The Modern Founding Chronicles of the Returned Demon King

The Modern Founding Chronicles of the Returned Demon King

Episode 33: Floating Island (1)

“… If you go down this spiral staircase, you’ll find a corridor. All the treasures I’ve collected are there.”

Still holding Beelzebub in one hand, I made my way down the spiral staircase to the underground. This place was so well-hidden that an ordinary thief would never find it.

The inside of the staircase was dark and humid, quite different from the radiant castle above. And so, my anticipation grew.

Finally, as I descended the staircase, a long corridor unfolded before me.

Arch-shaped ceilings with chandeliers, a violet carpet on the floor, and walls emitting a faint reddish light.

All these were more than enough to give both a sense of awe and fear to whoever was looking.

“How do you like it? These are my treasures, collected over an eternity.”

In this corridor, countless items worthy of being called treasures filled the space.

Transparent windows were set between two pillars on each side of the walls, each containing various treasures that captivated my gaze.

As I walked through the corridor, Beelzebub took the liberty to explain.

“That red armor is made of a material from Maunish Volcano, it won’t melt even if submerged in lava. Of course, I can’t say if the wearer can withstand it.”

Beelzebub chuckled as if not knowing the irony of his situation.

No, he seemed to know and still found it amusing.

“That gray mask is the ‘Mask of Pride’, stolen from the Demon King of Pride, ‘Lucifer’. If you attach the cells of a specific creature to the forehead of the mask and wear it, you can assume not just the appearance but also the aura of that creature.”

“So, it’s basically like a doppelganger.”

“Exactly, even you won’t be able to recognize the original identity if you use it.”

Not even me, huh…

Certainly, if it can overlay the aura as well, then my [Lezie’s Insight] may not work since it reads information through aura.

I had a feeling I would need to use this at some point.

“Would my original abilities disappear if I use that?”

“No, only the outer shell changes, what’s inside doesn’t.”

How generous. To think you’d freely share such information with someone who was your enemy just moments ago.

Of course, I knew why he was doing it.

I seized the opportunity to ask another question.

“Do you also know the abilities of this Lucifer guy?”

“Heh, you seem to be confused. I’m not speaking for your sake, I’m bragging about my treasures.”

Beelzebub smirked.

“While the Seven Deadly Sins don’t cooperate with each other, I have no intention of feeding information to you, who stands in direct opposition. Even if you torture me, I won’t speak.”

“Thunderbolt.”

“Aaaargh!!”

I glanced at his twitching antennae and used [Lezie’s Insight], but since he was preoccupied with other thoughts, I couldn’t glean any abilities about Lucifer.

I considered spending time to find out, but for now, let’s move on. Learning about these treasures is more pressing.

Once the pain subsided, Beelzebub muttered.

“I didn’t mean for you to actually torture me…”

“It’s not torture. It’s a punishment for being insolent.”

“You’re out of your mind…”

Beelzebub glared at me, but when I subtly tightened my grip on his antennae, he quickly averted his gaze.

“… That monocle is made from ‘Deep Sea Pearl’, stolen from the Demon King of Envy, ‘Leviathan’. If you wear it, you can see through any disguise. Even if someone is wearing the ‘Mask of Pride’ we talked about earlier.”

Listening, it seemed a bit different from [Lezie’s Insight].

[Lezie’s Insight] allows me to glean various ‘information’ about my opponent, whereas this monocle lets me see their ‘identity’.

“That golden chain expands as you channel energy into it, and its hardness increases accordingly. However, its weight remains the same, making it specialized for restraining large creatures. And that necklace can seal the wearer’s energy…”

Beelzebub continued to describe the treasures, and I silently observed. It felt like I was on a guided tour of a museum.

Suddenly, a question popped into my mind.

“Why haven’t you used any of these treasures?”

“Heh, treasures have value when displayed. If someone uses them, they’re just artifacts.”

I don’t think like that. I’m going to use all these treasures you’ve collected appropriately.

Beelzebub looked at me and concluded.

“Even if I had used these treasures, I don’t think the outcome would’ve changed. I didn’t know you would be this strong, to begin with.”

“That’s true.”

“Ugh, still incomprehensible.”

As I walked down the corridor, I reached its end without even noticing.

A dark door engraved with intricate designs. On either side, statues of women holding brass jars were placed.

“…What’s this?”

“Ah, this room contains various materials and goods. Well, they’re not complete, but they should catch your eye.”

Beelzebub spoke to the statues.

“Open.”

Grrrrr—

At his faint command, the eyes of the statues flickered, and the door began to part.

A dazzling light entered through the slowly opening gap. The beautiful light seemed to beckon me irresistibly.

Beelzebub shook his head to hurry me.

“Now, go in and check it out.”

But I stood still without entering.

Then, Beelzebub raised a question mark.

“…What’s the problem?”

“Beelzebub, I commend your tenacity.”

“…What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

I raised my arm to match Beelzebub’s eye level.

“‘Jar of Babylon.'”

As soon as I spat out the words, huge ripples appeared in Beelzebub’s pupils.

“The jar those statues are holding possesses a powerful sealing ability. You thought to trap me inside, thinking I wouldn’t know?”

“…”

Beelzebub silently confirmed.

After returning to Earth, I looked up myths about Solomon and found it described like this. Solomon sealed demons in brass jars and buried them in the deep waters of ‘The Hole of Babylon’ in Babylonia.

“Roberto said long ago that the ‘Jar of Babylon’ disappeared, it seems like your kind stole it.”

Of course, that alone wasn’t convincing. That tale was thousands of years old.

But I’d been reading Beelzebub’s plans from the start with [Leize’s Insight], so I was able to think of it the moment I saw it.

It’s the ‘Jar of Babylon’, I thought.

“Even if you did trap me there, it would have been pointless.”

“…Pointless?”

“Yes, I don’t know how you managed to control that jar, but originally the Jar of Babylon followed Solomon’s demon king.”

“…You don’t mean.”

“Well, whether it would apply to me too, we’ll know if we test it.”

I directed my gaze at the statue.

A deep gaze pierced it.

“Close.”

Grrrrr—

The door closed along with the statues’ eerie glows. It was proof that I was Solomon’s demon king.

I continued to command.

“Your only master is me. Ignore any commands from others.”

Checking if this command had registered was simple.

I turned the flabbergasted Beelzebub toward the statues.

He yelled without me prompting.

“Open!”

The jar remained silent.

“Open! Open, you bastards! It’s me, not this guy, who’s your master!”

Despite his grating voice, the jar did not budge.

This time, it was my turn to speak.

“Open.”

Grrrrr—

As if welcoming its true master, the door smoothly opened.

I looked into the face of the thief, and then, gave him a small smile.

“How does it feel to have your treasure stolen right in front of you?”

Of course, it was originally mine to begin with.

Beelzebub’s face twisted even more horribly than when I tortured him with ‘Thunderbolt.’

“I’ll make good use of the treasures you’ve gathered. That armor, that mask, that monocle.”

“You…!”

“In fact, I knew you were trying to distract me by explaining your treasures. Who in their right mind would kindly explain their treasures to their enemy?”

“You… I’ll kill you!!!”

Beelzebub shook his head from side to side, spitting venom at me. However, he was as harmless as a buzzing fly.

I chuckled and said, “Thunderbolt.”

“Aaaargh!!”

As expected, electricity was the best counter to a fly.

***

As I stepped inside, a splendid golden light filled my vision.

The ceiling was high, and the space was vast.

In the middle of it all—

Gold, silver, and every imaginable color formed a mountain, with various unidentifiable materials scattered around.

Indeed, the promise that my eyes would shine was no lie.

With this, I could definitely give a boost to Lee Seo-Yeon and Jeong Ye-rin’s progress, and I wouldn’t have to worry about finances.

“…There are a few things I just can’t understand.”

Out of nowhere, Beelzebub spoke up.

His head had been severed just minutes ago, yet he was still alive. I was once again reminded that he was one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

“What is it?”

“You’re clearly human. How did you end up crossing over to Solomon’s Demon Realm, becoming a Demon King, and then freely moving back to Earth? Your very existence is a contradiction.”

I’m curious about that myself.

According to Irina, this was all Adoniya’s will, but it’s still a puzzle.

“Well, why don’t you ask your Adoniya about it?”

“…Will? You know Lord Adoniya too?”

“His name was just Adoniya. Yes, that Adoniya sent me to Solomon’s demon realm. For a whole 6666 years.”

“There’s no way he would do such a thing.”

Boom!

The next moment, Beelzebub’s head exploded cleanly. Flesh and blood splattered on me, and all that remained in my hand were two antennae.

“…”

I swear, I didn’t do anything. It was a good opportunity to extract information from the enemy.

In other words, someone interfered with Beelzebub.

I couldn’t sense any energy, so I couldn’t identify the perpetrator, but I could narrow down the suspects.

Was it Adoniya, fearing Beelzebub might spill some information, or…?

I looked up at the sky.

[Eliminate the Demon King of Greed] (Complete)

Description: Defeat the Demon King of Greed

Reward: Acquisition of Celestial Demon, Gain 100 Worldview Causality Points

A silent, blue moon was rising.

I’ll have to pay it a visit once all of this is settled.

At that moment, a strange aura caught my attention.

On top of the pile of treasures, a ‘Golden Crown’ had quietly appeared—something that wasn’t there just moments ago.

I discarded the antennae and used ‘Clean’ to remove the blood and gore from my body.

Then, stepping over the waves of golden treasures, I climbed to the summit and picked up the crown.

‘This aura…’

It felt familiar.

(To be continued in the next episode)