Why I Quit Being the Demon King

Why I Quit Being the Demon King Chapter 10

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3. Meeting the Hero (1)

Yulgeum angrily pulled out a small test tube from his chest, inside which he had cut and stored a coiled mycelium.

“It’s obviously underarm hair. Don’t tell me there’s no dragon?”

Deus questioned Yulgeum, looking towards his underarms.

“What an enormously rude fellow.”

Yulgeum pocketed the test tube containing the mycelium. Soon after, he vanished into thin air.

Deus shouted at his disappearing back into the ripples of space.

“Don’t forget the payment! It’s a thousand gold coins!”

Deus and Alex returned to their carriage.

The ruined Leah Castle was still enveloped in fear.

Dragons.

Just one could overwhelm an entire castle’s military might.

Only heroes could stand against them.

Watching people bustling about in confusion, Deus spoke up.

“Where’s the hero? Is it still too early for Blood?”

“Do you wish to see the hero?”

“Do I want to see them?”

“They’re a rival in life, after all. Of course, it’ll be one from the Blood lineage a generation from now.”

“The closer to a pure lineage, the stronger they are, right?”

“66,600 years ago. The descendants of the Bloodline of the first hero and the saint. In the end, it’s a war between the children of the Demon King and the hero’s offspring.”

And they all lost.

Deus swallowed these words back down his throat.

“What on earth is Yulgeum trying to do?”

It was rare for Alex to be the one to start questioning.

“He took the underarm hair, didn’t he?”

“Isn’t it mold?”

“What would embarrass you less? Having underarm hair or mold growing there?”

“I dislike both, honestly.”

“Right, you have a hundred armpits. They’re probably not all armpits, but if you had hair on all of them it’d be disgusting.”

“I don’t have a hundred tentacles.”

“A hundred or ninety, it’s all equally filthy.”

Alex, afraid to hear more, steered the topic back to Yulgeum.

“Whether it’s underarm hair or mold, it seems like something was contaminated.”

“So it became hostile? But among dragons, there have always been hardliners.”

“Maybe it’s a matter of frequency.”

“Are they occurring more often? After all, we just demolished one a few days ago.”

Deus recalled their first encounter with that particular dragon.

He could no longer remember its color.

“Let’s drop the complexities and move on. We must cultivate heroes to combat the darkness of this world.”

“Alright, then let’s speed up.”

They crossed the border once again.

Still, there had been no word from Yulgeum.

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Each day, Deus cursed her out.

Every morning, before brushing his teeth, he would invariably start with his first curse.

“Such a con artist.”

“It was a mistake not to specify a deadline in the contract.”

“Look at this guy. Are you blaming me?”

“Not blaming anyone…”

“You’ve grown up quite a bit. Next to a duke, you’d be a king. Why don’t you just become one?”

“Haven’t you quit being the Demon King?”

“I didn’t give it up for you.”

“Being the Demon King is a fate. Who else could take it on? My Lord, you’ve always taken your position as the Demon King too lightly. But why did you resign in the first place?”

“Have I not told you already?”

“You never did.”

“I feel like we’ve talked about it many times.”

“Every time, something always comes up.”

Boom!

“Just like that.”

A burning ship plummeted from the sky.

“That’s an airship?”

“Yes. An airship! That seems to be the property of some royal family. No… That’s it!”

Alex pointed with a shocked expression.

“It’s Pure Blood!”

On the side of the massive airship was the emblem of a certain family.

An eagle clutching a fir branch, and surrounding it, a ribbon inscribed with letters.

The emblem was full of the majesty of a prominent family.

Well, now consumed by fire, its significance had become meaningless.

“Pure Blood?”

“It’s Holypur.”

“Holy fir?”

“That’s the meaning.”

“Did the former Demon King even fight trees?”

“Don’t you think it’s just that the region had plenty of fir trees?”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. They settled in the region with the fir forests and thus founded the Holypur Castle.”

“The offspring of heroes, right? But why are there so many surnames?”

“It’s been over 60,000 years, hasn’t it? After many branches and marriages, everything’s intermixed so the idea of a surname hardly matters anymore.”

“Is that true? Humanity has been fighting the Demon King for over 60,000 years?”

“Yes. I’ve witnessed it all from the beginning.”

The Seven Devil Dukes have been the real pillars of the demon world since the first Demon King’s time.

It was no legend.

Every incident had been meticulously recorded in their memories.

“Looks like it will fall near the forest, shall we go take a look?”

“Holypur, huh? How powerful could they be?”

“So far, nearly a hundred of the ultimate heroes have emerged from this lineage of pure blood.”

“They must be strong. Should we get a glimpse?”

The flames engulfing the airship showed no signs of dying down, even from the ground.

Mages were hastily trying to extinguish the fire with water magic, but the flames had already spread to the tent.

Even if they managed to put out the fire, getting it airborne again seemed unlikely.

In the meantime, heavily armored knights were unloading a shrouded cargo from a large door at the back of the ship.

The cargo was placed on a massive wagon.

The wheels were tall enough to reach a man’s chest, indicating that the load must be considerably heavy.

As knights and hands toted the load, shouts amidst the bustle resonated through the air.

Deus watched the scene from his carriage with a relaxed expression.

“I like fire. Especially when it engulfs something valuable.”

“Right? It’s quite a sight. Oh no, that damned mage keeps putting out the fire.”

“It’d be optimal if it all burned down, but even half-charred is somewhat sexy.”

“That’s true. A building half-consumed, its structure exposed, indeed stirs the imagination, heh.”

While they casually critiqued someone else’s misfortune, a knight approached them, displeased by their behavior.

“Who might you be?”

“And who might you be?”

“We are the guardians of the Holypur family.”

“I’m Deus, this is Alex. We’ve stated our names, now off you go. Isn’t it a big deal if the fire spreads over there?” Deus gestured towards the large cargo the men were carrying.

“Presumptuous wretch! Judging by your carriage, you are no noble. To address a knight of Holypur in such a manner!”

The knight’s hand moved to his sword.

It was a long sword with a cross-shaped hilt.

A disruption attracted attention, and a man approached them.

In his mid-twenties, wearing a white uniform adorned with opal buttons from his neck down to his lower waist.

The tassels on his shoulders glistened with jade, and his sword belt was embellished with gold.

“What’s the issue?”

His voice demanded authority as he addressed the knight.

“My lord! These country bumpkins failed to pay their respects to the Holypur family, so I was educating them.”

The man was the direct descendant of the Holypur family.

Varies van Holypur.

A D-class hero, he was the most likely candidate to be the father of the last hero, among the Bloodline.

Varies gave Deus and Alex a fleeting glance.

A carriage with four horses – unlike nobility as his subordinate mentioned.

Yet, Varies felt an indescribable sensation as he laid eyes on Deus.

It was as though the blood in his veins was boiling.

An itchy sensation trembled in his fingertips.

He longed to draw his sword.

He yearned to slice off the necks of those before him and hoist them high.

Spilling their blood on the ground and spitting upon it seemed utterly refreshing.

The inexplicable surge of baseless hatred inside made Varies shiver.

“My lord! What’s troubling you? I’ll handle them; please go back to your post.”

“Ah, ah.”

Deus looked at Varies and scoffed.

“Shall we try this?”

“Your arrogance… Holypur did not establish its name in vain.”

“Really?”

Deus grinned, and the corner of his mouth twisted into a smug sneer, prompting the knight to act impulsively.

Drawing his sword, he aimed it straight at Deus’s throat.

“You must have a death wish!”

“Who will die, I wonder? Me, or you?”

Alex stopped Deus.

“Weren’t you a hero aspirant?”

“Ah, right. That was the setup.”

Still, Deus’s face was full of mocking laziness.

A more immediate event dissolved the tense standoff.

Sudden commotion among the knights carrying the cargo ensued.

Loud, concerning noises followed.

“Hide it! Quick, cover it up!”

Only the truly enlightened or cowards would not turn to the source of such a commotion.

Deus looked in the direction of the noise.

One of the wagon’s wheels carrying the heavy load had broken, causing it to collapse.

Due to the imbalance, the fabric shrouding the cargo slipped off slightly.

A large claw.

Three divided fingers.

And scales of crimson.

“A dragon?”

Deus remarked and Alex confirmed.

“And quite a young one at that.

A hundred years old? Maybe slightly more.”

Dragons were not considered adults until they surpassed a hundred years.

“Did they capture a dragon? But aren’t dragons currently neutral? The dragons will be furious if they find out about this.”

Deus casually made a statement, and the knights seemed taken aback, looking towards their master for guidance.

Varies nodded subtly, then turned and walked towards the fallen airship.

The knight shouted to his comrades.

“Our secret is exposed! Comrades, we must hunt!”

Four knights and two mages quickly surrounded Deus’s carriage.

Deus snorted contemptuously as he watched.

“What hero, what Holypur. Looks like you’ve been up to no good.”

Varies paused but did not look back.

“What shall we do?”

Around the carriage were five knights.

The two mages stood at a distance, arranging magical stones on the ground.

Once they completed the arrangement, several consecutive spells would be unleashed.

Typically, the strategy was to take down the knights and attack the mages before their magic was fully prepared. Even risking injury, it was best to eliminate the mages first because completed spells were terrifying.

But Deus and Alex just watched.

“Shall I make a move?”

Deus asked, and Alex made a noncommittal sound.

“I could indeed reduce those seven to mud, but is that alright with you?”

“Why not?”

“Didn’t you say earlier? Weren’t you a hero aspirant?”

“Oh, is that so? Well, it would look strange if an aspiring hero slaughtered the entire noble family’s knights. Maybe it’s time to beg for mercy? Alex, kneel down and plead. Beg them to spare us.”

“It’s too late to beg for forgiveness. We’ve seen their secret.”

“Couldn’t we just pluck out our eyes and plead?”

“Mine?”

“Or shall I pluck out mine?”

“Aren’t you being a bit too cruel to your servant?”

“You’ve got plenty of eyes, but I’ve got only two.”

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