The Demon King's Aura
< p > “Ha-am~”
< p > Today, I spent the entire day in the grand library again, and only after the late night did I finally return to my room. As I recalled the events of the day, my mind turned to something that had happened earlier.
< p > Suddenly, a massive fire had erupted on the horizon, causing even the librarians to abandon their duties and head out to watch. The sheer scale of the mana surge I could feel from that distant blaze, combined with the intense heat that reached even the imperial palace from so far away, made me certain that the culprit was someone I already knew all too well.
< p > Relaxing after the long day, I started walking back toward my room with the intention of meeting that person, only to find my footsteps abruptly halting right in the middle of the corridor…
< p > “L-Lord Lowell…”
< p > Alex, who had vanished from sight ever since our confrontation with the Holy Knight Commander Alberon, stared at me with a look of utter surprise at first. But before long, he lowered his head in greeting, his cheeks flushing a deep crimson.
< p > “You must have just come from the library again today, right?”
< p > “Yes.”
< p > According to what I had heard from Isabel…
< p > Just like me, Alex had been busy lately, attending advanced courses as the crown prince’s successor. His eyes betrayed exhaustion—dark circles shadowed his face, showing how drained he truly was. Yet in my presence, he forced a smile, hiding any weakness.
< p > “I’m grateful for last time. If you hadn’t lent me the sword, I might have lost that duel.”
< p > “There’s no need for thanks. It was my fault for not being ready with my lord’s sword earlier.”
< p > “……”
< p > In the midst of our conversation, a memory surfaced from the first time I had arrived here—the incident in the emperor’s private study. As I hesitated, wondering how I should respond if he brought it up again and things grew awkward…
< p > “Um… my lord…”
< p > “……?”
< p > “That… the matter from last time…”
< p > It had come.
< p > We had already grown distant after that incident, barely speaking properly for a while.
< p > “I’m sorry about that time. It seems I rushed things without considering your thoughts. I’ve been regretting it ever since.”
< p > As the royal prince, he bowed his head—a gesture he should never have made in front of me. I glanced around, checking if anyone else might be watching.
< p > “Please raise your head. It could complicate things if others see.”
< p > “Yes… my lord.”
< p > The moment he lifted his head at my words, Alex offered a forced smile and looked around with me.
< p > “As the crown prince, you will soon become emperor. You need to find a queen who matches your stature. Not one of those elves of ours—an ordinary human.”
< p > “……”
< p > “What about your answer?”
< p > “…Yes, my lord.”
< p > Alex’s reply felt shallow. It was clear that many words still remained unspoken in his heart.
< p > Yet if he could just let go of his lingering feelings for me like this, there might be some value in the chance encounter we’d had in the corridor…
< p > *
< p > With the issue involving Alex finally resolved—though the conversation had left a lingering unease—I stepped back into my room. All day long, I had seen no sign of Cali, but there she was, lying face down on the bed, happily eating something delicious. Scattered across the bed and chairs were her clothes and accessories, the likes of which I had never seen before.
< p > “Cali? What is all this?”
< p > “Huh? Isabel gave it to me.”
< p > “All of it?”
< p > “Yes.”
< p > “Gave it to you?”
< p > “Yes.”
< p > The quantity was far too much for something Isabel had simply bought. And these clothes looked far too ordinary to have come from the palace—they were indistinguishable from what you’d buy at a regular market.
< p > “Wait… did you go out into town with Isabel during the day?”
< p > “……Th-that’s… how did you…”
< p > “How did I know? Looking at these clothes, they seem to be the kind you buy at the market. And earlier today, you used magic in the market, right?”
< p > “Tsk… even an elf like you… you’re sharp on the uptake…”
< p > Cali had clearly decided to keep the day’s events with Isabel a secret from me. If I hadn’t noticed, she probably wouldn’t have told me anything.
< p > “It’s not that I’m sharp at all… How many people in this empire could even use hellfire?”
< p > “……”
< p > The immense heat I had sensed that day… and the overwhelming mana swirling within it…
< p > A magic so vast it was impossible for an ordinary human or even a reputed archmage to create. Even if a human archmage tried to imitate it, he would likely have collapsed for days afterward.
< p > Since no other dragon had appeared yet, Cali’s involvement in this incident was the only plausible explanation.
< p > “What happened outside? What kind of trouble required you to use such a massive spell?”
< p > “Hmm… there was something, but… nothing like killing anyone. I just scared them a bit.”
< p > “Did Isabel notice anything?”
< p > “She did, but… luckily she didn’t say much. Instead, she seemed rather intrigued and even pleased.”
< p > Cali didn’t elaborate on the outside events, but the time spent with Isabel must have been entertaining. She lay on the bed now, kicking her feet against the mattress with delight.
< p > “Still, you have to be careful from now on. Isabel is different from her brother—she’s extremely perceptive. She might seem carefree most of the time, but there’s always something on her mind.”
< p > “Isabel usually acts like an ordinary princess, enjoying pretty clothes and jewelry with her peers. But sometimes, when she spends days in the library, you can sense her ambition.”
< p > “If she were a man…”
< p > “The possibility of a brotherly conflict with Alex would be very high.”
< p > “She doesn’t seem like a bad person, though.”
< p > “That’s true, but…”
< p > I agreed with Cali on that point. Having ambition didn’t automatically make someone evil.
< p > “Still, you mustn’t use magic casually around people from now on.”
< p > “Yes.”
< p > “Even if you do use magic, stick to the weaker kind.”
< p > “Yes. I understand.”
< p > Cali answered so obediently that I found myself unconsciously stroking her head. Normally I would have snapped, “How dare you touch a dirty elf like me!” but now I remained still. Perhaps she had finally learned her lesson.
< p > Or maybe…
< p > Because she had been hit by me so many times, she had learned to behave.
< p > ****
< p > The saintess Illyana, who had transmigrated to this world, was now heading toward the nearby Moncrito Kingdom in pursuit of Lowell’s trail. According to the adventurers’ guild information, the site of Lowell’s solo actions was in the Moncrito Kingdom, and it wasn’t far from where she had been. So she had decided to head there first.
< p > From what she had learned, the original Lowell from her world—the saintess’s party member—was a high elf known for his gentle nature. He had rarely spoken, quietly doing his own work. But recently, he had clashed with the hero and was eventually expelled from the party.
< p > If at that time his soul had been replaced by the reincarnated hero Lucas…
< p > With his personality, it would have been easy for him to clash with the incompetent hero here as well.
< p > Even in her own world, the same party members had frequently fought with each other, leading to the hero party’s dissolution. Illyana had stepped in each time, calming the members and helping them defeat the Demon King.
< p > “Excuse me… Illyana-nim…”
< p > “Yes?”
< p > “Are you… perhaps close to Lowell?”
< p > “Ah… we’re… just friends?”
< p > Illyana could not tell the adventurers the truth. At the moment, Lowell was a man, a hero from her previous world, and they had been engaged to be married. The day before the wedding, he had suddenly vanished and started playing dress-up in this world.
< p > It was impossible to blurt it out to anyone, so Illyana’s chest felt tight. The more she thought about it, the more absurd and infuriating it became. Yet the thought that she would soon meet the hero Lucas—who had once been her fiancé and was now Lowell—allowed her to smile casually at the adventurers.
< p > “If you could take me all the way to where Lowell is, I’ll pay you a great reward.”
< p > “No need, Illyana-nim. We are guiding you as a way to repay the life-saving saintess. We have no intention of receiving payment.”
< p > The rest of the party members, led by their captain Ascen, had not forgotten the kindness she had shown them in the past. They now trusted her completely, having witnessed her resurrection ability firsthand—the very thing the current saintess Adelia could not perform.
< p > Their journey to Moncrito Kingdom had seemed smooth, but dark clouds were gathering ahead…
< p > “Illyana-nim, what’s wrong?”
< p > As Illyana walked with the adventurers, she suddenly sensed something strange. She stopped mid-stride and scanned her surroundings.
< p > “Hmm… I feel an aura of the Demon King’s sword… Is there a battle against the Demon King’s army nearby?”
< p > “What? No, this area is considered rear territory. The Demon King’s army wouldn’t appear here… But a few days ago, Lowell did fight the Demon King’s army not far from here.”
< p > Hearing Ascen’s words, Illyana could not help but tense up. The aura she felt was almost identical to the dark mana of the Demon King’s sword.
< p > In other words, a being capable of wielding the Demon King’s sword—the Demon King or one of the Four Heavenly Kings—was nearby.
< p > If even the Demon King appeared, both Illyana and the entire party would be in mortal danger. So she could not let her guard down.