Why I Quit Being the Demon King

Why I Quit Being the Demon King Chapter 20

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5. Equipping the Gear (2)

Next to them, a couple who seemed to be together was eating noodles.

Glancing at the menu, it was somyeon topped with fried vegetables and eggs. Steam was rising from the thin broth that was warm.

“Why the sudden business?”

Grinning as he fried the vegetables, Ziek laughed.

“It’s a waste of empty land. I need to earn my own allowance as well.”

“Are you short on money? I thought you were paid quite handsomely.”

“Just because my pockets are full now doesn’t mean I can’t prepare for tomorrow.”

“You’ve grown up.”

“It’s not anything significant, just have some debt too. Here, it’s ready!”

Ziek put the noodles in the anchovy broth and topped it with garnish, placing it in front of Deus.

Deus looked at him.

In the background was a sign fashioned after the shape of a dragon.

The place where the dragon fell.

In front of it, a dragon knight selling noodles.

Several symbols came together to create a ridiculous combination.

Deus chuckled and picked up a chopstick of noodles.

At that moment, the man in the couple next to them suddenly shouted.

“What’s this! Why is there a fly in the soup!”

“What? That can’t be.”

“You think I’m lying? Look at this.”

“Sir, there are no such flies around here. This is a kind of fly you’d see in the forest.”

“Are you saying I put it in there myself?”

“That’s not what I mean…”

“Listen, you brat, who do you think manages this street? With one word from our old man, you’d have to shut down your stall right now!”

“I apologize, sir. But I assure you, I’m preparing clean food even to the point of wearing a mask.”

“You wait here. I’ll have you thrown in jail right away.”

The woman grabbed at the man’s sleeve beside her as he raved and ranted.

“Oppa, stop it. There’s no need to bother with this kid. That’s why I said we should go to the store on the main street.”

“Just wait. This kind of guy needs to be taught a lesson. Call the parents. Handing the business over to a kid and where are the parents laying down?”

Ziek clenched his teeth.

At his reaction, the man twisted his lips.

“Don’t want to dishonor your parents, huh? Looks like the life of a brat like you is predictable. What, your dad’s an alcoholic and your mom’s out to some bar, huh?”

Ziek’s fist trembled.

Deus slurped up the broth of the noodles making a sound, then set the bowl down on the table.

He had finished it already. It must have been quite delicious, not even a strand of noodle remained.

“Kid, don’t hold back. I’ll take responsibility for what happens next.”

“No. Since I served the food, I must take responsibility.”

Ziek inhaled sharply, bowing his head.

“I apologize, sir. I won’t take your money. If you wish, I’ll prepare another bowl for you.”

“Naturally, you shouldn’t take money. How are you going to settle the matter of my stomach, which has had broth with a fly swimming in it? I think I’ll need about 1 gold to calm down.”

“I don’t have that much money.”

“Then borrow some and repay.”

Right at that moment, Deus kicked the chair next to him.

The man who had been yelling loudly lost his balance and fell backward.

As he soaked in the broth, the woman screamed.

“Kyaaak! What is this! My bag!”

The man who fell got up in a hurry and grabbed Deus by the collar.

In that moment, their eyes met.

What was in Deus’s pupils were flames of fear, a curse from the abyss.

Upon meeting his gaze, the man froze, even forgetting to breathe.

“Begone. Humans who lose respect for dragon knights don’t deserve to exist.”

“A dragon knight?”

“Take a good look at this boy. He’s Ziek of the Holy Biche family. You’d do well not to forget.”

Mention of a dragon knight seemed to make the man lose his nerve.

No matter how decayed, a dragon knight was a dragon knight.

A local prominent figure wasn’t someone to pick a fight with just like that.

The man immediately turned around and strode towards the other end of the alley. The woman, annoyed, wiped off her soup-soaked bag and chased after him.

Deus turned to Alex and said,

“For the noodles.”

Ziek made a dismissing gesture with his hands.

“How could I possibly—”

“You pay rent, right? Then you should take the price of the noodles too. Keep up the good business. You have siblings to send to school.”

“Yes, yes, Deus-nim.”

“And when you open the shop, make sure not to slack off with the chores.”

“Yes! Thank you!”

Deus looked far into the other side of the alley.

It wasn’t just the demon world that was twisted.

People who fought as sacrifices for humanity against the demon king were dragon knights, and yet, how could such contemptuous treatment be possible?

Demonkind, mankind, and the dragon race.

All three worlds were twisted.

“Is it coincidence? Or maybe…”

“That kid from earlier? Isn’t he just a street thug? Should we follow him?”

“No. Let’s finish looking at the merchandise from Julgeum.”

“Yes, my lord. This way.”

Deus walked past the yard where the sign of the dragon’s fall was erected and proceeded to the main house.

Past the large archway, a big wagon was parked.

Sets of armor, totaling thirty, plus over a hundred weapons, and even magical accessories.

The goods were worth a thousand gold based on the sales price.

“How are the goods?”

“Top-notch.”

“Better than those from the demon world?”

“Some of them are. The small dwarves are some of the best blacksmiths in the world.”

“But they don’t take anyone’s side, do they?”

“Indeed, they dwell deep underground, mining gems and ores, building their own kingdoms. If you pay them, they’ll listen to anyone’s request—mere greedy beings.”

“Why is working for money greedy? So they should work without pay? Isn’t that called passion pay or something?”

“I’m already doing that.”

“You have a stipend.”

“That’s from my service as a duke… Even that’s already cut, isn’t it?”

“When did I cut it?”

“You did it yourself, my lord.”

“Skip the trivialities. If you think it’s fine, then it’s probably a fine product.”

Deus glanced at the wagon’s load and swept over the inside of the commercial building briefly.

“Well, that’s enough… You’ll be running the business anyway.”

“And what about you, my lord?”

“Are you suggesting I work?”

“Aren’t you within the top 2 percent?”

“I will do something. But I have no plans to sweat and labor myself.”

“Wow, that comment really seems problematic, you know?”

“What do you care? What’s important is that I live a top 2 percent life while lounging and eating.”

“Then go back to the demon world. There you can lounge and eat and even take your place as the supreme ruler.”

“Don’t try to sway me subtly.”

With that one sentence, Deus ended the inspection and stepped outside.

He glanced at Ziek who was bustling with business, and immediately walked towards the hotel.

As he turned the corner of an alleyway, that’s when it happened.

Seven bulky men were blocking the path.

At the forefront was the man who had caused trouble at Ziek’s noodle stall earlier.

With a perverted smile, he glared at Deus and said,

“Thinking about it on the way back. Dragon knights shouldn’t be touched, but not you, right, Deus? And this one, Alex? Not sure which adventurer you’ve been rolling with, but seeing as you’re with a third-rate contract dragon knight, you must be a piece of trash.”

Deus looked at him without any significant change in expression.

“Why are you scared? Spit it out like earlier, huh? These are private security guards hired by our family. A lowly adventurer dares to take on a noble? Go, Jackson, Smith!”

“Yes, young master!”

Two burly men clenched their fists, making a cracking sound as they twisted their necks.

They walked up to Deus with threatening looks and swung their fists as if to scare him.

“Ah, such a tiny kid. He’ll cry like a girl when he’s crushed.”

At that instant. Thump. Splat.

Something splattered on the ground, leaving a bloodstain as it burst.

The sound similar to when crushing a fly with hand echoed in the street, only leaving a mark indistinguishable from that mighty insect’s demise.

“Huh?”

Whether it was Jackson or Smith, the remaining one looked at Deus in horror.

Right afterwards, another bloodstain appeared on the street.

Blood splattered as if bursting from somewhere, painting the walls with countless red dots.

“Next one, come on.”

Deus tossed out a single word nonchalantly.

“This, this bastard killed a person…”

The young master started to speak but started to retch.

Only now did it seem he understood the situation.

The red hunk of meat lying scattered on the ground.

The bursting sound where it originated from. It all suddenly became a stark reality.

“Next is?”

Deus looked over the young master’s men with a listless eye.

They say private security, but they were no more than local goons.

Usually lubricated with generous amounts of money, kept at bay for times like these.

Even after their gang was turned into bloodstains, they weren’t gutsy enough to pick a fight. They glanced at each other and then scattered like the tide, leaving only the young master.

He looked this way and that.

Deus snorted disdainfully at the pathetic scene.

Forming a gun shape with his hand, he uttered, “Bang!”

The young master’s legs trembled, a stream running down his legs dampening the hem.

Deus walked past him, heading to the other end of the alley.

“Weren’t you trying to keep a low profile?”

On the way to the hotel, Alex asked.

“What?”

“Running a weapons shop in such a small city.”

“Ah, yes. Should keep a low profile. If I’m to live as a human, anyway.”

“But you just made a big splash, didn’t you?”

“What did?”

“Thump, splat—stuff like that.”

“How is that making a splash? Did I melt down an entire castle with fire, or did I shrink a country down to a dot?”

“Now that you mention it, I guess not.”

“Local thugs are born to be killed. If not by me, some dragon knight’s companion or anyway, that sort of person would’ve stabbed and killed them anyway.”

“Aren’t you jumping to conclusions?”

“It’s a rational inference. Think about it. I don’t know if the fly really fell in by itself or if he put it in to pick a fight, but in the end, he called goons to touch me over a simple matter of a fly in the noodles.”

“There’s a point that doesn’t quite align, but basically, that’s the case.”

“I crushed them with demon energy, but an ordinary dragon knight would have killed them with a sword or a spear. Either way, they’re fated to die, just the method differs slightly.”

“Your argument is compelling.”

“So instead of nitpicking my words, go find evidence of the Blue Dragon. If not Holypear, which bastards could have taken the dragon, huh?”

“Handling a dragon that was, in other words, alive and thereby breaking the ceasefire agreement is apparent.”

“Should I look into Holypear again?”

“My lord.”

“What? Butler.”

“It’s not just the Holypear family.”

“Of course, it isn’t.”

“Even in this vicinity, there’s Holyseder, a D-rank dragon knight family.”

“Holyseder? Pine?”

“Yes.”

“Then why didn’t we go there first?”

“Because you, my lord…”

“You’re good, but you’ve got too many excuses.”

“Ah, yes. What can there be? Shall we go immediately then?”

“Let’s go tomorrow. We have to get Ziek ready too.”

“Are you planning the same as last time?”

“Yeah.”

“At this rate, we might complete a full set of Blue Dragon equipment.”

“If you’re lacking in skills, it’s good to have equipment to fall back on. After the shield, surely a sword is due.”

“Of course, my lord.”

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