I Saved the Demon King Who Was About to Commit Suicide – Chapter 29

Evan looked at Lucia, who was staring at him right in front.

Her eyes were filled with a kind of desperation.

As he noticed her gaze, Evan let out a small sigh and responded to her request.

“···Alright. We’ll continue our investigation separately.”

Of course, it wasn’t just because of Lucia’s request.

There were also things that were dubious about the Pope’s remarks earlier.

Even though he said he believed the Forbidden Library didn’t know anything because it had inherited it, that was hard to swallow…

Whether it was because it was forbidden or if there was something to hide, her behavior of trying to conceal the books was also suspect.

“I think there’s also a part I need to uncover the truth about…”

“Thank you, Evan.”

Lucia smiled gratefully.

It was a gentle smile, free of her usual sardonic aura.

Evan turned his head away after briefly looking at her like that.

“Consider it a repayment for helping me open the barrier earlier. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to dismantle it, so it seems I should grant you one request.”

He then resumed his steps, going down the stairs.

Lucia followed him.

“···So where do you plan to go now?”

“Well, I haven’t decided on a specific place yet.”

He would have preferred to head directly to Silvestra, where all the questions began, but it would be too dangerous for just the two of them to enter there.

Only someone with the divine power directly granted, or someone like Lucia, who had been a Demon King, could hope to face the Rank 1 Monsters that continuously swarmed Silvestra.

“If there’s no specific destination, how about heading to Cordelia?”

“To the land of mortals? Is there any reason?”

“It’s the oldest land, so I thought something might come out of it.”

Lucia’s reasoning was plausible.

Cordelia was the oldest nation established among the nations of the Aisha continent.

If they were searching for ancient records, they could find information that hadn’t been distorted by the Power of Fiction.

“Good idea. Our next destination will be Cordelia.”

Evan called for a carriage after coming out of the Holy Kingdom.

He thought there was a chance he wouldn’t be able to find one since it was quite late, but fortunately, there was still a carriage left at the station.

That was a relief.

The longer they delayed, the higher the chance the Pope would notice Lucia’s presence.

“Please take us to the sea at the western edge.”

Evan told the driver their destination while handing over three silver coins.

Unlike when he went to Anima, he hadn’t needed anything this time, so he chose to head directly to Cordelia, not to his home.

“How long do you think it will take to get to Cordelia?”

“If it’s a long route, about two weeks.”

“That’s longer than I thought. Seems to be the same time it takes to go from the Holy Kingdom to the Demon Realm.”

“It only takes about five days to reach the sea on the western edge. But it’s the journey from there to Cordelia that’s a bit longer.”

Cordelia had some similarities to Anima.

Like most common folks, residents generally didn’t leave the country, and it was deep inside, making it very hard to reach.

‘Indeed, the Empire seems to be the most comfortable place for humans to live.’

As Evan had that thought, he spoke up.

“Let’s set off immediately.”

The carriage heading towards Cordelia began to roll.

*

Exactly five days after getting on the carriage.

They could disembark in front of the sea at the western edge.

“Oh…”

A gasp escaped Lucia’s lips as she got off the carriage.

Her gaze was fixed on the sea before her.

“It’s beautiful. This sea.”

Lucia began to stroll along the sandy beach.

Evan also found himself reflecting the same sentiment she had regarding the sea.

Unlike other regions, the sea had a color reminiscent of emerald rather than deep blue.

The waves were gentle, and the water was so clear that he could see deep down.

“I’ve always wanted to come since there’s no sea in the Demon Realm, but here I am…”

Saying that, Lucia dipped her feet into the sea.

“Have you never seen the ocean?”

“I visited another region a long time ago, but I only saw it briefly while traveling, so I didn’t get to enjoy it this closely.”

Her figure, soaking her feet in the sea and walking along the beach, looked oddly joyful.

Perhaps even childlike, if one were to think about it.

Evan, watching her for a moment, spoke up.

“…I’m sorry to interrupt your fun, but shouldn’t we start heading to Cordelia?”

“Oh, right… That was our original purpose.”

“Are you disappointed or something?”

“…Not at all.”

Despite her words, it seemed she was a bit disappointed, as Lucia glanced back at the sea for a moment before approaching him.

Noting her demeanor, Evan hesitated before speaking.

“Then how about once our business at Cordelia is done, we come back here to rest? You’ll certainly be tired after visiting there, anyhow.”

It was Evan’s consideration for Lucia, who hadn’t seen the sea in a long time.

Although they weren’t quite at the level of calling each other companions, it was still a point where they wouldn’t draw weapons on each other.

So he thought this level of consideration was acceptable.

“Really?”

Lucia asked, seeming happy.

“If we go without resting, we’ll inevitably get exhausted to the point of being bedridden. We need to take breaks to avoid that…”

“Sounds good. For now… information takes priority, so let’s head straight to Cordelia.”

“Then let’s go in.”

Evan began to step into the sea first.

“…Straight into the sea?”

“Yeah. Cordelia exists deep inside that sea.”

Lucia hesitated for a moment, biting her lip before speaking to him.

“However, Evan… I can’t swim. If I happen to drown…”

Hearing her words, Evan burst into laughter.

“Are you really worried about drowning, considering you just jumped into the river to commit suicide?”

“Don’t laugh! That was in the past…!”

Lucia protested, her face turning red.

Evan chuckled a bit more before taking her hand and pulling her into the water.

“Evan…!”

As they went deeper, Lucia panicked, feeling as though her feet were no longer touching the ground and cried out his name.

Evan held onto her so she wouldn’t sink and said, “Don’t worry. Didn’t you say you trust me, the one who saved your life?”

With a slightly scared expression, Lucia nodded her head slightly.

“That’s… correct.”

“So trust me as before. Hold my hand and follow me.”

After hearing his words, Lucia finally loosened her body.

Her face still looked a bit fearful, but it was a bit more relaxed than before.

“Alright… So what should I do now?”

“Slowly, take a deep breath.”

“Huuuh…”

“Good. Now exhale.”

“Huuh…”

Following Evan’s instructions for her breathing, Lucia seemed to calm down a bit.

After observing her, Evan surrounded their bodies with magical power.

“I’ll start moving now.”

“Do I not have to hold my breath?”

“You don’t need to. You can’t speak underwater, though.”

With that, the two of them submerged.

Lucia, who had been too scared to look down earlier, finally took in the sight beneath the waves.

‘…!’

It was a landscape different from the beach.

Still, it was a breathtakingly beautiful view.

Under the emerald sea, countless fish seemed to thrive, untouched by human hands.

The sunlight, shimmering above the surface, was dazzling, and below were colorful corals showcasing their hues.

As Evan led her deeper, more diverse creatures came into view than before.

There were moray eels hiding among the reefs, dolphins leaping above the waves, and even squids waving their tentacles as if greeting them.

‘The sea really is home to many wonderful creatures.’

Seeing creatures he couldn’t have seen in the Demon Realm, Evan was led by the hand, looking around with curiosity.

As they continued forward, Evan surfaced.

“Haah, huuuh… Why are we coming up all of a sudden?”

“We’re about to dive deeper now.”

With that, Evan pulled Lucia closer.

It was a sudden action he hadn’t hinted at before.

“Why are you hugging me so suddenly?!”

Lucia exclaimed in shock, trying to break free from him.

“Don’t let go. While I can manage the pressure with magic, I can’t do anything about the temperature. If you can’t produce heat by yourself, you’ll certainly die from hypothermia. Is that what you want?”

She had the ability to conjure flames using magic.

However, raising the temperature was a different area altogether.

Lucia didn’t possess such skills, so she had no choice but to stop trying to break away and remain still.

“You should’ve done this from the beginning. I almost let go!”

“…You’re noisy.”

“Then let’s head out immediately.”

Once again, Evan wrapped his body in magic, raising his body temperature as they dove.

In the transparent water, the depths were so profound that the end was not visible.

They began to go deeper, following the long cliffs.