WeTried Translations

Translator: Yasi

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Precious Demon King

Chapter 1: Return

The world of Belhaim had fallen into crisis due to the Demon King's invasion.

Goddess Belhaim pleaded for help from many gods across the universe, but only God Earth responded.

In exchange for sending ten million heroes from Earth, Goddess Belhaim promised to bless them.

Ten million Earthlings were summoned to Belhaim and received Goddess Belhaim's blessing.

[ Quest! ]

Defeat the servants of evil and unlock your status window.

Most of them died within a day and were reverse-summoned. However, many others completed the quest and received Goddess Belhaim's blessing.

[ Level Up! ]

The summoned Earthlings ranged from those who continued to walk the path of heroes, to those who merely tried to adapt and settle in the world of Belhaim, to those who sought power, and even to those who became villains who contributed nothing to society.

Over time, many Earthlings were reverse-summoned. Those who steadily grew stronger, however, were reborn as heroes. They gradually began hunting demons and drew closer to the Demon King raid.

One hundred years after the summoning.

Of the original ten million, only seven heroes remained. They were the final strike team. Stronger than anyone else, they launched one last campaign against the Demon King–but ultimately, they failed.

No summoned Earthlings remained. God Earth went silent, and Goddess Belhaim despaired.

One hundred years passed, and then one day.

[ The Demon King has been slain. ]

The world of Belhaim was saved. Startled, Goddess Belhaim rushed to the scene...

* * *

The Demon King's castle. The banquet hall table was so long that it could seat a hundred people. From the head of the table, it was difficult to make out the faces at the far end.

Only one dish was placed there.

Bubble, bubble.

The black-haired man sitting at the head of the table wore a hopeful expression.

"Damn, it even smells the same."

His voice, full of anticipation, echoed through the corridor, but there were few left to respond.

Tremble, tremble.

The Demon King's top chef, who had made the stew, knelt with his head on the floor, trembling. Understandably so. He was the only survivor in the vast castle of the Demon King.

Meanwhile, the man who had slaughtered everyone, including the Demon King, lifted the lid of the stew.

"Wow, even the appearance is similar. Hmm, it really does look like kimchi stew."

His anticipation swelled. He picked up a spoon, scooped some stew, and brought it to his mouth.

"Fuuu."

Steam rose and faded.

"Slurp."

He tasted the broth.

"Mmm."

At the sound, the chef prostrated on the floor trembled even harder. Please, please...

"Tasty. Nice umami."

It worked! It worked! I'm alive!

"But this isn't the original flavor."

Huh?

The man snapped his fingers.

Whoosh.

In that moment, a pale-faced man in a black cloak appeared out of thin air. The longsword at his waist was unmistakable.

"Shall I?"

"A bet is a bet."

Slash! Thud.

The last survivor of the Demon King's castle was gone.

Only corpses remained...

"Shall I clean up?"

"No, forget it."

"Understood."

Whoosh.

The cloaked man disappeared into black smoke. He was the man's most trusted subordinate–a demon.

"Ha, Remi is seriously smooth."

Left alone again, the man picked up his spoon.

"Slurp."

The taste wasn't quite like the food of his homeland, but the stew itself was excellent.

It was no wonder he had been the Demon King's chef. He was truly talented!

"Was it you?"

"Huh?"

The spoon paused midair. The man glanced up.

A woman. She was so beautiful that the word rose to his mind unbidden.

"What the...?"

He put down the spoon. His face was relaxed, but he was filled with suspicion. He hadn't noticed her approach.

Who was she? What was this? Should he kill her? What was going on?

"I am Goddess Belhaim."

"What?"

The man froze at the unexpected introduction. A goddess? Belhaim?

"Was this your doing?"

Goddess Belhaim looked around.

Corpses. Corpses. Corpses...

They were all high-ranking demons who had ruled the fragmented regions of Belhaim.

"I asked if you were the one who defeated the Demon King."

"Yes."

"..."

Goddess Belhaim looked at the man with compassion.

"Thanks to you, the world has been saved."

The man stood up. His face twisted with hostility.

"So the goddess shows up after the Demon King is dead."

"...?"

"You're the one who summoned me to this damned world, aren't you?"

Vwooom.

His presence grew ferocious. Goddess Belhaim felt as though she were facing the Demon King himself. Then again, it was only natural that the man would be stronger–after all, he had defeated the Demon King.

Flash!

The man's body blurred, and suddenly he stood before her. The moment his hand touched her forehead–

Boom! Crackle.

With a blast, Goddess Belhaim burst apart. Seeing that made him feel a little better.

"Hah, damn. Bitch."

Wasn't it her fault he had ended up like this? Over the course of two hundred years, his Earthling identity had eroded, leaving only a fragment.

"Calm yourself."

"What the hell...?"

He was genuinely startled.

Goddess Belhaim, completely unharmed, reappeared before him. Just as when she first arrived, she appeared without presence, trace, or warning.

"I am Belhaim. I am this world."

Her words held many meanings. In other words, the form before him was merely an image. No matter how much he tore her apart or blew her up, she could not be killed. She shared her fate with this world–no, with the planet Belhaim itself.

With two hundred years of experience in this world, he understood immediately.

We can't kill each other.

It would be as foolish as trying to grasp air.

Wasting energy for no reason was not his habit. The vicious aura surrounding him disappeared as if it had never been there. The shift in attitude was shockingly fast.

"I get it. Now get lost."

"..."

He waved his hand and spat on the ground.

His anger didn't subside, but since there was nothing he could do about it, he decided it would be better to avoid looking at her altogether.

Slurp.

He ignored her and sat down to eat his stew again.

"What is your true name?"

"Tch. Lady. I'm eating."

"..."

"What are you going to do with my name?"

"...So I can bless you."

"Heh, what kind of blessing?"

Goddess Belhaim smiled kindly.

"The hero who saved the world deserves a reward."

"Reward? What could I possibly want?"

The man leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs on the table. His smile was the picture of arrogance.

"Nothing. In this world, my word is law and truth. I can make an emperor dance with one finger. Treasure? Women? Youth? What do you think I'm missing?"

"What about longing?"

"...?"

"Do you not wish to return to Earth?"

"...!"

For the first time, the man's gaze wavered.

"...Is that possible?"

"Everyone who was summoned but failed to defeat the Demon King has returned to Earth. That was the agreement."

"...Then why am I still here?"

"You did not receive my blessing. Therefore, you were excluded from the contract between God Earth and me."

Goddess Belhaim looked at the man warmly.

"Why did you not hear my voice?"

"Hahh."

The man recalled memories he preferred to forget.

The day he was first summoned. A black mage had kidnapped him and subjected him to endless torture and experimentation during that hellish time...

As Goddess Belhaim spoke, he opened his palm.

Buzz.

The corpses shook as their spirits rose and gathered in his hand, forming a black sphere.

"As you can see, it's like this."

"...You are someone who wields power that rejects order."

"That's right. I'm a black mage."

Why else would he still be alive after being kidnapped by a black mage? He had secretly learned magic by watching the mage. Then, by a stroke of luck, he took the mage down. He survived however he could until he ended up like this.

"Is it even possible to bless someone like me?"

There was a faint hope in his voice.

Could a priest's healing powers work on a black mage? Impossible.

Holy power was poison to him, so it was no surprise that Goddess Belhaim's blessing had bypassed him.

He was someone who wielded the power of chaos.

"...It might be possible, but..."

Goddess Belhaim was troubled.

Should she call him a hero for defeating the Demon King? Or should she call him the next Demon King, for possessing power that rivaled one? The power of chaos within him was overwhelming.

"Now you're trying to back out? This ends with us both dead."

"..."

Even while smiling, the man sounded deadly serious.

"To bless you, I would have to wedge into the chaos you possess and sprout a seed of order...If it's a relic, that might be possible."

"Oh, a relic."

A relic held divine power. Blessing a person was impossible, but transferring ownership of a blessed object might solve the issue.

Goddess Belhaim opened both palms.

"Choose. This is a scale that balances order and chaos. This is a sword that preserves order."

Both objects glowed with a golden light.

"The scale will temporarily suppress the chaos within you and allow the seed of order to take root. The sword will carve out the chaos within you entirely."

The man smirked. One would suppress his dark power. The other would make him relinquish it completely.

He disliked both options. As he hesitated, Belhaim smiled.

"You still cling to your power."

Greed was a basic human trait. The man's hesitation was, in a way, a welcome sign. He was still human, for now...

"Though relics are rare, I have already given them to you. If you dislike either one, return to Earth and destroy it."

"Hah. I can destroy it? That's cool."

"However, no matter which one you choose, it will lead you to a higher realm...Using it wisely will not result in a loss."

After a brief pause, the man nodded.

"Fine. Give it to me."

"You stand at the crossroads between becoming an Arbiter or a Judicator."

"I'll become an Arbiter."

No matter what, it was better to seal his dark power than to lose it.

Goddess Belhaim nodded and continued, like a guide reading terms and conditions.

"This is the Scale of Order and Chaos. It once served to balance the world, but now it will take root in your heart and maintain balance within you."

The man's accomplishments were worthy of the relics. She held no regrets about giving him one of them.

"What is your true name?"

The man could barely remember the name he had used two hundred years ago.

"Kim Junyong."

"Kim Junyong, will you guard my scale?"

"Okay."

Goddess Belhaim smiled in satisfaction.

Swoosh.

A pale aura swirled and wrapped around Kim Junyong's body.

"As the Arbiter of the Scale, you shall find balance and self-purify."

[ Quest! ]

Defeat the Demon King and return to Earth!

The long-awaited main quest finally appeared and was immediately confirmed as complete.

[ Quest Complete! ]

Return to Earth.

Fwoosh.

Kim Junyong felt his body lift as if he were floating.

Was he really going back this easily?

An innocent man was dragged here and forced to wander this world for two hundred years! Ha. "Return" was just a nice word for it. It was like being kidnapped and finally released after being held hostage the whole time.

"I really busted my ass here because of you, damn it."

"Thank you for your efforts."

Kim Junyong raised both middle fingers with a grin. Yet, Goddess Belhaim still bowed her head with reverence.

"May you, the unstable, find balance and reach transcendence..."

Roughly two hundred years after the summoning of ten million to save Belhaim.

Instead of a reverse-summon, the first true returner set off for Earth.

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