Chapter 17 ……
“Couldn’t there be any danger? After all, this is technically a dungeon expedition. Shouldn’t we prepare something special, Demon King?”
As expected, the captain of the guards showed sharp insight.
But honestly, there wasn’t much to worry about.
I mean, I am the Demon King, aren’t I?
And this is my territory.
Even if some hidden monster popped out, I’d still be their master.
“There’s nothing to worry about. Just bring a sword.”
“As expected of the Demon King! Nothing can scare you!”
The orc and I were feeling smug, but Griffith’s face was still clouded with concern.
“Still…”
“Oh, right. You know half of us need to stay and guard the gate, don’t you?”
Of course, I hadn’t forgotten about Han Hyunjin, who had gone back to Earth.
He did say he’d make sure no other hunters could intrude here. Honestly, I didn’t know why he’d go out of his way to be that considerate.
But since Han Hyunjin was more trustworthy than most, I decided to believe him…
All the same, it’d be best if we quickly scouted the mine and assessed its value before anyone else came.
Two guards at the gate should be enough, right?
“Griffith, Number Two, and Kyu—you come with me. Number One and Three will guard the gate.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Kyu!”
“If anything happens at the mine, I’ll protect you! Don’t worry!”
“Y-yes…”
Griffith nodded reluctantly, still not looking convinced.
So, the four of us headed northwest at daybreak.
I was brimming with excitement at the thought of striking it rich.
On the way to the mine, I spoke up.
“You know, Number Two, I don’t think it’s very fitting for a king to be walking around on foot like this.”
“Then what should we do?”
“Once we find something valuable at the mine, buy a carriage. With horses.”
“Yes, sir!”
While Number Two and I dreamed of a rosy future, Griffith kept his hand on his sword hilt, scanning the surroundings.
Not that there was much to be wary of.
The area was nothing but vast green fields.
Though, the closer we got, the more that huge, black shape in the distance loomed larger…
“Is that the mine?”
I smirked, crossing my arms and staring proudly at the dark mass.
As we approached, its outline became clearer.
Before us rose a small, black mountain.
It seemed the mine was inside it.
At the entrance, an old sign was nailed into the ground.
“Oh, this is…”
[ ▯ Mine ]
Unfortunately, half the sign had been torn away.
“▯ Mine?”
Looked like a name, but… what could it mean?
I was still pondering when—
Bzzt. Crackle.
Huh?
While the others were distracted by the sign, a status window appeared before me.
Finally! Some info about the mine!
But… why did it look like this?
**[ ?e듃?대ㅡ?ᄮ? ?묒꽦?섏옄!
듦퀬 ?뺤씤? 섍퀬 ??? 몄뼱, 곗닉?
쭔 ?댄븘?섍린?v솴? ?몃컮?먮뒗 ?듭떖
??깅뵳 ?곴린
-
?븴??곌뎄 ?꾨줈?앺듃
a. 늼?? ?댁슜??컮???꾨줈?앺듃 ]**
“??”
**[ Tomb of the Dead □□
▯ Mine
An abandoned mine where the dead gather.
The □□ of the dead □□ here.
Reward: □□□□! ]**
Uh, wait a sec.
“This looks… off…”
[ R̴u͂̅͆͊̚͠í̛͞n̷è̢d̴ ̡́̕͞S͡o̸͝ư̶͘l̡͘͢͞s̷ ]
“…”
The moment the status window warped into that grotesque mess, my face drained of blood and a chill spread through my veins.
Behind the mask, my pupils darted wildly.
“Demon King, are you all right?”
Griffith and Number One turned back toward me from where they were leading.
Am I all right?
Not even close.
“S-s…”
“S?”
“S-s-s-s…!”
I gulped and panted.
Griffith’s face grew grave as he approached, while Kyu tilted his head from within my arms.
“What’s wrong, my lord?”
Griffith reached out, then hesitated, watching me.
My lips trembled as I forced the words out.
“Griffith, we…”
“Yes, sir?”
“…We’re screwed.”
“…What?”
I pushed the bewildered Griffith aside and fixed my gaze on the ominous mine.
Whoooosh.
A strange wind blew into the cavern, sucking everything around it inward.
The endless darkness inside made me dizzy.
If there’s one thing in the world that terrifies me most—after surviving countless storms—it’s this:
“This is a ghost mine.”
Ghosts.
Spirits!
This mine is haunted!
My legs shook from the eerie wind.
I may have been born a Demon King, said to silence crying children with a glance, but the fear of ghosts from my past life still clung to me.
Cockroaches, centipedes—those I could squash with ease.
Back in school, I was the guy everyone called when a bug showed up.
But ghosts?
“Can’t exactly punch a ghost.”
Too scary.
Why the hell is there a haunted mine in my dungeon?
Is this place some kind of ghost spot?!
While I was panicking, Griffith grabbed my shoulders tightly.
“My lord, what do you mean by ‘screwed’?”
Exactly what it sounds like!
“Didn’t you hear me? This is a haunted mine. We can’t go in there!”
When humans barge into haunted places out of curiosity, disaster always follows.
Anyone who’s watched horror movies knows: you either come out half-mad, or you never come out at all.
As a coward, I was well-versed in horror-movie survival rules.
“We mustn’t go in! We’ll all die!”
I tried desperately to convince Griffith and the orc to turn back.
But their faces were… puzzled.
“Huh? What’s so bad about ghosts?”
“My lord, why would ghosts be a problem?”
Number Two picked his ear while Griffith politely tilted his head.
Their nonchalant reactions shocked me.
Wait… are they serious?
Do these guys find people and money scarier than spirits?
At this rate, they’d just march into the ghost mine with nothing but swords!
I had to stop them.
“No, what I mean is—”
“Wait… don’t tell me you’re afraid of ghosts?”
The Demon King… afraid of ghosts? No way, right?
Number Two’s muttered words drifted to my ears like a faint breeze.
My head snapped toward him with a creak.
He flinched.
“N-no, my lord, I didn’t mean it like that…”
I glared at him, eyes blazing.
“What in the world happened?”
Joanna blinked innocently at the huge lump on Number Two’s forehead.
What could he have said to get smacked by the Demon King?
She had been sitting in the fields teaching the children arithmetic when she heard the Demon King and Griffith had gone to scout the mine.
Then suddenly, in the afternoon, she was summoned to join them.
Now she found herself standing before the ominous mine.
“So this is the haunted mine?”
“That’s right, Joanna.”
“And you brought me here because…”
She turned to the Demon King.
“Ghosts are weak to holy power, which you possess.”
“That does make sense. Sending poor wandering souls to the Lord is part of my duty.”
Joanna nodded.
Indeed, honoring the dead and exorcising restless spirits was the work of the temple.
More than that, this was her chance!
‘Thanks to Griffith and the puppet troupe, I’ve been able to stay here. But truthfully, Griffith bore the brunt of the hardships.’
Though she had assisted in the fight against the hunter, Griffith had done the heavy lifting.
She had been feeling uneasy for not having contributed much.
Finally—here was her moment.
Joanna straightened her shoulders, brimming with resolve.
Just as she was about to step into the mine—
“Joanna.”
“Ah—y-yes?”
Through the thick mask, the Demon King’s black eyes locked onto hers.
Then—
He suddenly grabbed her hand.
Zzt.
Perhaps because their powers were opposites, a current seemed to pass between them.
The Demon King stayed silent for a long moment, then muttered in a low voice:
“…I’m counting on you.”
“!”
Joanna’s pale eyes widened.
He… he trusts me?!
A surge of responsibility and courage filled her chest. Her hand trembled where it was clasped in his.
Shake shake.
Surely it wasn’t the Demon King trembling, right…?
‘Oh my goodness, I must be too nervous!’
It must be her own hand shaking from the tension.
“Don’t worry, my lord. I’ll drive out every last ghost.”
“…Thank you.”
Though his voice wavered with anxiety, to Joanna it sounded dignified and commanding.
“Let’s go in, then, Joanna,” said the armored Griffith.
“Yes, Griffith!”
Even for a saintess brimming with holy power, an escort was essential.
“Let’s go, my lord!”
“Uh… wait—huh?”
I’ll prove myself to him today!
Filled with newfound bravery, Joanna gripped the Demon King’s hand tightly and boldly strode into the mine.
