Chapter 89 : Don’t Know, No
Chapter 89: Don’t Know, No
“A scouting party led by the 5th Prince of Arkan climbed Mount Ergest. Their goal was to find the tower.”
But as time passed, the ones who returned were nothing more than defeated remnants.
“And the princess was not among them.”
“Surely she wasn’t kidnapped by the Demon King?”
“They say that part is… a bit unclear.”
Hm, should he say this much?
Count Tomhall stroked his chin.
“Count, we’re practically on the same boat now, aren’t we?”
“Mmng… you mustn’t spread this around anywhere.”
“Of course.”
Count Tomhall wet his lips with wine before continuing.
“When a royal is kidnapped by a Demon King, how do people usually react?”
“They get furious and immediately submit a request to the Hero Guild, don’t they?”
Working with the guild to rescue a royal was standard procedure. For royals of lesser importance, they sometimes wouldn’t make such a grand display, but at the very least they would formally report the disappearance and file a request with the Hero Guild.
“And Arkan hasn’t done that?”
“They say the prince has been holed up in the assigned annex until now, staying quiet.”
It was extremely strange.
“If it wasn’t a kidnapping, there’s no reason to act like that…”
“Exactly. The homeland also leans toward that conclusion: a voluntary disappearance.”
“That’s ridiculous—ah.”
“Understood?”
“Yes.”
Lavinia Arkan’s eccentricity was far too famous.
It hadn’t been long since she was rescued from the Beast’s Tower, and she had declared that she walked in there on her own.
“Ergest is a nest of monsters. It isn’t strange that the greatest chimera-maker, Lavinia Arkan, had her eyes turn over at the thought of it.”
“I see.”
‘Good. At least it wasn’t a kidnapping.’
How a single word changed the meaning.
If it was a voluntary disappearance rather than an abduction, matters wouldn’t escalate toward the worst case.
“Thank you.”
“But why are you curious about that?”
“No great reason. I simply wanted to know anything—no matter how trivial—about the Demon King of Ergest.”
“Anything trivial, you say? Why—ah.”
The count nodded.
“…I shouldn’t have asked.”
“Not at all. I requested this; it’s natural.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“If you ever need my help, please contact me anytime.”
“Yes, I will. This is reassuring! Let’s have a drink!”
“Yes.”
Clink—
Wine glasses met.
---
『I see.』
The dry voice neither scolded nor praised Cain.
There was no affection or concern regarding his sister. It simply felt like someone acknowledging the obvious behavior of someone who would naturally act that way.
『Return for now. With Lavinia gone, forcing the search is meaningless.』
“Your Highness…”
『Is there a need to look for her? Truly?』
She is royalty. My sister. Your child, Your Majesty. None of those words would work—Cain already knew that.
“The Magic Tower will not remain still.”
『…Yes, that is true.』
A clicking tongue followed.
The King of Arkan could not wield absolute power. Though the throne held greater authority, the mages—including those of the Magic Tower—were not people a king could simply command without caution.
『Still.』
『Lavinia abandoned her post and ignored orders during wartime. I will not demand our soldiers’ lives to track down a deserter.』
“…Yes.”
『Return.』
“…Yes, I understand.”
Cain nodded to the uncompromising, firm voice.
When he placed the communicator back in its box and stepped out, the Commander of the Blue Meteor Mage Corps and the Commander of the White Wolf Knight Order approached.
“What does His Majesty command?”
“We are ordered to return.”
“Then Her Highness the Princess is…”
Cain shook his head.
“That is unacceptable!”
The commander of the Blue Meteor Mage Corps was aghast.
“Her Highness is the treasure of the magical world. She must be found!”
“It is a royal command.”
“……”
“When we return, I will find a way to handle this. If the Magic Tower steps up, His Majesty will have no choice but to assemble another search party.”
“But until then… can Her Highness endure…”
“My sister is not someone who gets taken down easily.”
“…Understood.”
“Yes.”
“Please pack the luggage and prepare for departure.”
“Yes.”
The mages and knights departed. Cain then headed for the lodgings assigned to the mercenaries.
“You’re here?”
“I bring unpleasant news.”
“Withdrawal?”
“Yes.”
“Then the princess…”
“After returning, we plan to form a separate search party. Sir Granada—I apologize. Please know that I will never forget this debt.”
“No need. We merely did what we should.”
“Arkan will soon set out again in search of the tower. When that time comes, I promise we will find her.”
“Thank you.”
“And whenever you come to the kingdom, seek me. I shall treat you with utmost hospitality.”
“Yes.”
The next morning, at dawn, the Arkan army left Hortonwork.
---
On the first floor of the tower. With the dwarf observing, Berje stood Lavinia Arkan in front of him and met her eyes.
Slowly, clearly, emphasizing each word.
“That is not okay.”
“What isn’t?”
“It’s not a secret.”
“Not secret? Say?”
“No, I didn’t mean that it’s not a secret.”
Berje thumped his chest. This maddening girl.
“I’ll ask again. If someone asks you whether you saw the Demon King’s tower, what will you answer?”
“Secret.”
“No, you must even hide the fact that it’s a secret.”
“Hide?”
“Yes. If someone asks you about the tower or about me, your answer must be ‘don’t know.’”
“Don’t know?”
“Yes.”
“Lie. I know.”
“That’s a good lie.”
“Bad.”
“You still have to say it. If someone asks whether you found the Demon King’s tower, what will you say?”
“Secret.”
“You little—”
Her blank expression was oddly firm. Berje felt flames rising inside his chest.
But this was her own sort of principle. She didn’t lie, and no matter how strange her sense of right was, she stuck to it with stubborn persistence.
The direction of it was strange enough that the world called her mad.
‘No… even if she’s mad, she’s still human. There must be a compromise she absolutely cannot resist.’
What was Lavinia Arkan’s irresistible urge?
“…Wait.”
Berje suddenly opened his subspace.
‘It’s a pity, but if giving this up allows her to make the golem properly…’
It was a good deal.
“…Wah.”
Lavinia’s pupils dilated.
Something that had long been severed from its original body—yet still pulsed, fresh and lively—floated before her eyes.
She shivered from the dense, pure demonic energy.
“This…?”
“The Tail of Succubus. Belonging to the Demon King.”
“Demon King…”
Greed glistened in her eyes. Unconsciously, she licked her lips, looking utterly indecent.
“Give.”
“No.”
“Cooperate.”
Her hand reached toward the Demon King’s tail. Berje sneered and slipped the tail back into the subspace. Lavinia’s hand cut through empty air.
“…Give.”
“I’ll ask again.”
“What?”
“If someone asks you whether you discovered the Demon King’s tower?”
“……”
“If they ask?”
“Don’t know.”
“If they ask whether you cooperated with the Demon King?”
“No.”
“That’s it.”
Berje extended his little finger.
“Here. A promise.”
Humiliating as it felt, this tailored approach was necessary for Lavinia. These childish rituals mattered more to her than anything.
After a moment’s hesitation, Lavinia hooked her little finger around his.
“Promise.”
“What will you answer?”
“Don’t know, no.”
Berje smiled in satisfaction.
The Succubus Queen’s tail entered the hands of the chimera authority.
She beamed brightly.
---
– Dangerous.
The higher water spirit, Nairuniel, perched atop a hill and rested her chin on her hand.
“What is?”
– The Demon King brought another royal again. And this time, a *princess*.
– Do you not feel the crisis? Your position is being threatened.
Again.
---
**New Terms/Characters Introduced**
None.
Ernane let out a sigh.
“Why is that the only thing inside your head, Lady Nairuniel?”
– Your tone is very gently aggressive.
– You weren’t like this when I first saw you.
“Have you never considered that *you* are the one who made me like this?”
– Yup.
– And think about it. If I don’t at least indulge in those thoughts, what am I supposed to do to kill time in this boring place?
“You could go to the Spirit Realm.”
– That place is even more boring.
– And you? Don’t you get bored?
“I’m fine.”
– Why?
“There’s nothing here, but at the same time, that means I don’t have to do anything.”
Even limited freedom was still freedom. She had gone from being a bird trapped in a cage to a bird trapped in a building. It was still an improvement.
– Anyway, a princess who makes chimeras?
– That’s not just unusual. That’s *extremely* unusual.
– Isn’t she worse than you?
“I’m not unusual.”
– Unusual people never know they’re unusual. Only they don’t know.
“I’d like to return those very words to you, Lady Nairuniel.”
The higher spirit and the human glared at each other. Then the Demon King came up, bringing a new princess with him.
A gigantic Titan chimera accompanied them.
– Goodness. That princess made *that*?
Its ominous, patchwork magical energy was something ordinary spirits would have recoiled from. But Nairuniel was a spirit who had survived more than half a year in the Demon King’s Tower—she held no such prejudice.
“Stay here.”
“Mm.”
“Ernan.”
“Yes.”
Ernan climbed down the hill. The chimera, seen up close, was even larger than expected.
“Guide her well. She’ll be staying here for a while.”
“For a while? Wasn’t she kidnapped?”
“She came voluntarily. She’ll help make a golem core and then leave. So don’t explain too much.”
“…Mn, yes.”
Ernan wanted to ask whether that was even possible but swallowed the question. Even so, she could at least be certain the princess before her wasn’t normal.
The Demon King disappeared. Ernan and Lavinia’s eyes met.
“Hello.”
“Mm.”
“Your name?”
“Lavinia.”
“I’m Ernan.”
“Mm.”
“……”
“……”
Awkward silence settled. It was Nairuniel who broke it.
– Does she have half a tongue or something? Why are her sentences so short?
“…She’s older than me.”
– Ah, really?
– Sorry. That explains it.
“Idiot.”
Lavinia murmured softly as she stared at Nairuniel.
– What?
“Where?”
“Yes?”
“Sleep.”
“Ah, I’ll guide you to your sleeping place.”
Ernan led her to an empty, barren clearing.
“Nothing.”
“We’ll make it now.”
A spirit of earth was summoned. As the tiny spirit wriggled, the ground swelled upward. Soil flattened; grass spread.
“Wow.”
“Is it okay?”
“Good. More.”
“More?”
“Cher.”
“Cher?”
Her pale finger pointed to the Titan standing behind her.
“Ah.”
Ernan issued another command to the spirit. An enormous bed—far larger than what Lavinia herself needed—formed. Cher immediately lay down on it and let out a satisfied, rumbling breath.
“Good.”
“I’m glad. By the way, I heard you made some kind of deal with the Demon King. What was it?”
“…Ah. Don’t know.”
– Lie!
“Don’t know.”
She abruptly jumped off the bed. With long strides, she headed down the slope with the Titan following.
“……”
Left alone, Ernan stared blankly at their receding backs.
“…What was that?”
– Don’t know. One thing’s certain—she’s weird.
---
A golem artificer was both a mage and a master craftsman.
They constructed the magical circuits that formed and connected a golem’s body, designed and manufactured the core that supplied its energy.
Design, manufacture, control—everything about a golem began with and ended with the hands of the golem artificer.
Arkan’s golem artificer, Reymon, carried great pride in that.
A golem made of orichalcum alloy. To construct such a body, to move it, Arkan had introduced revolutionary magical concepts and cutting-edge technology no other nation could even imagine.
And Reymon was one of the core magicians who made that possible.
Slap—
“Ugh.”
When he opened his eyes, he saw a small pale hand in front of him. Behind it was the face of Lavinia Arkan.
“Y-Your Highness?”
“Get up.”
“Y-Yes!”
He sprang up instinctively—but froze, bewildered by the unfamiliar surroundings.
“Wh-where are we?”
Reymon’s last memory was the rampaging behemoth and the golems fighting it.
“Tower.”
“Excuse me?”
“Demon King.”
“…Hic. You mean the Demon King’s Tower?”
“Mm.”
She had promised to keep it secret, but Reymon was an exception. He had to help Lavinia make the golem, and the Demon King had permitted that much.
“Why are we in the Demon King’s Tower…?”
Reymon looked around. The high ceiling, the maze-like layered walls. There were no demons or monsters in sight, so he couldn’t be sure it was truly the Demon King’s Tower, but it certainly wasn’t the mountain where they had fought the behemoth.
“Golem making.”
“We have to make a golem?”
“You and me.”
“With Your Highness? No—you should be escaping, how can you say that?”
“If you don’t.”
“If I don’t?”
“Die.”
“…Your Highness?”
Reymon took a step back.
“The Demon King.”
“You.”
Lavinia drew her finger across her neck.
Reymon’s confusion only deepened.
If he didn’t make a golem, the Demon King would kill him?
‘What kind of nonsense is this?!’