LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 414
Chapter 415
“Huha, huhahaha!!”
With a swift kick, blood splattered as the neck of Malchut fell to the ground, and the nomadic demon burst into maniacal laughter.
It looked quite fun, especially for a nomadic demon who usually smiled while suppressing sorrow.
“But this is where our deal ends.”
“Huh? Why? I feel like I can do more.”
“The demon lord is dead, you know. No matter how stupid someone is, if they follow you and find out the demon lord is dead, they won’t join you anymore.”
“…Hmm, that makes sense.”
Well, demons tend to implicitly believe that they don’t die, so there was a chance they could still take advantage for a while.
But before that, the nomadic demon was likely to die.
Though it’s said that demons resurrect as long as the Demon King is alive, his powers must have been withdrawn since his daughter died.
“Want to see the Demon King die? Then you shouldn’t die.”
“…Unexpected. I didn’t think you’d care about me.”
“I can do that much for a business partner.”
“…Is that so?”
“Well, you can’t really be considered a business partner anymore. What a pity.”
“Khkh, you thought I wouldn’t have any trump cards in reserve?”
The nomadic demon chuckled ominously at Yeon-woo’s boastful words. Was there something impressive hidden away?
Who knows what’s left now, but mentioning a trump card certainly intrigued Yeon-woo.
“Do you know how I bring the demons over? You wouldn’t know, since I’ve never told you.”
“Right. Such powerful demons would originally be in the Demon King’s castle. How a demon of your level contacts them is a mystery.”
“Hehe, that’s right. That’s the way it should be. Because I’m weaker than anyone else, I can do things like this.”
As the nomadic demon spoke, they struck a ridiculous pose. Come to think of it, that demon was using language far too human-like for a demon.
Yeon-woo thought it was due to his daughter marrying a human, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case.
The nomadic demon picked up the severed heads of the demons lying on the ground and began juggling them.
Despite the goodwill Yeon-woo had personally held for the nomadic demon, that wasn’t a sight suitable for the children, so he covered their eyes.
“Look at that clown. Those filthy bastards turned me into a clown to wash away the children’s sins. I thought about dying, but the Demon King wouldn’t let that damn trash die easily. So I decided to become a clown instead.”
“Wow.”
Is this what they mean by enduring humiliation? A demon who had waited all this time for this moment after enduring shameful years.
“Much appreciated.”
“Yeah, thanks. I’m thankful not just to you, but also to the hero who’s hiding somewhere nearby.”
The story about Noel hiding near the Demon King’s castle seemed well-known among the demons. No wonder. The Demon King himself had once hunted them down, after all.
As the nomadic demon rummaged through his clothes, an old piece of parchment popped out.
“…But telling the demons you’re grateful won’t mean a thing to the hero. So, I prepared this.”
“…Um, what….”
Yeon-woo thought Noel would probably express gratitude for his efforts. Maybe he could arrange for them to meet later.
Before the nomadic demon met his demise, that level of gift would be fine.
‘Once the fight with the Demon King starts, there’s no way the old guy will survive anyway.’
Demons had been living in Alkeon even before the Demon King appeared.
At that time, their relationship with humans was not good, but they still interacted in small numbers and intermarried.
The shift in that relationship was entirely due to the arrival of the Demon King. Just as the Heavenly Demon altered the concept of magic, Alkeon’s Demon King instilled madness in all demons across the continent.
The demons lived engulfed by that madness. Sure, there might be individuals like the old man who twisted that madness in another direction or were less affected, but such individuals were rare.
That’s only natural. The madness that dwelled within them was akin to an instinct.
For humans, it would be like trying to live while suppressing both hunger and the need for sleep.
Yet, there were demons living while suppressing this instinct, and others resisting it, living where humans couldn’t see them.
However, even those understood well that their lives hung by a thread in the hands of the Demon King.
‘Of course, I have to die if I’m told to, but how can I survive?’
If the Demon King directly issues a command, demons will do anything. That’s why Alkeon’s humans couldn’t overcome the demons.
Instinct and all that have no stand. When the Demon King says die, they die; when he says live, they live.
Thus, if confronted directly with the Demon King, the old man would surely die.
He would turn into a burst of blood right on the spot.
‘To avoid that fate, I’d have to run away to the ends of the earth to escape the Demon King’s voice and gaze…’
Blocking the commands coming from the outside completely. In other words, there was no way other than giving up sight and hearing.
“…What are you standing there for? Hurry up and take it.”
“…Um, ah, I’m sorry.”
Yeon-woo realized he was more concerned about the old man than he thought.
Even now, wasn’t he racking his brain to allow the old man to see the Demon King’s death personally?
For now, let’s focus on storming the Demon King’s castle. As he organized his thoughts, Yeon-woo unfolded the parchment handed to him by the old man.
There was a somewhat crooked but understandable drawing on it.
“…What’s this?”
“Hehe, you’ll need it. You’ll need it. That’s the internal map of the Demon King’s castle that I recorded while playing the clown.”
This was definitely a jackpot. Yeon-woo could feel it.
*
An urgent summons arrived from Yeon-woo. Noel and Yuri, who had been looking for a route to enter the Demon King’s castle from a distance, hurried back, wondering what trick Yeon-woo had pulled this time.
What welcomed the two was an old demon with violet skin.
Despite their panic, they quickly figured out that this demon was involved in Yeon-woo’s absurd plan.
Just as they were about to question why they would dare appear before a demon, tears began streaming down the nomadic demon’s face.
“Hero, is that you…?”
“Ah, um, yes!? If you’re talking about the human hero, then I guess that’s me….”
“Damn it. Why did you answer that?”
“Oh no.”
Noel, who had answered in panic, wore a look of despair. But the action the nomadic demon took next was something Yuri and Noel could never have imagined.
“Please, please…!! Kill the Demon King…!! Take that damn bastard’s life and save us all…!! I don’t mind dying!! If I can just kill that guy…!!”
He collapsed flat on the ground, banging his forehead on the floor. He hit it so hard that blood splattered around.
Madness. There was no explanation except madness, leaving Noel in shock.
“Ah, okay, I get it, so stop…!”
Noel lifted the nomadic demon’s body. Yeon-woo watched this unfold from a slight distance.
That’s quite the way to get someone to calm down when crying is essential for life.
“Old man, let’s get up now. We have things to discuss.”
“Ha ha, I apologize. I got overwhelmed…”
With Yeon-woo’s words, the nomadic demon stood up. His face, drenched in tears and snot, looked ridiculous, but more than that, it was filled with relief.
See? Crying is super important. He wanted to say this, but this situation wasn’t merely about feeling relieved from crying.
“Master, Noel, come look at this.”
“You called us in such a hurry for this parchment?”
“You’ll be surprised when you see it!”
Yuri approached, wanting to see what it was. At first glance, it looked like a meaningless drawing, but it didn’t take long to realize its value.
“This is… a map? No way….”
“That’s the map of the Demon King’s castle that the old man drew himself. Whether it’s trustworthy or not, I have no idea.”
Upon hearing this, Yuri glanced at the nomadic demon. Under Yuri’s piercing gaze, even the steadfast nomadic demon fidgeted.
It must be a little scary when Yuri glares at you like that. Yeon-woo has almost lost it several times.
“Ugh, it’s the scariest when my master looks at me like that…”
Judging by that reaction, I wonder if Noel also had a close call or two. But well, verification was necessary.
Getting too easy on trusting this map could mean dire consequences, and no one else but themselves would suffer the consequences.
“Stand still.”
“Yes, yes! I understand!!”
Under Yuri’s fierce voice, the nomadic demon stood at attention.
Considering Yuri’s age, the nomadic demon should be older, yet he seemed like a scared puppy.
As a martial artist, Yeon-woo found this amusing, though it was something a Confucian couldn’t accept.
Yuri pointed his sword at the trembling nomadic demon. He didn’t actually draw his sword; it was a mental blade aimed at the nomadic demon.
Mind blade. Just thinking about cutting the opponent is enough to cut them. It was intended to discern truth from lies.
Cold sweat poured from the nomadic demon. His instincts as a living being sensed the blade aimed at him.
“Is that map real? Can you swear there’s no lie, and you wrote it down just as you saw it?”
“…O-of course!! What I saw, heard, and felt is all written down just as it is!!”
The nomadic demon shouted as if he were a new recruit in the army.
Yeon-woo watched him. If the blade were to move, there would be nothing he could do.
If it were aimed at him, perhaps he could block it, but he had no way to stop a mind blade directed at someone else.
Soon, the mind blade melted away into the air, as if it had never existed.
Yuri’s transcendent intuition and the keen eye he had developed over many years concluded that the nomadic demon was not lying.
“Good. I will trust not the old man but the old man’s hatred.”
“Thank you, thank you…!!”
“Seriously, threatening someone who offered their life to help? How cruel can you be?”
“I simply exercised caution. Now, old man, please explain, as it seems you used some independent symbols.”
Thus, the four of them gathered together.
How would they infiltrate the Demon King’s castle? What route would they take to reach the Demon King’s chamber?
It didn’t take long to reach a conclusion.
(To be continued in the next chapter)