Chapter 286: Concealment

Gurgle—.

Instinctively, his hand rose to grasp the arm that had pierced him. But that was all he could do.

Moments later, the spark of life faded, and his hand, which had been clutching the arm, fell limply. As calmly as ever, the Demon King withdrew his arm, glanced at the blood coating his hand, and frowned, pulling a handkerchief from his robes.

…I figured it would fall off eventually, being attached to the sleeve and all, but I didn’t expect it to happen so soon.

And of all days, today.

…No, wait, maybe it’s actually better that it fell off today, come to think of it.

After wiping the blood, he tossed the handkerchief beside the corpse and pulled out a communication stone.

– Yes, Lord Demon King, what is it?

There’s a corpse in Sector D of the first floor.

– Huh?!

I’m the one who did it, so don’t make a fuss. Just come and clean it up. And clear out all the demons along the shortest route from this sector to the central garden. If I run into any of them on the way, I’ll kill them all.

A bewildered voice came from the communication stone, but the Demon King hung up without listening further.

They’ll figure it out if they don’t want to clean up corpses. Even if some demons are slow and don’t clear out in time, it’s no big deal—he’ll just kill them. With the main forces in the banquet hall, any demons he encounters would only be servants anyway.

They weren’t irreplaceable assets, so killing a few was inconsequential. With such cruel and cold-blooded thoughts, he nonchalantly resumed his walk.

The cuff button, broken and useless from the impact of falling, was kicked away pathetically with each step he took.

***

And as he had threatened, the Demon King killed every demon he encountered on his way to the central garden.

The stench of blood invaded the central garden, a space filled with flowers from the Human Realm. Flowers meant to soothe Deon Hart’s mind released their vibrant fragrance, as if in defiance, but it was no match for the blood, and the greenhouse quickly filled with the smell of gore.

As if with a clear purpose, the Demon King strode directly to a large, ornamental stone without glancing around, his face expressionless.

He placed his hand on it, and his vision shifted.

In the distance, the leader of the dwarves was rushing towards him, alerted by the unexpected arrival signal.

The Demon King kindly waited patiently until he was closer, then, when the distance had closed sufficiently, he took out a mana stone he had brought and tossed it to him.

The dwarf leader caught it reflexively, a question mark forming on his face.

I want you to make a tool to conceal magic power with this.

…What?

As quickly as possible.

Showing up out of the blue and asking for something like this…

And he even reeks of blood! Sure, he’s strong, and our craftsmanship is excellent, but still! The dwarf leader’s face contorted in outrage at the opponent’s brazen and rude behavior.

I refu—

Didn’t I hear you’ve been selling weapons for less than they’re worth lately because you’re short on cash?

The reason they were selling for less was because of that incident where he stormed into the meeting room last time.

And I understand dwarves spend most of their money buying mana stones…

…Is this a threat? Are you trying to cut off our supply…!

Huh? Of course not.

Why would I, when there’s a better way? The Demon King smirked.

They said they weren’t getting enough mana stones to be satisfied, so they must be quite desperate for them.

I’ll give you two boxes of high-quality mana stones. So, what do you say? Are you willing to make it…?

I’ll start right away.

…More than enough.

Immediately, the dwarf leader grabbed a hammer. As if not even noticing the Demon King’s dumbfounded expression, he began firing off questions.

A tool to conceal magic power, you said, so it should be something you can always carry on your person, right? Jewelry would be good, I think. What do you want? A ring? A necklace? A bracelet? Or… a brooch?

…

Why aren’t you answering? Speak up!

The Demon King watched him for a moment before letting out a short laugh.

Make it a sturdy necklace then. How long will it take?

Well… if you help, maybe within a day…

One hour.

…What?

I’ll help actively, so I’d like it done within an hour.

Are you crazy?

This is going too far! The dwarf leader put down his hammer.

I wonder if you even have a conscience! That’s realistically impossible…

Another box of mana stones.

…Of course I don’t! I was just asking because my conscience is probably too healthy! Shouldn’t a Demon King’s conscience be a little rotten?!

Let’s start right now!

The dwarf leader walked over to a workbench nearby, placed the mana stone he’d received on it, and tapped the board impatiently as if asking why the Demon King wasn’t coming over. The Demon King chuckled again and started walking towards him.

But, why do you need a tool to conceal your magic power? You’ve never concealed it before.

Well… something came up.

His habit of wasting magic power, saving Deon Hart, and the recent magical beast hunts all combined to create the current situation, you could say.

It’s inconvenient, but he didn’t regret it yet. He’d poured the magic power he should have conserved into hunting magical beasts because he sensed his time was running short. If he had to wait for the next Hero after this one, then he might regret it.

‘I’m betting everything on this Hero.’

The dwarf, busily moving around and preparing materials, looked over as if he had a task for him. The Demon King smirked and approached him.

Could you pour some magic power into this? It would take me a long time and a lot of mana stones to process it myself.

Alright.

Just so you know, you volunteered to help. I’m going to work you hard, so don’t complain later.

If it speeds things up, then by all means.

***

The dwarf leader really did finish the job within the hour.

The Demon King received the simply designed necklace and examined it slowly. He noted the mana stone embedded in the center, radiating a strange light and asserting its presence.

The dwarf leader, who had collapsed as if exhausted, lifted his head.

Do you like it?

Well… performance is what matters, not design. It feels sturdy, which I like.

The cord shouldn’t break easily. But don’t pull on it like that!

The Demon King tugged on the necklace cord until it was taut, then chuckled and put it on. He undid the top button of his shirt slightly, tucked the mana stone part under his clothes, and then buttoned it up again, returning to his original appearance with no sign of the necklace.

At least it won’t get caught on anything and break. He pressed down on the part of the necklace under his clothes and turned back to the dwarf leader.

Good work. I’ll make sure three boxes of mana stones are sent over.

Alright. Are you heading back now?

That’s right.

An hour had already passed. The Demon King checked the time and straightened his disheveled clothes.

The dwarf leader, who had been watching him silently, suddenly spoke.

Come to think of it, is that human from back then doing well?

…

Thump— The Demon King’s hand froze.

In the sudden silence, he turned to face the dwarf leader. His reversed eyes, filled with an unreadable light, seemed to pierce through his opponent.

That’s a rather unexpected question.

…

I didn’t think you were interested in ‘humans’.

The Demon King resumed straightening his clothes, tilting his head slightly. Contrary to the tense atmosphere, his voice was calm and soft.

Did the dwarf leader see the past?

…

What did you see that made you interested in a mere human?

Oh, don’t get tense. I’m just curious.

Only then did the dwarf leader, who had been stiff-faced, slowly part his lips.

Even when he was breaking down, collapsing from exhaustion, struggling to the point of death…

…

…I saw a magnificent soul that kept getting up and pushing forward.

And then his eyes met the Demon King’s reversed eyes, which were impossible to read. The dwarf leader, having glimpsed the Demon King’s past through a human, smirked defiantly.

You really are trash, aren’t you?

Pfft.

The Demon King burst out laughing. Chuckling as if he’d heard something funny, he pretended to wipe away tears and said,

Tell me something I don’t know.

When have I ever not been trash?

…

Anyway, I’m leaving now. No need to see me off.

For some reason, he felt like he needed to get back quickly. His instincts were telling him something was about to go wrong.

The Demon King immediately turned and returned to his territory.

…Ha.

It wasn’t long before he saw with his own eyes that his intuition was spot on.

What in the world is going on here?

His gaze swept over the banquet hall, now in disarray, and landed on Deon. There was blood he hadn’t wiped away yet at the corner of Deon’s mouth.

***

The Demon King has equipped a tool to conceal his magic power…

Something was already coming to mind. Deon pushed aside the image of the fancy cuff buttons filling his head and tapped his fingers on the terrace railing.

…Since when, exactly?

Hmm… I don’t know the exact date, but roughly around the time Sir Deon went to the Human Realm.

Is that so?

The Demon King’s words about his magic power slowly running out came to mind.

Could it be that it wasn’t a lie? Deon pondered, touching his lips, before slowly asking a question.

Has the Demon King ever concealed his magic power before?

No, at least not in my memory.

…It seems it’s true then.

Looks like it wasn’t a lie after all.

So he concealed it even at the risk of being suspected.

Otherwise, there’s no reason to conceal his magic power. It’s too much of a loss just to cause confusion here.

Lilinel looked puzzled at his words, which had slipped out unintentionally.

?

It’s nothing. More importantly, I need some time to think. Could you leave me alone for a bit?

Ah, yes! Please, rest well!

Lilinel, tilting her head in confusion, quickly left the terrace. Left alone, Deon leaned his arm on the railing, lost in thought. His fingers tapping on the railing created a rhythmic sound.

Where should I start thinking from?

‘…The basis for my conviction that the Demon King’s magic power is low.’

Now that he’s suddenly concealing his magic power, other demons are bound to have doubts. Some cunning legion commanders will start to suspect something. It’s impossible that the Demon King doesn’t know this.

If his magic power was the same as before, he wouldn’t have concealed it in the first place rather than risk such suspicion…

Because it’s not the same as before.

That’s why he concealed it. It must be because concealing it and facing suspicion is better than revealing his diminished magic power and provoking the demons into open rebellion.

The Demon King doesn’t wield absolute power over the demons. Deon had already gained some confirmation of this through some demons nearby.

‘They praised, respected, and followed the Demon King because he was overwhelmingly strong and the ‘source’ of the demon race. But demons could turn their backs on him if they chose to.’

So, if it becomes known in the Demon Realm, where the law of the jungle prevails, that the Demon King’s magic power is diminished, things will get quite interesting. It would be quite troublesome for the Demon King.

Magic power isn’t the absolute measure of martial prowess, but the Demon King was famous for his overwhelming magic power more than anyone else. If someone like him had diminished magic power, anyone would subconsciously think, ‘Maybe I could take him on?’

‘…If his magic power is exposed, things will get pretty interesting.’

Should I rip off that cuff button when the time is right?