WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Our Precious Demon King ◈
Chapter 60: The Shelf Life of Divine Power
──────
The US government knew the broad outline of the operation.
They were the ones who had supported Logan's trip to Japan in the first place.
They had also made the fake IDs for Jose, Arjun, and Logan.
The US government and Logan had built up trust through close cooperation.
That trust was why they had actively supported him when he said Korea's “special adviser” and his companion, “Kim Remi,” had to be eliminated for the sake of world peace.
The government had a right to hear how the failed operation had unfolded and how it had ended.
“Well, if there's anything you'd like to ask, go ahead.”
“Oh! No, sir. We're only here to escort you.”
“The analysts are waiting at Sentinel's LA branch.”
Logan nodded.
The two agents sent to escort him were tense, but contrary to their fears, he was perfectly calm in both body and mind.
‘Ryu Jai was right.’
An unrestrained Divine Warrior had become a guardian's knight.
Why did this limited freedom under someone else's control feel more welcome than complete freedom weighed down by unlimited responsibility?
Heavy responsibilities, worries, and duties like “world peace” or the future “Demon King's invasion” were no longer his problem.
He felt as though he'd been demoted from the lead to a supporting role in an instant, but it wasn't bad. In fact, it was better.
He felt so free of burdens.
Eventually, they arrived at Sentinel's LA branch.
Three people were waiting in a spacious reception room.
Sentinel's director, the LA branch chief, and a combat analyst.
All three knew about Logan's operation.
“I was worried, but you seem to be doing well.”
“Of course I am.”
As they shook hands, the director studied Logan's condition with puzzlement.
“Of course?”
“I've found my true place.”
“Hmm. Shall we start from the beginning? Let's sit down first.”
After shaking hands, Logan sat on the sofa.
“Where should I begin?”
“At the beginning.”
Logan started with his flight out of LA. He told them about meeting Jose and Arjun, then about the sudden arrival of a Japanese yakuza boss and Takahashi Kenchi.
“And then we went to pay our respects to him.”
“Just a moment, Logan. Pay your respects? Are you talking about the Mad Sovereign?”
“Let's be clear. There's no way he's the Mad Sovereign.”
“What? Logan, Sentinel has already verified this.”
Kim Junyong, the Korean hunter hired as a special adviser, was the Mad Sovereign of Belheim.
That was an established fact, confirmed through cross-checking.
“Absolutely not.”
“Logan, I don't understand why you're suddenly defending him.”
All three grew sharply wary.
Logan was acting just like Ryu Jai.
He had changed after meeting the Mad Sovereign, so they couldn't rule out the possibility that he had fallen victim to mental manipulation.
“I understand. If I were in your position, I'd suspect mental manipulation too.”
“Hmm.”
“You can test me if you want.”
“Let's talk a little more first.”
Logan nodded.
“It's dangerous to assume he's the Mad Sovereign just because their faces look somewhat alike.”
“...But if he isn't the Mad Sovereign, how could he have become so strong in such a short time?”
“That's another mistaken assumption.”
Logan spoke with certainty.
“He's an apostle sent by the goddess of Belheim.”
“...He's a returnee. He was born on Earth and went to Belheim. What do you mean, an apostle?”
“I don't know the goddess's full intentions either... But he's someone she holds dear. I believe she sent him here because she knew of Earth's situation.”
Logan's cautious guess only left Sentinel's director and senior staff more bewildered.
“In any case, he's nothing like a lowly demon realm lord such as the Mad Sovereign.”
“...All right, Logan. Shall we hear what happened next?”
“Jose and Arjun couldn't withstand the apostle's Judgment and died. I barely managed to have my sins forgiven and was given another chance.”
“I'd like to hear the details.”
Logan told them exactly what had happened.
He had nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to hide, and no reason to hide it.
The apostle would save Earth anyway.
“Ryu Jai's ranking and mine fell because the apostle took back the power of God.”
“...What happened to Takahashi Kenchi?”
“Takahashi Kenchi slandered the apostle by calling him trash like the Mad Sovereign. All his energy was drained away, and he died a shriveled mummy.”
“...”
It was shocking.
“I advise Sentinel... No, the United States as a whole not to anger the apostle by falsely calling him the Mad Sovereign. In fact, I'd find it hard to tolerate that myself.”
“...”
Their conversation with Logan, who had become like a religious fanatic, left Sentinel's senior staff confused.
After sending him away, they held a meeting of their own, but their conclusions were obvious.
“Good grief. Logan's become a fanatic.”
“We have a bigger problem than that. To think Jose and Arjun are dead.”
“India and Paraguay haven't even figured out what's happened yet.”
Both men had left doubles in their home countries to establish alibis.
Their governments would only now begin to catch on and look for the real men, but neither would ever return.
“From what we've learned so far, the Mad Sovereign's... No, the Korean hunter's skill, ‘Judgment,’ has absolute power over G-rank hunters who possess the power of God.”
“We must never let Vikram come face-to-face with him.”
“As for Logan... Hmm. We still need to keep an eye on him, but we may have to stop counting him among our combat assets.”
“That leaves Vikram as the only G-rank in all of North and South America.”
“It would be difficult to hold Korea responsible for this incident.”
“If an A-rank devil causes a disaster, we might need to ask Korea for help.”
“What about using Japan to sound Korea out?”
“That seems like our best option for now.”
Sentinel's senior staff worked hard to prepare their report for the president.
A report couldn't simply present the facts and end there. They had to propose responses, predict all the resulting consequences, and report those as well.
After several meetings, they met with the president of the world's most powerful nation, the United States, and delivered their report.
* * *
The Demon Realm Forum had been buzzing since late the previous night.
- My God. Three G-ranks have disappeared.
- Logan's ranking dropped.
- Jose must've fallen out of the top 1,000. He's not on the list at all.
- Arjun's gone too.
- What happened?
- Does that mean the new top seven are G-ranks now?
- That's a stupid idea, idiot above me. There were seven Last Heroes. It's not like they hand out gifts to everyone in the top seven.
- Three left.
- What's going on? Why did they suddenly disappear?
- It's just like Ryu Jai. Maybe they met him?
- That makes sense, but... Arjun's in India right now.
- Jose's in Paraguay too.
- Logan's in LA right now, though?
- What? Then it doesn't seem like that Korean hunter had anything to do with it.
The alibis they had created to assassinate Kim Junyong were now serving as his alibi.
- Could it be this? The Last Heroes have an easier time fighting devils because they received an extra blessing from God, right?
- Whoa, seriously?
- Who doesn't know that, dumbass?
- I only just found out.
- That's because you're a scrub.
- Where are you, you fucking bastard? What country are you from?
- Take your fight somewhere else, idiots.
- Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, maybe that blessing has an expiration date?
- Oh.
- Oh
- Oooh?
Someone on the Demon Realm Forum had proposed the expiration-date theory.
It was strangely convincing, and most people ended up accepting it.
* * *
Sophie Giro.
A French hunter better known by her title, the “Saintess,” than by her name.
“What is he talking about?”
She couldn't believe her eyes as she read Logan's messages in the chat room full of idiots, otherwise known as G-ranks.
- Jose and Arjun have returned to God's embrace.
- What does that mean? They're dead?
- Yes.
- Just like that? At home?
- No. We met him. Ryu Jai was right.
- What about you? How are you still alive?
- I'm like Ryu Jai. He gave me a chance. You should hurry and meet him too. Ask for forgiveness. That's the only way to survive.
“What nonsense!”
You had to have committed a sin to be punished.
No, more importantly, who was that bastard to make them beg for forgiveness?
- I'm leaving this chat. It's not even a gathering of G-ranks anymore, is it?
With that final message, Sophie left the chat room.
Somehow, she didn't want to associate with them anymore.
Logan was still trying to act important, but his ranking had plunged to 451st.
“...I'm number one now.”
It felt like being the second-best student in school after the top student had disappeared.
The strongest human alive.
The most powerful hunter.
“...Not bad.”
Sophie Giro remained in a daze for a while, so elated that her body trembled.
What should she do now?
No, did she need to do anything?
That Korean hunter.
“He makes me uneasy.”
What did it matter whether he was the Mad Sovereign or an apostle of God?
She would never meet him.
Die or submit.
Neither was a good option.
“I just have to avoid him, right?”
Why should she care what happened on other continents?
A-rank dungeons or devils descending on Earth?
Well, that oh-so-great Korean hunter could deal with those.
Sophie only cared about Europe.
She had no intention of setting foot in any of the barbaric nations outside it.
Especially not Korea.
“Things are fine as they are.”
She would never cross paths with him.
Then there would be no problems.
* * *
“Wow, this is so good!”
Yu Jihun wolfed down the food Ed had prepared. With the time to leave for school fast approaching, he said goodbye with a look of deep regret.
“I'll get going, Uncle.”
“Come over often.”
“Really? Then can I come back after school today?”
“Of course.”
“Yes! I'm really coming back! I'll have dinner here!”
Kim Junyong chuckled at the sight of his happy nephew.
Looking at his family, he realized that someone else's happiness could become his own.
Was this vicarious satisfaction?
“Jihun.”
“Yes, Uncle!”
“Anything you want for dinner?”
“Uh, then I'd like pasta!”
“Oh! All right.”
It's not like I'm the one making it anyway.
“Okay, I'll see you this evening!”
“Sure. Get home safely.”
“Yes, sir!”
Yu Jihun waved and ran home.
Kim Junyong turned to Ed with a question.
“Meow! YouTube has detailed videos on how to make pasta, meow. I'll practice on the gourmet slaves today, meow!”
“Now, hold on! We need to show my nephew what proper pasta tastes like!”
He couldn't let his nephew settle for an imitation learned from YouTube.
“Meow?”
“Where did pasta originate?”
“...Meow?”
Was his Earth-born master asking a demon cat from Belheim about Earth's history and food culture?
Ed hurriedly searched Naver, South Korea's largest internet portal.
“Meow! Italy, meow!”
“Good. I'll take Jihun out for dinner later.”
“Meow! I want to come too, meow!”
“Well, suit yourself!”
“Meow!”
Ed jumped for joy, then suddenly thought of a question.
“But can someone who isn't a hunter use teleportation too, meow?”
“I can make him one.”
Kim Junyong opened the Demon Realm Forum and sent Admin a message.
They needed to meet anyway so he could hand over the divine orbs.
[Kim Junyong - You can awaken ordinary people, right?]
[Admin - Oh, of course, Big Bro! Who should I make into a hunter?]
Oh, if I make everyone in my sister's family hunters, could we take family trips too?
[Kim Junyong - Let's meet. Got all 3 orbs.]
[Admin - Whoa! Already?!]
[Admin - I knew I could count on you! Hurry into the Demon Realm! I'll make a paradise just for you, Big Bro!]
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
