The Demon King Who Draws

Chapter 43

Before my throne, a gathering of those swathed in orange bands since birth.

Rare gems even in this fledgling dungeon, five-star resources. Leaders in their own right across the fields.

My gaze first lands on the day’s summon, a five-star Familiar, the Guardian of Ruins.

Grrroooar…
Struggling to bend, it stands, arms bracing the ground, a form shifting between bipedal and quadrupedal.

‘This one must remain as is for now.’

Without even a rudimentary Earth Field, its best use lies in tending the dungeon. The Dungeon Core’s magic will handle construction, but for compacting soil or altering structures, this one excels.

There’s the Forest Troll with similar strength and stature…

‘But that one can’t understand a word.’

At least it knows not to harm its allies, thankfully.

Anyway, its time to shine is later.

“I shall name thee, Moam.”

Grrroooar…
Is that satisfaction or discontent?

Thud…

Thud…

The rocky features seem to smile, so it must be good.

‘Next…’

A woman looks up at me, her eyes a mix of arrogance and ennui, or perhaps both. Not ordinary, but strikingly beautiful.

“Do you desire a name?”

“You would name me?”

What fitting name might there be?

The naming is for my sake, not hers. I can’t just call the growing legion of Familiars ‘hey, you.’

“Where is your homeland?”

“Rubitorium, a quaint village. It was fine until Aslan’s army took over.”

Werewolves, too, fell victim to Solomon’s conquest of the continent. Divided between those who could and couldn’t control their bloodline’s power, Solomon eradicated both factions impartially.

Thus, werewolves are scarce in Solaria, much like the Dark Elves.

“…Ruby, that is now your name.”

“Ruby…”

She smirks, pleased with the name.

“Thank you, Ruby! It’s a good name, isn’t it? What do I do now?”

“Someone will come for you on the appointed day. Follow them.”

“That’s it?”

“They will instruct you further, though what you must do will require your own judgment.”

I speak with a gravity to temper her excitement.

“If you’re not of use, there’s no reason for our contract.”

“I’ll be of use… I’ll show you just how much!”

Ruby seems to share Phenex’s headstrong nature…

‘They mustn’t be paired.’

Phenex with me or Lucifer, and Ruby with Bill or Mori. Synergy is key.

Ruby trudges to the end of the Familiar line.

“Hmm… Ah!”

She seems intrigued by the ceremony. Becoming a Familiar is akin to rebirth, naturally sparking curiosity.

‘Now, the next…’

Whoosh…

Flames erupt, then vanish into someone’s nostrils.

“Hehe… hehehe…”

[★★★★★ Summoning the Ringmaster of the Mad Carnival.]

…

A Familiar resembling a classic jester.

His face, whitewashed, but flames passing over reveal a charred, fleeting visage.

Unsettling to look at, but he mostly understands me.

“Hehe! Hehehehe!”

…Is laughter all you know?

Well, his dialogue script was always limited.

This one’s a peculiar Familiar. Dreams, flames, and the mind are his domain.

When first acquired, if even one field can be established, he’s a must-have.

He… well, he can’t lead, but he dominates the field, monopolizing the magic flow without leading.

A flaw, perhaps, but also an advantage.

‘Especially when there’s a shortage of Familiars for field construction.’

…He is the field itself.

Thanks to the Ringmaster’s unique persistent effects and abilities. Better felt than explained.

‘Thanks to him, I can now create a field for Phenex.’

She must’ve felt slighted, choosing Croxel’s Lake over her master’s poppy fields. Being the first devil to join and not receiving her own domain would seem unfair.

Phenex is strong.

And will grow stronger. But she needs the right incentive.

A devil’s whip, so to speak.

All devils lack something. Phenex craves recognition, having always been discarded, while Amon has an odd deficiency for a Grand Devil.

As Faust, I must leverage these deficiencies for control.

That’s the plan, anyway. But first, this Familiar must return to its place.

“Santo, that is your name.”

“Hehehehehe!”

…Such a disconcerting fellow.

Fwoosh…

Ringmaster Santo of the Wandering Troupe mounted a curious orb of flame and returned to his place.

Only one remained.

“Bestow upon me a name as well.”

A hunched figure of considerable size.

A hooked nose, a rusted crown upon his head, and a king’s cloak dragging on the floor.

[★★★★★ Summoning the Goblin King.]

…

One of the forest’s chieftains, the Goblin King.

The forest attribute had been solidly built up, and a leader was already in place. The addition of another forest chieftain was not exactly a welcome situation.

Efficiency-wise, a chieftain of another attribute might have been better.

So one might wonder, if the best-rated chieftain is fixed in the field, are all newly drawn chieftains unnecessary?

The answer is no.

In Lemegeton, there’s a system called the hidden boss. If an intruder follows the designated path without any problematic behavior, they will never encounter a hidden boss. However, if certain conditions are met or the field is thoroughly searched, hidden bosses are occasionally encountered.

‘Well… if the player were an intruder, they would naturally seek out the hidden boss.’

It’s an old tradition of intruders to scour every grain of the dungeon, so it makes sense.

Thus, having multiple bosses in the field is not a problem. Hidden bosses are not encountered if one sticks to the regular route, and they are mostly irrelevant to dungeon conquest.

“Jaakim.”

“Jaakim? Jaakim, you say…”

The Goblin King pondered deeply, nodding off. For the time being, he would exist as a hidden boss in the forest field.

“Tell me, contractor, what is your name? Can you share it?”

“Faust.”

“Faust… Good. Faust, what should I do here?”

Well, for now…

“There’s nothing immediate.”

“…I see.”

Yes, return to your place.

…

“Faust, I have a request.”

“…What?”

This is surprising.

To speak one’s mind before a command.

…

Lucifer also seemed displeased, looking down at him with a cold demeanor.

“A request… Speak.”

“Give me… a chance to prove myself.”

“…Prove?”

“Yes, prove. Prove that I am of use to you, Faust.”

“…Interesting. Go on.”

“A familiar contract is akin to submission. One cannot go against the will of the contractor. Yet, why would a strong being willingly enter into a familiar contract?”

Those who enter into familiar contracts include not only the souls of the dead but also the living beings of Solaria.

The Dark Elf Queen Ariel and the assassin Bill are prime examples of those who have entered into familiar contracts while alive.

They were bound by the gates of hell’s contract because their homelands had vanished.

Swept up in Solomon’s conquest, they had nowhere else to go…

Limping…

The Goblin King limped on one leg.

He was lame.

“A chance to leap again. The belief that I can become stronger than before… if I can act as a useful being to the contractor.”

“Hmm…”

In short, he seems to want to offer his strength and curry favor. And he wants to grow.

‘It’s not wrong. Familiars that are frequently used are grown by the dungeon’s master, who feeds them resources.’

Through such a process, they become much stronger than when they roamed the wild.

“Give me… a chance. I am surely of use.”

Ariel and he exchanged glances.

Ariel stepped forward, lifting the hem of her skirt slightly and bending her knee.

“Do as you wish. I’m fine as long as I can look after the forest.”

“Keke… A magnanimous woman indeed.”

The Goblin King’s gleaming eyes expressed gratitude to Ariel.

Nod…

“Good, I look forward to the next battle. Jaakim.”

“Hehehe…”

“However, you’d do well to watch your attitude towards me next time.”

“…”

“There are many who could take your place.”

There aren’t. Or at least, not many.

Still, his insolent presence before me was irksome.

At my words, Jaakim’s temples throbbed as he looked around, but all the familiars, except for him, were submissive to me.

“I will be… especially careful.”

* * *

“He’s a dangerous one,” Ariel whispered to me as the majority of the familiars retreated.

“Do you know him?”

“Before becoming a familiar, I had heard news of him.”

“Was Solaria that small?”

“No, most Dark Elves led nomadic lives, so there are few forests in Solaria we haven’t touched.”

“Dangerous… What’s so dangerous about him?”

“Jaakim… the one so named was once just a small goblin. The difference between him and the others… he was excessively greedy.”

“It seemed so.”

“Every chieftain who took him in was murdered by him.”

I almost chuckled.

So, a goblin king assassin or something.

“Why is his leg crippled?”

“I heard it’s payback for his past deeds. He must have been a wanderer for quite some time.”

“Hmm… Alright, you may leave.”

“Yes.”

As Ariel left, two mischievous figures appeared.

“Who’s Jaakim?”

“The goblin, the big one!”

“Aha!”

One was obviously Phenex, and the other, the werewolf Ruby.

They had somehow become close.

“Master! Don’t worry! If he’s suspicious, I’ll beat him up!”

“Good! I’ll join in!”

To their absurd declaration, I returned a cold gaze.

“…”

“…Shall we go eat instead?”

“Shall we?”

The two quickly exited through the door of the abyss.

In their stead, or perhaps because of their departure, a new guest arrived.

…The air suddenly grew heavy.

“…Amon?”

“Ah, Faust.”

Amon, halfway through his approach, turned to leave again.

“Come along, I’ll show you something interesting.”

…Something interesting?