The Modern Founding Chronicles of the Returned Demon King

The Modern Founding Chronicles of the Returned Demon King

Episode 4: Return (3)

I asked Lee Seo-yeon, who was about to sling her bag over her shoulder.

“Why aren’t you pursuing blacksmithing and working at a company instead?”

“… What are you talking about all of a sudden? I gave up on that dream a long time ago.”

Lee Seo-yeon looked at me cautiously.

“Why did you give it up?”

“Why? Because I don’t have the talent for it. What’s the point of being good at smelting and casting if you don’t have any abilities related to blacksmithing? You can’t survive in that field without them.”

“So, you’re saying, if you had blacksmith-related abilities, you’d consider doing it again?”

The reason I asked these questions was simple. I was curious whether she gave up on her dream of becoming a blacksmith because she disliked it.

Of course, I had already confirmed this through [Lezie’s Insight], but I needed to hear it verbally.

Lee Seo-yeon chuckled.

“Of course, why would I be doing this if I had abilities? With just one ability, I could conquer everything. Ah, why doesn’t an ability just fall from the sky? If someone gives me an ability, I could even call them ‘King’ for the rest of my life.”

Lee Seo-yeon looked up at the ceiling sincerely.

I slowly stood up from the dining table.

“Then from now on, you should call me ‘King’.”

“…What?”

I remember the reason why Lee Seo-yeon and I became awkward with each other.

Even if 6666 years pass, the reason that memory haunts me is that, upon reflection, that ‘incident’ was so ridiculous.

“About 4 years ago, you stole and ate the pudding I bought. Remember?”

That was it. The incident involving ‘pudding.’

“Uh, um, yes…”

Lee Seo-yeon flinches at my words.

“She must feel guilty too.”

“Right. Our relationship became awkward because of ‘pudding.’ Some might call it trivial.”

“…..”

“But it’s not trivial.”

My cold gaze met Lee Seo-yeon’s.

It was as sharp as a blade, making Lee Seo-yeon wince.

“It’s a full 100 times. I put up with it 99 times, but you’ve secretly eaten my pudding 100 times in four years.”

It wasn’t the ‘pudding’ that was important; it was the ‘number of times’ that mattered.

Back then… I had slammed Lee Seo-yeon’s head into the refrigerator as she was eating my pudding in front of it.

And I declared, “I can’t live with someone like you.”

“Do you have anything to say about this?”

“I’m sorry….”

“Is that all?”

In fact, it doesn’t matter how many times someone eats another’s pudding.

However, the issue was that she repeatedly trampled on my trust.

“I’m sorry… I really messed up back then…”

Her trembling eyes are moist.

“Don’t cry.”

“Okay….”

Lee Seo-yeon wipes the corners of her eyes with her arm.

And then she mutters as if grinding her teeth.

“I won’t do it again… I’m really, really sorry…”

Finally letting tears flow, Lee Seo-yeon covered her eyes with her arm and sobbed.

“I’ll give you all the pudding I treasure… please forgive me… I don’t want to be alone anymore…”

I exhaled deeply at the sight of her pitiful figure.

If it were the old me, I might not have let it slide just for this.

However, she is now my only remaining family. We can’t go on like this forever.

“I’ll forgive you. Let’s reconcile now.”

“…Really?”

As Lee Seo-yeon looks up with somewhat red eyes, I nod my head.

“Seo-jun…”

Lee Seo-yeon hugs me, her face smeared with tears and mucus.

I wanted to pull away due to the instinctual discomfort, but I endured it for once.

When her sobbing had somewhat subsided, I stared intently at Lee Seo-yeon. Then, I pushed her away with a faint smile.

“Now check your status window.”

“…Status window? Why?”

“Stop talking and just do it.”

Lee Seo-yeon sniffled and stared into the void.

At first, her expression was sullen. But at some point, her gaze stopped at one place, and her mouth began to open.

Her eyes, which resemble mine, moved from side to side. She’s probably reading the description of some ability.

When that movement stopped, ripples formed once again in Lee Seo-yeon’s eyes.

And then she looked at me.

“Seo-jun…”

I spoke coldly as I looked at her.

“At least bow down.”

Lee Seo-yeon’s knees clung to the floor as if magnetized.

***

I asked Lee Seo-yeon,

“How long will it take to get a blacksmith’s certification?”

“Um, probably about two weeks.”

“I see.”

“So, did you know this would happen and suggested that we make up?”

“Two birds with one stone.”

“So, you’ve gained an ability to see this kind of stuff?”

“Something like that.”

“Since when?”

“Stop asking and just go submit your resignation. Well, I don’t know if it’ll be processed right away, though.”

“Ah, right.”

Lee Seo-yeon, who had been kneeling, stood up from her spot and grabbed her bag.

Then, as she headed toward the entrance, she waved a hand.

“Then I’ll go and put a Kabuto helmet on the head of the department chief and make some Takoyaki. Let’s talk again when I return.”

That doesn’t seem like a topic to discuss cheerfully.

A moment later, Lee Seo-yeon, who had come in with a heavy heart, left the house with a cheerful expression.

With just one person gone, the atmosphere quickly became serene and peaceful.

Ring—

A vibration sound broke the short silence.

I picked up my cellphone, which was on the desk, to check.

010-XXXX-XXXX: Mr. Lee Seo-jun, I’ve read the heartbreaking story you sent. The location for the ‘2040 Gate Collapse Victims Gathering’ is attached below. Please drop by whenever convenient. If your sister is also willing, she can join at any time.

Korea had almost been destroyed by a gate collapse that happened ten years ago from now. At that time, 1 million people disappeared.

This gathering was one of the places where the surviving families of that time gathered. It was not a meeting for compensation, but a gathering to share the same pain.

‘Come to think of it, I remember sending a story via email.’

I hesitated for a moment, wondering whether or not to go to the meeting.

But when I came to my senses, I found myself already heading towards the venue.

***

Upon arriving at the location, a woman with a full of wrinkles greeted me.

“Ah, you must be the young Lee Seo-jun who said you’d be coming. Welcome, welcome. You have quite an eclectic sense of fashion. Feel free to sit anywhere.”

I found an empty seat among the circularly arranged chairs and sat down.

Soon, a middle-aged man took charge of the gathering.

“First, I’d like to express my gratitude to everyone for having the courage to come here today. As you all know, everyone present here has lost a loved one to the ‘demon’ during the gate collapse ten years ago…”

The deliberate mention of the demon was because the creatures that emerged from the gate collapse at that time were ‘demons.’

The creatures coming from the Earth’s gates are broadly divided into two categories: regular creatures from the ‘Dark Realm’ and demon types from the ‘Adoniya Realm’.

I’m probably the only one who knows the names of these Realms here.

“…Today, many new people have joined us. I would appreciate it if each of you could stand up one by one to introduce yourself and share the reason you came here.”

People then took turns standing up from their chairs to share their stories.

“I lost my parents to the demon…”

“I want to rip those demons apart and kill them…”

“I’ve lost everything to them…”

Some spoke dispassionately, some were sobbing, and some were ranting.

If I were still the person I was in the past, I would have felt the same.

I would have hated the demons and expressed my pain.

But having returned, I felt uncomfortable.

“Next, Mr. Lee Seo-jun…?”

My turn had come before I knew it.

I quietly stood up from my seat.

“…”

I found this situation uncomfortable and unjust. The ones who caused harm to humans were from ‘Adoniya’, yet my ‘Solomon’ was also lumped in and hated.

Of course, these people probably didn’t know that the demon world is divided in that way, but it was still unfair.

Would this be how I would feel if my children were unfairly maligned without understanding the context?

“I am…”

I hesitantly opened my mouth.

Dozens of pairs of eyes were focused on me.

The look in those eyes wasn’t one of ‘admiration,’ but rather one of ‘sympathy.’

“I’m sorry.”

…No, this was not what I wanted.

“This doesn’t seem like the place where I should be.”

I turned and walked back home.

***

A few hours after Lee Seo-jun left, a woman burst through the door.

“I’m sorry! Am I too late?!”

The people who were arranging the chairs looked up at her.

“Ah, our pretty one is here. But I’m sorry, the meeting is already over.”

“Ah, I figured as much… A sudden gate collapse happened…”

Kim Eun-ha showed a sign of disappointment.

“Anything special happen today?”

“Special, you say? There was one interesting young man.”

“An interesting young man?”

“Yes, it was his first time here. He left suddenly, saying this place didn’t seem right for him during his introduction.”

“Do you think he was uncomfortable with this place?”

It wasn’t uncommon for people to leave because they found the place uncomfortable.

“Well, it was more subtle than that. I still don’t know exactly what it was. But one thing is certain.”

“What’s that?”

“That he would have been a suitable husband for you. Despite his odd attire, he was quite a dashing young man, ha-ha!”

“Aha-ha…”

Kim Eun-ha dispelled the elderly woman’s teasing with an awkward laugh.

Then she turned around to grab the door handle.

“Then, I’ll be going. I have another important schedule tomorrow.”

“Alright, take care.”

“Yes.”

Kim Eun-ha hastened her steps to prepare for tomorrow.

***

I came back to my bed and plopped down.

‘This is bad.’

It seems like a big problem has occurred.

It’s fine to summon them to Earth using [Solomon’s Demon King].

But what happens afterward?

The perception of demons in not just Korea but the entire world is deeply negative.

Solomon’s demons have blue skin, different from humans. If they openly roam the Earth, chaos will certainly ensue.

‘No matter how much I say that we’re different from ‘Adoniya’, nobody will pay attention.’

While the simple solution of using force exists, I wanted to shatter people’s ‘perceptions’ itself.

What should I do?

“First, I’ll need to build up my reputation.”

The first thing that came to mind was trust, namely reputation.

If you’re famous, they say people will applaud you even when you mess up. So, if I build up my reputation, naturally trust will follow my voice.

“Then becoming a Hunter is the first step.”

The old me had zero magic power, couldn’t even be an F-rank hunter when attending the ‘academy’. But now, after returning, even S-rank would be a joke.

What comes next after becoming a Hunter?

“A guild.”

No, even beyond that…

“I will establish a nation.”

A nation where not just Solomon’s demons, but also humans can live together.

This is not just an empty goal.

Naturally, it would be virtually impossible to take over an already existing nation like South Korea.

However, in this world, there exist territories that have become ‘lands of monsters’.

And that place is right above us, in what used to be North Korea.

If I reclaim that area with my own power, couldn’t I claim sovereignty over the territory?

There will probably be complications, but those are issues to be considered later.

And these goals are not just for the Solomon demons, but also for me.

“…”

I received looks filled with ‘pity’ at the previous meeting.

But I don’t want pity; I want ‘expectation’.

The expectations and praises I used to receive during my time as a Demon King.

I’ve denied it for a long time, but now, I have to admit it.

I’ve missed it, even if only for a short while.

Now that the goal is set.

A life where I am met with expectations. A life that is anything but ordinary.

I will once again become a ‘King’ in this place.

I must make it clear to the world that I have arrived.

The first step is to become a Hunter.

[Qualification] (In Progress)

Description: Show what abilities you have. This is just a small beginning, but it will gradually cause big ripples. Before the catastrophe strikes, you must become a Hunter.

Reward: Gain 10 points in the Worldview Causality Points.

Just as you have done for me, now it’s my turn to repay you.

(To be continued in the next part.)