◈ Episode 378. A Role I’m Used To (2)
A bombshell declaration.
For reference, Hoyeol’s way of communicating was no less opaque than Raymon Sean’s. His words often carried implied meanings. It was common to realize what he had meant only after everything had passed.
But this time was different.
Seong Hyeonjun whispered to Yun Sugyeom.
“Se-Senior. There’s some hidden meaning behind that, right?!”
What came back was a shake of the head.
“Well. I don’t know either.”
I am the Demon King of the Ten Thrones.
Straight to the point.
Because there was absolutely no room to interpret that blunt declaration any other way.
The one who reacted more violently than anyone was a senior mage of the Magic Tower.
It was Bensh William.
“So that’s why you had neither blood nor tears……!!”……
Is this man taking those words seriously?
Poke.
“Good grief.”
Bangrit swallowed a sigh and jabbed Bensh in the side. Only then did Bensh quickly shut his mouth under the barrage of sharp gazes. However, Bensh was not the only one swept up in shock.
As if he had expected even that reaction, Hoyeol soon continued.
“On the Arcana Continent, I slew Buer, the Demon King of the Ten Thrones, and returned to the Magic Tower. The Demon World must have judged my actions as the usurpation of the tenth throne Buer had occupied.”
“……!!!”
Both the Magic Tower and the AAU were astonished.
Park Minjae asked Hoyeol again.
The Demon King of the Ten Thrones, another term for an upper Demon King…….
“……
Did you truly slay Buer, Commander-in-Chief? Only a single day has passed in real-world time. Even by the time of the Arcana Continent, hasn’t it been no more than a few days?”
The presence of an upper Demon King was on an entirely different level.
The AAU had learned that information through none other than Hoyeol himself.
The Magic Tower was just as startled.
Only two men in the Crystal Hall remained unmoved.
Hoyeol, the person in question, and the senior of black magic studies, Matisse Dean Karl. ‘That is.’ Matisse looked at the compatible mana rippling from Hoyeol. Compatible mana that could only be witnessed through a magical tool was rippling so strongly it was visible to the eye……. ‘Is it evidence of darkening?’ Darkening was a backflow of the past.
Moreover, considering the amount of compatible mana Hoyeol possessed, if that past had flowed backward, it would not have been strange for the aftermath to truly shroud the Arcana Continent in darkness.
Matisse nodded. ‘Perhaps even an upper Demon King would not have been a problem.’ Even knowing that, he still could not understand.
As one could see, the Hoyeol of now looked perfectly fine.
So much so that it was impossible to think he had experienced darkening. ‘Darkening is not something that can ever be overcome easily…….’ Matisse looked at Hoyeol and then flinched.
Soon, had he noticed his gaze?
Because his eyes met Hoyeol’s.
In that instant, Matisse asked himself a question. ‘……
Are those eyes truly the Chief Lee I know?’ However, to the point that his meaningful question became meaningless.
Hoyeol was the same as ever.
This won’t do. Out of needless concern, I have committed a discourtesy without meaning to.
Matisse hurriedly lowered his head to Hoyeol.
Hoyeol withdrew his gaze and opened his mouth.
“Did I not tell you? Be vigilant, but there is no need to be afraid.”
“……!”
“Because there is no value in looking up to mere demons. Even if they are the true kings of demons, they are no exception.”
The true kings of demons.
He must have meant the upper Demon Kings.
Hoyeol added.
“Furthermore, it is no different from having already surrounded them.”……
Wait, isn’t this moving way too fast?!
As expected, Hoyeol’s remarks were difficult to keep up with.
Hadn’t the upper Demon Kings already somehow been compared to prey driven into a corner?
For the sake of understanding, they needed to adjust the pace.
Park Minjae calmly organized the situation.
“So what you are saying, Yusra General Manager, is……. Thanks to your slaying of Buer, ranked tenth. You have taken the throne of a Demon King of the Ten Thrones, correct?”
Hoyeol answered as he always did.
“A throne I would not take even if it were given to me. Yes.”
At that answer, Seong Hyeonjun thought.
A Demon King.
If it had been other players, they would have been absurdly smug about it.
Yet he remained as upright and incorruptible as ever, not clinging to wealth or glory.
Seong Hyeonjun whispered.
“A Demon King. Even the name sounds cool, doesn’t it?”
“……
Your sensibilities are a little storm-and-stress, you know?”
“It means I’m still young! Pure middle school sensibility. And second-yea…….”
Fortunately for someone.
The chatter did not last long.
Park Minjae nodded, yet opened his mouth.
“We cannot know whether that was the trigger. But through the regular update, the Demon King Struggle was announced, Commander-in-Chief. If the Arcana Continent and reality are surrounded by the Demon World ahead of the Demon King Struggle, then perhaps…….”
That was why the Crystal Hall had fallen into anguish.
They said the upper Demon Kings could appear even without sacrifices. They said there was also no telling how many challengers might target the thrones of such upper Demon Kings. When whales fought, the shrimp’s back was about to be broken.
But Hoyeol calmly asked back.
“Did I not say it?”
“……
What do you mean?”
“That I am the Demon King of the Ten Thrones.”
Hoyeol’s gaze moved from Park Minjae to those present.
“I can guess what it is that you fear in the Demon King Struggle. However, am I not standing on the very front line of that struggle? Yes, the daggers of countless challengers will be aimed at me first.”
Hoyeol added calmly.
“That is what the tenth throne is.”……
Wait.
Now that they heard it, that was truly the case. If they were challengers, it was only natural that they would most likely target the Demon King of the easiest rank. If so, the statement that he had surrounded them in reverse immediately made sense.
Bensh and Bangrit whispered to each other.
“So he’s saying that as a Demon King, he’ll wipe out every last one of those challengers, right……? It wasn’t a metaphor. Chief Lee really did surround them. No, it is a perfect trap beyond mere encirclement!”
Of course, the meaning contained within did not end there.
“Furthermore, I have the opportunity to point my sword at the upper Demon Kings. As the Demon King of the tenth throne, I too have come to follow the procedure to challenge an upper Demon King.”
“……!”
“That is precisely why I did not refuse the throne of an inferior race.”
Hoyeol’s eyes shone coldly.
“How could I let even a single prey escape?”*
Let us recall Grandfell’s world-famous temper.
In any case, because of that damned incorruptibility.
I had refused the position of king of Yusra, a land called a treasure island, where gold, silver, and jewels lay in abundance. Was that all? I had also refused the title in Frost, the great city of the northern empire. Even the noble title bestowed by the emperor, and the position of Tower Master, had been no different.
And now, to call me a Demon King of the Ten Thrones? ‘The king of demons—would he ever be pleased with such a position?’ Above all, to Grandfell, demons were nothing more than prey.
To a hunter.
How could the title of king of the prey ever be appropriate? ‘In that sense, you held yourself back quite a lot, Grandfell.’ But Grandfell had called himself a Demon King of the Ten Thrones before others. That was because there was a greater justification than that. A justification to sweep up countless prey in the Demon King Struggle.
“A Demon King. For what it is, the ring of it is not bad.”
Demon King (魔王).
It definitely was not because it was the sort of word that would make someone with eighth-grade syndrome go wild.
Clack─ I set down the teacup.
Naturally, a green tea bag was hanging from the teacup.
But it was not green tea I had brewed.
“Even so, would it be discourteous to say that even that suits you quite well?”
You’ve become quite used to making use of the extraordinary now, Marcelo. ‘This green tea can only be ordered through rocket delivery.’ Just as I taught him.
It seemed he was putting the extraordinary to very good use.
I was in the office of the Tower Master, Marcelo.
Glancing at the box of tea bags placed to one side, I murmured.
“Sentiment has always been a matter of personal freedom, Marcelo.”……
What am I, some kind of work of art or something?
In any case, this damned mouth of mine had no sense of danger.
I could tell just from the fact that Marcelo wanted to have a conversation.
“Hearing your jest puts my mind a little at ease.”
If you looked closely, it was not wrong, as always.
Checkmate.
I was the Demon King of the Ten Thrones.
And I was in a position where I could tighten the noose around the throats of the demons who might covet their Ten Thrones.
All at once.
However. ‘The problem is that I myself am a king too.’ A checkmate situation meant it was the same for both sides.
Grandfell, who regarded demons as less than puppies, was as composed as ever, but those who understood my plan could not help but worry.
“Will you truly be all right, sir?”
Clack.
After briefly sitting across from each other and savoring green tea, Marcelo carefully broached the subject. He was now the Tower Master, the head of the Magic Tower. Yet the way he treated me, a chief, had not changed.
“This storm looks fiercer than any storm before it. More than anything, its intent is impure. After all, it is no different from having laid out a board for the Demon World, not for the Arcana Continent or this reality.”
Return to reality.
As I headed to the Crystal Hall, I checked the regular update details. I had expected as much from the moment the [Demon King Struggle: Master of the Ten Thrones] quest appeared, but Raymon Sean surpassed expectations after all.
“You must be speaking of Behemoth’s Maw.”
“That is correct.”
“As it happens, I witnessed it during this expedition.”
“Is that truly so?”
According to Marcelo, the Magic Tower had also been aware of Behemoth’s Maw.
They had grasped its existence early on.
Marcelo gently closed his eyes.
“There was a time when I heard news in this office. That the demon hunters of Akshan had delivered a meaningful warning about Behemoth’s Maw to the Magic Tower leadership…….”
The intuition of a natural enemy.
Our Akshan predecessors had recognized the Demon World’s schemes and prepared for a Holy War in advance. It seemed they had conveyed the danger of Behemoth’s Maw to both the empire and the Magic Tower.
“I resent myself for failing to pay careful attention to it.”
Including Marcelo.
It seemed no one had thought deeply about it at the time.
Considering Akshan’s reputation in those days, it was understandable. ‘Aside from the dwarves who received direct help…….’ As far as I knew, those who could be called friendly forces to Akshan…….
No one in particular came to mind.
I answered Marcelo generously.
“In those days, demon worshippers had coiled themselves within the Magic Tower leadership. Marcelo, even if you had tried to act, they would certainly have interfered. There is no need to blame yourself.”
“……
That was true. I had completely forgotten.”
To put it nicely, co-chief.
To put it truthfully, a parachute appointment.
Even I, who had only just set foot in the Magic Tower, had known that the elder mages were behaving contradictorily. In those days, Marcelo had felt deep disgust toward the elders.
I continued.
“When it seems too late, that is the earliest moment, Marcelo.”
“You are right, sir. In that case, as expected…….”
Indeed, he was Marcelo, meticulous in all things. The worried look had vanished without a trace. A gleam flashed in Marcelo’s eyes, and he immediately presented a solution.
“The urgent priority must be to seal Behemoth’s Maw. According to the AAU’s report, from now on, beings of the Demon World will pour out without any particular restrictions.”
I laughed inwardly. ‘This is why even Grandfell, who likes shoving responsibilities onto others, handed over the position of Tower Master.’ Marcelo’s words were correct.
To prevent the full-scale encroachment of the Demon World, sealing Behemoth’s Maw was the best option. Of course, no concrete method immediately came to mind.
I told Marcelo the story of the Demon World’s lich, Discus, being bitten by Behemoth’s Maw. It was a story I had only heard secondhand, so I could not describe it vividly.
Even so, Marcelo grasped the main point.
“Oh dear, if it is a living being, that makes matters all the more troublesome.”
Through the update, Behemoth’s Maw no longer attacked demon-type monsters.
What that meant was simple.
If they carelessly tried to seal it and provoked its temper, they might end up bearing the full brunt of its aggression.
As if frustrated, Marcelo picked up his teacup.
“……
Oh.”
Only to realize he had emptied it long ago.
Of course he felt stifled.
He knew that demons would pour out of Behemoth’s Maw.
Yet there was no particular way to stop it.
But do not worry, Marcelo.
I calmly opened my mouth.
“It is an unreasonable battlefield.”
“I do not wish to admit it, but it is.”
“Then need we not simply change the battlefield?”
“……
What do you mean, sir?”
Marcelo flinched.
It went without saying, but I did not act smug.
Above all, this was not an answer that I, Lee Hoyeol, had come up with.
“For true checkmate.”
“……
For?”
“I will enter the Demon World.”