Chapter 424
Chapter 424
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 425
Chapter Title: A Bet on the New World
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After the small clash with the Association came to an end.
Returning to the hideout, Haryeong and Seonhwa bowed their heads in greeting.
Seeing their faces, I felt a brief pang of conscience.
It was because the two of them had learned through my conversation with Kasis that I possessed 'Chaos.'
I clearly remembered the conversation I'd had with them before becoming the King of Demons.
—We're searching for the fourth journal because of that. We don't know what future it points to, but if it's the apocalypse, we must stop it.
They were wary of 'Chaos,' which could become the seed of the end times, based on the prophecy of the First.
And now that they knew I was that Chaos, they might harbor hostility toward me.
"Your Majesty. You must be weary."
But unexpectedly, Haryeong and Seonhwa showed no difference from usual.
I blinked at them for a moment before nodding.
"......Yeah, sure. Oh, right. The Association matter's settled, so no need to worry."
Muttering that, I left the two of them behind and slowly walked deeper into the hideout.
Passing through the corridor, I sat on the throne, and Seonhwa and Haryeong followed, kneeling on one knee.
"Your Majesty. The clan members are suspicious about the dragon's attack."
"Hmm. I suppose so."
I felt a moment of embarrassment.
Not only had a dragon appeared out of nowhere, but it had declared war on me before leaving, so I needed to explain the reason for the capture.
"......We took care of that part ourselves, as we thought it would put Your Majesty in a difficult position."
"......Huh?"
They handled it themselves?
Caught off guard by the unexpected response, Haryeong spoke up.
"There is a prophecy left by the First King. 'Far in the future, a calamity-level beast will bring great chaos to the world.' That's the prophecy."
Haryeong continued.
"We used that to explain, 'The dragonkin are wary of the changes that will occur centered around the newly born King of Demons.' Fortunately, the clan members accepted it without much suspicion."
It ended up being a lie, but since we couldn't explain everything as is, it was a clean resolution.
More importantly, there was something else bothering me now.
Thinking it was right for me to bring it up first, I opened my mouth.
"But you two, do you plan to keep serving me loyally from now on?"
With Kasis's appearance, the two had learned that I possessed the power of freedom—that is, 'Chaos.'
And they had said they were wary of the 'Chaos' that would bring destruction to the world.
At my words, Haryeong seemed to fall into thought for a moment before speaking.
"......To be honest, I was quite shocked to learn that Your Majesty is the 'Chaos' the First spoke of. The First continually warned of the world's destruction that 'Chaos' would bring."
I felt a brief bitterness.
It was the same with Mystery, and the calamity-level beast I encountered today.
Just because I came from another world, they defined me as the world's evil.
And yet, I was the one feeling wronged after being dropped into this unfamiliar world.
At that moment, Seonhwa spoke.
"But we have decided to continue serving Your Majesty loyally."
Continue to serve me loyally?
"Why? According to the First, I could be the seed of destruction."
"The First did not say that 'Chaos' would definitely bring the world's destruction."
Seonhwa raised her head and continued clearly, word by word.
"The end times. Or a new divine world would unfold."
Her words reminded me of what she had told me before I became the Demon King.
—It's a kind of apocalyptic theory. The laws and concepts that maintained the world collapse, and chaos arrives. According to him, after that chaos, the end could come, or a new divine world could unfold.
"We've stayed by Your Majesty's side for a short time and seen it. Your abilities, actions...... and will. It might be our misconception, but the image Your Majesty showed is clearly far from the world's destruction."
Seonhwa looked straight at my face and continued.
"So we've decided to bet on it. That the future Your Majesty creates will be the beginning of a new divine world, not the end times."
I closed my mouth for a moment and looked at the two of them.
Their voices and eyes held sincerity.
Even facing the immense possibility of the world's end, they declared their support for me.
And knowing all my secrets, I now had true allies on my side, making one corner of my heart feel secure.
"......Hoo."
I let out a short breath and nodded.
"A new divine world. Sounds good. Let's give it a shot."
Due to the recent string of incidents, the top floor of the Wizards' Association, the executive conference room, was constantly filled with people without respite.
"......Because of that punk Demon brat, we're holding a year's worth of meetings in a single month."
In the conference room gathered with numerous top-class wizards, Yeomje vented his frustration.
And the kindly natured Michael smiled at him.
"No helping it. In these chaotic times, for the citizens' safety, shouldn't we work harder?"
"Aigoo~ Here comes the saint."
As Yeomje spoke mockingly, Michael gave a wry smile for a moment before saying.
"Enough chit-chat. Let's proceed with the meeting. We've got a lot to do after."
As always, today's meeting topic was the Association's hot issue maker, 'Demon King, Kim Sun-woo.'
Today too, Kim Sun-woo had tossed another bombshell that gave the Association headaches.
"Alright. You all know the message Kim Sun-woo relayed to the Chairman today, right?"
"Within a month, Cruas will invade Seoul...... Are you kidding? How do we believe that?"
At Yeomje's words, Bessie, the American Association executive known as the 'Golden Puppeteer' who had been quietly watching, nodded.
"I agree. Of all people, believing a Demon's word...... and without proper evidence?"
Then Michael interjected.
"Gangwon-do East Sea...... so the place where Kim Sun-woo was found, dragon mana was detected there, right? Everyone knows that."
A brief silence fell.
Michael looked around the conference room and continued.
"Kim Sun-woo likely obtained some source from his encounter with the dragon. And it's not just anywhere—it's an invasion of Seoul, so of course we can't fall for it."
Seoul was one of the world's most developed cities, densely packed with citizens.
If, as Kim Sun-woo said, the dragon descended on Seoul, it could trigger a catastrophe worse than a Demon terror attack.
And Yeomje, who had been listening to Michael's argument with a dissatisfied expression, spoke.
"......I've felt this before, but you defend everything related to that silver Kim Sun-woo, don't you?"
Michael closed his mouth briefly before saying.
"Shouldn't we avoid the worst-case scenario? And. Have you forgotten the terror incident caused by the Second Demon King recently?"
The Seoul Demon terror incident.
It was swiftly suppressed, and even the Second Demon King was subjugated, but it couldn't be called a complete victory.
The human and material damage during that time was immense beyond words.
"......Ahem. That was an accident. No matter how excellent the Association's surveillance system is, if they use 'Mystery,' there's no way. You know we're the aggrieved ones too."
As the meeting began to heat up, Bessie interjected again.
"So that's it in the end. Do we believe Kim Sun-woo and evacuate all citizens for a month? Or just reinforce the wizard forces in Seoul? Right?"
"Wait a minute. Believing a Demon and emptying Seoul for a month? Do you think the economic loss makes any sense?"
Yeomje shouted and continued.
"And. What if it's Kim Sun-woo's trap? We'll be ridiculed by the whole world for being played by a Demon. That's fine?"
"Is face that important?"
As Michael countered, Yeomje spoke again.
"Fine, say we evacuate all citizens and concentrate forces as you say. What if Kim Sun-woo planned for that and terrorizes another region?"
"......That's."
Michael closed his mouth.
Finally, Bessie, who let out a small sigh, turned her gaze to Kim Jin-cheol, who had been quietly watching.
"What do you think, Chairman?"
Kim Jin-cheol leaned back in his chair, arms crossed.
Then, with a disinterested face, he said.
"What's the point of asking my opinion? You all know you'll decide by vote anyway."
His tone was laced with resentment.
At that, everyone in the conference room fell silent.
While the Chairman's influence could decide in balanced situations, when it leaned heavily one way, even Kim Jin-cheol had no power.
"Whatever. Just proceed with the vote."
Time passed.
Putting an end to about a month's hideout life, I descended to Seoul.
It was to take shelter in Seoul, known as the world's greatest fortress, in preparation for the attack by 'Cruas,' who was after my life.
In truth, Seoul itself, with its dense population and as the economic center, had quite a few vulnerabilities to be called a fortress.
Its safety systems were nothing compared to the magic prison, 'Aporia.'
But the sole reason Seoul was called the world's greatest fortress was one thing.
Because 'Kim Jin-cheol,' called the world's strongest wizard, resided there.
For that reason, even the Second Demon King had planned to lure Kim Jin-cheol to his hideout when plotting the Seoul terror.
Beep beep beep.
I entered after punching in the door password.
A huge window with a clear view of Seoul's scenery, plush chairs, tables, and such came into view.
It looked like a spacious office at a glance.
"......Oho."
This place was a building owned by Haryeong.
When I said I needed a place to stay in Seoul, she offered this.
"It's bigger than I thought."
Having lived only in the dreary hideout lately, I felt a strange感動 at seeing a human living space after so long.
I walked inside, slowly looking around.
"Hmm."
TV, fridge, dining table, air conditioner......
Everything I need is here.
As I looked around the interior like that, I pressed the remote on the table.
Beep.
The TV turned on at the same time.
[The final exams at the Wizard Academy, which lasted three days, have all concluded. Students are showing reactions of relief at successfully wrapping up the year.]
The moment I turned on the TV, a familiar sight entered my eyes.
Wizard Academy.
Students in uniforms walking around, and some giving interviews.
Soon, explanations of the exam theme, students' performances, and processes began.
[The top rank for the graduating third-years is confirmed as Lee Seo-jun. Second place is Yoo Ah-ra.]
Lee Seo-jun's image flashed by on the screen.
Just as a pang of fondness tried to arise, a reporter attempting an interview appeared.
But uncharacteristically, Lee Seo-jun refused the interview.
Yoo Ah-ra and Shin Young-jun did the same.
And Choi Seo-yoon's stiff-faced image also caught my eye on the screen.
I stared at it blankly.
An uncharacteristic dark atmosphere brought an inexplicable bitterness.
"Ugh......"
*X-
[Next news. The mana reaction of the calamity-level beast, Cruas, still has not been detected.......]
Beep.
I turned off the TV.
Then I walked to the large window and looked down at the ground.
Seoul's night view.
Late at night, the sight of citizens getting off work entered my eyes.
Even though I'd directly warned the Association agents that Cruas would invade Seoul, the atmosphere in Seoul showed no difference from before.
I bit my lip slightly while looking at it.
"Haryeong."
Swoosh...
At the same time, darkness rose around me, and Haryeong revealed herself.
"You called, Your Majesty."
"It's flowing just as expected in the end. They're taking my warning with a grain of salt."
Haryeong didn't respond to my mutter.
I looked down at Seoul's scenery before turning a hardened face to Haryeong.
"No helping it. Let's instill some fear directly."