Chapter 34 : Water Spirit, Nairuniel
Chapter 34: Water Spirit, Nairuniel
Swaeek–
Saaak–
Sword-light scattered.
The sharp flash of aura struck the wall. Yet the wall did not receive a single scratch.
Ernan quietly watched the scene. She crunched on the cookie she had made, her eyes fixed on the beads of sweat rolling down Kaede’s face.
A few days had passed since she began living with the imperial princess, and the girl’s training had now become an everyday sight.
“Is that the swordsmanship of the Zespine Empire?”
“It is a secret art passed down only to direct members of the imperial family.”
The fact that she had learned it was not much of a secret in itself.
“But were you waiting for my training to end?”
“Yes. I have something to do, and you swinging your sword dance beside me would be a distraction.”
Kaede frowned.
Calling the imperial family’s secret swordsmanship a sword dance—
She did not like this crown princess who spoke so lightly. And the inscrutable eyes that revealed nothing of what she was thinking grated on her nerves as well.
But she endured it. For now, they were the only two humans—and princesses—inside the Demon King’s Tower.
The fact that the number of humans inside the tower, matched the number of demons was, in a way, laughable.
“What are you trying to do?”
She did not ask out of genuine curiosity—only because the flow of conversation continued naturally.
“I’m going to form a contract with a spirit.”
“Here?”
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
There were many problems.
The Demon King’s Tower was sparse in mana and overflowing with demonic energy. From her perspective, it was the worst environment imaginable for forming a spirit contract.
But instead of pointing that out, she closed her mouth. Though she had not been here long, she instinctively understood that asking further would never bring back a good answer.
“May I watch?”
“For a spirit sorcerer, forming a contract with a spirit should be more private than anything. Surely you’re not ignorant of that.”
“You watched my training, didn’t you?”
“That’s because you didn’t refuse.”
It was an answer that left no room for rebuttal.
“Still, so long as you don’t interfere, I won’t stop you.”
“I am an honourable knight of the Empire. I would never do anything so shameless.”
“You ambushed the Demon King, though?”
“…The Demon King is a different case.”
“For a different case, your face is turning rather red.”
“……”
Kaede shut her mouth. She had already learned the hard way that once the princess started talking, she could never win in an argument.
Ernan slowly began drawing a magic circle.
Spirits loved pure mana. The Demon King’s Tower had extremely little mana, and what little there was remained turbid—making it the worst possible environment for summoning a spirit. Yet there was one thing spirits loved even more than pure mana: the blood of one with exceptional spirit sensitivity.
Ernan’s blood—known to possess the greatest spirit sensitivity on the continent.
And with Seniel Powder, a spirit-summoning aid, added on top of that, the environment no longer mattered. Especially since the Demon King had bought the highest grade, exceptional in both quality and quantity.
Sarararak–
Ernan stood still and let all the Seniel Powder scatter. Though the powder naturally should have fallen according to the laws of nature, it defied gravity and rose.
It circled around her, dancing with the spirits.
A blade of wind sliced its master’s fingertip. Crimson droplets naturally mixed with the powder.
Uuuuuung—
Mana surged around Ernan. Powder and blood merged and began to resonate.
“…Kuh.”
Kaede stepped back a few paces.
“ÐЩđЙł Dshkyɛʧ···.”
Unknown words spilled from Ernan’s mouth.
And then—
Space split open. Pure mana, impossible to believe existed within the Demon King’s Tower, flowed out.
The energy of the Spirit Realm. Feeling such pure essence was no different from receiving a heavenly fortune.
Kaede hurriedly activated her aura cultivation method.
But soon she stumbled backward.
A vast presence.
A woman. Utterly beautiful, utterly mysterious, utterly elegant.
Ernan panted from the massive drain of mana. Yet she forced herself not to collapse and raised her hand.
“In the name of Ernan Hilderan, I humbly request.”
“I seek to form a contract bound by blood and blood, soul and soul, with the great guardian of water.”
Just maintaining the summoning and speaking was enough for a nosebleed to drip from Ernan’s chin.
But the blood that fell only strengthened the summoning circle.
Glass-like, translucent pupils met Ernan’s gaze.
— I permit it.
— According to the primordial covenant, I, Nairuniel, high-grade Spirit of Water, shall regard the human, Ernan Hilderan, as my companion of the soul.
Flash—
Her translucent body split into tens of thousands of droplets. They seeped into Ernan’s entire being and engraved themselves into her soul.
The space closed. The magic circle vanished. The mana disappeared without a trace.
“Haah… haah…!”
Drenched in sweat, Ernan collapsed from exhaustion. But she couldn’t hide the smile spreading at her lips.
“Nairuniel.”
Mana stirred. But compared to the summoning ritual for the contract, it was a minuscule amount.
Nairuniel appeared again.
— I’m finally out!
She exclaimed brightly, completely different from moments before.
— You know? All the other spirits rejected you. Only I reached out and took your hand.
“…Pardon?”
— Isn’t it obvious? No one expected a human to summon a high-grade spirit inside the Demon King’s Tower.
— Even if that weren’t the case, spirits dislike the demon race. And yet despite being kidnapped, you’ve been extremely cooperative with the Demon King, haven’t you?
— Your reputation among the spirits isn’t very good.
“…I see.”
Ernan murmured. She had more or less suspected as much.
— They’re fools. That’s actually what makes it good.
“…I don’t understand.”
She felt an indescribable sense of dread. As if she had just opened Pandora’s box.
— Because it’s the story of a kidnapped princess and the Demon King who kidnapped her—an impossible, forbidden love! I adore these kinds of things! Kyaaaaaah!
“…Please, I’m begging you, return to the Spirit Realm.”
‘…Hmm.’
Why?
Kaede suddenly saw in the noble high-grade water spirit the same expressions she had seen from the madams of the Imperial Capital’s social circles—those who cheered on the love affairs of young nobles.
* * *
『A hero’s march is scheduled.』
A sudden communication.
Hillan Cargill’s opening words.
『Due to the failure of my hero’s march, the Hero Guild has suffered significant reputational damage. Its honor has fallen, and arguments claiming the Hero Guild is unnecessary have resurfaced.』
“Unnecessary?”
『Some insist that, because heroes are crucial military assets, they should be managed not by a private organization but by each nation. The Zespine Empire is the most prominent example.』
He hadn’t expected such a problem.
As always, the past Berje had been hopelessly ignorant. He tried to solve everything with nothing but his own stubbornness and pride. Had he known human politics were this entertaining, he would have gotten involved and stirred up conflict long ago.
“Can’t we split them apart?”
『It will be difficult for now. The Guildmaster, the Elders, and the high-ranking heroes are tightly united.』
“So ‘for now’ means there’s at least some gap.”
That was good to know.
『……』
“So then they’re going to attack me?”
『They intend to reclaim the Hero Guild’s lost honor by rescuing a kidnapped prince or princess from the Demon King.』
“So they plan to attack me again?”
『That is not the case.』
『If I were the one to find the Demon King’s Tower, perhaps. But the Elders dislike meaningless casualties. For the time being, they will leave you alone and simply observe the situation.』
From Berje’s perspective, this was the best outcome.
“Then their target is?”
『Either Frost or Beast.』
The Frost Demon King, Reina Sordein.
The Beast Demon King, Draxon Doldov.
“Why specifically those two?”
『Because they can cooperate.』
『As you know, some Demon Kings maintain quiet connections with the Hero Guild.』
He hadn’t known. But he had suspected.
Before his regression, the idea that a Demon King would ever join hands with humans—or heroes—had been unthinkable. But now things were different.
The strange coexistence between heroes and Demon Kings was only possible if both sides had something to gain.
『The Hero Guild has no intention of fighting any particular Demon King to the bitter end. They’ll try to achieve mutual benefit—just as they always have.』
『If there were no Demon Kings, wouldn’t the Hero Guild lose its purpose?』
“So it's all a rigged game of poker. Will those Demon Kings really cooperate?”
『The Beast Demon King is a cunning one. Offer him enough profit, and he’ll match their tune. As for Frost, she actually has no direct connection with the Guild, but because of her temperament, she is trusted far more than the greedy Beast inside the Guild.』
Her temperament?
『Yes. Oh, and on that subject, I have a suggestion. Regarding the Frost Demon King…』
Hillan Cargill continued his explanation.
“That’s fairly convincing.”
『Of course, nothing is guaranteed… but for now, it’s the best outcome.』
“You do have quite the sly mind.”
『It’s not slyness…』
Suddenly, noise echoed from beyond the crystal sphere. Hillan Cargill’s expression twisted.
『Something seems to have come up. I’ll contact you again later.』
“Do that.”
The communication cut off. And then—
Craaaack—
Before the call even ended, Berje tore apart the report Gordon had given him.
“Wh-what are you doing! I wrung my brain dry for days to produce that!”
“I don’t need it anymore.”
“What! You didn’t even read it properly!”
“I read about half. But I came up with a better plan, so why cling to this one?”
“…I would like to hear it.”
“We’ll use Hillan Cargill’s hero’s march.”
“The hero’s march?”
“Sometimes a hero’s march involves touring across the entire continent. We’ll make sure the march route includes the royal capital of the Magitech Kingdom of Arkan. Many merchants want to join a hero’s march. Isn’t it a chance to make a fortune?”
“You intend to get Zetoson involved?”
“With that man’s greed, he’ll join. Absolutely. And once he pours his entire fortune into joining the march, we’ll send monsters disguised as Frost’s doing.”
“…What?”
“We’ll secretly coordinate with Hillan to loosen security—just enough to ensure that only Zetoson’s assets get smashed.”
Berje grinned.
“What do you think that penniless swindler will remember?”
He would only remember the ‘wealthy fool’—the one who had thrown a huge amount of money at him upon first meeting, calling it a salary.
“But once he’s in my hands, it’ll be obvious who the real fool is.”
“That is truly… worthy of a Demon King.”
Gordon was impressed. As expected of the valedictorian of the Demon King Military Academy. It was better than his own plan.
“It’s perfect. That human won’t be able to do anything but dance in the Demon King’s palm.”
With heroes and a Demon King working together in secret, how could a mere merchant resist?
His future was already decided.
“What are you waiting for? Go draft the detailed plan.”
“…Yes, I’ll get right on it.”
At Berje’s gesture, Gordon disappeared in a huff.
“…Hmm. This is the first time since Harmony.”
He cleared his throat and infused demonic energy into the communication crystal.
* * *
“…What is the meaning of this?”
Hillan looked out the window through the gap in the curtains. The knights lined up outside were anything but welcoming.
“……”
“Sir Cooltan. I would appreciate it if you let me continue addressing you as ‘Sir.’”
“…My apologies. His Majesty has issued a royal command to bring you.”
The commander of the Azure Sea Knight Order, Cooltan, bowed his head.
“And if I don’t want to go?”
“His Majesty has commanded that we bring you even by force.”
Ha. Hillan let out a laugh.
“What is the charge? Failing to subjugate the Demon King? Failing to rescue the princess? You know better than anyone how ridiculous that sounds, don’t you?”
This was a world where people had grown accustomed to Demon Kings. A world where Demon Kings were no longer absolute beings.
But that didn’t mean heroes always won. They had merely grown accustomed to Demon Kings and learned to control them more organically—not that Demon Kings had become easy prey they could kill whenever they pleased.
Far more heroes had died than Demon Kings that had descended and vanished.
Countless failures had paved the way to every success. And even now, more heroes failed than succeeded.
Even so, they risked their lives for the sake of wealth and honour.
And one could not say there was no devotion to one’s nation or the world.
But if the reward for risking one’s life ended up being this kind of treatment—who would ever risk their life again for their country on a hero’s march?
Moreover, Hillan had, officially, wandered the perilous Ergest Mountains until the very end, risking his life to find the tower.
“You know very well what Her Highness the Crown Princess means to Hilderan.”
“And I suppose I mean nothing to Hilderan?”
“…We are not here to accuse you of a crime. Of course that would never happen. His Majesty simply wishes to hear the events as they occurred.”
“Do you truly believe that?”
“……”
Cooltan fell silent.
“I will not go.”
“You must.”
“Threats like before won’t work. This is not Hilderan, and the justification lies with me.”
When a kingdom’s successor was kidnapped, a hero was obligated to accept the request. That was the agreement between the Hero Guild and the nations of the continent, and Hillan had no choice but to comply.
But not now.
Hillan had done everything he could and merely failed. No kingdom could punish a hero who had risked his life and failed—
Unless clear evidence existed that the hero had intentionally failed.
‘Come to think of it, that’s why I became the Demon King’s dog.’
And now, after everything else, Hillan found himself liking his homeland, Hilderan, less and less.
“So.”
Hillan’s gaze was no longer friendly.
“Will you truly drag me away by force, as you said?”
Was it possible?
Cooltan shook his head inwardly.
This man had slain the Lust Demon King. He had failed to locate the Demon King’s Tower, but he had survived for weeks in the perilous Ergest region.
Even though the Azure Sea Knight Order was one of Hilderan’s renowned knight orders, Hillan Cargill’s combat power far surpassed it.
“…I will contact the homeland.”
“If His Majesty wishes to see my face, tell him to request it officially through the Hero Guild. Even if Hilderan is my homeland, heroes are not to be affiliated with any nation. Isn’t that the principle?”
It was, of course, just a convenient pretence—but under circumstances like this, it worked.
“Yes.”
In the end, Cooltan could do nothing but bow his head.
* * *
“Did you sleep well, my lord?”
“Good morning, everyone.”
Reina Sordein awoke to the bright morning sunlight.
She went about her usual routine. The frost demon handmaidens helped her dress, and she enjoyed her morning tea with her close attendants.
After breakfast, she held a productive meeting on how to further strengthen the tower.
Then she walked through every floor, encouraging the demons and monsters, and inspecting the facilities of the tower.
It was then that Draxon contacted her.
“Are you saying the target of the hero’s march will be me?”
『Yes. That’s what I’m saying. The Hero Guild had its pride wounded thanks to that stubborn fool Berje.』
『To hide their failure, they need an achievement of similar weight.』
“What is it you want from me?”
『Nothing in particular. Just act as you always do. Exactly as you normally would. Nothing added, nothing removed.』
“So you want me to play along with their little play.”
『That’s what I like about you—you understand quickly.』
“Even without you telling me, I will behave as usual.”
『That’s enough.』
At that moment, another communication crystal chimed.
“Berje Deias?”
『What?』
“No, it’s nothing. End the call. I’m busy.”
『Acting all lofty… fine, I’ll leave it at that.』
Draxon disappeared. Reina quickly infused demonic energy into the other crystal. Berje’s face appeared.
“What reason brings you to contact me first?”
『Reina Sordein. I hear rumors that the Hero Guild’s hero’s march is headed toward the Frost Tower. Are you aware of this?』
“……!”
‘How?’
Draxon.. she could understand. Among Demon Kings, it was an open secret that he maintained quiet ties with the Hero Guild.
Thus, it was not strange for him to obtain information ahead of time.
But Berje Deias was different. He had not even been descended for a full year. He had only just repelled a hero’s march once, and because of his mistake during the graduation ceremony, he had descended without receiving any special support.
He had started with nothing.
‘He managed to repel the hero unit only through luck and concealment. In Ergest, such a thing isn’t impossible… but how did he learn this at almost the exact same moment as Draxon?’
There was something. She could feel it.
“How did you learn that?”
『Are you curious?』
“Do not state the obvious!”
『This isn’t something to discuss over communication. I’d like to meet in person.』