The Demon King Who Draws

Chapter 84

They surrendered the heart of the dungeon to the three witches.

There wasn’t any other reason—they needed to ignite the flames of curse to forge Mislante, but it was impossible to sustain it even for ten minutes with their magic alone.

According to their predictions, it would take nearly half a month to refine Mislante, and naturally, the cursed flames would need to burn for the same duration.

Where could they find that much magic power?

The answer was already determined.

‘We have no choice but to use the dungeon core.’

The dungeon core was the only thing that could continuously supply such vast magic power.

Reluctantly, they had to give a part of the dungeon’s heart to the three witches, but just in case, they kept Phenex nearby.

‘I must prevent them from entertaining any foolish ideas.’

With Phenex by their side, if the witches tried to target the dungeon core, they’d have to be prepared to lose their heads immediately.

There was only one reason for going through all this trouble to create Mislante.

‘Just in case.’

What if Eckelart really did revive? He thought it would be prudent to have at least one method prepared to counter him.

‘Even though Albinus is being repaired…’

—Don’t get your hopes up.

If Amon said so, then that’s how it was.

He had given up any expectations regarding Albinus.

Currently, according to Koning’s reconnaissance, an outpost was being established in the center of the witches’ land. It was the work of witch hunters, and the witches would find this quite burdensome.

‘A clash might happen soon?’

There had been minor skirmishes before, but it was the first time the witch hunters had pushed the frontlines this far north.

If the outpost advanced a little further north, it would be almost touching Eckelart’s seal.

‘The witch coven won’t be able to delay any longer.’

Capturing Ennis was likely out of the question by now. They wouldn’t know her location, and they were running out of time.

They would probably end up choosing to revive Eckelart prematurely. That was exactly the balance he was aiming for.

The witches, with Eckelart on their side, and the witch hunters, locked in a back-and-forth struggle, just that much.

‘Then we must also prepare for war.’

There were two major issues.

Securing enough firewood to resist the cold and ensuring a steady supply of food to feed the familiars. Fortunately, both problems were solvable.

He assigned Phenex and the three giants to form a team, sending them one day to the secret forest Ennis mentioned and another day to the hunting grounds she talked about. They were instructed to collect resources only to the extent that it wouldn’t disrupt the ecosystem, and even then, they were able to gather enough meat and wood to last through the winter.

“Faust… I’m… going out….”

“Are you going to the snowy mountain again?”

“Yes… everyone… is feeling suffocated… sorry.”

When there was no work in the dungeon, Ipos mainly spent time with Phenex or climbed the snowy mountain that bordered the dungeon.

Like a druid, she was often communing with nature, but to him, it looked more like a husky going for a walk in the snow.

“I’ll go with you.”

“…Together?”

He still didn’t know much about her, so he intentionally tried to get closer. Sometimes, when he saw her being shy and reserved, he worried that she might be unhappy with the life in the dungeon.

…

Papapak-!

Ipos skillfully dashed across the snowy mountain, like a cat leaping onto a high railing and performing acrobatic feats. As she climbed, she maintained her balance by swinging the long tail of a snow leopard.

Polchak-!

Polchak-!

Without hesitation, she moved on all fours, looking exactly like a cat in a human body.

‘In this case, a snow leopard in a demon’s body…’

Huff… Huff…

Although it was impossible for him to completely keep up with her speed, he was managing to follow her quite well.

Paaaah-!

Ipos reached the summit first and looked down at him.

‘Her eyes…’

Ipos’s pupils had transformed into those of a beast, likely due to the snow leopard’s soul within her.

‘Was it the snow leopard that urged her to go for a walk?’

When he reached her, Ipos assumed her usual meditative posture, sitting in a lotus position.

Suuuuuup…

She inhaled the cold air deeply through her nose.

Just from that, Ipos’s cheeks flushed slightly, indicating her pleasure.

“Ipos, what do you think of the new home?”

“New home? …I like it. Everyone’s warm and kind.”

“That’s a relief.”

“I’m not happy about the lack of fights… Ipos needs to keep fighting.”

“Why?”

“Because I need to wake all of me up. That was the promise….”

“With whom?”

“With myself. Um… Ah, um… It’s, well… Uuuuh…”

“Enough, I get the gist.”

“Oh, really?”

What she meant was that to awaken all the souls in the ten rings, she had to keep fighting.

‘She’s not wrong.’

The most primal way to awaken the souls slumbering deep within was for Ipos to grow stronger.

“You know, if you stay still like this with your eyes closed… you can feel the land.”

“Is that possible?”

“The tiny sprouting seeds, the sound of rivers flowing beneath the snow, even the breath of a hunter as he huddles.”

Before he knew it, she had connected with this frozen land.

“But, recently, I’ve been hearing a painful sound.”

“A painful sound?”

“The sound of groaning, suffering. The sound of wishing everyone would be unhappy.”

“Don’t tell me…”

“It’s over there.”

Whik-!

Ipos pointed her finger towards the place known as Eckelart’s seal.

“…Ipos, can I ask you something?”

“Yes.”

“Is that guy… awake?”

Ipos closed her eyes and answered.

“He’s awake, for sure.”

Her words sounded ominous.

This was something he needed to think about more….

Whooooong-!

Koning spotted him and descended to the summit of the snowy mountain.

“Whirlwind! It’s finally happening!”

“Finally? Does that mean…”

“The witch coven attacked the outpost!”

Kwaaaaaang-!

In the distance, the sound of explosions reached their ears.

* * *

As expected, the side that was more desperate, between the witch coven and the witch hunters, moved first.

The very act of advancing the outpost into the heart of the witches’ land was no different from a declaration of war, so it was bound to happen sooner or later.

‘In this war, both sides’ forces must be worn down as much as possible.’

Their war was currently unfolding in the form of a localized conflict across various regions. The nearest battlefield wasn’t far from the dungeon.

Naturally, he had no intention of getting involved in their war unless absolutely necessary.

As soon as the war broke out, he increased the number of scouts. Although they weren’t assigned to a specific field, familiars with sharp eyes and ears ventured out into the snowy plains.

They constantly reported all the events happening in this frozen land back to him. He compiled this information, continuously assessing how the balance of power was shifting between the two sides.

‘The witch hunters are definitely superior in strength. At this rate…’

The witch coven’s defeat was inevitable.

If they didn’t come up with a countermeasure, he might have no choice but to target the witch hunters.

‘The witch coven seems to be…’

……crackle!

At that moment, a loud noise echoed from near the dungeon.

“…What’s this commotion?”

Soon after, the scouts reported that a small-scale skirmish was taking place nearby between the witches and the witch hunters.

* * *

“Catch her! Don’t let her escape!”

“She’s hit by an arrow!”

“Krah! Got her, this vile creature!”

Thud-

A witch hunter kicked, flipping the witch’s body over.

“Confirmed hit!”

An arrow had pierced through the chest of the white witch.

“Where are the others?”

“My hawk spotted them fleeing in that direction.”

“Let’s go.”

Piiiiiiik-

One of the witch hunters blew a whistle, and his hawk, which had been circling in the air, landed on his shoulder.

“What’s that? Over there?”

“There was a cave hidden here?”

“Is it a trap set by the witch coven?”

Swoosh…

One of them noticed bloodstains on the snow.

“Judging by the bloodstains, they seem to have gone inside.”

“How many were there the last time you checked?”

“Two. The white and the purple ones.”

“Could it be a secret hideout?”

“Well, that makes it even better. Now we can collect some loot as well.”

The fact that the injured witch had entered the cave gave them the false impression that it wasn’t too dangerous inside.

“Ah, just in case, let’s set up a repulsion trap at the entrance.”

“Good idea.”

Sometimes, upon entering a cave, there would be traps set up that caused the entrance to collapse immediately. Witches were particularly good at using such traps, but the repulsion traps developed by witch hunters could prevent those traps from triggering in the first place.

Whether it was a giant door falling or a pile of rocks collapsing, the trap would repel everything with strong force if triggered, allowing them to escape in the gap it created.

Creak—

“All set up. Now, let’s finish the hunt.”

“Did they think we’d give up just because they reached a dead end?”

“She must be a witch without much experience.”

As they entered the cave, the repulsion trap they had set up activated.

[Colin’s Repulsion Trap has been triggered.]

[The activation failed.]

“…What?”

Kujijijijijik—!

The repulsion trap crumpled, and a translucent barrier descended at the entrance of the cave. A message was instantly relayed to Faust.

Thud, thud—!

“Damn it, what is this?”

“It’s a dungeon! Damn it…”

“You said you saw the witch enter! Why didn’t it activate immediately?”

“I don’t know. Maybe this dungeon belongs to the witch… or…”

“Or what?”

“Or maybe the dungeon keeper deliberately lured us in as well.”

Fwoosh—!

The group lit torches and pressed forward.

There were only three of them, but they were full of confidence. They had taken down the ferocious yeti in this frozen land several times, so their confidence was well-founded.

“Be careful. The witch might ambush us from up ahead.”

“Let’s stay alert.”

The first level was barren.

There was literally nothing there.

“Is this an abandoned dungeon?”

“You could see it that way… It might really be the witch’s hideout.”

“The smell of blood… They kept moving forward from here.”

“What should we do?”

“We’ll keep going.”

When they reached the next level, the witch hunter following the bloodstains tilted his head.

“Something’s off.”

“What is it?”

“The smell of blood doesn’t continue from here.”

“Maybe they used magic?”

“That could be it. But why… would they do that…”

Sensing something, the witch hunter shouted.

“No, it’s a trap! Everyone fall back…”

Tiiiiiing—!

What seemed like a decorative crystal trap floated into the air, emitting magic.

[★★★★★ The Crystal Trap of a Ferocious Blizzard has been activated.]

[A fierce blizzard begins. It will not stop until the magic contained in the crystal is exhausted.]

Whiooooooo—!

The air suddenly froze over.

“There was a damn trap here.”

“We should’ve been more careful…”

“Still, it doesn’t seem like a deadly trap. A blizzard…”

“It’s getting… a bit cold.”

As the witch hunters moved forward again, they spotted something.

Witches were using a large ice wall as cover. One of them was bleeding.

“There they are.”

“Haha! They didn’t get far.”

It seemed the witches had also noticed them.

“Idiots, duck!”

“Who do you think you’re trying to scare…”

At that moment—

Kwaaaaaang—!

A massive snowball, as if fired from a cannon, flew straight at the witch hunter who had been muttering.

Kwaziiiiiiik—!

“Freeman!”

“Get over here! If you don’t want to die!”

“What nonsense are you spouting now!”

“Then die, for all I care!”

Kwaaaaaang—!

“Damn…”

Paaah—!

The man who had been hit by the first snowball was dead.

He was flattened, so there was no way he survived.

The two surviving witch hunters dodged the snowballs and approached the witches. Now, they understood why the witches had hidden behind the ice wall.

“Do you see that?”

“A cannon turtle… Damn it, it’s positioned in a spot where it’s hard for us to target.”

“It must be as the dungeon keeper planned… You… did you set off that blizzard trap?”

“Set it off? What are you talking about?”

“Did you trigger the trap?”

“And what if we did?”

“Escaping from here just got a lot harder.”

“This isn’t your hideout, is it?”

“Hah! If we could control the cannon turtle, you would’ve been dead a long time ago.”

Ugh…

The injured witch groaned, clutching her wound. After a moment of looking at her fellow witch, she continued speaking.

“Did you know? The magic we’re sensing behind us is even stronger than this.”

“…Is that true?”

“I’m not lying. The cannon turtle isn’t all you have to worry about.”

“Damn it…”

“Do you think you can get out of here on your own? This is perfect, really. We were going to die anyway, so we might as well take you with us.”

“Shut up, will you?”

“I won’t. Are you scared now?”

“You damn…”

“Stop it. The fact that you’re wasting time talking like this… means you have a proposal, right?”

“Save Peshua. You have something to boast about, don’t you?”

The witch hunters had accumulated a lot of knowledge over the years of fighting witches. Among their most prized possessions were two things.

One was the healing potion that could bring the dying back to life, and the other was their hand crossbows.

“If I give you this, then what?”

“If Peshua joins our forces… we might have a chance. We’ll escape together. After that, we’ll part ways with at least minimal respect.”

“That’s nonsense. If this weren’t here, you would’ve been dead long ago.”

“Nonsense? Then why don’t you just die here with us?”

“…….”

The witch called Peshua let out a suppressed groan.

“Ugh… It hurts…”

“Peshua! Stay with me!”

The witch hunter glanced around, then took out a vial of mysterious liquid from a prepared pouch.

“Damn it… This isn’t supposed to be used to save a witch…”

Sssss—!

As the potion touched Peshua’s abdomen, it began to bubble and new flesh grew over the wound.

“Uuuuuuuuugh!”

“Just hang in there a bit longer, damn it…”

While one witch hunter was healing, the remaining hunter and the witch exchanged glances.

“Does this mean you’ve accepted the proposal?”

“Yeah. Do you need a signature?”

“No need. I’ve already activated the curse of perjury. If you don’t keep your promise, you’ll die with your limbs torn apart.”

“Hmph.”

With Peshua now recovered… there were four of them.

The witch and witch hunters, who had fallen into the frost’s nest, temporarily joined forces.

“Then, let’s beat the face of this dungeon’s master to a pulp.”