Chapter 56 : Not Your Little Brother
Chapter 56: Not Your Little Brother?
『What is this?』
Hillan Cargill unfolded a sheet of paper toward the crystal orb.
Brown hair, brown eyes. A rather gentle-looking face.
“It is a wanted poster.”
『…Roger.』
“Yes. That dwarf from the 1st floor of the Tower.”
『A wanted order was issued?』
“A few days ago, the Berfht Kingdom reportedly sent this wanted notice to every nation on the continent, requesting cooperation.”
“It is a wanted order for Roger Friedrich, a traitor who betrayed the kingdom.”
“What they offered in exchange is strictly confidential, but judging by how every kingdom is desperately searching for him, it must not be something small.”
He could not begin to describe how shocked he had been upon first hearing the news. Of all places, it was the Berfht Kingdom. And the order was said to have come directly from the Crown Prince.
“I was curious from the very beginning—how did you bring Roger into the Tower in the first place?”
『I kidnapped him.』
Hillan was at a loss for words at that shameless answer.
“If it had been kidnapping, the Berfht Kingdom would have no reason to make a fuss by calling him a traitor. And that dwarf absolutely did not seem like someone who was forced into loyalty to the Demon King.”
He was supposedly a Hero, yet he created a mana cannon for killing another Hero.
Fine, even if—being extremely generous—he had been coerced to that point, then how was one supposed to explain blocking another Hero’s escape and hurling curses at him?
Any ordinary Hero would have tried to escape together, not swing a hammer in a rage.
『Ask him yourself. If you tell him this news, he’ll probably be thrilled.』
“…Understood for now. In truth, this is not the main issue.”
『There’s more?』
“The results came out.”
Some Elders had accused Hillan and Rozel Charnte of refusing the Hero Guild’s directive.
Because of that, a discreet trial was said to have been conducted within the Guild.
『How did it go?』
“Nothing happened.”
『After dragging it out for two weeks?』
“There was no basis to begin with. The reason kingdoms are forbidden from interfering is to prevent them from using it as an excuse to invade other nations, yet the Kingdom of Ormus—the very party involved—ended up defending Arkan instead…”
Of course, not everyone agreed.
Quite a number demanded severe punishment, and Hillan believed they fell into two groups.
Those who believed the Hero Guild should stand above the kingdoms, and those who had caused Balraf Dislode to abandon the hero’s march.
‘The Empire? Or another kingdom?’
Who exactly backed Balraf Dislode remained unknown, as they hid themselves exceptionally well.
“But the majority leaned toward burying the issue. Independent actions taken by Heroes beyond the Guild’s control only damage the Guild’s honor. Rather than that…”
『They decided it was better to give what needed to be given while turning that achievement into the Guild’s. Honor is precious, after all.』
“Yes, that is correct.”
『Humans, honestly…』
『Understood. First, focus all your efforts on fully absorbing the Demon King’s power. At your current level, you cannot accomplish the great work.』
“Yes. Ah, and Rozel Charnte has been desperately looking for you, Demon King.”
『……』
“She asks me about your well-being every single day.”
『What a persistent bitch.』
“You might as well have made one for her before you left, don’t you think?”
『I told you I forgot.』
“What about giving it to her even now? If you build a positive connection with her and with the Magitech Kingdom of Arkan that supports her, it will be of great help someday.”
『And you would be getting help as well, wouldn’t you?』
“I will not deny it.”
Beyond the crystal orb, the Demon King’s lips curved up.
『That’s why I like you. I will think about it.』
“Yes.”
The connection was cut. Hillan stretched.
“…Maybe I can get away now.”
It was by no means a lie that she came looking for him every single day.
Hillan had come to the Alliance following Rozel Charnte partly because of the trial, but also because Rozel had threatened not to let him go until she received Berje’s mana.
Of course, since it had been reasonably helpful, Hillan had not particularly tried to get away. This was a time to polish what he had gained rather than to do anything.
Knock, knock-
“Sir Hillan, you have a visitor.”
Right then, someone knocked on the door from outside.
Hillan, who had assumed it was Rozel Charnte and was about to prepare tea, hesitated.
The presence was different. The sense of existence was distinct.
‘Faint.’
As if it were fog.
“…Who is it?”
He asked cautiously. Instead of an answer, the door opened.
A strong smell of earth rose from the filthy leather armor. His rough beard was coarse, and his hair was disheveled.
But his eyes at least were alive.
“Wow, so you are the famous Hillan Cargill, huh? My name is Daphne Phillian. By any chance, do you know who I am?”
Daphne cheerfully dragged a chair over and sat down.
“…I do not think there is any Hero who does not know of you, Sir Daphne.”
“It is an honor that you recognized me.”
Daphne lowered his head in a playful bow.
“What business do you have with me…?”
“Ah, it’s nothing serious, so there is no need to be so wary. I was simply curious about something. May I ask for your cooperation?”
“If it is something I can help with.”
“That is a relief.”
Daphne took out a small notebook.
“Then first of all, I would like to hear in detail—very much in detail—about your hero’s march, Sir Hillan?”
---
Chomp, chomp-
The meat disappeared in an instant. The well-cooked pasta, spraying sauce in every direction, was sucked into their mouths.
They threw aside their forks and knives, grabbed the food with their hands, and gulped it down; they were not humans but elves.
Granada let out a sigh at the gluttonous scene before him. It was not disgust he felt first, but pity.
‘Just how long were they starving…’
He, too, had lived as a slave for five years. He knew all too well how grueling and painful that life was.
“Eat slowly. I can give you as much as you want.”
“Th-thank you!”
“Thank you!”
The fifteen elves bowed their heads deeply. But the speed at which they ate did not slow down.
“It amazes me every time, but… are they truly elves?”
“What do you mean?”
“The way they devour food puts even orcs to shame…”
Under Granada’s gaze, Zetoson closed his mouth.
“Where to next?”
“Buarn. They say elves will appear in the underground auction.”
“Then it seems your help won’t be necessary, Sir Zetoson.”
“Pardon?”
“At least for auctions, I doubt we’ll need your assistance.”
“No, now that is simply heartbreaking to hear.”
Zetoson thumped his own chest.
“This Zetoson—Arkan’s greatest merchant—never fails to be of help.”
“But…”
“Even monkeys fall from trees. How can a person be perfect? And it isn’t an issue limited to people alone. Sir Granada, do you consider yourself perfect in everything?”
“…Well, fine. Then what do you intend to do this time?”
“I have once again studied auctions.”
Ahem. Zetoson cleared his throat and composed his voice.
“In the end, an auction is a competition between people. You observe each other’s signals and the atmosphere, set prices accordingly, and call out higher bids than your opponent…”
“Just the conclusion.”
“You raise the price so sharply that the other party can’t even squeak. It’s called seizing the initiative.”
“Didn’t you say your goal was to buy as cheaply as possible?”
“It *is* buying cheaply.”
Zetoson took out a notebook and pen and drew several lines.
“Look here. If the starting price is 10, and under normal bidding the expected buying price is 100—let’s assume that much. But if your opponent bids 11 and instead of calling 12, you jump straight to 60, your opponent will surely become cautious.”
“And if the opponent keeps chasing you to the end, wouldn’t you end up paying 200 for something you could’ve bought for 100?”
“That is certainly possible.”
“You sound confident. Do you have a countermeasure?”
“I do not. That kind of bastard would follow no matter what price you call, so it is best to simply accept it and save yourself the stress.”
“Even if you end up paying 60 for something you could have bought for 30?”
“No matter how great a merchant may be, one cannot always profit.”
“………”
Truly an unusual human.
Granada felt he could understand why Berje had taken a liking to this man named Zetoson.
That shamelessness was a kind Granada had never seen, even in his long life.
“When is the Buarn auction?”
“Tomorrow at 8 p.m. It is a major city with a transport magic circle, so we can get there quickly.”
The next day, they arrived at the auction house in Buarn.
An elf was brought onto the stage, and Zetoson entered the bidding. Everything went according to plan—except for the part where the opponent responded exactly as Zetoson had predicted.
“…If you are a merchant, I believe knowing when to give up is also a virtue.”
“I am not a merchant.”
Granada ended up winning the elf for a price twice as high as expected.
“As expected, Sir Zetoson is… quite hopeless when it comes to auctions…”
“Wait, just—please wait. It is too early to conclude anything. The continent is vast, and we still have many elves to purchase, do we not?”
“…So you are the ones sweeping up elves these days?”
As the auction ended and they moved to receive custody of the elf, someone blocked their path.
---
“………”
Berje opened his once-closed eyes.
‘This…’
Interesting.
The Phoenix’s power that had taken residence in Berje’s second heart had grown larger.
When a Demon King, a demon, or a monster left the Tower, they grew weaker for two reasons.
One: they stepped outside the influence of interference power that the Tower neutralized.
The other: they could no longer replenish demonic energy.
Just as humans absorbed mana to form aura holes and forge a mana heart, demons also absorbed demonic energy to fill their empty vessels.
But because demonic energy did not exist in the middle realm, demons had no choice but to rely on the Tower.
But Berje was different.
Inside the Tower, he absorbed demonic energy; outside the Tower, he absorbed mana.
The Phoenix’s power made that possible.
‘Just what *is* this creature?’
He had once read about a phoenix in an ancient text.
Roughly three thousand years ago, one had been discovered in a dimension called Bellarus, and it supposedly took the combined attack of **three Demon Kings** to finally bring it down.
And in exchange, one Demon King became crippled and another lost his life—a victory with nothing but wounds.
It was impossible to say that Arein’s phoenix was the same as the one from Bellarus, but the fact that it did not buckle under his Demon King aura alone made it worth studying.
‘The more mana I absorb, the more it assimilates into my body. I should go outside on purpose.’
Being weakened because he could not fully control his power was not a problem limited to Hillan.
Just then—
The communication orb rang. It was not Hillan Cargill.
A network connecting Tower to Tower. Another Demon King.
『It has been a while, Berje Deias.』
When he injected demonic energy, a massive face appeared.
“What is it, Ugar? We are not exactly in the kind of relationship where we message one another.”
Berje swallowed back the curse that almost slipped out.
『I have a proposal.』
“We are hardly on terms where we exchange friendly proposals.”
『Arrogant from beginning to end. Do you think you can live in this world alone?』
“That is not something that should come from a Demon King’s mouth. I’m hanging up.”
『Wait…! This won’t be a loss for you either!』
“Speak.”
『I want to buy demonic energy. I heard you give demonic energy in exchange for human money. I want to buy your demonic energy with money as well.』
“You, buying demonic energy?”
Had the rumor spread? Well, it was not exactly a secret. If there was anything odd, it was that Ugar—at least the Ugar Berje knew—was not the type to do something like this.
“How much money do you have?”
『3,592 gold.』
More than expected. Jason Kokemundo being absurdly rich with 100,000 gold had merely been an exception; normally, Demon Kings had little interest in money.
“That’s 180,000 points.”
『That’s it?』
“I promised Jason five million points for 100,000 gold. If you don’t like it, forget it.”
『…Fine.』
“Of course, I can’t give it to you right away. I’m already paying Jason every month. I’ll divide it up and give it to you monthly.”
『…Grr, fine. Better than nothing.』
After a short deliberation, Ugar nodded.
He said he would send the money once the contract was written, then ended the call.
“Ugar needing demonic energy…”
It was perfectly normal for a Demon King to need demonic energy. But why would someone who disliked Berje go this far, lowering himself no less?
‘Something’s happening…’
Was it because Draxon had died?
Compared to before regression, that was the one clear difference.
A Demon King who should not have died *had* died, and a new Demon King had descended.
Ah, that fool Vivian’s actions had also heightened the world’s vigilance toward Demon Kings to an extreme.
‘I’ll find out eventually.’
Berje closed his eyes once more.
The Phoenix’s mana writhed.
---
“Is it about halfway done?”
“Yes. The moment a Hero appears, these walls will all open at once and the mana cannons will unleash their firepower.”
“I like it.”
Berje inspected the work on the 1st floor. It was still incomplete, but the image naturally forming in his mind made him smile.
He very much wanted to see the face of the Hero who encountered this.
Especially Ralph Schmitz.
‘Will your shield be able to block *this*, or not?’
He wanted to test it once.
Then—
“Demon King!”
Gordon came running in a panic.
“Demon King Ugar kidnapped the 13th Princess of Hilderan!”
“…What?”
And then he dropped the bomb.
“…Huh?”
Ernan, who had been helping Roger using the spirit of the land, felt her pupils tremble.
— The 13th Princess of Hilderan… isn’t that your little sister?
The clueless water spirit tilted her head.