Chapter 137: 137 Demon Lord Extermination Squad, Assemble!
Everyone’s mood quieted down. To think it would suddenly sink like this.
Considering the topic, it was a natural phenomenon. I was surprised myself.
Zara and Lumina looked around and laughed awkwardly. Zara awkwardly exclaimed.
"Ahaha, it’s just a rumor! It seems mostly older people are spreading such stories. Haha!"
Lumina also chimed in.
"Indeed. No Demon King, does that make sense? If there’s no Demon King, then what about the Heroes? All the Heroes will become unemployed, won’t they? Hahaha!"
"Lumina, that’s a bit of a different story."
When I interjected, Lumina’s rabbit ears drooped down.
I, on the other hand, wanted to ask Zara.
"Zara, how did you hear that story? It doesn’t seem like a topic that would spread so easily?"
Honestly, I didn’t know anything about it either. But openly, in a neighborhood I didn’t know, there was a rumor that the Demon King had disappeared long ago?
It was strange. Very much so.
Zara drank water with a worried expression.
"I also happened to hear it while working. Why, if you’re a Hero, you attract attention wherever you go, right?"
"Right. For better or worse."
Zara crossed her arms.
"I was on my way back after raiding a salamander nest there, and the villagers asked me various things. What I’d come to catch, not to cause a disturbance, if I was going to catch the Demon King, and so on."
"Just everyday questions."
Even if it was a world where anyone and everyone could become a Hero.
In this world, Heroes were no different from celebrities or public figures.
As such, they always received attention, and it was a position that came with responsibility.
Of course, there were also Heroes who forgot this and went around abusing their power.
Therefore, Zara must have received all sorts of questions. Of course, knowing that Heroes were fundamentally strong, they probably didn’t ask rude questions.
Zara clicked her tongue.
"Well, while answering appropriately, the topic of the Demon King came up. I tried to answer appropriately then too."
"And then?"
Min Jiyu asked with interest. Zara scratched her forehead.
"The older people pushed aside the young people who were asking questions and came forward."
"Village elders?"
"Seems so. Those people said that the Demon King disappeared long, long ago, so why are there still Heroes, and are they even needed?"
Min Jiyu tilted her head. In fact, looking at it alone, it wasn’t strange.
If the elderly were mentally frail or anti-Hero, it was a reaction that could certainly occur.
"Oh my, perhaps it was a slip of the tongue due to drinking or not being in a sound state of mind?"
To Min Jiyu’s question, Zara shook her head firmly.
"No. Even the perfectly sane elderly people there all said that. Even among them was the village head, who was a former mage. They all said in unison. The Demon King has already disappeared, so what’s the point of a Hero?"
I was speechless. If he was a former mage, he wouldn’t get dementia.
Those who handle magic are mostly eccentric, but they don’t lose their minds.
Just as warriors train their bodies, mages train their minds. So if a mage were to get dementia, they were either a quack or had no talent as a mage, one of the two.
Zara continued.
"They also said that the current Heroes are just clowns playing with fate."
It was a shocking statement. This was a story I knew absolutely nothing about?
Holding a teacup, Aki shifted restlessly.
"Oh my, what in the world is this...."
Lumina clenched her fist.
"Shouldn’t we go there ourselves and hear what they have to say? That’s bullshit, fuck!"
Normally, I would have stopped Lumina. Asking what she was doing.
But I was also quite flustered. No, it wasn’t just flustered.
This was almost a mental breakdown. No matter how much I searched my mind, I had never seen a story where the Demon King disappeared long, long ago. It was too alien.
"What is this? No Demon King? What kind of bullshit is that? Am I dreaming right now?"
It was to the point where I doubted if I was in reality or a dream.
The stories Zara told were beyond common sense. I just tilted my head like an idiot.
"Let’s calm down. What if I collapse? I know most things about this world!"
"Hoo...."
I shook my head. I stopped Lumina.
"No, even if we go there ourselves and talk to those old people... there won’t be anything more to gain. To get something beyond that..."
I raised my hand and pointed to a place. It was the direction where the capital would be.
Pointing there with my index finger, I continued seriously.
"There’s no choice but to join the Demon King Extermination Squad and confirm the truth."
I didn’t know who those old people heard it from. Anyway, even if we went to find them now, there wouldn’t be any significant clues.
In that case, there’s no choice but to go and confirm it ourselves.
Whether the Demon King really existed, or if it was an illusion.
Even though I thought this, I was quite uneasy. If the Demon King really didn’t exist, then everything the Heroes had done in this world until now would be a complete farce.
Hearing my words, Lumina laughed.
"Yeah! Thinking complicatedly like this isn’t my style. If the Demon King disappeared, it would be empty, but it’d be good because I wouldn’t have to work and could take naps. If he exists, it’s even better because we can beat him up! Right?"
Lumina coolly moved on. I knew she would.
That’s Lumina for you!
Fiora, who had been listening for a while, shook her head.
"I’ll have to investigate this personally. Lucian, how are the Weaverpool Rangers doing now?"
"They should be at the final stage of basic training now. We could probably pull one or two out and use them for intelligence."
The investigation was already complete. The Weaverpool Rangers were currently training at the Weaverpool parade ground.
Among them, there were two people with specialties like infiltration or assassination.
What if they became bandits or villains? Just imagining it would be terrible.
"Weaverpool Rangers, what’s that? Sounds like a football team name."
"Right, right. Ranger?"
"A patrol squad?"
"Aren’t there already guards in Weaverpool? They should all be back."
Everyone seemed curious about the Weaverpool Rangers. If they’re that curious, it’s only natural to tell them.
I told them the truth.
Then, the most surprised one was, as expected, Zara.
"What, Lucian! You even became a noble? That’s totally awesome?"
"That’s how it happened. I just gave opportunities to people who were marginalized in society and couldn’t unleash their potential."
"Hey, you’re still amazing. You even had an audience with the Emperor, and on top of that, a baron... Huh."
"Because the Weaverpool Rangers’ basic motto is Show and Prove. They’re going to be most influenced by me!"
That’s right.
Show and Prove.
There’s nothing more important than this in life.
Throughout life, you always have to prove and show.
If you show and prove yourself, followers will naturally increase.
"Lucian."
"Yes, Fiora ."
She smiled warmly.
"Thanks to Lucian, Weaverpool will be reborn as a wonderful territory."
"Oh, it’s also thanks to Fiora, the Acting Lord!"
We praised each other. In fact, we were indispensable to each other. Even more so when it came to the proposition of the Weaverpool territory’s development.
Zara just shrugged her shoulders.
"The world really... changes a lot without me knowing."
Seeing her sigh, I patted her shoulder. Because someday Zara would also become great.
I can guarantee it. Just looking at her growth so far, it’s exceeding my expectations.
Then Auntie stepped forward.
"Whatever the truth is, let’s all raise a toast! Wishing for a safe Demon King subjugation!"
"Amen!"
Clink!
We all raised a toast, wishing for good fortune and peace. Every time our glasses clinked, my heart seemed to resonate too.
I wanted to enjoy this moment. However.
"The Demon King disappeared... but no one knows about it."
"At the very least, the Demon King’s subordinates should know. If you look at the tower where the Demon King is, there are still swarms of subordinates."
To catch the Demon King, you have to climb the tower. Climbing the tower isn’t a problem, but the subordinates guarding it were all strong.
But those guys were still in the tower. When I briefly asked when I went to the capital, I heard they were still there. So that means the Demon King is also there.
"If this story is true, did those guys deliberately hide it?"
"Incongruity?"
"Ah, now that you mention it...."
I bowed my head for a moment, lost in thought. It was strange.
No, it was beyond strange; it was alien.
"This feeling, I’ve felt it before. An unpleasantly sticky sense of incongruity."
Around me, people were smiling brightly, eating and drinking. For some reason, those scenes flowed slowly.
Is it the mask’s influence?
But right now, I was worrying as if I carried all the world’s troubles.
Then I remembered.
"Ah, it was during the Lao incident! That time when he mind-controlled all the territory’s people and acted as the Lord! Didn’t I feel this sense of discomfort or incongruity back then too?"
It was a fact I learned belatedly, but from the moment I had doubts, I couldn’t shake off the sense of incongruity.
It was the same now. What if it was as the Goddess said?
"Son, please go and come back safely."
Aunt, smiling brightly and encouraging me. Towards such an Aunt and lover, I also smiled faintly.
"Yes, Aunt. I’ll fight for everyone!"
I answered vigorously and gulped down my drink. I let out a short sigh.
"Demon King subjugation... I’m looking forward to it?"
I wished for tomorrow to come quickly.
＊＊＊
The next day, noon.
We arrived at the capital.
Countless people were gathered in front of the imperial palace. They were people who came to watch the Demon King Extermination Squad, but also...
They were also Heroes, adventurers, and mercenaries who belonged directly to this force. We were one of them.
We looked around and marveled. To think so many people gathered to subjugate one Demon King.
Moreover, even though their skills varied, they all exuded an aura that couldn’t be ignored.
"His Imperial Majesty approaches!"
The Butler stepped forward and shouted. We all knelt on one knee and bowed our heads. Lumina was flustered.
"Uh, how... like this?"
"What, are you doing laying flat? Just kneel on one knee!"
I sighed as I corrected Lumina’s posture, who was about to completely sit down.
Soon, the Emperor appeared on top of the castle wall.
I saw a blond man and a brown-haired man standing on either side.
It was clear who they were.
"Since the Knight Commander is absent due to the subjugation of foreign tribes, they must have chosen the Left Commander and Right Commander as the heads of the corps."
They were probably chosen from those who were left behind during the foreign tribe expedition or returned for personal reasons.
Their skills were also late Master stage. Well, this much was basic for Demon King subjugation.
"Is it finally starting?"
I was overwhelmed by the atmosphere of something immense about to begin. Nevertheless, a smile formed on my lips.
Yes, let’s do it. Demon King subjugation!
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