As the Demon King, I have married a slave elf. How should I express my love?

This is tantamount to begging for mercy, and the kind of begging that involves risking one's entire life's wealth.

For magicians, the results of their private research are equivalent to their skill level. After all, the more knowledge they possess, the more magic they can perform.

But Sagan stared at the man suspiciously, then said disdainfully:

"I don't need magic tricks that require skinning people alive to perform."

Then, the man's head exploded like a piece of fruit.

"...Oh no, this is terrible."

The man was straddling the girl just now. If his head were crushed, the girl would be the first to suffer the falling flesh and blood.

Covered in blood, the girl fainted. When she wakes up, she will likely be burdened with some emotional trauma.

Treating a young girl like this filled Sagan with a sense of guilt.

—First, calm down. I'm a magician; I can fix this little thing in no time.

If the bloodstains disappear, perhaps the girl will treat it all as a nightmare and forget about it.

Sagan took a deep breath to calm himself down and stretched out his index finger in a circle.

"Inverted ring".

As the incantation finished, a massive circle appeared on the ground. It was a magic circle composed of intricate characters and graphics. The splattered blood and pieces of flesh on the girl detached and reformed onto the magician's corpse. Of course, the bloodstains on Sagan's hands were no exception.

That's magic.

So-called magic is basically performed by drawing magic circles. In such diagrams, the laws of physics can be ignored and the phenomena desired by the magician can be induced. How well one works on these steps and mechanisms depends on the magician's skill.

Besides magic circles, there are also spells, which omit the step of depicting the magic circle by verbally conveying its meaning. However, in principle, both do the same thing.

On the other hand, this magic trick can only move the position of objects. Therefore, although the pieces of flesh that were gathered on the corpse temporarily formed the shape of a head, they immediately scattered on the ground again.

That being said, at least the girl's clothes, along with the parts that had been slashed by the knife, were now completely restored to their original state.

Looking at that face again, Sagan couldn't help but sigh.

--She's really a beautiful woman.

As he looked around, he noticed that the girl was wearing a necklace.

"...The cross emblem—is she a member of the church?"

The so-called church refers to the order of paladins who regard magicians as enemies and claim to be God's messengers—responsible for upholding His justice.

Originally, the word "knight" referred specifically to loyal soldiers who served their king, but their strength was insufficient to contend with magicians. The church, however, possessed something that could rival magic: the miracles of God.

In any duel against a magician, it is never the king's knights who go to the battlefield, but the church's holy knights. Unbeknownst to them, knights have become synonymous with the church.

Simply put, the church is the magician's mortal enemy.

—What should I do now? I have a feeling she might mistake me for the murderer…

Although Sagan saved the girl's life, in her eyes it was more like an infighting between villainous magicians, even causing her to be covered in blood.

Even if the girl wakes up afterward, the misunderstanding will likely be difficult to resolve. But killing a girl you just saved not long ago still feels unsettling.

"...Never mind, it probably doesn't matter."

After agonizing for a while, Sagan banished the girl from his territory.

If they simply dump her on the road leading out of the forest, someone will find her sooner or later. If it's some villain who sees her unconscious and wants to harm her, then she'll just have to accept her bad luck. After all, Sagan has no obligation to take care of her to that extent.

Sagan gently pushed off the ground with his heel, and a different magic circle appeared beneath the girl's body.

That's a teleportation magic circle connecting the inside and outside of the territory.

However, before the girl could be teleported out, someone entered from the other end of the magic circle.

"──?"

Sagan was dumbfounded.

—My magic circle has been taken over?

This is Sagan's territory, and he has set up various magical arrays—that is, barriers—to deal with these invaders and to surround the castle and the territory layer by layer.

A barrier used to detect intruders, a barrier used to capture intruders, a barrier that weakens the power of magicians other than oneself, and a barrier that enhances one's own power.

Simply put, this is Sagan's territory where he has a clear advantage.

It's impossible for a regular magician to occupy a magic circle in such territory.

Sagan, however, reacted with remarkable ease when faced with this formidable uninvited guest.

"Please don't take over other people's magic circles without permission, Barbaross."

The person who appeared was a tall, thin young man who looked two or three years older than Sagan, that is, in his early twenties.

He was tall with a thin face and dark circles under his eyes. He wore a hooded robe and several amulets around his neck.

The fact that he was able to break through Sagan's barrier proves that he possesses extraordinary strength.

"Hey, Sagan, you still look as sickly as ever."

"Do you have the right to say I'm sickly, Barbarossa?"

Illustration p019

Among the many magicians, perhaps only Barbaros dared to sneak into Sagan's territory so openly.

And this is also Sagan's only bad friend.

"And like I just said, don't take over other people's magic circles without permission."

"If I don't do this, how am I supposed to teleport on your turf?"

The magic circle is key to a magician's power. The man altered Sagan's magic circle to make it his own and infiltrated the place. This sounds simple, but it's actually quite difficult.

Even though this is a space where Sagan has the upper hand, it's hard to say who would win in a head-on confrontation with this man. That's the kind of magician he is.

Barbaross stared at the unconscious girl and the fallen corpse, first narrowing his eyes.

"What? So you guys are having a party?"

"I only teach a bad guy a lesson when he comes to cause trouble in the yard."

"Hehe, how dare you talk about people like that?"

Magicians are all villains, without exception. They only care about increasing their power and don't care about the lives or property of others; when they need something, they will also forcibly take from others without any sense of guilt.

Sagan saved the girl's life not out of kindness, but simply because he had no interest in killing her.

Barbaros glanced at the girl again.

"Oh? This girl has quite a lot of magic. Are you planning to use her as a sacrifice?"

"That kind of magic that requires sacrifices is not my interest."

After saying that, he pushed off the ground again, and the girl's body was enveloped in a faint light until it disappeared. This time, she should indeed have been sent out of the territory.

"Releasing them like this is such a waste. If you don't want them, why don't you give them to me?"

"Please don't kidnap people on other people's territory, or I'll be mistaken for the murderer."

"Hehe, that sounds pretty good. I think we should do it this way next time."

"...If you dare to actually do it, I'll blow up your hideout!"

"This crazy kid might actually do something reckless," Sagan warned, glaring at him fiercely.

But that only lasted a few seconds. Then, Sagan stretched sleepily.

"What's wrong with you? Why do you look so sleepy?"

"I read magic books all night yesterday. So I'm going to sleep now, we'll talk about it later."

"Heh, sleepiness? You can just do something in your head and it'll be fine, right? I came all this way just to visit you, so don't say anything so unpleasant."

"That's why you look so sickly."

Magicians dedicate their lives to studying magic, aiming to surpass human abilities. But to study magic, one must first live long enough.

Therefore, the first lesson a magician learns is how to master their own body. This doesn't refer to controlling muscle strength, but rather to control and modifying at the cellular level—this is just the most basic. Because of this, magicians can be said to be immune to illness and aging.

Only by reaching this level can one be qualified to call oneself a magician.

But they would starve to death without water or food. It could dispel sleepiness but not eliminate it, resulting in Barbarossa's current face.

Therefore, Sagan never really liked using that kind of magic.

Sagan's remark made Barbaros laugh.

"Don't say that. I've brought you some interesting gossip today."

With a wicked look on his face, he affectionately put his arm around the other person's shoulder.

"Interesting rumors?"

Sagan pushed away his friend's annoying arm as he asked back, and the other person smiled at his thin face.

"That's right! You must have heard about the passing of Magasiah, one of the Demon Lords, right?"

Upon hearing the name, Sagan's eyes widened in surprise.

"Demon King" – This does not refer to the king of monsters in the story, but rather to a title of respect for a king who has exhausted all magic.

Once you possess that title, you gain immense magical power and can command magicians of lower rank. If we're talking about the power and authority that magicians crave, the Demon King represents the pinnacle of it all.

The Demon King originally had thirteen members, but one of them recently passed away at the advanced age of one thousand. Although magicians can extend their lifespan, it seems they can only live to a thousand years old at most.

Since it's news about the Demon King, Sagan can't just ignore it.

"Oh? You seem to be in a hurry? But wait, didn't you just say you were going to sleep? Hmm~ It's a pity, but I think we should just forget about it. After all, if I anger you, I'll just be asking for trouble."

"Stop keeping me in suspense, tell me already."

"...Your temper is still as bad as ever."

Barbaross sighed dismissively, then continued:

"You know Chinnoind, right? It's Magasiia's territory. They recently held a grand auction there, with everything from ordinary goods to things we'd like."

Could it be...?

The sound of swallowing followed.