41
I killed the Demon King. It was a mistake.
Chapter 41
"Haa... Haa..."
Caesar collapsed with a thud.
Caesar stared blankly at the dying Bradley.
Coincidentally, the guy's head was facing towards Caesar.
His mouth was moving, opening and closing.
Persistent bastard.
If it weren't for the holy oil, he would have surely reattached himself to his body like Gilbert did before.
"Alright. Let's hear what you have to say."
Caesar placed his hand on Bradley's head.
-Because of you...
-I couldn't become a knight...
-If you hadn't insulted me...
"How is that my fault, you damn bastard? It's your choice."
He just wants to find fault in others rather than himself.
Because he couldn't bear it otherwise.
Caesar thought there was nothing more to hear and was about to remove his hand.
At that moment, fragmented scenes entered Caesar's mind.
A man wrapped in bandages.
Syringes and hexagonal demons crowding around.
He felt a terrible sense of betrayal towards those guys.
-I just wanted to be treated...
-That guy took it away...
-I... Ah...
Caesar removed his hand from the Bradley's head.
The light began to fade from his eyes.
He roughly understood what had happened.
He went to that quack to get his jaw treated and was prescribed the demon-turning drug.
This is why you should get medicine from a proper pharmacist.
"Sigh."
Another bastard to kill has been added to the list.
Why are there so many bad guys in this world?
Caesar closed the Bradley's eyes.
"Right. It's not all your fault."
At that moment, the sound of horse hooves was heard from afar.
"Sir Joseph!"
It was the holy knights.
'If it were Cliché, would he say it's cliché?'
How do they always arrive right after everything's over?
Anyway, I don't know about that.
I'm too tired.
As soon as the approaching holy knights appeared, Caesar fainted on the spot.
***
A giant tank.
Eyes cannot open.
But the nose is blocked, and instead, a small hose is attached to the mouth.
'Stop... Please stop...'
Tremble.
No one is attacking me.
But the pain of fingertips being cut off.
The pain of feet being severed.
The pain of intestines spilling out.
Even the memory of that pain.
All the pain flowed in from nowhere and pooled inside me.
'Stop... Mom... Dad...'
Tears flow.
But such tears are only diluted and disappear in the water filling the tank.
I was helplessly being carved away, tied up hand and foot in helpless pain.
***
"Damn it!"
Caesar woke up, sweating profusely.
Caesar trembled.
"Damn, that nightmare again..."
That cursed nightmare.
Caesar scanned his surroundings.
On the shelf was an empty potion bottle.
It was a potion containing as much as 5% holy water.
Caesar irritably grabbed the potion bottle and threw it.
Crash!
Caesar wiped away his cold sweat and took a deep breath.
"Damn potion."
There are two reasons why Caesar hates potions.
One is because he has that cursed nightmare when he uses potions.
The other is because of how the potion is made.
All potions are made based on holy water.
The effect of holy water is complete recovery of external wounds.
Such a strange ability doesn't work without a price.
In exchange for the healing ability of holy water, the 'Saint' is trapped in that giant tank, unable to withstand the pain, experiencing the pain of those who used holy water until she dies of shock.
That's why he hadn't even looked at potions, but...
Caesar looked around.
A pattern with elegant curves intersecting a rhombus was hanging on the wall.
'This must be the Royder Order's recovery room.'
Caesar looked at the bandage wrapped around his left arm.
'So they used the potion on this.'
Damn it.
Just watch me never faint again.
For now, Caesar calmed down and looked around more.
Seeing Thunder and Lefty beside him, Caesar felt relieved and lay back down.
Unlike the Homigraph recovery room where weapons weren't allowed inside, is it because this is Sanctus Lumen, the holy land of knights?
It seems weapons are allowed in the recovery room.
'But who really changes the underwear?'
I understand taking off the underwear.
You need to check the body for treatment.
But who on earth puts on new underwear?
It feels weird whether a priest does it or a nun does it.
As Caesar was diluting the earlier nightmare with random thoughts, a nurse nun opened the door and came in.
"Oh?"
"Hello."
"You're awake!!!"
The nun shouted towards someone in the hallway, and the sound of people running could be heard.
"What?! Really? Oh my goodness!"
"How is he? How's his condition?"
"We need to check!"
Just how many people came?
There are priests, nuns, and holy knights.
"Is there any problem anywhere?"
Caesar waved his left arm and said,
"My left arm feels a bit stiff, but otherwise I'm fine?"
"That's such a relief! If your left arm couldn't move, we would have had to decide whether to use more potion or not. Ah, do you need more?"
"No, I don't need it."
Use more of that?
I'd rather run away from here.
"Ah... I see."
"But shouldn't you have called a doctor before deciding whether to use a potion or not?"
"Doctors are called when there's no potion. Isn't that obvious?"
The Royder Order is the only order that can grant doctor qualifications, but Royder believers don't trust doctors.
Rather, they worship potions more.
Many of them think of doctors as a last resort, sought only by poor people who can't use potions or in urgent situations.
This perception needs to be shattered quickly for the country to develop.
Tsk tsk.
"By the way, I'm curious about something."
"Yes. I'll answer anything you ask."
Caesar rubbed his fingers and said,
"How much reward money do I get?"
***
Andromalius sat at the stern, reading a newspaper.
[Homigraph's Justice, Caesar! Saves Sanctus Lumen!]
[River Demon, Who on Earth Is He?]
[Caesar Couldn't Have Killed the River Demon if the Holy Knights Hadn't Weakened It. Infinite Gratitude to the Fallen Holy Knights...]
[Caesar, Rises as September's Great Person Designated by the Dre Order.]
"Hmm..."
Lately, he's been getting entangled with this guy more often.
The 'drugs' being smuggled through the Homigraph route were also blocked because of Caesar.
He also killed the demon who was injected with the 'demon evolution drug' specially made by Andromalius.
"He's annoying."
If such a guy isn't dealt with early, it could become quite a headache...
Is there no way?
At that moment, a man with a hook on his left hand approached Andromalius.
It was King, the boss of the Anchor Family.
"We've almost arrived at the Kingdom of Dior. Shall we go inside?"
"Let's do that."
Andromalius folded the newspaper and stood up.
"By the way, you were from Homigraph, weren't you?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Do you know Caesar well?"
"I don't know him well. I've never seen him."
"Is that so?"
As Andromalius was about to go inside, having lost interest, King spoke up.
"But I know that Viscount Duken is very uncomfortable because of him."
"...Viscount Duken? Why?"
"There's a rumor going around that he burned Viscount Duken's secret vault. Moreover, his smuggling business has been greatly disrupted because of him."
"Oh... Is that so?"
Andromalius thought for a moment and then spoke.
"I should pay a visit to Viscount Duken after a long time. Also to see if the fruit has ripened well."
***
Caesar was busy collecting money.
"Hahaha! It's truly a pleasure to meet you, Sir Caesar. I am Bishop Matthew, who manages the churches of Sanctus Lumen, though I'm not worthy."
"It's an honor for me to meet you like this as well."
Click Click Click.
Flashes bursting from all directions.
His smile is so benevolent, it's as if he won the position of bishop through a game of pogs.
His cheeks look so prosperous, he seems likely to give a lot of money.
"By the way, I heard you were a bit interested in becoming a holy knight..."
What? I'm interested in becoming a holy knight?
Who's spreading such nonsense?
"I did receive an offer from Sir Joseph, but I'm not sure yet. I'm sorry."
"Certainty will come as you serve the Goddess Dre."
"Hahaha... I'll think about it a little."
"Great! Hahaha!"
Of course, he was quite clingy, but it's tolerable to this extent.
That's because the Dre Order gave a lot of reward money.
As much as 500,000 Del!
5 billion won in Korean currency!
It's much less compared to 17 million Del, but what's important is that they gave such a large amount in crisp cash at once.
It feels like winning the lottery.
Next is the mayor of Sanctus Lumen.
"It's truly an honor to meet you like this."
"I'm glad to meet you too."
"The city has been badly damaged by this demon uprising. If you have any thoughts, perhaps for the city development fund..."
Pass on this person.
How dare he covet my money.
This bastard won't last long.
Next are the noble aristocrats of the prestigious Dre Province.
"I never thought such an outstanding person would come from under Baron Sylvatil. Do you have any thoughts of inheriting the Viscount title?"
"I know my own limits well. I know that the Viscount title is still too much for me."
"To be honest, the other four aren't even knights and are deteriorating the dignity of nobility by living off their own flesh. If you inherit the Viscount title, we're willing to help you."
How chaotic must it be for the nobles of Dre Province to badmouth the Sylvatil Baron family to this extent?
I should return to the Sylvatil family only after a successor has been clearly determined.
They might annoyingly try to keep me in check or whine about being on their side.
"By the way, I heard you're still a wandering knight. Do you have any thoughts of becoming my knight?"
"There were many hardships as a wandering knight, but it's not too bad even now. However, I'll definitely visit you if I ever face any injustice."
"Hahaha. Good. Good."
The nobles were also desperate to recruit Caesar.
When they recruit a knight with high prestige, the nobles' prestige rises along with it.
If he's strong on top of that, it's even better.
If the Pope himself comes later with a sword and threatens me to become a holy knight, I might have to consider becoming a knight of a prestigious family.
Love letters asking me to become their knight are pouring in from all directions.
"This is a reward for saving Sanctus Lumen."
"Oh my, you shouldn't have..."
I didn't do the ugly act of opening the envelope right there.
I can sense that through psychometry anyway.
100,000 Del.
As expected of wealthy nobles, they're generous!
From now on, I only want to meet nobles.
***
Caesar left Sanctus Lumen.
He had seen all there was to see in Dre Province, and staying longer would only mean Pok*mon Masters appearing everywhere, throwing contracts at him saying, "You! Be my knight!" So he left quickly because it was annoying.
Train travel was boring but peaceful.
He secretly hoped for a golden goblin... no, a train robbery or something, but unfortunately, there were no robbers raiding the train.
Well, it wasn't bad to spend some quiet time alone without being bothered by people or demons.
When he got off the train, Caesar's passionate fans were packed tightly in front of the station.
"Kyaaaa! Sir Caesar!"
"Sir Caesar looked at me!"
"No, you bitch! It was me!"
"Sir Caesar, please wave your hand once!!!"
What is all this?
Is this how Michael Jackson felt?
When he waved his hand once, a few people fainted.
I'm not wearing golden underwear today.
Caesar glanced at Harrison.
"What's all this about?"
"People gathered on their own when they heard Sir Caesar was arriving."
"Huh, really! This popularity of mine."
Caesar waved his hand and smiled brightly.
Camera shutters went off in all directions.
"Harrison, you smile too. For someone who wants to become a member of parliament, you should learn how to smile in front of cameras."
"Right now, Sir Caesar is the main character."
"You're no fun."
"The carriage is ready. Let's go quickly."
"Alright. Before we go..."
Caesar looked at Sean and said,
"You've worked hard all this time. Here, take this."
Caesar handed Sean an envelope.
Sean choked up.
"It was truly an honor to serve Sir Caesar for the past two months! Thank you so much!"
"You worked harder. Well, keep in touch."
Sean bowed his head at a 90-degree angle, and Caesar climbed onto the carriage with a smile.
"You saw him just now, right? He's your future successor, so try to recruit him somehow."
"...Seems like you liked him?"
"If it weren't for him, I would have had quite a hard time in Sanctus Lumen."
This is not an empty statement.
He did all the work of organizing love letters pouring in from all directions, managing schedules, and chasing away peddlers.
He's loyal, fun, and quite smart, which makes him even more desirable.
"I'll check on it."
"Ah, and please take care of this."
Caesar casually handed Harrison a check.
It feels like a husband who got caught secretly changing the computer without telling his wife.
Harrison blinked, looked at the number on the check, and his neck turned like a broken doll, creaking.
"17 million Del?!!! What is this?!"
"The price of my axe. How cool is that?"
Harrison grabbed the back of his neck and said,
"How can we prepare this much money in three weeks?!"
"That's why you should talk to Ramsky and ask if we can get a loan."
"It's absolutely impossible! Even if we get a loan, the interest will be barely manageable."
"Why? Didn't we earn 75 million Del from the last deal, and our business has grown a lot? Shouldn't we be making money by now?"
"We don't receive 75 million Del at once, it's divided over six months! And now is the time we need to invest! There are so many places where money needs to go..."
If I tease him more, he might die of high blood pressure.
Caesar handed over a thick white envelope.
"Well, then use this to cover the urgent expenses."
"...What is this?"
"Crisp 2 million Del in cash."
Harrison opened the envelope, checked the checks, and let out a slight sigh of relief.
"How did you get this?"
"Money earned from beating demons. Think you can manage?"
"...I'll try for now. But it will be difficult."
Hmm, is that so?
Well, I did give Pesson a blank check without much thought.
"In the future, if there's going to be a large expenditure, please give me a little heads up. I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack."
"Alright. By the way, is there anything I need to know?"
"Many parliament members want to meet you. And even some nobles."
"So now even the heavy-bottomed nobles of Homigraph are moving."
"What should we do?"
"Meeting them all one by one is troublesome... Is there no other way?"
Harrison immediately came up with an answer, as if he had thought about it beforehand.
"How about hosting a party?"
"A party?"
"An auction party. Don't you have some items of lesser value among your possessions? It would be good to put those up for auction and if others have items to auction off as well."
I was just wondering how to deal with the statues and precious metals I brought from the demon realm.
It's a good time as there are many places where money needs to go, so it might not be bad to make money in one go and meet people all at once to chat.
"Oh… That would unblock the flow of funds, right? But won't we get stoned by the press for having a party during wartime?"
"Recently, there was a war support party in Goldmile Province. If we host a party under the pretext of collecting war support funds from the nobles, they'll view it favorably."
"Oh… You've really thought this through? By the way, I've never hosted a party before. Have you?"
"I know how to do it, but Knox is the expert in this field."
"Ah, right. He said he worked as a butler for 30 years."
"For the auction part, I know an auction expert. We can outsource that part to them."
"Not bad."
As they were talking, they arrived in front of the house.
The front of the house was, as expected, bustling with people.
Caesar entered the house, guided by police officers.
"Sweet, sweet home. After all, home is the best."
"Rest well for the time being. If you need anything, please contact me right away."
"Alright."
Now it's time to get some good rest.