0.0000001% Demon King - 0DK Chapter 41: Crossroads (3) (Part 1)

“Stay back!”

Sinclair swung her sword fiercely, knocking down the approaching paladins. Despite dozens charging at once, not one could lay a hand on her.

Heroes are inherently strong. Even though the blessing of the god had vanished, Sinclair was by no means weak.

“What is it, Demon King?”

“Your attitude seems to have changed quite a bit.”

“Isn’t it a bit much to expect the same attitude from me?”

Sinclair chuckled, shaking off the sweat. There was no longer any trace of delusion or anxiety on her face.

“So, what do you want?”

“Nothing much.”

Karos spoke nonchalantly.

“I was thinking of making a deal.”

“I have no intention of making deals with a Demon King.”

Sinclair replied indifferently, and Karos showed no particular reaction to her refusal.

“That may be so.”

Sinclair was not on the side of the Demon King. Her rejection was limited to those who hypocritically believed in the Sun God. She was still on the side of humanity.

However, Karos calmly proposed to her.

“You wouldn’t want to leave them to die.”

The mercenaries were still tied to the crosses, looking at Sinclair with anxious eyes. It was impossible to escape safely with all of them.

“So, let’s just join forces until we can escape. Think of it as a transaction, not a temptation of evil. It’s not bad to save good people, right?”

“How cunning.”

“Isn’t that typical of a Demon King? What will you do?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Sinclair answered without hesitation, and for a moment, Karos was taken aback.

“What?”

“I didn’t expect you to accept so easily.”

He had thought she would ponder considerably since it was a deal with a Demon King. But there was no sign of such hesitation in her.

“I’ve already made my decision. Cooperating with demons for their sake is not an issue.”

“Is that so?”

“Besides, I wished for it too.”

She murmured softly, a comment Karos didn’t catch.

“I am no longer your ally! Stand back!”

She stomped her foot, using the trembling earth to swing her sword towards the mercenaries.

Crack!

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, Hero…”

“Thank you!”

The freed mercenaries tearfully expressed their gratitude. Sinclair shook her head with a bitter smile.

“I am no longer a hero. Just a sword that protects you. You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

“Hero…”

The rugged man tearfully did not match his usual tough demeanor. Karos waved at them.

“Congratulations. You managed to survive, somehow.”

“…”

The slender man looked at Karos with trembling eyes.

“What will you do now?”

“From here, we go straight on. First… come this way.”

“Krrrrrr!”

“Kyu! Kyu!”

At their master’s command, the monsters stopped their destruction and gathered in front of Karos. The mercenaries screamed in fear at the hot breath of the Twin-Headed Ogre.

“I’m sorry.”

Karos patted the head of the Twin-Headed Ogre. The ogre whimpered softly and lowered its posture.

“Ride on top of the drake.”

“On top of a monster?”

The mercenaries were terrified. Some hesitantly stepped back, but Karos’s next words had them quickly climbing atop the drake.

“Either stay here and die or hold on tight.”

Karos climbed onto the ogre’s head and took a deep breath.

“Bathesia!”

“I know!”

Bathesia, who had been fighting the paladins, burst through the darkness and flew straight to them. Taking advantage of their confusion, she gathered darkness in her hands.

“Open!”

Crack!

“Ah! Aaaaah!”

“Aaah!”

Darkness swirled and swept toward the road, throwing the paladins aside and opening a path.

“Run!”

“Krrrrrr!”

The Twin-Headed Ogre obeyed and started to sprint. Bathesia sat next to Karos, catching her breath.

“You… you’re making me work too hard.”

“Complain all you want later, just hang in there a bit longer.”

“Damn you.”

Karos looked away. The Pope was furiously shouting something. The paladins were quickly chasing after them.

And the prince, with a peculiar smile, watched him.

‘Blood can’t lie.’

Karos thought to himself.

*** ***

“No! What’s happening! Where are they!”

“Th, they are being pursued by the paladins, but it’s difficult! They’ve crossed forests and rivers, and it’s hard to follow on horseback!”

“They are monsters! There must be traces of their movement, what’s so difficult about that!”

“Th, that’s the thing, we currently don’t see any figures apart from the Twin-Headed Ogre and the Drake! Perhaps they’ve split up somewhere in between…”

“Useless fools!”

Bang!

The Pope slammed his desk. Grinding his teeth in a fit of rage, he lost all composure.

“If they escape, you’re all dead! You’ll all be crucified!”

“Hiiiek!”

The one reporting scurried out of the room in terror. The Pope pressed his forehead.

“Damn it!”

They had been tracking for a week and still hadn’t captured them. Somehow, they had cunningly avoided human villages, making it difficult to gather eyewitness reports.

‘It can’t be!’

If the Demon King escaped, the Sun God would not forgive him. He would rather die than face the punishment that awaited him. Laughter echoed behind him.

“This is quite amusing.”

“…Prince.”

“Pope, this is very amusing. I’ve gone through the trouble of coming all the way here, and it was worth it.”

The prince murmured with a full smile. The old man silently stood behind him.

The Pope swallowed.

“Your Highness, I have a request.”

“I’ve been entertained, so I’ll listen. Speak.”

“…Could you assist us?”

Seeking help from the Empire. As a religious order that believed in a god, this was something they should never do, but he had no choice now.

“Assist you?”

The prince’s smile deepened. The Pope nodded.

“Yes. With your resources, you could find them.”

This was the Empire’s territory. Tracing the movements of dozens of humans was entirely feasible. The prince crossed his legs.

“Well, it’s not difficult.”

“So, you will assist…?”

The Pope’s face brightened, but the prince twisted his lips.

“But why should I?”

“What?”

“Why should I help you?”

Caught off guard by the response, the Pope fell silent. The prince laughed mockingly.

“You’ve been defeated. Toyed with by the Demon King. And now, as a loser, you seek to gain something without paying the price. Don’t you have any shame?”

The prince’s eyes grew cold. Eyes that held no value for the Pope.

“Moreover, you no longer have ‘value.'”

“The Demon King is evil! A demonic force! An enemy of the Empire!”

“To the Empire, you are enemies as well. Dogs of the god.”

Footsteps approached. Faced with an unfamiliar strategy, fear crept across the Pope’s face.

“Pr, Prince.”

“Those who do not trust the Emperor and rely on an outdated god are weak. To the Empire, you and the Demon King are no different. Rather, we should be thankful to the Demon King.”

The prince’s smile twisted.

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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