Chapter 79
Why I Quit Being the Demon King Chapter 79
18. Struggle through hardships (5)
Zeke was accustomed to darkness because he always trained in the mountains at night. Still, I didn’t have the courage to pass under that tree.
After some distance, I turned around and headed towards the entrance of the cemetery.
-What I have in my hand is 5 silver coins. Passersby, please listen. Heaven is closer to one silver coin. The only thing I’m missing is 1 piece, so if you want to pass that road,
you’ll have to take the right ship. 1 silver coin.
A song was heard.
A loud, phlegmatic voice echoed in the night sky, and the night cuckoo made a mournful sound.
Zeke and Lexia looked around to find the owner of the voice.
Under the tree where the corpse was hanging, an unclean shadow with a hunched back was wearing a cloak.
In his hand was a staff that was curved like a bow. And at the end of the staff was a lamp that gave off a bluish light.
Lexia said in a whisper.
“It’s like Charon the Boatman.”
“That’s just a myth.”
Zeke took a step forward.
The corpse swayed in the eerie wind, and the chin of the old man, whose face was covered with a cloak, made a smile.
“Welcome, guest.”
Looking at the other person, Zeke thought for a while. How should I greet you?
In the end, he decided to just treat him like a normal old man.
“hello.”
The older man seemed a little embarrassed as he looked at Zeke bowing his head in greeting.
Hello to the old man pretending to be the bringer of death under the tree with corpses hanging like fruit.
But the old man couldn’t even imagine it.
Who is Zeke hanging out with right now?
In terms of confusing people, the Demon King was several times higher than the suspicious old man.
Whether he knew it or not, Zeke
was exposed to the devil’s spirit on a daily basis.
If he had not been a warrior, he would have suffered and died, or he would have quit his job out of unknown fear.
The other ordinary people in the store were also enduring with courage knowingly or unknowingly given to them by a warrior named Zeke.
The old man took a deep breath at Zeke’s shabby appearance and opened his mouth again.
“What I have in my hand right now is five silver coins. Please take 1 coin. Then I will push the ferry to the underworld with my own hands.”
Zeke smiled and scratched his head.
“That’s a bit… going to the afterlife means dying. “I think it would be a loss to give him silver and even die.”
“…I’m not in the mood for puns.”
“There is no particular atmosphere… The old man asked me for silver coins, so I just said no. In the first place, silver coins are not small enough to be given away to strangers. “I have to teach my younger siblings magic lessons starting next month, so I’m running low on money.”
Zeke said this and bowed his head.
“Then we have some business to do over there, so let’s go.”
Zeke walked toward the cemetery, dragging Lexia’s hand.
It was right then.
“Stop. I, Kelstum, will guard the entrance to the Underworld. Anyone who refuses a piece of silver will die from the curse of the list!”
Zeke turned and looked behind him.
The old man’s feelings had completely changed. Blue light flowed like fog through the cracks of the dark-colored cloak. He raised his staff high and
spewed out
a language that Zeke couldn’t understand .
“It’s magic.”
Lexia took out her sword and shield and took a defensive stance.
Zeke also picked up his weapon at almost the same time.
Immediately after that, black flames engulfed the two people.
The shield was wrapped in fire, and the heat curled the ends of my hair.
Zeke called Manaring at that moment.
Recalling Skatul’s teaching that magic is materialization, I drew a picture of water in my mind.
“Water Wall!”
A column of water rose from beneath his feet and enveloped his and Lexia’s shields. The fire was extinguished and the heat subsided.
“Was it a wizard…
The old man muttered and raised his staff high again.
Lexia rushed forward and cut him down. But what she cut through was empty space.
An unidentified old man who shouted the name Kelstum appeared from somewhere else using blinking magic.
“Lempiji Fire!”
Kelstum shouted. A ball of red flame erupted from his staff and spread out in all directions like lightning.
The raging flames burned the surrounding forest and reduced the trees to ashes.
Lexia blocked the flames again with her shield. Then the fire stuck to the shield like sticky liquid.
Even the handle was red hot, so Rexia was momentarily worried about whether she should throw away the shield.
This time too, Zeke came forward.
Water fog filled the surroundings, blocking the opponent’s vision.
Small water particles mixed with the fire created by Kelstum, creating more steam.
Lexia glanced back at Zeke. What was even more surprising than the fact that he could freely use magic was Zeke’s expression.
It was so relaxing.
The enemy of that level kept his mouth shut as if he was not afraid and charged forward with his shield in front of him.
The moment Lexia saw his face, she felt two emotions at the same time.
The first was jealousy.
Lexia was surprised to see Zeke since she had recently visited his store after hearing a rumor that he had started working as a warrior again.
Grew up a lot.
There were only two Holly families in Joryx Castle.
It is said that a long time ago, they were like rivals or brothers.
Then, the Holy Beach family fell, leaving only the Holyoke family left.
The Holyoke family always hoped that the Hollybeach family would do well.
Zeke earned B rank to show off.
And then at some point…
It was difficult for Lexia to gauge Zeke’s level.
Jealousy boiled over when I thought that I was stronger than the A-ranked person.
If it were just that feeling… Lexia wouldn’t have come here with Zeke.
Lexia was proud of Zeke. I was also respectful.
I made it this far
without my family’s wealth or my parents’ support .
Just as Hollywoods, the first warrior, was the son of a shoemaker, Zeke was now writing a new history.
Zeke was a warrior.
His courage was easily contagious to others. It was the same even when the opponent was a hero.
Lexia immediately regained her peace of mind when she saw his relaxed expression.
He put all his power into his sword and showed off his sword skills.
Lexia was a Class A warrior. His skills were sufficient to carry out B-level requests
.
He stepped narrowly and widely, gave rotational force to his sword, and, relying on his shield, instantly dug into the enemy’s arms.
Cut!
The hem of the cloak fluttered, revealing the enemy’s ship.
My intestines were empty. The flesh trembled and flowed down like a net.
Lexia almost nauseated herself at the sight.
“rich!”
Kelstum laughed at Lexia’s shout
. Blue smoke flowed from its mouth.
“If it’s a lich… isn’t it a high-ranking wizard’s undead?”
Zeke asked in surprise, and Lexia gritted her teeth and nodded.
“that’s right. “It ’s not a B-rank request
… absolutely.”
Although lichs were graded according to their magic power in life, they were at least A-rank monsters.
“senior. “I will open a path, so avoid it.”
“Don’t be stupid. Let’s fight together
. Even if you look like this, you’re still an A-rank hero!” She grabbed her sword tightly and lunged at the lich Kelstum.
The sword glowed white.
It was a sacred sword that received the protection of the Holy Emperor. To deal with the undead, I specially borrowed what was stored in the family gate’s armory.
It was a sword made from a mixture of silver and the ashes of sacred rodem twigs, so it was as powerful as a dragon-made weapon against the undead.
Once the lich Kelstum’s identity was revealed, he began to openly use dark magic
.
The ground was covered in black flames and rotten organs spewed out.
Poison, fire, ice, and darkness poured out freely, making the steps of the two young warriors dizzy.
Lexia desperately dodged his attacks and found an opportunity to stab her sword.
Every time we thought we were backed into a corner, the lich widened the gap with blink magic, so there were almost no effective hits.
But she didn’t break down.
Because he had that level of grit as the next head of the Holyoke family.
More than anything else, it was reassuring to fight together.
Zeke’s guard was strong.
I stuck the tip of my shield into the ground and received all of the lich’s attacks at a close distance.
The shield was slightly above average, but with the addition of the magic power I had recently learned, it was able to withstand the lich’s attacks well.
The lich’s magical power was nothing compared to that of an ordinary wizard.
There was no way the mage who made a contract with the demons at the risk of his life was weak.
The flames flew over the shield, trying to take his life at any moment, and the darkness continued to grow, eating away his courage.
But Zeke’s heart never broke.
The shield becomes stronger.
And the sword is sharp.
As pressure presses in, the lich has no choice but to use blink magic to move the location.
At that moment, Lexia took advantage. Blink magic was an evasion magic that teleported to a safe place nearby.
But like all magic,
it had its weaknesses.
For a short moment, all magic stops for the blinking magic.
And just before it leaps through space and appears again in the real world, a tiny gap in the passageway was bound to appear first.
The moment the lich appeared, Rexia’s silver sword drew a large parabola.
The sacred sword plunged into the lich’s neck, and the ghost’s screams shook the forest.
His head rolled around and
fell into the executioner’s tree. The headless body began to look everywhere for its head.
It was not Lexia who would just watch.
I jabbed the sword again where my breastbone was.
Zeke, who went behind the enemy’s back, also stabbed the same spot.
Two swords split the lich’s heart, one from the front and the other from the back.
Lexia raised her sword and leaned against it.
The lich’s body
was burning with blue flames.
The fire, similar to the phosphorescence flowing from the bones, will lead the lich’s soul to hell.
I took a long breath and looked at Zeke.
I didn’t know it during the fight, but not a single place was sound.
Half of his forehead was torn and bleeding, and numerous wounds were visible on his forearms.
There were only a few lacerations on the body hidden by the shield, but blood was flowing from the mouth as if it had been shocked by magic.
Lexia approached him.
It might have helped a little if I had learned recovery magic…
The moment Lexia thought about that, she shook her head.
Saints have a strong tendency to learn auxiliary magic.
Lexia did not follow that custom. Due to his weak intention to become an assistant to men, he only learned combat skills.
But what significance do men and women have on the battlefield?
It is only the strong who survive.
Whether it’s ugly or dirty, surviving is strength. It seems like learning healing magic was the right thing to do.
” are you okay?”
“Yes, senior.”
Zeke’s hands were shaking. I pressed the trembling hand with my other hand.
It seemed like his stamina was depleted.
Well, since the opponent was a lich, it couldn’t have been an easy fight.
The same was true for Lexia herself. “Sir
, my whole body was so tired that I wasn’t confident I could win even if a wolf attacked me
.”
” huh?”
“Go back to the village. “I don’t think it will be any more difficult tonight.”
Lexia nodded.
“That’s right.”
“The lich has already polluted this graveyard. “It would be really dangerous if other undead woke up and attacked.”
“I know. Let’s go back.”
It was right then.
A corpse hanging from a tree suddenly fell to the ground.