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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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The atmosphere in the Demon King Council was already tense. Freya’s arrival made it outright hostile, with most of the killing intent emanating from beyond the crystal ball. Facing that hostility head-on, Freya said nonchalantly,
“Levia? That expression… are you happy to see me?”
Levia frowned.
“You…”
But she quickly regained her composure.
“No. Let’s just say I am. But you’re quite late.”
“I know, I rushed all the way from Heilen, but I’m still late.”
That was a lie. She had arrived early and eavesdropped on the conversation from outside the door.
“So, what brings you to the council?”
“It’s a Demon King’s prerogative to attend the Demon King Council. And if you’re asking why I’m here, it’s because I have information to share.”
“We’ve already received plenty of information from other spies. I would be happy if you just didn’t leak our information to them.”
Normally, Levia wouldn’t be so openly suspicious. But with the Central Sea Archipelago operation compromised, she wasn’t about to let the prime suspect walk free.
“Once or twice, I could overlook. But after the 71st Demon King, now the Central Sea Archipelago? And countless other minor leaks. Which other Demon King besides you has such frequent contact with the church?”
Violet tried to intervene.
“Stop it, Levia. We have no proof.”
Unfazed by Violet’s defense, Freya spoke,
“Yes, it was me.”
Freya’s candid confession stunned even Violet into silence. In the ensuing quiet, Freya continued.
“But I didn’t just ‘leak’ information. I exchanged it. Some information can’t be obtained just by eavesdropping. You have to pay the price.”
Her brazenness prompted Levia to ask calmly,
“And what is this ‘price’ you speak of?”
Some of the information Freya had brought had been useful. So, despite her annoyance, Levia held a sliver of hope. Freya offered information that might just meet that hope.
“Allen Blake is going to the Lodreim Kingdom.”
That was precisely the information they needed. The problem was their trust in Freya had plummeted. They weren’t about to accept information they’d just been debating at face value.
“Source?”
“Allen Blake himself.”
Violet and the other Demon Kings’ eyes widened.
“You met him in person?”
Freya nodded.
“I met him in person and exchanged information about the Central Sea Archipelago operation.”
That would explain how Allen Blake knew about the operation. But since she’d admitted to meeting him, they couldn’t just leave it at that.
“So, besides him heading to the Lodreim Kingdom, was there any other information?”
“No.”
Levia couldn’t believe her.
“Seize Freya and torture her until she gives us more information. And more importantly, until she tells the truth.”
Freya’s information hadn’t been entirely reliable lately. Errors had started appearing after she became an instructor at the Hero Academy and started taking on disciples.
“Don’t tell me you actually think you’re a teacher just because you play the part?”
The remaining Demon Kings loyal to Levia in the Demon King Castle restrained Freya.
Bound, she said,
“Well, I do consider myself a teacher.”
“Do your disciples think so too? Does it even make sense for a Demon King to have Hero disciples?”
“Well, I’m the one who did the nonsensical…”
The restraints tightened, and Freya groaned in pain.
“Freya, have you forgotten you’re a Demon King just because you’ve spent so much time among humans?”
“Besides living longer, what’s the difference between us and humans?”
“Freya…!”
As the argument escalated…
“Stop it.”
It was Violet. She couldn’t stand it anymore and stood up.
“All Demon Kings have freedom, and we are not to harm each other. That’s the rule. No matter how important your work is, not everyone has to follow you, Levia.”
“But she leaked the Central Sea Archipelago operation! She interfered with my work!”
“Punishment for that will be decided by the council. You’re being too emotional. Is it because she just touched a nerve by reminding you that you were once human?”
“That’s…”
“Release her. She’s not even resisting.”
The two Demon Kings holding Freya released her.
“Whew…”
Freya stretched, as if her muscles were stiff. Violet said to her in a cold voice,
“But Freya, frankly, we can no longer completely trust your information.”
“That’s a little hurtful.”
But Freya didn’t look hurt at all. Although she couldn’t see Freya’s expression directly, Levia suppressed her rising anger and said,
“Then the decision is easy. Allen Blake went to the Central Sea Archipelago.”
She had already decided to distrust Freya and her information.
“Therefore, the Demon King army will also head to the Central Sea Archipelago to maintain the operation there until the Lodreim Kingdom operation is concluded.”
Their strategy was decided. All that remained was to decide what to do with Freya. But regardless of their decision, Freya was smiling inwardly.
‘Now things are getting interesting.’
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“Here you are.”
At the church headquarters in Heilen, I received a glass bottle from the clerk. Inside, a liquid shimmered with a strange light.
“What’s that?”
Elsie asked, genuinely curious. I replied,
“A potion.”
One of the perks of becoming a full-fledged Hero was access to potions, which could only be produced by the church. Technically, I had bought them, but as a Hero, I could purchase a certain amount regularly.
“So, what is it?”
Right. Potions weren’t exactly common knowledge. I was only familiar with the term because of Seo Yoo-rang’s gaming knowledge.
“Simply put, it’s a healing medicine. A miracle drug that mends bones and regenerates flesh just by applying it.”
“Oh…”
Elsie’s eyes sparkled. But I wasn’t finished.
“And it even removes scars.”
I looked at Elsie. She tried to hide them, but she had many scars, from her escape from the Lodreim Kingdom and the harsh training she underwent with Gwen. Potions could erase those scars. But Elsie shook her head.
“No, I’ll do that later, after everything is over. I don’t want to erase these scars yet.”
“If that’s what you want…”
I wouldn’t force her.
“But could you do me a favor?”
“Hm?”
She silently pointed at the potion in my hand, then at my other empty hand, and finally at herself.
‘She wants…’
Me to apply it for her. I’d been pretending not to notice before, but I wasn’t oblivious. Yuseora, however, seemed clueless.
“What? What is it?”
“I think she wants a potion for herself.”
I quickly handed a potion to Elsie.
“Oh, me too!”
I gave one to Yuseora as well. Elsie smiled contentedly.
‘This girl…’
Communicating with gestures without Yuseora noticing. Elsie had recently taken a liking to this. I felt bad for Yuseora, but to maintain the secrecy of my relationship with Elsie, this was necessary to prevent the party from falling apart.
“And Yuseora…”
“Hm? I don’t need another…”
Feeling slightly guilty, I handed her another potion and asked,
“Can you Overload potions?”
It was just a suggestion. Overloading potions was a kind of trauma for her. Her expression stiffened slightly.
The main cause of the Crow Merchant Guild’s downfall was the Chaos Beast attack. But the guild had already been declining. Their inability to resist the attack was due to lack of funds to hire competent Heroes. And the cause of that was the curse on her clan.
“But if I Overload a potion, the curse…”
They used to buy potions from Heroes, Overload them to enhance their effects, and sell them at a higher price. This led Heroes to buy their monthly quota of potions, even if they didn’t need them, and sell them to the Crow Merchant Guild.
But potion production was limited, leading to a shortage for Heroes who actually needed them. And then, the curse struck. The Overload ability, unique to their clan, vanished. Except for Yuseora.
That’s why she feared using Overload on potions. Even she, who heavily relied on her Constellation, defied its orders on this matter. So, this was just a suggestion.
“It should be fine as long as you don’t resell the Overloaded potions.”
This was a ‘fact’ I knew from Seo Yoo-rang’s gaming knowledge. But I wouldn’t force her. I could Overload them myself, even if it was less efficient.
“…I’ll try.”
I was grateful she accepted my suggestion. This would compensate for our party’s lack of a support mage.
“Thank you.”
“Hm? No, well… I trust you.”
Yuseora’s trust in me seemed to have surpassed even her trust in her Constellation. While not entirely positive, it wasn’t a bad feeling. I no longer intended to deceive her.
“Oh.”
Elsie’s exclamation, as if she’d seen through me, sent shivers down my spine. Right, besides my relationship with Elsie, there was nothing I was hiding. Probably.
“Shall we depart?”
To leave Heilen’s barrier, like in Sak, we needed a pass from the church headquarters. We could sneak out, like Elsie did when she escaped the Lodreim Kingdom, but that was too risky.
I’d created a disguised identity to minimize such risks.
‘I spent months becoming Seo Yoo-rang, so I might as well make the most of it.’
With that mindset, I’d taken advantage of every benefit offered to Heroes, including potions. Now, all that remained was getting the pass.
“Your destination is the Lodreim Kingdom… is it?”
The clerk’s tone was unsettling.
“Is something wrong?”
“Well…”
The clerk hurriedly dipped his pen in ink.
“It hasn’t been officially announced yet, but…”
Suddenly, a magically amplified voice echoed throughout the church headquarters.
-An order from the Pontiff. From this moment until the current situation is resolved, all Hero passes will be restricted to the Central Sea Archipelago, except in special circumstances.-
What was that about?
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