0.0000001% Demon King - 0DK Chapter 18: Hidden Malice (1) (Part 2)

“…Did you come to mock me?”

Irina spat out harshly, glaring at Karos with wide eyes.

“No. I merely came to make an offer.”

Karos whispered to her.

“Do you wish for revenge?”

The word ‘revenge’ widened Irina’s eyes. Karos laughed and took a step back.

“A simple matter. A trade. I give you what you desire, and you give me what I desire. Doesn’t that sound fair?”

“A deal with the Demon King, that’s not very reassuring.”

“Indeed. Throughout history, only twisted beings have made contracts with demonic races. But you’re one of those beings. Twisted, full of hatred for the world, filled with malice.”

The Demon King casually took another apple from within and bit into it. Irina, with a trembling voice, said,

“I am…”

Irina closed her eyes. Her head felt like it was going to explode from the turmoil.

“Give me some time to think.”

“Take all the time you need. I’ll visit again later. I hope you’ve changed your mind by then.”

The darkness vanished. The overwhelming presence disappeared. She blankly stared at the ceiling.

**** ****

In the small Demon King’s castle, within the cave, two demons watched the darkness beyond with vacant eyes. Until the result was revealed, they remained motionless. And from beyond the darkness, a man returned.

“It’s done. Good job with the staging, Bathesia.”

“…”

Bathesia didn’t respond, just staring at the man with a dazed expression. The man looked back at her, somewhat irritated.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Are you really Karos?”

“Would I be fake? You saw me teleport right in front of you.”

“It’s just… the atmosphere was so different.”

The Karos she knew was frivolous, easily annoyed, and somewhat light-hearted. But the Karos who spoke with Irina was entirely different. He was solemn, like the ancient Demon Kings known for enchanting humans. She was momentarily captivated.

“Really? Guess the act worked well then.”

“Lord Demon King.”

Lillis stepped forward. She looked up at Karos with admiration.

“What, what?”

“I was amazed. Truly, you are the Demon King. I swear my loyalty once again.”

“Go ahead.”

Karos nodded dismissively as Lillis bowed. The atmosphere gradually lightened.

“Was it hard? I know sending magic across space is difficult. Especially without being detected. It’s challenging.”

“It was hard. Even for me, sending magic across space is tough, especially making sure not to get caught. It’s tricky.”

“Good job. Even I was impressed. The darkness moving with every step.”

“Right? My favorite effect.”

Bathesia beamed, having forgotten the difficulty.

“I worked so hard on that effect. I thought my head would explode. The darkness had to move with every movement, but the magic consumption had to be almost none. I focused solely on that for three months after becoming the Demon King.”

“…Was that why you were inactive for three months?”

Karos’s face contorted. Bathesia had locked herself in the Demon King’s castle for three months after descending to the surface, not moving an inch. Historians wondered why, but who knew it was for such a reason. Bathesia sheepishly looked away.

“Well, a Demon King has to look impressive. That way, humans won’t ignore us.”

“Let it be. It’s true you helped.”

It would have been impossible for Karos to exert pressure on humans and move darkness with his movements without magic or magical power. It was only possible with Bathesia’s help from beyond space.

“But why go through all this effort? Just say you’re the Demon King and make a deal…”

“The Demon King needs to have a certain presence. Would you believe me if I didn’t radiate any magic or power?”

“That… no.”

“Exactly. With Jacob, I showed power to scare him, but this time there was none of that. A Demon King’s presence is essentially trust. If a deal is made, it’s assumed that everything will be handled perfectly on my side.”

“Sounds like a merchant…”

“The outcome was good, wasn’t it? What’s good is good.”

“Was the strange speech also for that reason?”

“Yes.”

His actions, speech, and magic were all part of an act to enchant. And the result was as seen.

“The pieces are in place. Now, just to quietly set off the explosion from within. So, what method shall we use?”

Having secured noble lineage, the last method seemed most fitting. As Karos pondered happily, Soccu asked with a gloomy face.

“Lord Demon King?”

“What?”

“…Are you planning to kill her?”

Soccu had taken a liking to Irina. She didn’t intend to go against the Demon King’s wishes, but she couldn’t help feeling resistant. Karos chuckled and patted her head.

“No. Why would I kill her?”

“Really?”

“Yes. At least until you or I die or are expelled, she won’t die, so don’t worry.”

“Okay!”

As Soccu smiled brightly, Karos thought to himself. Why kill her? It’s hard enough to obtain power of noble lineage. It should be used as a pawn.

Even if she attempts suicide, I won’t let her die. How hard was it to get her? She must be used valuably.

“Bathesia.”

“Yeah.”

“Bring the ogre.”

“Oh. Are we starting now?”

“Yes. Let’s see how long they can hold out.”

If the lord had legitimate qualifications, they wouldn’t fall to blackmail. But how will it turn out? Karos laughed merrily.

Hyung_Otaku

I'm currently Translating the following novels: Pick Me Up! | A Frontline Soldier Awakened as a Gamer In The War! | The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player. If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!

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