Chapter 191
Chapter 191
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 191
Chapter Title: Demon King's Castle (4)
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Mid-December, with just over a fortnight remaining in the year that had raced by breathlessly.
In the early dawn of a snowy day brought by the cold snap.
Crunch-.
An old man carrying a wooden box appeared in the dimly brightening clearing.
Crunch- crunch-.
Yohan, trudging through the snow piled smooth as pristine white drawing paper, stared fixedly at the grotesque castle structure looming before him.
“…What the hell is this? A chestnut burr?”
No, if anything, it resembled a bristly crab.
Like an angry crab with spines bristling all over, claws raised high?
“Quite the freakish thing to sprout up while I was away these past few months.”
He’d been too busy rushing around to visit, and in the meantime, it seemed Yuri had been up to his usual antics.
Crunch- crunch-.
Yohan strode purposefully toward the crab’s underbelly—that is, the castle’s entrance.
Before long, a sign hanging at the entrance caught his eye.
[Those with a hobby for suicide are most vehemently welcome.]
[However, come prepared with ample pocket money for the afterlife ferryman.]
[The pocket money will be used for corpse disposal fees.]
The bold red letters matched the structure’s eccentricity perfectly.
It was all too obviously Yuri’s handiwork, so there was no surprise, and Yohan simply surveyed his surroundings appreciatively.
“The atmosphere’s spot on.”
The castle reeked of grotesquery, paired with its chilling warning.
Was this what the gateway to the demon realm looked like?
Though the place felt unsettling, Yohan stepped into the darkness without a second thought.
Step-.
What greeted his first step were five branching paths spreading out in all directions.
‘Hmm, let’s see….’
Yohan paused briefly, his hazy eyes sweeping over the five paths.
Then, as if he knew the way, he promptly entered one of them.
After taking a few steps.
Step- click-!
The floor under Yohan dipped slightly, and that marked the start of the proper welcome illusions.
Whoosh-.
Traps crafted by certain individuals huddled together solely to catch Yohan.
Psssh-.
From above, below, left, right—all around.
Dozens of iron spikes shot toward him from every direction, but Yohan slipped through them effortlessly, as if nothing had happened.
And then.
Snap-.
Even knowing full well that a wrong step would trigger a trap, Yohan walked on calmly and activated another one.
Whoom-.
This time, a sharpened log came flying at him.
But.
Tap-.
Yohan lightly leaped up and danced across the log instead.
Similar situations repeated endlessly after that.
Traps triggering without end.
Yohan strolling through the mounting dangers as casually as a walk in the park.
By the time he reached the end of the passage.
Boom-!
A small explosion heralded something hurtling toward him at a markedly different speed.
“Huh?”
A change finally flickered across Yohan’s face.
The incoming object was that fast.
But the surprise was fleeting.
Yohan snatched the object aimed at him right out of the air.
“Ho ho?”
Interest gleamed in his eyes as he examined the captured item closely.
“This one’s kinda fun.”
In Yohan’s hand was a dark iron ball the size of a walnut.
The acrid smell suggested gunpowder had been used to launch it.
Given the costly powder, its speed was hard to evade for anyone below a certain level.
Yohan rolled the hard iron ball in his hand while his legs kept moving without pause.
Each time, explosions rang out, sending more iron balls flying.
Boom- boom-!
Yet no attack halted his steps.
Dodging the onslaught from all sides with ease, Yohan vanished into the far end of the passage.
* * *
Yuri stood with eyes closed, one hand extended forward.
Sigh- whoosh- sigh- whoosh-.
In the quiet space, only the steady rhythm of his breathing echoed.
How long had he stood like that?
Twitch-.
Yuri’s brows furrowed slightly.
Wrinkle-.
They scrunched up completely, and an irritated voice burst from his lips.
“Argh, damn it! This crap is freaking hard!”
Yuri scratched the back of his head in frustration before flopping down onto the floor.
“Hmm….”
He crossed his arms, lips pursing out.
A habit that surfaced whenever things weren’t going his way.
‘…This really ain’t easy.’
Over a hundred days had passed since the 1st- to 3rd-year joint quest ended.
In that time, he’d reviewed his fight with the Hunter Rider endlessly, building on the clues he’d swiped to conduct research after research, yet satisfying results eluded him.
Yuri stroked his chin.
‘Do you really need to have mastered the Sword Lord’s demonic body arts to use it?’
According to Yulia, the techniques Hunter had used that day were Domination, Black Blood, and Eclipse.
Each one an ultimate art symbolizing the Sword Lord and Rider houses.
Moreover, demonic body arts refined over long ages specifically for the Rider house.
In other words, things unusable without a Rider mana circuit—common sense, really.
Yet Yuri clung to them for a simple reason.
“Tch… I swear it felt like something was there.”
The moment he’d snagged the clues, intuition had struck sharp and clear.
This was usable.
Dig deeper, and something would hook.
A gut feeling as strong as when he’d unraveled the drunkard star’s secrets.
Trusting that instinct, he’d researched diligently, but with no answers emerging, frustration bubbled up.
“If only I’d seen a bit more….”
He muttered his regret just then.
“What more did you want to see?”
A hot breath on his nape made Yuri leap from his spot.
“Hot damn!”
He whipped out his sword in a flash, slashing behind him—but nothing was caught.
Instead, a short distance away, he spotted Yohan crouched with his wooden box, chuckling.
Fury surging, Yuri bellowed.
“Make some noise when you come in!”
“Didn’t notice the guy who picked the lock? Whose fault is that, idiot?”
“…Fuck.”
It was spot on, leaving Yuri speechless as he muttered under his breath.
‘Why does the gap with the old man feel wider instead of closing?’
He hadn’t sensed even a presence until Yohan was right on his back, leaving Yuri deflated.
‘Back then, it was so normal I didn’t think much of it….’
But even as his skills grew and his realm advanced.
Even as he learned more and saw more, the distance to Yohan hadn’t narrowed.
No, properly feeling that distance now only made it seem farther.
‘Gotta catch up before the old fart kicks the bucket….’
Yuri sighed inwardly at the long road ahead.
But he didn’t yet realize.
That being able to gauge the distance to Yohan at all proved his astonishing growth.
As Yuri sighed, Yohan scowled.
“Hey, brat, sighing in front of someone? So what was that you said earlier?”
“What?”
“You said you wished you’d seen more?”
At Yohan’s question, Yuri dodged evasively.
“…Yeah, something like that.”
Unraveling the stolen clues.
Yuri wanted to do it purely with his own abilities.
‘I want at least one thing I’ve earned solely on my own merits.’
Plus, a childish urge to shock Yohan with it.
“Hmm….”
Sensing Yuri hiding something, Yohan’s eyes narrowed.
Yuri quickly fired back a question.
“But you being here means… you got past the traps I made?”
“Yeah?”
“How were they?”
“What?”
“Were the traps any good?”
Yohan snorted at Yuri’s expectant gaze.
“Good? Like some kid’s prank.”
“Tch, gotta refine ’em harder then.”
“But seriously, what the hell are all those traps?”
“What else? To catch the old thief who keeps sneaking in.”
“That thief you mean is me?”
“Calling the thief by looking at this and shooting his own foot…”
Yuri’s words cut off.
Smack-.
A crisp sound rang from his forehead, sending him tumbling backward.
“You little shit…!”
He sprang up roaring just as.
Thud-.
Something grazed over Yuri’s head and embedded in the wall.
And that wasn’t the end.
Thud- thud-!
Black iron balls shot from Yohan’s hand flew at Yuri, brushing both ears in an instant before burrowing deep into the wall.
Before Yuri could even react.
“Hic-.”
Glancing back, Yuri gulped at the sheer power, and Yohan grinned chillingly.
“Shit?”
“…….”
“Still, that iron ball trap was decent enough, but the speed’s lacking. Needs at least this much to crack a skull. Want a demo?”
Rattle rattle-.
“…….”
Seeing Yohan roll the remaining two balls between his fingers, Yuri’s back bent.
His hands rubbed together like a fly’s, naturally.
“H-Have you eaten? I’ll prepare a feast!”
At Yuri’s groveling, Yohan smiled contentedly.
* * *
Some time later.
Yohan, having polished off his bowl heartily, sat on the box he’d brought and picked his teeth.
Slurp slurp-.
Yuri grimaced and huddled away from the disgusting sight of food bits being sucked out.
“Not leaving?”
“Nope.”
“When then?”
“You see someone after months and chase ’em off already? Stingy brat.”
“Fine, then get the hell out…”
“Don’t forget I’ve still got two iron balls in hand.”
“Please make yourself at home and stay as long as you like!”
“Good, I was planning a few days anyway.”
“…How many?”
“A week?”
Yuri eyed Yohan curiously.
‘What’s up with the old man?’ his gaze seemed to say, drawing a smirk from Yohan.
“Got business.”
With that, Yohan rose and nudged the box he’d been sitting on with his foot.
Crack crack-.
The wooden box split open in seconds, revealing its contents.
Yuri’s head tilted instinctively.
“…Bronze cauldron?”
Inside was a dark bronze pot about 30 cm in diameter.
At Yuri’s puzzled look wondering why show this now, Yohan gently lifted the lid.
Sliide-.
A cool, sweet aroma wafted from within.
“Hm…?”
Like a bee drawn to nectar, Yuri shuffled toward the pot, entranced.
Peering inside, his eyes widened round.
“Wh-what?!”
The pot brimmed with roots, tree barks, and odd stone chunks.
Each pulsing with extraordinary energy.
Yuri’s exclamation burst out naturally.
“N-No way, all these are spirit medicines?!”
Raw spirit medicines—unrefined originals, not processed elixirs—filled the pot.
Realizing this, Yuri’s hand shot toward them instinctively.
Of course, a wrinkled hand smacked it away midway.
Slap-.
“You little punk, don’t you dare touch with those filthy hands! You’ll taint it!”
Yohan glared, and Yuri clutched his reddened hand, pleading pitifully.
“Ol-Old man… no, Master Old Man!”
“What.”
“Gimme just one!”
As Yuri lunged with arms outstretched, Yohan’s prosthetic foot shoved his forehead.
“Back off!”
“Just one!”
“No way in hell.”
“Just one! One! Oooone!”
“Ping, hold up! Once the stew’s done, I’ll sort you out proper!”
Only then did Yuri lower his arms.
Rubbing the red round mark on his forehead, he cocked his head.
“Stew? What’s that?”
“What else? Stew, literally.”
“You’re not saying… you’re just gonna dump those spirit medicines in and boil ’em?”
“Why not?”
“You senile old coot?!”
Yuri freaked out and hopped back.
‘Those priceless things?!”
Dumping rarities hard to obtain into a pot and boiling? To a pill-making novice like Yuri, it sounded barbarically absurd.
As if expecting that, Yohan smirked.
“Too bad, I’m sharp as ever. Senile, my ass.”
“But you’re gonna do that insane crap? Turn those treasures into stew!”
“Tsk tsk, you think I mean actual stew?”
“……?”
“Sure, dumping and boiling at once is stew-worthy, but the key is ‘what’ you boil it in.”
Yohan tapped the pot.
“It’s called the Harmony Thunder Cauldron.”
“O? Sounds fancy.”
“Has to be. It’s a heirloom of our great Redner house!”
“Ooh, heirloom!”
“And only this Harmony Thunder Cauldron can produce the stew… er, the Redner house’s secret elixir, Harmony Divine Water!”
“Woooah, house secret elixir!”
Yohan’s shoulders tensed at Yuri’s weird yell.
He puffed his chest.
“So, while I brew the Harmony Divine Water, I’ll borrow your digs a bit.”
“Ooooh! By all means!”
“And while I brew, you stick right by me and attend to my needs!”
“Nah, can’t do that.”
Yohan’s brows shot up at Yuri’s instant reply, no hesitation.
“You punk? Don’t want the elixir? Huh?”
Yohan fumed, but Yuri waved his hands lightly.
“Nah, attending’s no issue if I get the elixir! I’d do it gladly!”
“Then?”
“Got stuff to do.”
“Stuff?”
“Yeah, a quest.”
“Quest? Postpone it.”
“It’s a joint quest, can’t.”
Yohan’s brows furrowed at Yuri’s explanation.
He dredged up memories from decades ago.
‘Wait, joint quest in December… no way?’
When he’d been in his 4th year.
Around this time, there’d been a joint quest for 1st- to 5th-years.
The name still burned clear in memory….
“…Martial Dragon Grand Tournament?”
Yuri’s eyes widened in surprise at Yohan’s mutter.
“Huh? You did that back then too, old man?”
“1st and 2nd place winners were me, punk.”
Yohan boasted, and Yuri nodded with a half-hearted ‘good job’ face.
Yohan eyed him disapprovingly.
“Tch, Martial Dragon Grand Tournament can’t be postponed, sure… So when’s it start?”
“Well, when is it…”
As Yuri moved to answer Yohan’s question.
A booming voice rang from outside.
“Yuuuuri! All participants assembleeeee!”
Yuri grinned at that.
“Right now.”