I Saved the Demon King Who Was About to Commit Suicide – Chapter 32

Evan turned his head away from Optatum and looked at the monster.

It was as if the massive teeth were gnawing at the magical barrier surrounding Cordelia, trying to break through.

The guards attempted to stop the creature by firing magical cannons from the city walls, but the magical projectiles didn’t even leave a scratch on its body.

Instead, they only provoked the monster further.

[Kyahhh!!!]

The monster let out a wail and charged towards the guards who had fired the magical projectiles.

The startled guards stopped shooting and tried to flee, but…

They couldn’t escape the creature.

Crack!

Guards who succumbed to the monster were swallowed whole, with the sickening sound of bones crunching.

Yet the monster didn’t stop there.

It moved with such speed it was hard to follow, heading towards the bridge leading into Cordelia and devouring the residents trying to enter.

In an instant, dozens of fishmen became its meal.

Only after sating its hunger did the creature leisurely vanish from sight.

Evan, who had been watching the entire scene, turned back to Optatum and asked,

“…How long has it been since that thing appeared?”

“It’s been about 2 to 3 weeks now. It seems to come around every 3 days.”

Optatum continued with a faintly trembling voice.

“Every time it arrives, it devours dozens, sometimes over a hundred of my people. With this recurring nightmare, my subjects live in constant fear of when they might die.”

“Has the Apostle of the Sea not been succeeded yet?”

“It has been confirmed that Undine’s power has been inherited, but the Apostle of the Sea has yet to reveal their identity. At this rate, Cordelia may face destruction. That’s why I’m suggesting this to you. Please, stop that monster.”

Evan fell into deep thought upon hearing his words.

Is it really possible to catch that thing?

‘No.’

It was impossible.

That was Evan’s first thought when he laid eyes on it for the first time.

And it was also a certainty.

Just looking at it filled him with overwhelming despair, freezing his entire body and making cold sweat run down his back.

He instinctively found his hand reaching for his sword at the thought that he might lose his life.

Yet, to catch such a being…

It was an impossible task if done alone.

“…I will try my best.”

Despite that, Evan couldn’t refuse the proposal.

The timing of the monster’s appearance coincided with when he discovered the existence of the Apostle of Fiction in the Forbidden Library, and he thought it might be worth investigating, especially since even a scrap of information might be gleaned from the oldest historical records of the kingdom.

“Thank you for accepting my proposal. To be honest, asking you to catch that monster is an unreasonable demand…”

“No, it’s fine. I, too, need to see the Forbidden Library, which is why I’ve accepted.”

With that, Evan shifted his gaze towards the direction where the monster had been.

It had long disappeared from sight, but its presence still lingered throughout his body.

“…Then I’ll be off first. I need to check on my injured companions.”

“Very well.”

He clenched his fists firmly and turned to leave the terrace.

Thinking of a way to resolve this situation in his mind.

*

“So, did you meet with the king well?”

About an hour after Evan came down from the terrace and reached the center of Cordelia, Lucia, who had finished her treatment, sat beside him.

“I did manage to glean some things. How about your treatment? Did it go well?”

“Yes, I can move without any issues now. The healer said that if I rest for just a day, I’ll be fully recovered.”

“That’s a relief.”

“By the way, your expression doesn’t look good. Is there something on your mind?”

Her demeanor seemed a bit more tense than usual.

Seeing the mix of anxiety and tension in his expression, Lucia questioned him.

“…Did you perhaps feel a massive surge of magical power earlier?”

“I did feel a magical power while lying in bed during treatment. But why do you ask?”

“There was a monster attacking Cordelia earlier.”

“Are you saying that the magical power came from that monster?”

Evan nodded in affirmation.

Lucia chuckled incredulously.

“Seriously? The magical power of a single monster? Do you know what kind it could be?”

“It was a type of monster I’ve never seen before. And considering the timing… it almost coincided with our visit to the Forbidden Library.”

“Could it possibly be that it’s a monster sent by the Apostle of Fiction?”

“Yeah.”

There was a possibility.

Monsters had appeared every time they doubted and dug into the truths of the world.

‘Why it manifested in Cordelia is unclear…’

The coincidence was suspicious enough to make them wonder.

“I see… So what do you plan to do?”

“First, we have to catch that monster. The king promised that if he captures it, he will allow access to the Forbidden Library.”

“…Is that really feasible? No matter how much of the Apostle of Destruction you may be, fighting a monster that emits that much magical power could lead to death.”

A silence fell after Lucia’s question.

After tapping his fingers on the chair for a moment, Evan finally spoke.

“It’s impossible.”

“Then why did you accept the proposal?”

“Listen to me till the end. I meant it was impossible to do it alone.”

“Is there someone who will fight alongside you?”

“Yes.”

After speaking with Optatum earlier, a name had popped into Evan’s mind.

Someone he absolutely needed to bring to catch that monster.

“I need to find them.”

“Who is it that you need to look for?”

“The Apostle of the Sea.”

It was indeed the Apostle of the Sea.

If one considered the powers Sio displayed in the past…

The Apostle of the Sea was essential for hunting that monster.

“It’s only been three years since the last Apostle to inherit Undine’s power passed away. They say the successor usually appears within ten years… But searching for someone who might not even exist seems foolish.”

“Well, I’ve heard that the king believes an Apostle of the Sea still exists, so there’s no need to worry about that.”

“If that’s the case…”

Lucia rose from her seat.

“Let’s go look for them.”

*

Thus, the two who decided to find the Apostle of the Sea ahead of monster hunting strolled through Cordelia at a relatively leisurely pace.

They might have normally run around searching quickly, but…

Lucia’s injuries weren’t fully healed yet, and Evan himself was quite exhausted from coming to this place, so they decided against pushing themselves too hard today.

And that’s how they decided to search for the Apostle while taking in the sights of Cordelia.

“By the way, I’m starving. Maybe it’s because I haven’t had a proper meal since I got here.”

Lucia said, patting her rumbling stomach.

Evan also hadn’t eaten and felt very hungry himself, so they decided to grab something to eat before moving on.

“Is there anything in particular you want to eat?”

“Hmm. I’m not sure what kind of dishes they have here, so I’m a bit torn. How about we go into a restaurant and decide?”

“That sounds good.”

Since neither of them was familiar with Cordelia’s cuisine, they chose a random restaurant to enter.

Fortunately, it seemed to be a decent place as they found nearly full tables.

Evan and Lucia sat next to a window and opened the menu to see what dishes were available.

“It’s mostly fish-based dishes.”

“Well, this is a country located beneath the sea, so dishes made from rice or wheat must be quite rare.”

“That makes sense.”

After contemplating for a moment, Lucia pointed to a menu item.

“I’ll order a dish with crab. I don’t want to eat fish after having it for so long.”

“In that case, I’ll order grilled shrimp.”

After deciding on their preferred dishes, Evan called a staff member to place their orders.

Before long, their meals arrived.

The well-cooked crab and grilled shrimp looked so delicious they made their mouths water.

Finally, unable to endure their hunger, both took a bite of their meals.

At that moment, their expressions twisted in unison, a common thought springing to their minds.

‘Salty…!’

Not just salty; it was maddeningly salty.

It was hard to distinguish if they were actually eating food or just shoveling salt into their mouths.

‘Come to think of it, I heard that the fresh water here is actually seawater from Sio.’

If seawater counts as fresh water, then it made sense that the food would be salty as well.

Having gone days without food, they had forgotten that little fact.

“Ugh…”

Lucia put down her fork, seemingly contemplating whether to continue or stop eating.

Despite being starved.

“…Should we move to another restaurant?”

“That could work.”

Ultimately, the two stood up to change restaurants.

Eating this food any longer would likely fill them up faster than it would give them a stomach ache.

Just then…

‘…!’

As Evan tried to rise, he turned around.

In his line of sight appeared a giant man.

His long hair covered his face completely, so he was unrecognizable.

Otherwise, he looked like an ordinary fishman, but Evan couldn’t take his eyes off his ankles.

A pattern of a winged anchor tattooed there.

It was the symbol of the Apostle of the Sea, a divine being of water, Undine.