0.0000001% Demon King - 0DK Chapter 41: Crossroads (3) (Part 2)

“He gave us a reason to deal with our enemy, didn’t he?”

“Pr, Prince! Your Highness!”

“Take him away.”

“Please spare me! Your Highness!”

The Pope was dragged away in an ugly struggle, and the prince settled himself on the Pope’s bed.

“This bed’s pretty nice. How much can we squeeze out of that pig?”

“Half.”

The silent old man answered. The prince lay down on the bed with a cold face.

“Half… Is that about right?”

“What are your plans?”

“Be content. If we eat it all up, the old folks will be upset, won’t they? Let the others nibble a bit to avoid backlash.”

“An excellent judgment.”

“You’re still good at pretending. Enough of that. What about what the Pope said? What do you think?”

The Pope had sought the Empire’s help because they couldn’t track on their own. The old man quietly spoke.

“The tracking will likely be difficult.”

“Why?”

“I also missed the exact moment they split from the monsters. I don’t think such meticulously moving individuals will show any gaps.”

“Ho. What do you think of that Demon King?”

“…A unique Demon King.”

After a moment of silence, the old man spoke, prompting the prince to show interest.

“Enough to make you ponder?”

“None of the Demon Kings I’ve seen were like him. They revered only power and lacked intelligence.”

“Indeed a unique one. What was his name?”

“Karos.”

“Karos, Demon King Karos. Hmm.”

A mischievous smile played on the prince’s face.

“He might be worth looking into.”

**** ****

“Demon Kiiiiing!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Karos left the succubus who rushed towards him tearfully. This time, he had no thoughts of stopping her.

“Welcome back, Lord Demon King.”

“Yeah.”

Karos greeted Lillis’s welcome with a tired face.

“Really tired…”

“You managed to survive, somehow.”

“We lost two top-tier monsters, though.”

“The lives of monsters cannot be compared to that of the Demon King. Still, the Twin-Headed Ogre… it was lucky at the end.”

“Being in this situation itself is unlucky, isn’t it?”

“That’s true as well.”

Lillis rarely smiled bitterly. She too was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the events they had been tangled in.

“Thanks to Irina’s help, we were able to move secretly. Since we lost our trail midway, it’s likely impossible for them to pursue us.”

“The Order will be too busy cleaning up their own mess to chase us. It’ll probably take them at least a decade just to sort things out.”

“Didn’t expect it to turn out this well.”

Lillis murmured with admiration. In truth, they had managed to bring down the Sun God’s Order, an enemy of the demonkind, without any damage.

“…You’re truly remarkable, Lord Demon King. This achievement will surely spread far and wide throughout the Underworld.”

“It did turn out well.”

Karos trailed off.

“Except for one thing.”

“…”

“Um. Is that all for the story?”

Bang! The door burst open. Blonde hair fluttering, Sinclair entered carrying a pot.

“Dinner’s ready. This is a small cave, but it had everything needed.”

She casually ladled soup into a bowl and placed it in front of Karos. He silently looked at the bowl before finally speaking.

“Why are you here?”

The original plan was for Sinclair to separate midway to cause more confusion. That way, they intended to shake off the troublesome hero.

But she hadn’t separated. Leading the mercenaries, she stubbornly followed him and eventually entered his Demon King’s castle.

“Don’t be like that. We’ve been through life and death together, haven’t we?”

“You…”

“There’s a reason.”

Sinclair said calmly.

“You told me to see the world with my own eyes. Not to believe in what I haven’t seen.”

“That I did.”

Sinclair looked at Karos who responded indifferently.

“You’re a Demon King. An evil being, you said. But you’re different from other Demon Kings.”

The Demon Kings she had encountered never compromised. They only tried to kill, never attempting dialogue. Only Karos was the exception.

“So I will watch you. I’ll see what kind of person you are from your side and make my decision. That’s my judgment.”

“…Do as you like.”

Karos shook his head helplessly. It was difficult to drive Sinclair away. With Bathesia needing rest, there really was no way to do it.

“Haha. Then let’s enjoy this meal for our future meetings.”

“Now that I think about it, you’re no longer a hero.”

That meant no more divine power. Karos’s face brightened. Apart from that aspect, her cooking was quite delicious.

“Not bad at all. Okay. I’ll enjoy it.”

Karos happily scooped up the soup. Then he choked.

“Cough!”

“Ma, Lord Demon King!”

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“…Sinclair.”

Karos wiped the blood away.

“…Why is there divine power in the cooking?”

“There is?”

“That’s not the question…”

The familiar twist inside him forced Karos to strain his voice. Sinclair had been abandoned by the Sun God and could no longer use divine power. That was certain.

“I’m not sure about that. I was certainly abandoned by the Sun God.”

After a moment’s thought, Sinclair shook her head.

“It’s not important. Please take care of me from now on, Demon King.”

She smiled, a genuinely joyful smile for the first time in a long time.

**** ****

“So this is my new dwelling.”

Sinclair, who had finished the meal alone, touched the walls of the cave. For a Demon King’s castle, it was far too small.

“Demon King… Karos.”

Sinclair murmured his name.

Karos hadn’t forced her. He had given her a choice. He had seen her not as a hero, but as a person.

“You were the only one who saw me.”

It was the first time since the sister who had raised her in childhood.

“If you remain consistent in your treatment of me, I will not change how I deal with you. You are my only comrade.”

A dog that has lost its master seeks another.

The essence of humanity does not change easily.

She smiled. With a face of obsession, no longer able to be called a hero, she murmured.

“Karos.”

You are mine.

Sinclair murmured excitedly to herself.

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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