I Saved the Demon King Who Was About to Commit Suicide – Chapter 24

After Evan had run with all his might for about 10 minutes, he finally managed to step out through the door that Charon had opened, connecting Helen and the soul.

There were indeed some monsters chasing after him, but they were dealt with by the Undead Knight.

Bam!

With a heavy thud, the door shut behind him.

“I thought it would take longer, but it seems it didn’t.”

Charon held up the pocket watch to Evan’s face.

“You were out for 6 minutes.”

“…I can’t believe it was only 6 minutes. I thought I would be gone for at least an hour since it was quite a struggle.”

“While it was just 6 minutes for us here, in terms of time inside, you were there for about 10 hours, so it makes sense.”

Evan glanced at the pocket watch before asking Charon about something that had suddenly come to his mind.

“By the way, do you have any mana potions here? I’m in a hurry to get one.”

“Mana potions, you say? Well, since our physical forms are like this, we can’t really consume anything. So, there are no mana potions in Anima.”

“Is there no other way? Chloe is suffering from magical exhaustion, and we need to recover her mana as quickly as possible.”

He showed Charon Lucia cradled in his arms.

Her condition had worsened since earlier.

Her pulse was faint, and her face was pale, devoid of color.

“…There’s no time, Charon.”

“Hmm…”

After a moment of contemplation, Charon spoke up.

“There is one method, though.”

“What is it?”

“Since it’s urgent, let’s talk while we move. Follow me.”

Charon turned and started walking ahead.

Evan followed, glancing back at Helen, who trailed behind, looking worried for Lucia.

“So, what exactly is this method?”

“The bodies of the undead are composed not of real bones but of magical power. Therefore, to maintain their physical forms in Anima, they need a supply of mana. However, those born without any magical power might dissipate shortly after arriving here.”

“Cut to the chase, just give me the conclusion.”

“I’m planning to channel the mana supplied to the undead in Anima into her.”

With that, Charon entered a portal.

The amount of magic energy flowing from inside the portal was remarkable, but Evan wasted no time and stepped in, prioritizing the goal of saving Lucia.

Stepping inside, he found himself in another space.

Upon his first glance, he thought the shapes inside resembled the roots of a tree.

As he moved further in, he saw undead lying asleep among the intertwined roots.

Out of curiosity, he grabbed one of the roots and felt the flow of magical energy entering his body.

“This is….”

“Yes. This is where the undead receive the mana they need to survive. Many undead come here once a year to sleep for a day and replenish their mana, which is why it’s called the cradle of the undead.”

The cradle of the undead.

As Evan continued to survey the space, he found that name fitting indeed.

“You can lay her down here.”

Charon pointed to a vacant root.

“Is that all I do?”

“Yes. The roots will take care of the mana supply on their own.”

Evan gently laid the unconscious Lucia down.

Immediately, the roots wrapped around her.

It seemed the mana was indeed being supplied, as Lucia’s expression relaxed significantly.

“Charon… Will Chloe be okay now?”

Helen, who had been watching the whole process with concern, approached the sleeping Lucia.

“She should be fine. Since it was magical exhaustion and not due to physical injury, she will wake up in no time once her mana is replenished.”

“Thank goodness…”

Only after hearing that Lucia was safe did the girl let out a sigh of relief.

“Sister, please wake up without pain….”

Helen reached out to her as if to comfort her.

The little hand touched Lucia’s cheek and gently caressed it.

“I promise….”

The girl whispered as if making a vow.

Evan quietly watched this scene before asking Charon.

“So, how long will we have to wait until Chloe wakes up?”

“Short if it’s two hours. If the amount of mana she needs to recover is significant, it might take up to six hours.”

“That’s quicker than I expected.”

“That would be obvious if you knew what this tree is.”

“What, is it more than just a root of Wigradiel?”

It was a half-joking remark.

However, Charon nodded.

“You seem to know well. This is the root part of Wigradiel.”

“What?”

A look of surprise appeared on Evan’s face.

It had been something he never anticipated.

The World Tree Wigradiel.

The tremendous tree that governs the magical power of Florus, home to the elves, the biggest nation on Aisha Continent.

The very trunk of that tree was said to be wide enough to cover a holy kingdom and tall enough to pierce through the clouds above.

So, when he made that remark just to jest…

“I never thought I’d actually be standing on the roots of the World Tree….”

Seeing Evan’s expression, Charon chuckled softly.

“Ha ha, first-timers among the undead often react like you, Evan. Most would never even think of it as the World Tree.”

“That makes sense. After all, a space made of a symbol of life, the World Tree, exists in a land where only the dead go.”

“That’s why we strictly control access for the living.”

Charon placed his hand on the root of Wigradiel as he continued.

“If this becomes known, there will be those who seek to exploit this power, which would disrupt the rest of the undead.”

Indeed.

Since the life force of the World Tree could grant immense magical power, many humans sought to invade Florus.

If this fact were to be revealed, as Charon said, there would certainly be people trying to enter the land of the dead, disturbing the peace of the undead.

“So, I ask you. Please keep this fact to yourself and don’t reveal it to others.”

“I don’t plan to, but… what if I do?”

“I would awaken all the undead in the forbidden zone and send them outside.”

While his tone was gentle, his words were far from it.

If creatures similar to those they had seen earlier all woke up and came out…

It could very well lead to a crisis worse than the Lunia Great War.

“…Scary.”

“I’m saying this to prevent that, so please keep the secret well.”

“Sure. I saved Chloe’s life, so I will keep this a secret forever in return, so don’t worry.”

“Then I trust you will keep it secret sincerely.”

*

Five hours after Lucia had slept on the roots of Wigradiel, she regained consciousness and sat up.

“…Where am I?”

“Sister!”

As soon as Helen saw Lucia waking up, she ran over and hugged her.

“…Helen? Why do you look like you’re about to cry?”

“I thought you were going to be in trouble….”

Helen buried her face in Lucia’s embrace and began to cry.

She was crying so much that her dress started to get soaked as if it were raining.

“So, I just… couldn’t do anything and kept being by your side….”

“Well, now that I’m awake, isn’t that what matters? So don’t cry. Your dress is all wet because of it.”

Lucia gently smiled and stroked the girl’s hair.

Then, she noticed Evan standing nearby and turned her head to meet his gaze.

“Were you standing by all this time?”

“Of course not. I thought it was about time for you to wake up.”

“That’s a lie.”

Helen addressed Evan with a frown.

“Evan oppa was by sister’s side the whole time. He didn’t go anywhere.”

“Helen….”

“That’s right. He only watched you. I’ve learned that lying is bad.”

Evan rubbed his forehead at the bold statement from the girl.

Lucia burst into laughter.

“It seems I’ve been asleep for quite a while. If you were indeed by my side the whole time, were you worried about me?”

“Came by to check on you, and you seem healthy enough to be rambling right away.”

“Are you holding back curses because it’s in front of a child?”

“It wouldn’t do her any good to hear it.”

“How considerate.”

Lucia giggled as she playfully tapped Evan’s shoulder.

Her soft smile remained.

“But still, did you not worry? What if I died, and you couldn’t take revenge? What would you do then?”

“…Yeah, I did have that worry.”

“Now that I’m awake, don’t fret.”

She rose from the roots as if she were fully revived.

“It’s been ages since I had a deep sleep. I feel refreshed.”

“I’m glad to hear you slept well. You should be able to move right away now.”

“Are you thinking of going somewhere again?”

“Yeah.”

Evan nodded.

“I plan to stop by the holy kingdom for a bit.”

“To Lorencia?”

“Yeah. The information I heard here and the history I saw in the holy kingdom are so different that I want to verify it.”

“I don’t want to go to the holy kingdom, but if you say so…”

“Then let’s head out right away….”

As the two of them were discussing their plan, Charon approached them.

“Are you planning to leave now?”

“Yes. I’m going to head out and directly toward the holy kingdom.”

“Then, I will open the portal toward the holy kingdom for you.”

*

After preparing to leave, they followed Charon to another space.

It was a high cliff at the edge of a white portal.

Charon stopped in front of the portal and spoke.

“This is it. If you take this portal, you’ll arrive straight at the holy kingdom.”

“Thanks for your hard work, Charon.”

“It’s nothing. I have things to attend to, so I’ll be on my way first.”

After saying goodbye, Charon departed first, and Helen briefly returned to hold both of their hands.

“Sister, oppa… see you later….”

“Yeah. We’ll see each other later.”

“If we can see each other, then we will.”

“Yes!”

Helen waved her hand, wishing them goodbye until she disappeared in the direction that Charon went.

The two of them watched her leave before turning toward the white portal, with Evan speaking up.

“Are you ready, Lucia?”

Lucia nodded in response to his question.

“Of course.”

“Then let’s go.”

Evan stepped into the white portal.

“To the holy kingdom.”