Chapter 20 : Can He Really Be Trusted
Chapter 20: Can He Really Be Trusted
“Accept you as my vassals?”
Monsters had an ecosystem of their own.
The law of the strong devouring the weak.
Born from monsters and branching off from them, they might have escaped a portion of the Demon Realm’s influence, yet they inherited the tendencies of their forebears intact.
They fought and struggled.
They devoured and were devoured.
To survive, they had to fight and grow stronger.
But ironically, no race was as clearly defined by birth as monsters.
Orcs could not defeat trolls.
Orcs could not defeat yeti.
Orcs could not defeat ogres.
Orcs could not defeat basilisks, cocodrilles, gargoyles, or wyverns.
The orc race possessed exceptional reproductive ability, boasting the highest population among the demons, yet their limits were clear.
Weak and numerous—looked down upon even by humans—that was what orcs were.
Of course, even among orcs, there were ranks.
Peul Orcs stood at the very top among orcs, and even a small group of them could chew up ogres
and could not be easily dismissed by humans. But everything was relative.
The harsh land known as Ergest reduced even Peul Orcs to nothing more than average orcs.
They were the lowest of the Ergest ecosystem.
They were those who had to do anything to survive.
Spirit Blossom was that for them. Spirit Blossom was the hope that could shatter their limits.
“So you dared to defy the Demon King’s command and refused to give up the Spirit Blossom? And now you want me to understand?”
Heh. Berje let out a hollow laugh. Did these fools even understand what they were saying right now?
“We do not ask for understanding. They merely paid the price for a foolish choice. We only wish for you to know that our tribe is different from them.”
“You had better be. If you were the same lot, you wouldn’t even be flapping your mouths before me.”
A faint murderous aura made the orcs tremble.
“You knew I would come?”
“Not long ago, we heard that the Gale Wind Tribe had been annihilated. That they sought the Spirit Blossom and were massacred by the Demon King.”
“And?”
“We realized the Demon King desired the Spirit Blossom. Our tribe found it, and we believed that someday the Demon King would come to claim it. So we moved our tribe and waited.”
“You’re not far from the Tower. Yet you didn’t come to it?”
“We thought you would not wish for that....”
He was fairly quick-witted. Had they come to the Tower and caused trouble, he would have torn out every one of their throats.
“We humbly beseech you to accept us as vassals.”
“Please accept us!”
The Peul Orcs bowed their heads once more.
“What is your name?”
“Krutu, chieftain of the Red Frost Tribe.”
“How many orcs does your tribe have?”
“One hundred fifty-three. Half of them are warriors.”
Berje fell into thought.
Cases like this were not unheard of.
Among monsters capable of thought and communication, there were some who voluntarily sought to become the Demon King’s vassals.
Because it was another method of breaking through the limits of their species.
They could leap up a level by receiving the demonic energy of the Demon King and the Tower.
Strictly speaking, it was returning to their original form, but the appeal of it could not be denied.
Were the Peul Orcs useful? No. It was because of Krutu.
Why were monsters called monsters?
It was not simply because they were derived from monsters.
It was because they lacked intelligence and relied on instinct.
Because communication was difficult and they lacked the sense of true sentient beings.
If all orcs were like Krutu, humans might have classified orcs not as monsters but as a different race.
They might have become demons rather than monsters.
But that was not all. The aura Krutu exuded was distinctly different from that of the other orcs.
Yes, this one already—
“You ate the Spirit Blossom.”
“Yes. Long ago, my father obtained it, and I was fortunate enough to eat it.”
“Very well, I will accept you.”
“Thank you!”
“It’s too early to rejoice.”
A monster accepted as a vassal absorbed demonic energy through the Tower. Just as humans consumed wages, they steadily consumed demonic energy.
For monsters, becoming a vassal of the Demon King was precisely for that benefit—but Berje, whose demonic energy was nowhere near enough, had no intention of accepting them as they were.
Therefore—
“I will accept only you as a vassal.”
He drew the bigger picture.
* * *
“...So this is the place.”
Krutu stepped into the interior of the Tower and looked around frantically.
“Is it a Peul Orc this time?”
Gordon spotted Krutu and asked.
“And this person is?”
“My adjutant, Gordon.”
“An honor to meet you, Gordon. I am Krutu, leader of the Red Frost clan.”
At the smooth, natural behavior, Gordon blinked.
“An orc...?”
The orcs he knew were incapable of such fluent speech.
“He will be the first to become my vassal since coming down to Arein.”
“...I welcome that without question.”
It was the first proper monster. Not a princess, not a dwarven hero—a monster.
Gordon had no reason to oppose it. Not that opposing would matter in the first place.
“But there is a dwarf in the Tower...?”
Krutu’s gaze shifted to Roger’s back—Roger, who was so absorbed in constructing traps that he didn’t even notice the owner returning home.
“Is that important?”
“No. Now that I think about it, you traveled with a human woman.”
“I, you see, for the time being had no intention of taking in any vassals—rather, I had none.”
His demonic energy was limited, and he didn’t want to waste it by accepting orcs, who offered little practical benefit.
“What changed my mind was you alone.”
“It is an honor.”
Krutu’s potential.
The potential of the Peul Orcs led by Krutu.
“However, although I will accept you as a vassal, I have no intention of making you a member of the Tower.”
“...Is that different?”
“It is. You will become my vassal. And through you, the chieftain, I will control your entire tribe. So run through the snowy mountains with your people.”
Orcs were a race that ran across wide plains and roared with animalistic ferocity. Even without demonic energy, confining such beings within a narrow Tower was terribly inefficient.
Thus, orcs were not a popular choice among Demon Kings.
“You have struggled in Ergest for countless years.”
“Jumping from mountain to mountain, devoured and devouring many monsters.”
“You know the mountain terrain and the territories of monsters. Yes?”
To Berje’s rapid-fire words, Krutu nodded.
“That is correct.”
“I have seen the future through you.”
Berje was filled with exaltation.
It was no lie. In his imagination, the Peul Orcs leapt across mountains. They roared at the hero expedition climbing up to kill him.
The sight of the mountain monsters they dragged with their lives attacking the hero expedition struggling through the blizzard was nothing short of thrilling.
“Take it.”
It was Iasince.
It had lost its former coldness and purity.
Saturated with the thick and murky energy of the Demon Realm.
“My vassal must be worthy of my greatness.”
“You must stand behind me and support me.”
“You must crush my enemies.”
“You must devote your life for my sake.”
If he did—
“I shall grant you favor in return.”
“Ahhh.”
Krutu knelt. He bowed his head and raised both arms. He carefully received the altered Iasince.
“It is an honor...!”
Berje’s hand rested atop his head.
[Will you accept the Peul Orc, Krutu, as a vassal?]
[1000pt of demonic energy will be consumed.]
A rather high price. Which meant this creature was worth that much.
Demonic energy raged. The slave seal was engraved upon Krutu’s soul.
The demonic energy sleeping within him awakened, drawn by the Tower’s aura.
Black horns sprouted. Toughened gray hide subtly crept across parts of his skin.
Krrr—
His pupils turned black. The crest of the black dragon that symbolized Berje was engraved faintly upon his chest.
Krutu trembled with ecstasy.
His breath came out feverishly.
“My liege, your command.”
“Go. Grow your tribe. Devour other tribes, conquer them, and increase your numbers. Do so while waiting for the right time.”
There was no law stating he must face heroes only inside the Tower.
If he inflicted as much damage as possible while they climbed the mountain, it would surely make facing them far easier.
“I obey.”
A monster whose Demon Realm form had been partially awakened bowed his head, overwhelmed by loyalty rising from deep within his soul.
* * *
[182pt]
Completely stripped bare.
Berje could not help but let out a sigh.
Before his regression, he had been glorious.
He had kidnapped princesses of several kingdoms, killed many heroes, and slaughtered even more humans.
His infamy had spread across the entire continent, and the negative emotions humans felt toward him never diminished.
Hundreds of thousands, even millions of points had always filled his reserves.
“...But in the end, I still died.”
Infamy gave many points, but it also created just as many enemies.
Heroes came to the Tower nearly every day. He welcomed them with monsters summoned through massive point expenditure, yet all of those monsters became sacrifices.
“At the time, I stupidly thought I had won.”
Each time heroes came, monsters were consumed. But there were heroes who survived and fled, and Berje mocked them as rats and never bothered to chase them.
Even when it repeated several times, he thought those talentless fools were simply persistent.
Never realizing it had all been a performance.
Pfhuhuhu.
A self-mocking laugh escaped him. The fury engraved into his soul slowly raised its head.
‘Still, I’ve done almost everything I can for now.’
He had incited division by eliminating the spoils and wealth humans would have gained.
He released the Peul Orcs into the mountains.
On the first floor, the magic cannons were being prepared.
And if they managed to surpass all that, the princess who should have been rescued would instead greet them with hostility.
‘While they’re distracted by the princess...’
He would personally smash the back of their defenseless heads.
That would be the highlight.
Berje hoped the hero would reach the fourth floor if possible. Just imagining that dumbfounded expression brought him joy.
“...Are you busy?”
Speak of the devil and she appears. Through the gap of the open door, Ernan peeked her head inside.
“What is it?”
“I knocked, but you didn’t answer....”
“I asked what the matter was.”
“I heard from Gordon that you called for me.”
“Ah.”
He had indeed.
Berje rummaged around and pulled out a fruit. One of the two fruits the Red Frost Tribe had been protecting. The name was Aloge, if he remembered correctly.
Unlike Iasince, this type grew as fruit on a tree.
“The Tower stains elixirs with demonic energy. So you’d better eat it as soon as possible.”
“Thank you! Also, um....”
“Speak.”
“You said you wanted me to personally stop the hero, right?”
“Yes.”
“How exactly do you want me to do that?”
Berje fell silent. He couldn’t understand what intention this question carried.
“No, I don’t mean anything weird. I just thought you must have something specific in mind, right? I think it’s better to be clear.”
“I didn’t expect you to take such initiative.”
“If I receive payment, I should give my best. I think that’s the right thing to do.”
Did that sense of “right thing” apply to demons as well?
Well, whatever. If she was willing to put effort into it, all the better.
“No matter what, you cannot defeat Hillan Cargill. But you can certainly throw him off.”
“Aha, so seduction? If that’s the case, I’m confident.”
“....”
“...No?”
Ernan wilted after winking with one eye.
“Any method is fine, but just show intuitively that you’re hostile to him. He would never imagine that the princess he’s supposed to rescue would try to fight him.”
“And that’s the opening the Demon King intends to exploit.”
“Yes.”
“Then...”
Ernan paused to think, then her eyes sparkled.
“What if I introduce myself as your subordinate? Wouldn’t that be even more shocking?”
“That is a good idea, but.”
Was it really?
“I’ll think a bit more and tell you if I come up with something better.”
‘Why does she look excited?’
He couldn’t understand. So he didn’t bother. As they said—madwomen aren’t meant to be understood.
“Do as you like.”
He waved her off. Ernan disappeared with a bright expression.
‘Can she be trusted?’
He worried, but the die was already cast. Berje decided to focus on what he could do now.
He retrieved a demonic-energy-soaked Iasince root from storage. He put it into his mouth and chewed.
Melted demonic energy surged through his entire body.
His pupils turned black.
* * *
『We have arrived at Hortonwork. We will begin climbing the mountain soon.』
Time passed, and at last, the hero party led by Hillan arrived at the Demon King’s front yard.