269
I Killed the Demon King. It Was a Mistake
Chapter 269
Smog does not remember his name. What he remembers is his mother's quiet whisper.
-Hide in the fireplace.
-No matter what happens, you must not come out.
And it was a narrow, dark, and pitch-black chimney.
As he barely held on by pushing his fingertips and toes into the small cracks in the chimney, his mother called for Smog again.
-Child, come out now.
Unlike before, his mother's hair was disheveled, and one of her lips was swollen, but it was fine. Because she hugged Smog's soot-covered body so tightly it could break.
Growing up in such a strong mother's embrace, Smog gradually learned how to endure longer in the chimney, but Smog did not know. That this would be the last time he would have a human appearance.
-No!Noooo!
His mother's tearing voice.
Fire rising beneath his feet.
Smog endured even though it was hot. He would only come out when his mother called. He would come out when his mother told him to come out now.
Smog slowly climbed the chimney as he could not withstand the black smoke and heat rising. Let's climb. Yes, let's climb. If he climbed a bit more, it wouldn't be so hot. He wanted to cough as his breath was blocked, but he held it in. Because his mother told him not to come out no matter what. Smog slowly climbed, and climbed, and climbed again. And as he quietly climbed and climbed... Smog had become a devil covered in black smoke all over his body.
'...Hiding here reminds me of that time.'
Smog looked around the chimney emitting train steam. Dark, hot, and narrow. A perfect space for Smog to hide. Because Smog's entire body is composed of smoke, he is easily affected by the wind. In winter, the north wind blows, so if he just floats his body in the air and drifts along mixing with clouds, he would find himself in the south before he knows it.
That's why Smog had delivered the secret letter that Elijah asked him to pass to Prince Denver a week ago.
However, going up is the problem. Because the north wind continued to blow, it was impossible to go against the wind. But if he openly moved floating around in a black smoke state, he would be easily detected by the knights.
Therefore, the easiest way to move secretly and quickly was to use the train. By hiding his body in the chimney of a train heading north and waiting comfortably, he would arrive before he knew it.
Of course, unfortunately, the train Smog boarded ended at Tesseni Station, so he had to wait for the next train, but that didn't matter much. He could just hide his body in a secluded place on the train platform and slip into the steaming train chimney. So Smog was comfortably waiting until the final stop on the train heading to Vex.
"This bastard was hiding here."
Until Caesar found Smog.
***
Caesar secretly informed the crew that a devil had boarded the train, then changed into a crew uniform and distributed meals. Then he made eye contact with each person and used psychometry.
"Enjoy your meal."
"What? I don't eat beans...!"
"Would you rather eat beans for life or quietly eat beans now?"
"I'll eat beans now."
Occasionally troublesome passengers bothered Caesar, but when he shot them a murderous glare, they shut up and started eating. After thoroughly checking all the way to third class and even visiting the supply room to check for devils, nothing triggered Caesar's senses.
'Can it hide this well?'
There are not many creatures in the world that can deceive Caesar's senses, which have become as sharp as possible. Besides, hadn't he used psychometry one by one to find traces of the devil? If he still couldn't find traces, it meant there was no devil...
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding
'Is this defective?'
But the devil's call continued to ring. The train had now arrived at the next station and stopped. Caesar went out to the platform and headed to the engine room. The engineer looked at Caesar with anxious eyes.
"Ah, you still haven't found it?"
"It seems like there is a devil, but it's still hiding."
"My goodness, by the Goddess. Shouldn't we call the knights right away?"
"If we provoke the devil now, it will be a massacre. Tell them to have knights on standby at the next station and to have everyone disembark one by one for inspection."
"Yes. Understood."
"Then depart."
Caesar didn't think at all that Noah would make a defective product.
Noah's works were always masterpieces. Still, just to be sure, it seemed good to look at while comparing with the blue flame emblem that the holy knights possessed.
The blue flame emblem has a flaw where if a devil deliberately hides, it can't be found... But still, just in case. Caesar took off his crew uniform and sprawled on the bed.
'Where on earth could it be hiding?'
Not under the train, not among the crew, not among the passengers, so where exactly is it hiding? If someone can hide this meticulously, they must certainly be a famous one. Steam billowed out as the train departed. Caesar's eyes flashed as he watched the steam dispersing in the moonlight.
'Wait, could it be...?'
Among devils, there are quite a few that aren't in human form. Some are in animal form, some exist as objects, or as a kind of 'curse'. And there are devils that exist like smoke or air, like that steam...
'Smog or the Predatory Cloud.'
I know the Predatory Cloud was killed after causing a riot in Sodom. Then what remains is Smog. In particular, Smog serves as the attendant to the king of Niflheim, secretly conveying the king's will to the devils of Niflheim. If this one is aboard here, a place it might be hiding would be…
Caesar opened the door of the moving train, jumped up at once, and stood on the train roof. And cutting through the wind, he moved forward toward the top of the engine room. And...
"This bastard was hiding here."
He could discover Smog hiding quietly inside the chimney.
"Ce-Caesar?!"
Smog jumped out in shock. Caesar immediately swung Thunder to strike Smog. The word 'strike' was accurate because the powerful wind contained in Caesar's Thunder threw Smog onto the train roof. But Smog, as if completely unaffected, appeared on the roof in the form of a black man and looked at Caesar.
"Wh-what? Since when have you been targeting me?"
"That's what I should be asking?"
Caesar slung Thunder over his shoulder.
"Didn't you board here targeting me?"
Through this conversation, Smog could immediately see through the situation. It was just a coincidence that Smog boarded the train that Caesar was on. That means Caesar isn't properly prepared to capture Smog either. The look in Smog's eyes changed.
"Caesar, right now the whole world may feel like it belongs to you. But you will soon learn. That there is a limit to species that can never be overcome."
Smog tore at his own chest. Then acrid black smoke from his chest scattered in all directions, caught in the backwind.
"You are at that wall of limitation...!"
"You talk too much."
Caesar fitted a heavy piece of metal at the part where Thunder's axe blade and handle meet.
The metal piece was in the form of a heavy bracelet like handcuffs, and it fixed securely without gaps to the handle part of Thunder.
And Caesar sent aura flowing into Thunder.
Then white flames starting from the bracelet enveloped Thunder.
"Shall we start with you taking a hit?"
Smog didn't know how Caesar had killed Belial.
But he was certain that Caesar could never kill him.
Smog was impervious to any physical attack. Although he had taken damage from weapons coated with holy oil, the guy just put on a strange bracelet with no visible traces of holy oil. If so...
'Shall I test him a little?'
Smog accepted Caesar who was charging at him.
Caesar's abilities have not been properly revealed. Now that he had met Caesar, he was confident that if he collected data on Caesar and brought it to the king, he would receive a 'special gift'.
So this level of risk was acceptable.
His Thunder approached making a dangerous sound, but it didn't matter. The top of this train is already Smog's domain. The moment he digs into Smog, Smog will dig into his lungs and destroy them.
Caesar's Thunder cut through the black smoke that Smog emitted. And then...
"Aaaarrrgggghhh!"
Smog had to writhe in pain that burned from his internal organs. The white flames wrapped around Caesar's Thunder stuck stickily to Smog's entire body, burning him.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Dense black smoke instantly flared up, causing a dust explosion despite not being in an enclosed space.
"Aaaaargh!"
Smog could not see properly due to the excruciating pain that made him feel like he was losing his mind. Only a white hell was blocking Smog's path.
The white flames completely devoured and burned Smog's smoke. Smog, not knowing what to do, collapsed on the roof. Smog's true form looked like a withered and twisted lump of charcoal.
He rolled around with white fire appearing to burn continuously on the charcoal. He was rolling on the ground, trying somehow to extinguish the flames attached to his body.
"This is wonderful. Just wonderful."
"W-what is that...?"
"This? This is the 'Arch's Sacred Fire.'"
Arch's Sacred Fire. Noah Arch's ultimate devil hunting weapon and accessory.
Just like now, when aura is channeled into the weapon, the aura magically transforms into 'sacred fire' that burns devils. This sacred fire produces effects similar to the holy oil of the Dre Order, but has the advantage of operating with more common magic stones.
"The effect is certainly evident."
Smog is inherently weak to magic, and even though he has a glass body, he is a four-horned devil. If he is rendered powerless with just one hit like this, there is no need to even consider other devils.
"Now shall we begin the enjoyable interrogation session?"
Smog is the closest aide to Prince Denver. He would know a lot of the latest information about Niflheim. The thought of using psychometry on him made my mouth water.
Fssss!
"Huh?"
Smog's body was consumed by white flames, turned to ashes, and disappeared as it scattered in the wind. Caesar stared at Smog with a hollow gaze.
"Did he actually die?"
Caesar could feel that the 'devil's Call' that had been continuously vibrating had stopped. Smog had truly died. Just then, a half-burned letter from Smog's body began to fly away in the wind.
"Damn it!"
Caesar threw himself out of the train toward the burning letter being carried away by the wind.
***
The train conductor repeatedly bowed his head to Caesar.
"Thank you so much. I never dreamed that a devil would be on board."
Caesar waved his hand while brushing off twigs and leaves that had stuck to his hair.
"Well, that's fine. More importantly, how are the other passengers?"
"No one is injured. There are a few who fainted from shock, but..."
"Well, that's acceptable. Anyway, please take care of the remaining schedule."
"Yes. Understood!"
After the conductor left the room, Caesar took out a half-burned letter from his inside pocket.
Due to the Arch's Sacred Fire, it was burned in places, making it impossible to read the text. However, based on the 'mark of Niflheim' that remained on the partially melted seal on the envelope, it was clearly a letter from the King of Niflheim.
'The question is who this letter was intended for.'
Well, is there a need to think deeply about it? I can just read it with psychometry. Caesar began to read to whom and for what reason Prince Denver had written this letter.
-Since you have finally pledged your loyalty to me, I gladly accept it.
-Soon, invite the Kingdom of Dior officially to the founding ceremony day.
-If you do so, I will gift you eternal youth.
-Then, let us meet at that time.
-My servant.
Caesar opened his eyes and looked at the letter.
"So the Emperor has gone that far after all."
The Emperor ultimately decided to become a devil for immortality.
This is an unchanging flow even in the Valent Saga, where the moment it is revealed that the Emperor has become a devil, the Imperial Province collapses instantly, and with the end of the warring states period, the devil infestation begins.
'But the timing is quite early now.'
The way Niflheim infiltrates the Imperial Province is simple. They demand loyalty in exchange for granting wishes for 'immortality' like the Emperor's, or by saving precious 'people' who are dying.
But currently, Niflheim has not yet taken control of the Imperial Province. What if the Emperor's transformation into a devil is revealed in this situation?
As the Imperial Province controlled by Niflheim collapses, the era of devil infestation would be delayed, or Niflheim's power would weaken.
'This is not bad at all.'
Honestly, Caesar doesn't care what happens to the Imperial Province. He just needs to kill the Niflheim bastards.
'But the letter is completely burned.'
One problem is that the Emperor needs Prince Denver's invitation to become a devil, but the letter is already burned and cannot be delivered.
He cannot give the burned letter to the Emperor, nor can Caesar directly convey Niflheim's intentions to the Emperor.
'Should I be satisfied with knowing that they have already aligned their interests?'
The day the Emperor officially invites the Kingdom of Dior is the day the Emperor becomes a devil.
And at the same time, it can be officially revealed that Prince Denver is the actual ruler and king of Niflheim. It would be inhuman to miss this extremely entertaining event. Caesar put the letter inside his coat.
'Arch Duke would be pleased to receive this as a gift.'