The Demon King Overrun by Heroes

Chapter 21: Demon King’s Tower

“Ho­tonwork welcomes the heroes!”

“All hail Hillan Cargill!”

The moment they passed through the fortress gate, people burst into cheers.

Granada exhaled a puff of white breath. It felt strangely emotional.

‘I have finally returned.’

Hortonwork.

The place where he had first met the Demon King.

The place where he had been purchased by the Demon King and decided to become his subordinate.

It had been long. The hero’s march that had stretched on for nearly half a year had truly been long.

But the time had not been meaningless.

All hail Hillan Cargill!

All hail Watton Colo!

Granada!

The fact that his name was subtly called out among the ranks of the distinguished heroes proved as much.

“Granada. What are you doing? Let’s go in.”

Hillan, who had grown rather close to him over the months, gently tapped his shoulder.

“Yes.”

The five hundred–strong hero expedition, led by Hillan and Granada, finally set foot in Hortonwork.

One hundred heroes and four hundred nobles, knights, or mercenaries.

Contrary to the Demon King’s expectations, minor disputes had occurred, but no desertions had reduced the size of the expedition. Naturally, the march had continued without issue.

Hillan Cargill’s influence had made it so.

He had drawn in knights, soothed mercenaries who attempted to flee, and dragged everyone this far.

Granada thought the Demon King had underestimated Hillan.

“Wow, it’s been a while here too.”

“In the end, the rumors were true, right? There really was a Demon King in Ergest. But someone insisted we stay here without knowing that.”

“Cut it out. I told you I’d been drunk then!”

“Idiot.”

“Wanna shut up? Wanna die?”

The mercenaries of the Red Hawk Mercenary Company, having returned to their familiar post, snickered. The members of the hero’s march unpacked their belongings in a corner of the lord’s castle, receiving the warm welcome of Hortonwork’s lord.

“As the lord tasked with overseeing Hortonwork, it is an honor to take part in a chapter of history where evil is defeated and justice is set right!”

With the lord’s greeting, the banquet began. He took a seat at the head table with renowned heroes such as Hillan Cargill and Watton Colo.

“Our destination is finally before our eyes. We have come this far without major trouble. The Demon King, frightened by our might, has not mounted any proper response and is cowering.”

“But we must not let our guard down. He is a Demon King and the wicked one who kidnapped the princess.”

“Once the subjugation of the Demon King ends, I hope we can all meet again with smiles. To peace across the continent!”

“To peace!”

“Hail the heroes!”

At the lord’s request, Hillan raised a toast, and the members cheered. Their morale was sky–high.

Their faith in the hero Hillan.

A hero’s march with no monsters, no demons—something unprecedented until now.

And the information that the newly descended rookie Demon King used flame.

It was the result of these four factors combining perfectly. A conviction that they would surely succeed wrapped around the entire expedition.

Granada found that atmosphere strange.

‘At this rate, isn’t everything almost the exact opposite?’

At first, everything had seemed to be proceeding according to the Demon King’s plan. But Hillan had proven more capable than expected. He had produced the exact opposite result.

‘Could it be stopped?’

Granada seriously wondered whether he ought to strike now from behind.

It had only been barely two months since he had joined the hero’s march. And the last sight of the tower he remembered was the princess standing alone in an empty clearing.

‘No. There’s no need to agonize. If it succeeds, it’s good.’

He hadn’t become a subordinate of the Demon King by choice.

If the Demon King died, the restricting spell binding him would also be lifted.

“....”

Even so, he couldn’t help the faint unease that tugged at a corner of his heart. Stifled, he stepped out onto the terrace and infused mana into the crystal orb.

Fortunately, there was a response.

“We’ve arrived at Hortonwork. After a brief rest, we’ll begin climbing the mountain soon.”

『I see.』

A completely carefree, unworried voice returned.

『Once you begin climbing the mountain, there’s a risk of being discovered, so you may stop contacting me.』

“Do I still simply do my best to assist the hero?”

『Until you reach the tower and I personally give another command, the previous order remains in effect.』

『Perfect timing. I’ll tell you the things you must be careful about.』

『Be wary of the snow when climbing the mountain.』

『Do not let your guard down at night.』

『And lastly, when opening the tower’s door, absolutely do not stand close to it and brace for the impact.』

“...What? What does that mean?”

No answer returned. The communication was cut unilaterally.

“What the…?”

“What are you doing out here alone?”

At that moment, Hillan came out onto the terrace holding a bottle of liquor. Granada quickly hid the crystal orb.

“Just getting some fresh air. And you, Hillan?”

“I left the lord in the care of the other heroes and stepped out for a moment.”

Indeed, the lord was surrounded by other heroes.

“Care for a drink? It’s a fruit wine favored by elves.”

“I’ll just have one.”

Unable to refuse Hillan’s offer, he accepted the glass. The aroma was pleasant.

“Are you worried about something?”

The hero sipped his drink. Ahh, this is good. He let out repeated sounds of admiration.

“Do I look worried?”

“Yes. Are you getting nervous now that we’re close to the Demon King’s tower?”

In a way, he was right.

“Do you think we can successfully subjugate the Demon King?”

“That I don’t know. Others trust me, but there is no such thing as certainty when it comes to subjugating a Demon King. A Demon King is always strong, and the tower is hell.”

“But didn’t you kill the Lust Demon King? Compared to him, a newly descended Demon King is just…”

“If things were that simple, the Demon Kings in Arein would have all disappeared long ago.”

Hillan shrugged.

“Still…”

A faint, ambiguous smile sat on his lips.

“If you assist us, Granada, I believe we will surely succeed.”

“I’m just an ordinary elf.”

“You’re pretending to be weak again. Aside from me and a few select heroes, no one is more well-known than you, isn’t that so?”

“That’s only because when monsters rushed us, I was the first to step forward…”

“Exactly that. There are a few who may be more skilled than you, but your renown has become incomparable. It’s the difference between acting on your sense of justice and not acting on it.”

As expected of an elf—he muttered softly—such virtues came naturally to them.

“So.”

The hero placed both hands on Granada’s shoulders. His eyes sharpened as he met his gaze directly.

“I’ll take the lead. Please support me at my side.”

“...I will.”

Granada deliberately ignored the strange sense of disharmony he felt.

* * *

From the southernmost Hilderan to the northernmost Hortonwork.

After their long journey, the hero expedition enjoyed a week of rest.

Hillan summoned the upper leadership to review the plan once more.

“Above all, mobility and stealth are the most important. The Ergest Mountains are overflowing with monsters. The more we avoid drawing their attention, the fewer casualties we’ll suffer, and by not losing our way in the snow we can save time.”

“Once we reach the summit, finding the tower should be easy. By their nature, Demon Kings usually build their towers in the most conspicuous places.”

“It’s likely he erected it on the highest peak.”

“Since it’s a snowy mountain, our pace will be slow. We should expect it to take at least a week.”

“Then we’ll need to bring a lot more supplies.”

“Since he supposedly wields flame attributes, we must bring gear with flame resistance.”

“And since we also need cold-weather gear for the snowy mountains, our load is going to double.”

They received supplies in Hortonwork and made a final inspection of their equipment. And at last—

“Move out!”

The hero expedition headed toward the climax of their march.

* * *

The lower ridges of Ergest were not particularly steep.

A gentle incline. Relatively flat land and dense trees welcomed the visitors.

But as time passed and altitude increased, patches of white snow began to appear. The slope grew steeper, and the trees disappeared.

And the mountain’s longtime inhabitants did not welcome intruders.

Kruoooorrr—

“A yeti!”

“Five yetis on the right flank! Distance about 300 meters!”

Creatures impossible to see elsewhere appeared every few hours.

“A Twin-Head Ogre!”

“Damn it, scatter! If you clump up, you’ll all die together!”

Massive monsters bared their sharp fangs.

Even though one of them was known as a catastrophe, but they could not break the hero expedition.

Srrrack—

Hillan’s sword danced gracefully. A flash burst and sketched the shape of death.

A yeti’s head fell.

An ogre’s heart ruptured.

Orcs’ lives were snuffed out.

Behind the amiable mask he always wore, his swordsmanship was swift and merciless.

“As expected of the hero!”

“All hail Hillan Cargill!”

Inspired by his performance, the heroes rushed forward one after another. No matter how fearsome the monsters of Ergest were, they could not stop them.

Strong monsters and harsh terrain were little more than minor inconveniences.

Then, creatures of a slightly different sort appeared.

“Peul Orcs?”

“But the one in the middle looks a bit different…?”

Knights and mercenaries murmured as dozens of shadows appeared above a snowy ridge.

“They’re monsters!”

A specimen more than 1.5 times the size of other orcs, with horns growing from its head.

No one was more sensitive to demonic energy than heroes, and they identified it at once.

“No, that one is closer to a demon. A demon is controlling the Peul Orcs!”

“They didn’t send a single monster until now, and their first move is to send demons.”

The appearance of the first demon made the heroes tense. Hillan shot forward first, and part of the expedition followed.

Granada went with them as well.

‘If they’re demons, then the Demon King must have summoned them. Should I pretend to fight and let them escape?’

No—doing that would only raise suspicion. He had been told to do his best, so doing his best was correct.

At that moment, their gazes met.

‘A smile…?’

Granada saw the demon’s lips curl ever so slightly.

“A smile?”

“That bastard.”

Hillan and the other heroes noticed it as well.

In that instant—

Pwooooooo—

The demon blew a massive horn.

‘A trap?’

Granada paused, caught by a nameless sense of wrongness.

KWA-A-A-ANG—

A strange explosion rang out.

And then—

Krrrraaaaaarrrrr—

“W-wait…”

“R-run!”

An avalanche began to roar down.

As the white waves crashed toward him, Granada thought:

‘Dammit, how the hell am I supposed to be careful of snow in THIS!’

* * *

Cough, cough—

Granada spat out the snow that had gotten into his mouth and barely crawled free.

“Is everyone alright?”

“Yes…”

Fortunately, the avalanche had been smaller than expected, and the members of the hero expedition were not weak. The damage was less than feared.

However—

“Damn it, what kind of demon uses an avalanche?”

“What a load of crap…”

Their first setback after unbroken success. It was unavoidable that their morale dipped slightly.

‘Crazy bastard. Even with me here, he just sweeps everyone?’

And there had not been zero casualties. The weaker mercenaries had suffered the most—the entire Red Hawk Mercenary Company had disappeared.

‘Those guys shouldn’t be the kind to get wiped out by something like this…’

When Granada was feeling both unease and anger at the same time, Hillan gathered all survivors and gave a hollow, stunned laugh.

“I never imagined our first attack would come like this.”

“...What do we do?”

“For now, we’ll regroup and set up camp somewhere we can avoid the snow. We should also wait a bit longer in case any more survivors return. The damage itself isn’t severe, but rather than climbing immediately, it seems better to rest a little.”

Hillan calmly handled the situation. But the avalanche had only been the beginning.

“Ambush!”

“The Peul Orcs have herded yetis at us!”

“Hold them back!”

“You bastards!”

Night fell quickly in the mountains. The hero expedition set up camp, but before it was even complete, guests arrived with the darkness.

With the stench unique to monsters, enraged beasts charged in. It was a sudden assault, and the expedition was already mentally exhausted.

Though Hillan, Granada, and the heroes repelled them with relative ease, no one could deny that the morale of the expedition was gradually being worn down.

And so a day passed, then another.

Contrary to the original plan, the expedition’s pace slowed, and the Peul Orcs attacked whenever they found an opening, repeating ambush after ambush.

“Those damn bastards!”

“Let’s just fight them head-on!”

The heroes were furious, but chasing after Peul Orcs that drove monsters at them in the middle of the night and vanished was nothing short of suicide.

“Are those things really orcs?”

“Why are they so cunning?”

The members of the expedition grew increasingly fatigued.

“This Demon King is truly a wretched one.”

“We can’t dance to his tune. Even if it means sacrifices, we must force a rapid march.”

“I agree.”

Filled with grim determination, the expedition began to advance rapidly. They cut down their sleep, and meals were nothing more than jerky eaten while walking.

Facing that killing intent, the attacks of the Peul Orcs thinned. So did those of other monsters.

It was fortunate, but the harsh forced march caused more and more to fall behind, and by the time they reached the summit, they were less than half of their original number again.

But there was a larger problem.

“...The tower is gone?”

“We can’t see the tower!”

All Demon Kings placed their towers where they were easy to find—obvious, unmistakable locations.

It had been so for centuries, so long that it had become truth.

And when that truth cracked, the heroes began to panic.

A day or two on the summit. Under the cold and constant attacks, casualties grew each day.

Eventually, someone gave up.

“I can’t do this anymore. This Demon King is far different from the others. I won’t waste my time and life searching for a tower that might not even be here.”

“We’re close. It just isn’t on the highest peak. It must be somewhere on the summit.”

“And how many more have to die while we search? This is Ergest. You have to live first to do anything. I refuse a pointless death. We should prepare properly and try again.”

“No. If we fail this time, the next will be even worse.”

“Better that than everyone dying and failing completely.”

The hero Watton—second only to Hillan in fame—took a firm stance against him.

The problem was that his words struck directly at the hearts of those exhausted and demoralized.

“I’m going down! Anyone who will descend with me, follow!”

More than half the members followed him.

The morale of the expedition plummeted exponentially.

“....”

“I will stay with you.”

“Granada… We will kill that Demon King. No matter what.”

It was the first time Granada saw the good-natured Hillan gritting his teeth and cursing someone.

But finding the tower went nowhere. Casualties increased, and exhausted deserters continued to appear.

Ironically—just when it seemed they might have to give up the march entirely—they found the tower.

“In a basin…”

“That bastard, seriously…!”

About fifty remained. Only one-tenth of the original number ground their teeth.

“How will you proceed?”

“We came here for a righteous cause. Even if our numbers have dwindled and our morale has dropped, we cannot flee when evil stands before us. That is what makes a true hero. Even if everyone leaves, I will slay the Demon King alone.”

“Well said.”

“Cowards.”

Cursing the comrades who fled, they regained confidence as they saw the tower—only five floors tall.

“As expected, he really is a newly descended one.”

“I’ll open the door.”

“The first floor must be filled with weaklings anyway.”

Brimming with confidence, the heroes opened the tower’s door.

At that moment—

Flash—

A brilliant flash enveloped them.

A massive explosion shook the world.

* * *

“Urghhhh…”

Granada gasped for breath.

“Are you alright?”

A battered Hillan reached out his hand. Granada barely managed to stand.

“What was that just now?”

“If my instincts are correct… it was a mana cannon.”

“A mana cannon?”

This was insane.

‘Instead of monsters on the first floor, he installed mana cannons?’

Unusual though he was for buying him and making him a subordinate, the Demon King was still a Demon King. But mana cannons?

‘So that’s why he told me not to stand close when opening the door and to brace for impact!’

“It’s strange. If a mana cannon of that scale had been gathering mana, I should have noticed it…”

Especially because the Demon King’s tower was thick with demonic energy and sparse in mana.

“And the others…?”

“No one has died, fortunately, but…”

Hillan trailed off. The moment the bright light burst forth as the door opened, he instinctively deployed a defensive spell.

It had wrapped around the entire expedition and saved their lives, but it had not eliminated the impact entirely.

At Hillan’s fingertips lay the completely unconscious bodies of the expedition members.

“It was a sudden ambush, so our response was lacking.”

“So it’s just the two of us now.”

“Yes, unfortunately.”

“So what now…”

“As soon as I woke up, I checked inside. There were five large mana cannons. Behind them were ten giant ballistae.”

“My god.”

“I destroyed them all, but besides those, the interior had nothing else. No monsters, and no one who might have fired the cannons.”

Hillan furrowed his brows.

“Even so, we must continue.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to give up? The two of us alone…”

“I killed the Lust Demon King. A newly descended one is no match for me.”

Hillan’s eyes hardened with grim resolve.

“Our hero’s march has earned much love and attention. Not living up to that, giving up with evil right before us, is unacceptable.”

However—

He added quietly:

“I would very much like you to come with me, Granada.”

“I’m not sure I’m enough.”

“What are you saying? You’re more trustworthy than anyone. I want you beside me.”

Moved by his earnestness, Granada nodded.

‘The first floor is over, but if he’s a Demon King, he must have other preparations. The hero’s condition isn’t good—better for me to go with him.’

Thus an elf and a hero stepped into the Demon King’s tower.

* * *

Hillan bit his lip. The metallic taste of blood sharpened his mind.

‘Stay calm.’

This hero’s march must not—absolutely must not—fail.

He had to either take the Demon King’s head or loot the tower and secure something of value.

He had drawn in countless people with fame and accomplishments. The consequences of betraying their expectations and trust would not be light—even for a hero.

‘The trading guilds that invested in me…’

The flame-resistant and cold-resistant gear worn by the entire expedition had not been dug up from the ground.

The food and water they had consumed for months were not free.

He had even made secret deals with various nobles, telling them to trust only him.

All that luxury came with a price.

If he died, everything would be buried. But if he returned alive, they would all descend on him like debt collectors.

This hero’s march must not fail. Absolutely not.

‘Yes, the elf. With the elf here…’

He could avoid the worst.

“Let’s go.”

Having composed himself, Hillan stepped with Granada onto the stairs to the second floor.

“Hm…?”

“Huh?”

And they found an empty clearing.

“A trap…?”

“I don’t think so. There’s truly nothing here.”

‘What is this tower?’

Upon opening the first floor, they had been greeted not by monsters but by mana cannons and ballistae.

And now the second floor was empty. The greater mystery was that they had not encountered a single living being until now.

“...Let’s go to the next floor.”

Only after thoroughly inspecting the second floor did Hillan move again toward the stairs.

And after seeing the same emptiness on the third floor, they climbed to the fourth.

‘Surely the fourth floor won’t be empty too?’

Fortunately, that fear was unfounded.

A breeze drifted in.

The scent of a fresh forest tickled their noses.

Warmth brushed their skin.

“...What is this.”

Water flowed.

Trees rustled in the wind.

Translucent birds and animals fluttered about.

It was an ecosystem. A piece of nature.

And from within it, she appeared.

“Welcome to the Demon King’s tower, strangers. I am one of the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings, the Spirit Sorceress of Darkness.”

“...Your Highness the Princess?”

“You’ve mistaken me for someone else. I am the Demon King’s subordinate number one.”

“You just said Four Heavenly Kings…”

“You do not listen well. You must be punished.”

That—

KWAANG—

—was Hillan’s final memory.