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Chapter : 13
“Still nothing you’d really call results. I’ve been too busy treating people.”
“That can’t be the only reason.”
“…….”
“The Demon King of Disease is a peculiar case—its time and place of appearance are fixed. And yet, the reason no Saint in history has ever been able to eradicate it is probably just one thing: it’s a possession-type Demon King.”
Demon Kings are classified as sub–Demon Kings, minor Demon Kings, standard Demon Kings, great Demon Kings, and Demon Gods.
However, that classification is based only on combat power or danger level. There are several other ways to categorize them.
One of those is classification by their nature.
Single-life type, reincarnation type, and possession type.
Single-life type: as the name implies, they have only one life. Kill them once and it’s over.
Reincarnation type: even if you kill them, after roughly thirty years they revive in a new body.
And finally, the possession type.
When possession-type Demon Kings die, they immediately possess another person and resume their activities. Killing them only makes you waste time searching for the newly possessed body, so rather than extermination, capture and confinement are required.
The Demon King of Disease was one of those rare possession-type Demon Kings.
That’s why it’s only ranked 88th and yet has been active for 200 years.
Numerically speaking, single-life types are overwhelmingly the most common. Next come reincarnation types, and then possession types.
Of course, it hasn’t been confirmed what happens after the death of every Demon King.
Unless you receive a revelation, the only way to find out is to kill one first.
But hunting Demon Kings is no easy task. Especially those in the top ten—none have ever been defeated even once, so no one knows what kind of life type they have.
At that point, Renel spoke up.
“I’ve always wondered… couldn’t we identify the Demon King of Disease through Your Holiness’s revelations, capture it, and imprison it? Keep it under watch so it can’t commit suicide.”
“Revelations aren’t like ordering food at a restaurant. I place an order through prayer, but sometimes I ask for chicken and get a whole roasted pig instead.”
“…….”
“Didn’t you hear? The Demon King of Illusions was recently defeated. Thanks to Mr. Dail here.”
“Yes. Well.”
“The revelation that identified the Demon King of Illusions actually came from a prayer asking to find the Demon King of Disease. The Demon King of Deceit was a similar case.”
The Saint said that and looked at Chris.
Her gaze clearly asked what had happened to the Demon King of Deceit that he was supposed to deal with. And also about the God’s Mirror borrowed from the Holy See.
Chris squirmed, at a loss for words.
I was about to step in, but unexpectedly the Saint returned to the main topic.
“Those were lucky cases. Often, you order chicken and get mud or manure instead. Sometimes, when I prayed asking about the whereabouts of the Demon King of Disease, I got useless information like the Pope’s current health.”
“Th-that’s not entirely useless…”
“Of course, the most common outcome is—”
The Saint’s brows knit slightly.
“Nothing comes back at all. Almost the vast majority are like that.”
“…….”
“Actually, we did find the Demon King of Disease once—ten years ago.”
At that, everyone’s eyes widened, mine included.
This was a secret I hadn’t even heard before my regression.
The Saint continued, gazing into the distance.
“It was a rare case where I ordered beer and beer came out. Coincidentally, ten years ago was also when the Demon King of Disease was active. Both the Holy See and I searched with all our might for the Demon King whose appearance was revealed, and we succeeded.”
“Then why…?”
“The moment it was captured by the Holy See, it committed suicide on the spot.”
“…….”
“True to its possession nature, it must have possessed someone else immediately. That’s why it has resumed its activities in the Badrin territory now.”
She spoke with a complicated expression.
“Since that day, for ten years I’ve continuously prayed to God—asking to be able to find it again before the next period of its activity, and swearing not to let it kill itself this time.”
“…….”
“But God did not grant a precise revelation. And this mess is the result.”
“Why was the incident from ten years ago never made public at all?”
“Do you think the Holy See would ever reveal its own failure to the public? The Holy See hides far more than you imagine.”
The biggest of those being that you aren’t actually a Saint.
…That was what I wanted to retort, but her expression looked too sorrowful, so I kept my mouth shut. Even aside from that, it was a truth not to be spoken lightly.
Roll, roll.
I could practically hear Renel’s eyes spinning as she cautiously asked:
“Then why are you telling us? This must be a truth the Holy See desperately tried to hide.”
“I’m at the top of the Holy See. Whether to disclose something or not is up to me.”
“Uh…?”
“Pfft. Just kidding. It’s just, um…”
She trailed off and changed the subject.
“Originally, I intended to bring the God’s Mirror with me this time. In fact, all Saints throughout history have done so.”
“Ah.”
“But between the Demon King of Deceit and the Demon King of Disease, it was decided that the former posed the greater threat, so the mirror was lent to the Radiant Order.”
“…….”
“Honestly, that assessment isn’t wrong. If I go into action, I can treat most of the territory’s people. For the same reason, previous Saints were active, so the number of victims of the Demon King of Disease throughout history has been surprisingly small.”
At that moment, the Saint’s eyes sharpened.
Yet perhaps because her face was kind by nature, she didn’t look very frightening.
“However, we can’t avoid the deaths of some children when treatment is delayed. It seems those at the top don’t care about such ‘small sacrifices.’”
“The ones at the top? Didn’t you say you’re at the very top, Saint?”
“Thank you for taking that at face value.”
“…….”
“The truth is, one reason I arranged this meeting was to retrieve the God’s Mirror. And just then, you all coming to see me felt like divine guidance.”
The Saint looked steadily at Chris.
Her expression clearly said, Hurry up and hand it over.
Chris was sweating so profusely you could probably squeeze out a rainbow with a towel.
Left with no choice, I stepped in.
“We’ll return it later.”
“Later? It’s something we absolutely need right now.”
“There are circumstances.”
“Mr. Dail Magnus, I’m sorry, but this is a matter of the Holy See and the Radiant Order. An ordinary adventurer like you has no place to interfere—hm.”
At that moment, the Saint cut herself off, her face thoughtful.
Silence. More silence.
Just when I started to worry Chris might collapse from dehydration, the Saint finally spoke.
“Your name carries quite a bit of weight even within the Holy See, Mr. Dail. They say you’ve already exterminated more than ten Demon Kings?”
“Yes. Twenty-three.”
“Mostly sub–Demon Kings, but I’ve heard there were several minor Demon Kings as well.”
“That’s right.”
“Do you have any know-how? I’d like your advice on this matter. If you do, I’ll postpone retrieving the God’s Mirror for now.”
I briefly stared at the quadrangle mark engraved on the back of the Saint’s right hand.
Perhaps noticing my gaze, she placed her left hand over it.
I spoke.
“My know-how is a secret, so it’s hard to make it public. Just like how the Holy See doesn’t publicize failed revelations.”
“……!”
“D-Dail, what kind of attitude is that?”
“I’m sorry, Saint. He’s usually kind, but sometimes… not so much.”
“Instead,”
I continued clearly,
“I’ll find the Demon King of Disease and capture it myself.”
“What?”
“I’ll take measures to prevent it from committing suicide, and then present it to you.”
The Saint blinked, stunned.
Then she let out a soft chuckle.
No matter how famous I was as a Demon King hunter, she probably couldn’t imagine that something no one had achieved even once since its first appearance 200 years ago was actually possible.
Regardless, I continued.
“And I’d like to ask for compensation.”
“Compensation?”
“Think of it as a quest reward. Adventurers don’t really operate on lofty ideals or grand causes, after all.”
“Adventurer… an adventurer, huh.”
She thought for a moment, then asked:
“What do you want?”
“I’ll tell you when the time comes.”
“If you ask for something too outrageous, it’ll be a problem. For example, a noble title or territory—those fall under the Emperor, not the Holy See.”
“If you hear it and judge it unreasonable, you may refuse.”
At my straightforward answer, the Saint made her decision.
“Very well. Then I’ll formally commission you. Find the Demon King of Disease, capture it, and bring it before me. You must not kill it.”
“I accept the quest.”
“An adventurer who doesn’t care about just causes or humanity’s mission…”
She smiled faintly.
“Adventurers really are wonderful.”
We withdrew from the lord’s grand mansion.
For a long while as we walked, no one spoke.
I finally addressed the two of them, who looked completely dazed.
“What’s with you two? Why do you look so out of it?”
“No matter how I think about it, you’ve lost your mind.”
“The Saint was certainly… unusual.”
“You, idiot. I’m talking about you!”
Renel pressed her fingers to her forehead.
“Just what kind of confidence do you have to make such a bold claim? Catching the Demon King of Disease when no one’s managed it for 200 years?”
“They caught it once ten years ago. It just committed suicide and possessed a new body.”
“That was through a revelation! Do you have anything like the Saint’s revelations?”
I don’t—but I have something even better.
No matter what body it possessed, the Demon King of Disease doesn’t walk around in its true form.
Naturally, it would change its appearance to hide itself.
Which means its entire body would be covered in quadrangles.
Find those bizarre white squares, and it’s over.
Of course, I explained it differently.
“I have a way to sense Demon Kings.”
“Huh?”
“You could say I smell them. Anyway, no matter how well they hide, I’ll definitely find it. Just trust me and follow.”
“……I’ve never heard of such an ability.”
Renel looked at me doubtfully, but she didn’t argue further.
After all, I had immediately seen through the Demon King of Deceit disguised as Chris’s little sister before.
Then Chris spoke.
“But how are you going to find it?”
“I just told you. I smell Demon Kings—”
“No, that’s not what I meant. There must be around a hundred thousand people in this territory. You’re not planning to meet them one by one, are you?”
“…….”
“And what if the Demon King is spreading disease from outside the territory? That’s actually more likely. With the Saint and the Holy See’s forces inside the territory, even a possession-type wouldn’t need to take that risk.”
I stared at Chris in shock.
“Why did you suddenly get so smart? Don’t tell me the Demon King possessed you.”
“Hahaha.”
“I’m kidding.”
“I know. I laughed.”
“You really did get smarter. Suspicious.”
Chris’s point was valid.
Of course, I’d thought about it too, but I didn’t have a perfect solution.
The plan I had in mind was something like climbing a high place—say, a bell tower—and scanning the entire territory.
With my eyesight, I could cover it all.
But if it was hiding inside a building, it would take some time.
“It’s fine. I know that once the Demon King of Disease appears, it stays in the territory for at least six months. After six months, all infectious diseases in the territory mysteriously subside.”
“What? Who said that?”
“All historians, in all records.”
“Why didn’t I know that?”
“…….”
“Never mind.”
Fortunately, Chris became dumb again.
As I relaxed, Renel asked:
“But what if it’s staying outside the territory?”
“That, honestly, I don’t really know. We can only hope it isn’t—huh?”
That was when I saw it.
A small quadrangle caught my eye.
A small rock rising beside the roadside in the territory.
Only part of that rock was covered by a quadrangle.
I hurried over and pointed at the quadrangle in the center of the rock.
“Renel. Chris. What does this look like to you?”
“A rock.”
“It’s a rock.”
“No. Not the whole rock. I’m asking if there’s anything unusual exactly where my index finger is pointing.”
They stared closely at the tip of my finger.
Then they looked at each other and tilted their heads.
“It’s just a rock.”
“It’s a rock.”
This won’t do. No choice.
I punched the rock.
Crack. Boom.
The rock shattered into pieces and scattered across the ground.
The two of them stood there with their mouths wide open.
“Why would you break a perfectly fine rock? No, how did you even break it?”
“Is this the kind of thing that’s trivial for an S-rank?”
Ignoring them, I looked at the rock again.
The quadrangle was gone.
Normally, my quadrangles disappear when the target dies.
A rock isn’t a living being, but since it had lost its original form, I figured the quadrangle would vanish.
And I was right.
Rustle.
The part that had been covered by the quadrangle had broken into five pieces.
I fit them together and looked at them.
“This emblem…”
“Ah. That’s—”
Renel and I spoke at the same time.
“The Demon King of Sloth.”
