0.0000001% Demon King - 0DK Chapter 42: The Third Box (1)

“Well, that’s finally over.”

“It sure is.”

Karos sighed in relief.

“We survived…”

Everything had finally come to an end. They were now safe.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Truly.”

Karos sipped his tea with a relaxed expression.

A week had passed since they returned to the Demon King’s castle. During that time, they had erased their tracks and evaded pursuit.

The desperate cleanup had paid off; humans could no longer chase them. Lillis complimented Karos.

“It’s all thanks to you, Lord Demon King.”

“Stop with the empty flattery.”

“It’s not empty talk. You are truly impressive.”

Lillis looked at him with admiration.

“You managed to handle information that way even though you’re not familiar with the geography.”

Most of the cleanup had been managed by Karos himself. Blocking the pursuit, using Irina to spread false information, and setting traps to buy time—all these actions were extraordinary.

“Timely tactics. Precise enough to mislead the enemy. You are impressive. It even feels familiar.”

“Uh.”

Karos felt awkward under Lillis’s sincere praise.

“That’s somewhat embarrassing to hear.”

“I too was trained as a secretary in information manipulation… but in front of you, Lord, it seems like I lose my shine. I’ve always wondered, where did you learn such skills? Even the Demon King Academy doesn’t teach that.”

“Without magic, I had to develop other skills.”

Karos spoke nonchalantly.

“It was dangerous when the Empire suddenly rushed in, but it’s resolved now. There should be no more problems.”

“…Well, not exactly.”

Lillis’s quiet comment made Karos swallow his tea the wrong way. She continued with a complicated expression.

“What will we do about the former hero?”

“She’s a former hero.”

“Former or not, she’s human. We are demons. Essentially, our enemy.”

Lillis drew a clear line, but Karos waved his hand dismissively.

“Leave her be.”

“But isn’t that a problem we can’t just ignore?”

“She was helpful, wasn’t she?”

Sinclair had actively helped Karos with the cleanup. There were definitely parts that would have been risky without her.

Lillis knew this too and muttered with a conflicted face.

“That’s true.”

“Sinclair is no longer a hero. She has renounced her divine power.”

It was a bit of a stretch to say she had renounced it, as it was more that the gods had abandoned her.

Sinclair was born a hero and raised by the Sun God. By being abandoned by the god, she lost everything she had.

“Moreover, she has grown. As long as we don’t do anything evil in her eyes, she won’t attack us. There’s no danger.”

Technically, Karos was wrong. Sinclair’s nature hadn’t changed but had moved in a more dangerous direction.

That could be an advantage or a disadvantage for Karos, but it couldn’t really be called growth.

However, Karos was unaware of this.

“A fallen hero fits well with a demon king, right?”

“…Strictly speaking, that’s not bad. Her power would definitely be an asset.”

Though Sinclair had lost the Sun God’s divinity, she was still strong. Except for heroes or demon kings, no one could dare oppose her.

Moreover, she was purely human. Considering Karos’s goals, it was not an exaggeration to say she was essential.

But Lillis still looked uneasy.

“If it weren’t for that problem.”

Boom!

The door burst open, and two figures entered. Red hair wildly fluttering.

Lillis pressed her forehead.

“…Trouble has arrived.”

*** ***

“What?!”

“Why are you doing this?”

Bathesia’s loud voice was met with a calm response from the golden-haired woman. Bathesia shivered in anger.

“That’s my room! Why do you keep creeping in?!”

“Aren’t we all comrades? There’s no need to split rooms.”

Sinclair smiled charmingly.

“Come on. Let’s sleep together. Warmth is quite a pleasant thing.”

“Shut it! You, you’re burning!”

Bathesia released a burst of energy. Sinclair easily dodged it. The misdirected energy swept through the room, scattering papers everywhere.

“Ah.”

Karos muttered blankly. He had just finished organizing.

“…You two.”

“What, what! It’s not my fault!”

Bathesia hastily denied any wrongdoing. Karos massaged his forehead.

“Damn it.”

When strong personalities clashed, they either got along famously or collided head-on. Bathesia and Sinclair were the latter.

“Sinclair, why don’t you go live with the mercenaries in the village? Wouldn’t it be better for you to be with humans?”

He asked earnestly, but Sinclair lightly refused.

“No. I will stay here and watch over you. That’s my purpose.”

Sinclair slowly approached Bathesia.

“To fulfill that, I must foster camaraderie with my comrades. Come on. Let’s sleep together.”

“Stay away!”

Bathesia recoiled.

“You, you’re burning! Why do you still have divine power even though you’ve been abandoned by the god?”

Sinclair had certainly lost her divine power when she was abandoned by god. Both Bathesia and Karos had seen it.

But her body still felt painfully spiky to demons, and her cooking contained divine power that twisted a demon’s stomach.

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because some faith remains.”

“…You still believe in a god?”

“No. It’s faith in something else.”

Sinclair looked happily at Karos.

“So, let’s be together.”

“Get away! Ouch! It hurts!”

Energy burst again, scattering papers. Lillis watched them both and muttered.

“…There’s not a single normal person here.”

“Exactly, except you.”

Karos sighed deeply.

*** ***

“It’s a bit late, but this is Sinclair, the former hero of the Sun God.”

Karos introduced her to his followers gathered in the room.

“She’s with us now, so try to get along if you can.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Sinclair said with a calm face.

“…”

There was no reply. Most had reluctant faces as they looked at her.

No matter her fall, she had been a hero who killed many demon kings and dragged Karos to the sanctuary. Even now, it was hard for them to accept her as a comrade.

But there was one who could.

“Nice to meet you!”

Soccu greeted her with a bright smile, unhesitant.

“So, Soccu?”

“Why are you doing this?”

“She dragged Karos along! We almost died because of that!”

“So what?”

“…Aren’t you bothered?”

Soccu, who revered Karos almost as a god, was expected to be hostile, but she spoke without any concern.

“But she’s on Lord Demon King’s side now, isn’t she?”

“That’s true, but…”

“Forget the past! What’s important is now! And the future!”

“Goodness.”

Karos smiled as the tension slowly eased.

“Now, Sinclair. I have something to confirm with you.”

Karos spoke quietly.

“I’m a demon king. We are demons.”

“I know.”

“We are enemies of humans.”

Sinclair still intended to protect humans.

“That means there’s a high chance you’ll become our enemy eventually.”

Bathesia quietly blocked the door. Slimes gathered around Sinclair.

Sinclair spoke without changing her expression.

“Demon King. I’ve seen the village here.”

“So?”

“I’ve spoken with a child associated with you in that place.”

“…You did.”

The street urchin kid Karos had met in this village, from whom he had gained information.

“You helped the boy.”

Sinclair’s eyes were somber as she looked at Karos.

“You could have overpowered the boy to torture him for information. Or kidnapped someone else.”

“I thought that was efficient.”

“Regardless of the reason, you helped the boy. If you were truly evil, you wouldn’t have done that. I can tell. You’re not one to harm people recklessly.”

“…Goodness.”

Karos let out a laugh.

“Are you saying that to a demon king?”

“I’ll trust what I’ve seen with my own eyes. To me, you’re not a demon king; you’re Karos.”

Sinclair opened her mouth.

“Do you want to engage in bloody, warlike acts?”

“I’m not interested in such barbaric acts.”

“Then that’s settled. As long as you uphold those two conditions, whatever you do is not my concern.”

“And the higher-ups might die?”

Not waging war meant targeting only those in power. But Sinclair spoke coldly.

“Why should that matter?”

“What?”

“Those above are evil. No different from demon kings. I have no intention of protecting them.”

“…”

Silence fell. Sinclair tousled her hair.

“And there’s one more important thing.”

Her twisted eyes turned towards Karos.

“I have no intention of leaving you, Demon King.”

“Is that so.”

Karos responded nonchalantly.

‘It’s twisted.’

He had helped shape that, but she was more twisted than he had expected.

‘Is that okay?’

As long as it wasn’t a problem for him, it didn’t matter. Karos clapped his hands.

“Then let’s end this discussion and move on to what’s next. What’s happened with the Sun God?”

“The roots are shaken. They won’t be able to show themselves for at least ten years.”

The nations gathered witnessed the failed execution of a demon king and their subsequent escape. Additionally, the hero had renounced the Sun God and fallen.

Though composed mostly of zealots, the faith was shaken, and their authority had plummeted.

“And the Empire got involved.”

“The Empire?”

Karos’s brow twitched at Sinclair’s words. She affirmed.

“They’ve offered to help the crumbled Church of the Sun God. They’ve already placed their troops within the sanctuary.”

“…That’s why the Empire was pursuing us.”

“The Empire has always considered those who serve a god a nuisance. It was a good opportunity for them.”

“Then we’re safe.”

For the time being, the Empire would be busy managing the church. They wouldn’t send more pursuers.

“Good. Let’s move on to the rest.”

Karos gestured.

“What are the mercenaries doing?”