Chapter 105 : Witch Blacksmith (6)
Chapter 105: Witch Blacksmith (6)
For a moment, Leon thought he had misheard.
What? Qualifications to become the Demon King?
“What kind of ridiculous nonsense is that?”
Leon asked with an incredulous chuckle.
Yet Circe paid no attention to Leon's reaction and continued speaking.
“I mean exactly what I said. My granddaughter possesses exceptional talent for magic. If she were to study it, she would probably reach the realm of a Great Archmage in less than half a year.”
A Great Archmage.
Leon remembered hearing that title before.
Just as Knights were the standard among martial warriors, Great Archmages were the standard among mages.
In terms of the Martial Alliance, it was no different from reaching the Peak Realm.
Leon asked,
“A Great Archmage... As far as I know, one must reach at least the Seventh Circle to earn that title.”
“That's correct.”
“And you believe Bestie would reach the Seventh Circle in only half a year.”
“Indeed.”
“……”
Leon fell silent in astonishment.
That was only natural.
A Seventh Circle mage possessed strength great enough to be treated as the equal of a Knight.
And she could supposedly obtain that level of power in merely half a year?
‘How is that even possible?’
Leon had trained continuously from the age of five until now.
Even compared to others his age, his growth had been exceptionally fast.
Naturally so.
Even in the Martial Alliance, experts who reached the Transcendent Master Realm were rare.
Most martial artists remained at the First-Rate level even after turning thirty.
Yet Leon had reached the Transcendent Master Realm before even reaching twenty.
Had this world been identical to the Martial Alliance, his name would have been renowned as one of the greatest geniuses under heaven.
That was why Leon simply couldn't believe Circe's words.
Even Leon, who had reached the Transcendent Master Realm after thirteen years of relentless training, had grown at an astonishing pace.
Yet half a year?
That surpassed common sense entirely.
Still, assuming Circe's words were true, he could understand why Flower had invaded this place.
‘Among Flower are those who worship the Demon Beasts.’
And the Demon Beasts' objective was the resurrection of the Demon King.
They had even coveted the power of the World Tree, Yggdrasil.
It wasn't strange that they would use Flower to capture a Witch with exceptional qualifications to become the Demon King.
However, not all of Leon's questions had been answered.
“Circe.”
Leon spoke.
Suspicion flickered within his calm eyes.
“If you can observe the future, then you must also know about the Demon King's Seven Apostles.”
“Even without observing the future, I already knew. I met them once five hundred years ago.”
“I see. Well, considering how long you've lived, that isn't surprising. Then let me ask you something.”
Leon's eyes, dark as the deepest night, settled upon Bestie.
“What exactly is the Demon King? Why would you say that Bestie, who isn't even a Demon Beast, possesses the qualifications to become one?”
“…Ah, I see. At this point in time, you know absolutely nothing about the Demon King.”
“What do you mean?”
“There's one misunderstanding I'd like to correct. To begin with, the Demon King who ran rampant five hundred years ago wasn't a Demon Beast.”
“He wasn't a Demon Beast?”
“That's right. The Demon King of five hundred years ago belonged to the Human race.”
“…!!!”
Leon's eyes widened in shock.
The title Demon King literally referred to the king of the Demon Beasts.
Yet the one who bore that title had been Human?
That wasn't merely beyond common sense.
It defied logic itself.
Circe nodded, as though understanding his confusion.
“Your doubts are perfectly reasonable. However, the Demon King is ultimately created by the Evil God's Seed. Even a Demon Beast cannot become the Demon King unless it accepts the Evil God's Seed.”
“So you're saying that even someone who isn't a Demon Beast could become the Demon King as long as they accepted the Evil God's Seed?”
“It seems you've understood.”
“And Bestie is someone capable of containing the Evil God's Seed within her.”
“You're more flexible in your thinking than I expected. Most people refuse to believe this when they first hear it. This conversation is progressing much faster than I anticipated.”
“……”
Leon remained silent, lost in thought.
He had contemplated Demon Beasts hundreds of times throughout his life.
Yet never once had he considered the possibility that the Demon King had been Human.
‘Honestly, I doubt I was the only one. But... could there really have been people who didn't know this?’
Luseus alone had sealed the Demon King within his own body.
Would someone like Luseus truly have been ignorant of the Demon King's true race?
No.
The Luseus Leon knew was far too meticulous for that.
He must have known from the very beginning that the Demon King had been Human.
‘What I'm curious about is why he never revealed it...’
Leon suddenly recalled the countless humans within Flower.
Those who had accepted the Evil God's power...
And become intoxicated by it.
‘So that was it. Luseus understood human greed.’
People hadn't only coveted the Demon King's power.
They had become obsessed even with fragments of that power.
More accurately, only a small portion of humanity had become obsessed with it...
But if the truth—that humans could become the Demon King—had been made public...
Would only a handful of people have desired the Evil God's power?
Leon couldn't help feeling skeptical.
He had already witnessed countless individuals intoxicated by that power.
In truth, even Leon himself had found it tempting.
‘Humans are weak. That's precisely why they're so greedy.’
Those who lacked the most always desired the most.
And Demon Beasts surpassed humans in nearly every aspect.
By obtaining the Demon King's power, one could retain one's sanity while gaining a body far superior to any human's.
What person in this world would reject such an opportunity?
Then another question arose in Leon's mind.
After all, Bestie didn't seem like a bad person.
Wouldn't it be better if the Demon King's power simply remained inside her?
The moment Leon voiced that thought, Circe frowned.
“You truly know nothing about the Demon King. Listen carefully. The Demon King refers to one who carries the Evil God's Seed within their body. And do you know what lies inside that seed?”
“I don't.”
“The Evil God's consciousness.”
“Consciousness?”
“If I had to describe it another way... you could call it lingering will. The Evil God's Seed contains the will Jeozudin held just before his death. Because of that, anyone who accepts the Demon King's Seed is inevitably influenced by that will.”
“Is there no way to control its power?”
“If someone stronger than Jeozudin existed, they might be able to absorb the power instead.”
“So... it's impossible.”
Leon looked at Bestie with concern.
Flower had already set their sights on her.
Considering how persistent they were, today's incident would inevitably happen again.
Leon spoke.
“You should relocate. They managed to break through the barrier.”
“Hohoho. Thank you for your concern... but there's no need. This is something we'll have to face eventually.”
“……”
Leon looked at Circe strangely.
Something they would have to face eventually.
Had she already seen something in the future?
There was no way to know.
Still, there was one thing Leon did know.
Circe had invested in him.
‘Most likely so I would protect her granddaughter.’
What a truly cunning old woman.
He had wondered why she had given him a favor he could never repay in a lifetime.
She had known all along that this day would come.
Leon couldn't help chuckling.
Then he said to Circe,
“If you have a request, tell me now.”
“You really are a remarkably flexible young man. It's simple. Come back here in half a year.”
“Will Bestie face danger then?”
“You'll know when half a year has passed.”
“……”
She had said there was a price for revealing the future.
It seemed she truly couldn't speak of even the smallest details.
Leon let out a deep sigh.
The road ahead had already stretched endlessly before him.
Now it felt as though even traveling a hundred thousand miles wouldn't be enough to reach his destination.
“Very well. I'll return in half a year.”
“Hohoho. I'll be looking forward to it.”
The following day.
Leon left the cabin with the Universe Sword in hand.
As originally planned, Leon headed for Elphrel.
Although his sword had finally been completed, it had already been nearly three years since he had left his homeland.
He desperately wanted to see the familiar faces he had missed.
Thus, just as before meeting Circe, Leon began traveling at high speed using his Lightness Skill.
Another month passed.
Leon finally arrived in Elphrel.
‘It's been a long time.’
His hometown had changed considerably over the past three years.
The first thing that caught his eye was the clothing the warriors wore.
Known as the Barbarians of the North, the warriors had traditionally gone bare-chested.
That had been perfectly natural to them.
Warriors considered themselves strong.
And because of that, they wanted to display the bodies they had painstakingly trained.
Most warriors therefore spent their days without wearing anything on their upper bodies.
Yet now...
Those very warriors were fully dressed.
It was a bewildering sight for Leon.
Until just before he had left, they had proudly displayed their well-trained physiques.
Some of them had even wanted to remove their trousers just to show off even more.
So what in the world had happened over the past three years that they now covered themselves with clothes?
To make matters even stranger, some of them were looking at Leon with puzzled expressions.
Because Leon himself was bare-chested.
The looks they gave him seemed to be asking,
Why are you walking around half-naked like some country bumpkin?
Leon couldn't hide his disbelief.
These were the very people who had happily walked around shirtless just three years ago.
And now they were looking at him like this?
“Hey! Leon!”
Just then—
Someone recognized him and called out his name.
Leon turned around.
“Adam.”
The one who had called him was none other than Adam.
To Leon's astonishment, Adam was also fully dressed like the other warriors.
Was this really his older brother?
Leon stared at Adam with wide eyes.
Adam chuckled.
“Why are you so shocked? Are you just that happy to see your big brother again?”
As he spoke, Adam stepped forward to embrace Leon...
Then suddenly stopped.
“Hmm... Now that I look at you, your outfit's a little outdated. Let's hug after you've put some clothes on.”
“……”
Leon blankly nodded.
After being hit with one shock after another, he had no choice but to accept reality.
The Elphrel before him was no longer the Elphrel he remembered.
As proof of that, Adam dragged Leon into a clothing store.
After taking his measurements and receiving recommendations from the shop owner, Adam had the clothes packed into a shopping bag and handed them to Leon.
“A gift from your big brother to celebrate your return.”
“…Thanks.”
At that response, Adam hugged Leon and patted him on the back.
Then he gestured for Leon to follow him.
“Now you finally look like a proper person. Let's go.”
“Where?”
“Where else? To see Elsa and Mother, of course. They've both missed you a lot. If you're not busy, at least show them your face.”
Leon silently nodded.