Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Demon Realm #8
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I showered Kartiya with nonstop gratitude while unleashing the ultimate flattery. Part of me wanted to straight-up change professions to a demon bard and compose a song that would spread her kind heart far and wide.
No bullshit—if I hadn't become the Demon King, I would've been a bard.
This fate of mine is way too cursed!
Dream of the bard!
"Kartiya knows so much. There's probably no demon in the palace smarter than her. The others just aren't that into books."
Kartiya seemed proud of that fact. She spoke with such pure joy that even my own heart felt a little healed.
How long had it been since I'd encountered someone this nice?
Back when I was rotting away like a loser at the South Fortress, there wasn't even anyone to talk to.
"Heh heh heh, yeah. Books are fun to read. But Kartiya, seeing how no demons are in the library, they really don't seem interested at all."
"But?"
"How does a library this huge even exist?"
"Oh, right. That's..."
Kartiya's explanation.
"All the books in the library were personally collected by Mother Duchess. She loved reading. Over so many years, of course it grew this big. It has nothing to do with the other bloodkin not reading."
Kartiya added a bit sadly.
"...She doesn't come to the library anymore, though."
She's thirsty for her mother's love, huh.
The thought crossed my mind for a moment. Instinct. Duchess Kerasis was beautiful enough to be called the Goddess of Darkness. A dizzying figure that could steal your mind, a fragrance that shook the soul... Being born from her egg, it's only natural we'd have some kind of instinct toward her.
⋯
Thinking about the Duchess made my mind feel like it was floating away somewhere.
I refocused on Kartiya.
"Well, still, it's not bad that you get to hog it all to yourself."
"Yeah! Exactly! See those servant familiars over there?"
"Those things?"
⋯
> Wriggle.
A black, amorphous slime-like servant familiar crawled up the bookshelves like a snail.
⋯
> Flap flap.
A furry ball fluttered its wings, extending tentacle-like appendages to organize the shelves... Honestly, it was creepy and scary. Magical beasts. Monsters. Creatures straight out of movies, games, or comics.
How does she control things like that?
"Kartiya made those servant familiars too."
"No way! For real?!"
She's that capable?!
"Yeah! Books have all that knowledge. Oh, but you said you like books too, right, big brother? What have you read? Huh? I want to talk books with you, big brother Kartiya!"
Book talk, huh.
What I was curious about right now was the Descent Festival, demons, ways to grow stronger, that kind of thing. But there's still some time before the festival. Not super long, but not short either.
I had a bit more time to chat with Kartiya. She's already going way out of her way for me. Time to talk about what I want.
"Books... There wasn't a library this big at the South Fortress, so I didn't read much. Mostly stuff used for education."
I read a ton while learning letters.
Having to learn Demon Realm language from scratch—a totally alien tongue, not English or Japanese or Chinese—came with a fuckton of headaches.
Every word, every phrase, every meaning—I had to interpret and memorize them all myself. As you know, demons aren't exactly friendly. No one bothers looking out for someone who can't speak well. Even the maids ignored me. No one to ask when I got stuck, no one explaining anything clearly in Korean. I had to grind through it all alone with pure grit.
That's why it took so damn long. Pouring my everything into it, I finally got speaking, listening, and writing down properly.
Naturally, I devoured all the educational books like crazy in the process.
"Hmm... So you've only read books 'as a means to gain knowledge'?"
"Yeah, pretty much. Why? Are there other kinds?"
"Of course. Like fairy tales or novels. Stories that aren't about knowledge."
I knew that, obviously.
"Books are fundamentally about knowledge, but yeah, I like that stuff too. Oh! Since you haven't read them, you can start now! I'll recommend my 'Must-Read Novels Before You Die, Selected by Kartiya!' list!"
Before you die, what?
⋯
> Snap.
Kartiya snapped her fingers, and the flying furballs that had been flapping around with their membranous wings flew to the shelves, extending their signature tentacles to pull out books.
Soon they brought them over all at once, and Kartiya used telekinesis or whatever to float them in the air, sorting them before handing them to me. It was insanely cool. I'm a demon and all, but magic still blows my mind.
"Here! Read them all and give me your thoughts! I'd be even happier if you wrote a book report!"
Thoughts...?
"Big brother Qlus might not come back, so you have to before the Descent Festival! Must-reads before you die!"
"No! I plan on coming back! I'm not dying!"
Our sweet little Kartiya was already assuming I'd die, with that cute face!
"Come back? Big brother Qlus is going to become the Demon King? That'll be tough. Especially in the Middle Realm."
The Duchess said she'd sneak me out, so better not mention that.
"Even if I'm not the Demon King... I'll survive for sure. And if I'm alive, I can come back someday, right? So, Kartiya. Help me. I want to live."
"I'll help. That's what we agreed on. Anyway, you have to read all these books? Must-reads before you die."
"Yeah. I'll read them all. Must-reads before I die."
She picked them specially, and there aren't that many. Looks like novels, fairy tales, that sort. I don't know what demons consider fairy tales, but no harm in checking them out. Must-reads before I die.
"Great! Then ask me anything you're curious about!"
"Uh, I kinda get the Descent Festival already? Does it even mean anything?"
"I think it does."
"What meaning?"
"First off, it lets you check if the dimensional passage to the Middle Realm is working properly. Easier to maintain an open one than repair a broken one."
No way that's the reason?
So I'm not even a sacrifice—just a test shot to see if it works? You demon bastards!
"The Demon Realm can't interfere much with the Middle Realm anymore, but if we just let it go completely, it'll sever for good. So they open the Descent Festival periodically, I guess."
Not just some outdated ritual, then.
"You said no one takes it seriously."
"Yeah, they don't. Kartiya doesn't think it's serious either. To me, the Descent Festival is just dimensional passage maintenance. Nothing more, nothing less."
Damn.
"Actually, most can't come back for that reason. Going is doable, but returning is even harder."
"Harder?! Then I can't come back?!"
Did the Duchess lie to me?!
"Usually, you can't. Yeah, big brother Qlus. It's hard. Possible, but no demon would waste Demonic Power on something that tough."
At least it's possible!
Honestly, I can't fully trust the Duchess's promise. It's all I've got, so I'm clinging to it... This feels so fucking hopeless. If it was impossible, fine, but since it's doable, that's some relief. Not real relief—just a sliver of hope. What's a cornered guy like me gonna do? Gotta hold on somehow.
"What about the Demon King, then? Nominally, it's a ritual wishing for the descended demon to become Demon King, right? What is a Demon King, and what do you have to do to become one?"
"That's a pretty broad question..."
⋯
> Thud.
Kartiya placed her hand on her chest.
"Smart Kartiya knows it all! Think of Demon King as just a title. One given to strong demons with big influence."
A title.
"And what the participating demon has to do is, yeah. Fully utilize your demon abilities to build power and lay the foundation for a future invasion of the Middle Realm."
In other words, establish a forward base. In a world full of hostile races, no less. Yeah. If you can pull that off, you're Demon King material. Anyone who can create a meaningful base from nothing, without support, deserves the title, whatever it takes.
"Foundation... How do you even do that?"
"You gotta figure it out with your abilities. Hmm, but there are monsters in the Middle Realm, right? A demon chosen for the Descent Festival should be able to dominate and servant those monsters. Using them would be smart. Or undead..."
"W-what?!"
"Huh?"
"Dominate monsters?!"
Dominate monsters?!
"Oh. You didn't know that either, big brother Qlus. Well, you said you know nothing. You're super weak right now too. Slave level. Makes sense you wouldn't know. Slaves don't have combat knowledge."
Why say it so casually, it's scary!
"If you're from our bloodline and chosen for the Descent Festival... you should be able to do at least that much, obviously. Though dominating a few monsters in the Middle Realm might not mean much."
"Kartiya! Tell me! How do you dominate monsters?!"
This is crucial knowledge!
The Middle Realm is a land teeming with hostile races! No supplies or anything from the Demon Realm! If I can dominate monsters there, I can build a small force! Start from there!
"Well... Obviously, to use demon abilities like that, you need Demonic Power."
"Kartiya! I barely have any Demonic Power!"
"That's a problem."
"Please! Isn't there something?! Oh! Right! Yeah! Tell me how to increase Demonic Power!"
I begged, and Kartiya sighed!
Demonic Power!
Demonic Power is key!
"This is bad... No way you can start now and make it."
"Please! Anything! Kartiya! This is your big brother's plea! Tell me how to increase Demonic Power!"
"Of course smart Kartiya knows it all!"
She's too smart!!!