The Modern Founding Chronicles of the Returned Demon King

The Modern Founding Chronicles of the Returned Demon King

Episode 40: Doppelganger (2)

I left them as they were and headed towards the castle.

They would start researching the material called ‘Room Temperature Superconductor’ from today. Having read the reports myself, I was aware of the significant impact this material would have on human progress.

However, as the director mentioned, the time it would take for it to become commonplace was uncertain, so it wasn’t a concern for me at the moment.

Entering the castle, I descended the spiral staircase with the Solomon Demon. It was partly to go immediately for usable treasures and partly to show them around.

“This is where Beelzebub has gathered treasures.”

As we entered the long corridor, they marveled unusually. Among them, Hyeoid was the first to speak.

“…Indeed, as expected of the Demon Lord of Greed, there are extraordinary treasures here. Dare I say, the treasures here seem more useful than those in Solomon Castle.”

It was an accurate insight. The treasures here were filled with things that seemed useful at some point in the future. In fact, there were two treasures here that I needed right now.

I strolled through the elegant corridor and stood in front of a glass window.

A monocle floating gently behind the glass bathed in white light.

It was a monocle made from the ‘Deep Sea Pearl’ stolen by Beelzebub from the ‘Demon Lord of Envy’, which, when worn, allowed one to see through the identity of the opponent.

The reason I took this out now was quite simple.

‘If I use this, I can distinguish the Doppelgangers.’

To find the Doppelgangers unleashed by Lucifer, the Demon Lord of Pride, on Earth.

Of course, even with this, I might not be able to recognize the Doppelgangers. But I had one belief.

[If you use this, you can see through any identity. Even someone who wore the ‘Mask of Pride’ you saw earlier.]

Beelzebub’s explanation about the monocle. At that time, he was just blabbering to distract me, but the explanations themselves were true.

And as I expected, [Lezie’s Insight] wouldn’t work on Doppelgangers, so I had to use this.

As my fingertips gently touched the glass, the magical glass reacted, opening, and the monocle inside approached smoothly.

I didn’t hesitate and wore the monocle.

“It suits you very well, Your Majesty!”

Ignoring Shayen’s praise, I moved to the other side of the glass.

This time, it was a faintly sparkling golden chain.

The golden chain expanded in both energy and hardness as the energy was infused into it. However, its weight remained constant, specializing in restraining large creatures.

Still, it was a chain about the waist in length. However, depending on the magic infused into it here, its size and hardness would infinitely increase. I held it and turned to Quel.

“Quel, can you handle this?”

“Leave it to me, Your Majesty.”

Determination flickered in Quel’s haughty eyes. It was time for the actual work.

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***

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Yongsan District, when the sun had risen to its zenith.

It was noon, yet darkness still prevailed below.

“Is that the floating island that appeared this time?”

In that shadow, a blonde woman looked up at the floating island. Her name was Anna Paisley, ranked 10th in the world rankings in Libra.

Next to her, her secretary nodded.

“Oh, even after the conquest, it’s still floating above the sky in Korea like that.”

The secretary was Anna’s younger brother, James Paisley.

“It’s newly formed terrain on Earth… Seeing it in person makes it even more fascinating. But how is that giant landmass floating in the air approved?”

“Let’s think about that later and move on. We need to finish the schedule in Korea today and head to the UK. It’s a golden opportunity to peek into the memories of that Pisces guy.”

“Just a moment. We still have things to do. In Korea, we were told to observe that floating island and then return.”

Anna took a picture of the floating island with her phone.

Anna, a hunter dispatched from the United States, officially had a mission to discern whether major figures were Doppelgangers or not using her [Insight].

However, the real purpose in Korea was to gather information about the floating island.

Due to the video shown by the previous Seo-jun at the press conference in the United States, the United States had to give up its ambition for the floating island.

But of course, they didn’t completely give up.

Anna enlarged the photo she took and carefully examined the floating island.

“But what is this golden chain?”

She noticed something strange.

“It seems to be tied to something like ivy, and it seems to surround the land, or maybe both?”

Between the golden chains, ivy flowed out into the air, and the golden chain itself surrounded the giant landmass.

As if tying the luggage in a truck with a sturdy rope.

Seeing it, James raised an eyebrow.

“…Huh? This morning, there was nothing like this, right?”

“So, did this long thing appear in just a few hours?”

“Unless I’m mistaken, that’s how it is…?”

“Nah, you must be mistaken. Something like this doesn’t appear in just a few hours.”

Anna’s words were buried at that moment.

– Kugugugu –

A majestic sound echoed from the sky, a thunderous roar as if storm clouds were gathering. The floating island still controlled the sky. At first glance, there seemed to be no apparent change.

However, Anna, who occupied one of the twelve constellations of the zodiac, felt differently.

“Hey, did that floating island just move a little?”

“…Sis, did you eat the wrong in-flight meal today? How can something that big move?”

“No… It definitely seemed to move just now…”

“Well, maybe you’re just confused because it’s tiring for an S-rank hunter like me, and who knows when monsters might attack the plane.”

However, Anna’s mind was too clear for that. Yet, it couldn’t be called an illusion either. The idea of that colossal landmass moving was impossible.

Just as Anna was tilting her head in confusion,

– Gugugugugugugugu –

A resounding noise echoed throughout Yongsan District. Unlike before, it continued persistently.

In an uneasy atmosphere, the drivers who had stopped at red lights got out of their cars, and people inside buildings came out to look up at the sky.

“What’s that…?”

“This is unbelievable….”

“Am I dreaming right now…?”

As if the looming clouds in the sky were retreating, the dark shadow that had covered Yongsan District for several days began to disappear.

The gradually descending rays of sunlight dispelled the darkness, and the intense ultraviolet rays pierced through the retinas.

The vast landmass, disappearing in the field of vision, was slowly but surely traversing the expansive sky.

Amidst the bewildered murmurs of the crowds from all directions, a woman’s astonished voice cut through clearly.

“…What the fuck.”

Anna’s wide-open mouth didn’t close.

The way I moved the Canaan Floating Island was simple. First, I infused the golden chain with a lot of magic to extend its length. Then, I surrounded the entire landmass and tied it with sturdy ivy to prevent it from falling.

Next, Quel, who had transformed into a dragon, pulled the chain while towing the floating island.

Of course, Quel’s appearance now was inconspicuous. Thanks to Shayen’s ‘Complete Invisibility,’ originally, this invisibility would be lifted when speaking or carrying a lot of magic. However, in Quel’s case, she could convey her thoughts directly to me when in dragon form, regardless of whether or not he used magic. Moreover, Quel was using only his physical abilities without magic.

Therefore, to other humans, it would seem like the chain was floating in the air. However, they would probably be more focused on the fact that the floating island itself was moving.

“To inform Quel about being a dragon is premature. There’s no need to go that far,”

I, riding on Quel’s back, looked down at her.

The black mist swirling around the dragon form gave a perspective that resembled a ‘monocle.’

“Quel, can you handle this?”

[Yes, Your Majesty. It’s certainly heavy, but it feels more like moving a landmass above the clouds than pulling out a piece of land stuck in the ground.]

In other words, she wasn’t directly bearing the entire weight. Honestly, I wasn’t completely sure about this plan, but Quel’s power exceeded my imagination.

“If we maintain this speed, we should reach the West Sea before nightfall. Then Shayen won’t need to cast invisibility again.”

Floating it over the West Sea, there shouldn’t be any complaints from humans. We can move to [Demon Arts] anytime.

“Keep up the good work, Quel.”

[Yes, Your Majesty. Please leave it to me.]

After patting her once, I jumped off her back and landed on the floating island. There, Shayen was narrowing his eyes while looking at Quel.

“…Quel, you’re more noticeable than me.”

As an assassin, he shouldn’t be more noticeable than her. This guy is making noise about compromising his identity.

And now, even though you can’t see it,

Anyway, it’s not important right now.

“Shayen.”

“…Yes? Ah, yes! Did you call me, Your Majesty!”

“Find this woman.”

I handed Shayen a photo of a woman with long brown hair, and she examined it closely.

“The woman’s name is ‘Iris Yerena’. She is from England.”

“Iris Yerena. I’ve heard it clearly.”

“This woman is ranked 7th in the world in the Gemini constellation. I heard that she disappeared a week ago.”

I had asked Park Sang-cheol before about the trends in the 12 constellations. In the midst of that, I learned that this woman’s whereabouts had become mysterious.

The reason I intentionally checked them is that those who use magic are likely stronger than ordinary hunters, so I suspect whether they are part of the Cult of Great Sin.

In fact, even Eden, who was in the Capricorn constellation, was the leader of the Cult of Greed.

“Then I just need to find this woman’s whereabouts.”

“Exactly.”

“Then, Your Majesty, I’ll leave this here.”

– Swish –

Shayen gathered Magi in his hand and created something.

Suddenly, a magical form resembling a bang. A ‘Thought Entity’ that can communicate with Shayen from a distance.

“You, linger around here.”

– Swoosh –

As Shayen spoke, the creature perched on his forearm soared into the sky and landed gracefully on top of the castle. Shayen, with a serious expression, turned to me.

“I’ll contact you soon.”

“Yeah, you always catch my eye, so don’t be conspicuous to others, just move.”

“Haha, Your Majesty, I’m an assassin. Don’t worry about a thing.”

“…Yeah, right. Got it.”

“Then, I’ll be going.”

Shayen lightly saluted and turned away. Afterward, moving his legs quickly, he descended from the floating island like a flying squirrel. Just as he was about to land,

“Oh, Your Majesty.”

Shayen abruptly stopped and turned to face me. I raised an eyebrow in question.

“What is it?”

“Well, where is England?”

…He said not to worry about anything?

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***

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When I handed him a world map, Shayen promptly headed towards England. Without any status, he couldn’t take a plane, so he’d be strolling over the sea by now. There would be plenty of monsters in the sea and sky, but none could impede Shayen’s footsteps.

Once he arrives in England, he’ll find her using ‘Telepathy,’ and I instructed Hyude at the guild building.

“Hyude, stay here until the castle is established. If there’s any other communication, relay it via telepathy.”

“Yes, understood.”

Since the castle’s structure hasn’t settled yet, there’s no blacksmith, let alone an alchemy workshop. In other words, for a while, Lee Seo-Yeon and Jeong Ye-rin would have to stay here.

“Hey, am I living in the castle now? I’m really becoming a princess.”

“If you don’t like it, you can stay here.”

“Ugh, becoming a princess wasn’t exactly my dream, but it seems not bad.”

Fortunately, Lee Seo-Yeon didn’t seem to have any complaints. After all, living a glamorous life on a floating island is a dream that anyone might have once.

I then turned to look at Jeong Ye-rin.

Sitting on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling, Jeong Ye-rin, with her large eyes, gazed into the void without moving.

…She’s been spacing out for the past few weeks. The same happened when we went to get Kim Jin-woo’s blood.

“Jeong Ye-rin.”

“Yes?”

At my sudden call, Jeong Ye-rin turned her head. I spoke to her, looking into her wide, blinking eyes.

“Is the mixture for the ‘Devil’s Grasp’ that I entrusted to you progressing well?”

“Oh… it’s almost finished.”

“I see. When it’s done, bring it to me. Don’t forget your blood.”

“Yes. But I’ve been curious for a while now, why my blood?”

“I’ll explain it in detail when the time comes.”

“Ah, okay!”

Although I examined their identities through the monocle, I didn’t notice anything unusual. Of course, I would keep an eye on them for a few more days.

Jeong Ye-rin, rolling her eyes, asked me, “Um, Seo-jun, do you feel unwell or anything? Like suddenly dreaming of falling from a building and dying.”

“I won’t die even if I fall from a building.”

“Ah, right. Haha!”

Today is even stranger. I usually try not to use [Lezie’s Insight] on them, but this time, I couldn’t help it.

Current thoughts: It should be okay, right? It will be okay. Yes, let’s not worry! No, what if it’s not okay?

It felt like I had a dream of dying, or something. I chuckled and looked away. It was then that my phone, tucked in my embrace, vibrated.

[(Hunter Association President) Park Sang-cheol: Seo-jun, I believe you should come to the association headquarters for a moment.]

(To be continued in the next part)