Chapter 57 : Negotiation
Chapter 57: Negotiation
Before his regression, such a thing had happened.
The former Berje, who had been filled with dogmatism and arrogance, with faith and devotion toward The Demon King’s Standard, had been like a runaway carriage.
He had kidnapped dozens of princesses. Countless resentments had turned into demonic energy. He had gnawed away at the lifeforce of the heroes and humans who came to the tower.
A chain of positive cycles. Mistaking it all as solely the result of his own greatness, he made a blunder he should never have made.
The abduction of the Crown Prince of the Zespine Empire.
The Empire was overturned, and the continent rose in fury.
The imperial army and the Hero Guild united completely and stormed the tower.
He endured the first one or two assaults. But humans did not know the meaning of giving up, and he grew increasingly exhausted and worn out. It was in the midst of that that he happened to meet a Demon King from another tower.
‘Tsk tsk, I told you not to touch the Empire’s princess, but you never listen. No matter how special you think you are, Arein is completely different from other dimensions, you know? You should have carved the advice of your seniors deep into your bones.’
‘Look at me. I kidnapped a princess no one cared about, and the world is as peaceful as can be. I wonder if you even realize that having a king who doesn’t care means only weak heroes trickle in from time to time like sweet honey.’
It had been a weakness no Demon King should ever reveal with his own mouth.
Back then, Berje had mocked that Demon King.
‘You parade around wearing the mask of a Demon King, yet you feel no shame? I even question how someone like you managed to graduate from the Demon King Military Academy.’
But now he knew. Berje had been wrong, and that man had been right.
The Demon King, Ugar Velbek, had judged Arein more accurately than anyone else.
And the subject he had mentioned back then had been the 13th Princess of Hilderan.
Originally, she had been the princess Berje intended to abduct—so frail that she couldn’t even be married off for political reasons.
“...Ugar abducted that princess again?”
『...Again, you say. What do you mean?』
“It’s nothing.”
Strictly speaking, it was not “again.” But to Berje, it was again.
After his regression, Berje had walked a different path. History had twisted according to his actions. And yet, why was Ugar showing the same behavior as before?
‘Don’t tell me the future is already predetermined....’
He forcibly pushed away the ominous thought brushing against his mind. If that were true, then Draxon would not have died.
“When exactly, and where?”
『Last night, at the villa where the 13th Princess had gone to recuperate.』
Last night meant precisely three days after Ugar had said he wanted to purchase demonic energy.
『But judging by your reaction, this was not something previously agreed upon?』
“No need to probe, Hillan. You can roughly guess.”
『My apologies if I overstepped. I had heard, vaguely, that Demon Kings sometimes exchanged information.』
Vaguely, he said.
“Cut the line.”
『Yes, Demon King.』
Knock, knock, knock—
The moment the communication cut off, someone knocked on the door. He knew who it was, so he didn’t ask.
“Come in.”
Ernan carefully peeked her head inside.
“....”
“What is it?”
“...May I sit for a moment?”
“Sit.”
She sat before him. A short silence drifted between them.
“I dislike dragging things out.”
“...I know it’s discourteous, but I heard what was said earlier.”
Earlier.
Until just moments ago, he had been going around the first floor examining Roger’s works. When he had gone about halfway through, Gordon had come dashing down in a panic.
‘Demon King! Demon King Ugar kidnapped the 13th Princess of Hilderan!’ he had shouted.
And then Berje had returned to his office and initiated communication with Hillan Cargill.
On the first floor, there had not only been him and Roger, but also Ernan. Had she heard? She had heard. In truth, it would have been harder not to hear.
“Is it true that Ellena was kidnapped?”
“If that’s truly the name of the 13th Princess.”
“It is. Publicly, the 13th Princess is Ellena.”
“Publicly?”
“Ah.”
Ernan closed her mouth. Her demeanor was unlike usual. She was oddly agitated and unstable. There was no need to search for the cause.
“You seem worried?”
“She’s a child who can barely move on her own. If she’s been kidnapped by a Demon King and something terrible happens to her....”
“And so?”
“....”
“And what does that have to do with telling me?”
She bit her lip.
She knew. She knew exactly how absurd it was to speak like this to a Demon King.
But—
“Please help her.”
That was what Ernan said.
“Did I hear that correctly?”
“You heard correctly. Please save Ellena.”
“I am a Demon King.”
“I am a princess.”
“The 13th Princess was kidnapped by a Demon King.”
“If she is going to be kidnapped by a Demon King anyway, then please let it be you.”
This conversation felt familiar.
‘So it’s that moment.’
When Hillan Cargill’s hero’s march had begun, and Berje was driven into a corner.
To survive, Berje had asked Ernan for help—asked her to stand on his side and block the hero.
She had done so, and he had escaped the crisis far more smoothly than expected. One could even say he owed her a large debt.
But that did not mean he was obliged to repay it in kind. He had already paid her with elixirs. And even if he hadn’t, he was not the sort of kind-hearted Demon King who repaid favors one by one.
“Your method is wrong.”
“I’ll tell you every secret slush fund of the kingdom’s nobles that I know of.”
“That is somewhat tempting.”
It was now just a kingdom at the southern edge of the continent, but once it had been a great empire that dominated all lands.
They said even a wealthy dynasty could last three years after ruin. Though it could not compare to its former imperial days, Hilderan was still a powerful nation.
And their slush funds—
He might end up with more gold coins than he had received from Jason in exchange for demonic energy.
However, he did not nod right away.
“Insufficient.”
“What do you want?”
“I cannot trust you.”
“Have I ever broken my word until now?”
She hadn’t. She had kept every word she had spoken. She had faithfully aided Berje.
But that did not make her someone he could trust. Ernan was hiding something. Unless that was revealed, Berje could never trust her.
‘No.’
Even if she confessed it—would he trust her then? He couldn’t be certain. Humans were not a race that inspired confidence to begin with.
“That and trust are separate matters.”
“You’re wondering why I don’t try to leave the tower.”
“I won’t deny it.”
After hesitating for a moment, Ernan opened her mouth.
“Do you know the spell called Child of the World Tree?”
---
“Welcome.”
A rugged rocky mountain came into view. Wind blew between the crags.
“I am Kokun, adjutant serving Lord Ugar.”
“A Titan?”
“Yes.”
Berje frowned at the towering figure over four meters tall. He found it irritating to have to look up.
“Where is Ugar?”
“He is waiting inside.”
Creak—
The tower’s doors opened.
‘The 9th floor.’
When Berje had died in the past, this guy had reached the 11th floor, but now the tower remained stuck below the double digits.
And the moment he surveyed the interior, he sensed something strange.
“There are a lot.”
“Yes.”
Monsters packed nearly to their limit.
Had he suddenly decided to purchase Demonic Points in order to summon monsters?
It wasn’t just the first floor. All the way up to the summit of the 9th floor, Berje repeatedly felt there were far too many monsters.
Because the tower lacked reinforcement, it felt cramped.
“My lord, I have brought Demon King Berje.”
“I’ve been waiting.”
Ugar, seated on his throne, tapped at a hovering hologram. After purchasing a contract from the Demon Realm, he stepped down from the throne.
“Check it.”
The contents were exactly as they had discussed. Berje infused demonic energy and signed.
“Kokun.”
“Yes.”
“Bring the gold coins.”
Kokun brought a thick pouch. Berje placed it into his subspace.
“I hear you kidnapped a new princess.”
“I did.”
“From Hilderan, I’m told.”
“More precisely, the 13th Princess of Hilderan. So frail she can’t even be used for a political marriage. The king has no interest, so it’s not even a major issue....”
Ah.
“Now that I think of it, I’m curious. Would you say this is unbefitting of a Demon King, or would you say it’s good because you used a loophole in The Demon King’s Standard?”
“Well....”
Tap, tap—his fingers drummed on the table.
“If I must choose, the latter.”
“Unexpected.”
“Unexpected?”
“I thought you simply hated The Demon King’s Standard but were otherwise the very model of an arrogant demon.”
“And your reason?”
“I heard you rammed head-first into His Excellency the Archduke and into Draxon.”
“A demon who avoids a fight that comes his way is no demon.”
“But your opponent was the Archduke.”
“So you take one hit and meekly obey out of fear? That’s quite cowardly for someone your size.”
“Do not insult me. Obedience to superiors is natural.”
Ugar growled.
“On my way in, I noticed you’ve packed your tower with an excessive number of monsters. You even bought demonic energy from me and suddenly kidnapped a princess....”
“Pursuing demonic energy is something a Demon King naturally ought to do. What of it.”
“You’re afraid.”
“...!”
“You fear ending up like Draxon—your head cut off by heroes and becoming U/g/a/r.”
“I am Demon King Ugar! Do you truly think human heroes could do anything to me!”
Ugar slammed the table. With a loud crash, shattered fragments scattered across the floor.
A thick killing aura burst outward like a rampaging horse, sweeping across the entire floor.
It was a majesty befitting a Demon King. And yet—why did it feel as though he were a frightened dog?
History had changed. The future had changed.
All because of Berje’s regression.
By choosing a different path—by walking a different path—the relations among the Demon Kings and the responses of humans had shifted.
He had formed ties with False and Frost, where none had existed before.
The Beast, who had once lived safely and climbed to the 16th floor of his tower, had died.
And that woman Vivian, newly descended, was overflowing with the arrogance typical of Demon Kings, and she had caused an incident.
Humans grew furious, and the tension between Demon Kings and humans rose.
If so—
Now, at the moment when the Beast he had leaned on and depended upon had died, how would the cowardly bald one react?
It was simple.
Exactly as he was showing now.
Frightened in advance and overreacting.
“And yet such a creature tries to buy demonic energy from me, and after staying quiet all this time, suddenly kidnaps a new princess. From what I hear, not only the 13th Princess of Hilderan, but also the 8th Prince of Hessen has been taken?”
“What of it. I say again, a Demon King’s desire for demonic energy is only natural.”
“And filling your tower with monsters?”
“Is it strange for monsters to exist in a tower?”
“It would be strange if there were more than necessary.”
“What are you trying to say. Speak plainly.”
“Hm.”
Berje’s lips curved upward.
“That you look like a terrified little rat, Ugar.”
“...!”
“A pitiful rat, desperately scrambling to survive, yet no lifeline descends for it.”
“You son of a—!”
Ugar rose from his seat. His frame, exceeding five meters, radiated pressure by its size alone.
Berje calmly folded his arms.
“You seem to think you can look down on me because you graduated first from the Academy, but I have been a Demon King for decades. Someone like you—”
“I hear you ignore the countless other princes and princesses and always kidnap only the ones at the bottom of the hierarchy. The ones the kingdom can’t exactly ignore, but doesn’t particularly need to care about either.”
“...How do you know that?”
“You must have worked hard. To choose such borderline cases, you would need thorough preliminary investigation, considering every circumstance and condition.”
It looked simple, but it was anything but simple.
The relationships among princes and princesses, the negotiations with the kingdoms—there were countless factors that had to be considered.
For someone as brutish and simple-minded as Ugar, the fact that he managed such things at all was impressive. It only meant his desire to survive was that strong.
“If you want.”
Around then, Berje slowly cast out his bait.
“I can tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
“All the princes and princesses I know of who fit the conditions you desire.”
“...!”
“In return, I also have one condition.”
He smiled.
Ugar’s pupils trembled.