Chapter 43 : He Had to Kill Him
Chapter 43: He Had to Kill Him
The hero’s march, whose purpose was to kill the Demon King and collapse the tower, had been an affair drawing the attention of the entire continent.
Because of that, their failure returned as a massive shockwave.
『The hero force suffered losses close to annihilation, and Rozel Charnte lost her left eye.』
The grim news flew in just as Berje finished the meeting with Reina and was thinking over how he could hand off the bomb more cleanly.
Bleak reports. There was not a hint of vitality on the face of Hillan Cargill as he delivered them.
Berje tapped lightly on the desk.
He had wished for the heroes’ victory. Even if they did not win, he had hoped they would at least inflict serious damage on Draxon.
Of course, he knew it would not be easy.
Draxon was strong. He, too, was a Demon King who had graduated from the Demon King Military Academy, and since it had been decades since his descent into Arein, his interference power was almost entirely loosened.
But if that meant Draxon would win unconditionally, then in the past, Berje would never have failed.
He would not have been toyed with by heroes, had his neck cut off, regressed, cursed the Standard, and been branded a hardhead.
Back then, Berje had been more than what Draxon was now.
“I even told you his weakness.”
『…Thanks to that, we survived.』
“Tell me exactly what happened, without changing a single inflection.”
A deep sigh was heard through the communication orb.
『…We pushed through the monsters of the domain and reached the entrance of the tower.』
* * *
The hero’s march had been rough from the very beginning.
The originally planned hero force had a dual-core system.
The Archmage, Rozel Charnte.
The great knight, Balraf Dislode.
Those who could hardly tolerate being called second among heroes had joined forces, and with them came the elite mage corps and knight order that followed them.
The heroes the Hero Guild had resolutely dispatched and the two thousand troops of Ormus were added on top of that.
A truly massive force.
No one thought the hero’s march would fail. It was different from the eccentric who had built a tower in Ergest. The Beast’s Tower had been erected long ago, and its secrets had already been thoroughly revealed.
The one who poured cold water over that blazing fervor was Balraf Dislode.
“I will withdraw from the hero’s march.”
With his sudden departure, the knight order and heroes who had come with him left as well.
Nearly half their power disappeared, and morale plummeted. Hillan Cargill joined belatedly, but…
“Is it too much to compare you and Balraf Dislode?”
『He is one of the strongest even among heroes. You could say he nearly reached the peak through pure martial strength alone.』
Hillan was not weak. His comparison target was simply too great.
Draxon had never been an opponent to take lightly, and voices began to rise insisting the hero’s march be postponed. The ones who stopped that were Rozel Charnte and the King of Ormus.
『Rozel Charnte, I understand. That woman, once she makes up her mind, has to charge straight ahead. She wouldn’t like this situation, and being overflowing with confidence, she must have thought she could handle it herself.』
『But I did not expect the dying old king of Ormus to insist so strongly.』
“What about you?”
『Since you told us his weakness, I thought I’d be an idiot not to go.』
Rozel Charnte and Hillan Cargill—the two heroes at the core—and the king who had commissioned the undertaking all demanded they proceed, so the hero’s march had no choice but to begin.
And once it began, things went smoothly at first.
From the gnolls and hellhounds on the 1st floor to the lycanthropes on the 6th, and even the Shavel Tiger on the 10th. The steady, orderly rise in difficulty was all too familiar.
『Unlike someone we know.』
“Do you think distance keeps you safe from me?”
Berje manipulated Armani’s Orb. A stabbing pain pierced Hillan Cargill’s mind, and he gulped sharply. After a moment, Hillan responded in a much more subdued voice.
『…Up to the 10th floor, everything was fine. Rozel Charnte fully lived up to her name.』
The monsters weren’t exactly weak, but the torrent of flame magic Rozel Charnte unleashed wiped everything out. The interior of the Beast’s Tower was structured like a jungle, full of things that could burn, which made it even better.
“Draxon must have been thrilled.”
A destroyed tower and dead monsters had to be restored by investing Demonic Points, but she had reduced everything entirely to ashes?
Thinking of Draxon’s twisted face over that gave Berje an odd sense of satisfaction.
『The problem was the 11th floor. We should have noticed before then why there wasn’t a single demon around, and why the 10th floor had only a mere Shavel Tiger.』
All Demon Kings except Berje followed the Standard. That was no different even in Arein.
They simply twisted things as much as they could within what the Standard allowed.
According to the Standard, the Demon King must face the heroes at the summit together with a prince or princess.
But nowhere did it state they had to present every kidnapped prince or princess.
Thus, Reina Sordein placed frozen statues of princes or princesses on certain floors so the heroes could feel satisfied and turn back.
『Then suddenly all the demons burst out at once.』
And Draxon had lured them into complacency.
The Standard said the difficulty of each floor must increase as one ascends. That alone was enough. How weak the 1st floor was or how strong the upper floors became was entirely at the Demon King’s discretion.
Draxon gathered the full power of the entire tower at the summit. He ignored the sacrifices required to make that possible.
The heroes climbed to the top in a state of complacency, and waiting for them, of course, was the Demon King—along with the army of demons and monsters he commanded.
* * *
“Everyone, stay calm! These are enemies we’d have to face anyway if we want to kill the Demon King!”
Rozel Charnte chanted a spell. Magic circles rose in every direction, forming walls of fire and buying time as the monsters surged in.
In that brief moment, the hero force quickly formed their ranks.
“Who do you think you’re playing with fire in front of?!”
But their formation collapsed under a roaring bellow.
Cutting through the flames, the Demon King’s claws bared their fangs. And as if she had been waiting for that very moment, Rozel Charnte thrust out her staff.
“I already analyzed your movements!”
A blazing beam of searing flame erupted in a straight line. It hammered the Demon King, melting the air as it passed.
With a massive explosion, the tower shook. Everyone groaned as the violent shockwave rolled out.
“Did you know?”
Amid the sizzling afterheat, the Demon King growled.
“Your pathetic magic doesn’t work on me, insignificant hero.”
A wolf wreathed in flames charged forward.
Hillan Cargill moved to block the path between the mage and the Demon King.
KWA-A-AANG—
* * *
『He had none of the hypocrisy that Demon Kings usually maintain. Instead of sitting on a throne waiting for us, he came crashing down like a tidal wave the moment we reached the 11th floor.』
『It’s not that magic didn’t work at all. But aside from Rozel Charnte’s spells, most magic was meaningless.』
“That’s only natural.”
The beastman race possessed no magical abilities, but their physical prowess was among the highest even among demons. And that physical prowess included extremely high magic resistance.
『And the Demon King was well aware of that fact.』
Someone had to restrain the Demon King while Rozel Charnte attacked.
Under normal circumstances, the one to do that would have been Balraf Dislode. But after his withdrawal, the role fell to Hillan Cargill.
“So ultimately, you’re saying you lost because of yourself.”
『……』
He said it, but Berje couldn’t entirely blame Hillan.
Had the enemy forces been distributed properly, perhaps the other heroes could have helped hold the line.
But amid the onslaught of demons and monsters, Hillan Cargill had to restrain Draxon—who was solely targeting Rozel Charnte—by himself.
He had simply been insufficient.
At the first clash, he sensed defeat.
『Everyone misunderstood. Even if Balraf Dislode had come, he would not have defeated the Beast Demon King! Even the Lust Demon King wasn’t anywhere near this level!』
This wasn’t the pathetic excuse of a beaten, miserable dog.
“He spent nearly a hundred years strengthening himself in another dimension—did you think a Demon King like that would be weak? Draxon is on an entirely different level from Tyrus.”
Not all Demon Kings were the same. Their class and the time they had accumulated differed.
But humans had placed Tyrus and Draxon on the same line, and so they were defeated. It was the result of human complacency.
Still, Berje did not think that reflected the true level of humanity. There were still many heroes, and unless in exceptional cases, they never let a failed hero’s march remain a failure.
“Enough excuses. Tell me how things are moving now.”
『Talk of the second hero’s march has already begun. Rozel Charnte insists they must strike again as quickly as possible, while the Hero Guild argues that they should take some time and gather sufficient forces.』
“So no one objects to a second hero’s march happening.”
『Their honor took a major blow from failing twice. Voices claiming the Hero Guild is useless have begun to surface again, so they’ll pursue this more aggressively. It’s only a matter of timing.』
Hillan Cargill explained that the Hero Guild was sharpening its blade.
At that moment—
Knock, knock—
“Come in.”
It was Gordon.
“What is it?”
“A message just arrived from the Beast’s Tower.”
“……?”
“They are requesting an emergency meeting between Demon Kings.”
* * *
If one opened a gate to travel to another Demon King’s tower, one always arrived at the entrance of the 1st floor.
Thus, Berje had no choice but to witness the scorched remains of the battlefield.
“A mess.”
Where the thick jungle once stood, only black ash remained. The dried, scorched bloodstains and piles of corpses spoke clearly of that day’s devastation.
The door was open. But no monsters came to greet Berje.
“Welcome.”
A bear beastman awaited him alone.
‘I’ve seen him before.’
He was the high-ranking demon Berje had seen on the battlefield where the prince of Ormus had died.
“The Demon King is waiting for you above.”
“And the other Demon Kings?”
“They have all arrived.”
From the 1st to the 10th floor, it was harder to find a floor that remained intact.
“It must have been rough.”
“There were no issues.”
Without further conversation, they ascended to the 11th floor—the summit. The scenery was relatively intact.
The Demon Kings sat around the central table.
“Is arriving late your habit?”
“So what?”
Draxon glared at him wordlessly, then turned his gaze away.
“Since we’re all here, I won’t circle around the point.”
Draxon took control of the atmosphere.
“Just a few days ago, there was a hero’s march targeting me and my tower. You all know why the hero’s march happened.”
“Because you killed the Second Prince of Ormus.”
“I will say this clearly: I never killed the Second Prince.”
“There is a human saying—where there is smoke, there is a fire.”
At Berje’s words, Draxon snorted.
“A massive surge of demonic energy was detected in my domain at the time. And that demon was not under my command.”
“So that’s what this is about?”
Jason frowned.
“Accusing other Demon Kings and shifting the blame?”
“Because it’s the truth.”
“You’ve already decided it was my doing.”
“You’re the most likely.”
“I did nothing. What possible benefit would I gain by sending a demon into your domain?”
“That’s something the culprit would know better than I.”
The gazes of the two Demon Kings clashed.
“This is your last chance. To confess.”
“How deeply unpleasant.”
Jason lifted his monocle.
“Can you take responsibility for those words?”
“I only ever say things I can take responsibility for.”
“I’m beginning to think you orchestrated this drama. You kill the Second Prince of Ormus and then try to redirect human resentment toward me. If you call yourself a Demon King, at least be proud of the deeds you commit. I would appreciate it if you didn’t behave so disgracefully.”
“If you insist on taking it that far, I have my own ideas.”
Draxon exhaled a harsh snort and declared:
“I will report to His Excellency the Archduke and petition him to have every tower record thoroughly investigated.”
“……!”
“……!”
The Demon Kings stirred at his explosive statement.
“A poor move.”
Reina tried to stop him.
“That will consume immense demonic energy. You’ve taken great damage, and humans are already discussing a second hero’s march. Shouldn’t restoring your tower be the priority?”
“Reina Sordein, do you think my tower is what matters to me right now? Or are you worried your scheme will come to light? Jason is the prime suspect, but I suspect you as well.”
“An insult. Do you truly think I would commit such a disgraceful act?”
“No one knows.”
“So you want to fight?”
“I wouldn’t mind.”
Their emotions flared. Killing intent and aura blended, warping the space.
But they did not strike each other directly. Even with their rage rising to the top of their skulls, they still upheld the Standard that Demon Kings did not fight among themselves.
After a brief moment to steady himself, Draxon spoke again.
“Jason Kokemundo. I suspect you, but I do not believe it must be you. But it is certain that the culprit is among us.”
Only a Demon King could command a high-ranking demon, so of course.
Draxon slowly locked eyes with each of the four Demon Kings.
“I do not know what you wanted or why you did it.”
“But I, too, am a Demon King. I have lived in this Arein for decades.”
“No matter what it takes, I will find the culprit. I will find them, and then—”
“I will make them pay.”
Draxon spat the words as if chewing them to pulp.
“On the honor of me, Draxon Doldov.”
It was not a question. Not a request for opinions.
It was simply a declaration.
Even if he had to drive himself to the edge of a cliff, he would find and kill the bastard who had made a fool of him.
* * *
“What did Demon King Draxon say?”
Berje passed by Gordon as he returned to the tower.
“My lord?”
Gordon stopped as he tried to ask again.
‘…His expression…’
Chills ran down his back. In all the time—though not long—that he had served as Berje’s adjutant, he had never seen that face before.
‘…What in the world happened?’
Gordon swallowed dryly. Berje closed the door and entered his office.
He sat on the chair and tapped the desk.
‘…If the report really goes up.’
Draxon had sworn he would uncover the culprit even if he had to stake everything he had.
He would dig through every tower record, tracking the traces of demonic energy. It would cost him an enormous amount of Demonic Points, and he would owe countless things to the Archduke Arkaine, but he would still do it.
‘There is no guarantee he won’t find me.’
But neither was there a guarantee he would fail to find him.
As far as Berje knew, tower records were not omnipotent. They were merely traces of events within the domain.
They could prove that a demon had appeared there, but could they identify that demon as Berje? Could they discern the nature of the demonic energy that had already faded long ago?
He doubted it.
But if—truly, if—
‘If they discover it was me?’
Demonic energy reflected a demon’s rank. Simply looking at tower records wouldn’t pinpoint the culprit, but Berje couldn’t claim absolute knowledge of the system created by the First Demon Emperor.
‘……’
If it were revealed that Berje was the culprit—if it were exposed that he had invaded another’s domain and set a trap for Draxon—
‘The Demon Kings would never stay still.’
Thinking from the opposite perspective made it simple. No, even Reina Sordein’s reaction had already made it obvious.
He had lived a foolish first life. Now he had gained a chance to take revenge on the heroes who mocked him.
He would not squander this golden opportunity in vain.
If Draxon would do anything to find the culprit…
Then Berje would do anything not to be found.
To do that—
‘I must destroy the Beast’s Tower.’
Before Archduke Arkaine officially intervened, everything recorded in that tower had to vanish along with the tower itself.
Therefore—
‘…I’ll have to kill Draxon.’
Crack—
His fingers dug into the desk. Outside the door, Gordon flinched at the heavy, suffocating killing intent that seeped through.