovery room is closer to a place where you wait before or after receiving potions from the Royder Church.
They also pray for you as a bonus.
'Looks like they didn't use a potion.'
If they had used a potion, he would have had nightmares due to the overreaction of his psychometry.
That's a relief at least.
Just then, a nun wearing a white robe that covered her from head to toe entered the room.
"You shouldn't move recklessly now, Sir Caesar. Your muscles might suffer for a long time if you startle them."
"How did I get here?"
"The Homigraph police brought you."
"Then my axes..."
"Weapons are prohibited in the hospital rooms. However, someone named Harrison came and took all the axes."
That's a relief.
At least some stranger didn't take them.
"Now that you're awake, there's something I'd like to ask..."
"Wait a moment."
"Yes?"
"My bag."
"Your bag? I haven't seen any bag."
Sweat dripped down Caesar's back.
"Shit..."
"What? Did you just... Huh? Huh?!"
Caesar jumped out of the window wearing his patient gown.
The nun tried to grab Caesar by pulling on his gown.
But there was no way a mere patient gown could withstand Caesar's strength.
Riiip.
The patient gown tore, leaving Caesar with only stiff white boxer shorts on his body.
"Kyaaaaaah!"
The nuns walking outside screamed as Caesar fell from above.
Thud!
Zzzzing.
Is it because he moved recklessly?
His whole body feels like it's breaking apart in pain.
But he was in such a hurry that he could ignore this level of pain.
That bag contained the secret transaction documents of Viscount Duken.
If some stranger takes that, it would be a disaster.
"Kyaaaaaah! Pervert!!!"
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry!"
Caesar ran towards the East Line in his underwear.
***
The Smithmoor Police Station was in an uproar.
They had received news that there was a madman walking around in his underwear at the sacred Royder Church.
This wasn't just a simple pervert, but a grave offense of blasphemy that should be punished by burning the offender to ashes without leaving a single bone.
"Catch that pervert immediately!"
At Serom's thunderous order, the police officers rushed out without hesitation.
Although manpower was short due to the ongoing restoration work in the East Line, no one would object to shooting dead a pervert who had disturbed the nuns' eyes.
Information about the underwear pervert was being received from various places.
"I saw him running quickly towards the East Line?"
"Is that so? Thank you."
"But I'm not sure if I saw it wrong, but he seemed to resemble Lord Caesar's face a bit..."
"Shut your mouth right now! How dare you mention the name of the Devil Slayer! Do you want to die?!"
"I'm, I'm sorry! But I think he had red hair..."
The testimonies kept coming in.
White underwear and red hair.
And an appearance strangely similar to Caesar's.
The police continued to track the pervert with a sense of disbelief.
Finally, they arrived at the East Line.
The East Line was in the middle of restoration.
"Who would have thought those mafia guys were devil worshippers."
"Then does that mean Homigraph could have become a devil's den?"
"That's what I'm saying. If it weren't for Lord Caesar, we would all have fallen for the cursed devils' tricks and become heretics or been killed by those devil bastards."
"Long live Lord Caesar. Long live indeed."
The restoration of the East Line was progressing faster than expected.
As rumors spread that it was a place where a devil had been executed, devout believers from the four denominations across Homigraph personally joined in and worked zealously on the restoration.
Even the parliament released massive restoration funds, and with donations coming in from everywhere, there was talk that the East Line would be normalized faster than expected.
"Have you seen a flasher in underwear running by?"
"Ah, if you mean that madman, he was heading towards the river."
"Thank you! By the way, what's that?"
The police officers looked at the strange statue being erected in the square where the devil had died.
"Ah, an artist named Schultz is creating a sculpture of Lord Caesar slaying the devil. He says he's using the surrounding debris to represent the pain of the sacrificed police officers and innocent citizens... I'm not sure exactly what it means, but it doesn't look bad anyway."
"Oh, It's not finished yet, but it looks quite impressive."
"Indeed. To think that such an artwork is being created in the East Line, which was full of mafia guys. Isn't this evidence that Homigraph is changing?"
"Thank you. Well, I'll be on my way then."
"Be careful. That pervert's running speed is no joke. I wonder if he drank some strange potion sold at the Valentine Magic Tower."
The police officers rode their horses diligently towards the river.
As all the factories had temporarily closed and were observing a period of mourning due to the major event of a devil's appearance in the East Line, the river was clearer than ever before.
"Search every nook and cranny! That pervert must be here somewhere!"
"Yes, sir!"
While the police forces were thoroughly searching the river area, a man caught their eye.
It was a red-haired man on a white skiff in the river.
"There he is! The red-haired pervert!"
"Come here right now and surrender!"
The pervert slowly approached as the police called out to him.
And when he got close enough for them to see his face, the police officers couldn't close their mouths.
"Lo-Lord Caesar?"
"What's the matter?"
"Ah, that, could it be..."
The police officers examined Caesar's attire.
He was barefoot, but wearing a shirt and brown cotton pants.
The police officers somehow let out a sigh of relief.
"Have you seen a pervert running around in just his underwear..."
"A pervert? I don't know?"
"Is, is that so? By the way, how is your physical condition?"
Caesar shrugged his shoulders as he spoke.
"I guess muscle pain should be relieved through exercise after all. I feel better after moving around a bit."
"That's really fortunate."
"Well, I'll be going now. I'm in a hurry."
The police officers saluted Caesar.
"Take care, sir!"
"Sure."
Caesar leisurely sailed upstream on his boat, and the police officers began to search earnestly for the pervert.
***
Harrison rushed over at the news that Caesar had returned home.
"Lord Caesar! Are you alright?"
Caesar was calmly reading a newspaper in his study.
"Yes. I'm fine."
[Shocking! White underwear pervert spotted roaming around Royder Church!]
[Smithmoor Police vow not to let the pervert who harassed nuns go unpunished.]
Caesar put down the evening newspaper and yawned widely.
"Geez, they're making such a fuss about someone running around in underwear."
Harrison doubted his ears.
"It wasn't you, was it? Surely..."
"Actually, that was me."
Harrison wished he could turn back time and unhear what he just heard.
"To walk around in underwear at the Royder Church that follows the Goddess of Purity! That's blasphemy! It's not even beheading, but burning at the stake!"
"Well, I was in a hurry because I was worried my belongings might disappear."
Caesar had left his bag on the boat before going to deal with Gilbert.
He had no one to entrust it to, and he couldn't kill the guy while carrying a bag.
So he had rushed back, worried that someone might run off with his bag.
"By the way, was I unconscious for four days?"
"Didn't you hear about it at the Royder Church?"
"I ran out before I could hear anything."
Harrison's words were caught in his throat, but he decided to swallow them.
He realized that continuing this conversation with Caesar would only make him more upset.
"Yes. You were lying down for that long. If you hadn't woken up today, I was thinking of using a potion."
"What a waste of a potion. When you're in an Aura exhaustion state, it's normal to lie down for that long."
"Anyway, now that I've confirmed you're alright, I understand you'll rest well today and tomorrow."
"Sure. By the way, if you have time, tell me what happened to those Bloody Gold guys."
Harrison sat on the sofa, sensing this would be a long conversation.
"The Bloody Gold guys have all been eradicated. They say they're finding their safe houses one by one too."
Oh, my stomach hurts.
Because Gilbert turned into a devil, I didn't even get to see the money.
No, I just saw it.
That's why it hurts even more.
"They say they'll give a part of the money found in those safe houses to you as a reward, Lord Caesar. You'll need to visit the parliament soon to receive the commendation and the reward."
Caesar's expression brightened considerably.
"Really? I told you, people should do good deeds after all."
"Additionally, all the mafia under Bloody Gold were summarily executed."
"That's quite efficient. They killed them all?"
"They were all devil worshippers, so there was no need for interrogation. They all had to be killed."
"What? Why did those guys become devil worshippers?"
Harrison tilted his head as if finding it strange.
"Huh? Wasn't Gilbert a devil? So it's right that they followed a devil."
"Turned into a devil... Ah,I understand."
Ordinary people like Harrison don't know exactly why devils are born.
There aren't many places that explain devils in detail to begin with.
The church teaches about devils, but in a very ambiguous way.
Something like the seed of a devil resides in every human soul, and when that devil's seed sprouts, one becomes a devil?
You might say this doesn't make sense, but 200 years ago when devil research was less advanced, this was believed to be the truth.
But recent research by churches and scholars has proved that it's not because of some devil's seed, but because of "magic."
You might think they should just tell everyone the corrected truth, but it's not that simple.
If the truth were known, how would ordinary people view knights and wizards?
They might think of them as devil candidates or devil followers using devil techniques.
But they can't get rid of or reject knights, as the first emperor was the developer of body reinforcement techniques, and it's difficult to give up the immense power and abilities of knights.
The situation is similar for wizards.
And from the church's perspective, the truth being known would be disadvantageous.
It's much more beneficial for the church to preach that people need to come to church regularly, make offerings, and worship to suppress ‘the devil's seed residing in everyone's inner self.’
If they explain that devils are born because of magic, who would come to church to worship and make offerings?
So it's a structure where everyone gains happiness through appropriate lies.
Ah, let me correct that.
To be precise, it's a structure where the privileged class gains happiness.
"Then what about the other mafia guys?"
"There's no one in Homigraph openly claiming to be mafia now. They could be branded as devil worshippers and killed if they're not careful."
"What? That's not right!"
"Huh? Why do you say that?"
"It means I've lost three skulls to crack."
Harrison looked at Caesar with a slightly contemptuous expression.
"Well, you can think that way, but in the end, the mafia problem has been somewhat solved, so we should look at it positively."
"No. If we don't root them out completely, problems will arise again. I guarantee it."
"Then what do you think we should do?"
"I don't know either. It's impossible for me to go around cracking each of their skulls one by one."
Knock Knock.
Just then, there was a knock on the study door.
"Come in."
Jake entered, opening the door.
"Um... Lord Caesar. Guests have arrived."
"Can't we tell them I'm tired today and ask to meet another time?"
"They're people we can't easily ignore."
If the bear-like Jake is rolling his eyes like that, how high-ranking could they be?
It makes me even more curious.
"Who on earth is it?"
"...It's the Devil Eradication Officer from the Dre Order and the Heresy Inquisitor from the Royder Order."
Oh my.
They weren't high-ranking, they were scary people.
I understand why Jake is trembling like that now.
Harrison looked at Caesar and said,
"...Be careful not to get oiled up."
"Do you have to say it so frighteningly?"
"Because they're that scary."
Right.
You're correct.
I'm a bit scared too, you know.