‘…I can’t seem to figure it out.’
Shuten’s mind was quite complicated as he looked down at the pint-sized human in front of him, who was showing off his bravado by saying he ‘could help hunt the Demon King.’
The reason was simple.
He had no clue as to U-jin’s true identity.
Of course.
He could guess his publicly professed status.
‘…A Hero candidate.’
After all, he had spent a long ti serving in the Demon King's Army.
The number of Heroes he had killed as proof of his rits during his ti as a Dark Knight was already countless.
He could recognize at a glance what the dal on U-jin’s chest ant.
The problem was the gap between the image of a Hero candidate that Shuten knew and the aura U-jin possessed.
‘…….’
Shuten’s perception of a ‘Hero candidate’ was one of two things.
One, a moron who tried but had yet to beco a Hero.
The other, a greenhorn who had just arrived and lacked experience.
However, after just a few words of conversation, Shuten was certain that U-jin was neither a ‘moron’ nor a ‘greenhorn’.
If he had been either of those, he would have fainted and collapsed the mont their eyes t.
…This wasn’t simply a matter of being brave.
When two beings with a significant gap in mana ca into contact, a temporary fainting spell in the weaker party was a very common phenonon in the Upper Plane.
A Hero candidate who was neither a moron nor a greenhorn.
…That definition itself was certain proof that U-jin was no ordinary person.
Of course, Shuten hadn't let U-jin go just because he was out of the ordinary.
‘…It's strange. The half-black wing of the wench he brought along. And that gloomy, dark brat over there, too.’
There were two main reasons why Shuten had let U-jin go, despite several unsettling aspects.
One was.
From the mana he felt upon direct contact with U-jin, he was confident that no matter what variables arose, he could crush the three of them with his own strength.
The other was.
【…Speak.】
He seed to know about the grudge between himself and the ‘Demon King’, a matter no one else truly knew.
Whether he could prophesize, or if he possessed so special ability to read minds, Shuten couldn't tell for sure.
But U-jin, who ntioned the ‘Demon King hunt’ with a nuance that suggested he knew everything, couldn't help but arouse Shuten’s curiosity.
【…I will judge after that. Whether this ‘Demon King hunt’ is possible or not.】
At Shuten’s urging to get on with the story, U-jin slowly began to speak.
* * *
The Demon King hunt.
The conclusion to the War against Demons that the Guardian Cross Order so desperately wished for.
The proper duty of a Hero.
And the grand objective that I, having regressed with everyone’s wishes, must absolutely achieve.
Of course, given the target, it wasn't a light matter to discuss as soone who had just set foot in the Upper Plane.
But considering the importance of the task, no amount of preparation could be called premature.
In the end, most of the countless items on my bucket list were preparatory tasks for the grand objective of the ‘Demon King hunt’.
‘…….’
…Coming to et Shuten was also part of that plan.
He was the right man for the job, a ‘hunting dog’ to catch the prey known as the Demon King.
…No.
To be precise, he was the only one.
A ferocious beast who was familiar with the geography of the hunting grounds, had a perfect grasp of the prey’s habits.
And was prepared to lay down its life to sink its teeth into its throat.
【…Speak. I will judge after that. Whether this ‘Demon King hunt’ is possible or not…….】
There was no one but Shuten.
That made it all the more important.
For the other party mbers I would recruit, the trap to catch the Demon King, and the weapon to finally finish it off, there were alternative resources even if they were slightly lacking.
But there was no one, no matter how much I thought about it, who could replace Shuten’s role.
“…To get straight to the point, I’m going to form a party to hunt the Demon King.”
【…….】
“I’m not just talking about gathering a few people to form an assassination squad for the Demon King, but creating a third organization that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the Demon King's Alliance Army and the Church Alliance Army, which have divided the Upper Plane.”
Loxy’s and Jerry’s eyes turned to .
It was only natural.
This was the ‘core of my Regression’, sothing I had never told even them.
“The mbers will probably be diverse. It will mainly be a cradle for the non-mainstream. There will be demons like you who were backstabbed and are now wanted.”
【…….】
“There will be Demonic Species like this one here who was grabbed by the hair by a Hero and forced to defect.”
“……”
“And there will be a sowhat strange Hero candidate like .”
Swoosh-
“And a vampire like that one over there, who has spent his whole life in hiding, will also participate.”
“……”
During a brief pause, Jerry’s mumble, ‘I don’t recall agreeing to participate in such a thing…,’ reached my ears.
I paid it no mind.
From his perspective, he couldn't abandon , who held the key to the traditional black magic of the Dracula family.
…If he didn't want to be bitten to death by a vampire hunter, he couldn't just leave be, as I was the one who knew he was the last vampire.
【…That sounds like an excessively grand goal for a re Hero candidate to discuss.】
Shuten said after a mont’s pause.
He wasn't wrong.
The one I told him I would hunt was none other than the Demon King.
The one who united the Magical Beast species, which had been divided into hundreds of factions and were being defeated one by one by humans.
The one who built a kingdom of their own.
And the one who, for thousands of years, had encroached upon the territory of the Upper Plane against the Church Alliance Army, which was backed by the Constellations.
That ‘Demon King’.
It wasn’t sothing he could readily believe just because I spouted so grand ambitions.
…Of course, it wasn't as if I had co here without a plan.
“I’m not telling you to join right now.”
【…What do you an.】
“…I’ll prove it first. That I’m not just a re Hero candidate, but a true Hero who can plunge a sword into the Demon King’s heart.”
No matter what I showed him at my current level as a Hero candidate, it wouldn't be enough to entice him.
The Demon King hunt wasn't sothing that could be discussed with re tricks or Artifacts.
To persuade him.
I had to personally achieve sothing as difficult as Shuten killing the Demon King.
So I had to prove it.
That I could make his hatred for the Demon King, his thirst for revenge, a reality.
“…Once I leave the Kunlun Zone, I’ll head straight for the ‘Shandong Peninsula’ in eastern Murim. There, I will rebuild an organization called the ‘Demonic Cult’, which once controlled about half of the old Murim Empire.”
That was also why I had chosen the ‘Shandong Peninsula’ as my first destination.
I figured a task with the difficulty of ‘rebuilding the Demonic Cult’ would be enough to persuade him.
“My organization for the Demon King hunt will begin to take shape in earnest, based on that Demonic Cult.”
【…….】
Shuten’s eyes glinted with a peculiar light.
…It was only natural.
He probably didn't know much about what the ‘Demonic Cult’ was, but the phrase ‘half of the Murim Empire’ was not sothing to be taken lightly.
Murim was a massive nation that reigned as the strongest power in the east of the Church Alliance Army.
Considering that a typical small or dium-sized nation was usually based on a single Constellation, the number of Constellations it belonged to was not small.
At the very least, it was certain that this wasn't a matter that could be discussed at the level of a ‘Hero candidate’, no.
Not even at the level of a single ‘Hero’.
“If I fail, my words about hunting the Demon King will beco the nonsense of a re Hero candidate.”
【…….】
“But if I succeed, wouldn't it beco the ambition of a rather trustworthy fellow?”
A mont of silence followed after I posed the final question.
‘…….’
…Honestly, I didn’t think he would refuse.
Though his words were harsh, his situation wasn't very optimistic.
As a forr demon of the Demon King's Army, his na was on The Order's wanted list, and he was also wanted as a traitor by the Demon King's Alliance Army.
He probably knew better than anyone.
That whether it was the Demon King's Alliance Army or the Church Alliance Army.
There was no place left for him to belong.
And that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't kill the Demon King on his own.
That this was likely the last and only chance for ‘revenge’ he would get.
【…….】
After a mont of silence.
He asked.
【…Can you do it.】
Whether that task was truly possible.
…Honestly, it wasn't sothing I could easily be confident about in front of him.
Just like hunting the Demon King, ‘rebuilding the Demonic Cult’ was a task of extre difficulty.
But one thing was clear.
“I have to.”
【…….】
“Because it’s sothing that must be done.”
That task.
I could clearly state that it was sothing that absolutely had to be done.
【…An answer to my liking.】
A faint smile appeared on his lips for the first ti as he suddenly raised his left arm and gripped one of the protuberances on his right arm.
And then—
“…Huh?”
Snap-!
With a sudden squeeze, he tore off the horn-like, thorny protuberance.
Seeing that, I couldn't help but frown.
“Hey, you crazy bastard, why did you tear that off?”
The reason was simple.
■Na: [Mana Protuberance]
■Grade: ★☆☆☆☆
■Description: [A mana crystal that grows from the body of a powerful Oni. Depending on the thod of use, it displays efficiency greater than a 1-star Mana Stone.]
■Special Ability: [-]
I knew very well that each of those protuberances covering his right arm was not a simple ornant, but a treasure on the level of an ‘Artifact’.
A mana crystal with the highest purity of mana, second only to the Mana Stone within an Oni's body, which sprouted whenever its physical power surpassed a certain threshold.
Of course, each one wasn't enough to dictate Shuten's overall combat power, but it was akin to a spare reserve of mana that could be used in an ergency.
Its significance was by no ans small.
Instead of answering my shout, he threw a question back at .
【…Do you know? How to use it.】
“……”
【…I see you do.】
Before I could even answer, he nodded his head as he pleased.
He held out the Mana Protuberance to and muttered.
【I like your ambition. I don’t know if you have a backer, but your current body is too weak compared to what you’ve said.】
“……”
【That will inevitably an it will take longer for to kill that bastard Demon King.】
“……”
【Take it.】
A small laugh escaped at his uncharacteristically long-winded explanation.
Pfft-
“Alright. I’ll put it to good use.”
【…Don’t get any funny ideas. I’ll say it again, I’m not giving it to you for your sake.】
“I know, I know.”
As I laughingly accepted the Mana Protuberance, he must have felt embarrassed, as he suddenly reached out his hand again.
【…On second thought, it seems a bit too much for you. Give it back.】
“……”
【I’ll just crush it.】
“No, I said I get it. Why would you crush sothing you went to the trouble of tearing off? What a waste.”
Dodging his hand as he tried to take the Mana Protuberance back, I tucked it away.
It was an unexpected gain.
I had actually thought about the possibility of him refusing and had co up with a Plan B and C, but it seed my worries were for naught.
“Well, anyway.”
【…….】
“So, all I have to do now is prove myself, right?”
Just as I was about to offer a conventional closing and say my final goodbye.
A sudden question from Shuten stopped in my tracks.
【…Let ask one more thing.】
“What?”
【About … no, to be precise, about the grudge between and the Demon King.】
“……”
【How did you know?】
Pfft-
“I was wondering when you’d ask.”
It was a question I had expected.
“It’s simple.”
It was a trivial question from my perspective.
But for him, it must be a rather important matter.
“Soone told .”
【……?】
“They’re a bit aggressive and scary-looking, but sotis have a tsundere-like side.”
【…….】
“A certain big friend.”
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