Chapter 248

People believe in things that are invisible and have no tangible form. Old things. Powerful things. Special things. People seek out such things and offer their prayers.

The oldest, most powerful, and most special existence.

Those who serve the Demon King existed in the past, exist now, and will likely exist in the future. Even after Grimudo’s death, they might continue to persist. Every time they speak, they mention his throne, shrouded in darkness.

In the deepest part of a palace as black as obsidian, filled with unspeakable blasphemy, sits a god-like being wearing a crown of darkness, gazing down upon all creation from on high. This is the Demon King they imagine.

Those who wish for this being to descend upon the world with the resolve to destroy it have always existed. Unfortunately, the Demon King they imagine is not a real entity.

It is merely a figment of their imagination, shaped by their desires.

In truth, he is just a person with arms and legs.

Those who wish for the world’s destruction but lack the ability to carry it out project their dark desires onto a being that cannot possibly match the real Demon King.

From past experiences, I knew this well. There was no room shrouded in darkness, no walls adorned with the skulls of the slain, no radiant throne, no crown emanating abyssal power.

He stood with his hands behind his back, quietly gazing out of a glass window. From behind, he looked no different from any neighbor you might meet while taking a stroll.

Far from being a Demon King, he didn’t even look like a king. No frugal king would wander around wearing just a single white robe.

But of course, that’s to be expected. A secular ruler cannot let go of extravagance to maintain their dignity and authority. The moment others start to mock them, no one will remain under their rule.

Once authority crumbles, even the greatest power is lost. Yet, no matter how humble this man appears, who could doubt his authority?

With unrestricted power that no one can oppose, he is, in a sense, already the master of this world. If he decides to step forward and take control, who could ignore a single word from his mouth?

“The moon in the Arctic appears larger than on the continent. It has a beauty that never tires, no matter how much you look at it. The most beautiful jewel is right there in the night sky, yet no matter how much you reach for it, you can never grasp it. All you can do is gaze upon it.”

We remained silent until he finished his musings and slowly turned to look at us. As the guest who had broken through the door, I felt ashamed, while Roka remained tense, her hand never leaving the hilt of her sword. He knew we weren’t Epirna, but he didn’t seem particularly flustered.

“Living long enough, you come across such things. What a strange combination. I thought you’d never appear before me again. My apologies. I must have mistaken you for a coward.”

He leisurely scanned our faces, then spoke to Yanid. The child looked confused, but his words weren’t directed at her. He was clearly speaking to the presence behind her.

“And… I thought the dragon had already left this world. May I ask why you are still here? Did you still have attachments to this world? You don’t seem young, so why didn’t you leave earlier?”

The Evil God, frozen and unable to speak, hid away, losing interest. His gaze soon turned to the dragon. Judging by his tone, this wasn’t his first encounter with a dragon.

He seemed quite familiar with their kind. To others, dragons are merely legendary beings, revered even by the Emperor as ancestors. Yet, to the Demon King, they seemed nothing special.

However, even he couldn’t ignore the Dragon, the master of magic. His tone was distinctly different when speaking to the dragon, carrying a certain level of respect.

[Are you the powerful surface-dweller I’ve heard so much about? You don’t seem particularly special. Not very handsome either. I wonder why you came all the way to this cold place.]

“Perhaps.”

The Demon King remained silent, then turned his gaze to Roka. Seeing her tense and stepping forward in front of me, he simply smiled as if amused.

“Many strong individuals have stood before me. Some lived, some did not. While those I’ve faced may not represent all the world’s strongest, you are undoubtedly the strongest among them. Sadly… you were born too late.”

Roka flinched at his unexpected words, and the Demon King clicked his tongue. He seemed to feel no pressure from the power Roka possessed.

“Then again, it’s not just you. It’s the inevitable tragedy for those born at the end of this era. I wonder how far you could have gone if you had more time, but now, such talk is meaningless.”

Finally, his gaze turned to me. He seemed somewhat surprised to see me.

“That priest from back then. I wonder what whim the ancient gods had to make a human their follower again. When I visited last time, you weren’t there, but now you’ve come to me first.”

At last, I spoke the question I had prepared since the beginning of this journey.

“Grimudo, I have something to ask you. Can you answer?”

In truth, even if he refused, there was nothing we could do.

If he decided to remain silent, no treasure we offered could make him speak. Someone of his stature wouldn’t need such things.

Proposing a negotiation with conditions was out of the question. So, this time, we had no choice but to make a request rather than propose a negotiation.

We did have something to offer, but that was a last resort. Offering something like the Firefly Meringue to the Demon King required careful consideration.

For now, I could only hope he wouldn’t refuse a conversation with someone who had sought him out after so long.

Indeed, he didn’t refuse outright. He simply smiled and muttered.

“Is that so? Ending an era like this isn’t so bad. If you have questions, let’s play a game of questions and answers. We’ll take turns asking and answering.”

“A game of questions and answers?”

“If you answer my questions sincerely, I’ll answer yours sincerely as well. A fair method, isn’t it? I also have a few things I’m curious about… especially about you.”

His words implied that if he didn’t like our answers, he’d respond half-heartedly. And if he thought we lied, he’d lie in return. Still, it wasn’t a bad deal for us. We had no intention of lying anyway.

“Alright.”

So, I nodded. At least it was better than being immediately kicked out.

If he asked something I didn’t know, I planned to admit it honestly. He might do the same, but lying wasn’t an option.

“My pet bird left my side a long time ago and hasn’t returned. From the moment it hatched, it followed me like a parent, and I cherished it more than any other monster.”

For a moment,

the thought of lying crossed my mind.

“It’s a bit embarrassing to brag about my own child, but there are few in the world who could match it. Those who could harm it are even fewer. Yes, unless they have the strength and training like you, they might wound it but could never kill it.”

Thinking about it, our party had slain many monsters.

And all those monsters were created by the man before us.

Moreover, how many groups in the world have the power to slay such monsters?

The Hero Party of old had driven away the Phoenix but couldn’t destroy it. Honestly, if I were the Demon King, I’d be suspicious of us too.

The King of Monsters, whom even a typical Master would struggle to face, was no match for our party, which included a god, a dragon, and Roka. With such a lineup, we could surely kill the Phoenix. No matter how vast the world, could there really be another party like ours?

“Do you happen to know what happened to the Phoenix?”

Even before the formal Q&A began, I had a bad feeling.