Chapter 310: translated
I Killed the Demon King. It Was a Mistake.
Chapter 310
Hilos immediately left the venue.
Outside the venue was chaos.
"Aaaaargh!"
"Monsters!"
"Where should we run?!"
"You bastards, get out of the way! I said move!"
Hilos found order amidst the chaos. Everyone was fleeing in the direction opposite to the imperial palace. They were clearly being chased by something. What could they possibly be running from?
Hilos soon discovered the reason.
Keeeeeeeck! Gurrrrrrk!
Monsters spewing black liquid from their bodies were seen biting people.
Each of them had a single horn on their head, their flesh was easily crushed like slime, and instead of walking or running, they crawled on their two arms and pounced on people.
Hilos immediately recognized what these creatures were. They were failed experiments born in the Emperor's immortality laboratory.
Slash!
A knight cut one of them in half. Then it divided like slicing through slime, forming a gel-like structure.
"What? That's too easy."
While the knight was off guard, hands extended from the divided bodies of the failed experiments and grabbed the knight's ankles.
"You crazy...!"
The knight hurriedly cut off the failed experiments' hands that were grabbing both his feet. And then he cut the failed experiments again.
But the failed experiments only divided further without dying.
"W-what is this! What the hell is this!"
The knight slashed wildly at the failed experiments, but only created numerous smaller ones without killing them. Failed experiments of various sizes pounced on the knight and burrowed into his armor.
"Aaaaarghhhh!"
The small fragmented failed experiments ate the knight's flesh.
The knight wanted to take off and throw away his armor, but unfortunately, his armor was not the type that could be worn and removed without someone's help.
Soon the knight spewed blood and was assimilated by the failed experiments without leaving even a handful of bone dust.
Eventually, his armor rattled and stood up.
"...Aah."
The failed experiment that had devoured the man stood up wearing the armor. And it found a new prey. That prey was Hilos.
Aaaahahaha!
It let out a sound that could be either a scream or a laugh of joy as it rushed toward Hilos.
There was nothing Hilos could do. His body was already too old and there was no way for him to move. That's when...
Thud!
An approaching carriage ran straight into it.
"Prime minister!"
It was Lord Hudson.
"Please get in! We're heading to the imperial palace!"
Just then, the carriage window opened and a terrified Crown Prince stuck his head out.
"Hu-Hudson! What are you doing! Hu-hurry up! Those monsters are rampaging!"
"Prime minister! Quickly!"
Hilos opened the carriage door forcefully and got inside. As Hilos entered the carriage, the Crown Prince was huddled in the corner, curled up in terror.
"W-what's going on here? Why are devils and monsters suddenly appearing?"
Hilos found it pathetic that this cowardly human would be the next Emperor to lead the empire. Of course, given this absurd situation, it was uncertain whether the empire would survive at all.
Hudson looked toward the carriage window and said:
"We're going to charge straight through!"
Hudson drove the carriage toward the imperial palace. The road to the imperial palace was already packed with failed experiments.
The failed experiments spotted the horses and Hudson and rushed toward them, dripping black liquid. But Hudson didn't stop the horses; instead, he increased their speed.
Keeeeck!
The failed experiments rushed to bite Hudson and his horses. But the failed experiments couldn't even get a bite of the horses' flesh before being hit by the carriage and sent flying.
The horses led by Hudson were no ordinary horses. They had been fed special elixirs made specifically for horses, carefully selected from the Cork Magic Tower, and the horses themselves were of the highest grade battle horse breed.
These battle horses, which could crush orcs and trolls in the demon realm war, had no problem breaking through such soft failed experiments. Having finally broken through the failed experiments, Hudson headed straight for the imperial palace.
The road to the imperial palace was wide open. This was because while people were fleeing south from the failed experiments, Hudson alone was heading north.
Hilos' carriage passed by the destroyed Apsin Order. Failed experiments were continuously emerging from the Apsin Order, and those that had eaten people and were full began to divide.
Aaaahahahahaha!
The divided failed experiments again pounced on citizens.
"S-save me!"
"Please let me in! Save me!"
Hilos recalled the reports about these failed experiments. An insatiable hunger that never ends no matter how much they eat, an immortal body that cannot be killed by any physical attack.
An immortal body that neither ages nor dies when cut by blades was a brilliant solution to eliminate the Emperor's anxiety, but an immortal body that suffers from infinite hunger and loses its sanity was not what he had desired.
"......"
In fact, this disaster could have been prevented by Hilos.
The only reason he didn't prevent it was to thoroughly bring down the Emperor.
Hilos wanted not only to take his life but to strip away all the power and honor the Emperor had built up. So even if countless people would be sacrificed at the end of his revenge, Hilos had decided to thoroughly ignore it.
As the old ancestors said, to catch a demon, one must become a demon, so Hilos decided to become one. But... cursedly, Hilos' cowardly conscience brought guilt that tormented him.
"We're almost there!"
The main gate of the city walls surrounding the Imperial Palace came into view for Hilos. And he saw a carriage decorated with a golden eagle emblem passing through the fortress gate.
Around it, Dawn Knights on horseback were galloping while surrounding it on all sides. That carriage with the golden eagle emblem could only be ridden by imperial family members, and the scale of Dawn Knights accompanying it meant that the Emperor was riding inside.
Seeing that carriage, the gift from Count Vex in his inner pocket felt particularly heavy. When the carriage reached the main gate, the gate was slowly closing.
"Open the gate immediately!"
Hilos' command resonated loudly. The soldiers looking down from the top of the wall recognized the faces of Hilos and Hudson.
"It-it's the Prime Minister, Your Excellency! Open the gate!"
As the closing gate opened again, Hilos drove the carriage in. In the distance, he could see the Emperor's carriage heading toward the main palace.
Hilos pulled out a box from his breast pocket and pulled out the fountain pen. Hilos looked at the nib. The black ink that absorbed light was vivid.
"Un-uncle. We've s-survived now, right?"
Hilos put the fountain pen back in his pocket.
"That's right. Shall we check if His Majesty the Emperor is safe?"
The carriage arrived at the main palace.
Horses and carriages were abandoned at the entrance of the main palace.
Probably due to their hurried entry into the palace. Hudson, Hilos, and Trika got off the carriage and headed toward the main palace.
But halfway there, his legs gave way and his body fell forward. He cursed his old body. Trika, who approached belatedly, supported Hilos.
"Are you alright? Uncle?"
"I'm fine, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
"I brought the... Ah... Um... Caesar..."
Caesar?
"Why are you suddenly looking for Caesar?"
"Well... I brought Caesar's axes and Raven's wand... But... Uh..."
What nonsense is this? Why does the Crown Prince have Caesar and Raven's weapons?
"Where are they?"
"In the carriage's cargo compartment. Is that okay?"
"Okay? Is that what you should be asking me right now? Why did you bring them?"
"Ah, um... In case they don't come to the evening party..."
Hilos was so dumbfounded he couldn't even sigh.
"Fine. Since it's already happened, let's talk about it later."
Hilos pushed away the Crown Prince's hand and walked up the stairs alone. I might die of frustration if I accept help from this fool.
Hilos calmly entered the main palace. The first thing he felt upon entering was the pungent smell of blood.
The maids' necks were cut, and the eunuchs' and soldiers' necks were all cleanly severed. The Crown Prince's feet froze at the sight of the corpses.
"Un-uncle. This is..."
Things had gone terribly wrong. Who could have committed such a massacre inside the imperial palace?
"Do not resist, knights. I don't want to fight beautiful gems like you."
Hilos reflexively looked toward the audience chamber. There was a man inside the audience chamber, and the Dawn Knights were confronting him.
"Who are you?"
"I am Eligos."
The man slowly walked down the long corridor of the audience chamber.
"I am the right hand of the great King of Niflheim and a knight who seeks to see the pinnacle of martial arts."
Eligos was a devil that even Hilos knew about.
He was a devil who supposedly appeared without fail when knights wept in frustration after hitting their limits and being unable to grow, helping them break through those limits.
Of course, in exchange, those knights would live as devils afterward. How could such a devil look like such an ordinary man?
Where were his horns?
"All of you are excellent knights. Your talents are outstanding, and your desire for improvement must be strong."
"Don't come any closer...!"
Clang!
As Eligos' sword moved, the Dawn Knight's sword was cut clean off. The Dawn Knight who instantly lost his sword momentarily flinched in fear.
"Then what is it that you lack? Just one thing: a body that breaks easily and ages."
Eligos' sword moved again. And then he cut off another Dawn Knight's sword.
"...Impossible."
One of the Dawn Knights realized what Eligos had just done.
"Sword aura...?"
Eligos infused his sword with aura.
Then, a purple aura gently embraced the sword. The way it perfectly wrapped around the sword without fluctuating like a sword ki was the sword aura that was said to be usable only by heroes currently.
"Have you never felt despair watching a hero? Have you never wept at the impossibility of matching a hero's martial prowess?"
"Or perhaps you've given up, thinking that heroes can do what they do because they are blessed by the gods, while you, without such blessings, cannot?"
As Eligos continued speaking, the eyes of some Dawn Knights began to cloud.
"Your talent is mediocre? Then invest time. Receive my teachings and gain enlightenment."
"You've already grown old? Then receive the blessing of magic. You will be gifted a body that doesn't age."
The eyes of some Dawn Knights began to turn purple.
"...That's right."
"I am a genius. I just haven't met a good teacher."
"I haven't been able to fully invest my time in the sword."
Some Dawn Knights slowly began to approach Eligos.
"If only I had more time..."
"If only I hadn't been injured..."
"Enouuuuugh!"
At one knight's thunderous cry, the Dawn Knights who had been entranced by Eligos regained their senses. A man wearing a golden eagle helmet pushed through the Dawn Knights and stepped forward.
"I am Galahad, Captain of the Dawn Knights!"
A gleam appeared in Eligos' eyes.
"Oh... A gem among gems."
"Silence! Devil! Do not try to bewitch us with your deceitful voice!"
Galahad raised his greatsword toward Eligos.
"Dawn Knights! Protect His Majesty the Emperor!"
The Dawn Knights who had regained their senses surrounded Eligos.
"We are the knights who protect the Emperor! If we cannot defeat you alone, we have no reason to exist! Protect His Majesty the Emperor!"
As Galahad's armor began to shine, the armor of the Dawn Knights simultaneously began to glow.
As the brilliant golden light resonated, strength overflowed in the bodies of the Dawn Knights. This was a magic called 'Dawn Resonance' that was cast only on the armor of Dawn Knights, which had the effect of dramatically increasing physical performance and barrier magic performance in proportion to the number of Dawn Knights sharing the Dawn Resonance.
"For His Majesty the Emperor!"
Eligos nodded slightly.
"Yes, it would be difficult for you to accept right now."
A horn grew on Eligos' head.
"I'll make you feel that your beauty is not eternal."
Clang!
Eligos' sword collided with a Dawn Knight's sword.
"...I can see it!"
Thanks to the Dawn Resonance, his reaction speed increased, allowing him to block Eligos' sword.
"Now!"
The Dawn Knights thrust their swords toward Eligos. But Eligos immediately retreated backward.
"Now we've got him! Surround him!"
At that moment, the knight who had just blocked Eligos' sword stuck his sword into the ground.
"Wh-what?"
"What's happening?!"
"The sword is heavy..."
Eligos struck another Dawn Knight's sword. Then that Dawn Knight also plunged his sword into the ground.
"Wh-what?! The sword..."
Galahad shouted at Eligos.
"What have you done?! Devil!"
"I'm making you realize."
Eligos swung his sword through the air.
"The weight of that sword that you will feel when you become elderly and grow old."