Chapter 138: To Celeste
ㅤ◆ Minato’s Perspective
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ㅤA port town, shimmering in the sunlight, came into view at the bow of the ship.
ㅤTwin lighthouses stood at the tip of the cape. Houses, unified in the same brick color. It was a picturesque port town, like something out of a painting.
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ㅤ”Wow, this brings back memories.”
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ㅤI couldn’t help but raise my voice.
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ㅤ”Brings back memories?… It hasn’t been that long since Minato left Celesta, has it?”
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ㅤThe young adventurer with the red hair and nose piercing who was beside me said so.
ㅤNext to him was a tall, red-haired female warrior.
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ㅤ（Come to think of it, that’s true. My sense of time is messed up because I was in an endless hell during Elminarsh’s trial.）
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ㅤApparently, while I was undergoing the trial to awaken as the Demon King, time outside hadn’t progressed.
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ㅤ”I’m so relieved that Ishuta-san and Jit-san are still here.”
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ㅤThey had followed us after we drifted to the Kielhen Islands, and they remained on that island even after the Demon King’s Castle Elminarsh ascended.
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ㅤ”Well, suddenly a huge castle floats in the sky, the world’s navel current goes into a frenzy, and then it disappears completely… Sorry, but the thought of searching for you guys completely flew out of my head.”
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ㅤJit-san said so.
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ㅤ”I was worried, you know? After all, Grunblin, who rode with us, attacked Minato as soon as she saw her, and that was the last I saw of her.”
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ㅤIshuta-san glanced back.
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ㅤBesides me, Grunblin was also on the ship.
ㅤThe people of Hope Village who wished to be sent to Celesta were also on board.
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ㅤ”Ahaha… Well, a lot has happened, and now she’s an ally.”
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ㅤGrunblin was quietly watching the surface of the water.
ㅤWhen she was calm like this, she was truly an incredible beauty.
ㅤA tall, beautiful woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, wielding a spear. She was just like a Valkyrie.
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ㅤBoroneal, on the other hand, was on standby duty at the Demon King’s Castle.
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ㅤ（Even though you say standby duty, it must be tough.）
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ㅤThe great whirlpool at the world’s navel had disappeared.
ㅤThe cities and nations facing this sea would likely launch investigations immediately.
ㅤDriving away such investigation fleets from the territory ruled by the Demon King was the job of the “standby duty.”
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ㅤ（Since I can command Oceanus and Kraken by the dozen, there’s no problem in terms of fighting power.）
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ㅤThe current pressing issue was that the population of the “Demon Kingdom” was too small.
ㅤEven if we had two of the Four Heavenly Demon Generals, and me and Almirash-san as the “Twin Demon Kings,” there were many things we couldn’t do without manpower.
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ㅤAmong the former residents of Hope Village, some who had nowhere to return offered their allegiance to the Demon King.
ㅤHowever, there were only a few of them at the moment.
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ㅤIshuta-san spoke to me as I was lost in thought.
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ㅤ”I saw Grunblin easily repel Oceanus and Kraken. What does it mean that you not only survived being seriously targeted by such a Grunblin but also made her your ally? Moreover, from what I see, it seems like Grunblin is following your lead.”
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ㅤ”A, ahaha… I’ll explain the circumstances later.”
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ㅤ”Is it something you can’t talk about?”
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ㅤ”No. It’s just an unbelievable story, and it’ll take a long time to explain. I think I’ll report to the Chairperson of the Celesta Council, Harriet-san, when we arrive in Celesta, so you can hear it then. Ishuta-san and Jit-san were also commissioned by Harriet-san, right?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Oh, yeah. That’s right, I had to apologize for that.”
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ㅤ”Apologize?”
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ㅤ”You know, about how the conversation we had with Minato at the restaurant was overheard by Madam.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ah…”
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ㅤWe had a dinner meeting at the restaurant in response to Ishuta-san and Jit-san’s offer for an information exchange, and the content of that conversation had reached the ears of Harriet-san, the owner of the restaurant.
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ㅤJit-san frowned and said,
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ㅤ”That was careless of me. I chose that restaurant because I thought only high-class customers went there, but I never imagined Madam Harriet had already gotten her hands in. Damn, that sly old woman.”
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ㅤ”If you say that, it might reach Madam’s ears again, you know?”
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ㅤ”Oops…”
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ㅤJit-san hurriedly looked around, but fortunately, there were no sailors in sight.
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ㅤ”I caused trouble for Minato. And then I heard that the ship Minato was on was attacked by Oceanus and Kraken at the same time, and Minato became a decoy to let the ship escape. I couldn’t just leave it at that, so I grabbed my brother by the scruff of his neck and volunteered for Minato’s rescue team.”
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ㅤ”So that’s what happened.”
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ㅤIn that case, Ishuta-san and Jit-san had braved the danger and entered the waters where Oceanus and Kraken were certain to be, to come and rescue us.
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ㅤ”I feel like I’ve caused you even more trouble.”
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ㅤ”Don’t worry about it. I couldn’t have lived with myself if I had left you like that. Well, Grunblin, who was also on board, seemed to have some connection with Minato, so I might have put you in more danger by trying to help.”
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ㅤ”Everything turned out alright, so I’m not worried.”
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ㅤ”I’m glad to hear you say that. If there’s anything we can do to help, just let us know.”
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ㅤHuh? Did she just say she’d do anything…? No, never mind.
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ㅤ”Then, I think I’ll ask for your help sometime. But please don’t think of it as a debt or anything, and just decide based on your own judgment, Ishuta-san.”
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ㅤ”My, Minato is such a good kid.”
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ㅤWell, I’m the Demon King, though.
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ㅤAs we talked, the port of Celesta drew closer.
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ㅤIn the harbor, which boasted the capacity to accommodate multiple large ships, numerous warships were lined up.
ㅤEach one was loading cargo and standing guard with a tense expression.
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ㅤ”Ahaha… This is where the real challenge begins.”
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ㅤWithout Ishuta-san and Jit-san noticing, I let out a small sigh.