Chapter 53 : A New Demon King
Chapter 53: A New Demon King
When a Demon King died, another Demon King descended as the successor.
Thus, the roster of five for each dimension was always filled.
However, the process was never quick.
Especially because, unless they were like Berje, no one willingly chose to come to Arein—the worst of all dimensions.
In that sense, this Demon King’s descent had more than one suspicious point.
‘It must’ve been Archduke Arkaine’s influence.’
The sudden death of Draxon Doldov was something he would never have anticipated.
Right before he died, he had even declared that he would dig through the Tower’s records, so it was no surprise that he harbored suspicion and resorted to drastic measures.
‘There’s no way he can know I’m involved.’
With the Tower collapsed, there was no evidence.
That was enough.
“Welcome. We have been waiting for you.”
Guided by Aina, the adjutant of the False Demon King, he arrived at the summit. The other Demon Kings were already seated.
The False, the Frost, the Gold-Steel, and—
Berje’s gaze fixed on one spot. The place where Draxon Doldov should have been sitting.
Pink hair cascaded down to her waist, shimmering as it moved.
Her snow-white skin resembled pure jade, and the daring black outfit contrasted sharply against it, emphasising her voluptuous figure.
Behind her swayed a tail, and above her shoulders fluttered small wings.
“So you’re the famous Berje Deias.”
Their eyes met.
“Nice to meet you. I am Vivian Blunt, Queen of the Red Moon Clan?”
A provocative smile curved her lips. Heavy eye makeup naturally shaped a crescent moon.
“...Berje Deias.”
Berje took his seat without further reply. With that brief exchange of greetings, the formal meeting began in earnest.
“Since everyone is here, let us begin. As you all know, Draxon Doldov was taken down at dawn today. The elite forces of the Kingdom of Arkan secretly joined the mission, forming a hero party with Rozel Charnte, Hillan Cargill, and even Ralph Schmitz.”
‘How did he know?’
Jason Kokemundo knew the exact composition of the hero’s march that had been carried out in complete secrecy.
‘Did he plant a spy within the hero party? Or does he have ties to the upper echelons of the Kingdom of Arkan?’
Either way, Jason was clearly not someone to be underestimated. The fortunate part was that he still knew nothing of Berje’s existence.
“...Ralph Schmitz?”
Ugar’s eyes narrowed sharply.
“That bastard dared to kill Draxon...!”
“Please calm yourself. Unfortunately, that is not the primary issue right now. No matter if Ralph Schmitz joined, the Draxon I know would never die to something of that level.”
“They must have used some underhanded trick! There’s no way humans could kill Draxon otherwise!”
“I agree with that. Regardless of how much I disliked him, his strength was not something to be taken lightly.”
Ugar and Reina agreed with Jason’s opinion. Berje quietly nodded without a word.
“But humans have always relied on cowardly tricks. They will do anything to win, and Draxon was already well-accustomed to such tactics. That cannot serve as an excuse.”
“I’m not trying to make excuses.”
Jason lifted his monocle slightly and looked around the room.
“All I could learn through my connections was that the Kingdom of Arkan took action, and that three heroes fought the Demon King. That is all.”
It was far from enough.
“Is there anyone here who has ties to the Kingdom of Arkan?”
No answer. Naturally.
Reina Sordein had no interest whatsoever in the petty struggles of humans, and Ugar Velbek lacked the capability to plant spies in such a complicated manner. Berje, who had descended barely a year ago, was even more out of the question.
“...So this is Arein, Arein. How very entertaining.”
It was Vivian who abruptly cut in.
“These meetings between Demon Kings, and the way you all unite to investigate just because one died.”
“As I said before, Arein is different from other dimensions.”
“I know. That’s why I’m staying quiet, isn’t it? It’s unexpected, but not exactly against the rules.”
It was only that the Demon Kings’ inherently strong individualistic tendencies usually made such gatherings rare, not that meetings themselves were forbidden.
“More importantly, I—”
Her blood-red eyes shifted to Berje.
“—find this one more interesting.”
A soft hum escaped her, brushing against his ears.
“The famous Berje Deias.”
Vivian rose from her seat and sat atop Berje’s desk. Leaning forward, she let a seductive smile spread across her lips.
“And what do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m curious, that’s all.”
“Curious?”
“About what kind of demon you are—the one who turned the Demon Realm upside down.”
“Your impression?”
She licked her lips.
“Quite handsome. I like you.”
She extended a hand to him.
“Let’s get along, shall we?”
“Get lost.”
“…What?”
Tak—
Berje slapped Vivian’s hand away.
“Don’t you dare touch my body so carelessly.”
“Quite prickly, aren’t you?”
“If I get prickly twice, I might burn off every strand of your precious hair.”
“Isn’t that usually my line? They said you were a hardhead, but you’re funnier than I expected.”
But you know—
“When someone stands too rigid, they’re usually full of openings. I’ve seen it plenty of times.”
“You must have conquered another dimension or something.”
“At the very least, I’d say my résumé is the most impressive among the Demon Kings gathered here.”
Her eyes sparkled with interest. But soon, she turned her head.
“Oh dear, seems I’ve made someone dislike me.”
“That’s enough chatter. And Jason, is that all you had to say?”
“Is there something further you wish to discuss?”
“Before he died, Draxon claimed that a high-rank demon had trespassed into his territory. I would like to believe that it was not you.”
“I will state this clearly—it was not. And I do not believe it was anyone present here. That is why I did not bring it up.”
Their gazes clashed.
“In that case, there is nothing more to discuss. I shall take my leave first.”
Reina rose from her seat. Ugar and Berje followed after her.
“And Lady Vivian, what will you do?”
“I have a bit more I’d like to hear.”
“I will answer anything you wish.”
‘Berje, huh.’
Vivian’s eyes lingered on Berje’s back as he stepped into the portal.
‘There is no way Draxon would have gone down so easily. No matter how I think about it, that demon who trespassed into his territory is suspicious. Investigate thoroughly and report back to me. And Berje Deias—keep an eye on him.’
‘If any Demon King were to break the rules, that hardheaded brat who disgraced the Standard is the most likely.’
Archduke Arkaine’s command flickered through her mind.
‘And seducing him once or twice wouldn’t be all that difficult, I imagine.’
Those who were excessively guarded were, ironically, the easiest.
A delighted smile curled her lips.
* * *
‘Good.’
In just a few weeks, Kaede had thoroughly grasped the rhythm of the Tower.
Once the Demon King left, he rarely returned quickly.
The Dark Elf shut herself away in his office, doing something for hours on end.
When Roger focused on his work, he didn’t even notice people coming and going unless someone smacked him, and Ernan was busy assisting him.
And no one guarded the Tower. No one watched her.
She had never seen a tower this defenseless.
‘Well, it is my first tower…’
She gathered her armor and weapons. Discreetly, she slipped some jerky and water into her pack.
‘As carefully as possible.’
She didn’t understand why she needed to be wary of another princess, but judging from Ernan’s behavior so far, being cautious was the right choice.
‘Princess Ernan is completely on the Demon King’s side.’
Perhaps she’d been brainwashed.
That fear pushed Kaede even harder to escape. There was no guarantee the brainwashing would stop with Ernan.
She slowly stepped onto the stairs leading down to the third floor.
She did not know.
A tiny wind spirit was watching everything the entire time.
* * *
First floor.
Kaede passed Roger—who was too absorbed in making the mana cannon to notice anything—and finally reached the door without incident. She halted.
No one had caught her.
Or so she believed—until she saw the princess of Hilderan standing in front of the door, blocking her way.
The atmosphere was far from friendly.
“...So you really have become the Demon King’s dog, haven’t you?”
“That’s unkind. We’re in the same situation, aren’t we?”
“How did you know?”
Ernan merely smiled instead of answering. The ambiguity of it only made Kaede more frantic.
“Please step aside. I must leave the Tower.”
“If you leave, you’ll die. Do you really think you can escape the Ergest Mountains?”
“Even if I can’t, it doesn’t matter. Better that than losing my honor as a knight by becoming the Demon King’s dog.”
“For someone who says that, you supposedly ran away because you didn’t want to get married?”
“...That is different.”
Talks had been exchanged, and the process had nearly begun—but it had never been finalized. Before that could happen, she ran away.
Before the point of no return, she had wanted to become a hero. To join the hero party that slew the Demon King and be recognized not as a princess, but as a hero.
But that went awry, and she became a captive instead—so she couldn’t deny it had all been foolish. Which was why she had to leave. Before she did something even more foolish and caused trouble for others.
“I understand your situation, Lady Kaede. But I also have my own reasons for not being able to let you go.”
Shared responsibility.
Kaede might not understand, but Ernan did not find life in the Tower unpleasant.
No—compared to the suffocating imperial palace, it was practically heaven.
Her freedom was limited to inside the Tower, but it was still freedom. She wished this fragile peace would not shatter.
She wished even more that someone else wouldn’t be the cause of its collapse.
So she could not let Kaede leave.
“I do not wish to cut you down.”
“But it sounds like you could if it came to it.”
“....”
Kaede’s resolve showed clearly. Ernan let out a sigh.
“...It seems it’s about time I return to being a Spirit Sorceress of Darkness.”
“...Spirit Sorceress of Darkness?”
Tension stretched between them.
“Try it, if you think you can.”
What broke that tension was the Dark Elf.
Since when? No—how?
Kaede flinched in shock, whipping her blade around like a frightened cat as she tried to guard herself.
“Leave if you want. But you’ll bear the consequences yourself. Humans are like this even when you treat them well…”
Gordon crossed his arms and jerked his chin toward the door. Ernan stepped aside. Kaede, after checking their reactions, sprinted toward the exit.
“It’s not as though you treated her particularly well, Gordon.”
Gordon glared at Ernan. She quickly changed the subject.
“Is this okay?”
“The Demon King’s Tower is not such a flimsy place.”
Perhaps because they had lived comfortably under an unusual Demon King, the princesses seemed to have forgotten where they were.
“You may enter freely, but leaving is another matter entirely.”
“The assault unit seems quite free-spirited, though.”
“...Ahem. Nothing is perfect.”
Recently having studied Arein, Gordon now understood what an assault unit truly was. He coughed awkwardly.
‘Damn this dimension.’
To think the heroes actually considered the Demon King’s Tower nothing more than a hunting ground.
Gordon knew it would collapse if he acted strictly by the Standard. His thoughts and behavior were gradually becoming aligned with Berje’s—no, with this dimension’s logic.
‘If only it weren’t this damned dimension…’
Anywhere else, following the Standard would have let Berje conquer the world. But why—of all places—had he ended up in the only dimension where the Standard did not work?
“No matter what, this Tower isn’t something a half-baked hero can just break through alone.”
Fwwoosh—
The moment Kaede’s hand touched the door, surging black flames erupted and engulfed her.
“Normally, that’s what happens.”
Kaede raised her aura to shield herself. But the black flames, infused with the Demon King’s essence, did not extinguish so easily.
“Humans only accept reality when they experience it firsthand. She’ll never dare dream of escaping again.”
“Should I help?”
“She’s infuriating, but she’s still an imperial princess. If she dies, the Demon King will be furious.”
“That won’t do. Shared responsibility…”
Nairuniel sprinkled pure water. The droplets evaporated instantly, turning into wavering steam.
Kaede panted heavily, her skin charred black. Her skin burned painfully—yet she raised her sword again.
Clang—
The flames surged over Kaede once more.
Just before she clenched her teeth and swung again, Gordon struck the back of her neck, knocking her unconscious. The flames dissipated.
“…A hero is still a hero, I suppose.”
A small crack had appeared on the door.
Gordon gently touched it. The throbbing demonic energy repaired the crack.
“Does it only work like this against demons?”
Gordon didn’t answer. Ernan approached the door with curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
“Don’t touch it carelessly. You’ll get yourself—”
Click—
The moment her pale hand touched it, the door pushed open without the slightest resistance.
Cold snowstorm winds rushed in through the gap.
“…Huh?”
“…Huh.”
“Why is this…?”
Silence blanketed the air.
“…I’ll close it again now.”
Hehe…
With trembling pupils, Ernan forced an awkward smile.