The Modern Founding Chronicles of the Returned Demon King

The Modern Founding Chronicles of the Returned Demon King

Episode 34: Floating Island (2)

The crown wasn’t hollow at the top.

It was wrapped in dark red silk and encircled with gold. The crown resembled a rose wilting in a golden pot.

‘As expected, no mistake about it.’

The crown that appeared as soon as Beelzebub died was not an ordinary one.

The aura of ‘Adoniya’ that I had seen before was present in it.

Of course, all I know right now is that this crown is related to Adoniya. For more details, I’d need to ask Irina.

“Hmm…”

I briefly looked around.

If humans were to see these treasures and wealth, they would try to loot them by any means possible. But there was no need to put them into [Demon King’s Gluttony].

After all, they will have to take a closer look at the castle to come here in the first place.

“Close.”

I took only the important crown and a modest amount of wealth, then closed the door to the treasure room.

***

As I left the castle and headed to where Quel was, numerous humans came into view.

Not just S-rank Hunters from Korea, but participants from all over the world were present, about 50 people.

“Ugh…”

“Oh, my arm…”

The problem was that many were severely injured. Originally, the number would have been much higher.

They had merely been swept away helplessly by the demons. The variable of the Cult of Great Sin existed, too.

On the contrary, Quel and I didn’t have a single scratch. The cheek wound from the battle with Beelzebub had long since healed.

“Your Majesty, you have arrived.”

“Yes.”

As I approached, Quel lightly bowed.

I scanned the crowd and spoke.

“Everyone, listen.”

My low voice drew everyone’s attention.

“Those in need of healing, gather in front of me. I will provide potions.”

However, they tilted their heads as if they couldn’t understand what I was saying.

Ah, is that so?

It seemed that the moment Beelzebub died, our languages stopped translating. This inconvenience was due to our languages not aligning.

The Solomon bunch didn’t just learn Korean for fun. Well, back then, I could use their language somehow.

Anyway, that’s not what’s important now.

I looked up at the sky.

A silent plea to resolve the situation. If Irina can’t do it while others could, I’d be extremely disappointed.

Maybe it won’t last long, but it should be possible for a minute.

“Ar- Are you Lee Seo-jun?”

Suddenly, a voice reached my ears.

Despite the Westerner using a different language, the words translated in my head.

Satisfied, I nodded.

“Yes.”

“I see… Wait, the language again…”

“First, anyone injured should gather in front of me. I will provide potions.”

As I used [Demon King’s Gluttony] to lay potions on the ground, their faces brightened.

“However.”

Of course, I had no intention of giving this for free.

“You will all forsake your claims to the rewards of this quest. Whether it’s this territory’s resources or anything else. Well, I’ll give you some wealth at least.”

This was the cost of the potion. It was a necessary step for me to claim this place without issue.

Someone holding their severed arm asked weakly.

“So, if we show greed towards this land, you won’t provide the potion?”

“Exactly. Even if it’s worth hundreds of times the cost, I won’t provide it. Consider well.”

This was an honest statement, devoid of any falsehood. It’s different now than when it was with Ha Seong-woo.

Back then, I had been generous because we were from the same country, and he had something I wanted.

But I have no point of contact with these people, nor do I lack money.

All I want from them is to give up their greed for this territory. If they refuse, there will be no potion.

But if they see this, they won’t refuse.

“By the way, the goods I can offer you are about this much.”

Swoosh—

The golden snake spewed out gold coins at random. Various kinds of treasures quickly piled up, making a delightful sound.

“Wow…”

The eyes of those who saw it sparkled. The amount was so enormous that its value was incalculable.

However, I had more than enough wealth now, so I didn’t find it too precious. Rather, if I could win their favor, it would be a bargain.

“…Understood. You’re saving our lives, and offering us appropriate goods, so we’ll do as you say.”

Those who were in dire straits or physically incapacitated easily agreed.

And this isn’t selfish. I’m simply offering them a fair reward based on their abilities.

Honestly, even if just Quel and I did everything, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration. Getting the same reward as these people would be unfair.

However, this alone wasn’t enough to convince everyone.

“What nonsense are you spouting! Who are you to decide that?”

A man without any visible injuries raised his voice.

“We’ve risked our lives to join this raid! We’ve also fought off the charging demons! And all we get is some goods? You seem to forget that this floating island isn’t owned by Korea, it’s no man’s land!”

“Oh, right! Are you saying you’re going to monopolize this land? We don’t even need that potion!”

Stirred by his words, a few humans shouted.

Honestly, I had expected this when they said this would be a global raid.

Since there’s no special system to measure contributions, I had expected such individuals to appear.

And this would probably be the same in other countries, including Korea.

However, I had already prepared a few things for this.

Just as I was about to speak, someone else took the initiative.

Whack!

Two menacing hands grabbed the cheeks of the man who had shouted at me.

A burly man with a large build, carrying a broadsword on his back, lifted him to eye level.

It was Park Sang-cheol.

“The one spouting nonsense is you.”

“W-What are you doing…!”

“Yes, as you say, this land doesn’t belong to anyone right now. That’s why rewards should be determined based on contributions.”

“So, I’m also asking for my reward…!”

The man tried to pull away from Park Sang-cheol’s grip, but it was as solid as a pillar.

It was surprising that he could overpower the man, who was also an S-rank.

“I witnessed you in battle just before. You joined us when we were facing off against demons. But you were too scared of the unknown aura and couldn’t properly confront them.”

“…”

“And that’s not all. Without Quel, none of us would be standing here right now.”

I glanced at Quel, who nodded slightly.

Well, including the Count as well.

I once again looked at Park Sang-cheol.

“So, you’re asking for a reward for that? Know your place, you fool. Be thankful that he’s even offering those goods.”

“But aren’t you also against him monopolizing the land…!”

“… It seems you still don’t get the situation.”

Park Sang-cheol sighed deeply and looked at the man.

“While this place is different from regular Gates, the fact that only hunters are here is no different. Because of unstable air currents, no news helicopters are in the sky.”

“Hmm…”

“So, whatever happens in the Gate stays in the Gate. Do you know what that means?”

A murderous glint appeared in Park Sang-cheol’s eyes.

The man shuddered with fear.

“It means people will think you died by monsters even if you die here.”

“But, there are other witnesses…”

The man glanced sideways at those who had also raised their voices.

However, they all subtly turned their heads, avoiding his gaze.

“Ah…”

“Seems like no one wants to be a witness.”

“P-Please spare me…”

Park Sang-cheol smirked as he looked at the man, who had now turned pale.

“Well, I don’t intend to kill anyone. If he really wanted to kill and monopolize everything, he would have already done it.”

Park Sang-cheol loosened his grip and let the man go.

He then continued to speak to the man who had collapsed on the ground.

“Do you understand now? The fact that we’re alive is all thanks to his mercy. Let’s go peacefully from now on.”

The man swallowed hard and nodded repeatedly.

Amidst the silence hanging in the air, Park Sang-cheol approached me.

“Lee Seo-jun, please leave things that I can handle to me from now on. I’ll risk my life to take care of them.”

I looked at the earnest Park Sang-cheol and then spoke.

“… Were you always this kind of person?”

“Excuse me? What do you mean…”

“Never mind. If I need a favor, I’ll tell you later.”

“Yes.”

It seemed like I had gained a loyal follower.

Well, in the end, I achieved what I wanted without any harm. I gave potions to those who were injured and distributed enough rewards. Everyone seemed satisfied with the large sum of money they received.

‘I should hide the money well to avoid causing inflation.’

Anyway, with this, the Hunters who survived this mission have no reason to complain about me.

Kim Jin-woo approached and asked.

“So, how do we get back from here?”

Normally, with a regular gate, we would just return through the entrance we came in from, but that wasn’t going to work this time.

Is there no way?

No, there was a very simple way for me to go down, now that Beelzebub is dead, and the ‘restriction’ has lifted.

***

Meanwhile, at the same time in Yongsan District, Lee Seo-yeon’s interview was in full swing.

Since natural light wasn’t coming in well, they adjusted the lighting.

“Ms. Lee Seo-yeon! I saw the website that was recently created! You have incredible abilities, don’t you?!”

Lee Seo-yeon’s fame, thicker than blood as they say, had widely spread through the website made by Hyude. Many hunters had come in front of the building.

Lee Seo-yeon chuckled awkwardly.

“Aha, it’s all thanks to my younger brother.”

“You both have incredible talents!”

The journalist continued her questions.

“Aren’t you worried about your younger brother participating in the gate raid?”

“Strangely enough, I’m not too worried. Am I the weird one?”

“No! It seems like you know your brother better than anyone else!”

“Is that so? I feel like I still have a lot to learn about him.”

“Well, you can’t know everything, right?”

“True…”

Lee Seo-yeon gave a bitter smile.

The journalist looked cautiously behind her and asked.

“Did you know that Hyude is a demon?”

“Ah, I had a faint idea.”

“Can I ask what your thoughts are about demons? The public would be curious.”

“Well…”

Lee Seo-yeon hesitated for a moment, turned around, and looked at Hyude.

Upon seeing Hyude slightly nod, Lee Seo-yeon smiled warmly.

“I still don’t know much about demons, but I think I can trust Hyude.”

“…Princess.”

Hyude’s eyes seemed to quiver as if he might cry.

“I, Hyude, feel glad to be alive…”

No, he actually shed tears.

Both Lee Seo-yeon and the journalist were shocked.

“Wh-why are you crying, Hyude?!”

“Breaking news! Hyude, a demon, is actually crying!”

All cameras focused on the emotional Hyude.

After a moment, Hyude straightened up and returned to his stoic face, the cameras went back to the journalist.

“…Yes! There are still many unknowns in this world!”

The journalist continued the interview.

“Right now, it’s been just an hour since the Hunters around the world entered the gate. We pray for everyone’s safe return and—”

Rip!

Suddenly, a tearing sound erupted, and everything went quiet. All eyes turned in that direction.

Five lines formed in the empty air, and from their center, a vortex began to whirl, forming a black gate.

Thud— Thud—

Long legs emerged from it, taking steps that resonated through the silent atmosphere.

A black cloak fluttered smoothly, captivating everyone’s attention.

Until the man spoke, no one dared to utter a word.

They all held their breath, focusing solely on his impending words.

Finally, he spoke.

“A lot of you have gathered.”

It was Lee Seo-jun, who returned just an hour after entering the unidentified gate.

(To be continued in the next episode)