Demon King, Retry! Chapter 63-64

—Outskirts of the Rookie City.

Outside the city, there's several carriages and tents set, and a kind of camp had been constructed. It is the group led by Otagla.s.ses.

When he goes around the various countries, he will certainly lodge at the outside of the city. That's because if he stays in the city, the important people of the country would always have something to say about it.

People that want to thank him, people that are brought by his popularity, people that want to use him, and more often than not, people who would try to pull him away from his country.

Because at first there would be many of those kind of invitations, it fanned the eyes of suspicion from his country even more. So now, no matter how hot of a season it is, no matter how much of a violent storm the camp is in, he decided to always stay at the outside of the city.

There's by no means a lot of knights in his group.

Acting together with Otagla.s.ses would mean being glared at by the higher-ups from the Light Country, and giving up on getting promoted.

Each carriage has its own coachman, but there's only 3 official knights.

"Otagla.s.ses-sama has a sad face."

"Maybe there's something worrying him…"

"What could it be…"

Those three are skilled knights that are even sung as the Three White Binary Stars.

One word to describe their appearance would be 'brawny'. Their bodies are filled with muscles, and are strong matchless warriors that have charged the battlefield together with Otagla.s.ses.

Because those three have a strong rebellious spirit and have sworn loyalty to Otagla.s.ses himself, the higher-ups of the Light Country have already thrown the towel on them.

For the Light Country, they are nothing but a problematic group, but because it would seriously wound them if they were to go another country, they are also a problematic group they can't cut away even if they want to.

"But look. That s.h.i.+ne of Otagla.s.ses-sama."

"What a dazzling white light."

"Just looking at it makes me feel like I am being purified."

It is true that Otagla.s.ses' body is covered in white light.

This was no illusion. There was a secret to the box he was carrying. Inside the box, there's an equipment that surpa.s.ses a legendary equipment, and the box itself is constantly releasing Whitening.

No matter how many battles he is in, his body won't get dirty.

You could say he is truly a Holy Brave with no filth.

Sitting at a nicely shaped rock, Otagla.s.ses was staring for a while at the campfire, but he finally speaks heavily.

"Everyone, do you know the Rabi Village?" (Otagla.s.ses)

"Of course we know."

The representative of the three, Kaiya, answers the question of Otagla.s.ses. By the way, this is a bit of a tangent, but the other two are Altema and Mushroom.

"From what I remember, there's many poor Bunnies living in that village." (Otagla.s.ses)

The three nod at what Otagla.s.ses said.

The Right Light Country and the Holy Light Country are by no means in a bad relations.h.i.+p, and they actually do have a proper diplomatic relations.h.i.+p.

But the Right Light Country wors.h.i.+ps the Great Light, and the Holy Light Country wors.h.i.+ps the Angels, however, you could say their direction is similar.

The Great Light only remains in books, and it only says that it led the Angels. Since it is not clear whether it actually existed or what it did, you could say the Right Light Country is an even more religious country.

The Angels are existences that have been confirmed to have actually existed, and because their teachings and honest lifestyle prove beneficial, you could say the Holy Light Country is low in terms of being a religious country.

But because the direction they take as a country is similar, their relations.h.i.+p is good.

"Otagla.s.ses-sama, is something the matter with the Rabi Village?"

"In the middle of our journey, I heard about it a number of times. That the Demon Lord has descended in the Holy Light Country." (Otagla.s.ses)

The three had bitter smiles on their faces and a complicated expression.

Of course, the three have also heard that rumor, but they swept it as mere gossip.

"This may be going against Otagla.s.ses-sama, but the Demon Lord is just…"

"What if that Demon Lord were to be in the Rabi Village?" (Otagla.s.ses)

"That's…what exactly do you mean by that?"

"No, sorry. I have asked something weird." (Otagla.s.ses)

Otagla.s.ses once again directs his gaze at the campfire.

The eyes at the depths of the gla.s.ses were incredibly clear, and just by looking at them, the three were filled with a sense of fulfillment in their heart.

The three mutter as if they were letting out a sigh in admiration.

"What a beautiful person…"

"Otagla.s.ses-sama is our light."

"I would like to be held by those manly arms till morning."

"Mushroom, close that mouth of yours."

"I will be the one who will receive the love of Otagla.s.ses-sama."

"Don't speak nonsense. As if I will allow that white light to be tainted by you people."

They are strong, and are splendid knights that don't lose to the pressure of the country.

But sadly, the three look at Otagla.s.ses in a romantic manner, and hold a complicated mix of loyalty and love.

The Demon Lord and the Brave seem to have a lot of hards.h.i.+ps.

—Rookie City, cheap inn.

"Hooh, today is a day off, huh." (Maou)

"That's right. We have a personal rule that we will always rest the day after a dive." (Mikan)

The next morning, Maou and Mikan were having breakfast at the inn's lobby.

Yukikaze is still asleep. But well, it is not as if she is oversleeping, but because she is taking her time to recover stamina.

This is what they must have learned after a long time as adventurers.

Properly getting rest to restore their strength and stamina. That's why they will always do their best to get a lot of money in the days that they do dive.

"It is the correct choice." (Maou)

Maou nods deeply while drinking a bitter coffee.

Take baseball for example; having the same pitcher throwing every single day is impossible. Their performance would drop, and if they were to do that, their shoulders would be damaged.

More so when you are going in with your life at stake. It is a given that you would want to go at full strength.

"You guys are unexpectedly level-headed. That's admirable." (Maou)

"What's that all of a sudden. Did you eat something weird?" (Mikan)

"No, well, when I was 16-17, the only thing I thought of was to play. Thinking back on that, I really do feel like you two are admirable." (Maou)

"What a weird guy…" (Mikan)

Mikan looked away, but these are the honest feelings of Maou.

No, this not only applied to him. The people living in modern j.a.pan that are around 16 years old, normally don't have to risk their life to gain a living.

There's no doubt Maou felt like Otagla.s.ses and these two are quite the people.

"Not like I am interested but…what did you do when you were young? Or more like, where did you come from?" (Mikan)

"When I was your age, I went to school." (Maou)

"School? Is it like the training camps of adventurers?" (Mikan)

"Well, it is mostly a place to learn. You could say it was also a place where you could learn about 'society' by involving yourself with many people, even if your human relations.h.i.+ps were small." (Maou)

The explanation of Maou didn't make much sense.

A person that hasn't actually gone to school probably wouldn't be able to properly imagine it. But Mikan was listening with a decent amount of interest.

Her red ruby-like eyes were looking straight at the face of Maou.

"Well, I suppose it is fine to consider you a human. It is still doubtful though." (Mikan)

"I might not be the one to decide that." (Maou)

"Huh?" (Mikan)

"I will be leaving for a bit. If it is a day off, use this to play around." (Maou)

Maou takes out > from the black s.p.a.ce and gives it to Mikan.

"W-What's with this small barrel?! Or more like, where did you take it out from?!" (Mikan)

"You stab a sword in turns, and if the white beard guy in the middle comes out flying, you lose. When Yukikaze wakes up, play with her while betting something." (Maou)

Saying only that, Maou leaves the room.

Mikan, who was left alone, was looking at every part of the barrel, and her eyes were opened wide.

(Now then, I should go defeat these so called monsters and gain SP.) (Maou)

Maou used Ma.s.s Teleport to go down the 7th floor he was in yesterday.

That's right, this man doesn't need to pay the entrance fee.

It was the same dim cave like yesterday.

Because there's a few magic crystals with Light imbued in them placed at important points, you can get a decent amount of vision. When the monsters see the figure of Maou, they immediately begin moving.

(What level are these guys?) (Maou)

Maou releases a powerful kick at the Rampaging Chicken that was coming at him.

In an instant, its big body gets sent flying as if it had been hit by a strong gale, and hits the wall.

Maou then confirms with his Admin Window that his SP had gone up from 29 to 33.

(This thing's level must be 4.) (Maou)

In the game, when it is preemptive attacks, you will always have a +1 SP added. And then, you will get SP depending on the level difference.

In terms of a counterattack, there's a bit of a more difficult system in it, but only in rare cases would this man lose the initiative.

"It is great that I have the lower level." (Maou)

Maou says this to no one in particular.

It is true that all the members in the committee of the Nightless Castle are level 1. The skills and stats are already strong, so the exp they need to level up has been set at skyhigh points.

There's also other reasons, but that game is made with a system that doesn't a.s.sure an advantage just because you are higher leveled.

That's because the creator, Oono Akira, hated high level people who bulldozed things. In the world he created, you had to use your brain or you wouldn't be able to survive.

(Now then, I will be gaining a whole lot today.) (Maou)

Maou proceeds through the dim cave.

Because the intelligence of the monsters in this dungeon is low, they will be attacking him without knowing about the difference in strength. They are nothing but an 'offering' to the Demon Lord.

A part of the data is now available.

Right Light Country.

It is not a northern country, but a large country located at the west.

They wors.h.i.+p the Great Light, and it is a country where the Pope stands at the top, conveying its teachings.

Not only do they have two Holy Braves, they also have knights of matchless strength below them. Their national prestige is unwavering.

Because they are blessed with rich arable land and warm gra.s.sy plains, it is also one of the largest food production lands.

You could even say they are the food supply source of the northern countries, so if you are digging deep, you could consider them the biggest reason the wars are prolonged.

Because they don't have dungeons in their country, they import many slayed monsters in exchange for food.

"Like walking a desolate plain, huh." (Maou)

Maou mutters lowly. It is not as if he is happy.

It is more like he is amazed.

This place is originally a dungeon for beginners, so unless you go to the deepest floors, there's not that many dangerous monsters showing up. More so for this man that has strength befitting that of being called a Demon Lord, it is basically the same as not having enemies.

"You again? You don't learn, do you." (Maou)

Brick stands before Maou.

Its metallic body is covered in moss, and if you strip that metal away, you can get a decent amount of money. It is a pretty difficult opponent for a rookie though.

Of course, for this man, this thing is nothing but an actual brick.

Maou closes the distance without saying a word and swings his fist at it.

There was no need to use Sodom's Fire. Brick was sent flying to the wall along with its very life as it scattered metal all over the place.

Since entering the dungeon today, he has been dealing with all enemies with his bare fists, and has been thinking about a variety of fighting styles.

"It won't serve as a money source, but it serves well in gaining SP." (Maou)

That's right. This man has not done a single bit of carving even when he defeats the monsters.

Since he doesn't have the knowledge, he had no intentions of doing it.

This evil Demon Lord basically has an unlimited source of money, so there's no need to take his time carving each and every monster.

He continues down as he defeats all monsters that appear.

And then, when he finally reached the 10th floor, something strange happened.

"Fo~und one other idiot diving alone♪."

"There's a lot of suckers today. Awesome."

Distasteful adventurers appeared in front of Maou, and they flicker their knives. Just their appearances alone were dangerous-looking. And in reality, there's a thick iron-like smell of blood, and it made Maou furrow his brows.

"Do you want something?…is what I would like to ask, but well, I can guess." (Maou)

"How clever. Leave all your money."

"But…this guy doesn't have any loot."

It is no surprise that the pair would be confused.

There's times when people would dive on their own if they are really confident in their skills, but even if that's the case, they would have a porter coming with them, or would have a box or something of the sort to put their loot in.

But this man doesn't even have anything of the sort.

"Even if I obediently payed, I don't think you are going to be letting me go." (Maou)

The gaze of Maou was directed at the corpses that have no heads. It is the source of the smell.

The headless corpses felt like they were fake, as if they were very well made dolls. It was difficult for the brain of Maou to recognize them as humans immediately.

"Those guys are a special case… That's the result of resisting."

"If you don't want to end up like them, obediently pay."

"They do say 'dead men tell no tales'. Well, if you were to be reported when they return to the surface, you would be done for after all. How you deal with it is not wrong." (Maou)

Even in this carnage, what appeared in the mind of Maou was a scene of the long past, when gold mines were found in places like America, and it turned into a gold rush.

When it was found, everyone was engrossed in digging up gold, but a 'different way' of digging gold was found in a number of the excavation sites.

—Kill the people that found gold, and steal from them.

No need for heavy labor, no need to use time; you could say it is an intelligent way of 'digging'.

Of course, this is an inhuman method.

Maou unconsciously took a step forward while thinking, and one of the thugs immediately shot out a spell.

"Woah there, don't move. [Sleep]."

"?!" (Maou)

The Water spell that was shot from the finger of the thug flies to the eyes of the distracted Maou.

In an instant, Maou's knees fall to the ground, and his upper half shook. This is a second tier water spell, and it is effective not only against humans, but also monsters.

More so for this man who has no resistance to magic at all.

"Guuh…Aaaaaaaah!!" (Maou)

A moment after, an ominous black mist rose up from the ring of Maou's right hand, and it covers his whole body in the blink of an eye.

*Crack —'Something' changed.

It forced a change.

What was now there was the original owner of the body…Kunai Hakuto himself.

Kunai grabs the Sodom's Fire with his right hand, and stabs his own thigh deeply with it.

He must have been trying to drive away the drowsiness with a powerful pain. It is understandable in theory, but actually doing it is another matter in itself.

Injuring your own body with a blade in a moment's notice is not something a normal person could do.

Hatred that could make the air tremble was coming out from him as he slowly stood up. From his eyes, there was a red light that would make you think there's a crimson fire within them.

Kunai closes the distance, leaving a red afterglow behind, and grabs the face of the thug that shot the spell. Raising his body with just his right hand, he began to tighten his grip with inhuman strength enough to crush a head.

"Low life, what did you do to me?" (Kunai)

"Agah, m-my face…!!"

"Can't even interpret words. Do you have no intellect?" (Kunai)

Kunai strengthens his grip, and a rustic to the extreme sound you would wonder if a human body can actually make such a sound reverberated, and the cranium of the thug began to change.

It was as if a soft gum was being crushed.

The elegant fingers of Kunai tear the skin of the thug, break into the meat, and drive into his bones.

"M-Magic…Uh…Water…Fegh!"

Kunai swings his hand without a word, and the thug hits the wall.

At that instant, his body made a squash sound, and a red stain was made on the wall. The figure of the thug with his limbs powerlessly swaying downwards was reminiscent of a doll.

"Magic huh…What a problematic world." (Kunai)

"H-Help…"

The other thug must have lost strength in his legs. He retreats with his b.u.t.t on the floor. But in time, his back hits the wall of the dungeon, and loses its retreat path.

Kunai approaches the thug slowly, a step at a time. His face was as if he were looking at a mysterious living creature, and it was also as if he were observing some sort of insect.

"I-I won't sho it anymore…I will also bring out the money. I will give you the money!!"

"…Low lives will always commit the same mistake." (Kunai)

"Eh?"

The face of the thug had slight hope appearing in it.

The tone of Kunai was incredibly calm, and he didn't find any sort of sign of him intending to kill.

He was thinking this man might be looking for something else. Maybe information, or goods.

But the correct answer was neither.

"Begging for mercy is done to people that have mercy to give." (Kunai)

Kunai raises his leg, and then drives the sole of his shoe into the face of the thug just like that. The head of the thug was scattered about onto many things, and one other red stain was made on the wall.

Looking at the three corpses around the place, Kunai shook his head and speaks words of advice.

"You foolish creator. It would trouble me if you don't entertain me more." (Kunai)

Saying this, Kunai looks at the ring in his right hand. Some sort of meter made of blood was engraved there, and confirming that the meter is being filled 'well', a smile unbecoming of him appeared.

"No, he is indeed bringing 'chaos'… Kukuku." (Kunai)

With his eyes leaving a red afterglow, Kunai heads further down.

Each time his legs continue onward, the black mist covering his body slowly fell off, and by the time he reached the lower floor, he had already completely returned to his former self.

"s.h.i.+t! …That b.a.s.t.a.r.d, doing whatever he wanted!" (Maou)

Maou was pitting out curses as he punches the wall. There was no pain from his fist, but a big crack was made on the wall, and finally crumbled into pieces.

It seems his anger was still not going away, he lights up a tobacco and smokes for a while, but it wasn't calming down.

"So easily killing in the drop of a hat…" (Maou)

The other party were killers. It was self-defense. There were many excuses popping in the head of Maou, but the only conclusion that was coming out was killing people who couldn't even resist as if they were trash.

His hands and legs most likely still have a lingering sensation of it. Even when he knew it was a waste of SP, he created a Plastic Bottle with water in it, and washed his shoes with that.

"What the h.e.l.l…I don't feel as if it is clean at all!" (Maou)

It actually might be a bit different.

All the clothes he is currently wearing have 'Infinite Durability'. The thigh area that was stabbed has already been > automatically. There's no tear or dust.

The blood he himself shed, and the blood that flew onto him, will be erased completely by the > as time pa.s.ses.

But the reality that he killed people regardless of his own will was not something that would be erased easily.

The meaning of facing them himself, and being unable to make a single move as he killed people like they were trash, was completely different in feeling and meaning.

It felt like he had become a machine that killed automatically, like a factory belt that carries people into 'something'.

But obviously, if Kunai Hakuto were to hear this, he would laugh out loud.

He would say: 'I have killed more than 4 million people, what's the difference in adding one or two more to that number?'. Maou felt as if he could hear that voice inside his head.

He splashed the water in the plastic bottle onto his face with force, and washed everything along with his mood.

"That b.a.s.t.a.r.d, just you watch…" (Maou)

His murmur was a low one, but it was filled with fighting spirit and a single hope.

The moment his consciousness switched to that of Kunai, he clearly felt it. A powerful will and effect from the ring in his right hand.

(This ring is seeking for 'destruction and chaos' in the world. If that is fulfilled, the wish will be granted.) (Maou)

The irritated expression of Maou was slowly changing into a bold one.

It was an expression fitting of a 'Demon Lord' that brings chaos to the world.

"As if I will grant your wish. I will steal everything away." (Maou)