0.0000001% Demon King - 0DK Chapter 36: The Holy Land (2) (Part 1)  

“Get in!”

A paladin shoves Karos’s back roughly. Karos staggers but regains his balance as the door of the prison closes with a harsh metallic sound.

“What a violent friend.”

Karos mutters, tapping the wall lightly. Each touch sends a tingling sensation.

The bars, the floor, the walls—all were saturated with divine power. There seemed to be no possibility of escape.

‘I didn’t plan to, anyway.’

The pain from the divine power was bearable, at least less painful than when Sinclair hugged him in his sleep.

“Ah, no! Sir Paladin! It’s not us! We’re not the ones!”

“Shut up and get in!”

Arguments and pleas echo in the corridor. Despite the rugged man’s begging, the paladin, expressionless, shoved the mercenaries into the prison.

“Repent for your sins in there. Filthy beings.”

The paladin spat out and left. The rugged man grabbed the bars.

“Please save us! We were just dragged into this! We’re innocent!”

“Quiet!”

Bang!

With a loud noise, the prison door closed. It was a dark underground space without a single torch, but thanks to the light of the divine power, there was no problem distinguishing objects.

“Ah, this noise!”

“Shut up.”

Karos grimaced at the endless wailing. The rugged man stopped crying and hit the bars in an instant, his face turning bright red.

Bang!

“This, this cursed Demon King!”

The rugged man gritted his teeth.

“Why is the Demon King with the Hero!”

“Who should I ask?”

Karos replied with a laugh to the questioning tone.

“Why has it come to this? I’m not sure myself.”

“If you want to die, die alone! Why drag us into this!”

The rugged man, as if losing his sanity, raised his voice repeatedly.

Even the most foolish among them could understand. The Demon King, humanity’s enemy. And the Church of the Sun God was at the forefront of killing such demons.

They were now accomplices of the Demon King, branded as traitors to humanity. In this situation, the possibility of survival was practically non-existent.

“You’re needed.”

“Needed?”

“If you’re done talking, I’m going to sleep.”

Karos laid down with a voice full of resentment, but he calmly went to bed. The coarse straw was irritating, but it was better than sleeping in contact with divine power.

“It’s reasonably well made.”

At the nonchalant attitude, the rugged man once again banged the bars and screamed.

“Know this, once you’re out, you’ll be torn apart and killed!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Karos calmly responded and closed his eyes.

‘I leave the rest to you, Bathesia.’

**** ****

Sinclair walked with a stiff face. She strode forward without a moment’s hesitation and flung open the door, which was encrusted with gold and jewels.

“Oh, you’ve come.”

The room, decorated lavishly, dazzled with the light from all the jewels. On the huge bed in that room lay a fat man, looking as if walking was a struggle. A bewitching woman with a blank expression was massaging him.

Sinclair bit her lip at the sight but said nothing. It was futile to argue. She diverted her gaze and bowed.

“I’ve come to see the Pope.”

The Pope of the Sun God, the man who could command Sinclair, the only one to receive the will of the Sun God.

And the one who had brought her to the Holy Land. The Pope greeted Sinclair with a warm and gentle smile.

“Hero, I’ve heard the news. You were deceived by the Demon King.”

“…Yes.”

The Pope popped a bunch of grapes into his mouth.

“Tell me our law.”

“Those who are deceived by demons are as demons themselves, thus they shall be torn limb from limb.”

There were a few who had been torn apart and fed to dogs as atonement to the god. Young Sinclair had seen it with her own eyes.

“Yes. You have broken the law. Normally, you too should be torn limb from limb and fed to the dogs to atone to the god.”

The Pope laughed. It was a very comforting smile of a wise man.

“But I will forgive you. Forgiveness is a virtue, so I pardon your sins.”

“…Thank you.”

Sinclair bowed her head in gratitude, genuinely relieved. However, she knew. No matter what she did, the Pope would not punish her. It was merely a play.

Suppressing the sticky emotions, she opened her mouth.

“Is he… really the Demon King?”

“Yes.”

The Pope, while receiving a massage, spoke with a languid expression.

“Only demons possess demonic energy. Upon inquiry with the Valarians about the identity he revealed himself, it turns out he was the most recently turned Demon King.”

“I didn’t feel any demonic energy…”

“He took off his necklace in front of the paladins. Perhaps it’s a necklace that hides demonic energy. Such artifacts are extremely rare, but for a hero like you not to notice.”

A flicker of greed passed over the Pope’s face. There were a few ornaments that could hide demonic energy, but they were all superficial, incapable of properly hiding even the energy of low-ranking demons.

“It’s a pity we sent it away before we could dissect it and understand its source.”

The Pope said to the kneeling hero.

“He deceived you.”

“…I don’t understand.”

Sinclair spoke as if vomiting the words. She thought he was a strange being, possibly related to demons.

But the Demon King? Humanity’s archenemy, the absolute evil that invades the world? Sinclair closed her eyes tightly.

“Why was he beside me?”

“He intended to brainwash you. Foolish. As if mind control would work on a hero chosen by the god.”

“Is that… so.”

To her, Karos didn’t seem to come with the intention of brainwashing, but Sinclair quietly composed her emotions.

‘The Demon King is humanity’s enemy.’

That hasn’t changed. She had defeated many Demon Kings and witnessed all their brutal deeds. Regardless of what Karos expected from her, he was the enemy.

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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