Became the Emperor of the Demon Realm Empire Chapter 23

Became the Emperor of the Demon Realm Empire

Chapter 23: Honorary Monk

Lorian did not lift his forehead from the floor.

The being who had only been briefly mentioned in the original work, the strongest existence in humanity’s past, stood before him in the form of the undead.

“……Who are you?”

The Great Hero Endymion.

His holy sword was said to summon lightning and cleave mountains and sky.

He was the first hero in history to successfully slay a Demon Lord, a true hero and mythical figure who subjugated 36 Demon Lords and led to the creation of the 72 Dungeon system in the story.

“Do you know me?”

At the repeated questions, Lorian broke into a cold sweat.

Come to think of it, his opponent was undead.

No matter what glorious past might be hidden, the fact that a hero from 300 years ago was moving about meant he was no longer human.

‘Damn it, there’s no guarantee he’s an ally!’

One wrong word here and he’d die. Lorian barely managed to spit out a carefully chosen answer.

“You just look like you’d be good with a sword.”

“Hehe, you have no talent for lying.”

“……!!”

Smoke-like fumes burst forth from the undead’s body like explosive flames.

Soon, the energy that surged to surround all directions began to make the surrounding area ripple slowly.

This wasn’t simply a physical effect. Space itself was warping, unable to withstand the force.

……The world crafted by God was being distorted.

“I hate humans who lie second most in this world.”

“I’m, I’m sorryyyy!!”

The confident feeling from just moments ago had vanished somewhere, and he could hear the sound of all the blood draining from his body.

In the game, level 300 was max level, practically equivalent to being the strongest in the world.

With such a gap in levels, a level 40 hero could die as easily as being stepped on by a carelessly placed foot.

Lorian remained prostrated with his eyes tightly shut.

‘……Am I really going to die like this? ……Am I going to die without even finding the Giant’s Root?’

“However.”

Lorian opened his eyes. A gentle voice made him lift his head.

Looking around, the sinister energy the undead had emitted had already faded away.

“I do not harm humans. Even if I wanted to harm them, I cannot.”

“Huh?”

“……That was the condition of the contract.”

As if recalling the distant past, Endymion’s eyes dimmed for a moment.

Lorian couldn’t understand what Endymion was saying. He just had no time to comprehend as an ominous wind swept through. The door opened wide.

“Go back.”

“……”

“If a being of this world stays too long in the dwelling of the dead, they become tainted by corruption.”

It was a story of letting him live and sending him away, but Lorian didn’t move at all.

He recalled the fear and despair he had felt when seeing the Behemoth Titans in the Karta Mountains.

At this rate, he couldn’t clear Pandemonium.

If he sought a way out through safe methods, he would surely fail. From now on, it was time to risk his life and take chances.

“Hyuung-niiiim!!”

“……What are you doing right now?”

“I am Lorian! I need your power! Please give me your teachings!”

Lorian grabbed onto the undead’s legs and pleaded. If he didn’t do at least this much, it felt like the opportunity before his eyes would disappear like smoke.

“My, your clinging skills are like a leech.”

“If you won’t teach me, then please just kill me here!!”

“I am bound to someone. I cannot commit murder carelessly.”

“No way, who would use someone like Hyung-nim as a lowly underling!”

“Ahem… Anyway, I am not worthy of teaching someone swordsmanship. I’m just a common man who has left the secular world and wanders this realm.”

“Don’t lie! I already know you’re the hero who disappeared 300 years ago!”

“……Hmm?”

Endymion’s movement of trying to shake off the leech stopped abruptly. As silence settled in, Lorian thought ‘Oh no.’

“Come to think of it, you didn’t answer my questions from before.”

Endymion lowered his posture and cast an interrogating gaze.

“You knew who I was from the beginning?”

“Well, that… heroes usually recognize other heroes…”

“You’re a hero?”

Lorian clamped shut his mouth that was babbling on its own.

Of all things, a lie that wouldn’t be believed at all had popped out first. Trying to cover a lie with another lie, he had made the mistake of revealing his identity in front of a demon.

Suddenly Endymion muttered as if to himself.

“A hero, with abilities similar to Hyung-nim……”

“I’ll just go now! Thank you for everything!”

Lorian quickly got up, bowed, and turned around. Then, Endymion grabbed his shoulder from behind.

“Hero Lorian.”

“……”

“Do you desire power?”

Lorian turned around and broke into a cold sweat.

As if he had discovered an interesting toy, Endymion’s eyes were curved like crescents.

“Do you desire power?”

“I think I need to go to my grandmother’s memorial service…”

“Do. You. Desire. It?”

‘Shit, something seems fucked up.’

He should have just run away when he was letting him go peacefully.

***

“Ron-nim! I want to eat that this time! Please buy it for me!”

Sitri, who had visited Rebellion, linked arms with me and wandered around here and there in the plaza.

Having become the youngest due to Hilde’s absence, she was acting spoiled, asking me to buy this and that as if making up for lost time.

“Refrain from conspicuous behavior.”

“Yees~”

Since she was wearing clothes that humans mainly wore, there was no suspicion of her being a demon.

However, even with her bare skin covered, perhaps her body’s natural allure couldn’t be hidden, as Sitri was drawing the crowd’s attention quite properly just by existing.

“……Look over there. It’s Ron of the Forgotten Blade.”

“They say he got that nickname because nothing remains when he swings his great sword?”

“The soldiers say hundreds of orcs were cut down with a single sword strike.”

“Hmph. No matter what, does that make sense? Rumors are all like that.”

Sitri perked up her ears and made a hurt face, then unbuttoned a few buttons of her top, revealing her chest area wide open.

I observed Sitri, who had suddenly become triumphant.

‘She’s not even a beast, how can a human’s chest be this big?’

Usually Cecilia called Sitri’s chest vulgar, yet sometimes looked at it with longing eyes as if enchanted, but I couldn’t understand that contradiction.

If she’s like that, her spine will all bend when she gets old later.

“Sitri. Get away from me now.”

“No way! We have to disguise ourselves as humans. There’s no better relationship for disguise than a couple!”

“Couple?”

“Ah, sorry! Not a couple, but married!”

“……?”

Sitri hugged my arm tightly. The squishy sensation was mysteriously novel. Enough to make me want to check what was inside.

“Resting is fine, but don’t neglect your official duties. Recent reports have been getting quite delayed.”

“Eh…?”

“You sent an envoy to the Dayer Kingdom, right?”

“Of, of course!”

Unlike her spirited answer, the arm that was hugging loosened up.

“Hmph…….”

“…What’s with that expression?”

Sitri, who had suddenly wilted, glanced up at me cautiously. Her moist eyes were trembling precariously.

……Cecilia says that’s all an act.

“Tell me your plan for how you’ll bring about diplomatic relations with the Dayer Kingdom.”

“Eh”

At the firmly spoken words, the moisture in Sitri’s eyes dried up completely. At the same time, the face that looked like it was about to cry brightened up like a lie.

“……The Dayer Kingdom is a country of pleasure, right? I heard their king is a lecher who’s crazy about women.”

“So?”

“I had people frequently go in and out of the Dayer Kingdom and spread rumors about me. That she’s an incredible beauty~ Even if she bore ten twins, the babies wouldn’t starve to death~ Well, men are all the same animals wherever you go, right?”

Soon Sitri stopped and whispered in my ear with a bewitching smile.

‘Of course, Your Majesty is an exception.’

At a hair’s breadth distance, Sitri winked one eye. I really couldn’t tell how much was sincere and how much was acting.

“Ah, my legs hurt from walking so long.”

Perhaps getting a cramp while standing on tiptoe, Sitri massaged her calf.

Her upper body tilted downward, clearly revealing her cleavage. Sitri only lifted her head to look up at me.

“Shall we rest somewhere before going?”

She spoke so well with a smile full of temptation.

Since Cecilia, who constantly criticizes her behavior, wasn’t by her side, she was showing such free-spirited movement.

“Conduct yourself properly. You are the face of the Demon Empire. If you’re looked down upon by humans, it won’t preserve our dignity.”

I buttoned up Sitri’s undone buttons one by one.

She stared blankly, then tried to add a few more words later but only moved her lips slightly.

“……”

During the awkward silence, the buttons were fastened one by one from bottom to top.

Sitri lowered her head with a flushed face. Her hair stood up busily as if static electricity had occurred.

“Sitri. Learn from Cecilia.”

“…Do you dislike me because my chest is too big?”

“No, that’s not it…”

“SNIFF. So His Majesty’s preference is flat chests……”

“……Let’s just stop talking about this.”

I bought everything Sitri asked for to console her dejected mood.

Cecilia would find out later and there would be aftermath that would torment me for a while, but I decided to think about later things later.

‘Surprisingly, the residents’ reaction is smooth.’

That was my impression while touring the city with Sitri.

The city’s atmosphere was somewhat dark, but separately from that, the residents were continuing their livelihoods without problems.

The Demon Empire scattered gold and flowers in Rebellion to provide relief to the people’s livelihood,

And the riotous mobs that rose up here and there were severely punished according to human law.

Above all, Lord Angela’s speech made a decisive contribution to calming the people’s disturbance.

Although stones flew and she had to endure curses, Angela seemed to prepare for the next plan as if it was within her expectations, appearing unaffected.

Well, when the castle gates open in two days, the relationship between the Demon Empire and Rebellion will truly become one of diplomacy.

If I were to foresee and prepare for all the various incidents that might occur when outside humans come and go within the castle, there wouldn’t be enough time to sleep.

“Ron-nim! I want that this time! Please buy it for me!”

“I’ll give you money, so you buy it.”

“I have lots of money too! It only has meaning if you buy it directly!”

……It was around the time I was finishing such brief contemplations.

“Hey there! Stop for a moment!!”

A man’s shout came from somewhere. I walked through the plaza without even giving him a glance.

“There, the disabled person with one arm! I’m talking to you! You!”

“…?”

“Right! Now you’re finally looking at me!”

The man running from afar, panting, was a priest wearing white robes.

Having reached close proximity, he caught his breath in an awkward posture, then suddenly lifted his head.

“I’ve been looking for you for a while. You’re that famous Forgotten Blade, right?”

“……”

“You’re also an honorary monk who received the Holy See’s seal from Leticia-kyeong?”

“Get to the point.”

“I am Bishop Lorimor of the Rebellion Temple! Even if you’re Platinum rank, a mere adventurer can’t compare to such a noble status!”

Without even glancing at Sitri, who was openly displeased by the sudden interference, the bishop smiled coldly.

“I, Lorimor, command in the name of the goddess!

Honorary Monk Ron!

Protect me from the demons!”