Chapter 30 : In Search of the Runaway Blacksmith
Chapter 30: In Search of the Runaway Blacksmith
“Are you perhaps named Seniel?”
“...What is that supposed to—”
“No, I guess not. I was just curious.”
Berje ignored Ernan’s pouty stare.
“She is the princess of Zespine, who will be staying with us on the 4th floor from now on.”
“...I look...forward to your guidance.”
Was looking forward to it even the right thing to say?
Kaede felt as though every bit of common sense she had known was being shattered as she climbed the mountain.
Why had she been kidnapped? Why were they climbing a mountain? And why was a tower hidden behind a basin?
Questions came endlessly. Before she realized it, she had already been brought into the tower.
“...Did you kidnap another hero?”
“She is a princess.”
The first person she saw was the “Dwarven Hero,” tinkering noisily with a mana cannon.
And now, spirits fluttered through the air as a ‘human’ spirit sorceress welcomed her.
Was this truly the Demon King’s Tower?
Was the man she saw earlier really the Demon King?
‘But that overwhelming demonic energy…’
Her instincts as a hero screamed that he could not be anything but the Demon King.
The Demon King disappeared without another word. Kaede couldn’t understand that carelessness either.
Not a prison, but the 4th floor? She had heard that some Demon Kings treated certain princes or princesses with exceptional courtesy. But she herself was not a princess worthy of such treatment.
‘It might be an opportunity, though.’
Kaede examined the interior of the 4th floor. Ernan, who had been silently observing her, spoke.
“What are you doing?”
“I intend to escape. Please help me. You’re human too—surely you’re not here by choice?”
No human truly served the Demon King. At least, that was what Kaede believed. They were invaders, after all.
“If you want to go, you can just leave. No one will stop you.”
“What do you mean by that...?”
“Did you see any monsters or demons on your way up? There’s no guard force stopping you. Whether you can survive once you go outside is another matter entirely, though.”
“Ah.”
Kaede realized what she meant. This was the Ergest Mountains, and Kaede lacked the skills to endure its cold and monsters.
As expected of the Demon King—thorough even within apparent negligence.
“He really was the Demon King....”
Kaede bit her lip.
She had come to assist Hillan Cargill and slay the Demon King, yet instead she found herself captured by him. It was pathetic beyond words.
“You shouldn’t see him too negatively. The master of this tower is actually quite the gentleman.”
“Kidnapping alone is enough to prove he is not gentlemanly.”
“Well, you could see it that way. But he doesn’t lock princesses in underground dungeons or anything. He lets them stay freely on the 4th floor.”
Ernan waved her hand lightly. At her command, an earth spirit raised a wall.
“You can stay there. There’s no set meal time, so if you get hungry, just take whatever you want from that storage over there.”
“Okay.”
For now, Kaede decided to follow her instructions. There was a saying that even if one was dragged into an ogre’s den, one could survive by keeping one's wits sharp.
The Demon King was far beyond any ogre, but if she waited long enough, an opportunity would surely arise.
‘In some ways, this might actually be better....’
Recalling why she had chased Hillan in the first place—why she had sought the Demon King—she let out a bitter smile.
“But what exactly is that Dwarven Hero on the 1st floor?”
For some reason, the Demon King’s Tower—where monsters should have been swarming—contained anything but monsters.
“He’s a Dwarven Hero.”
“No, I mean...”
“I’m not really sure either. I’m a prisoner too.”
“...A prisoner?”
Kaede had assumed she was a human who had defected to the Demon King’s side, someone assigned to watch over her.
After all, she freely controlled the 4th floor.
“Oh, did I not tell you my story? Allow me to introduce myself properly.”
Ernan bowed her head with elegant grace.
“Crown Princess of Hilderan, Ernan Hilderan. Just like you...”
I was kidnapped.
“....”
Kaede sincerely wondered if this succubus was deceiving her under the Demon King’s secret orders.
* * *
“I never thought I would stand here again.”
Hillan adjusted his clothes. His reflection in the mirror looked impeccably neat.
“Are you ready?”
“I am, but I can’t deny I’m nervous.”
“Haha, among all heroes, aren’t you the one with the most experience in situations like this?”
“This time, it isn’t exactly a pleasant matter.”
“How could that be your fault, Hero? It’s simply because the new Demon King is strange. Thanks to you, people have become aware of the threat he poses, so isn’t that good in its own way?”
Well, was it truly a good thing?
No one would ever imagine that a hero had become the Demon King’s dog. That was why the world overflowed with people happy simply to see him alive.
That was exactly the picture the Demon King wanted.
He had failed, yet the blame shifted from the hero to the strange Demon King, allowing Hillan to keep his reputation—no, to become an even greater hero.
“Shall we go?”
Hillan smoothed out the last crease in his outfit.
He began to walk, accompanied by his secretary.
‘What is the Demon King planning?’
How did the Demon King intend to use a hero like him?
‘Surely he doesn’t mean for me to kill another hero?’
He didn’t seem like someone so simple. It might have sounded arrogant, but Hillan Cargill knew his own value well.
He was not a card to be used once and discarded.
‘Think positively.’
The Demon King named Berje seemed different from others, but all Demon Kings who had descended over the past centuries had been different.
Even so, Arein had never once faced the threat of destruction. Now, the world considered Demon Kings nothing more than a way to make money.
‘The continent will never fall.’
The world was wide and heroes were plenty. There were many nations. If the continent could collapse because of a single hero’s betrayal, it would have collapsed long ago.
‘And I gained ninety thousand gold.’
The generous Demon King had handed over the entire sum. One hundred thousand gold now slept in his subspace pocket. Even after using ten thousand to clear all his debts, ninety thousand remained.
And most of that would be transferred to the Golden Moon Merchant Company the moment Aman Katrash became its successor, counted as investment funds.
That enormous capital would revive the declining Golden Moon Merchant Company.
And with Hillan Cargill fully supporting it, expanding the business would not be a far-fetched dream. Such a powerful merchant company would become the Demon King’s agent—and Hillan’s reliable supporter.
That was the vision Hillan Cargill was drawing.
Regardless of the Demon King, money did not lie. And Hillan knew exactly how to spend money.
Bang—
He opened the doors to the grand hall.
“He’s here!”
“It’s really Hillan Cargill!”
All the reporters waiting inside turned their eyes toward him at once. Hillan basked in their attention as he slowly stepped onto the platform.
Click—
Click—
The dazzling flashes of magical cameras stung his eyes.
“Greetings, everyone. Hillan Cargill here. I’m not certain whether I should feel happy or sad to be standing before you like this. For now, I’ll begin by telling the story from the moment I started climbing the mountain. I’ll take questions after I finish.”
Silence filled the hall.
Hillan calmly recounted his tale—appropriately embellished.
“I sought the tower. I wanted to rescue the princess at any cost.
But the Demon King was devious.”
“There was no tower anywhere, and what greeted us was nothing but the freezing cold, blizzards, and even stronger monsters.”
“My men screamed. They fell, bleeding. I tried to save as many of them as I could. I wandered in that forbidden land for weeks so their deaths would not be in vain.”
Sometimes cold and rational, sometimes stirring with emotion—he swayed the crowd completely. A single tear rolling down his cheek served as the defining stroke.
When Hillan finally finished the story, the reporters—caught up in the atmosphere—expressed their sympathy.
Hillan, once a triumphant hero, became a tragic protagonist brought low by a villain’s treachery.
“I’ll take questions now.”
At that moment—
The grand hall’s doors opened a crack. People who peeked inside hurriedly rushed toward the reporters.
The murmuring swelled abruptly.
‘What’s going on?’
Some new piece of news?
‘Judging by their faces, it wasn’t anything trivial....’
A prickling sense of dread pressed against Hillan’s chest. Someone raised a hand.
“Yes, go ahead.”
“The Demon King you failed to subjugate is said to have kidnapped the Princess of Zespine. Do you feel any guilt, thinking she wouldn’t have been taken if you had succeeded?”
“...?”
What kind of dogshit—?
* * *
The kidnapping of Princess Kaede Zespine, ninth princess of Zespine, came to light simply because of terrible luck.
The Demon King openly released his demonic energy, and its force shook Hortonwork itself.
“An enormous surge of demonic energy!”
“If demonic energy’s detectable nearby, then....”
“It’s the newly descended Demon King of Ergest. He must be enraged by the hero’s march.”
The city went on high alert, and the security forces arrived late—only to find collapsed mercenaries.
While treating them, assuming they had been attacked by demons, one mercenary woke up.
“The princess!”
He shouted.
“....”
“....”
It was nothing more than a minor incident. But because the Demon King was involved, that minor incident grew into an enormous rumor.
“Demonic energy was found in Hortonwork.”
“The surroundings were destroyed, and mercenaries were lying unconscious. There had definitely been a battle.”
“The Demon King appeared to kidnap someone.”
“The mercenaries were actually knights.”
“And the one kidnapped was a princess!”
Everything lined up perfectly. The mercenaries denied the truth—and then vanished.
“The Demon King kidnapped another princess right after the hero’s march? He must be insane....”
There were those who denied the rumor, and their reasoning was sound.
But the timing was awful.
Hero Hillan Cargill’s expedition had failed, and the new Demon King was proving unlike any before.
“The new Demon King’s clearly deranged!”
“He definitely kidnapped the princess of the Zespine Empire!”
Yet the Zespine Empire itself took no action.
* * *
Smack—
Smaaack—
Blood splattered. White teeth scattered across the floor.
Yet the knight simply kept his head bowed.
“Enough.”
The hand striking his subordinate’s cheek halted.
He fell to his knees before the throne, pressing his forehead to the floor.
“Do you know?”
The man spoke languidly, but beneath that tone lay a chill that made every knight swallow dryly and lower their heads even more.
“They say even the mongrels in the marketplace know. That the princess of Zespine has been kidnapped by the Demon King.”
Because of one knight’s sleep-talking.
A low, scoffing laugh echoed.
“And I wonder whether you deserve to remain knights at all.”
“Please kill us!”
“If you truly wish for death, I shall grant it.”
“....”
“I despise worms who cause trouble and then try to flee from it.”
“I will surely rescue Her Highness the Princess.”
“Should I tear that mouth of yours so my ears won’t be dirtied any further?”
He clicked his tongue.
“How do you expect to succeed where Hillan Cargill—one of the Ten Stars—failed? Words should be spoken after thinking.”
The knights said nothing. They only trembled, hoping futilely for their lord’s mercy.
“Ector.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“What should I do with you? You, the royal guards who let the princess escape under your watch… your incompetence in losing her to the Demon King… and the foolishness of flapping your mouths carelessly?”
“If Your Majesty entrusts it to me, I will surely bring Her Highness back.”
“And how will you accomplish that?”
“....”
He rose from the throne. Slowly descended the steps—then struck Ector on the head.
“Did I not tell you to think before speaking?”
“My apologies.”
“Do not do things you’ll have to apologize for. Do not test my patience.”
The Emperor spoke coldly. Then he returned to the throne and closed his eyes.
“Go to the Kingdom of Ormus.”
After a moment, he opened them again.
“Tell that greedy old man that his bride has disappeared. And cooperate with him in every way regarding Kaede’s retrieval.”
“Yes.”
“And send an envoy to the Hero Guild. If they’ve eaten that much of our money, it’s time they earned it.”
“Yes.”
“You may go. Remember—this is your final chance.”
“We obey Your Majesty!”
“We will carve it into our bones!”
The knights departed.
“There is no need for me to act personally.”
Hillan Cargill had failed to even locate the tower. There was no reason for him to incur the damage first.
He would watch—observe the Kingdom of Hilderan, frantic over losing their crown princess, and Ormus, raging over a stolen future concubine.
Kaede was not an important enough princess to change anything.
“How bothersome. She should have just gone quietly to Ormus.”
He clicked his tongue again.
* * *
Berje left the tower once more. And he quickly realized the commotion he had caused was far greater than expected.
‘As expected—Zespine.’
He had roughly guessed it. Though he despised the Demon King’s Standard due to his past, Berje was still a Demon King. With a princess wandering before him, how could he simply ignore it?
‘It’s not a big problem.’
The tower’s location had not been exposed. That alone was a tremendous advantage.
‘And even if it is discovered, I can always use the Ghost of Mana.’
It would cost an enormous number of Demonic Points, but nothing was more important than survival.
‘I should save some Demonic Points whenever I can.’
With the rumor spreading that he had kidnapped a princess, the points gathered from fear and unrest would only increase.
‘Anyway, it’s been a while since I’ve been here.’
Massive buildings pierced the sky. Artificially shaped currents of mana flowed throughout the city.
Airships drifted overhead, and magical devices were everywhere.
The magitech kingdom, capital of Arkan—Amur.
It wasn’t his first visit. He had come once before to kidnap a princess of Arkan.
And ended up kidnapping a prince instead.
‘...Unpleasant memories resurface.’
It hadn’t been a mistake.
No, truly—not a mistake.
He had made a judgment based on her eyes, her aura, and the state of the room.
Just as one avoids stepping in filth because it’s filthy—he had simply avoided it.
‘Pointless thoughts.’
It was the past, and it would not happen again. There were many kingdoms and even more princesses; he had no reason—nor desire—to cling to Arkan.
‘The best would be the Magic Tower, but....’
The Magic Tower did not merely train mages; it also functioned as a marketplace, selling various reagents and magical materials.
Thus, the easiest place to acquire Seniel Powder was the Magic Tower.
The problem was that where there was a Magic Tower, there was almost always a hero.
If he hid his demonic energy as much as possible, he could deceive mid-tier heroes at best—but this was the Magic Tower of the magitech kingdom. Avoiding detection entirely was impossible.
‘I should check the nearby magic markets instead.’
Their goods were of lower quality than those in the tower, but that was still better than having nothing.
At that moment—
“Are you sure he’s here?”
“No doubt. What else could a man who fled the kingdom do?”
“He’s not the type to break his old habits. He’ll pick up the hammer again.”
“Yes. Absolutely. The easiest places to obtain various materials would be the Kingdom of Arkan or the Trafarta Union. But I believe he’d prefer Arkan over Trafarta.”
“Because Trafarta is right next to the homeland?”
“Yes. They cooperate more closely than anyone else. He would have chosen a place less touched by the kingdom’s influence.”
“Makes sense.”
Their voices were loud enough to echo. Passersby glanced at them, but they didn’t care in the slightest.
And they were—
‘Hooh.’
Princess Louise Berfht, second princess of the Dwarven Kingdom of Berfht.