Chapter 106 – Provocation

Demonkin.

A word symbolizing those different from the populous humans.

This exclusionary term, Demonkin, also included demi-humans like elves and dwarves.

Demonkin were treated as livestock.

They were slaves, born to be abused from the moment of their birth.

There was one who raised these Demonkin up.

Calling himself a king, he united those who were abused and despised.

It was the birth of the Demon King’s army.

At the time, the Seven Kingdoms that shared dominion over the continent were preoccupied with their own territorial disputes.

The Demon King’s army gradually grew in power. Yet, not one of the Seven Kingdoms moved to check them.

The reason was simple.

The balance of power among the Seven Kingdoms was precariously maintained.

The Demon King’s army itself was not feared.

But if one kingdom were to strike the Demon King’s army and be weakened in the process, it would become easy prey for the others.

A weakened predator is a perfect meal for another predator.

The Demon King had anticipated this as well. And so, the power of the Demon King’s army swelled to a point that could no longer be ignored.

Finally, they had become a threat to humanity.

The Seven Kingdoms formed an alliance.

The treaty would last until the Demon King’s army was annihilated.

The allied forces of the Seven Kingdoms mobilized to subjugate the Demon King’s army.

And in their first battle against the Demon King’s army, they suffered a crushing defeat.

The first reason was that the strength of the Demon King’s army had far exceeded their estimations.

The second reason was that they had not included their elite troops.

Even in an alliance, each kingdom greedily hoped for its rivals to be weakened.

Riding the momentum of their great victory, the Demon King’s army was on a formidable rise.

The Seven Kingdoms were defeated in battle after battle, and more than thirty percent of the continent fell under the Demon King’s rule.

Thus, the continent’s hegemony began to shift from the Seven Kingdoms to the Demon King’s army.

Once broken, the balance of power could not be restored, and the Seven Kingdoms suffered a continuous string of defeats.

It was then that the Seven Kingdoms sought the master of the holy sword, blessed by the goddess.

A holy sword said to be able to subdue great evil. With it, they could suppress the Demon King’s immense power.

Such was the legendary belief they clung to.

The most renowned warriors of the Seven Kingdoms tried to become the master of the holy sword.

But countless couldn’t even get close.

The Seven Kingdoms began a search for anyone who could enter the barrier.

And that was how the Hero summoning began.

The appearance of a Hero, blessed by the System.

As expected, the Hero was chosen by the holy sword. And he grew rapidly.

The Aitesos Kingdom, having succeeded in summoning the Hero, saw its standing within the allied forces rise dramatically.

With the tactical weapon known as the Hero, the allied forces of the Seven Kingdoms achieved their first victory in an all-out war against the Demon King’s army.

It had been only a year since the Hero was summoned.

The unexpectedly brilliant Hero personally led troops, pressuring the Demon King’s army, and eventually engaged the Demon King himself in one-on-one combat.

The Demon King versus the Hero.

The Demon King chose a one-on-one duel with the Hero, despite being in an advantageous position.

It was as if he believed a fight with him was inevitable from the start.

As a result, the Demon King was defeated by the Hero, and the Demon King’s army, having lost its master, quickly declined.

The Hero became the savior of the nations.

The one who defeated the Demon King and saved everyone on the continent.

A benefactor from another world who had risked his life to fight for people with whom he had no connection.

Many people on the continent respected and loved him.

But not everyone felt that way.

There were many who were jealous of the one who became a hero.

The powerful, the kings in particular, found the Hero’s existence extremely inconvenient.

The only saving grace was that the Hero had lost his power due to the Demon King’s curse.

The Hero stepped down from his position and went into seclusion.

The Seven Kingdoms once again began their wars.

The Aitesos Kingdom, which had benefited greatly from the Hero summoning, was particularly dominant.

Then, the king of Aitesos committed tyranny.

A consequence of becoming the most powerful kingdom on the continent.

He decided to eradicate the existence of the Hero, who still remained in the hearts of the people.

At that time, the Hero was enjoying a comfortable retirement, thanks to the consideration of Lord Rania.

The king ordered the lord to execute the Hero for treason.

He intended to eliminate a troublesome presence without dirtying his own hands, passing the infamy onto the lord.

The lord protected the Hero instead of killing him.

This act provoked the king’s wrath, and a subjugation for treason began.

Due to an internal betrayal, the lord was poisoned, and his young daughter was left to rule the domain.

The absence of the charismatic Margrave Rania.

It was naturally assumed that the king’s army would win the war.

But the tide began to turn in the exact opposite direction.

The return of the Hero, who was thought to have lost his power.

After suffering an unbelievable defeat, the Aitesos Kingdom began a rapid decline.

As the great kingdom crumbled, neighboring predators swarmed in to tear it apart.

This war was the moment the continent’s hegemony shifted.

And the Hero began a new war.

The curtains rose on a long war, and countless lives were sacrificed.

The continent’s hegemony passed to the Hero.

The Seven Kingdoms were replaced with new monarchies, and the Round Table was established.

So that no more blood would be shed in meaningless wars.

***

The endless wars of the Seven Kingdoms.

To break that endless chain, I created the Round Table.

When disputes arose, representatives from each nation would meet and make a decision.

Of course, this was only a temporary measure.

So I replaced all the kings of the nations.

One nation.

The unification of the continent.

I believed that would, even if only slightly, reduce the days of bloodshed.

In fact, from what that foolish elf told me, peaceful days had continued without war.

Until mysterious mages suddenly appeared.

They sparked a new war. And the new Demon King’s army was born.

“I see.”

I had heard the gist of the story, so I knew the situation.

With the new Demon King’s army, all rules of war had vanished.

“After that, new Heroes were summoned too.”

“New Heroes?”

“But they were all defeated. No, they were even rejected by the holy sword.”

Wasn’t the holy sword something any Hero could use?

A Hero without the holy sword is like a steamed bun without red bean filling.

“A few cities under the goddess’s protection seem to be safe for now. Apparently, the army of the undead can’t enter them.”

“Is that so?”

There are still survivors on the continent, fighting to stay alive.

That place, after more than fifteen years have passed.

Are there still people who remember me?

Perhaps someone I know is still alive.

“But why are you explaining all this so earnestly?”

At my words, Ria gave a bitter smile.

Her face looked as if she were once again hoping for salvation.

“You want me to help that world again?”

My life is here.

To put it coldly, my work there is finished.

I created peace and gave it to them.

Here, I have a foundation, a life, and my own battles to fight.

“No.”

The girl who appeared as the dungeon boss.

The monsters who looked at me, hoping for salvation.

I don’t know what kind of distortion they experienced in that dimensional space.

I’m not some almighty cheat key.

There’s only one of me, and the limit of my ability is to protect what’s within my reach.

It’s not like I’m the guardian of the Earth.

“You’ve already sacrificed more than you ever could, Sir Hero. I don’t want that for you either.”

Ria said as she prepared the ingredients for cooking.

“As much as I am indebted to you, I want to spend the rest of my life repaying that kindness.”

“Didn’t you say high elves live for over a thousand years?”

“When you came to our village back then, I felt so sorry that you couldn’t even eat properly. I’m happy I can do something for you today.”

She kept cooking while changing the subject.

My mind grew complicated.

Even though I never said it, I had reached the pinnacle in that world and achieved peace, and I had a certain pride in that.

*Sniffle…*

Suddenly, the sound of sobbing came from the kitchen.

She said she was fine, but she clearly wasn’t.

She was trying to act strong and smile, but this was no time for smiling.

The problem was already beyond what one person like me could handle.

I saved many people, but I cannot save everyone.

Only as far as my sight can reach.

That is the only consideration I can offer.

I said nothing to the sobbing elf.

There was no comfort I could give her.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Chicken.”

Suddenly, Ria started muttering to herself.

“You can no longer run across the meadows. You’ll never see your friends or family again.”

What’s with her?

“With your death, our Sir Hero will feast. By eating your flesh, by eating your life, I will remember that you were born into this world. *Sob, sob.*”

The elf, shedding tears profusely, split the raw chicken on the cutting board in half and pulled out its innards.

Even as she pulled them out with her own hands, she began to wail once more.

I wasn’t sure if it was a relief or not that she was crying for the poor animal, not for her family.

Spicy braised chicken.

To think she remembered that I once said it was my favorite food.

I’m genuinely touched.

Especially since it was made by a vegan(?) elf.

“Here, please eat, Sir Hero.”

Placing the food on the table, the vegan elf looked at me resentfully.

Hey, did I ask you to make this?

Didn’t you say you wanted to?

Let’s have a taste. I’m hungry anyway.

I picked up a drumstick and took a bite.

A spicy yet sweet flavor filled my mouth.

Hmm, this is better than I thought.

Even though she’s from another world like Katrinne, the food Katrinne made wasn’t fit for human consumption.

But this is quite delicious.

*Sob, sob.*

Why is it that watching the knife-ear blubbering in front of me whets my appetite even more?

***

The Hanul Guild had now become, in name and in reality, one of South Korea’s top guilds.

It had surpassed the Hunters, who were ranked 4th, and moved up one spot in the rankings.

Hanul’s four teams were operating smoothly.

The training center that Lee Hyunbin had recently started managing was also showing pretty good results.

Rookie hunters who completed the training were beginning to show their prowess.

From a guild that was always in the red and whose dissolution was uncertain, it was now rapidly growing into a top-tier guild.

Thanks to this, the situation was often used as gossip within the group, framed as a competition between the eldest son and the illegitimate son.

The prodigal eldest son and the capable illegitimate son.

The scales had already tipped heavily in favor of the illegitimate son, Im Jae-joon.

‘Now, all I need to do is break into the top three.’

It had been a long time since they had turned a profit from a deficit.

The revenue from mana stones had become an amount the group could no longer ignore.

Many executives within the group were already trying to get on Im Jae-joon’s good side.

Im Jae-joon looked out the window.

Glamorous buildings soared, seemingly oblivious to the height of the sky.

In the other world, he had become the Demon King and reached the pinnacle of power. Here, he would rise to the top as a businessman.

Of course, that goal was not the end.

The stairs of ambition only get higher the more you climb.

It was then.

The world outside the window grew dark.

As if ink had been spilled across it in an instant.

Watching the sudden arrival of night, Im Jae-joon turned around.

“Greetings…”

A man dressed in ragged clothes like a homeless person—no, he actually smelled foul.

Im Jae-joon’s brow furrowed slightly.

Even more repulsive than the stench coming from the man’s body was his disgusting magical energy.

“O, Demon King of the Inner Planes.”

The filthy man revealed yellowed, almost black, rotting teeth and raised his grimy hands as if in worship.

“From where does such a dirty mouth call my name?”

Demon King of the Inner Planes.

That was the title Im Jae-joon held in his past life.

Despite Im Jae-joon’s cold reaction, the beggar’s smile did not fade.

Instead, he bowed his head even lower and raised his hands higher.

“The Immortal sent me.”

The Immortal Demon King.

Im Jae-joon was not the only being known as a Demon King.

The suspicious movements that had recently surfaced. Im Jae-joon had already suspected as much.

“The Immortal said this: He knows that the Inner Planes, who fell prey to the vile and cowardly Hero’s unjust trap, has fallen to become human, and he was deeply saddened.”

“He was, was he? The Immortal.”

A sneer naturally formed on Im Jae-joon’s lips.

Did he understand its meaning?

As if to prevent any misunderstanding, the beggar continued speaking.

“The Immortal has now become the master of dimensions and will soon conquer this place as well. Knowing that the Inner Planes is here, he has graciously offered to lend you a legion.”

“A legion?”

“The finest warriors who have overcome death.”

The beggar’s eyes gleamed menacingly.

An overt sneer spread across Im Jae-joon’s smooth, handsome face.

“You want to command me?”

A hard tone.

“Do not misunderstand. Lending a legion to the Inner Planes, who has lost his forces, is not for the purpose of placing you beneath him. It is simply that you must receive the Immortal’s grace to wield the power to command a legion.”

Having lost his Demonkin body and been reborn as a weak human, Im Jae-joon was as good as dead to them.

“This is my place to conquer. Tell him to get lost to another dimension.”

“…”

As his master was spoken of with contempt, the beggar’s eyes changed.

As if finding it amusing, Im Jae-joon continued.

“I’ll say it again. Get lost.”

“It is my master who offers you, who aids the Hero instead of avenging yourself after being defeated by him, this opportunity.”

“Your master, yes, but not mine.”

At Im Jae-joon’s words, the beggar shook his shoulders and laughed.

“Begone.”

A light flared in Im Jae-joon’s eyes.

It was instantaneous.

The beggar’s body was incinerated, turning to ash in a flash.

The voice of the beggar, now nothing but ash, mocked Im Jae-joon one last time.

“For a Demon King who has lost his pride, all that remains is ugliness…”

Im Jae-joon looked at the ashes and parted his lips.

“What good are horns if all they do is stink?”

The veil of night had lifted as quickly as it had fallen, and daylight returned.