Chapter I Killed the Demon King. It Was a Mistake. 193
I Killed the Demon King. It Was a Mistake.
Chapter 193
Scratch- Scratch-
Elijah was carving a piece of wood with a small carving knife. Through repeatedly examining the overall shape and refining it, then checking the shape again and refining further, a rough form started to emerge. For Elijah, wood carving had become almost like a curse left behind by Diana. Since Diana had loved carving, during the years he spent apart from her, he carved while longing for her.
After about 100 years of this, he became skilled enough to create beautiful carvings even with his eyes closed. Those 100 years were enough time for carving to become an integral part of Elijah’s life. Now, even without thinking of Diana, whenever he needed to contemplate something deeply, he would pick up a suitable piece of wood and start carving. Of course, the time spent varied depending on the intensity of his contemplation, as short as 5 minutes, or sometimes lasting an entire day.
At that moment, a mole burst into Elijah’s tent. Elijah set down on the table what appeared to be a carving of either a chipmunk or a squirrel, he couldn’t quite tell which.
“How did it go?” Elijah asked.
In response to Elijah’s question, the mole transformed into a rat and spoke:
“Sith has defied your orders and advanced toward the Steel Fortress.”
“…I let Sith roam free for too long.”
Just as Caesar had given Elijah a long time, Elijah had given Sith far too much time as well.
“It seems Caesar’s complacency has infected me too.”
Elijah picked up the squirrel carving and approached the fireplace.
“So what are Sith’s demands?”
“We couldn’t hear them. He tried to kill us as soon as he detected us.”
“Is he starting to feel pity for them now?”
The rat couldn’t answer. Elijah didn’t mind since it wasn’t a question that needed an answer. He just needed time to think.
“We can’t eliminate Sith right now.”
The soldiers gathered under Sith amounted to nearly a division-level force. If Sith were killed now, those soldiers would fall into chaos, roaming various parts of the demon realm without distinguishing friend from foe. In the worst case, they might even elect a new leader and wage war against Elijah’s forces.
“But we can’t leave Sith alone either.”
The fact that he defied Elijah’s orders meant that, like ‘Pepe’, he was beginning to develop his own consciousness. This was equivalent to the birth of a doppelganger breaking free from Elijah’s control.
“Send the Steel Lion Knight immediately on the fastest horse. Then secretly enter Sith’s chambers, kill him, and take his form.”
Elijah tossed the squirrel carving into the fireplace.
“We must deal with him before he completely enters the Steel Fortress.”
***
When night fell, Caesar and Raven headed toward Eagle valley on Whitey. As the red moon rose, Eagle valley shimmered with various colors. The flower garden created by the Succubi made their castle appear even more mysterious in the brilliant moonlight, and this castle crafted from light and dreams was becoming increasingly abundant and magnificent.
When they first saw Agatha’s castle, they thought it was quite impressive, but now it was on a different level entirely. Agatha’s castle had something mesmerizing about it, as if it had been carved from pieces of the moon itself.
“… Succubus’ castles are always magnificent.”
“Well, it’s a castle built from dreams. Of course it would be beautiful since it’s woven from the most enchanting things in the world.”
Raven scrutinized the Succubi castle with sharp eyes. Caesar could sense Raven’s mind working frantically. She was probably analyzing the castle’s magical properties.
“What do you see when you stare at it like that?”
“I can see it. After all, it’s still magic in the end.”
“So what’s your impression?”
“It’s a bit… Less frightening than the succubus’ castle I saw before.”
If it was enough to make Raven feel fear, just how terrifying must the previous succubus’ castle have been? Since Caesar had only seen it in the game, he couldn’t imagine what the succubus’ castle in Raven’s memories looked like.
“What was it like back then?”
“Haven’t you seen a succubus’ castle before?”
“No, I hadn’t. When I heard the news that you all had destroyed the succubus’ castle, I was serving as a Sky Knight observing the northern region.”
“…So that’s why you were so good at riding Pegasus.”
“Why else would I have asked the Crown Prince for a Pegasus?”
“What was the name of the Sky Knight you impersonated?”
“Mill.”
Caesar felt Raven’s hand grip her waist tightly.
“What? Mill?! Mill, the Prince of the Sky?”
“They did call me that, rather grandly.”
“No wonder that bastard Elijah left you alone. Do you know that you took down over 50 succubus and vampires? You even received a commendation from His Highness the Crown Prince for that.”
“Well, yes I did. That was also when I first saw your face.”
“You even taught the Sky Knights a new way to throw javelins. Didn’t you also work as a riding instructor?”
“For a bit. About… A month? I taught some rookies who had just become Sky Knights.”
“No wonder no one suspected you of being a doppelganger.”
“By the way, you seem to know a lot about me? How do you know so much?”
“You were quite famous among target wizards. They said that if they rode behind you, they’d never die.”
True, many Sky Knights died when they went with target wizards to get magical coordinates, getting surrounded by vampires and succubi.
“I was pretty successful back then. Other demon folk would make way for me, thinking I was one of them.” Succubus Castle was created using moonlight. When we covered the sky for about two weeks, the castle disappeared like a mirage.”
“The wizard who discovered that blocking moonlight could eliminate the Succubus Castle is quite remarkable.”
“That was me.”
“I thought so.”
…This hasn’t changed from the game.
I wonder if it’s right to take this to Agatha.
Won’t we end up fighting as soon as we meet?
‘No, when we met before, I didn’t mention Raven.’
Then Agatha might not know who conquered the Succubus Castle.
I’d better keep my mouth shut if I don’t want today’s deal to fall through.
“By the way, this castle doesn’t seem to match the Agatha I met before.”
“In what way?”
“The magic cast in this area was created for very practical purposes. Most of the moonlight from those flowers isn’t used to create the castle, but focused on making workers’ rest areas, warehouses, homes, and fences.”
“That’s very like Agatha.”
“What do you mean?”
“Being practical.”
“She didn’t seem that way when I met her before. Rather, she seemed to care more about showing authority.”
“Back then, she was on really bad terms with Elijah. Well, still is.”
“Come to think of it, I haven’t heard why Elijah and Agatha don’t get along. Why are they fighting?”
“Well…”
“You’re not trying to hide something by dragging out your answer, are you?”
“No, it’s just such a long story that I don’t know where to start. But we’re running short on time now.”
While chatting, we arrived at the Succubus Castle.
“I’ll explain it all leisurely later.”
“Alright. But you have to explain everything.”
Caesar landed in the succubus flower garden through the split ravine.
A succubus working in the flower garden approached Caesar respectfully.
“Welcome, Lord Caesar. The Queen is waiting.”
“Where should I go?”
“Please come into the castle. However…”
The succubus shot a sharp glance at Raven.
“I’m not sure if the Queen will welcome this suspicious person.”
As expected, they were quite wary of Raven.
Well, from their perspective, they couldn’t help it.
“Raven is fine. She already knows I’m a doppelganger.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. Anyway, I’ll make sure she doesn’t cause any trouble, so let her in.”
“Understood.”
Caesar handed Whitey over to the succubus.
“Whitey, I’ll be back soon.”
-…I’m hungry.
The creature has completely adapted now.
At first, it was trembling, but now…
Caesar headed into the castle.
The feeling of walking on a castle made of dreams and light was strange.
It felt like walking on fluffy clouds.
It also seemed a bit poorly constructed…
Then, a vampire approached Caesar’s side.
“If you’re conscious it’s a dream, the castle collapses.”
Raven startled and drew her wand.
It was because the vampire approached without making any presence known.
Caesar looked at the vampire’s face.
“…Could it be Borden?”
“That’s right.”
“What’s this, why do you look so different?”
Borden’s hair was neatly trimmed, and instead of a worn suit, he was wearing a clean one.
He used to wear a suit before too, but it was all tattered and his hair and beard were unkempt, making him look like a noble who had lost everything at a gambling house.
“Now you look exactly like a butler.”
“That’s because I am one.”
“Huh? What?”
“I decided to serve as Queen Agatha’s butler. So I am indeed a butler.”
Borden took a step.
Unlike Caesar, there was a sound of stepping on hard marble.
“Walk without being conscious of the castle. Otherwise, the ground you’re stepping on will collapse.”
“How do I walk without being conscious?”
“You can avoid being conscious by walking while talking with me. So…”
Borden looked at Raven, who was on high alert like a cat.
“Green-eyed wizard, lower your guard and focus on my words.”
“I would have listened better if you hadn’t popped out like a ghost.”
“It’s because I usually fly around instead of walking.”
Raven looked at the bat tunnels in the castle walls and pillars.
A few bats were looking down at Raven from the small resting areas near the bat tunnels.
They clearly seemed to be monitoring Raven.
“I guess succubi and vampires have a custom of flying over guests’ heads? Can’t you tell those guys to either come down or leave?”
“Green-eyed wizard, I don’t know if you’re underestimating yourself, but we know you’re the exceptional wizard who killed our Demon King. Isn’t it natural to be this cautious with such a wizard?”
Raven couldn’t tell if Borden’s words were meant as praise or a threat to kill if necessary.
That’s because the magic waves emanating from the vampire’s body were very even and calm.
‘This could get dangerous.’
Caesar stepped between Borden and Raven.
“By the way, was everything okay here? Things were quite noisy on our side.”
Raven naturally stepped back.
Raven also thought there was nothing to gain from exchanging words with Borden.
“Speaking of which, it seemed like there was quite a commotion among the humans. What happened?”
“Elijah finally rebelled against the Empire. Thanks to that, we had quite a scene yesterday.”
“What was bound to happen, happened.”
Talking with Borden made it feel like stepping on hard marble.
Of course, once he became conscious of it again, it felt like walking on clouds.
When Borden glared at Caesar’s feet, Caesar quickly changed the subject.
“Where is Elijah now?”
“I don’t know the exact location, but I think he’s probably heading north toward the Steel Fortress. If he wants to mess with us more, he’ll set up near Luxhope and bombard persistently.”
“Getting on the same boat with that guy Elijah was a risky move in itself. He was bound to betray you.”
“If you talk about it in hindsight like that, what statement wouldn’t be true? I tried to minimize the damage as much as possible.”
The succubi’s castle was more complex than expected.
Looking at the exterior, these winding corridors shouldn’t be possible.
As expected of a castle made of dreams and magic, normal physical laws didn’t seem to apply.
“More importantly, how have you been lately? Getting by?”
“We’ve stopped absorbing the spirit energy and blood of the Orcs. We’ve absorbed enough. So we’ve stopped hunting them down and only deal with those who invade this place.”
“Then do you think it’s possible with just Orcs when it comes to blood-drinking?”
Borden stroked his chin while considering the implications of the question.
“You seem to be asking if we can raise Orcs like livestock.”
“You have to drink blood to survive. From my perspective, eating Orcs seems much better than humans.”
“Hmm…”
It was noticeable that Raven was intensely focused on Borden’s words.
After thinking for a moment, Borden spoke.
“Speaking of personal preference, humans are better than Orcs.”
“Then do you plan to continue absorbing human blood?”
“To be honest, the act of ‘blood-drinking’ itself isn’t directly related to vampires’ survival.”
“What do you mean by that? Then why do you drink blood?”
This question wasn’t from Caesar.
It came from Raven’s mouth.
“Our act of blood-drinking is just a formality to satisfy desires. It’s no different from humans releasing unnecessary sexual desires. You don’t die from not satisfying sexual desires, right? It’s similar to that.”
“So you’re saying you don’t need to drink blood forever?”
“I said it only doesn’t affect survival, not that it isn’t necessary.”
“Then why do you drink blood?”
“Because we become devils if we don’t drink blood.”
Raven knew through the Orcs that the demon race could become devils.
But it was the first time hearing that vampires become devils if they can’t drink blood.
“Is that similar to why succubi absorb spirit energy?”
“Yes. Of course, succubi use both magic and spirit energy when using magic, so they need it for that too.”
While talking, they had reached a red door.
“The Queen is here.”
Borden turned to Raven and said.
“Green-eyed wizard. I understand your aversion to the demon race, but I hope you’ll show minimum courtesy to our Queen.”
“I know.”
Raven had no intention of causing trouble after coming this far.
As Caesar and Raven approached, the red door opened by itself.
When the heavy door opened, a magnificent rainbow-colored audience hall appeared.
There was a red carpet on the floor, a gorgeous chandelier in the sky, and colorful candles floating in the air.
However, rather than producing their own light, these candles seemed to be structured to collect and scatter the red moonlight coming through the huge windows on both sides of the audience hall.
Agatha sat on a wooden throne at the end of the audience hall.
She smiled while subtly showing her seductive legs through her black dress.
“You came? Caesar?”
Click here to check out my other translations.
TL NOTE:
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! If you would like to support me or read up to 50 chapters ahead, you can do so via patreon.com/ChibiGiant. OR by unlocking chapters.
Please Rate this Novel in your free time @ NovelUpdate. It will help the novel get more readers.
Schedule: Every {Wed-Sat}