Chapter 18 : An Inevitable Matter
Chapter 18: An Inevitable Matter
“Uh.... Did I hear that correctly?”
Ernan blinked her large, round eyes.
“You heard it correctly.”
“But still.”
No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t understand.
“I’m a princess.”
“I’m the Demon King.”
“The hero is coming to rescue me.”
“He’s coming to kill me. And?”
“I can’t.”
“Yeah, I figured you’d answer that.”
Berje also hadn’t held high expectations.
It was just that.
Ernan’s strangely cooperative attitude.
Her behavior showing no resistance toward the Demon King’s Tower.
All of it had raised the faint question of whether it might somehow be possible.
Still, he had no intention of forcing her. If people truly helped wholeheartedly simply because they were forced, there would have been no need to cling to that elve in the first place.
Even so, he should still try the persuasion methods he had thought up.
“Hillan Cargill is a strong hero. There’s a high chance he’ll kill me and save you. A high chance he’ll take you back to the kingdom.”
“Ah. Back to the kingdom....”
Berje didn’t miss the change in her eyes. There was definitely something there.
It was almost instinctive. For some reason, Ernan was reluctant to return to the kingdom.
‘To hate home more than the Demon King—what must be there?’
Berje couldn’t imagine it. So he didn’t. Instead, this time, he tossed out a carrot.
“Come to think of it, you seemed to have quite the desire for elixirs.”
“Elixirs?”
“If you want them, I could give you some.”
“...If I oppose the hero?”
“That’s how it would be.”
She closed her mouth. Her tiny lips fidgeted.
And after a long while.
“...Can I think about it a little?”
A relatively positive answer came back.
...This was actually working?
* * *
Honestly, it had been a gamble.
It would have been great if it worked, but he had considered the chances extremely low. So he had simply thrown it out there—and got a somewhat positive answer.
Thus, Berje was troubled.
He had thought he understood humans fairly well, but it seemed he needed to revise everything.
“Don’t humans have strong attachment to their families?”
Then why did the princess hate her kingdom so much? He had heard she was considered a prodigy even within the kingdom.
He couldn’t know the reason, but he couldn’t deny that things were turning in his favor.
“If Hillan Cargill confidently climbs to the 4th floor and runs into the princess.”
He could already picture the flustered look.
He hadn’t thought the princess would actually win. The opening created by her opposing the hero supposedly coming to save her had been Berje’s target from the start.
“Are you saying the princess actually accepted?”
“It’s not confirmed yet.”
“It’s good news, but that woman must be insane.”
“Perhaps.”
Gordon clicked his tongue. Relieved, his thoughts shifted elsewhere.
“But is it all right to do nothing about Demon King Draxon?”
“What should I do?”
He couldn’t send monsters, and he had no monsters to send. Filing a written complaint would only earn him a snort in return.
“If he insists it wasn’t his doing and pretends ignorance, there’s no way to pin it on him.”
“But if we sit still like this and rumor spreads that Granada is serving you, Demon King....”
“You said you disliked him—yet you also hate when things go wrong?”
“That’s not what I mean, but still, this is a scheme you’ve been putting so much effort into, Demon King.”
“Your loyalty brings tears to my eyes. If only you were this quick and cooperative all the time instead of always opposing me.”
“...”
He wished this damned lord would just accept his concern graciously for once.
Gordon shut his mouth. No matter how he thought about it, he really disliked this wretched master.
“Anyway, there’s no need to worry about useless things.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means it’s meaningless.”
* * *
Crunch, crunch—
“He’s a complete lunatic!”
A massive bone shattered. Draxon swallowed it whole and burst into loud laughter.
“Is that true?”
“Yes. The Red Hawk Mercenary Company has joined Hillan Cargill’s hero’s march.”
“And you’re certain Granada is with them?”
“Granada is currently the captain of the Red Hawk.”
“Then it’s certain.”
Draxon swallowed the remaining bone. Red blood trickled down the corners of his mouth.
“I figured he was excessively arrogant, so he must be planning something. But I didn’t expect that something to be shoving an elf into the hero’s march. What do you think he’s aiming for?”
“A spy. I expect betrayal once the hero’s march reaches its peak.”
“That’s how it looks to me too. And the more I think about it, the better it sounds.”
None of the Demon Kings had ever considered such an idea. Yet it was so clever that one wondered why no one had thought of it.
Toppling something from within was far easier and more effective than attacking from the outside.
“Interference would be pointless, I suppose.”
“Even if we revealed that Granada is a Demon King’s spy, no one would believe it.”
“Of course not.”
When it came to humans, there were precedents. Even without being sorcerers empowered by the demon race, there were always some humans who sided with the Demon King for the sake of their own desires.
But elves were different.
Elves had the World Tree as their unwavering pillar. For its protection, they opposed the demon race.
For the centuries since the Demon Realm discovered the dimension called Arein and descended upon it, not a single elf had ever sided with the demon race.
“How on earth did he persuade an elf?”
“Perhaps it was easier than we thought.”
“Easier?”
“There are elves in other dimensions too. Because everyone knows of their resoluteness, they simply assumed elves couldn’t be persuaded. But as far as I know, no one in Arein has even tried.”
“I heard they tried a few times in the early days. But after those all failed, they stopped trying entirely.”
“Isn’t that just prejudice? Maybe persuasion was possible if they had pushed a little harder, but instead everyone judged by comparing them to elves from other dimensions.”
“But Berje, not knowing anything, charged in blindly and hit beginner’s luck.... Is that it?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t be certain, but it’s worth considering.”
Draxon stroked his chin.
“Let’s keep an eye on Granada’s movements for now. Also make covert contact with the elves. We should probe the possibility.”
“Yes.”
“And Berje came down, you said?”
“Yes. He disappeared using a dimensional transfer array in Hortonwork with a dwarf. We’ve tracked the destination as a place called Angsila, but we couldn’t chase his movements after that.”
“Angsila isn’t my territory, so of course. But a dwarf?”
“Yes. We believe he kidnapped one.”
“When did he abduct the dwarf?”
“It seems he acted during the gap right after Rosal returned badly beaten by Demon King Berje.”
“Elves and now dwarves....”
Was he thinking monsters were hopeless after butting heads with the Archduke? Was he planning to fill his tower entirely with creatures of the mid-realm, excluding all demons?
“I don’t think he would go that far.”
“Right. There’s no way a Demon King would stoop to that.”
His pride as a member of the demon race rejected the idea. No matter how much a troublesome eccentric might reject the Standard, such a thing was unimaginable.
“He might be planning to release the dwarf as a spy like the elf.”
“Look into it. Where the dwarf is being released, and if he’s already out, don’t lose track—watch carefully until the end.”
“Yes, I’ll bear it in mind.”
“I’m very curious what picture he’s painting.”
Draxon picked up a new piece of meat.
* * *
Ernan Hilderan, the princess kidnapped by the Demon King, threw a ball made of mud.
A wind spirit darted after it like lightning and retrieved it in its mouth. When she patted its head in praise, it danced. The same thing repeated several times.
‘Stopping Hero Hillan...?’
She honestly couldn’t picture it.
Hillan was the hero of Hilderan and had crossed paths with her, the kingdom’s Crown Princess, several times.
A person endlessly gentle.
A person who endlessly seemed to love people.
He was coming to rescue her. Yet must she personally stand in his way?
‘But.’
She didn’t want to return to the kingdom.
To her, rescue wasn’t rescue. Just as her abduction wasn’t merely an abduction.
Life in the tower was tedious. There was nothing there, and no one paid her any attention.
The sudden, limited freedom given to her was dull and boring.
But at least it was better than the frustration and pressure of the kingdom. Better than all the eyes fixed on her.
Especially recently, she hadn’t felt all that bored.
Arriving at that point in her thoughts, she rose to her feet. She went down the stairs and arrived on the first floor.
Tools and wires scattered messily everywhere greeted her.
Bang, bang, bang—
Loud hammering.
Whoosh—
Hot heat warmed the air. In the workshop set up on one side of the first floor, the back of a dwarf hammering away diligently came into view.
“What are you doing?”
There was no answer. But this wasn’t unusual. He had said before that he couldn’t hear anything when he was focused.
With nothing else to do anyway, she just sat quietly and watched the blazing flames.
A fire spirit slipped into them and danced. The flames grew stronger.
Ernan flinched, but Roger said nothing. Apparently, there was no harm, so he left it be.
After a long while—
“...What are you doing here?”
At last, Roger noticed Ernan.
“I was curious about something.”
“Curious?”
“Why are you working here, Roger?”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You’re a hero, right? And you were kidnapped too. So I’m curious why you’re working for the Demon King.”
“...”
Why? Because he had no choice. If he didn’t, he’d die.
And why he couldn’t run was because he knew running would only lead to a bleak future.
Outside, the princess was probably searching for him with bloodshot eyes right about now.
“...There are simply circumstances.”
But he couldn’t bring himself to say it honestly. Even if he was a coward and even if he had never lived bound by the title of hero, there were lines he had to keep.
“Is that so?”
Ernan tilted her head.
“But it helped.”
“...I don’t know what I said that helped, but I’m glad it did.”
“The Demon King told me to stop the hero if he comes up to the fourth floor.”
“...What?”
Roger dropped his hammer. He looked around cautiously and whispered.
“Is the Demon King insane?”
“I don’t think so. He looked normal.”
“And he said that to you?”
“He was really conflicted about whether he should ask me or not.”
“He was conflicted about that?”
There was no need to even think about it.
Surely she should want the hero to kill the Demon King so she could go back to the kingdom.
“But after hearing your words, I’ve made up my mind.”
In the direction of doing it.
She murmured determinedly.
“I mean, everyone has unavoidable circumstances. What rights does a hostage have? If I want to live, I should just do as the kidnapper says.”
From Roger’s perspective, she just needed a justification to convince herself. She had already concluded alone.
‘...Is the Crown Princess of Hilderan insane?’
He couldn’t help thinking that.
Meanwhile, Ernan made her own decision.
“But I don’t want the hero to die. So I’ll make that my condition.”
“I don’t think the Demon King will agree to that....”
Just as heroes grew stronger by killing demons and monsters, the Demon King also grew stronger by killing heroes. Especially a strong hero—he would never want to let such prey slip away.
“You think so?”
“I’m sure of it.”
Thus Roger was certain. That greedy Demon King would never give up such top-grade prey.
.
.
.
“I will permit it.”
“Thank you.”
“...”
Roger gave up thinking.
* * *
What mattered at the moment was not becoming stronger.
But surviving.
Living came first—only then could he grow stronger. Only then could he take revenge.
Therefore, the certainty of capturing the hero mattered more than the possibility of cutting him down and becoming stronger.
“And besides, if the first floor doesn’t hold, all of this becomes meaningless speculation.”
Hic—
Roger, who had followed Ernan out of curiosity only to suddenly receive a sharp glare, trembled.
“What’s the progress?”
“...The installation of the ghost of mana is complete. I actually came to report that.”
“Let’s check it.”
He went down to the first floor. The device called the Ghost of Mana had been installed by digging out an entire section of the wall. Tendrils branching out from the device spread across the entire first floor, giving off an eerie feeling.
But there were far stranger things in the Demon King’s Tower, so it wasn’t much of a concern.
“I’ll activate it.”
“The power source?”
“Normally it draws in surrounding mana and operates semi-permanently. But for now, it requires a mana stone.”
“Activate it.”
“Yes.”
Roger flipped the switch. The magic device began shaking violently with a loud noise.
Something brushed against his skin. A faint veil wrapped around the entire first floor. Berje sensed that it held no malice.
‘Control.’
It was a structure that prevented internal energy from leaking outside.
‘Wait.’
Berje, who had intended to check its performance, paused. A magic device. And the tower.
‘So the relics mixed among humans can be brought into the tower and used more efficiently. I didn’t have to waste magic points like an idiot buying everything?’
Was it a coincidence that he suddenly remembered the other Demon King’s bragging when he had provided information about the 13th Princess?
One of the tower’s functions: Recognition and Assimilation.
A system that enhanced mid-realm artifacts to suit the tower.
But he had never bothered to use it. He simply hadn’t felt the need to spend magic points to enhance inferior mid-realm items.
Back then, he had been obsessed with the Standard and demon-race supremacy.
Berje cautiously touched the core of the magic device.
In that moment—
[The tower recognizes the magic device ‘Ghost of Mana’ installed on the 1st floor.]
[Confirmed to be installed with the tower master’s will. The device can be assimilated with the tower.]
[1000pt is required.]
[Proceed with assimilation?]
1000pt was not cheap. And since he had been converting most of his points into money through Draxon, they were even more precious.
But magic points were no longer omnipotent to him.
“Yes.”
[Consuming points.]
[12182▶11182]
As he gave a small nod, demonic energy surged.
Crackle—
The tower’s demonic energy rushed toward the device. When it finally reached the core, a massive spark shook the entire floor.
[A massive mana energy has been detected.]
[Assimilation failed.]
“Failed?”
[More demonic energy is required for complete assimilation.]
[Spend 10000pt to proceed with assimilation?]
What?
Failure—and the required points increased tenfold. It was everything he had left, yet the phrase “massive energy” piqued his curiosity.
“I accept.”
[Consuming points.]
[11182▶1182]
The magic device, which had stopped, began to tremble again.
Its tendrils connected more finely and densely. They no longer ran merely along the walls but dug through walls, floors, and ceilings, merging into one.
And then—
[Ghost of Mana recognizes the tower master, Berje Deias, as its owner.]
[Ghost of Mana’s power source is fully converted from mana▶demonic energy.]
[Ghost of Mana’s function, mana concealment, is changed to concealment of all energies except demonic energy. Effect scales with the level of the tower and the Demon King.]
[Ghost of Mana’s range expands to the entire tower.]
[Constantly conceals all energy within the tower.]
[Demonic energy points may be spent to conceal the tower itself.]
“I— I didn’t do anything strange! There were no issues in the workshop, so why all of a sudden....”
“I did it. You’re noisy, so shut up.”
“Yes!”
“Princess. Summon a spirit and cast any magic.”
“Is that allowed?”
“As you like.”
Berje stepped outside the tower.
Slowly—very slowly—
He took a step beyond the doorway. His feet sank into the white snow. Then he turned his body.
Even so, Berje—
Could feel no ripple of mana.
Nothing.
He snapped his fingers. The tower, responding to his will, drew in demonic energy—
And vanished. Not perfectly, but unless one stared directly at it, it disappeared like a mirage.
“...”
Berje trembled with exhilaration.