Episode 23
The Kingdom of Balaich, the southernmost part of the continent, was classified as a weak country within the Union.
Even before the founding of the Alliance, it did not have very strong national power, but it was only a few years ago that its power weakened in earnest. It was after the discovery of the Demon Gate in a small estate located in the southern part of the kingdom.
The devil did not open the door, but the damage to the kingdom was enormous.
The monsters became stronger under the influence of magic, and warlocks ran rampant every day. Farmland was devastated and famine came.
It received support from all over the continent, but it was not enough. The talented ones were gone before they could sprout.
It is now that the impact is clearly demonstrated.
"Why, have you thought about it?"
“….”
An old man smiling and talking to him with a kind expression.
This is already the second time this week. Although he was a tough opponent, King Valaich could not refuse to meet him.
"Do you need to think more? I understand that they have been replenishing supplies for several days now. I thought I had made a decision."
What the archbishop requested was a complete blockade of the royal capital. And it was the search cooperation for all the people in the royal capital.
Considering the size and population of the royal capital, it was obvious that it would take a considerable amount of time in the process. It was reasonable to think that rapid replenishment of supplies was for that purpose.
"Or, you don't have any other thoughts, do you?"
The archbishop raised his head slightly and said with his smiling face. It was an irreverent act that dared to look directly into the king's face, but no one could stop it.
"I don't think it's a different idea. It can't be, Archbishop Sileu."
"Hehe, I'm glad not. I was also worried that His Highness might be trying to turn against us."
It was a joke. But it was not something that could be taken lightly.
“… Before I was a monarch, I was also a goddess believer. How can you be hostile to the denomination? The joke is too much."
The king clenched his fists for a moment to avoid being seen by others, and the archbishop smiled contentedly.
"But I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Your request was to find the warlock hiding in the royal capital. But when I look at it, he's just a warlock. Is there any reason to go to such lengths?"
It is natural for the kingdom that has suffered great damage from the warlocks to be hostile to them, but at this point in the warlock, it is not a big deal to say that the surviving warlocks are at a level that is not a big deal.
The archbishop's request was too much to express.
"Well, I don't know. I just hope it's not worth it."
“…?”
Everyone who heard these words looked ridiculous.
However, the archbishop only smiled bitterly and left.
* * *
-What do you think?
I absorbed the soul of the Knight Commander and the mage that I had just taken from the Velv Territory.
Thanks to the fact that I have been resting enough from my top work in the past few days, the accumulated burden of excessive use of soul magic in the Veliv Territory has been relieved.
"I don't know..."
However, even though he absorbed his soul, the changes he felt were not significant.
-Think about how you used to faint for a while due to reaction. Even though you absorbed the souls of two people, it didn't matter, which means that your soul has grown.
That was true, but that's not what I'm talking about.
Except for the brief passage of life that the soul has experienced as always, it does not seem that it will be able to emit an aura or use new magic right away.
When I think about it, there was always no big change except when I absorbed Mr. Mike's soul.
Although it has the peculiarity of growing the soul, in fact, soul magic is not very useful.
-… That's ridiculous.
"Then what's the use?"
-The soul has various abilities, but what I paid attention to was the role of the vessel.
"Bowl?"
It was a word that I didn't understand easily. Considering which is closer to the vessel, body or soul, isn't the former more appropriate?
-Tell me simply. This is the limit of natural talent. Do you think that all humans can learn magic or use aura if they put in the effort?
"That's... No, it's not."
-Ok. No matter how hard they try, there are people who do not feel mana from birth. There are people who have sweated blood and sweat all their lives, let alone dealt with the aura, and cannot even accumulate it in their bodies. No, in fact, they are the majority.
It was a story I already knew. When I first learned magic, Master said that.
-Tsk. The soul magic I taught you is a ritual that melts other people's vessels and nurtures yours.
What's so bad, the demon king said with his tongue in his mouth.
-Just because you grow a bowl doesn't mean you get its contents. You have to fill it in yourself.
"So, I can handle the Auror too, right?"
-If you try hard enough. Of course, it would be much more efficient to do something else at that time.
If it's something else, it's magic. But that was something I would say.
"If you're going to say that, why don't you come up with some magic that can be used?"
-Blemish? Did you care about that?
The reaction was that they had never thought of it. In fact, it was to the point where I was dumbfounded.
-There is a reason for everything.
"What?"
-It's a trial.
The demon king said sternly.
-Trials come according to the level of the target. If it's too easy, it's not an ordeal. Of course, if the level is not up to par at all, I won't be able to stand it and will be swept away... The stronger your power, the stronger the trials you will face.
I was puzzled. The people I faced in the Veliv estate were many soldiers and one knight. To that, an unknown wizard was added.
That's because my strength was weak.
-Did you say it before? I want you to tell me the magic that will burn the world. If you learn such magic, think about how difficult the trials you will face. Of course, trials are not simply a test of strength...
"So, can't I be strong?"
Of course, I wasn't convinced.
I didn't want to feel the helplessness I felt when dealing with the mage again.
I also don't want the intensity of the ordeal to rise endlessly, but I still needed to have strength to a certain level.
-Well, do as you please. It's only you who endure trials.
The Demon King said this and closed his mouth. It seemed that he had no intention of teaching him new magic.
He took advantage of the silence and was lost in thought.
Perhaps his statement that he did not teach new magic because he was worried about the intensity of the trials is true. Because he can't lie to me.
'But that's not all.'
Not lying is different from telling the whole truth. Just hiding some of the facts can make a lot of difference.
Don't trust demons. I remembered that maxim anew.
Perhaps when the Demon King recently told me that he had been released to me, he was laughing at me for forgetting about it.
'Use it, but don't rely on it.'
The Demon King and I are in a relationship where we take advantage of each other. The moment you rely on it, the balance is bound to be broken.
What is the way to increase power without relying on his knowledge? What would Master have said if He were alive?
After passing the first trial, his physical abilities improved significantly, so it might not be a bad idea to train his body like the knights.
'A warlock who emits an aura...'
I thought that just thinking about it would make me happy, so I reached the top with light steps.
"Oh, Mr. Jude..."
"The wizard of calculation has descended..."
As always, the top members with dying faces welcomed me to work. The pile of documents piled up like a mountain was a bonus.
A few days have passed since the contract with the royal family was signed, but the work shows no signs of decreasing.
Even though everyone is still holding on, they even talk about working overtime because they will give me a raise soon.
Still, as I am thinking about how to increase my strength, I have to avoid it somehow.
'So, how long do I have to wait?'
The reason why I started working at the top in the first place was to regain the ice of eternity.
Now that I have found the whereabouts, how long will I have to spend time on paperwork?
-You don't have patience. Oh, put those documents aside. The notation is a bit strange. It seems that the employees made a mistake because they were tired.
The moment when I was arguing with the Demon King and mechanically processing documents.
"Good morning, everyone."
Sang-joo, Dahan, came into the office and said.
"What, refreshingly. We were together just now."
Judging from the reaction of the employees, it seems that he also came out early in the morning to work and was away for a while. The dark circles that gradually increased under the eyes supported that idea.
However, Dahan's face was bright despite his fatigue.
"As long as everyone is doing what they are doing now, you can leave work today."
"Yes?"
"Is that true?"
“… It's been a while since I got off work..."
An unconventional statement. Naturally, I couldn't help but wonder.
Although there were still mountains of papers piled up on the desk, this was enough to solve in the morning with the help of the Demon King.
In a situation where work is in full swing due to a contract with the royal family, leaving work early.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Yes."
To a question from one of the employees, Dahan replied with a smile as if he had been waiting.
"The royal family said they didn't need any more supplies."
It is true that the scale of the top has increased rapidly and the number of work has increased, but most of the work that has increased to the current level was due to transactions with the royal family.
If the deal with the royal family is over, it is clear that the current busy work will be reduced. But....
"That's good, isn't it?"
From the top point of view, the opportunity to make money will disappear. There was no reason for Dahan, the agent of the upper share, to be happy.
Maybe he went crazy because of the stress caused by excessive work.
"You know that this time, the royal family pushed for a deal with several top executives at the same time, right? Among them, I selected a few excellent tops."
"No way..."
"That's right. Our golden star top went in there. If this is announced, the credibility of the top will increase tremendously at once, and it will be advantageous for future transactions. It's all thanks to everyone's efforts."
Cheers erupted in the office. Seeing that it was the same outside, it seemed that the news was also delivered to people in charge of other tasks at the same time.
"This month, we will take care of you with a lot of performance-based bonuses, so you can look forward to it. Oh, and after today, the dinner party is..."
"No, I want to rest."
"Actually, I am like that too. What if you ask me to have a dinner party?"
Among the people who started their work to get home from work quickly, Dahan approached.
"Mr. Jude has also suffered a lot."
"No, I didn't even work overtime..."
"Everyone else worked hard, but without Mr. Jude, we wouldn't have been able to achieve this level of results. This is true."
Feeling hesitant and scratching his head, Dahan patted him on the shoulder and returned to his seat.
The office was revitalized in an instant.
The employees finished their work faster than usual, and most of the work was completed shortly after.
-That's right.
"Huh...?"
When people were smiling and getting ready to leave work, it was the moment when I questioned the Demon King's out-of-the-box words.
"Suddenly a warlock, what do you mean?"
I started to hear a commotion outside.
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