Chapter 302.
I made a mistake.
I was trying to interrogate the Witch of Greed not only about the Prophecy of the Holy Tribe, but also the contents of The North Continent’s Cry and The Breath of the Holy Tribe, but I didn’t expect such a monster to appear.
What I knew was that each book had some kind of code that was related to the Demon King and there was a separate key to decipher it. Originally, I wasn’t interested in it, but after learning from my aunt that I was targeted, I analyzed it and found out very recently.
For now, I shrugged and responded to the Sagittarius’s greeting.
"Well, I wonder if you’ve mistaken me for someone else. I don’t do annoying things like being a hero."
Sagittarius laughed cheerfully. "Ahahaha! Is that so? It seems I have mistaken."
"As long as you know."
"Okay, what can I call you then?" Sagittarius asked.
I smiled and answered, "Well, I think ‘Sagittarius’ is more of an alias than a name, so similarly, I’ll introduce myself by my alias. I am Lupin."
"Lupin? The mysterious thief who ransacked the capital? Suspected of heresy?” he asked surprisingly.
"I’m not sure about the heresy charges, but the ‘extraordinary thief’ there is right." I corrected him.
For reference, I knew that the charge of heresy that was placed on me was handled by the prime minister as a political move to satisfy the temple. It was a wise judgment as a prime minister. The temple was deeply rooted in the empire. If there was a discord between me and the temple for no reason, there could be a mishap in which the temple and the Crow Tribe turn hostile towards each other.
"It’s an honor to meet you! I didn’t know I’d meet that famous friend here!"
Sagittarius smiled as if he was genuinely happy to meet me.
"I am pretty famous."
"Despite this situation, I’m a fan of yours. Ever since you started going around as Lupin for the first time up till now, you’ve robbed numerous evil nobles over the past three years!"
Until recently, I had worked as a Lupin, but rather than it being out of my own will, I was commissioned by Aunt Talaria to seek corruption ledgers. Of course, some of the treasures and commissions were used well to make the dragon tooth soldiers.
"It’s an honor."
"I wanted to meet you every time I saw your story in a newspaper article, and my wish has come true. Could you also give me your autograph?"
I was flustered by the sudden request. I took out a note I usually use from my pocket space and threw it wrapped in sword aura at Sagittarius.
He easily grabbed the note with his bare hands and laughed like a child.
"Ahahaha! Thanks! I’m going to frame it as soon as I get back."
Rather than his thanks, it was more surprising that he grabbed my sword aura casually with his bare hands; they were not wrapped in strong aura. I was guessing it was with the powerful aura pressure that seemed to weigh on my whole body, but it was extremely rare for someone to have such skills.
Standing next to me, Gwalchavad became tense and stuck close.
"There’s no need to be so tense. I don’t really have any intention of causing harm if I achieve my goal."
His playful relaxed voice sent goosebumps all over my body. No, it may be more accurate to say that I shuddered. From his voice, the overwhelming calmness of a powerful person, and the pressure telling me to not dare rebel made me feel very cautious.
"I suppose this is your target."
When I lifted up ‘The Prophecy of the Holy Tribe’, Sagittarius smiled playfully and pressured me with his martial aura.
"Yeah. Well, the Holy Sword was also originally one of the goals, but I recently found something to replace it. In the first place, rather than a Holy Sword that can’t be used except by its master, the only thing I need right now is the book.”
"Oho, you need a Holy Sword?" I asked.
The Witch of Greed kicked Sagittarius’s butt."Don’t go randomly giving out information! Ouch!"
Despite being the one throwing the kick, the Witch of Greed grabbed her feet.
So the Holy Sword was needed, but now there was a substitute.
The Holy Sword is a treasure of the Holy Kingdom in the past and has the effect of creating divine power. If so, it should be considered that the substitute has the same effect. But what does the Holy Sword have to do with summoning the Demon King?
"Ahahaha! Who cares?"
Sagittarius laughed cheerfully and looked at me.
"I’m not a very smart guy. That’s why I only know how to be honest when I want someone."
"When you want someone?" I asked back.
Sagittarius nodded.
"Yeah. I like you. Do you have intentions of being under me? I’ll treat you well."
I was flustered by the sudden suggestion. "By being under you, do you mean for me to join the Twelve Zodiacs?"
"Oh! Do you know about the Twelve Zodiacs? I thought you wouldn’t know because it’s a very minor group." Sagittarius beckoned the Witch of Greed joyfully. "Scorpio, take that thing out.”
She sighed and took out a purple mask from her pocket space.
"If you know about us, you know how free we are. We are so free that we can stab each other in the back openly." Saying so, he tossed the mask at me.
I said, grabbing the mask flying straight to me, "Isn’t that a bad thing?"
Doesn’t it mean that the group has absolutely no solidarity? Sagittarius was flustered by my sudden point.
"Huh? Is that so?" Sagittarius asked.
The Witch of Greed shrugged and said, "I don’t know. I like it like that. I don’t have to stand by a guy I don’t like just because we’re on the same side.”
Sagittarius nodded. "That’s right, right? That guy is a weirdo."
"That guy is the weirdo."
I felt somewhat unfair about the two’s evaluation. I don’t know who’s calling who a weirdo.
"Well, even though I say to be under me, it’s just a formality. Later, if you don’t like me, you can always put a knife in my back."
"But also be ready to get a hole in my stomach?"
Sagittarius rather liked my absurd question.
"Right! You understand well! Fighting is always welcomed! Ahahaha!”
"It’s not a very attractive suggestion. Is there any benefit to joining that group?" I asked.
Sagittarius seriously pondered. “Hmm, you’re a magician. Right! I’ll give you the Demon King’s summons! Of course, it’ll be after the summoning of the Demon King, but the knowledge in it won’t change.”
The knowledge of the Demon King’s summons was already in my head.
"Do you even have the Demon King’s summons?"
Sagittarius answered my question brightly.
"No, I don’t have it yet."
"If you don’t have it yet, what’s the difference between that and giving me a bad check?" I yelled.[1]
Sagittarius was flustered. "That’s true, but... That’s weird. Aries came over with just this."
That’s because the Curse Specialist didn’t know the ways of the world.
"Since the Demon King’s summons was brought up, I think this book is necessary to summon the Demon King, but it doesn’t seem to be magical?"
Sagittarius answered my question obediently.
"Oh, that’s because that’s a book not for magic to summon the Demon King, but a book with a method of constructing the altar for summoning the Demon King."
As expected, it was in code.
"Is it okay to reveal such things so easily?"
"Ahh, it’s okay. I told you. It’s a free organization. It doesn’t matter anyway because we can’t read it without a codebook called The North Continent’s Cry."
Aha! No wonder.
In the Demon King summons that I used as firewood for roasted sweet potatoes, necromancy and black magic were written in detail, but there was only some magic about how to summon the Demon King, so that must have been the reason.
It seems the person who made the Demon King summons had also lost his mind. So if you place the password in the complicated magic book and unlock it, the Demon King summon magic will be revealed. No wonder I thought the magic book was so complicated. I should try making one like that later.
“So are there any other benefits?” I queried.
Sagittarius pondered then shook his head. "There isn’t. Is there something you want?”
All I want is to live peacefully without being swept into these kinds of things.
I put strength into the hand holding the mask and crushed it. "Unfortunately, there’s nothing. I’ll reject the offer."
Sagittarius licked his lips, disappointed. "That’s too bad. I liked you a lot.”
Then martial aura poured out from him as if it had been a teaser so far.
"Keuk!"
"Then we must forcibly take away The Prophecy of the Holy Tribe.”
I boosted my mana so as not to be swept away by his martial aura. It felt like standing still under a discharging dam.
How long had it been since I’d faced such an overwhelming martial aura?
Before my twelfth birthday, my father once showed his full power to me, saying that he was stronger than a dragon and that I should be obediently just thrown to the dragon. Compared to then, it was a martial aura that did not pale in comparison.
"Oh, seems like it’d be a fun fight.”
Of course, Uncle Bloody, Mac hyung, and my knights fought back against the martial aura with all their might.
"Wow, what a monster."
"Even the King of the Giants wasn’t this strong either."
"I’m sorry, Master. I’ll be ready to be destroyed at full power."
Swept by martial aura, the dragon tooth soldiers’ joints creaked, but they were still pushing forward with swords raised toward Sagittarius.
Sagittarius looked at the dragon tooth soldiers surrounding him and said arrogantly, "Bring it on. A moment of entertainment."
As soon as he spoke, the dragon tooth soldiers rushed towards him in unison. It was spectacular to see more than 20,000 dragon tooth soldiers running across the sky and attacking.
However, one thousand dragon tooth soldiers were completely extinguished in the area where Sagittarius unleashed his might. They were completely ground to dust without anything left.
It was Gwalchmai who first reached Sagittarius using countless dragon tooth soldiers as shields. With flames wrapped around his whole body, he swung his sword. However, before his sword made contact, both his arms were cut, followed by his neck.
The moment Sagittarius faced Gwalchmai, Yvain and Ovain caught Sagittarius from the back and threw daggers wrapped in strong aura faster than the speed of sound. However, the only thing that could be confirmed with my eyes was the result of the twins being cut in half at the waist.
Yvain and Ovain laughed cheerfully. If they were humans, they would have been dead, but they were dragon tooth soldiers who did not stop fighting unless their heads were cut off. As the twins fell to the ground, they attacked Sagittarius with hundreds of daggers that they controlled with flying swordsmanship.
"Hahahaha!"
Sagittarius smiled and hit away the flying daggers with superior aura.[2]
While Sagittarius was distracted by the daggers, Palamedes, Bedivere, Bores, and Percival charged in.
Percival stabbed his spear at Sagittarius’ forehead, and Bors swung his mace at the enemy’s right arm. Bedivere aimed for the left and Palamedes at the heart. Each and every attack was a combination of strong knights who flourished in turbulent times. Nevertheless, without leaving a single scratch, the mana source in the center of the chest of the four knights was destroyed and their necks were cut off.
However, their attacks were not meaningless. The combination attack of the four knights was powerful and succeeded in creating a small gap.
Aiming at this small gap, Tristan and Mac hyung fired arrows for his neck. As a result, two arrows were deeply embedded in Sagittarius’s left arm.
"Great! It’s been almost three years since I’ve had a wound on my body.” Sagittarius smiled happily.
Sagittarius’s power was to the point my whole body wanted to tremble, but I poured mana into the Holy Sword with all my power and charged in.
1. A bank check that doesn’t go through because the giver of the check doesn’t have money.
2. This is the newest addition to the auras. In terms of strength, it seems like it is: sword aura, strong aura, and now, superior aura.
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