After Bitterness Comes Sweetness(6)
What the Skull King had discovered were three glass bottles.
Of course, what truly startled him wasn't the bottles themselves — it was what was inside them.
"Huh. They've all dried up like jerky."
Inside the bottles were what one might call preserved remains — dried relics.
A withered hand. A shriveled heart. A desiccated tail.
All three shared one thing in common: they were tightly bound in sealing cords shaped like crosses.
And as if that wasn't enough precaution, even the cork-stoppered mouths of the bottles were layered with seven wax seals apiece.
The Skull King recognized them at a glance.
"Those are demon corpses."
Not delicacies to be enjoyed with alcohol — but sealed remnants of demons.
Typically, when a demon or a magical beast was slain, its body would be burned to ash, leaving nothing behind. But for particularly valuable specimens, their remains would be processed like this — preserved and repurposed.
These were known as Totems.
"High-grade mana cores… all of them."
Of course, no matter how powerful the demon was in life, it was still just a corpse in the end.
Priests wouldn't even spare them a glance.
Ironically though — they were especially useful to priests.
"Perfect bait."
Priests often traveled the continent performing rituals or hunting demons. And when being pursued by demons, nothing worked better than breaking a seal and tossing out one of these corpses as bait.
"Like flies to rotting meat."
Demons were creatures that would devour their own kind — body and mana core alike — to grow stronger.
Why waste time eating scraps of human flesh when one could feast on the concentrated mana of their own kind? The stronger the demon, the more its very body — flesh, bone, muscle — was condensed with raw mana.
The Skull King knew better than anyone — he'd survived for centuries in that savage world of predator and prey.
Some priests even used this method deliberately — summoning demons with totems just to wipe them out in one fell swoop.
"Hah. The thought still pisses me off."
Those filthy priests, treating people like dogs, luring them with bones.
He remembered it well — even the Saintess of the past had waved bait in front of him like he was some mangy mutt.
Even if he was a skeleton now, he still had dignity as a being who was once human.
How dare they shake such paltry bait in front of him, the Demon King?
If you're going to try to lure him, at least do it with something worthy.
That aside, demon corpses were valuable currency in their own right. There were plenty of hunters and nations who would pay dearly for mana cores.
"Still, it's not exactly common to carry those around."
Unless you were a priest specializing in demon subjugation, few would dare travel with such dangerous items.
So why did a mere bishop have them?
A bishop, who had no business being out in the field, carrying something so precious — that could only mean one thing.
"Either he's got some other purpose… or the roads have become so dangerous even he needs protection."
It was an easy conclusion to draw.
One only needed protection when law and order had crumbled.
Something had clearly happened.
Demons must be appearing all over the place.
Grinning slightly, the Skull King traced the situation with sharp clarity.
"No wonder that bishop was acting cocky around the Emperor."
Throwing his weight around, even threatening the imperial family over the crown prince's succession?
Even for someone from the Holy See, that was beyond bold — behavior reserved only for the Pope himself.
It could only mean that the priests' power had grown to unprecedented heights — most likely due to the increasing demon incursions across the continent.
"I don't know what happened while I was gone…"
But one thing was clear — the priests' influence had expanded greatly, thanks to their advantage in demon-hunting.
And in history, when one side gains such an advantage — it always becomes power.
"And the Saint, who sits atop that power… well, she really is a golden goose."
Not that any of this concerned him just yet.
What mattered now was that there were demon corpses right in front of the Skull King.
A faint smile curved across his bony face.
And at that moment — the golden bell he was holding slipped from his grasp, falling to the other side of the bag.
As if by accident.
Smoothly.
Clink.
"!"
The sound of gold striking the ground instantly drew everyone's attention.
"My, what a precious item."
The priests rushed over, scrambling to retrieve the bell.
"It was enchanted to feel light… but I suppose it's still heavy when dropped…"
It felt weightless when held — but the moment it fell, it was no different from a lump of solid gold.
And just as even the bishop beside him turned his gaze toward the fallen bell—
The smiling Skull King began to cast a spell.
Crackle!
In the blink of an eye — all it took was 0.1 seconds. Just enough to divert everyone's attention elsewhere. That was all he needed.
Boom!
"!"
A glass bottle inside the bag shattered.
In an instant, chaos erupted within the temple.
"Kyaaah!"
The glass bottle had broken — releasing the sealed demon within it.
Thick black smoke surged out, swallowing the entire temple in seconds.
A chilling wail echoed through the air, as if gnawing directly at the minds of the humans present.
—Gwooooooo!
A monstrous, ghostly howl — impossible to tell whether it belonged to a beast or a spirit — reverberated throughout the temple before taking form.
It became the shape of a demon.
Its face was completely obscured.
Only its skeletal hands and legs were visible, devoid of any trace of life. It looked as though it wore a hooded cloak draped over its body.
The priests and holy knights, frozen in terror, could hardly believe their eyes.
"Shadow Lich!"
"An upper-class demon beast?!"
Panicked, they hurriedly began invoking sacred spells.
Even the Emperor, holding the Crown Prince in his arms, drew his sword.
Before long, their furious glares all turned toward the bishop.
"You've lost your mind! Releasing a demon inside the temple? Are you insane?!"
The imperial holy knights reacted with even more outrage. Any sense of decorum had long since vanished.
"Bishop Massar Verit! What madness is this?!"
"To dare target His Majesty and the Crown Prince right before the Imperial Knights!"
And yet, the bishop himself seemed just as shocked, checking the broken glass bottle from his bag.
The bottle that had shattered was the one containing a withered, shriveled hand. That only made him even more flustered.
'What in the world?!'
Of all things, for the seal placed by a cardinal himself to break!
Hadn't that demon beast been dead in the first place?
How could something like this even happen—?
Watching silently, the Skeleton King chuckled to himself.
'Of course it would look dead to them. It was dead.'
But demons were a far more tenacious race than most realized.
'Should've smashed its mana core while they had the chance.'
No matter how perfectly a high-ranking priest killed and processed a demon, as long as the mana core remained intact, there was always a sliver of possibility for revival.
In simple terms — it was like a living fossil.
Granted, even if a corpse existed, there was usually no way to revive it. That's why things like this could be traded safely.
But that was only true — when dealing with ordinary people.
'Too bad for you — you pulled that thing out right in front of me.'
For he was the Skeleton King — the Undying Monarch of the Demon Race.
If he couldn't even revive a lowly demon spawn, how could he call himself the immortal king who had restored the demon race for centuries?
'You were so desperate to exterminate demons — fine, knock yourself out.'
Whether intentional or accidental, releasing a demon within the Emperor's temple was a grave offense. The bishop would never be able to avoid responsibility for this.
And sure enough—
"Bishop Verit! What have you done?!"
The imperial holy knights quickly formed a battle formation and activated defensive holy spells.
A blue light flared, forming the shape of a soaring eagle, shielding the Emperor and Crown Prince within its wings.
Thud!
But this wasn't an ordinary demon. The knights struggled, their voices rising in strain.
"Has that so-called bishop lost all sense of duty? To even collude with such a high-class demon beast! What is the Holy See plotting?!"
The bishop, veins bulging on his neck, shouted in protest.
"Do not slander me! I didn't release it — the thing revived on its own!"
"Revived?! What nonsense is that—?!"
"I'm telling you — it was the totem! The totem came back to life!"
"The totem? How could a dead demon beast revive itself?!"
The knights stared at him as if he were spouting utter lunacy.
Frustrated beyond belief, the bishop looked back into his bag.
'There's no way a dead demon beast could break the cardinal's seal on its own… What the hell is—'
And then he noticed it.
His eyes narrowed sharply as he sensed a faint, lingering energy within the bag.
'Mana energy?'
Without a doubt.
And not just any mana — this was demonic mana…
The bishop's eyes turned cold — locking directly onto the Skeleton King.
'Don't tell me — that kid!'
He had been putting on that ridiculous act of using sacred spells earlier… all the while secretly casting magic!
Revive a demonic beast without even knowing how?
The bishop's eyes darkened with hostility.
"I must deliver him to the Papacy — no matter what!"
Did they think this would end so easily?
Even if it meant mobilizing inquisitors or the Pope's personal knights, an investigation was absolutely necessary!
"I'll rip out his organs and burn him at the stake — this insolent demon bastard!"
With personal hatred seeping into his thoughts, the bishop reached to grab the Skull King by the collar—
—but that's when it happened.
Ooooooh…!
The demonic beast, flaring up against the holy knights' defensive spells, let out a chilling wail.
The temple rumbled. A cold, oppressive black aura surged through the air — so sinister that even the bishop, standing far away, felt threatened.
BOOOOM!
"Gah!"
And within the arms of the priest holding him, the Skull King's lips curled up.
Heheheh… serves you right, pathetic fools. Look at you — completely powerless.
All of this was thanks to that demonic beast doing its job.
He didn't know the creature personally, but judging by its power… Fifth or Sixth Rank, maybe?
For a beast to move like that inside a temple — it was definitely a high-grade summon.
And the one who turned it into a totem must have been an extremely skilled priest. After all, turning a demon beast into a totem was far harder than simply vanquishing it.
And judging by the sheer rage flooding from it after resurrection… it must've held a deep, festering grudge against the clergy who captured it.
"Kill the Saint. The Saint must die."
…Huh?
The Skull King's expression twisted at the words pouring from the beast's mouth.
Wait a sec — who are you killing again?
It was in that instant — while the beast raged and searched the area — that its eyes locked perfectly with the Skull King's.
!
As if it had finally found its target, the crimson glow of its eyes burned from beneath its shadowed hood.
And then — in a blink — it lunged toward him, radiating murderous intent.
"Kill the Saint!"
The hell!? Why is the aggro jumping to me again!?
"Lord Prince!"
The royal holy knights, faces hardened, rushed toward the Skull King. The priest carrying him bolted in the opposite direction, dodging the beast's assault.
"As expected! That creature is targeting the Saint!"
"That cunning, vile Skull King! He must have ordered his minions to assassinate the Saint!"
Excuse me? I never gave an order like that, okay?
I am supposed to become the Saint and take over this damn country — why the hell would I want to kill myself?
What am I, the Suicide King? And besides — I'm not into hurting kids, alright?
The Skull King furrowed his brow.
Come to think of it… didn't some idiot confess something strange after getting caught by the clergy?
Supposedly: "The Skull King has ordered all demons to kill the Saint."
That… might've been true to some extent.
But whoever dared impersonate me…
It wasn't one of his subordinates — they would never dare use his name like that without permission.
Well, not that it mattered right now.
"Kill the Saint! Rescue the captured king!"
As the beast reached its hand out to obliterate him, the Skull King sighed.
To think it didn't even know who it was messing with.
Foolish creature.
In an instant, the Skull King's gaze turned ice-cold.
And then it happened.
Like a crimson jewel — his blood-red eyes gleamed menacingly, as though awakening a demonic eye.
But it wasn't magic.
The eye — the first gate through which the world enters the self.
He merely channeled his mana through his gaze — nothing more.
And through that — he forced the creature to understand.
Who stood above whom.
It was a kind of primal, instinctual dominance — a method among demons for establishing hierarchy.
And just as expected—
CRACK—!
!?
The beast flinched violently — as though struck by an invisible blow.
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