Chapter 41 : It Would Be Even Better If He Died
Chapter 41: It Would Be Even Better If He Died
While he had been unconscious and cut off from all contact, what waited for Berje upon his return to the tower was an overwhelming flood of information.
“Where on earth did you go? The whole continent has been turned upside down!”
Gordon greeted him with delight. The stream of words he spilled confirmed that things had escalated far beyond what Berje had expected.
‘Ormus had issued a full mobilisation order.’
‘A formal request had been submitted to the Hero Guild, and heroes were gathering.’
He had intended to mess with Draxon, but he had never imagined things would progress this smoothly.
“Rozel Charnte?”
At the mention of a new hero, he scratched his chin.
『Yes.』
『Hero, Rozel Charnte.』
『A hero from the Trafarta Union—whenever heroes were ranked by strength, she always placed within the top ten. People commonly call such heroes stars.』
『She was a mage, specialising particularly in fire magic. For someone who could be classified as a simple mage, her close-combat prowess was also considerable, making her known as the model battle-mage.』
『As for a noteworthy detail—she had originally been designated as the captain of the heroes heading to the Tower of Frost, but she had been pushed out by me. However, with all schedules thrown into chaos, she was selected again.』
Berje, who had been listening quietly, asked:
“So that woman is the captain of the hero battalion heading for the Beast’s Tower?”
『Yes. Nearly five hundred people have gathered for the hero battalion so far, and about two hundred of them are heroes.』
“...Disgustingly many.”
Memories from the past abruptly surfaced, and Berje frowned.
『This hero’s march will be different from the previous ones.』
『It will be like the hero’s march toward the Tower of Lust.』
“So they truly intend to cut off Draxon’s head?”
『That is what makes it ambiguous.』
Ambiguous—what did that mean? Heroes were still gathering, and the Hero Guild was urging even more to step forward. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed they intended to finish this to the end.
『The Hero Guild’s determination is firm, but someone has moved. Some heroes are refusing to lift their heavy backsides.』
“That means…”
『There are two possibilities. Someone does not want the Beast Demon King to die… or they resent Ormus.』
“You’re saying an individual could influence things to that extent, not the Hero Guild?”
『It is officially prohibited, but there are those who secretly provide sponsorship. Heroes who receive such support cannot ignore their patrons.』
Heroes required money, and the powerful wanted to secure the strong card known as a hero.
Although sponsorship and lobbying were officially forbidden—on the grounds that heroes should act not for someone’s greed but for the continent’s safety, justice, and greater cause—they had never disappeared.
“You don’t have any patrons?”
『I thought that since I had cut off the Lust Demon King’s head and could handle things on my own, I might as well sever all ties. Sponsorship was nice because of the money, but the interference was excessive.』
『But thanks to someone, all of that turned into nothing.』
Berje snorted and shifted the topic.
“Who is it?”
『To be honest, there are far too many likely suspects. Ormus’s relations with other nations are not exactly good. In my personal opinion, the most probable culprit is the First Prince of Ormus.』
“The First Prince?”
『From his perspective, it must feel like a nagging tooth has finally been pulled. With the succession line secured, there is no need to waste national power heading toward the Demon King’s Tower. But he lacks justification, so he would want to make it seem like ‘not enough heroes gathered, so nothing could be done.’』
“Humans are quite amusing.”
In some ways, they seemed even more like the demon race.
No wonder they had lost—those words rose naturally to his lips.
“I should put in a little more effort, too.”
He had tried to fight humans who would sell even dimensions for greed by strictly adhering to obvious tactics known as the Standard of the Demon King.
Looking back now, it had been a life fated to lose.
A thought suddenly occurred to him.
“How do you compare to her?”
『To whom, exactly?』
“Is pretending not to know part of your personality?”
『…I lose.』
“You only lose? That sounds mild.”
『Nine times out of ten, I lose.』
“You are also Hillan Cargill, the one who killed the Lust Demon King. It sounds like you’re undervaluing yourself.”
『Must I answer that?』
“No.”
He had already guessed as much. Hillan Cargill was lacking compared to his fame. It wasn’t that he was weak. But compared to other heroes of similar renown, he was indeed inferior.
‘Honestly, it was a mystery how he even killed the Lust Demon King.’
But thinking about it, even before his regression, Hillan had always stood out more in areas unrelated to pure combat strength.
Well, it wasn’t particularly important. Regardless, Hillan Cargill was a skilled hero, and having slain the Lust Demon King, a better future was guaranteed for him.
“Anyway, I want this subjugation to proceed smoothly and to absolutely succeed.”
『…Are you not also a Demon King?』
“The only thing Draxon and I have in common is the title of Demon King.”
Besides, Draxon had willingly become the dog of Archduke Arkaine and had been a constant nuisance to Berje since the early days of his descent. Would Draxon’s death harm him? No.
Then what about the bigger picture?
If humans killed Draxon and grew arrogant enough to underestimate the Demon Kings, all the better. Berje would then erode humanity from another direction.
“If I were to leak Draxon’s weakness, what do you think would happen?”
『…If that information is truly effective, then even if I must serve under Rozel Charnte, I will go there myself.』
“Your eyes are overflowing with greed.”
『It is for the greater cause. Should we not reduce casualties, even a little?』
The shameless man did not change expression in the slightest.
Berje thought for a moment. If Draxon was going to die anyway, borrowing the hand of a hero—especially the hand of Hillan, who was connected to him—was indeed the best choice.
If Hillan severed Draxon’s head, fame would naturally follow, and so would wealth. The higher the position Hillan rose to, the more valuable he became.
The problem was—
‘If he grows too big, controlling him may become difficult.’
Hillan Cargill was a viper. Wearing the mask of courtesy while hiding deadly poison underneath.
Even now, while obediently following orders, he was likely trying to find a way to eradicate the poison that had rooted itself inside his mind.
As far as Berje knew, it was impossible—but perhaps it could be done. Heroes were beings he could not entirely measure with common sense.
But there was no rule that said control had to rely on only one method.
“Then let’s do that. I’ll sort things out soon and let you know.”
『Yes.』
“And use the Golden Moon Merchant Company to discreetly sponsor promising heroes.”
『…I can’t help but wonder what faces those heroes will make once they find out the truth after gladly accepting that sponsorship.』
“That will be far in the future.”
『Ah, and also. From the Golden Moon…』
After quite some time, the connection cut off.
“Hmm.”
Berje extracted the stored audio from the crystal orb and placed it into a memory crystal. He tossed it into the Magic Tower’s storage.
Click—
The five or six memory crystals already sitting there welcomed their new companion.
* * *
“What is it?”
“It’s strange.”
After hastily wrapping up the situation and coming down to the fourth floor, Berje found Ernan staring at him with a peculiar expression.
In one corner, Kaede was swinging her sword. Seeing that she no longer charged at him, it seemed their conversation had gone well.
“Strange?”
“Yes. Nairuniel said it. She said you’ve changed.”
“What does that mean?”
“She said you’re a Demon King who doesn’t feel like a Demon King anymore. That you’ve changed in a strange way.”
“And did that damned spirit stitch her mouth shut? Why is she hiding behind your back like that?”
Nairuniel, who had shrunk herself and perched on Ernan’s shoulder, jumped in place.
– What do you mean damned?!
– I’m being considerate enough to step back!
“If you’re going to disappear, then disappear properly to the Spirit Realm. Why insist on doing something so pointless?”
– That’s because… mmph!
Ernan hurriedly covered Nairuniel’s mouth.
“She says you don’t feel like the Demon King anymore.”
“Then what is it?”
“It may sound strange, but she said you feel more like a lifeform of this place… though I’m not sure myself. You do feel a bit more familiar, but…”
– Don’t ignore the senses of a high-rank spirit! You changed, you definitely changed, completely changed! I don’t know what changed, but something changed for sure!
Nairuniel shouted.
“But you don’t know what exactly changed?”
– That’s right.
“You’re declaring your incompetence far too confidently.”
– …
“Still, thanks to you, I learned something useful.”
Even a high-rank spirit—more sensitive to mana than anyone—could not properly discern it. That meant the possibility of Draxon or other Demon Kings detecting the Phoenix’s power had become extremely low.
“Then.”
Fwoom—
He closed the first heart and opened the second.
Mana replaced demonic energy. His hair and eyes turned crimson.
“How about now?”
“…Uh.”
Ernan stuttered.
“Are you… really the Demon King?”
“Do I not look like one?”
“…Right now you look completely human—no, perhaps closer to an elf. Just… normally handsome.”
– What in the world did you do?!
Nairuniel was horrified. Her trembling pupils showed her confusion.
– You don’t look like a demon at all! You look like a native lifeform of this dimension!
And one overflowing with mana!
As she said, he resembled an elf more than a human. She muttered:
– How can a demon—no, a Demon King—look like this? I’ve never even heard of such a thing.
– What have you been doing out there? Did you eat a spirit or something?
– No, even then you wouldn’t end up like… this…
“That’s good.”
Berje became certain of the thought he had held. If even a high-rank spirit said he resembled an elf rather than a Demon King, then most others would see the same.
‘Perfect to test on Roger.’
If even a hero couldn’t recognize him…
‘Then there’s no reason for me to avoid stepping in…’
None.
No matter what restrictions he put on others, the only one he could truly rely on was himself.
On his way toward the stairs leading down to the third floor, Berje stopped beside Kaede. He silently looked at her back as she swung her sword, then continued downstairs.
“Haaah…!”
Kaede, who had been trying her best to ignore his gaze, let out a ragged breath.
Her back was damp, not from exercise but from cold sweat born of sheer tension.
“What’s wrong?”
“…How can you speak so casually with the Demon King?”
“I just don’t do anything bad and treat him normally.”
“Kidnapping is definitely something bad! And that man is a vicious Demon King. He doesn’t simply change his behaviour on a whim.”
“Kidnapping is bad, yes, but sometimes someone might want to run away so badly that they’d welcome even that, you know?”
Ernan smiled brightly.
“Just like how you ran away because you didn’t want to get married?”
“How did you— mmph!”
Kaede hurriedly clamped her hand over her own mouth, her face flushing red.
“The Demon King told me.”
“As expected—he really is a vicious Demon King! How could he blab about someone’s private life like that…!”
Kaede shuddered.
– Hooh.
Nairuniel, who had been listening quietly, suddenly leapt up. She thrust her small face close, eyes sparkling.
– So you really ran away because you didn’t want to get married?
– That is quite an amusing tale. Like the forbidden bond between a Demon King and a princess…
“Nairuniel, could you please return to the Spirit Realm? I’m asking very politely.”
Nairuniel ignored Ernan’s plea.
– I asked if you truly fled because you didn’t want to get married.
“…I did not exactly run away. I simply wanted to live not as a princess destined to inherit the throne, but as a hero.”
– Which means you truly didn’t want to marry. Enough to prepare yourself to climb these harsh Ergest Mountains.
“………”
– So who is it, and from where?
“That is…”
– Speak quickly. The worst thing you can do to anger a spirit is to stop talking in the middle of a sentence! Do you not know that?
Faced with the force of a high-rank spirit, Kaede panicked. She sent a desperate look to Ernan for rescue, but Ernan—curious herself—pretended not to see it.
“…Ormus.”
She finally spoke.
– Ormus, hmm. If I remember correctly, all their princes went charging around recklessly and died, leaving only three.
– Is it the First Prince? Second? Or the Third?
“…The king.”
It was none of them.
“From what I know, the King of Ormus is bedridden and barely holding on—”
– Sssht. That’s not something you say out loud.
Nairuniel hastily clamped her hand over Ernan’s mouth.
* * *
“…I sense no demonic energy at all. Rather, it feels as though I’m standing before an elf or a highly skilled spirit sorceress. Yes, like the Crown Princess of Hilderan…”
Berje had even confirmed it with a hero.
‘Draxon wasn’t like this.’
He had never heard any rumor that Draxon possessed another power and pretended not to be a Demon King.
Of course, if something like that existed, Draxon would have kept it secret—but the beast never left his own domain to begin with.
‘Right, come to think of it, he didn’t even have the power of fire.’
An immortal-like regenerative ability.
And flames that melted everything they touched.
The Phoenix’s power had two major aspects—but even after obtaining the Phoenix’s corpse, Berje had never once seen Draxon wield fire. No rumours existed either.
Instead, he had only been infamous as a monster who regenerated his wounds in real time.
‘Draxon had no innate affinity for fire. Like the stupid animal he was, everything was poured into his body.’
So perhaps he could only absorb that side of the Phoenix’s power.
‘And since he didn’t have two hearts, he couldn’t store them separately…’
He understood if the difference came from racial traits.
“But how in the world did you do it? This is the first time a Demon King hasn’t felt like a demon at all. If it’s not too rude… may I take just a little blood sample…?”
“…You. You had knowledge of magic?”
“Nothing great, but I dabble in alchemy and enchantment magic…”
…He was more versatile than expected.
Truly, the rumor that he was one of the few master artisans even in the Dwarven Kingdom had not been a lie.
“Your torso seems far too long. I’ll personally shorten it for you, as befits a dwarf.”
“M-my apologies! I acted out of curiosity…!”
“There is a time to indulge curiosity and a time not to.”
“I will keep that in mind, Demon King!”
Roger prostrated himself. Berje walked past him.
“Where are you going?”
“I plan to head down the mountain.”
“Ah, then could you perhaps bring back some materials?”
Berje frowned and glared at Roger. It seemed he had grown too lax recently—Roger’s courage had swelled far too much.
“...Ah, it’s just that I can’t go down alone… and I can’t disobey your order to reinforce the first floor…”
“If I have time, I’ll do it.”
“Thank you! Truly, thank you!”
“But if the results fail to meet my expectations, you’ll pay the price for making me work.”
“I-I’ll do my very best!”
Leaving the trembling Roger behind, Berje exited the tower. The moment he stepped onto the snow, he suppressed his demonic energy and drew out mana instead.
Seeing his hair turn a faint reddish hue, he pulled up his robe to completely conceal his face.
‘I had originally intended to leave everything to others, but…’
If the Phoenix’s corpse had opened a path like this, there was no reason not to act directly.
Berje recalled his communication with Hillan Cargill.
『Aman Katrash has secured a firm position as the heir, supported by enormous investment funds and my reputation.』
Though he had collateralized Aman’s soul through the Black Knight contract, humans were treacherous beings. Out of sight, out of mind—those burning emotions would fade with time.
Of course, since a contract existed, simply pressuring his soul would still be effective, but…
‘With an opportunity like this, it doesn’t suit me to stay cooped up in the tower.’
Before his regression, he had obsessed over looking “like a Demon King” to adhere to the Standard, but he didn’t need to live that way in this life.
If something was more efficient and allowed him to kill heroes more easily, he could put in the legwork.
‘I would honestly love to watch the hero’s march, but…’
He was curious what it felt like to climb the Demon King’s Tower from the perspective of a hero.
But he lacked confidence that another Demon King wouldn’t recognize him, so he shelved the idea for now.
‘If possible, I hope Draxon takes a massive blow.’
Even better if he died.
Since Draxon had no endearing traits, Berje wished for him to be roasted to a crisp by Rozel Charnte’s magic.