Chapter 80

The Demon King known as the Golden Beast was originally referred to as the Golden Demon King or the Guide of Trembling.

The expressions used to refer to it numbered over dozens, and individuals would recite the most impressive ones according to their discretion.

Though it had fallen and perished… surprisingly many rose under the pretext and mandate of continuing its legacy.

But this wasn’t just a story about demons.

Within the empire, everything was settled within five years after the Demon King’s demise. However, outside the empire, his influence and aftermath still lingered strongly.

Among them were those who incited unrest, claiming that things were better during the invasion era.

And there were those who covertly supported such people, using the excuse of carrying on the legacy and will of the previous Demon King’s army, eventually forming a new Demon King force.

“But isn’t its scale supposed to be really small?”

In response to Deyk’s explanation, Louilin raised an objection for confirmation.

Louilin vaguely remembered hearing something similar.

Heroes are scary, not you guys!

This became the premise for a full-scale civil war transcending race, ethnicity, and regional boundaries.

It triggered countless disputes and chaos.

But even that was ancient history now.

It happened right around the time Louilin was born or when she was swaddled in cloth and babbling somewhere.

“Maybe because they got a bitter taste from acting openly, but by that time, they started thinking.”

For instance, instead of acting overtly, they began operating secretly and stealthily.

Truthfully, it was somewhat expected since we couldn’t completely uproot them at the time.

Therefore, countries have continued to cooperate actively on this issue until now.

The Empire, which stabilized first in this regard, began to achieve rapid growth thanks to it.

And when this instability escalated into conflict, there was once a time when non-imperial nations united against the empire, nearly sparking a large-scale war.

Here, the Empire showcased overwhelming power, but fearing severe damage to both sides if they won, they desperately sought a compromise.

Had the Hero Emperor been more ambitious or had designs on conquest, the situation might have taken a completely different turn.

“The reason why the Radiance bloodline gained fame externally also stems from here.”

Prince.

Or Princess Ellie Berg Enzul, represented externally as the Great Warrior among the nine heroes, specifically the leader of the warriors, Ruelde’s only son, was chosen as a hostage, leading to another phase in the situation.

Officially, that’s how it went, but rumors circulated that he willingly took on that role.

If problems arose with the princess, it could spark a continental war—but the same applied to Ruelde’s child. In fact, any nation would avoid provoking Ruelde, whose participation could provide decisive momentum.

A single individual capable of easily taking on several national forces—beyond common sense.

Even more astonishingly, rendering an entire legion powerless without killing anyone is historically an extremely rare feat.

If such a person decided to carry out massacres… wouldn’t it be akin to reviving a nightmare?

Thus, following diplomatic procedures, Ruelde’s child, sent as a hostage, received extreme protection not from the empire but from the elite guards of the visiting nations.

To the extent that these elite teams from various allied foreign countries formed joint units to protect him.

He was technically a hostage, but neither the empire nor non-imperial nations could rashly deal with him, resulting in a prolonged stalemate.

“And naturally, the remnants of the Demon King’s army couldn’t just sit idly while the child of the one who defeated the Golden Beast lived.”

A trap, yes, but success meant potentially splitting the continent in half and turning it into ashes.

It was also one of the few golden opportunities for the remaining Demon King forces to establish a new focal point.

However, revealing their traces openly would invite extreme retaliation.

Thus, they had to fabricate the scenario where someone else killed him.

The start of a dark and sticky covert struggle.

Which also meant…

An excellent opportunity to extract traitors quietly embedded within each country.

“This is why Ruelde’s son began to be called not just a prodigy but a genius.”

That child terrifyingly pierced through the psychology and thought processes of others.

Setting traps, laying snares, even using himself as bait, faking death, enduring serious injuries…

Ultimately, he played a decisive role in extracting the poison from several nations.

“And the young wolf prince of Tabas earned his succession rights during this period, despite being ranked 11th in line.”

However, the current king of Tabas harbors deep resentment towards the empire and does not consider this a favor.

But…

At least if the future prince wishes to strengthen ties with the empire, through cold reasoning, he can judge it as beneficial and partially ease hostile responses towards the empire.

After all, the adversarial relationship began when the empire, once part of Tabas’ territory, became a neutral zone due to the Demon King’s invasion.

“On the contrary, approaching Ruelde and respecting his son, who has firmly secured his position post-Ruelde, seems to be a kind of consensus or respect, according to public opinion.”

“…Such information isn’t easy to come by, yet you seem well-informed? And weren’t we talking about our Demon King earlier?”

With no headache but feeling utterly random, it was impossible not to ask.

“That’s that brat’s worst habit.”

Luciri lectures Deyk repeatedly, mocking his attempts to charm women with his intelligence.

“All necessary! Explaining everything takes time, but understanding this makes the next steps easier. To summarize the young master’s case…”

Anyway, after that incident involving the elves, rumors spread that he became incapacitated or even died.

“But at some point, word spread across the continent that he was living peacefully in the empire. Though, the alternative opinion was that his former brilliance and genius had disappeared.”

“And someone gained fame from this event.”

Self-proclaimed as the dull Legion Commander.

“There was a rumor that someone pretending to be a dead Demon King legion commander almost succeeded in assassinating him in the elves’ sanctuary, prompting the great Knights of Glory to personally intervene.”

“Deyk-nim, you’re not exactly ordinary, are you?”

An event of that magnitude would have spread far and wide as gossip, or even classified as a major incident.

So why hasn’t any gossip surfaced? Just nonsense? A mere hypothesis conjured up? Fiction? False stories?

“I pursue prophecies.”

At that statement, Louilin reflexively countered.

“…The Seer of Emerald Green?”

“You’re no ordinary person yourself for spotting that immediately.”

In the northwest of the continent lies an island, archipelago, and chain of islands described as both small and immense.

Once ruled by the dominant clan of that area, they were expelled by settlers from the continent centuries ago.

Partially, expulsion was preferred to ensure smoother integration with existing inhabitants, thanks to agreements made.

Since then, the so-called Seers of Emerald Green, the ethnic group from the islands, wandered the continent without stepping foot on their homeland. Some settled down, others became nomads, gypsies, or wanderers, traveling periodically.

Despite being a minority, their unique abilities and visions spread them across the continent, making their astrology famous throughout.

Just a few centuries ago, most kings and great nobles kept them close for counsel—a fact recorded in church histories.

When asked about themselves, they introduced themselves as seekers of prophecy.

“I heard this from someone who warned me: eight out of ten people claiming this are scammers, so beware.”

Deyk’s expression soured as if chewing on a sour fruit.

“…Whoever they are knows us pretty well, huh? And it’s eight, not nine.”

“Isn’t this getting off-topic? Sure, my question led us here, but I’m curious now, so please explain quickly.”

“But… do you understand my intention behind explaining this so willingly to a little miss?”

“Deyk?”

Leo and Luciri gave sharp glances, but Deyk rubbed his beard while Louilin calmly responded beyond her years.

“It’s a request for cooperation, isn’t it? There’s probably some vanity and pride involved too. That overly friendly act is because you’re not used to it, so you’re pretending. Acknowledging this, risking annoying you, is to flaunt my competence. Naturally, if you want to use me, payment is required. Please channel requests through the Edenlevan Legion Branch to avoid backstabbing each other later.”

“Ho, Leo. Every time I see you, it feels like you have a lot of good fortune. Me too, and that witch girl too. Why do all these remarkable people gather around you?”

“My good fortune? You and Leo are the ones clinging to me. Let’s call it what it is.”

Luciri complained with an unsatisfied face.

“Alright. Assuming you’re on our side, I’ll offer some service. While divining and investigating based on omens, I learned that someone accompanying the Great Warrior’s offspring has silvery hair and eyes resembling melted silver coins.”

“…Huh? Are you talking about me?”

Louilin widened her eyes.

“Stop whispering between yourselves. We can hear you, you know. Speak clearly.”

Luciri shot daggers at both Deyk and Louilin, exasperation evident on her face.

“Hey, Deyk-nim. Didn’t I just hear something important?”

“What is it?”

“…The Great Warrior’s offspring? Could you be referring to my teacher?”

“Is the companion just your teacher? If you mean a boy or youth dressed in black… probably? But I haven’t seen them myself, so I can’t confirm.”

Louilin crossed her arms in contemplation.

Honestly, the evidence boils down to everything he said.

So, assuming this bearded guy is one of those notorious frauds…

There are only two conclusions: true or false.

And assuming it’s true…

“What? Was he really a high noble?”

Deyk responded.

“Didn’t you know?”

“Well, I was hired as a guide, so I only received a rough introduction of him as a knight-accompanying noble young master.”

“Ah, so that’s why the omen seemed strange. There was a meteor alongside silver and gold coins… so what’s the gold coin then?”

Suddenly unfurling a tightly rolled leather scroll onto the table, Deyk scattered differently colored pebbles and wooden fragments, observing them intently.

“Here we go again.”

“…I’m already struggling to process what I’ve heard.”

Food arrived just in time for a breather.

Deyk drained his wine glass and ordered a refill, while Louilin emptied her bowl without hesitation and requested more.

How can they be so composed?

Is shamelessness a natural trait for the well-fed?

Luciri sighed, and Leo scratched his brow awkwardly.

By the way…

“If we rely on Deyk, it’ll take more than all night, so Leo-nim, please explain clearly. Are you here looking for the Demon King? And precisely, what kind of Demon King?”

“…You’re right. My explanations are straightforward.”

Leo’s expression hardened unusually.

“We’re searching for the Demon King. Not the one from the Demon Realm, but one born in the Middle Realm. There are exactly two. And I believe one of them destroyed our village, which is why we’re searching.”

Two? Both from the Middle Realm?

“Why call them Demon Kings?”

“I’ll explain that.”

Luciri abruptly interjected.

“Have you heard of the Legacy of the Great Demon King?”

“…”

It feels absurd to overlook.

“There are seven total. During the Demon King’s invasion, three fell into human alliance hands due to betrayal by demonkind. But the whereabouts of the remaining four remain unknown.”

Scary stuff.

…No, it truly is frightening, but honestly, it doesn’t register.

“The person possessing it could be remnants of the Demon King’s army, an ordinary human, or someone from another race. The key is whether they inherited or awakened the Legacy of the Great Demon King. That’s why we refer to such beings as Demon Kings provisionally.”

Well, this is also something I heard from Deyk.

“Leo’s village was supposedly destroyed by one of them… That’s why we’re searching. His sister and brother-in-law were there, which is also why Leo and I travel together.”

“…”

Leo’s rigid expression suggested the scene was still vivid, beads of cold sweat trickling down his face.

“Must’ve been… tough.”

Though Louilin offered condolences with a managed expression of sympathy,

inside, she felt otherwise.

Tragedy is everywhere.

Brothers, sisters, siblings turned into cold corpses devoured by rats overnight—haven’t I seen this more times than I can count?

So, crying over every tragedy is honestly just annoying.

The world is already hard enough without adding sorrow.

…Rather, why were those rats panicking so frantically in broad daylight? It’s been nagging at me, but there were too many other pressing concerns to focus on it.

“So Leo’s looking for the Demon King, and I think I heard something about asking an elder here about a sword’s location, and then trying to get answers from the sword embedded upstairs. Did I understand correctly?”

“Yeah. Accurate.”

Leo weakly smiled in agreement.

“But if the Demon King is so powerful… how do you plan to handle it?”

“…”

It’s not that it hasn’t been considered.

But finding it isn’t a reason to give up.

Leo’s expression conveyed unwavering willpower.

“That’s why we’re seeking a hero.”

Luciri added further explanation.

“If our other companions don’t bring one, we’ll manage somehow ourselves. Of course, that comes after discovery.”

“Hey. No, friends? The omens aren’t normal. Why did they suddenly change?”

“Not again! Are you going to keep doing that ominously?!”

“No! Seriously! All the stars have been swallowed!”

“…How do you determine stars have been swallowed just from rocks and wood chips?”

“Whose fault is it that your eyes are blind?”

BOOM!

“Ugh! Bones! Bones!”

Deyk crumpled beneath the table.

“By the way, didn’t you mention the Great Warrior’s offspring? Isn’t that referring to Leil-nim?”

“…Probably?”

As Louilin confirmed to Deyk, Luciri stretched out her arm and grabbed Deyk’s earlobe.

“Ow! Hey! Let go!”

“Don’t complicate things unnecessarily! What should’ve taken a few minutes, you’re dragging all day!”

“All necessary— Ow!”

“Boy, stop making excuses! How can someone uneducated like Leo explain better than you? Are you really from the Tru Republic National Academy?”

“But Luciri. Wasn’t that a compliment? And it’s unfair to call me illiterate when I’ve learned so much thanks to you!”

They’re quite chaotic.

Still, amidst their bickering, a strong sense of trust exists without any pretense.

“…”

Perhaps.

For our teacher and myself, this is a realm we cannot possibly surpass.

Unconsciously pondering, Louilin came to a firm conclusion.

If put simply,

Resignation.

Or perhaps, giving up.

Friends may be possible, but comrades and allies are another matter entirely.

There’s nothing to be done about it.

‘The world broke us.’

Believing is impossible when the world has shattered us so thoroughly.

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