Chapter 123
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 123
At first, she had decked herself out in as many magic tools as she could possibly wear, but now she was content with a more moderate amount.
It had been a valuable lesson: wearing too many magic tools just made her feel sick.
It was only after hearing Patrick’s advice—“Greed is worse than having nothing at all”—that she was finally able to part with a few of them.
"Give it a try."
"Mhm, I will."
At Swallow's weary command, Melju nodded.
A drop of sweat rolled down her cheek. It felt as if the magic tools were thoroughly rummaging through her body.
A resonance of mana, entirely different from simple tension, coursed through her.
<Power of the Devil>.
Fwaaaang!
As she raised her staff, completing the incantation, a wave pulsed from its mana stone, just as it had before. In that same instant, Melju’s eyes widened.
"Oh."
At Swallow's soft exclamation, a bright smile spread across Melju’s lips.
She had grown stronger. The magic was so powerful she could hardly believe it was her own… It was enough to surpass the waves her father could produce—a long-standing goal of hers.
The strength she had yearned for so desperately had come so easily, it felt almost hollow.
"This is my magic…"
Perhaps unable to believe it after just one try, Melju cast the spell once more.
The wave rippled out again. Only then could she be certain.
This wave, several times stronger and wider than before, was undeniably hers.
Although she had borrowed the power of magic tools, it was an immense leap forward. It made the items she normally used feel utterly trivial.
After watching the trembling Melju for a moment, Patrick murmured as he shifted his gaze to the distant scenery, "Seems to be quite effective."
A clamor of noises rose from all around, mixing with the wind. It was the howling of distant monsters reacting to Melju’s magic.
"They all seem to be hesitating, though."
However, no monsters approached. The sudden appearance of a Demon King wielding such immense power must have been baffling to them.
Especially since a Demon King was unleashing that power within ‘Swallow’s territory,’ none seemed willing to approach rashly.
If the monsters were hesitant, she just needed to unleash the waves again. Melju cast <Power of the Devil> several times in rapid succession.
Only after the trees had shaken repeatedly from the waves did they see someone approaching.
"Lord Swallow, that is quite a powerful presence."
It was the presence of a strong being, one that carried an aura more of anger than of fighting spirit. Melju raised her staff.
Since <Power of the Devil> only demanded submission and wasn't a brainwashing spell, powerful beings would occasionally challenge the Demon King to a duel.
"Don't worry. You have me and the Boss. No one is stronger than the Boss," Patrick said, reassuring her.
Soon, the enraged monster fully revealed itself.
It was a spirit in the form of a witch with a hideously mutilated face.
"...It's a monster I've never seen before. Lord Swallow, do you happen to know the identity of that spirit?" Melju asked.
But no answer came.
While they waited for Swallow's reply, the spirit closed the distance, radiating pure fury.
"Lord Swallow?"
When he still didn't answer, Melju turned her head.
"...Lord Swallow?"
He was backing away.
The great Swallow himself.
Come to think of it.
There was only one witch spirit near Graphenia's Forest. And there was only one being Swallow feared.
Only then did Melju grasp the situation.
Since they had rocked the entire forest with her magic several times, it was only natural for its owner to be angry.
The spirit’s identity was Graphenia, the master of the forest.
"How could you summon the landlord…" Patrick said, his face even paler than usual as his jaw trembled.
Patrick and Melju’s gazes fell upon Swallow, who was still inching backward.
Unable to withstand their intense stares, he stopped.
"...Granny."
In the silence, Swallow slowly opened his mouth, wearing an expression so solemn it was as if he were about to sacrifice himself for them.
"I didn't do it."
It took half a day for Melju and Patrick, who had been dragged away by Graphenia, to return.
*
The ‘Demon King’ Melju de Limp Agrea was strong.
Now, she could say it with pride.
Although her own skills hadn't suddenly improved—it was merely the grade of her magic tools that had risen by several levels—it was still a joyous occasion.
If she had possessed this kind of strength from the beginning, defending the Demon King Castle from humans would have been easy. Indulging in a bit of fantasy, she imagined she might now be strong enough to be counted among the top Demon Kings.
If she had gone to Judeca in this state, countless Demon Kings would have scrambled to win her favor. Yubar might have praised her strength, calling it the 'advent of a new evil.' Marmolia wouldn't even be on a level to feel jealous; she wouldn't dare meet Melju's eyes.
Clearly, the ‘Demon King’ Melju de Limp Agrea had grown stronger.
Now, then.
If one were to ask if Melju de Limp Agrea, ‘guardian of the Primordial Core,’ was strong…
"...I don't know," she muttered to herself.
In the end, she had been unable to gather subordinates using <Power of the Devil> around Graphenia's Forest.
No matter how strong her magic had become, there were no powerful monsters nearby, so she couldn't get the results she wanted.
Even after getting Swallow's permission to venture a bit further out, the quality of the monsters that gathered was disappointing.
To obtain monsters of a suitable level, she had to go far beyond the forest.
Melju, of course, wanted to do just that, but…
"How far do you think you'll have to go? You really expect to just head out and be right back?" Patrick had stopped her.
He said there was no need to rush. Instead, he argued that getting used to the new magic tools was the top priority.
First, she had to get used to them…
She raised her staff.
The average skill level of subjugation squads entering a Great Evil Cave far exceeded A-rank. In other words, an A-rank Subjugation Squad was the bare minimum.
Chewing on that fact, Melju asked herself: did she have the confidence to stop an A-rank Subjugation Squad that entered the Primordial Core?
She wasn't asking if she could win one or two battles. Could she stop every single enemy, every single time?
...She ran through countless scenarios, imagining the battles.
Win, win again, and win most of the time. Honestly, in her current state, she didn't think she would fall easily to humans.
But among the scenarios flashing through her mind, there was definitely a vision of her being miserably slaughtered.
There was a scenario where she lost to an A-rank Subjugation Squad…
If someone even stronger than that appeared, could she even hold out for long?
It's still not enough.
Melju, ‘guardian of the Primordial Core,’ was weak.
She had to grow stronger, and to do that, she had to reach a higher state.
The pinnacle of magicology is God's Domain Magic, but…
God's Domain Magic wasn't something one could master simply by becoming adept at manipulating mana.
As far as Melju knew, Erebos was the one and only being who had realized that truth.
It seemed to be a realm that could not be reached through mere effort alone.
The best option available to Melju was—
"...Cough."
Melju, who had been drawing up the mana in her body, gasped for breath.
Just attempting it choked her. The foreign mana she had wielded in the Knecht was inside her, but it was not yet her own.
The slightest dynamic movement caused it to seize and rattle her very life force. Every time that happened, her mind went dizzy. It felt like crossing the boundary between life and death.
"Pant, pant."
But very slowly.
Very slowly, the nauseating sensation was diminishing. She couldn't tell if her body was adapting or if she was being eroded by the mana.
Actually, either was fine.
No matter what happened, this power…
"If only I can control it."
Until she could control it.
Catching her breath, she raised her staff once more.
*
The monster from the merchant guild didn't arrive until late at night.
"Lord Swallow, a guest has arrived."
Swallow, who was slouched in his chair, narrowed his closed eyes.
With a guilty conscience, he seemed particularly shaken by the word ‘guest.’ He cracked open his eyes and asked Rene, "...It's not Granny, is it?"
"It's a guest from the merchant guild, Lord Swallow."
Soon, the monster who entered the room under Rene's guidance bowed deeply.
Only then did Swallow, narrowing his eyes further, straighten his posture. His thin gaze swept over the monster before him. Conscious of his stare, the monster bowed even lower.
"Greetings, Great One. I am Scobina of the Leprechaun Merchant Guild."
She wore a neat, light-green uniform and was small enough to only reach Rene's chest. She wasn't underdeveloped, however; that was the typical size of a fully grown adult of her kind.
—Leprechauns. The so-called dwarves of the merchant guilds, often called the fairies of greed.
"You're later than usual."
A low voice echoed through the cavern.
Though it had only been a day since he summoned them, Swallow, knowing their usual speed, couldn't help but feel they were late.
The last time, they had arrived in less than half a day. They had never crossed that unspoken deadline.
Because Leprechauns were crazy about money.
They were dwarves with a greed for wealth so intense that some described it as fanatical.
Since such beings ran the merchant guild, they never showed any flaws to their regular customers. The thoroughness born of greed was the very weapon of the Leprechaun Merchant Guild.
That was why the Leprechaun Merchant Guild was called one of the three great monster merchant guilds, and why the Primordial Core utilized them.
"I am sorry."
Scobina, a dwarf with striking long vermilion hair, bowed her head deeply without making any excuses.
As if the apology meant nothing to him, Swallow continued, "I'm tired, so let's make this quick. The terms of the transaction are the same as last time."
"...Understood."
"As for pricing, we'll review the market price list you prepared. You can give that to Rene."
Rene smiled brightly at Swallow, who raised the corners of his mouth slightly in return.
"Leave it to Rene!"
"We're done, right? Now go back."
As soon as he finished speaking, Swallow flopped back into his seat.
Scobina looked up at him, seemingly flustered. By chance, their eyes met. As if frightened, she quickly bowed her head again.
A brief silence ensued.
Scobina didn't answer. As she hesitated, she felt a chill right beside her. It was emanating from Rene.
Just before Rene, unable to watch any longer, could open her small lips, Scobina summoned her courage, barely raised her head, and spoke.
"I am sorry, Lord Swallow. Currently, our merchant guild does not have the capacity to provide the items you desire."
"..."
"I am truly sorry."
Again, she offered no reason. She simply bowed her head lower. The small fairy’s vermilion hair touched the ground.
"Where is North?" Swallow asked, scratching the back of his neck without leaving his slouched position.
He knew something was different.
The clearest proof was that this Leprechaun named Scobina had come.
The merchant guild member who usually came to the Primordial Core was a bushy-bearded Leprechaun named North.
He was a merchant with as much experience as his long beard, and his quick wits were proportional to his years.
When trading with North, transactions were swift; he never needed to be told what to do.
Simply put, he was a good merchant—adept at handling people, in the best sense of the word.
Even the fastidious Rene had acknowledged him as an ‘excellent merchant,’ so he must have been a man who fell short nowhere.
"That guy with the thick beard. Where is he?" Swallow asked again.
As mentioned, the Leprechaun Merchant Guild never lost a regular customer. There was no way they would carelessly change the dedicated merchant for a Great Evil Cave.
And yet, here was someone else.
A greenhorn, a young female Leprechaun at that.
"My senior, North, is dead."
The reply was concise.
"How? What happened?"
He was certainly old, but he was the type to retire, not die of old age. And his expression had been bright when he came here last year, so he probably didn't have a chronic illness either.
"He was murdered."
"If you're going to speak, do it in a way that doesn't require Lord Swallow to ask you question after question."
Her terse reply earned her the sensation of Rene's chilly voice caressing her neck.
The voice was sharp enough that a real blade might as well have been tracing her skin.
In no position to worry about that, Scobina swallowed hard and answered.
"It happened six days ago."
The merchant guilds had rules. Rules that applied to everyone who used their services.
No matter how powerful a dungeon was, everyone abided by those rules. A continuous trade of supplies was necessary to run a dungeon, and breaking the rules would get one blacklisted among all the guilds. It wasn't something done lightly.
"There was a plunder of supplies targeting most of the merchant guilds."
Someone had shattered those rules.
"Aside from our guild, countless others suffered damage. Many minor merchant guilds went bankrupt, unable to recover. Most of our supplies, including food, were stolen… We had no means to defend ourselves."