The Demon King Who Draws

Chapter 18

Mawen was staring coldly at the demon behind the iron bars. It was not the kind of look one would give to a stranger, but one that was mixed with contempt and killing intent.

“Mawen, I told you to restrain yourself.”

“…Yes.”

Mawen stepped back and spoke to me.

“Brother, those demons are nothing but vile and lowly creatures. They are a race that should not be approached.”

I, who was also a demon, seemed to look like an ignorant human in their eyes.

Bill’s disguise felt suddenly impressive.

“I have a reason for my nephew, so please understand.”

“…I understand.”

…I unconsciously dropped the honorifics.

No, Faust doesn’t know how to use honorifics. He is the supreme ruler of the world.

“Did you come from abroad?”

“I followed my parents to the capital for a long time. I’m sorry, I don’t know the etiquette of this place.” “You don’t need to follow what you don’t know. Just be comfortable with me.”

“Uncle, I…”

“Mawen, showing your emotions recklessly is a mistake that only fools make. Didn’t I tell you that over and over?”

“…You are right. I’m sorry.”

When the nagging time of the nephew and uncle was over, they turned their eyes to me again.

“Call me Marus.”

“Marus, nice to meet you. You said you were from the Lion’s Soul, right?”

The gaze that glared at me.

I see, they want my name.

‘A suitable name…’

Faust’s name might not be famous, but he might have been known as an experimental subject of the Seven Sins, so he had to be careful.

“I go by Fon.”

“Right, Fon… Hmm? Ah… I guess you heard about me from your nephew.”

“I heard a bit at the inn. You were the vice-leader of the Lion’s Soul.”

Mawen, who had a proud expression, put his hand on my shoulder.

“That’s right, uncle was a member of the Lion’s Soul since his youth. In fact, if he had stayed on the front line a little longer, he might have been the leader…”

“Mawen. I told you to fix your habit of talking carelessly. Or did you forget that too?”

“Uh… I’m sorry.”

They are funny guys.

They suddenly appeared and kept talking about themselves.

‘Then, shall I listen to their stories as they wish?’

Anyway, the information about Cal Cursus was also fragmentary and I wasn’t sure if I could get it.

Maybe the direct intelligence activity was over for today.

There wasn’t much time left to stay in the village.

The information I could get in the limited time now was the location of the most delicious restaurant in this place, the average price of beer sold at the pub, or gossip about them.

I had no choice but to chat with them, other than that.

“By the way, Mawen seems to hate demons very much…”

“That’s…”

Instead of Mawen, Marus answered.

“His father… , my brother, died while chasing the traces of the demon resistance.”

“Demons… they’re all trash. My father… my father…”

It was obvious what a child who lost his parents would feel. He hated the culprit with all his might.

But, to me now, it didn’t resonate much.

‘After all, we are killing each other, right?’

Besides, the war of supremacy between demons and humans was started by the human side.

“Does Marus think the same?”

It was awkward to talk to someone older than me like this.

“Are you talking about demons?”

“Yeah, demons.”

For some reason, I wanted to ask him.

His calm attitude throughout, strangely caught my attention.

“Hmm… Mawen won’t like the answer.”

“Uncle. I’m fine. And I know I’m still young and naive. So…”

Roughly translated, it meant that he didn’t care and wanted to have a comfortable conversation.

“Then I’ll tell you. I think differently from Mawen. Demons are no different from humans.”

“…Uncle!”

“Mawen, keep your word. Or are you going to stop me from talking?”

“Ugh…”

“Demons… yeah, you must know that they coexisted with humans before the reign of King Solomon a long time ago.”

“I know.”

It was also the background of Lemegeton’s work.

“That was in the past. After the war of supremacy broke out, ideology and morality became meaningless. Only the winners and losers remained in history.”

Swish…

Marus pointed at the iron bars with his finger.

“It’s because of that time that we have to look at each other with iron bars between us. Is it because that child is evil, or born lowly, or a demon? No, it’s just… that we were divided into winners and losers.”

“It’s because of that day that we have to look at each other with iron bars between us. Do you think it’s because that child is evil, or low-born, or a demon? No, it’s just… a matter of winners and losers.”

“…”

Mawen clenched his mouth at Marus’ words.

“Mawen, I understand your hatred. But hatred is like a wildfire. It burns not only the weeds, but the whole field. Always remember that.”

“…I will keep that in mind.”

“I’ve heard that from you many times. This time, keep your word.”

“…”

It’s a strange feeling.

To think that there was someone in this world who had a surprisingly new perspective on this world.

“So you’re saying that this is not a matter of right and wrong?”

“Something must have been related. But now it’s too far from that. …Let’s stop talking about this. It’s not a pleasant story.”

Mawen nodded and then tapped my back as if he remembered something.

“By the way, have you heard the rumor?”

“Rumor?”

“Didn’t you hear? I’m talking about Cal Curso.”

“That guy…?”

“Yeah, the one who put you in trouble this morning. There’s a rumor going around about him.”

“What…?”

Lucky me.

The information came rolling in on its own.

“…That he’s a demon.”

“…A demon?”

“Puhaha! Surprised, huh? I was too when I first heard it. But, of course, the credibility is hmm…”

“Why did that rumor spread?”

“Because of the way he mutilates the eyes of the corpses, and because he hasn’t been caught yet. Everyone thinks it’s hard to believe that anyone but a demon could leave no trace like that.”

“Hmm…”

I’m curious too.

For some reason, Marus’ words seemed more helpful to me than Mawen’s.

“Marus…”

“Oh, are you interested in what I think?”

“…”

“A demon… hmm…”

Marus chuckled and asked me.

“Phon, have you ever seen a demon?”

I felt bewildered by this middle-aged man’s question, but I answered as calmly as I could.

“No.”

“Hmm, I see. I have.”

“…What?”

“I’ve seen a demon.”

“Uncle, you’re talking about that story from before.”

“Yes.”

What story is that?

“It was when I was in the Lion’s Soul. More than a few decades ago. At that time, we found the trace of one of the Seven Deadly Sins, the Demon King of Gluttony, and chased him with the members. But we encountered a strange situation.”

“A strange… situation?”

“When we arrived, Gluttony was already gone, and there was only a horned woman standing there.”

Marus’ eyes changed.

Strangely, they sparkled with life.

That light stayed for a moment and then disappeared.

“Looking back, I’ve never seen such a beautiful woman in my life. The moment I faced her appearance, I realized she was a demon.”

“And then…”

“What do you think happened?”

“…”

“Most of the members, including the leader, were slaughtered on the spot. The demon who committed such a brutal act left the place leisurely. She had no guilt, no hiding. She was proud.”

“Hmm…”

That day, the members who witnessed the scene and survived, including me, all resigned from their positions. That’s how much…

He swallowed his saliva.

I could guess what Marus wanted to say.

“Cal Curso is not a demon. He’s just a guy who took one or two lives and hid his tracks. That’s not what a demon would do.”

“…I see.”

“But whether Cal Curso is a demon or not, he needs to be caught soon. There could be imitators, and it would be better for the peace of mind of the citizens if the threat disappeared sooner rather than later.”

The conversation with Marus gave me a feeling of expanding my perception of the world of Lemegeton.

He looked at the events happening in the continent of the sun, Solaria, with his own perspective and reinterpreted them. It was a fresh shock.

How should I put it… If I had more time, I would have liked to talk more with him.

The contact with Marus felt like a chance to realize that the background of this world, which was painted with a faint color, was actually a wide open space.

“Hey! Mawen! Oh, Marus is here too.”

Mawen’s friends were coming near the carriage.

“…Oh, darn. Friend, I’m sorry. I have to go.”

His name for me was unfamiliar.

Friend.

Kururung…

“Hmm? It looks like it’s going to rain. Anyway, let’s see each other again if we can.”

“…It was nice meeting you.”

* * *

Swoosh…

The cloudy sky finally poured down rain.

Originally, I planned to leave Riudira in the afternoon, before it got too late, but I was stuck by an unexpected downpour.

Creak…

As I opened the door and went down to the first floor, the innkeeper greeted me with a sleepy voice.

“Are you leaving in this weather?”

“I have a schedule.”

“Nothing is more important than making a living. Take care. Come back again if you remember. Um… you can use the robe I hung on the door.”

“…Thank you.”

Swoosh…

The downpour silenced Riudira in an instant.

In this small village, people don’t come out when it rains.

And since it was late, there were few places that had lights on.

‘It’s the perfect time to leave.’

The only regret was that I didn’t get much information for taking action myself.

‘But I achieved most of the purpose of coming here, so it’s not a loss.’

The fact that only rumors about Cal Curso existed meant that the end of the episode was still far away.

For a while, the dungeon would be safe.

It was a relief that I stayed here for a long time, feeling anxious.

No one in the dawn.

I walked alone on the street where the rain was pouring down like a waterfall.

I thought it was a rather atmospheric moment, when I saw a shadow.

“…A person?”

A shadow wearing a robe that served as a raincoat, entering a familiar road.

For a moment, I felt a chill all over my body.

“Gasp…”

A scream.

This was a scream.

Thud.

Hiding my body, I checked what the shadow had just done without being noticed.

Between the raindrops, blood was flowing.

The owner of the blood was lying on the floor, sprawled out.

‘…That’s!’

The guy who picked a fight with me during the day…?

The one who was asking around about Cal Curso’s whereabouts…

“Ugh…”

Another scream from somewhere else.

Splash!

I passed by the corpse of the mercenary and had to stop.

“…This.”

Eyes.

The place where the eyes were was slashed horizontally.

‘…No way!’

I stopped checking the corpse and quickly looked at the direction where the sound came from.

The carriage from the day.

The one where the young demon was imprisoned.

The slave trader’s carriage!

Clang…

Something rolled off the carriage.

“…”

The demon with his eyes damaged.

The one who was starving during the day.

The shadow who dropped the child glanced at me and…

Splash!

He disappeared from the scene with the sound of rain.

I was confused whether to chase him or watch the situation.

Thud…

I approached the child first.

He was breathing, but the sword that tore his abdomen.

“Gurgle… save me…”

Splash…

I faced two corpses in an instant.

It felt like I was hit by a hammer.

Swoosh…

A light coming from afar, heading this way.

“Who’s there!”

Damn.

How do I explain this?

Can I explain this situation?

Impossible.

Splash!

There was no other way but to leave the scene.

“Stop there!”

Where…

Where do I run?

I’ve taken care of the guards at the front gate. Hurry up.
Bill!

It was Bill’s voice.

His voice was buried by the rain.

As the survival route was secured, my head cleared and filled with only one anxiety.

“Cal… Curso…”

The guy who only appears at the final chapter of episode 1, came to Riudira now.

Much earlier than expected.

And soon, he will… come after me.

Maybe, before this rain stops.