What a windfall (3)
"Gah!"
The demons disguised as guards were gruesomely sliced apart.
As their bodies fell to the ground, the human-like skin transformed into monstrous appearances.
But that wasn't all.
Even the remaining demons were mercilessly dragged into what looked like living shadows.
The first to be taken were those approaching the Skull King—as if the shadows themselves were enraged at the audacity of targeting him.
In a way, the shadows were taking care of the enemies on behalf of the paladins and the Skull King.
Naturally, the demons were thrown into chaos.
They had realized the identity of their opponent.
"Guh! Why… why are you doing this to your own kind… Gyaaaah!"
As if to say "shut up," the demons were sucked into the shadowy pits, screaming.
Though they weren't weak, they were dragged away like toys.
The Skull King chuckled at the sight. He had realized the identity of the shadow.
'That's a Shadow Lich.'
It was the high-ranking demon resurrected from the totem the bishop had once possessed.
After being put in his place and fleeing, had it been trailing them ever since?
You might wonder how it could follow without being discovered by the clergy, but the Shadow Lich traveled through shadows.
When it concealed its demonic energy, it couldn't use its power, but in return, its stealth was so exceptional that even high-ranking priests couldn't easily detect it.
It made sense it could follow them undetected this far—but it was still annoying.
Not that one—this one.
'Hey. Detection magic. Why didn't you tell me about that thing?'
When they detected 88 targets earlier, it definitely should've noticed that one too.
The Skull King shot a glare that said, Are you slacking off? But Whisper tilted its head.
[You told me to detect enemies, not allies, Master.]
Hah… This little…
It was frustrating, but Whisper was technically right.
The Shadow Lich didn't emit a single trace of hostility toward the Skull King.
No, rather than hostility, it felt more like…
[Anyone who threatens that child shall be eliminated!]
An ally…?
[Don't you dare touch that child with your filthy hands!]
"Kyaaaah!"
Hm. Affection…?
[Don't even look at that child with your dirty eyes! I'll gouge them out!]
Pfft!!
…This might be too much affection. A bit of a problem, really.
Honestly, it was getting to the point of obsession—kind of scary, actually.
So the Skull King couldn't help but tilt his head in confusion.
Why was a high-ranking demon acting like this?
Did one round of brainwashing really leave that deep an impression?
'So the missing 88… that thing took them out, huh.'
Still, it was a high-ranking demon.
The Skull King didn't know why something like that wanted to protect a human infant like himself, but hey—he wasn't about to complain about having the dirty work done for him.
Not a bad deal.
Only one problem…
"Um… Young Master Rilai."
"How exactly are we supposed to interpret this situation?"
It was the knights of Eshua, frozen with their swords drawn, simply watching.
They were the Holy Empire's elite frontliners—unfazed by almost anything—but even they were bewildered by this.
Sweat trickled down their cheeks as their eyes darted left and right, trying to make sense of it all.
"The demon appears to be protecting Young Master Isaac…"
The Skull King twitched an eyebrow like this was the real issue.
No matter how you looked at it, a demon protecting a human child definitely crossed the line.
If these guys weren't complete idiots, they'd start getting suspicious…
"They're not protecting him. They're fighting amongst themselves—trying to be the first to kill each other."
"So unless he does the killing himself, it doesn't count? That's why the demon is keeping Isaac safe?"
Idiots. These guys were idiots.
"Figures. All of the Skull King's followers are the same."
"Yeah, I mean, anyone who worships a headless undead probably isn't in their right mind anyway."
Grateful for the stupidity, but wow—loose lips, much?
Still, wasn't this all kind of… lucky?
Given the Imperial restriction, there was no way demons should be within the Holy Empire.
Using high-level magic would've immediately exposed them, so movement should've been severely restricted. And yet, these guys had managed to sneak into human territory?
'Maybe even demon magic can be used more freely than I thought.'
Of course, not all the knights were fools.
"Young Master Rilai. Demons don't usually target specific humans. Especially a Shadow Lich—it doesn't follow anyone. For one to pursue someone to this degree… there must be something about Young Master Isaac."
It was the knight commander—the one who had sliced off the bishop's arm and crushed his vocal cords.
His expression was serious, which made the Skull King raise an eyebrow.
As a high-ranking paladin, it'd be dangerous if he started suspecting too much.
"Even the undead instinctively recognize danger. You may deny it, but it seems Isaac is indeed a candidate for sainthood…"
Yes! Perfect. A little off-target, but still good.
Would've been perfect if he had said saint instead of candidate, but this was excellent.
The Skull King smiled slyly.
After all, he had already suspected that his position in the family was weak.
And that was because of none other than the Emperor's actions.
No matter how greedy he was, for the imperial family to propose taking a duke's child as their own?
It was clear they didn't consider Isaac important to House Eshua.
So, if everyone around him started hailing him as a saint—what a bonus for the Skull King.
As a saint, he'd be pampered like royalty… and then he could swallow the entire duke's house whole.
Delighted by the thought, the Skull King let out a sly laugh…
"He's not a saint, just an ordinary little boy. If he were even a candidate for sainthood, he'd be able to exude holy power as naturally as breathing. But I can't feel a shred of power from him."
The Skull King twitched his eyebrows, as if the words had struck a nerve.
As expected from a saint's family.
Well, fine.
It was embarrassing, but he still didn't know how to consciously draw out holy power.
Holy arts operated on the subconscious level, but because his mind was so accustomed to constructing magic, he needed to break through that barrier with conscious effort.
And yes, being from a saint's family, they were unusually perceptive. Still, there's no way they'd guess the real reason he doesn't know how to use holy arts is because he's actually the Demon King!
But his uncle looked at the Skull King with a pitying expression.
"More importantly, how could a 'boy' born in Eshua possibly possess the same special powers as a saint?"
"!"
At that comment, the knight commander seemed momentarily at a loss for words.
Instead, she diverted the topic with deadly intent flashing in her eyes.
"Then are the demons really flocking here just on the Skull King's command? Even though that child has no powers? Just how cruel and petty is that Skull King?!"
Suddenly branded a petty villain, the Skull King stared in disbelief.
But the uncle shook his head.
"No, the Skull King is far more petty and small-minded than you think."
Wow, Uncle, way to take it up a notch.
The Skull King glared at his uncle, but the man simply stared at him in silence.
His silver hair cast a shadow over narrowed blue eyes.
Memories from the past flickered through his mind.
— "Milady! Another child from Eshua has died. Because of that curse."
— "Damn it, that wretched Skull King's curse again…!"
— "When will that vile Skull King's curse finally disappear?!"
"Lord Rilai?"
Snapped out of his thoughts by the knight commander's voice, the uncle raised his sword high.
"It's fine to be kind to the child, but don't get too attached."
"Y-yes?"
"He won't live long anyway."
"…What?!"
At that moment, the uncle slashed his sword aura at a demonic beast. The signal triggered the holy knights to activate their holy arts as well.
While the knight commander looked the most flustered by the statement, the one truly shocked was none other than the Skull King.
What the hell, Uncle?!
Dropping a terminal illness bomb out of nowhere?!
You better explain that!
But before he could, Eshua's blue holy arts spread out to enclose the area.
It appeared to be a barrier.
His uncle clearly had no intention of letting the Skull King's subordinates leave in one piece.
"Pluck out the eyes of those still breathing and interrogate them all! Drag even the dead back from hell if you must! They will pay dearly for daring to utter the Skull King's name in Eshua territory!"
Damn it!
I appreciate the help with the interrogation, but can we talk about that whole "not living long" thing first?!
"Keep watch to ensure no harm comes to the child!"
I said explain, damn it!
Soon, the uncle's attack landed directly atop the Shadow Lich's head.
The fierce aura caused the Shadow Lich, who had been guarding the Skull King, to erupt with dark energy.
[You dogs of the gods! How dare you confine him in this filthy place!]
The Shadow Lich, furious, lunged at the holy knights.
It seemed to think the knights were kidnapping the Skull King.
But just then, a wall of light descended from the sky, trapping the Shadow Lich.
Boom! Boom-boom!
"We've caught it!"
"Now to restrain—gah!"
The thrashing of the enraged Shadow Lich shook the wall of light violently.
Thud!
Knights from Eshua were flung backward, groaning in pain.
Even under normal circumstances, Shadow Liches were considered high-class demonic beasts of the sixth tier or higher.
They weren't mere threats to cities—some were strong enough to menace entire nations.
And this one seemed even more powerful than most of its kind.
Sure enough, as the Shadow Lich's power surged, the knight commander shouted urgently.
"My lord, this is above sixth-tier! Holy arts alone won't work!"
"No choice, then. Forget taking it alive—destroy it along with its magic core."
Eyes flashing, the uncle prepared to unleash his full power.
⸢Origin⸥
But it was at that moment.
Clang!
With that ominous sound, Uncle looked startled as he turned toward the Skull King.
"Isaac!"
The protective barrier guarding the Skull King had vanished.
'No way—the Shadow Lich!'
And perfectly on cue, the barrier that had sealed away the Shadow Lich also shattered into pieces.
Clang!
"!!"
The freed Shadow Lich brushed past the knights and charged furiously at the Skull King.
"Young Master!"
"It's targeting the Young Master!"
Everyone rushed to protect the Skull King.
[My King!]
The Shadow Lich reached the Skull King.
It couldn't speak, but its thoughts were clearly transmitted.
[My King! I've come to help you escape from those filthy clerics—]
But just as their eyes met, the Skull King gave a beaming smile.
In stark contrast to his saintly smile, a glimmer of madness flashed in his eyes.
As if he'd been waiting for this very moment.
And then, something astonishing happened.
Flash!
With a burst of blinding light, the Shadow Lich disappeared.
No—it didn't disappear.
It wasn't gone…
"Je—Jerky?"
The Shadow Lich had turned into dried meat and dropped to the floor.
And as if nothing had happened, the Skull King slowly crawled over and picked it up.
"Mine."
The scene was like a baby grabbing a rattle, leaving even the knights and Uncle—who had been rushing over in a panic—stunned speechless.
The Shadow Lich, a high-class magical beast, had been defeated.
But the shock wasn't over—far from it.
"Isn't that Totemization?!"
It was a high-level sacred sealing technique, one that only elite priests could perform.
"Did Young Master Isaac just use a top-tier divine spell that turns demons into totems?!"
"You mean the one only Saints or Cardinals can use?!"
The knights of Eshua screamed in disbelief, while the captain glanced nervously at the uncle.
"Sir, you said Young Master Isaac was just an ordinary boy…"
"…"
Uncle looked just as stunned as the rest.
Meanwhile, the Skull King—now holding the totem—grinned in satisfaction.
'That elusive high-grade mana core came crawling back to me.'
Truthfully, the Skull King had planned this from the moment he saw the Shadow Lich.
There was no way he'd let those idiot paladins destroy a mana core that was practically a miraculous elixir.
And more than anything—was he supposed to just watch the creature he'd resurrected get killed by someone else?
'Well, since it came to rescue me, I figured I might even make it my subordinate.'
It seemed its power had been temporarily weakened due to the totem state, but it was still at least a 7th-tier demon.
Besides, he needed more intel on the demon side anyway. He had to find out who dared impersonate him and break the taboos.
Of course, it wasn't actually the sacred Totemization spell that the knights were freaking out about.
There was no way he could use such a high-level divine art just yet.
So how'd he do it?
Well, it was the Skull King himself who had revived the Shadow Lich from its original totem state in the first place.
So obviously, reversing that was also possible.
Since he had touched it during the resurrection, his magic was already mixed into the lich's mana core.
It was marked.
All it took was a simple gesture to revert it to totem form.
Of course, that meant no one else could possibly replicate this without having touched it first—but who cared about that now?
"This child will bring great honor to the name of Eshua."
Uncle approached and lifted the Skull King high into his arms.
The knights erupted into cheers and murmurs of amazement.
"If he used Totemization, that has to mean he's a Saint, right?"
"Even if not, the only one who could do that at his age was the Holy Lady! A once-in-a-generation genius has been born in Eshua!"
As the praise poured in, the Skull King closed his eyes in smug satisfaction.
Yes!
This is it! This is what I'm talking about!
Keep it coming, you cursed, filthy paladin bastards!
Honestly, this was part of the reason he used the Shadow Lich.
The idea of him using Totemization, a spell only Saints or Cardinals could perform?
Instant saint status!
Top-tier treatment, guaranteed!
Even his baby food would probably come topped with truffles!
"Isaac, let's go home. Uncle will teach you many things."
The knights looked at Uncle in disbelief, as if to ask if this was really okay, but Uncle just smiled as he mounted his horse with the Skull King in his arms.
"This uncle will raise you to become a splendid holy knight. You have the talent!"
The Skull King also smiled.
Sure, holy knight, whatever—just give me back my body when we get home, you brat.
"Even if you don't live long, I'll find a way. I'll make sure your name is known across the entire continent!"
Man, why does this bastard keep talking like he's gonna kill his nephew?
As the Skull King glared at his uncle, the man met his gaze with a cheerful grin.
"Haha! When we get home, I'll start by teaching you how to curse that pathetic Skull King. We'll practice it every day, from A to Z."
…Eshua, you sons of bitches.
Just you wait.
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