Chapter 103 : The Treatment of the Vein
Chapter 103: The Treatment of the Vein
That she had seen a human who resembled Berje.
There was no doubt or anything of the sort.
Armand said that he had not felt any kind of presence from him other than pure mana. There was no way a Demon King could be like that.
It was nothing more than “something interesting like that happened.”
Reina had merely contacted Berje, the one she could at least speak with comfortably, because she was unsettled after her decisive scheme had failed.
And yet.
“It was a snowfield. It was definitely a snowfield.”
Why was he in a snowfield?
Why had he lied?
“Was it truly a snowfield, Demon King?”
“There was no mistake.”
“Ergest also receives a great deal of snow. When the altitude increases, it pours down year-round much like a snowfield. Also, though it is a mountain range, it cannot be said that there are absolutely no flat lands.”
“Is that so? I suppose that must be it.”
Reina forced herself to nod.
Yes, when she thought about it, that made more sense. There was no doubt that she had been under a bit of stress from Armand’s failure and the appearance of a human who resembled Berje.
“But does Ergest have a snowfield wide enough to see the horizon?”
“...That.”
Nina could not readily answer.
“....”
“....”
Silence lingered.
“...What was the Demon King Berje’s appearance like?”
“It was the same as usual.”
He had been the Demon King himself. To begin with, the communication devices of the Demon Kings did not function without demonic energy.
“I think it’s impossible. It doesn’t make sense. But....”
Once doubt had begun to sprout, it was not easily erased.
“Even if it was a snowfield, if it had been within the Demon King’s territory, the Demon King would have noticed.”
If it had been a snowfield but had not entered Reina’s territory, then there was no major problem.
Nina’s words were not wrong.
“No.”
However, Reina shook her head.
“If it were a snowfield, then he lied to this one.”
Despite it being a snowfield, he had said it was not.
An alliance had to be based on mutual trust. Berje had said so, and Reina thought the same. But Berje had broken that trust.
“It is taboo for another Demon King to enter a Demon King’s territory without permission. Although it is not the Demon King’s territory, it is nearby. If he had told the truth—meaning that he had come as far as near the territory—how would the Demon King have reacted?”
“It wouldn’t have been a good reaction. So he tried to hide it.”
“That is how it seems.”
“That does not become an excuse.”
“But since it is not territory, it does not become a crime.”
That was certainly true. If it was something that was not a problem, yet could become one, then it was understandable that he had wanted to let it pass quietly.
However, the question of “why” remained.
“Why did he set foot in a snowfield?”
“For what?”
“For what purpose?”
The questions followed one after another.
“Is there imperial blood nearby?”
“There are currently no imperial royals of the Empire who have come up to the north.”
“Then....”
Why, of all times, had Draxon’s words come to mind now?
A high-ranking demon that had trespassed into her territory.
If that was not actually a high-ranking demon, but a Demon King. If it was Berje?
Reina pondered. Nina pondered as well.
“...Perhaps.”
After a long while, Nina spoke hesitantly.
“Perhaps?”
“I wonder if it truly was because of a monster.”
“A monster?”
“Yes. The Demon King Berje said that he had come out to take a monster in as a retainer. Could that not be true? It is simply that it was not Ergest, but a snowfield.”
“Why all the way to a snowfield?”
“The environments of Ergest and a snowfield are similar. They are cold, and snow falls. However, due to the natural differences between mountains and plains, different monsters also reside there. Might it not be that he desired something different?”
“An absurd reason.”
“Is it?”
“But for now, I cannot think of a more plausible reason than that.”
Reina stroked her chin.
“...A monster.”
It might be true, or it might not be.
But since it had come first from Berje’s own mouth, it was quite a convenient pretext to approach him with.
“I should probe him once.”
Using a monster as an excuse.
---
Unaware even in his dreams that Reina Sordein was suspicious of him, Berje returned south once more.
In some ways, the south was going even more mad than the north.
“It’s war!”
“The Southern Union and the Empire clashed in the Pilerium Mountains!”
The Empire and the Union had tried to keep the enormous honey pot that was the mana stone mine a secret, but as their conflict intensified, there was no such thing as a perfect secret.
Rumors about the mana stone mine spread, and the armies of both sides gathered around the Pilerium Mountains.
“The Empire is invading the territory of the Southern Union and plundering resources! Those cowards ambushed His Highness Prince Pablo Barkat, who had gone out on a resource exploration!”
“We will hold the Empire accountable for the ambush and reclaim the lands of the Union that were stolen!”
This was the Southern Union’s claim.
“The Southern Union has trespassed into the Empire’s territory and is coveting the Empire’s resources.”
“They led troops to ambush the Empire’s positions, and while putting themselves forward as the weak, they claim injustice.”
“The Empire will never fall for their incitement, and cannot yield even an inch of the homeland’s territory to them.”
This was the claim of the Zespine Empire.
They listed all sorts of reasons, but the actual facts were no longer important.
The two groups had already engaged in battle, and before their eyes lay the exceedingly sweet fruit called the mana stone mine.
Neither side would be the first to give it up.
“How delightful.”
It was a series of pleasant news, enough to make him forget all about the commotion in the north.
“So what is the situation now?”
“Uh, Demon King, my mana cannons are....”
“I buried them nicely in the snowfield, so just answer the question.”
“Prince Pablo...Yes? What do you mean by saying you buried them well in the snowfield?”
“Think it through on your own.”
“...Ernane? Surely it isn’t what I’m thinking, right?”
“....”
Ernane deliberately avoided Roger’s gaze. The dwarf scurried over and clung to her, and she pushed him away using spirits.
“Ernane!”
“I don’t know either!”
“At least tell me whether my little ones are alive or dead!”
“...If I had to be precise, I’d say it’s closer to alive than dead...?”
“T, that’s impossible...! D, do you know what state of mind I sent them off in...!”
The dwarf collapsed to his knees.
Berje clicked his tongue and turned his gaze toward the elves.
“Annoying fellow. You lot continue.”
“Yes, Demon King. The Southern Union once again ambushed the mine, putting Pablo Barkat at the forefront.”
It was on a completely different level from the hastily assembled attempt before. They selected elites from each nation and expanded the scale even at the cost of suffering damage from monsters.
Although not all of the absolute elites of every nation had gathered, they were formidable forces nonetheless.
“The Empire fought desperately, but the mine was taken.”
“Oho.”
“The Empire retreated and immediately dispatched forces again to retake it, but failed twice. That is the situation as of now.”
“So for the moment, the Southern Union has the upper hand.”
The Southern Union had lost once to the imperial forces that had seized the mine first, then succeeded in retaking it in the immediate revenge battle.
And then followed victory in the ensuing struggle for control.
“What’s the atmosphere like?”
“Even the Empire, having suffered three times, is moving cautiously this time. There are ten knight orders belonging to the Empire gathered in the border regions of Pilerium, and they are still arriving in succession. Mercenaries are being recruited, and private troops of nobles are also gathering—they will not withdraw like this.”
“And the Southern Union?”
“The same. Additional forces from each nation are arriving in Barkat, and as soon as they do, they move straight to the mine. In the process, they are completely ignoring the casualties they suffer. Both sides are the same.”
“Interesting.”
“If things continue like this, there is a strong possibility that it will escalate into a full-scale war.”
“I see.”
That was exactly what he had hoped for. That aside, this seemed like it would drag on longer than expected—perhaps he should buy and bring a few more temporary towers.
Then, suddenly, the expressionless faces of the elves struck him as odd.
“Doesn’t it bother you? You’re on the humans’ side, at least nominally.”
“Not the humans’ side, but the elves’ side. Their war is merely their war.”
“Furthermore, we have sworn an oath to the World Tree. For the next hundred years, unless it is something that harms the World Tree, we will devote our utmost loyalty to you, Demon King.”
As expected.
This was exactly why using elves was so satisfying.
He whistled.
“It was a good idea to plant them around the mine.”
Just thinking about how quite a lot of negative energy must have gathered in the temporary towers made him pleased. Imagining even more gathering made it all the better.
But it was still too early to relax.
Of course, it was true that the situation was being driven to even greater extremes by Berje’s intervention.
However, regardless of whether Berje intervened or not, the importance of the mana stone mine would never change. Then why had the Southern Union given it up so easily before the regression?
‘It wasn’t easy. There were several battles, and they gave up because they couldn’t seize the mine even once.’
But compared to now, it was a mere drop in the bucket.
‘There’s something.’
And there was a high likelihood that Jason Kokemundo had been involved.
What was it?
How had he made the Southern Union abandon the enormous resource that was the mana stone mine?
‘Did he have connections with the kings of the Southern Union?’
‘Or was it the Empire? Did he have ties to imperial nobles and force them into negotiations?’
No, before that—
‘Why did he stop this?’
Such a good thing?
This golden opportunity to obtain massive amounts of demonic energy?
‘Was there something I didn’t know?’
He didn’t know. At the time, he hadn’t paid much attention to this war.
It was because Ugar was involved. He hadn’t been desperate enough to steal someone else’s bread, and such things didn’t suit his lofty disposition.
After pondering, Berje shook his head.
‘There’s no need to worry about pointless things. That was the past, and the present is different.’
The future had already changed. There was no need to recall the past and worry about things that hadn’t even happened yet.
If not, then it would be something to prepare for when the time came.
Still, just in case.
“Any elf have a good idea to further stoke their war?”
The more methods, the better.
---
“How amusing.”
The man savored a pink-hued fruit wine.
In the north, the Frost Demon King was stirring.
In the south, a conflict with the Southern Union had broken out.
And both had suffered defeat.
As a member of the Empire, he should have found it unpleasant, yet he was genuinely delighted.
Count Mainz cautiously continued his report.
“The Chernian Frontier Count has submitted a report on the current situation and the Frost Demon King.”
“Summarize it.”
“That the Frost Demon King’s forces are at least strong enough to sweep away the Empire’s northern regions.”
“Terrifying.”
He shuddered, then soon shrugged his shoulders.
“The possibility of the Frost Demon King rampaging?”
“Extremely low. Even under Gillian Aint’s scheme, the Frost Demon King sent many survivors away. That means she desires peace.”
“Then for the time being, just leave it to the Chernian Frontier Count.”
“Yes.”
“The south?”
“They lost the vein due to their ambush. They attempted to retake it twice, but failed.”
“They’re smearing filth on the Empire’s honor. Truly incompetent.”
The man poured the wine onto the floor.
“Thanks to that, even the taste of the drink has soured.”
“I will pour you another.”
He held out the empty glass. The count poured the wine.
“Still, it’s not entirely bad. The southern Frontier Count follows Floyan.”
“Yes.”
“Suddenly, the liquor tastes sweeter.”
“The Ersian Frontier Count is preparing a counterattack. No matter what, he’ll try to reclaim the mine, restore his tarnished honor, and earn merit to secure his standing in the capital.”
“That won’t do. It mustn’t happen.”
He clicked his tongue.
“What do you think? Is the vein actually useful?”
“The exact scale has not yet been identified.”
“So?”
“Unless the reserves are overwhelmingly large, it is not, in fact, a vein with much merit.”
“And why is that?”
“Because it is the Pilerium Mountains. Pilerium is a place that has not yet truly been touched by human hands. The terrain is harsh, and monsters abound. It is true that the Empire suffered significant losses to the Southern Union in the three battles there, but the damage caused by monsters was also considerable.”
“Hm.”
“Even an army that advanced fully armed, focused solely on offense, suffered that much. What do you think would happen once mining begins?”
Taking those losses into account, could it truly be called economically viable?
“Then do you believe it is right to give it up?”
“I wouldn’t say it’s right, but there is no need to cling to it at the cost of such damage. Unlike the Southern Union, the Empire has numerous mana stone mines within its lands.”
“I see.”
The man nodded.
“Then we’ll bury it.”
“Do you mean to hand the vein over to the Southern Union?”
“No, not that. No matter what, we can’t let those ant bastards do something good. Just make it so that no one can eat it. Yes, I’d like it to continue as it has until now.”
“I will carry out your command.”
“How? The Empire’s honor has already been blemished, and it will need to be restored somehow.”
He wasn’t asking because he didn’t know. The curious gaze was a test directed at the count.
“I will restore our honor and spread the notion that the mine is worthless.”
“Not bad. But those ant bastards won’t just sit still, will they?”
“May we use the other vein reported from the lake?”
“That’s why it was reported in the first place. So that I can use the war to a suitable extent, and end it when I want to end it.”
The man once again poured wine onto the floor.
“And so that he can get what he wants from the war as well.”
As soon as the Empire secured the vein, the Southern Union had descended upon it. There was no way that was a coincidence.
“An insolent bastard. How dare he try to use the Empire?”
“Everything he does is sly. But this time, I believe he will be of definite help.”
“Yes, that Floyan bastard is looking down on the Southern Union, but they’re not such easy prey.”
The current outcome was something he had foreseen—and desired.
“Still, it feels like a waste to just hand it to them.”
“You must look at the bigger picture.”
“Yes, yes.”
He nodded repeatedly.
“Would it be better if I stepped in personally?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s do that.”
The man poured himself another drink.
“Even those demon bastards who gnaw at the world can be useful from time to time.”
This gulp was sweeter than the last.