The Demon King Who Draws

Chapter 89

“What did you just say?”

“I met one of the Seven Deadly Sins. The Seat of Greed.”

Leon, who had appeared all the way in the frozen land to check on my household, burst into laughter at the mention of Greed, while Amon was amused, and Lucifer was astonished.

“Is that true? To think it was one of the Seven Deadly Sins… This is truly surprising.”

“It’s a pity you weren’t there to witness it.”

“Amon, do you also know about the Seven Deadly Sins?”

“I know they’re descendants of the Demon King.”

The reason for asking this question was that Amon had been summoned to Solaria a very long time ago. The power dynamics in Solaria had changed several times, and it could be said that the status of the Seven Deadly Sins had also shifted accordingly.

I explained the proposal I received from Greed, Akad, to the familiars gathered here. The reason for explaining it was because, if I accepted this proposal, I wouldn’t be risking just my own life but also the lives of everyone tied to the dungeon.

“Master, that Eckelart guy… Is he strong?”

Ipos answered in my stead.

“Yes… He’s strong….”

“Eh? How strong?”

“I heard he’s a Transcendent, and I could feel it too.”

“Feel it? Oh! You mean that thing you sometimes do when you go out!”

When Ipos climbed the snow-covered mountain where the dungeon was located to sense the energy of the frozen land, he mentioned that an impure force tried to penetrate his consciousness. He could have gauged Eckelart’s power in the process, so perhaps Ipos knew the most about his prowess.

“He’s reeeally evil and totally wicked!”

“…….”

That wasn’t quite the explanation I was hoping for.

“And, and… um… his heart is so cold. There’s no warmth at all! …Oh.”

Suddenly, Ipos shrank back and hid behind Lucifer.

“Did… did I say too much and sound weird…?”

It was surprising to hear him speak more than usual, but it seemed he had malfunctioned after all.

“…Thanks for the explanation, Ipos.”

“…Really?”

Ipos blushed and lowered his head, seemingly satisfied with his own explanation.

– Did you say his name was Faust? …He seems to have a good character.

The soul of the Snow Rabbit yawned and gave a brief assessment.

– Yeah, it seems like he’s just stepped into the ranks of the Transcendents. Though he’s only barely crossed the threshold.

This was Akad, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, evaluating Eckelart’s power. There’s no way he would misjudge the strength of a mere Transcendent, even by the slightest chance… so this would be the most accurate assessment.

“Lucifer, how would you compare the strength of a Transcendent to ours?”

“Transcendents… They are beings who can be born with overwhelming natural gifts, encounter a fortuitous event, or reach that state through endless training. Since Eckelart was a human shaman, he might actually be slightly above the average level of a Transcendent.”

What he meant was that generally, in the realm of newly ascended Transcendents, those who reached it through extensive training might be stronger than those who were born into it due to their inherent abilities.

Well, in truth, this part didn’t make much of a difference in the game, but since Lucifer said so, it must be true.

“To put it bluntly, none of us here can defeat a Transcendent on our own.”

In the game, “transcendence” referred to a piece that, after reaching the maximum level, would break through and return to level 1. However, even at level 1, a Transcendent piece was far stronger than other pieces at their maximum level.

‘Since there aren’t any pieces that have been raised to the maximum level yet… there’s nothing we can do about it.’

There was an overwhelming lack of growth resources.

Especially after coming to this frozen land, they had hardly seen any adventurers….

The only fortunate thing was that thanks to their diligent efforts at the Rotten Root, the demons had almost reached the maximum level, even if they hadn’t quite hit it. In particular, Pheonix, who had been steadily nurtured, was on the verge of reaching the highest level.

“So, there’s no way to defeat him one-on-one…?”

“Even so, in the dungeon…”

“In the dungeon, we could stand a chance against him.”

Yes, using the dungeon.

It was the only way to face Eckelart.

After I mentioned Akad’s proposal, Amon nodded.

“Indeed, heading to Malasis isn’t a bad choice. It’s been a long time since I was there.”

“You know about Malasis?”

“It’s a place I have a connection with. I didn’t expect it to still be around….”

After a brief pause, Lucifer spoke to Amon.

“Amon, the Malasis of today is likely very different from the Malasis you remember.”

“…What?”

“What was Malasis like when you saw it?”

Amon spoke with a face that seemed to be reminiscing about something.

“It was a place where the sky was always blue, and the scent of flowers filled the air. A kingdom where the advancement of magical engineering and the balance of the elements were beautiful.”

“Malasis… is now a place where you can no longer see the sky.”

Flinch-!

“…Is that true?”

“I don’t know the exact details, but I’ve heard that their kingdom is now buried underground, hiding from the sun.”

“Ha… hahaha….”

For the first time in a while, something resembling emotion appeared in her eyes.

“Is that… so….”

A heavy atmosphere…

Whenever she showed any semblance of emotion, a pure and sorrowful aura would occasionally seep out.

“Akad said he’d take you to Malasis… are you sure?”

“I’m sure. He even said that if I handled this matter properly, he’d become my patron.”

“In that case, you must… you absolutely must succeed. As for that Transcendent scum… ugh….”

Once she confirmed that the matter involved Malasis, she steeled her resolve.

‘Malasis…’

If I were to go to Malasis, the Underkingdom of the Seven Deadly Sins… many things would change. Perhaps the journey up to this point would feel like nothing more than a tutorial.

In fact, during the time Faust stayed in Malasis, there were many follow-up updates, and the specs of the story increased dramatically.

‘In the end, the fact that we have to defeat Eckelart remains unchanged.’

From now on, all that could be done was to wait for the full-scale offensive to begin in this place.

‘Come to think of it, there was one more thing left to do.’

The witches who were forging Mislante.

In a few days, the full-scale offensive would probably begin. Regardless of how Butner’s plan unfolded, it would be difficult for the witches to avoid annihilation.

“…A full-scale offensive?”

“Why… are you telling us this?”

Of course, it would be better for me if all three of the witches clung to Mislante.

‘In any case, it doesn’t really matter.’

Considering the time it would take for Eckelart to awaken and make his way here, Enis alone would be enough to handle things here. So, he allowed them to make their choice.

“I’m just letting you choose while you still can.”

“……”

“Even if you’re not here, it won’t affect my plan at all. But the same can’t be said for you.”

If this was considered a sign of weakness, he had nothing to say. If one committed murder for its own sake and not as a means to an end, that person would be nothing more than a simple murderer, and he had no intention of becoming that kind of killer.

“Your captivity is over. Leaving is your choice.”

If they decided to stay here, he would subjugate them.

The Witch Order would be annihilated.

So staying here was the rational choice.

But… not everyone in the world makes rational choices.

“I… I’ll fulfill my duty. What about you, Valois?”

“…If a full-scale offensive begins, all the witches will die, right?”

“……”

“I’ll leave. Thank you… for letting me choose.”

Both Valois and Seneca decided to leave this place.

“Here.”

“A bracelet?”

She opened her pouch and placed a silver bracelet on the table.

“A parting gift. It’s a low-grade artifact, but it’s not bad. It turns black if there’s poison nearby.”

“…Thank you.”

Valois handed over a crumpled note.

“…What’s this?”

“It’s the location of the Violet Witch’s legacy.”

“I don’t recall treating you well enough for this.”

“I know. It’s because I have a favor to ask. If the Violet Witch Order is wiped out… please take the legacy… and if there are any puppets left behind that haven’t been freed, please liberate them.”

He nodded to her, as she spoke calmly about the future.

Enis grumbled.

“Just let everyone leave… I’m more than enough by myself!”

“……”

“I feel strange. I certainly wanted both witch orders to pay for their sins… that was my revenge….”

She looked at him with sad eyes.

“Is… revenge truly meaningless?”

Flick.

He crossed his index and middle fingers and tapped her forehead.

“There’s no such thing as meaningless revenge. What’s bothering you is probably that you couldn’t carry out the revenge yourself.”

“……Oh.”

The next day, the Witch Hunter’s full-scale offensive began.

* * *

A plain where the mere wind scattered snow.

Eight years.

For a full eight years, he had been away from his homeland, Malasis, carrying out the mission of Enchantment.

‘This arduous labor will soon come to an end.’

Dreaming of returning home in triumph was a natural inclination for anyone who had ever harbored ambitions of success, but this time, it truly seemed possible.

‘Yes… Butner’s life wouldn’t end here.’

It had been a long and grueling endeavor.

“Lord Gawain, what is the situation on the front lines?”

“There was an attempt to strike the supply unit, but we successfully repelled it. Although damage is accumulating across the entire front, it remains within the predicted range.”

“Hmm… understood.”

The captain, Behman, who was looking at Gawain, had eyes full of trust.

‘Filthy human bastard….’

Being close to him, Gawain had come to realize that the man had sadistic tendencies.

It was known that he had decided to become a witch hunter after his entire family was slaughtered by witches, but the excessive behavior he occasionally displayed afterward was often sickening to witness. He would take pleasure in torturing captured witches in perverse ways or forcibly take them for himself.

It made Gawain suspect that what now drove Behman was no longer sorrow and a desire for revenge, but sadism and a love of violence.

‘Once this is over, I’ll have to bury this pig’s head beneath the snow as well. But… were those figures I saw that day just illusions? What on earth were they…?’

A few days before the full-scale offensive, some figures had the audacity to infiltrate the forward base and steal the Enchantment’s secret missive. They had even somehow managed to disarm the trap designed to confuse and subdue anyone who approached without applying the special scent in advance.

‘Imperial Intelligence agents? Now of all times? Or could they be spies from the Kingdoms’ Alliance or Khan?’

Although their power was inferior to his, they were still capable opponents.

Moreover…

‘Were those hidden allies the ones who rescued them?’

They had vanished immediately, so Gawain had lost them, but he wasn’t particularly worried.

‘I’ve already sent a message to Enchantment… and they don’t have enough power to interfere with this mission. Completing the task is the priority.’

He would subjugate Eckelart and be rewarded with great power and favor.

Puhwaaaack-!

His grip on the sword tightened.

“Witch scum. Today will be the day you finally disappear from this world.”

At that moment.

“Urgent report! Urgent report!”

“What is it?!”

“A massive surge of magical power… from the direction of the sealed site….”

No way…!

Butner was gripped by the fear that those figures from before had not targeted him, but rather Eckelart.

‘I need to check this out.’

The captain, Behman, nodded.

“Go, Gawain! Follow up with the front line!”

“Yes! I will—”

Crackle…

KABOOOOOM—!

An enormous explosion of magical power erupted from the sealed site.