The Demon King Wants Peace - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

“It will be difficult to descend the cliff with that arm.”

When Valen stopped in front of the steep cliff, Argen finally took her place beside him.

“Is messing with people your hobby? I know, so shut up. Don’t stir up what I’m barely holding back.”

“I’m worried. With a human’s self-healing ability, you won’t be able to prevent the wound from worsening.”

“Better to lose an arm than live as a monster.”

He growled lowly, looking down at Argen standing beside him. The sharp tension in his expression was reflected in her red eyes. His face was filled with hostility, as if he might throw a punch at any moment.

“…You’ll lose your arm?”

Valen himself didn’t care whether he lost an arm or not. His mind was consumed with thoughts of the overwhelming power difference between the demons and himself. He was engulfed in an emotion resembling rage.

In contrast, Argen’s usually composed face began to show deep cracks. She looked pale and her breathing became more labored, as if she were in shock.

“Are you… going to become one-armed?”

“It’s not like I’m losing my manhood, so don’t worry about it.”

“How can you be so calm about becoming crippled?”

Valen grasped Argen’s cheek and jaw with one hand.

“Who’s playing around? As long as I can still ej@cul@te, it’s all good, right? Ah, are you worried that I won’t be able to get an er3ct!0n because of the shock? Don’t pretend to be so noble. If I shove it in your mouth and keep thrusting, it’ll stand up, so stop with the hypocritical concern.”

Argen listened to Valen’s words without showing any fear.

“Hmph……”

Then, suddenly, she reached out and pressed hard on his wound. Valen’s right arm convulsed, and his face twisted in pain.

“See? It hurts.”

“D@mn it, so what can you do about it?”

“…I should have brought the goat along. Even if the goat can’t cure human allergies, it’s certainly a competent doctor.”

But Valen’s nerves would rot away before they could reach the Demon King’s castle where Nadal was. As Argen pondered seriously, soldiers began to gather around as if on cue.

Seinrich, having been briefed on the situation, looked at Valen’s wound with eyes full of concern.

“…You got hurt trying to protect me.”

Protect you? He tried to handle it alone and got stupidly caught. Valen lifted one corner of his mouth in a rotten smile. In this grave situation, he was the only one not taking it seriously.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to heal you.”

“The infected area is visibly spreading. At this rate, it looks like it will kill all the nerves.”

“Is there not a single person here who has studied medicine?!”

“Being a doctor is an unpopular profession… It’s not a job women prefer either. Even if you get certified, there’s nowhere to use it…”

“What are we going to do?”

As the conversation dragged on, Valen’s pain became more severe. Just as the atmosphere was sinking into despair, Argen seemed to have an idea and exclaimed, “Ah.”

“Let’s freeze it.”

“What?”

“Enrit mentioned that time stops inside ice. If we freeze it solid and transport him, we might not have to amputate the arm.”

“Indeed! You are wise, Lady Argen!”

Wise, my foot. Why would you freeze a living person as if they were groceries? But the demons had already decided to freeze him.

“Is there anyone who has mastered ice magic?”

“I can do it! With the snow we have, we can easily turn someone of his size into a frozen tuna!”

Wait a minute.

Freezing him was already a novel idea, but freezing his entire body? He’d die from frostbite while trying to treat a burn.

Valen glared fiercely at the demons, issuing a warning.

“Touch me, and you’ll all be dead.”

The demons hesitated momentarily at his menacing demeanor. However, their desire to prevent Valen from becoming crippled outweighed their fear of a few punches.

The youngest soldier, saying “I’m sorry,” sniffled before striking the back of Valen’s head. Valen’s eyes rolled back, and he collapsed as if his tendons had been severed.

How many times am I going to pass out? Valen felt the cold creeping up from his fingertips as he closed his eyes.

“Just hold on a little longer. When you wake up, everything will be better.”

The stench of rotting meat filled the streets. Fat flies laid eggs on the skin of stray dogs and homeless people sprawled on the ground, and both humans and animals lay dead with their eyes dark and lifeless.

Valen picked up a puppy by the scruff of its neck. Despite its limp body, it gave a weak bark in resistance. With an indifferent expression, Valen shoved the puppy into an old Boston bag.

Still, those lying around here were all barely alive. However, no one welcomed their existence. If they were dead, they could be loaded onto a cart and burned, but those barely clinging to life were nothing more than obstacles blocking the way.

The area in front of the old mercenary guild was bustling. As Valen pushed open the creaky wooden door and entered, the cacophony inside filled his ears like a noisy marketplace.

“I told you not to drink inside!”

“That m0ther-cker smokes just fine, so why can’t I drink? Are you discriminating against me? Huh?!”

“Because you cause a ruckus when you’re drunk, like right now! If you pull out that bottle one more time, you’ll never get another job!”

“Ugh, disgusting…”

The interior had a ceiling as high as a tower. However, it was dark even in broad daylight because the lights were only installed near the broker’s table.

“If you’ve made so much money, at least install some lights!”

“I took them down on purpose because I don’t want to see your faces! F-ck you. If you’re going to talk bullsh1t, get out!”

In one corner, peddlers sold contraband while avoiding the manager’s eyes, and in another, burly men were tangled up in fistfights. Some were even hastily dropping their pants to satisfy their sΣxu@l urges.

It was an inappropriate place for a sixteen-year-old like Valen to frequent alone, but the boy was not only indifferent but also familiar with it.

Valen skillfully navigated through the crowded space, brushing past people with each step. He filled an empty canteen at a sink with a thin stream of water, then cupped his hand to hold some water. Peeking out, the puppy lapped at the water in his palm.

After giving the puppy water several times, it seemed to quench its thirst and retreated back into the bag.

Sunlight streamed through the cracks in the old, broken bricks. It was a radiant light, almost too splendid for a place filled with thick cigarette smoke and curses. Valen stood in a dark corner of the interior, grasping at a single beam of light.

The knuckles on the back of his hand were raw and red, and his palms were covered in calluses. The spot where his thumbnail had fallen off had turned black, as if it were rotting.

If Leto saw this, he’d be shocked and cry. What about his face? It had been so long since he last looked in a mirror that he had no idea what he looked like.

…Should I stop by a clothing store?

Leto was turning ten this year. The image of his younger brother, whom he saw just before leaving home, weighed heavily on his chest. Leto had been wearing Valen’s old clothes, looking shabby as if he were wrapped in a blanket. Although Leto smiled happily, saying he liked anything that belonged to his brother, it only made Valen feel more pity.

I should go to a clothing store.

I should look in a mirror, get a pair of gloves to cover my hands, and prepare Leto’s autumn clothes in advance.

Fortunately, the payment for this job was quite substantial. Although it felt woefully insufficient considering the number of times he had narrowly escaped death, it was still the largest amount he had received since starting mercenary work.

“Mercenary number 103! Come collect your payment!”

A young boy with a youthful voice shouted at the top of his lungs. Valen pulled his hood down low, took out his mercenary card in advance, and headed up to the third floor.

“Wow… I thought you were dead, but you made it back alive?”

“……”

“You’re not mute, are you?”

Instead of answering, Valen handed over his mercenary card. The broker clicked his tongue in disapproval and pulled out a heavy pouch from under the table.

Just as Valen was about to grab the pouch, a rough hand seized his wrist. Before he could react, his hood was pulled back, and sunlight poured over the boy’s face.