The Hero Reborn as a Demon King Loli

Chapter Six: Is it illegal to dig up one's own grave?

In the end, Lulum still didn't let Chloe pick her up.

As for why, it's because Lulum, in a state of increasingly irrational thinking, simply took off...

That's how she remembered that she could actually fly.

Chloe, who was suddenly carried away by Lulum without warning, is now green with envy.

"Lulum, you know I have a fear of heights!!!"

Chloe shouted in a panic.

Although Chloe initially intended to prank Lulum with a strange hugging method, hoping to remind Lulum that she could fly...

But I didn't expect Lulum to carry her!

And Lulum seemed not to hear Chloe's shouts, instead flying higher and higher, muttering strange things like "calm down," "the child is still young," and "it's not impossible," as if trying to cool down her head by blowing in the cold wind.

Finding that her calls were ineffective, Chloe could only cling to Lulum like an octopus, trembling in Lulum's arms with her eyes closed.

As for why Chloe doesn't fly by herself? Just kidding, if Chloe could fly, she wouldn't have a fear of heights!

To put it simply, Lulum's flight is achieved through "telekinesis," a type of mental magic. After all, as a subspecies of plant-based succubus, they don't have wings like ordinary succubi.

How could Chloe, a shameful member of the demon race, possibly learn this kind of magic?

Because Lulum flew very fast, it didn't take long for Lulum to take Chloe to their destination.

This is a large open space, probably twice the size of a football field. The open space is covered with grass and no other plants.

Logically speaking, in an environment like the Star Forest, which is similar to a primeval forest, this clearing seemed very abnormal, but looking at the familiar scenery around the clearing, Chloe and Lulum both fell silent.

Lulum's silence was because she was looking at the scenery around her, as if it had touched some memory. She stared blankly at the middle of the open space, her tail unconsciously rubbing against Chloe.

Chloe's silence indicated that she didn't know what to say for a moment.

She knows this place well! Isn't this the place where she fought the Demon King?

This open space was created by the aftershocks of that incident.

Once she arrived at this place, without relying on the [Treasure Hunt Card] for guidance, she knew exactly where the so-called "treasure" was just by using her non-existent breasts.

The treasure found by the [Treasure Hunt Card] is definitely a "burial item" buried in her grave.

STM has stumbled upon her own grave while tomb raiding! Is this [Treasure Hunt Card] really not a trap for her?

Following the guidance of the [Treasure Hunt Card], she walked to the middle of the open space, and sure enough, the destination indicated was her grave.

As for what "burial goods" were in her grave... she had been living like weeds here for several months, and when she was bored, she would just randomly identify things. How could she not know what was in there?

When she was still a hero, she stored all her valuables in the system warehouse, and all the divine artifacts she carried were destroyed when she fought the Demon King.

It could also be said that if even one of the magical artifacts hadn't broken, she wouldn't have suffered such a disastrous fate.

And her "burial goods" could only be those broken artifacts.

While artifact fragments may indeed be valuable, the problem is that those artifacts are all products of the system!

Just as a normal person wouldn't pay a high price for a staff that claims to be able to use magic once repaired, people in this world wouldn't readily accept an external armor that claims to turn someone into a high-level warrior once repaired.

Therefore, those broken gadgets are essentially non-recyclable waste.

However, since the [Treasure Hunt Card] says there is treasure inside, there must be valuable items here as well. It is very likely that there are items buried deep by her former teammates that she failed to identify back then.

Since she was already there, Chloe, though not expecting much, decided to... just dig straight in!

Don't talk to her about respecting the deceased; she is the deceased herself! Is it wrong to take things from one's own grave?

……

In the end, Chloe still didn't dig up her own grave.

It wasn't that there was anything wrong with digging up the grave itself; she simply realized that it seemed there was no need to dig anymore.

Because the treasure was not buried in the grave, but stuck on the grave mound.

It was a sword entirely emerald green, with the blade seemingly embedded deep in the ground, only the hilt exposed. To be honest, if it weren't for the large arrow indicating it was from the Treasure Card, she probably wouldn't have been able to spot the sword from the haystack.

Although the sword appeared to be buried deep in the ground, Chloe pulled it out with ease.

Looking at the sword in her hand, which was almost entirely reduced to a hilt with less than ten centimeters of blade remaining, Lulum almost thought she had broken it herself.

But upon closer inspection, the broken edge of the sword was extremely smooth, revealing that it was indeed a broken sword.

What is this thing? Chloe was certain that this sword wasn't here when she was working as a herdsman here a year ago.

The broken sword looked metallic, but when Chloe touched the blade, the material didn't seem like metal or jade; it felt more like a wooden sword.

What's strange is that when she held the broken sword, the grass around her began to wither at a visible speed, which looked very eerie.

However, the more Chloe could tell that the broken sword was special at a glance, the more excited she became.

"Isn't this more effective than weed killer? Although it's a bit strange, it looks like it could fetch a good price... System, appraise this broken sword."

Although Chloe felt it was indeed a treasure and didn't sense any threat from it, it was still an eerie item, so for safety's sake, she thought it would be better to have it appraised first.

【Item Name: Sword from the Grave】

[Quality: Unable to assess]

[Note: This has absolutely nothing to do with the Sword in the Stone.]

Chloe: ...

Looking at the seemingly troublesome appraisal result, Chloe paused for a moment, then picked up the broken sword and planned to show it to Lulum, who was standing in a daze not far away. After all, it had only been a dozen seconds since she picked up the broken sword, but the surrounding grass had already gone bare. Who would believe that this broken sword was naturally harmless?

Chloe, holding the broken sword, walked over to Lulum, who was lost in her memories. Before she could even ask a question, Lulum pulled her into her arms.

Lulum pointed to a grave nearby and said to Chloe with a nostalgic tone, "Chloe, look, I found you in this very meadow a year ago. You were so small then... Wait, where's the meadow?"

Lulum then realized that the grass had disappeared.

Chloe was about to raise her broken sword to explain what had just happened to Lulum, but then she suddenly realized...

Lulum's face was frighteningly pale.

Chapter Seven: The Demon King's Daughter

"L-Lulu, what's wrong? Why do you look so scary?"

Chloe looked up and saw Lulum's suddenly pale face. Startled, she immediately threw the broken sword aside, steadied Lulum, and asked anxiously.

Chloe had only ever seen such a pale face on the faces of her former mage teammates... It looked like a symptom of severe magic depletion.

"What's wrong with my complexion?" But facing the nervous Chloe, Lulum showed a puzzled expression, as if she didn't feel any discomfort.

Well, if Lulum hadn't been so exhausted that she was lying on top of Chloe, Chloe would almost have believed it.

Have you noticed that you can't exert any strength anymore?

"Huh? It seems that's true."

Lulu tried to move her body, only to find that, just as Chloe had said, she was completely powerless.

Lulum's expression became even more puzzled, as if she didn't understand why things had turned out this way.

"It looks like symptoms of mana depletion. Lulum, are you really not feeling unwell anywhere?"

Chloe asked worriedly.

However, Lulum's answer was somewhat unexpected by Chloe.

"No, and my magic power isn't depleted either. Chloe, you're worrying too much." Although her face was still pale, Lulum still showed a reassuring smile.

"The magic power isn't depleted? Then could it be the life force...?"

Chloe suddenly thought of the worst possible outcome, and her face turned pale with anxiety.

"No, it's just that I'm so hungry I feel weak. It should be fine in a bit... But Chloe, if you kiss me, maybe I'll move~"

Lulum looked at the anxious Chloe, just smiled and said that she was really fine, and even joked.

Lulu, nestled in Chloe's arms, pouted her little lips, as if waiting for Chloe to kiss her.

"So what does this have to do with whether we're close or not?"

Chloe looked at Lulum with a silly expression, then breathed a sigh of relief as if she had confirmed something.

Since Lulum can still act silly, and her pale complexion has not only not gotten worse, but has gradually regained some color, then it should be fine.

"Anyway, it's good that you're alright. Lulum, you should rest like this for a bit. I'll carry you home... Waaah..."

Before Chloe could say anything, Lulum suddenly covered her mouth with his.

It wasn't until several minutes later that Chloe was able to catch her breath.

"Sure enough, with such a pale face, it's impossible that nothing's wrong."

Chloe held the unconscious Lulum in her arms and wiped away the mysterious liquid remaining at the corner of her mouth.

Chloe was startled by Lulum's sudden attack, but after feeling her vital energy draining away, she understood what was happening.

"This is the first time I've seen such a domineering Lulum... So, being hungry means you've lost too much of your vital energy?"

Although this was a bit unlike Lulum's usual style, and even when Chloe was attacked, Lulum seemed like a different person, Chloe thought that looking at the unconscious Lulum, this was probably Lulum's instinctive reaction at the time.

It's probably because too much vital energy has been lost, and there are too few plants around, so the absorption rate is not fast enough.

Moreover, Lulum doesn't seem to have absorbed too much of her energy; at least she doesn't feel hungry at all right now.

This is the first time since she was born that Lulum has taken her life essence, even though Lulum usually feeds her.

Whether you eat it or feed it, Lulum's tail isn't exactly well-behaved...

However, this feeling is not bad either, since it's a win-win situation anyway.

Chloe didn't pay much attention to that, but she suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, where did I put that broken sword that caused all this?"

Chloe used her appraisal skill to search the vicinity for a while, only to find that the broken sword she had casually tossed aside earlier seemed to have vanished into thin air, and she couldn't find it anywhere.

Her original goal for this trip was to get this sword, so how come it's gone now?

Chloe was certain that the broken sword was definitely a divine artifact, and that it was the reason why Lulum's vital energy had suddenly and severely depleted.

Everything was fine before Lulum hugged her and started reminiscing. The problem arose when Lulum suddenly hugged her, and she accidentally brushed the broken sword in her hand against Lulum. After that... all of this happened.

With just a light touch, this broken sword could instantly render a noble-level demon like Lulum powerless. It is no ordinary sword!

But how did it disappear? Could it be a magical artifact with an owner? Did the owner summon it back?

That's all Chloe could guess.

Thinking about it this way, Chloe, who had used a [Treasure Hunt Card] and gained nothing, felt like she had lost out big time.

But when she looked at Lulum curled up in her arms like a kitten... well, Lulum's new illustration is now a bonus. Considering everything, this is a small win.

Just treat the treasure you found as money to spend on gacha pulls, and then you'll sink the ship. Anyway, there's still plenty of time.

And so, the optimistic Chloe happily carried Lulum home.

……

The Demon King has been missing for three years. Although it has not been confirmed yet, based on various sources of information, it is believed that the Demon King perished together with the human hero in the Star Forest.

Although the four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Clan simply did not believe that the Demon King who had been able to beat them up hundreds of years ago could be defeated by a mere human.

But the Demon King did indeed disappear, and he had been missing for a full three years.

The position of Demon King cannot be left vacant, so the Four Heavenly Kings, who know part of the truth, begin a frantic search for someone who can become the Demon King.

As for why the Four Heavenly Kings don't become Demon Kings themselves? Because without sufficient strength and mental power, any demon who obtains the title of Demon King will either go mad or transform into an indescribable monster within a single night.

The previous Demon King was chosen for this very reason, which resulted in the elimination of many powerful demons.

So it's not that the Four Heavenly Kings lacked the strength to be the Demon King... In fact, they had already divided up the Demon King's power when the Demon King disappeared, but none of them had the confidence or courage to inherit the title.

After all, none of the Four Heavenly Kings specialize in mental power.

However, the Four Heavenly Kings sent people to search the entire Demon Realm, even finding various reclusive elders, but they still couldn't find anyone who could inherit the position of Demon King.

If the Demon King's position remains vacant, the consequences will be unbearable for the Four Heavenly Kings.