Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: To Slay the Immortal Demon King
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"Dai-il. What's wrong? Are you okay?"
Rennel was already gripping my arm, gazing up at me with a face full of worry.
I did my best to regain my composure and asked Artria.
"What do you mean by 'sprout'?"
"She didn't explain it exactly. But from what I can guess, she must have recognized my soul as well."
"......"
"After that, the Demon King unleashed her authority, and the territory was cut off from the outside world. That was the very day the Immortal Demon King began her activities."
Tears welled up in Artria's eyes.
"Do you get it now? The Demon King activated her authority because of me. She isolated the territory because she expected something from me."
"......"
"The reason all these territory folk maintain the exact same daily routines is because of me too. She created a familiar environment for me. Everything, all of it, is my fault."
"......"
"So please, just kill me. I've lived for 300 years carrying this guilt. Please end this pain......"
Before I knew it, Artria was covering her face with both hands, sobbing.
Tears I'd never seen even once before my regression.
Rennel and Arwen quietly approached, wrapping their arms around her shoulders and patting her back.
"Don't treat me like a kid. Boo-hoo."
Arwen said that, but she didn't push their hands away.
In the meantime, I sank into thought for a moment.
'No doubt about it. The Immortal Demon King was trying to turn Artria into another Demon King.'
Just like the Erosion Demon King had tried to corrupt me into one.
Why? What did she expect from Artria?
No, questioning that is pointless.
I still don't even know what the Erosion Demon King expected from me when she cursed me.
The more important fact right now is...
'How did I even meet Artria before my regression?'
Back then, I hadn't thought deeply about it.
I had no idea how obsessed the Immortal Demon King was with her.
I'd only vaguely thought, 'She somehow escaped the Arch Demon King's lair. Was it possible because she's a soul sorceress?'
But now that I knew the extent of the Immortal Demon King's obsession with Artria and the reason behind it, I couldn't see it that way anymore.
It made no sense that Artria had escaped the Kahm Territory before my regression.
We hadn't met in the Kahm Territory before my regression.
And throughout our journey, we'd never once visited the Kahm Territory.
Did the Immortal Demon King release Artria?
No way.
Then maybe...
I drew in a deep breath.
A chill ran through my entire body as one possibility clicked into place in my mind.
[Perhaps back then, Artria was already a Demon King.]
The Immortal Demon King's 'experiment' had succeeded.
Artria had ultimately fallen and become a Demon King.
Confirming her success, the Immortal Demon King joyfully granted her freedom.
But even after becoming a Demon King, Artria's desire to die hadn't changed.
She wandered the continent in search of a place to die.
And she heard rumors of a party that had slain the 17th-ranked Arch Demon King, higher than the Immortal Demon King.
She tracked down that party... and eventually found us.
<'This explanation fits much more naturally.'
Back before my regression, when everyone looked the same through quad wrangle to me.
Back when I couldn't distinguish Demon Kings from others via quad wrangle.
It meant there was no way to notice even if Artria was a Demon King.
'So was Artria the Absence Demon King?'
No, that couldn't be.
I recalled the conversation I'd had with the Absence Demon King before my regression.
-So you're saying you were artificially made into a Demon King by the Erosion Demon King too.
-Heh. Sharp as ever.
He'd admitted to being created by the Erosion Demon King.
The Immortal Demon King was the one who corrupted Artria, so that didn't match.
Then who the hell was the Absence Demon King...
I halted my drifting thoughts there.
This wasn't the time to worry about the Absence Demon King.
Right now, I needed to focus on Artria, who was 'still before becoming a Demon King.'
That was when I forced down the goosebumps rising all over my body.
"Ah! L-Look over there."
Rennel pointed to one spot and shouted.
I turned my gaze that way, as did Artria, who had somewhat calmed down.
Arwen groaned and muttered.
"They're serious about this."
Just as she said, it looked like the Immortal Demon King was dead serious.
People often describe crowds like clouds, and it was the perfect metaphor.
75,000 territory folk.
Every human in Kahm was swarming toward our inn.
"......"
I watched them quietly for a moment, then steeled my resolve and spoke.
"I was planning to just take Artria and slip away quietly."
"Dai-il?"
"Rennel, Chris. Protect Arwen. Arwen, prepare your blessing prayer."
"Wait. What are you thinking?"
"Same as before. Just the numbers are stupidly huge now, so it shouldn't be too hard."
Rennel thumped her chest in frustration.
"Arwen said it herself. Blessing 75,000 people would take a week of preparation!"
"Ah. That's for blessing all 75,000 at once. If we do it in batches of a few hundred, it should be similar to before."
"Is that even possible?"
"In theory... But honestly, I don't know. I've never tested how many times in a row the blessing prayer can be cast."
Holy power is a completely different concept from mana, but at least it's not infinite in that regard.
I thought for a moment and asked.
"Can you hold out for a full day? I'm asking all of you."
The three exchanged glances and nodded.
"Well, based on how it felt earlier, yeah, that much."
"Yes. A day would actually make sleep deprivation more of a concern."
"A day is plenty doable. But what changes if we hold out for a day?"
I answered Arwen's final question like a declaration.
"I'll use that time to kill the Immortal Demon King."
A heavy silence descended in an instant.
Curiously, the most shocked among them was Artria.
"What did you just say? You're going to kill that Demon King?"
"Yeah. I've changed the plan."
"What was the original plan?"
"Just get you to join the party and bail. Our party members are still a bit risky for facing an Arch Demon King."
"What about you, old man?"
The answer to Artria's question came unexpectedly from Arwen.
"I need to grow stronger quick too. To support the leader's skills."
Artria looked like she wanted to say something to her but soon shook her head as if giving up.
"That girl's crazy from the start, so fine."
"Ahaha."
"At least talk some sense into the other two. This old man's about to go kill himself."
But Rennel and Chris's reactions were lukewarm too.
"It might actually be doable, surprisingly..."
"Well, after witnessing a star get shattered, killing one Arch Demon King doesn't seem like a big deal."
Artria's mouth fell open in disbelief.
I'd never imagined seeing that expression on her face—it was oddly fascinating.
Then Rennel asked.
"You talk big, but are you really okay? This is your first time facing an Arch Demon King too."
"......"
"Why not all of us go together?"
"Then we'd be facing an Arch Demon King plus 75,000 S-ranks at once. The Immortal Demon King is after Artria. She'd obviously make the territory folk chase us."
"Still."
"Above all, Arch Demon King level is still too dangerous for you guys."
Rennel bit her lip in frustration.
"Sorry. I'll get stronger fast."
"Your growth rate is already miraculous. Don't push too hard."
"Yeah... Thanks. For everything from one to ten."
"No need to thank me now."
I patted Rennel's shoulder lightly and turned around.
That's when Artria hurriedly spoke up.
"Wait. I'll come with you."
"What? You heard. If you come, the 75,000 S-ranks will follow."
"My body stays here. I'll just link my soul to yours briefly. Then I can share your vision and hearing. We can have secret talks no matter how far apart."
I'd never heard of such sorcery.
I glanced at Arwen to check, and she shook her head, clearly unaware of it too.
But Artria's expression didn't seem like she was lying.
She'd have sounded like quad wrangle if she was.
'Huh? Wait a sec.'
Come to think of it, on the first day after Artria joined, during our first battle.
That night, she'd said something pretty strange.
-Today's battle... nothing different from usual?
-What? Not really.
-I see... It didn't work, huh.
-Huh?
-You've got a rough fate, old man.
That was definitely the conversation.
Only now did I understand what Artria meant back then.
'She linked our souls. Mine and the party's.'
Back then, I was a lone wolf leader who couldn't sync techniques with my party during battles.
Because I couldn't understand their requests, distress signals, or any communication.
I'd asked Rennel for telepathy magic, but even that came through as quad wrangle voices.
Artria had noticed that right away in her first battle after joining and taken some measure to let us communicate without vocalizing.
But her ability couldn't bypass the Erosion Demon King's curse.
That's why she said it didn't work.
'You knew. About my curse.'
Of course, she probably didn't know the specifics.
The term 'white squares' never once came out of her mouth.
Even if she shared my quad wrangle-filled vision, it must have looked like a normal world to her eyes.
But she knew I couldn't see or hear properly like others.
And she'd even tried to fix that problem in her own way.
Even though it failed in the end, I was deeply grateful for her kindness.
So I expressed thanks for something that hadn't happened yet in this timeline—and wouldn't.
"Thanks."
"No need to thank me. I'm not linking souls to help you, old man."
"That's not what I'm thanking you for."
"......?"
"Anyway, if you're not trying to help, why come along? Didn't you have no interest in revenge against the Immortal Demon King?"
Artria hesitated, unable to answer.
That's when Chris's shout came.
"We need to get ready now. They're almost here!"
"Got it. Artria. Where's the Immortal Demon King?"
She silently pointed to one spot.
It was a massive castle visible even from this distance.
"The Lord's castle."
"No way."
"Looks like the outside world doesn't know the Immortal Demon King's true identity. Well, it got cut off before anyone could figure it out."
"......"
"The Immortal Demon King was the wife of the Lord of Kahm."
I nodded calmly.
Then I stretched lightly and said.
"I'll be back. Everyone, move to the next roof over."
"Huh?"
"This inn's about to collapse. Next door's a tool shop, right? Meet up on that building."
"Why's it collapsing?"
I gathered power in my legs.
Crack. Crack.
Crunch.
My muscles swelled.
Cracks began forming in the ceiling.
"'Cause I'm gonna jump far."
The next moment, I leaped into the sky.
And began 'flying' toward the Lord's castle.
Rumble-crash.
The sound of the inn collapsing behind me.
Mixed in was Rennel's shout.
"Go normally for onceee!"