Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: The Mark of Sloth
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Some Demon Kings have unique patterns symbolizing themselves.
These aren't designs handed down by the Papal Court.
They were shapes the Demon Kings themselves drew to represent and prove their identity.
Not every Demon King shared such artistic inclinations, so only about thirty percent of them bore these patterns.
The Sloth Demon King, one of those with such tastes, had a crest depicting half-closed eyelids.
Chris asked,
"The Sloth Demon King? Why does that picture represent the Sloth Demon King?"
"Chris."
"Yes, Rennel?"
"Be quiet for a bit."
"...Yes."
Rennel bit her nails, muttering something under her breath.
A moment later, she broke out in a cold sweat and spoke.
"Why is the Sloth Demon King's crest showing up here?"
"...?"
"Ah, hold on. I'm sure in that ancient tome I read..."
"...?"
"Whew. Just as I feared. My bad feelings are always spot on."
I waited calmly for her to finish piecing it together.
Finally, Rennel turned to Chris and me.
"Out of nowhere, but... do you know if the Demon Kings have factions?"
It was a completely random question.
But the moment I heard it, my jaw dropped.
Misreading my expression, Rennel nodded vigorously.
"Yeah, first time hearing it, right?"
No. I knew.
It was knowledge I'd gained from slaying four Arch Demon Kings before my regression.
Demon Kings ranked in the top twenty were called Arch Demon Kings, but ranks two, five, eight, and nine were especially infamous.
They weren't just powerful—they were cunning and politically savvy, each building their own factions.
It was a fact whispered among the higher-ups in the Papal Court and the imperial family.
But they kept it under wraps from the world at large.
Demon Kings forming alliances and vying for power was their internal affair—irrelevant to humans.
Public knowledge would only breed more fear, so it was classified.
'Even the Saintess didn't know.'
It showed she wasn't truly at the top of the Papal Court.
A fact unknown to even her—and to my pre-regression self at this point in time—had slipped from Rennel's lips like she'd known all along.
I asked as calmly as I could.
"How do you know that?"
"Huh? Why's that your first question?"
"...?"
"I'm a secretive person too, you know—just not as much as you. Leave it at that."
Rennel waved it off awkwardly, turning her head away.
A tangle of emotions welled up.
Before my regression, even knowing about the factions, Rennel had never shared it with me.
She hadn't trusted me back then.
It stung.
But flip it around...
'She's spilling everything now. Info she never shared before regression.'
Proof our relationship had grown by leaps and bounds.
I swallowed the swelling emotion and replied evenly.
"Anyway, what does the Disease Demon King have to do with it?"
"The Disease Demon King is probably in the Sloth Demon King's faction."
"Sloth Demon King. Arch Demon King, rank eight."
"Yeah. I had my suspicions when it started tracing star patterns across the continent. Sorry I didn't mention it sooner."
Come to think of it, on the way to Bardlin, her reaction clicked.
When I asked why the Disease Demon King was moving in star-like trajectories, the way she'd pursed her lips...
I flashed a grin at Rennel as she scratched her head apologetically.
"If anything, thanks."
"Thanks? For what?"
"Never mind. But what's the link between the stars and the Sloth Demon King? His symbol's just these sleepy eyes."
"The Sloth Demon King's authority is to lull all things to slumber. Ancient records quote him saying, 'I can even lull the stars in the sky. I'll prove it.'"
Chris, who'd been listening blankly, chimed in.
"I've never heard anything about that ancient record."
"Of course you haven't, Chris."
"I don't know either."
"If even Dai-il doesn't know, it's definitely obscure."
"You're treating me like chopped liver here."
Rennel shrugged.
"I had to study history in depth for personal reasons. Humanity's history is inextricably tied to the Demon Kings, so I know a fair bit about them."
"...?"
"Right after the Sloth Demon King made that boast, the Disease Demon King appeared in the records for the first time. And it showed up near the Sloth Demon King's territory."
"...!"
"Plus this eye symbol... No room for doubt. The Disease Demon King belongs to the Sloth Demon King's faction."
Finally, the pieces connected.
Considering the timing and location, the Disease Demon King was likely born from the Sloth Demon King's hand.
Just like the Erosion Demon King had tried to corrupt me into one.
Or how the Absence Demon King was spawned by the Erosion Demon King.
So the Disease Demon King had been wandering the continent for two hundred years, drawing stars to 'prove' its master's claim.
Chris asked with a sulky frown.
"The star was about half complete, right? What happens if it finishes the rest?"
"No idea. But given the Sloth Demon King's bold words, nothing good."
"...?"
"We have to catch the Disease Demon King."
She looked me straight in the eye.
I met her gaze squarely.
"Yeah. You do."
"Right. Me... Wait, me?"
"I'm guessing these symbols are hidden all over the territory. Otherwise, no reason for the Disease Demon King to stick around one fiefdom for six months, risking danger."
"...?"
"Inscribing the Sloth Demon King's crest—that's what took six months each time."
I crossed my arms and continued.
"Must be draining. If we hunt them down and smash them one by one, it'll get pissed."
"Hold on."
"No need to scour the territory for the Disease Demon King. Or worry it's lurking outside."
"Wait."
"Destroy the symbols, one after another. Eventually, the enraged Disease Demon King will come to us. Then we capture it."
A perfect plan, right?
That's when Rennel shrieked.
"Wait! How am I supposed to catch a Demon King?!"
"You handled the Deception Demon King just fine."
"That was rank ninety-one!"
"Not sure there's much difference between ninety-one and eighty-eight. Opportunities like this don't come often—level up while you can."
Still, unease lingered on Rennel's face.
I chuckled, recalling how she'd once pulverized a rank forty-nine or forty-eight Demon King solo before my regression.
"Your potential exceeds what you think. Trust me."
"...!"
"I'll watch your back. Fight without worry. If it gets dicey, I'll step in."
For some reason, Rennel's cheeks flushed.
She turned away slightly, mumbling like a baby babbling.
"Damn, that's cool."
For a split second, I thought the Quad wrangle's voice had returned.
But it wasn't that garbled tone—it was just her murmuring.
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
That's when Chris spoke up.
"Impressive, Rennel."
"Chris."
"Makes me feel insignificant. They called me the rising star of the Radiant Knights Order, but I have no room to shine..."
"What are you talking about? You need to step up too."
Chris blinked at my words.
"Me, fight?"
"No."
"Then?"
"Goal's capture, not kill. While Rennel keeps it busy, sneak up on the Demon King and subdue it."
Chris laughed in disbelief.
"I'm no assassin. Not about knightly honor—I've never learned stealth skills."
"Learn now."
"My talents aren't in that! No offense to you, Dai-il, but my swordsmanship is clan-specific..."
"Chris."
Click.
I placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I know your aptitudes well."
"How much have you even seen of me?"
"Your talent for suppressing presence is unmatched. You'll surpass me by miles there."
"Pardon?"
"Sneak up on the Disease Demon King and jab a paralyzing needle into its spine. It'll be immobilized. I'll stick around and teach you."
At my unflinching expression, Chris's face twisted.
He clutched his head and muttered,
"Ahh. What'll Father say?"
For the next two weeks, we operated nonstop.
Mornings to evenings, we'd scour the territory together for Quad wrangles.
And smash every one we found without hesitation.
Each bore the Sloth Demon King's crest.
"Twenty-two already."
"It's getting scary. How does Dai-il spot them so effortlessly?"
"That's what I want to know."
"By the way, Chris."
"Yes."
"Twenty-three."
"Yes..."
As dusk fell, we'd celebrate the day's haul and return to our long-term inn.
After dinner, I'd train Chris in the vacant lot next door.
"Today, poisons. Start with the easiest: paralytics. Ingredients are..."
"Hey. Do I really have to learn this?"
"Of course. You're going to be a fine assassin... er, adventurer."
"You said assassin. Just now."
"You'll pick it up fast. Weirdly, your memory skyrockets for this stuff."
In truth, Chris improved by leaps and bounds.
He ditched his prized longsword for needles, chains, and assorted concealed weapons.
As a knights order member, he already knew vital points—skipped that.
"The start and end of suppressing presence is breathing. Stop breathing now."
"That's harsh..."
"I mean hold your breath."
"Same thing. I'll die."
"Aim for once per minute."
"I'll die."
Yet astonishingly, in two weeks, Chris reached once every two minutes.
I'd just passed on assassin breathing techniques I'd heard through adventurer channels, but he outdid any elite assassins I'd known.
Rennel, practicing magic nearby, gaped.
"So that's what a genius looks like."
"Not thrilled. And you're no position to talk, Rennel."
"How do you know my progress? I'm not even a proper mage."
"Don't get mana, but your aura's much calmer. More collected, I guess."
"Wow. I just formed another circle. This level gets you riches anywhere."
Rennel glanced at me.
It felt like she wanted praise, so I gave it straight.
"Excellent."
"...Hee."
"Weird laugh."
"Mind your business."
Another two weeks passed like that.
We'd destroyed over fifty Quad wrangles.
Chris could now move nimbly breathing once every ten minutes—footsteps silent.
Rennel hit five circles.
I'm no mage, but I knew that warranted top treatment even in the capital's mage tower.
She'd bounced over, grabbing both my hands.
"I'm rich at last!"
"Unique way to celebrate."
"Retirement secured!"
"Sure, sure."
"Must be lingering insights from the Deception Demon King fight. them this month, and boom—circle up."
Then Chris's voice from behind her.
"So why'd I grow?"
"Eek! Don't pop up like that. Please."
"I've been here the whole time..."
"You went through losing your brother. I faced a crisis. Trials and crises make us grow."
"Don't say lost. Still losing him."
"...?"
"Back to training."
His presence vanished smoothly.
I could see him, but it felt unreal—like was he really there?
'I can still sense him clearly.'
A bit more growth, and he'd hit pre-regression levels.
The Saintess's words echoed.
-Dinner's ready, everyone.
-Thanks.
-Oops. Prepared an extra plate.
-I'm here, Saintess.
-Wh-who?
-Chris.
Hm. Good memory.
Another two weeks passed.
In six weeks total, we destroyed seventy-nine crests.
Chris could now infiltrate any assassin guild and take the master's seat on day one.
Rennel claimed she'd hit "gold-paved life" levels (six circles).
Regrettably, their growth plateaued there.
Apparently, the gains from that crisis were tapped out.
But no need to fret.
One day, smashing another Quad wrangle...
"So it was you bastards."
A figure blocked our path.
Its body was covered in Quad wrangles.
The Disease Demon King.
I swept back my hair leisurely.
"Wandering the continent drawing stars—tough gig. Lackey of the Sloth Demon King."