I Saved the Demon King Who Was About to Commit Suicide – Chapter 47

Clink-.

With the sound of a key turning, the door to the Forbidden Library swung open.

Inside, the atmosphere was much darker than outside, just like the library in Helia.

“Shall we go in?”

Evan took the lead and stepped into the Forbidden Library.

There were no bookshelves, just piles of books stacked everywhere.

‘Now that I think of it, wouldn’t books get wet if left in water?’

As Evan thought this, he opened a book, but it felt like the pages were completely dry.

That was because each book was enchanted with waterproof magic.

“To cast waterproof magic on every book… I can only say it’s impressive.”

Lucia, who was exploring the books, exclaimed in admiration.

“It must have been tough.”

“Probably. To cast magic on all the books here, at least ten high-level magicians would have had to work non-stop for a month.”

Hiring a high-level magician for a day costs a pretty penny.

If ten of those magicians were hired to work nonstop for a month…

It would cost an astronomical amount.

In terms of the empire’s currency, it would be easily enough to buy a large castle.

“Anyway, let’s start looking for books. Should we focus on history books again?”

“Yeah. But make sure to skip any books we already saw in Helia.”

“Got it.”

Evan began checking the books near the entrance, while Lucia ventured deeper inside, starting from the innermost area.

*

As time flowed on.

Evan and Lucia were, once again, struggling to find the information they wanted, just like in Lorencia.

Almost all the books were duplicates of those in Helia, and the remaining ones contained no desired information.

As Evan sighed heavily, he heard a voice calling him and felt something touch his cheek.

“Evan.”

It was grilled fish that Lucia had brought from outside.

“…What’s this?”

“You’ve been looking for books for almost ten hours now. You seem to be searching nonstop, so have this and take a little break.”

Has it already been that long?

Evan briefly closed his tired eyes and took the grilled fish that Lucia offered.

“Should I?”

“Of course. You’ll be more efficient if you take breaks.”

Judging that Lucia had a point, Evan sat down right there and started eating the grilled fish.

Fortunately, it wasn’t seasoned like Cordelia’s cooking, so it was much blander than the food he had eaten here.

‘Honestly, if people had to eat like that every day, I think ordinary folks would die from salt overdose pretty quickly.’

As that thought crossed his mind, a wave of fatigue washed over him while he continued looking for books after finishing the fish.

It could be due to food fatigue, or perhaps it was just the accumulated exhaustion from not sleeping while caring for Lucia, who had been asleep for the past two days.

“Are you having trouble concentrating?”

Lucia, who was resting not far away, glanced at Evan’s face when she noticed his expression.

“Ah, I’m pretty tired. But I think I can manage, so it’s okay.”

Despite saying it was okay, Evan was struggling to concentrate.

He had suddenly stumbled while standing and his eyelids felt heavy, as if they would close any moment.

“…Evan, if that’s the case, just sleep and wake up.”

“No. The sooner we find the information, the better…”

“Looking at your condition, you might as well be asleep.”

Lucia walked over and kicked Evan’s leg lightly.

With his lack of resistance, he fell down without any effort.

“Oof!”

“It’s not like we have much time left, so I’ll check the rest. Just sleep for a bit.”

Somehow, Lucia had pulled out a blanket from somewhere and wrapped it around Evan.

“…Are you sure it’s okay for me to sleep?”

“This Forbidden Library is a legal place, unlike in Helia. Even if it takes a bit longer, it shouldn’t be a big problem.”

“You’re not overdoing it, are you…?”

“I’ve slept well for two days and woke up feeling refreshed, so don’t worry about me. Besides, we’ve gone through quite a few books, so there aren’t many left.”

With those words, Lucia returned to searching for information by opening another book.

Rustle-.

In the calm interior of the Forbidden Library, with only the two of them inside.

Each time Lucia turned the pages, the sound echoed softly.

Evan, too tired to stay alert, eventually drifted off to a deep sleep, lulled by the sound.

*

Regular breathing sounds could be heard.

Turning his head to the side, Evan saw Lucia sitting beside him, reading a book, while wrapped in a blanket.

‘She said I didn’t sleep for two days while taking care of her…’

As he changed clothes to go outside, he recalled what a nurse had said when she entered the room.

– Where did the guardian who was with you go?

– …Guardian?

– The one who was with you in the room, I assumed they were your guardian since they stayed up for two days taking care of you…

Of course, from Evan’s perspective, it was his choice not to let me die, so he wouldn’t have to pay the price for his actions.

But for someone who had lived alone for a long time, it felt like a huge kindness.

The first person who said they would believe in me, the villain branded as such.

Someone who walks alongside me on a path that once felt overwhelming.

Someone who worries about me, embarking on a journey together.

Evan, do you know?

How thankful I am to you.

And how much I regret my past sins because of it.

I hope you don’t realize it, but I also wish you never know.

Because if you hate me, should you ever find out that I hold goodwill toward you… That would likely be the end of our relationship.

I hope it doesn’t come to that.

The star beside me shines so brightly, and I wish it could stay by my side just a little longer.

If it had to leave, I hope it would take its time.

Such selfish wishes.

‘But considering I’ve lived selflessly all my life, isn’t this wish acceptable…?’

Thus, the only way I could express my feelings without distancing myself was through…

Doing what I could as a comrade.

Letting him rest a little so he could sleep.

Doing my best to share some of the burdens.

Those small expressions.

Even if my goodwill never reached him and it hurts my heart…

It’s something that can’t be helped.

Although I didn’t wish for it, the fact that I am a villain cannot be changed.

So.

So…

Today, once again, I will quietly stay by his side.

*

Evan opened his eyes after about eight hours of sleep.

The first thing he saw was Lucia, sitting next to him and reading a book.

“…Did you find any information?”

At the sound of Evan’s voice from behind, Lucia turned around and showed him the book she had been reading.

“Fortunately, I found it. It was hiding snugly among the piles of books in the middle.”

“Did you see what it was about?”

“I haven’t read much since I found it recently, but I’ve seen a bit.”

Lucia opened the book.

The handwriting matched almost exactly to what they had seen in Helia.

The book they found this time was also written by the Apostle of Fiction.

“It starts with legendary weapons… In other words, divine artifacts. It seems we can find the information we missed last time through this.”

Evan took the book and began to read it slowly.

Legendary weapons corresponding to each Apostle.

He had previously considered them mere legends, but now, while searching for the Trident of Atlan, he realized that they all actually existed.

“By the way, there’s a weapon in there that could be yours.”

When he turned to where Lucia pointed, Evan’s eyes landed on a weapon.

Atron’s Blade of Destruction.

The weapon the first Apostle of Destruction used to strike the final blow against the Demon King and known to be the most powerful weapon among all divine artifacts.

According to the legend, it was also said to be a sword forged from a dragon that failed to rebel against Infernus…

‘I wonder if that’s actually true.’

If so, wouldn’t he need to talk to the soul of the dragon trapped inside the blade?

As Evan pondered, flipping to the next page, his gaze froze on one spot.

Lucia’s weapon…

In other words, the weapon of the God of the Demon Realm was listed there.

“This is…”

It was a weapon that shouldn’t typically exist.

Until now, it had been said that the God of the Demon Realm did not exist.

But the God of the Demon Realm did exist.

Evan’s speculation that Lucia could be an Apostle was proven correct.

“Lucia, you…”

“If I’m correct, the penalty on it shouldn’t apply to you now. Since you know the truth.”

Lucia let out a long sigh and spoke.

“Yes, your speculation was right. I am… an Apostle like you.”

“What’s the term that describes Apostles?”

A brief silence.

“…Doom.”

Then Lucia finally opened her mouth.

“I am the Apostle of Doom.”