Chapter 52 : Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Demon King (4)

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Eidon couldn’t hide his astonishment as he questioned the Crows.

“Did you… take down an atelier on your own?”

Blaze, removing his mask, answered politely.

“Yes. We got caught up in it unexpectedly…”

Blaze, initially intimidated by Eidon’s curt question, spotted Keldric standing behind and widened his eyes.

“N-no way, are you with Tello?”

“That’s right. I’m Eidon, a combat mage of Tello. This one… well, you probably know him.”

Eidon started to introduce Keldric but stopped, noticing his subordinate’s lips twitching with a smirk.

“You’re all 18… right?”

Eidon could hardly believe it.

The Crows were renowned operatives.

Those who survived long as Crows were famous for their fearsome combat prowess.

But weren’t these ones Keldric’s peers? They couldn’t have been Crows for long.

The leader among them seemed seasoned, though.

There’s someone hailed as Adjak’s successor, and now this batch… What kind of…

Still bewildered, Eidon couldn’t even explain why he was there.

At that moment, Keldric whispered quietly.

“Eidon-nim, it might be good to tell them why we’re here.”

Keldric, disciplined without needing reprimands, spoke softly but firmly.

Only then did Eidon snap back to his senses.

Clearing his throat, he continued.

“Are you the Crows assigned to join Polarin Adjak?”

“Yes! That’s us!”

Though Siriel hadn’t fully lowered her guard despite learning they were from Tello, her eyes sparkled at Polarin’s name as she answered Eidon.

“What have you learned about the demon who escaped the Dome?”

But the three responded with grim expressions.

“Nothing… yet.”

They looked like they’d been through quite a bit, yet they had nothing to show for it.

Still, Eidon wasn’t disappointed.

These juniors had taken down a dark mage’s atelier without help, and he still had lessons to impart.

“Well, intelligence gathering is our specialty, so let’s work together.”

Eidon spoke confidently.

But the Crows’ reactions weren’t quite what he expected.

They seemed… subdued.

Breaking the silence, Kiyot raised his bulky arm and asked.

“…Aren’t we going to meet Polarin?”

“Later. Polarin’s gathering intel separately right now. We’ll move independently and join him later.”

“…Oh.”

Eidon felt their reception of a family senior was rather lackluster.

* * *

At the clearing Derix had rebuilt, I spent a rare moment of peace.

Arandir had dragged in piles of earth to build a decent shelter, and food was provided in abundance.

First, I exchanged communications with Nofen to gather information about demons.

But no matter how much of a demon expert Nofen was, he couldn’t match Derix, and soon I found myself lecturing Nofen about demons.

“Polarin-nim, you’re truly remarkable…”

“No, it’s thanks to Nofen-nim’s excellent teachings that I learned this.”

“Wow…”

That didn’t mean Nofen became useless.

I felt the need to study mana more deeply, and Nofen sent me magic tomes from Tello’s library to study.

When Tello’s library ran out, Nofen went to various autonomous regions to borrow more magic tomes and tutored me.

Though not a mage, Nofen’s comprehension was exceptional, and his lessons were immensely helpful.

Derix also diligently carried out his tasks.

“Polarin-nim, I’ve scouted the west side of the clearing.”

“Anything found?”

“I caught a low-ranking demon hiding nearby, but he didn’t know much.”

“Alright, keep searching for others.”

“I’ll find them, I swear.”

Currently, I’d tasked Derix with tracking two demons:

The one who escaped the Dome, and the one who, disguised as a prophecy, deceived Lukadi to try to kill me.

But leads were hard to come by.

“Then I’ll head out again.”

Derix elegantly tipped his hat in farewell. I grimaced and stopped him.

“Keep the hat on.”

“I’m not ashamed of this mark.”

“It’s just… awkward for me to see.”

Derix pulled his hat down low, bowed, and left.

The handprint on his forehead hadn’t fully faded.

It remained like a white maple leaf tattoo.

I felt a bit guilty, but Derix acted almost like an extension of myself.

Thanks to that… it’s convenient.

* * *

In the quiet temporary shelter at the clearing, I followed the same routine daily.

I woke up in the morning, swung my sword for training, and then reviewed the mana studies Nofen taught me.

Today was significant for me.

The Eidon-Keldric-Crow coalition, tracking demons separately, was set to visit the clearing.

I’d met Eidon and Keldric occasionally, but it would be the first time seeing my peers who became Crows since the Coming-of-Age Ceremony.

I was curious about how they’d changed.

And I’d made another resolution.

I acknowledged the limits of knowledge gained from books alone.

When I met Eidon, a magic tower alumnus, I planned to ask how to get to the magic tower.

Their arrival was near.

A mix of excitement stirred within me.

“Polarin-nim, I’m off.”

“Alright, going far today?”

“I plan to be away for a few days at least.”

“Okay, take care.”

Just in case, I sent Derix far away. He no longer looked like a demon, but explaining him to my companions would be tricky.

- Truly, a Demon King is different. Moving demons at your whim.

“I’m not a Demon King.”

Lately, Arandir had taken to calling me a Demon King, saying I read demons’ minds and command them like limbs.

I knew it was a joke, but it wasn’t exactly a natural sight to others.

- Should I hide too?

“No, Arandir-nim, you don’t need to hide. Just act as usual.”

- As usual. Nice.

Arandir, excited, burrowed into the ground and scampered off.

Killing beasts far and wide had become his new hobby.

He said there were more interesting creatures here than in the desert.

* * *

At noon, with the sun overhead, the silence that followed Arandir’s departure was brief.

Amid the rustling of reeds in the wind, lively chatter approached.

“Is this where Polarin lives?”

“Leader, you idiot! He’s just staying here temporarily!”

“…Temporarily, but he’s living here.”

I went out to greet them.

“Oh! Polarin!”

“It’s been a while…”

Siriel and Kiyot rushed over excitedly. Keldric followed, smiling.

Blaze and Eidon, still a bit awkward despite our frequent radio talks, approached hesitantly.

“It’s been a while, everyone.”

“How’ve you been!”

“…You’ve grown a bit taller.”

Though I wanted to catch up after so long, there were pressing matters to handle.

We postponed personal talk and dove into the meeting.

“Huh… A new Demon King being born is news to me.”

Even Eidon was stunned.

Though some demons remained on the continent, secretly interacting with humans, their inner affairs were hard to know.

The information I’d gathered seemed to be of great help.

“So, for now, we need to track two demons.”

I briefed them on the targets I’d assigned to Derix.

While Derix gathered intel from demons hiding outside the Dome, I would pursue leads in a human way.

As we nodded, reaffirming our goals, Keldric asked me,“Leader! What will you do while we gather intel?”

He hit the nail on the head.

Strictly speaking, tracking demons was my mission.

But I’d subtly delegated it to Derix and the Crow-Tello coalition.

“I’m thinking of going to Ostrum.”

“Huh?”

“Ostrum… isn’t that where the magic towers are?”

The unexpected destination left everyone stunned.

But Eidon, among them, was the most wide-eyed.

“Eidon-nim, can you tell me about the magic towers?”

Eidon spoke with a worried expression.

“I don’t know what you plan to do at the magic tower, but I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“Why not?”

“It’s more insular than you think. If you’re not a mage, they won’t even treat you like a person.”

I hadn’t expected such a negative reaction from Eidon. When I couldn’t hide my surprise, he sighed.

“Sigh, even if you topped the Adjak family’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony, that means nothing to mages. They won’t even glance at imperial royalty unless they’re mages.”

His words darkened the others’ faces.

They seemed worried I’d face hardship in Ostrum.

But to learn about mana, I needed guidance from those who knew it best.

“No one’s born a mage, right?”

“Usually, aspiring mages undergo early education from childhood. They take entrance exams for the tower. I joined late, but…”

Eidon rambled for a while before stopping abruptly.

“Are you aware that many people are watching you?”

“Suddenly? Well, I know to some extent. You’ve always helped me, Eidon-nim.”

“I wasn’t interested from the start. Topping the Coming-of-Age Ceremony is impressive, but it’s just another talent every year.”

“….”

“The reason people are drawn to you might not just be your background.”

Eidon let out another long sigh and said,

“From the look in your eyes, you’ve already made up your mind. I’ll tell you how to get to the magic tower. It won’t be easy.”

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