The Demon King Who Draws

Chapter 83

“Please, let me go with Kakuszan!”

“We’re begging you!”

It felt strange to see giants, who were dozens of times larger than I was, bowing their heads.

“Odin, is this your will?”

“Take them in. I thought I’d never see them again and had forgotten, but meeting them like this must be fate. Isn’t it too cruel to turn them away?”

So, is this even possible?

When things like this happened, I couldn’t help but look at Amon, just like Nobita seeking Doraemon.

“Can such large beings form a direct familiar contract?”

“…It’s not much different from subjugation. The size of the body doesn’t matter. It’s determined solely by the quality of the soul.”

Perhaps sensing that the explanation was a bit complicated, Amon added more details.

“To put it simply, do you think you can subjugate any stray demon you happen to encounter?”

Phenex, Amon, Ipos… Lucifer is an exception, of course.

‘…It’s unimaginable.’

That’s what demons are like.

They’re reliable allies, but when faced as enemies, it’s honestly hard to envision a future where you win.

“It would be difficult.”

“But against these?”

Subjugating giants.

“…It might be possible.”

“Your intuition is correct. If it’s an opponent you can’t defeat, it would be hard, but if you can overpower them, then as long as your soul’s capacity allows, it’s possible.”

While we were talking, a magic circle had already been drawn. It was the same magic circle I had briefly used on Ennis before.

“You know the incantation, right?”

Swish…

I extended my hand and spoke.

“You shall serve me as my vassals.”

Huuuuuung…

A mysterious glow enveloped the Frost Giants.

[★★★★ Summoning Frost Giant Soldiers.]

[★★★★ Summoning Frost Giant Soldiers.]

……

I could feel their souls being bound to my dungeon core.

Looking at it like this, the subjugation ritual might seem like an amazing method to increase familiars without using magic stones, but that’s not the case.

‘This feeling…’

I immediately understood what it meant by “as much as the vessel of the soul allows”—the sensation was overwhelming.

“You’re feeling it, aren’t you?”

“…Yes.”

“It’s not an ability you should focus on developing as your main power. Except for a chosen few….”

“A chosen few?”

“You’ll meet them someday, if their bloodline has continued.”

The sensation of fullness from just the two Frost Giants. It seemed impossible to conduct any more subjugation rituals for a while.

Kuuuuuuu…

A blue light gleamed in the eyes of the giants as they stood up.

“Kakuszan… We can now fight together forever.”

“The Frozen Wasteland was dull without you.”

“Khahahahaha! I’m sure it was. But I’m no longer Kakuszan… My name is Odin, the name given to me by my contractor.”

“Odin…”

Since both Frost Giants seemed to desire names, I gave them the ones I had in mind.

“Hokin, Boldan. These are your names.”

“Hokin and… Boldan…. We accept.”

“Khahahahaha!”

Two witches and two giants.

I returned to the dungeon, now accompanied by the significantly increased group.

When we had set out on that stormy day, the group had been small, but now it felt like we had grown substantially.

After returning to the dungeon, Hokin and Boldan headed to the Garden of Regeneration. They were groaning, perhaps because they had been overworked by the purple witches or because Odin had been too rough with them, so I made the decision to send them there.

‘I should assign them to Odin’s area.’

Odin had been grumbling about being bored, so maybe having the three of them together would be better.

“Well then, I’ll go and relax.”

Amon gathered all the relics we had acquired from the Blue Witch’s stronghold and headed to the laboratory. He seemed especially fond of the lightning conductor Albinos.

Now then, what’s left…

“We can finally sit down and have a proper conversation.”

“…….”

“…….”

This one was the purple witch named Valois.

And this one….

“What’s your name?”

“…Seneca.”

“Alright, Valois and Seneca. From now on, I’ll be bombarding you with questions. If you’re cooperative, I won’t kill you.”

“Is… is that true?”

“I have no grudge against witches. The grudge… lies here.”

Swish…

I looked over at Ennis, who let out a deep sigh.

“For now, information is more important than revenge. For the sake of a greater vengeance.”

“Come to think of it, Ennis. Is revenge your goal?”

“Of course, why?”

“You’ve been focused solely on evading pursuit for a while now. That’s why I’m asking.”

Ennis, having recovered from the shock of the Blue Witch’s massacre, now had a clear path to follow: avenging the fallen witches.

If she didn’t want revenge, she should have left the Frozen Wasteland long ago.

‘I need to clarify my goals as well.’

Ennis and I did not share the same objective.

My goal was purely the stability of the Frozen Wasteland and ensuring that my dungeon successfully settled here.

‘Adventurers won’t be visiting here due to its geographical characteristics, but…’

Unlike when I stayed in the Great Forest, the number of naturally occurring adventurer parties here was not just small; it was practically nonexistent. Although the dimensional gateway allowed for basic soul harvesting, the situation was far from ideal…

‘This is something I need to think about… During the Autumn War, I was only focused on survival…’

I knew all too well that following the same path as the original Faust could only be viable for so long.

‘It won’t be long now. The moment will come when I won’t know the story.’

Moreover, the conditions under which my dungeon could establish itself were quite different.

‘In the original, adventurers were practically forced to visit, as if it were mandatory. …It’s a strange thing, isn’t it? That nearly ten parties would “coincidentally” raid this harsh, resource-less, and reward-less Frozen Wasteland.’

Anyway, I set aside the serious concern of whether I should remain in the Frost Nest.

A person needs to clean their desk before studying. It’s easier to find answers to problems when your surroundings are in order.

“What kind of revenge do you want?”

“I want them… to pay for what they’ve done.”

“That’s nonsense. If your Blue Witches hadn’t been so adamantly opposed…!”

“Exactly! How much longer do we have to keep running from witch hunters? The witches who died at their hands….”

This way, we wouldn’t be able to have a proper conversation.

‘This is noisy…’

Sssss…

“…All of you, lower your voices.”

A power inherent to my bloodline.

An overwhelming force that only the chosen could wield.

“Kuh…”

“M-My heart…”

“What is this…?”

As I unleashed this pressure, the witches, all clutching their chests, ceased their commotion. Sensing that things had quieted down, I slowly released the pressure.

“Ugh… Ack… Ack…”

“Haaah… Haaah…”

“F-Forgive us… cough…”

It seemed they were finally in a position to talk.

The fact that a conversation only became easier after showing power… what an annoying truth.

“Valois… Seneca, you are prisoners. It would be wise to acknowledge that.”

“……”

“……”

“I’m not interested in tearful reconciliations or determining who is just. All I care about is the stability of this land and the rewards that come after I secure it.”

“If… if that’s the case… the Purple Witch’s faction can offer you ample rewards. If your giant… helps us…”

“The White Witch can also guarantee it! If you help us escort the Blue Witch…”

Ennis’s face turned pale.

This discussion was clearly going in a direction unfavorable to her.

“Rejected. Ennis has kept her promise to me. I must keep mine as well.”

“Faust…”

“Now, suggest something else. Depending on the situation, I might use you as messengers, or I might decide not to send you back.”

“What do you mean by ‘not sending us back’?”

“Yes. What do you mean by that?”

Leaning back, I calmly responded.

“I’m considering wiping out the remaining two witch factions. If that happens, it would be better if you didn’t return.”

“W-What!?”

“Eradicating the witch factions… You have that much power…?”

“This is just a hypothesis. I never said I would be the one to carry out that extermination.”

“Then…”

“You’re being manipulated by the witch hunters, aren’t you?”

“……”

“If the war continues like this, I don’t see a bright future for you.”

Ennis had already told me that the witch hunters were pushing the witches to the brink, and this was also revealed in the original story.

“So, if Ennis hands over the final key and Eckelart is resurrected, how do you plan to control him? If there’s a perfect way to do that, I might consider his resurrection.”

“If it’s with the power of the Purple Witch’s faction…”

“Dismissed. Even the Frost Giants broke free from brainwashing on their own.”

“But if the High Mother’s brainwashing is applied, then…”

“The Frost Giants and Eckelart are different.”

Valois clamped her mouth shut.

Whether she accepted it or not was irrelevant. What mattered was that if Eckelart’s brainwashing even slightly loosened, it would spark another war in the Frozen Wasteland.

There’s no need to choose a method that involves hugging a ticking time bomb under your blanket.

“What about the White Witch’s faction?”

“Lady Aquila….”

“Aquila, huh….”

– They might have already left the Frozen Wasteland. Hmm… Should I proceed with Aquila’s plan after all?

It was something I overheard during a conversation between the high-ranking witches at the Blue Witch’s base.

“What is Aquila’s plan?”

“It’s to abandon the third key and use the remaining two to break Eckelart’s seal.”

“…Wouldn’t that cut Eckelart’s power in half?”

“But it would also make it easier to safely attempt brainwashing.”

“Can a weakened Eckelart really drive out the witch hunters?”

“Don’t underestimate Eckelart. He’s the shaman who once brought the great tribes of this land to their knees.”

“Hmm… It is a somewhat reasonable approach, but…”

Still, there were many concerns.

From the start, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the plans of the Purple Witch’s faction and the White Witch’s faction weren’t all that different.

“You want the Frozen Wasteland to be stable, right? For that to happen, either the witch hunters or the witches must disappear. How about lending your strength to eliminate the witch hunters? If you side with us, the rewards…”

“Rejected. Do you take me for a fool?”

“What?”

“The Blue Witch’s faction was betrayed and massacred by you witches. So the very idea of trusting you is flawed. Why would I fight against the witch hunters for you? It’s obvious you’d abandon me like a discarded hunting dog.”

“Ugh…”

The betrayal was clear as day, making them unworthy of even mentioning trust.

‘This and that are all just empty talk. Forming an alliance with the witches is an impossible option. Perhaps joining forces with the witch hunters instead?’

…That wouldn’t be a good idea either.

After all, it wouldn’t make sense for those who have spent years hunting witches as heretics to acknowledge the existence of a dungeon keeper like me.

‘The best outcome would be if both sides suffered catastrophic losses and were knocked out.’

Mutual destruction.

There would be no cleaner resolution, but…

“This is a bit off-topic, but do you know about Mislante?”

“Mislante? Of course. It’s practically a sacred relic of the White Witches. It’s the cursed sword that sealed Eckelart…”

“That’s ridiculous! Why would that be a sacred relic of the White Witches? It was forged by the Blue Witches!”

“And you think you know what you’re talking about? Are you denying that the core techniques for the Blue Thunder Cannon Albinos and the cursed sword Mislante came from the White Witch’s faction?”

At this, Valois, who had been watching from the side, jumped in.

“No matter what you say, it was the Purple Witches who played the biggest role in sealing Eckelart! It was the Purple Witches who trained the one who wielded that cursed sword, and it was our forces that held Eckelart at bay before the seal!”

“Don’t make me laugh! That so-called swordsman turned to ashes after wielding Mislante just once!”

“Be thankful it was wielded even once! Others died with their heads exploding just from touching the handle!”

It was a tale passed down through legend, with people who hadn’t even been born at the time arguing over merits and faults.

“But do any of you know about the Golden Mistletoe?”

“Of course we do. It’s necessary for forging Mislante.”

“How much of it is needed?”

At my question, each of the three witches held out their hands, estimating the quantity in the air.

“About… this much?”

“No way, it should be at least this much.”

“According to the records, it had to be more than that. So… this much?”

“If the Golden Mistletoe were to be found, would it be possible to forge it again in this era?”

“From scratch?”

“I have the original. The blade is about halfway damaged, though.”

White Witch Seneca crossed her arms, smirking.

“Restoration wouldn’t be a big deal. It would just take time. But such a hypothetical is meaningless. The Golden Mistletoe has long disappeared.”

“I have it.”

“That’s what I’m saying, but… Wait, what?”

Valois blinked in confusion and asked again.

“What did you just say…?”

“Lucifer.”

“Yes.”

Lucifer opened the box that had been prepared in advance.

Creeeeak…

Inside the box lay the Golden Mistletoe, neatly arranged.

“No… way…”

“T-The Golden Mistletoe!”

Ennis approached, touching the Golden Mistletoe with her hands.

“This aura… It’s really… the Golden Mistletoe…”

Luckily, it seemed that what I had matched what they were talking about.

In that case…

“You said you could forge it, right?”

It was time to secure another insurance policy.

“The cursed sword, Mislante.”