0.0000001% Demon King - 0DK Chapter 48: The Masterless (4) (Part 1)

“Wa-wait! Sir Nevilos! What do you mean by that!”

Bathesia’s face twisted in distress. She cried out in a desperate tone.

“My subordinates, my children aren’t looking for me? No matter how great you are, Sir Nevilos, I can’t accept such a lie!”

“Child.”

Nevilos spoke quietly in response to her rough voice.

“Are you saying I’m lying?”

His unwavering tone made Bathesia flinch. But she didn’t back down.

“B-but…”

“Wait.”

Karos interrupted her.

“Let’s hear everything first.”

“Ah… ugh.”

She fell silent but her face remained troubled. Karos shifted his gaze.

“You’re not lying, right?”

“How would lying to you benefit me?”

“True. Then… are they serving another master?”

“No.”

Nevilos answered Karos’s question. That brought some relief to Bathesia’s confusion.

“Are they expanding their territory on their own?”

“No. They are merely guarding their territory.”

“Did the Great Demon King command them?”

Did the Great Demon King order them to stay within their territory? Nevilos answered again.

“No. Astrea granted Bathesia’s subordinates freedom. They can choose what they want to do.”

“…Complete freedom.”

They had no master to follow. The Great Demon King declared they could do as they wished. This meant that even if Bathesia’s subordinates went wild, there would be no one to stop them.

But instead of causing chaos, they remained quietly within their territory.

“Why?”

“That’s beyond my domain.”

Nevilos spoke leisurely.

“I’m just an old man now. I can’t tell you the finer details.”

“Just an old man, my ass.”

Karos grumbled but didn’t push further. He knew that if Nevilos said no, it really was a no.

“That’s not my concern anyway. This will do.”

He got what he wanted. They weren’t venturing outside their territory. Which meant…

“I can ignore them.”

Bathesia’s territory was far away. Her subordinates wouldn’t come to help Karos and Bathesia, but they also wouldn’t attack them.

He got what he initially wanted. Karos nodded.

“Bathesia, go outside and clear your head.”

“…Okay.”

Bathesia staggered out of the building with unsteady steps. Sinclair helped her and followed.

Now only Karos and Nevilos remained inside.

“It’ll be hard to convince that child. She’ll probably insist on going to meet them.”

“That’s my job, so I have to try.”

“Indeed.”

Nevilos chuckled.

“That little kid has grown so much.”

“Are you bringing up the past now?”

“Why not? You brought someone who reminds me of the past. Sinclair, was it?”

“….”

“You see her in that child.”

Nevilos muttered quietly.

“Do you hope for a different path?”

“Of course.”

“She is not that child. She is different, but you know that, don’t you?”

Emotions and logic were separate. Knowing and doing were entirely different matters.

“I gave up.”

Nevilos murmured with a weary face.

“I stepped down from the position of Great Demon King.”

A ruler must lead by example. Under that belief, all previous Great Demon Kings fought humans until they died.

But Nevilos didn’t. He passed his position to Astrea and stepped down. Thus, he was the only former Great Demon King still alive.

“You are different from me. You won’t deviate from your path.”

“Don’t ask obvious questions.”

“Indeed. It’s obvious.”

Nevilos chuckled, standing up. The once-great Great Demon King glared at Karos.

“Boy. What do you desire?”

“What every Demon King desires is obvious, isn’t it?”

Karos replied with a mischievous smile.

“World peace.”

*** ***

Karos left. The building fell silent, not even the sound of insects could be heard. Nevilos leaned against the wall, looking up at the ceiling with a smile.

“That kid has grown so much.”

He remembered when he first met Karos. The young boy had boldly approached him, the Great Demon King, requesting a deal.

‘Let’s make a contract, Demon King.’

Despite being on the brink of death, the boy’s eyes showed no hesitation. Entranced by that fierce light, Nevilos made a contract with him.

What will happen in the future? Many things will block his way. Can he overcome all obstacles and achieve his goal as a Demon King?

Nevilos laughed in anticipation. Shaking his head, he raised his arms. The sticky fatigue that had clung to his body was gone.

“Maybe I should visit Astrea.”

With those murmured words, he vanished from the building. The sound of insects gradually returned.

*** ***

“Bathesia.”

Karos asked with a relaxed face. After a moment, a weak voice responded.

“…What.”

“They didn’t betray you. You heard the conversation, right?”

Bathesia’s subordinates hadn’t served another master and were just guarding their territory.

That could be seen as them waiting for Bathesia’s return, but she bit her lip with a worried face.

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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