I Killed the Demon King. It Was a Mistake. Chapter 11

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I killed the Demon King. It was a mistake.

Chapter 11

This era is like a ridiculous jumble.

There are guns and steam engines, but also magic and knights.

Things that should exist don’t, and things that shouldn’t exist do.

As my head was getting complicated by the confusing late 19th century landscape,

I felt at ease when I thought, “Ah, it’s just a world similar to Fullmetal Alchemist.”[TL/N: LOL]

So I could just accept it even if that huge bridge went up and down.

“Is that a drawbridge?”

It’s quite fascinating.

The bridge folds and unfolds like a hip joint.

When Caesar was living as ‘Choi Seo-han,‘ he only saw drawbridges on YouTube, but this is the first time seeing one in real life.

By the way, could a drawbridge be built with the technology of this era?

I should have studied history instead of stocks.

Finn spoke as if he was very proud. “That’s the first tourist attraction people visit when they come to Homigraph. There are only three in the entire empire.”

“Does it move by steam power?”

“I heard they use steam power along with magic? Something about a magic that makes it lighter? And they added some other weird magic too.”

“The whole world is magic.”

“That’s because Sapientia is beyond there.”

Sapientia, the city of magic.

Homigraph is also a city that grew from supporting various goods ordered by Sapientia.

Now it’s a city of commerce and distribution where the tail has become bigger than the body, but the people of Homigraph take pride in the fact that magicians live across the river.

The drawbridge came down, creaking like an old man’s joints.

They should oil that thing.

“By the way, you said you’re going for the potion, right?”

“That’s right. So we need to go to the Valentine Magic Tower, correct?”

“That’s true, but… You didn’t make a reservation or anything, did you?”

“Reservation?”

Finn slapped his forehead. “Oh no… How many people do you think come to the alchemists asking for potions? All the wealthy nobles and rich people in the empire, no, on this entire Valent continent, would be rushing to request them.”

“How long does it take if you make a reservation?”

“At least three days for a consultation, and about half a year for potion production.”

“What?”

In the original game, when the protagonist goes to the Valentine Magic Tower and requests a potion, it’s made instantly.

Wasn’t it supposed to be like that here too?!

“Aren’t those alchemist guys too lazy?”

“From the magicians’ perspective, personal research takes priority.”

“Would they make it if we give them a lot of money?”

“That won’t work with just any amount of money. I told you, wealthy nobles and rich people are rushing in.”

Caesar is rich too, but he’s not the only rich person in the world.

There are plenty of rich people beyond Caesar’s imagination all over the world.

When they treat those guys’ wads of cash like tissue paper, how do you think they’d view Caesar’s money?

“Of course, if you just want to buy a generic potion, you could easily get one. There’s plenty of generic ones.”

“I could buy that, but there’s something more important.”

“You mean the custom potion made from the black twin-headed snake?”

“Yeah.”

The difference between generic and custom-made is like heaven and earth.

Caesar intends to take the potion made from the black twin-headed snake, even if it takes some time.

The drawbridge finally finished lowering.

Only then did the carriage slowly start to move.

“By the way, do you know any alchemists?”

“That’s why Lord Caesar is lucky. There’s my master who taught me at the Valentine Magic Tower. Unless there’s something special, he’ll definitely meet us if we visit.”

“Ooh… You seem a bit different now?”

“I’m originally an amazing person, you know.”

“Then couldn’t we try to leverage that somehow?”

“Well… That person is quite eccentric, so he doesn’t really accept money. Instead…”

Why does this guy stop talking midway?

“Instead what?”

“It’s better if you just see for yourself when we get there.”

What’s this vague sense of unease?

***

The inspection at Sapientia was more thorough than expected.

“You can’t bring weapons into Sapientia.”

“This axe is one with my body! How can I leave it behind?!”

“It’s still not allowed. Please hand it over.”

“Are you telling me to give my body to you?! I’m not a male prostitute!”

“In any case, you can’t bring it in.”

Finn tried to stop Caesar. “Please stop embarrassing yourself and just hand it over.”

“Damn it.”

Caesar had no choice but to hand over the axe.

The guard pointed at Caesar’s bag.

“What’s in that bag?”

“It’s an elixir I’m going to entrust to an alchemist.”

“Let’s take a look.”

Before Caesar could do anything strange, Finn quickly rummaged through the bag.

Then another axe popped out of the bag.

“…Lord Caesar.”

Caesar couldn’t look at Finn.

“What’s with this bag? When I put my hand in, it felt like putting my hand in water?”

It seems he’s more surprised by the bag being strange rather than the hidden weapon.

Well, even Caesar hasn’t seen many space distortion bags in the past 3 years.

“It’s a space distortion bag. I brought it from the demon realm.”

“Crazy… A space distortion bag? Wait, it seems to have weight reduction too?”

“Anyway, it’s fine, right?”

“What’s fine? Why are you trying to casually put the axe back in the bag?”

“…”

Caesar had no choice but to hand over the axe to the guards.

It was good that he left wilderness at the hotel.

If he had brought it here, there would have been an uproar about how Caesar has Barre’s axe.

“Can we go now?”

“Let them through.”

Caesar’s carriage finally started moving.

As they passed through the walls surrounding Sapientia, a very familiar world unfolded.

“What? It’s not much different from Homigraph.”

“What were you expecting?”

“I thought magicians would be flying around on broomsticks. Or rare monsters roaming around.”

“Why would they let dangerous summons loose in the university area? And what’s with the broomsticks?”

“Damn. There’s no romance.”

To be honest, I was a bit excited because it was called the city of magic.

But it’s just a world of unremarkable gray plastered buildings.

At least the smell seems a bit better.

“Wait, then are you saying not all the people we see here are magicians?”

“Of course not. Most people living in Sapientia are ordinary folks. Magicians rarely leave their towers.”

“Then why do people live here?”

“Most are students, professors, scientists, wealthy nobles, or rich people.”

My first impression of Sapientia was more of a city of science and education rather than a city of magic.

Everywhere you looked, there were universities and advertisements for exhibitions or presentations.

Oh my god.

To think Sapientia would be such a boring city.

It wasn’t like this in the game!

“So, did you graduate from a university here too?”

“That’s right. I graduated from Charis Medical University, which you can see over there.”

Charis Medical University was a building with refreshing colors that seemed attractive, like a flower blooming between the asphalt.

“Is that place famous?”

“The Charis family is quite well-known in Homigraph and Sapientia. The current head of the Charis family is also a council member and one of the operating committee members of Sapientia.”

“So they’re a family that has their fingers in everything, huh.”

“They’re even more than nobles.”

“They’re not nobles?”

“Noble people don’t bother with council work. Rather, they summon council members at their will.”

In other words, there’s a hierarchy even above the nobles.

‘I wonder where I stand right now?’

Not quite on the same level as a council member, but slightly below?

I’m not sure.

As we chatted, we arrived in front of the magic tower.

At least the area near the magic tower was somewhat similar to the city of magic Caesar had imagined.

-Growl!

Boom-! Bang!

Kyaaaa.

Summons roam around the square, and sounds of explosions can be heard here and there.

I think I heard screams too, but that must be my imagination?

Anyway, the area near the magic tower was quite similar to the Sapientia Caesar had seen in the game.

Now it feels more like a city of magic.

Caesar and Finn headed towards the Valentine Magic Tower.

***

The entrance of the Valentine Magic Tower was crowded with people.

“Come on, come on! No cutting in line, take as much as you want, and please pay at the front desk!”

“Ah! I should have bought that one!”

“Stop pushing!”

Have you been to Sungsimdang bakery  in Daejeon?

There, the bread stands still while people rotate like conveyor belt sushi.

It was the same here.

The walls were filled with all kinds of potions, and they even sold healthy drinks and strange elixirs.

[A potion that might make you younger by about a year.

-Valentine Magic Tower is not responsible for any side effects that occur after consumption.]

[Want to fly in the sky? Try this potion that might give you the feeling of flying.

-Valentine Magic Tower is not responsible for any side effects that occur after consumption.]

[A potion that might turn you into an owl

-Valentine Magic Tower is not responsible for any side effects that occur after consumption.]

[Worried about hair loss? Try this hair growth potion that might make your hair grow! Hair sprouting! Confidence boosting!

-Valentine Magic Tower is not responsible for any side effects that occur after consumption.]

What’s with these scary disclaimers?

It doesn’t even say it will work, just that it might work?

“What on earth are these?”

“This is where they sell unverified potions.”

“Why would anyone buy these?”

“Because if it works, you might hit the jackpot. There was actually someone who took a potion to enhance their aura sensitivity and became an aura user. Of course, it’s been discontinued now.”

“You could die from taking these, couldn’t you?”

Finn pointed out the people one by one. “Look. Don’t they all look desperate? Some are old, some have broken arms, some are completely bald.”

“So you’re saying they have nothing to lose.”

“Exactly.”

I apologize for disparaging Sapientia as a boring city.

Have you ever seen such an exciting city?

Now I wish someone would hurry up and try that potion that might turn you into an owl.

I really want to see if they actually become an owl.

“Let’s go. There’s nothing more to see here.”

“What? Weren’t we supposed to go in here?”

“No, not here. We need to go to the back.”

“Then why did we come here?”

“It’s your first time in Sapientia, so you should at least see this much.”

“You’re unexpectedly good at being a guide, aren’t you?”

“Stop talking and follow me.”

Finn led the way to the back of the magic tower.

There was a lobby full of elevators, which was quite empty.

As they approached the entrance, security guards blocked Finn and Caesar.

“What is your business here?”

“We’re here to see Professor Smir.”

“Did you make an appointment in advance?”

“No, but if you tell him Finn is here, he’ll let us in.”

“Please wait a moment.”

The guard made a call somewhere using the phone on the wall.

“There are visitors here to see Professor Smir. They say he’ll understand if you mention Finn. Please check.”

In the meantime, Caesar said to Finn.

“The security is thorough.”

“It’s a magic tower. There are many things we shouldn’t touch, and as you know, magicians are precious.”

Knights also rely on talent.

The talent to accumulate aura within the body.

The talent to use aura.

And lastly, mental strength.

Without talent, one cannot become a knight.

Then what about magicians?

If knights are just coffee, magicians are TOP.

Magicians don’t accumulate aura within their bodies.

They can combine and break down the magic contained in all things in the world with their will to create desired phenomena.

There are about 10,000 people throughout the empire who have this unbelievable talent.

Compared to knights who fluctuate between 300,000 and 350,000, magicians are extremely high-level personnel.

This meant that magicians were as deadly, flashy, and dangerous as they were rare.

After some time passed, the guard spoke.

“They say you can come in now.”

It was good that he brought Finn.

In the game, meeting a magician in a magic tower was easier than chewing gum, so he came without any preparation, but if Finn hadn’t been there, he would have been turned away at the doorstep.

Caesar and Finn got into the elevator.

The interesting thing about the elevator is that there are no buttons.

Well, this must be for security reasons too.

The elevator started going down instead of up.

Ding-

As the door opened, a strong smell of medicine greeted Caesar.

Yes, this is an alchemist’s room.

The surroundings were messy, and flasks emitting strong smoke were scattered here and there.

Is there proper ventilation here?

“Professor Smir. I’m here.”

Then a man with grayish skin came floating through the air.

What’s that?

The person looks too sick.

Is he experimenting on his own body?

“It’s been a while, Finn. Have you used my medicine?”

“Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to use it. Instead, I brought a sturdy test subject.”

What?

What the hell is this bastard saying?

Caesar glared at Finn.

“What nonsense is this?”

“Oh, didn’t I tell you? Professor Smir won’t accept requests for potions unless you undergo his experiments.”

“I want to leave.”

At that moment, Caesar’s body stiffened.

He knows this from being subjected to it so many times by Raven.

This is a magic called ‘Stuck’.

It’s a binding magic that forcibly blocks the flow of surrounding air to trap the body.

The fact that he can use this fairly high-level magic was proof that Smir was quite a skilled magician.

“It seems you’ve injured your stomach. Let me fix it for you. I have a potion that can regrow flesh…”

“I said no!”

Caesar instantly moved his aura strongly to break the Stuck.

Smir looked at Caesar in surprise.

“You know how to break Stuck?”

“I’ve been subjected to it so many times in the demon realm war.”

“Come to think of it, you were a knight. Your aura is not insignificant. I actually have a potion I wanted to experiment on knights…”

“Forget it.”

Caesar took out a black twin-headed snake and five blue magic grass roots from his bag.

“Make a potion with these. If you won’t do it, I’ll find another alchemist.”

Smir’s expression became subtle.

“A black twin-headed snake… I’ve only seen it in literature, this is my first time seeing one in person.”

“I brought it from the demon realm. How about it? Don’t you feel like making some great potion?”

“But your body is more interesting. How much magic grass did you eat to smell so strongly of it?”

“I ate about 20 yellow magic grass roots.”

“In how long?”

“About a month, I guess?”

“And you didn’t die? Strange.”

“Isn’t that amount normally okay?”

Smir shook his head.

“Humans have a limit to how much aura they can handle. You’ve far exceeded that level.”

Smir’s eyes filled with desire.

“Would you let me experiment on your body? If so, I’ll make the potion for free.”

I’d rather die.

I don’t mind having a bit of flesh taken, but I absolutely refuse to have strange potions put into my body.

Even if weird experiments don’t reveal that I’m a doppelganger, if this body gets a strange disease, it will persist even if I transform into another body.

Caesar took out a gold coin he brought from the demon realm.

“This is my final offer. I’ll give you this, so make the potion. If you don’t want to, I’ll find someone else. I have plenty of time.”

“… Is this gold from the demon realm?”

“Yes.”

“Let me see it.”

Smir used various magic on the gold coin.

The coin sparked blue and red.

After playing with the coin like a toy for a while, Smir spoke.

“Hmm… If you have five more of these, I’ll do it.”

This guy’s up to something.

Caesar approached Smir and snatched the coin back.

“You seem to like it that much?”

“Hmm…”

Caesar used psychometry.

-Why is there so much magic in this?

-I’ve never seen this structure before.

-It must be at least 0.4… No, over 0.5%.

-That’s why it’s much lighter than normal gold despite its volume.

-If I research this, I might find a way to artificially create terra.

Bingo!

Caesar took out 10 gold coins and 10 silver coins from his bag.

Smir’s eyes lit up as if lasers might shoot out of them.

“I have plenty of the gold coins you want. There are even silver coins.”

“… What are you getting at?”

The tables have turned, you bastard.

Originally in this field, the one who shows greed first loses.

Didn’t you know?

“I’ll give you 2 gold coins. In exchange, make me a suitable potion with this twin-headed snake and magic grass.”

“That’s not cost-effective.”

“Instead, I’ll sell you 10 gold coins and 10 silver coins.”

“… Sell?”

“Yes. And I’ll only accept payment in potions.”

Caesar smiled like a villain.

“If you don’t like it, feel free to look for someone else.”