Chapter 106 : A Horrific Hybrid
Chapter 106: A Horrific Hybrid
He did not know exactly what kind of conversation had taken place or how it had gone back and forth.
It was simply a sudden notice, a one-sided announcement from the Empire.
* A vein had been discovered in the Pilerium Mountains.
* The Southern Union had unlawfully occupied imperial territory, but the Empire had reclaimed the vein.
* However, judging that the economic feasibility was poor due to the special environment of Pilerium, the Empire would not develop the vein for the time being.
And the Southern Union raised no objections at all.
They simply withdrew their forces and returned to their respective positions. Nowhere was there any mention of the Red Dragon Knight Order’s defeat.
No, in the first place, there had not even been an expedition.
“This is absurd.”
To think it would really turn out like this.
“Do those imperial bastards have no pride? The Red Dragon Knight Order got hit. The commander was injured. And they’re ending it like this?”
“That’s because the commander was injured.”
“What did you say?”
“If it were just an ordinary member who got hurt, it would be fine. After all, the opponent was Pablo Barkat. No matter how much he’s called the Empire’s dragon, he’s not omnipotent. But the commander wasn’t just wounded to the brink of death.”
An ordinary member and a commander carried different weights. Just as an ordinary knight order and the Empire’s dragon were different.
That was what symbolism meant.
“And besides, Demon King, from their perspective, there was also third-party intervention. That probably played the biggest role.”
“Was I too blatant in running wild….”
If he had known it would turn out like this, he should not have overdone it at the end.
Excessive ambition had instead become a bad move.
After regressing, he thought he would be able to do everything as he pleased, yet nothing ever went the way he wanted.
This incident was the same, and so was Hillan.
“Retrieve the temporary tower and withdraw.”
The Demon King returned to the tower.
* * *
[1,513,514pt]
These were the Demonic Points obtained from the clash between the Empire and the Southern Union.
Considering it had come from a clash of only a few hundred units, it was an enormous amount. It was likely because their deep-seated grudges, killing intent, and rage toward one another had been far deeper and of a higher level.
Adding to that what had already been gathered in the existing tower, as well as the negative emotions steadily received from Hilderan and Zespine.
[5,135,110pt]
It had finally reached a level where a single balrog could be summoned.
In just a little over one year. It was an extremely fast pace.
‘No, even calling it extreme wasn’t enough.’
Considering even the Demonic Points he had given to Jason Kokemundo in exchange for money, it was even more overwhelming.
For the first time in a while, he checked the state of the tower.
[Tower Master - Berje Deias
Vice Tower Master - Gordon Dyrik
Floors - 5]
[Affiliation
Demon race - Dark Elf, Gordon Dyrik
Demon beasts - Peul Orc, Krutu
Monsters - None]
[1st Floor - Dwarven hero, Roger
2nd Floor - None
3rd Floor - Princess of Hilderan, Ellena Hilderan
4th Floor - Princess of Hilderan, Ernan Hilderan
* Imperial Princess of the Zespine Empire, Kaede Zespine
* Elf of the Maple Leaf Tribe, Charlotte.
* Elf of the Old Tree Tribe, Nania.
* Elf of the Old Tree Tribe....
5th Floor - Demon King’s Floor]
Kaede Zespine and Ellena Hilderan, who had consumed Armani’s Orb, and even the elves who had sworn to the World Tree, were all accepted as members of the tower.
The desolate tower that had once consisted of only Berje and Gordon was now quite bustling.
It was ironic, if ironic at all, that there were more humans and elves than demon race members.
‘In the past, this would have been unimaginable.’
He would have slaughtered all such Midrealm vermin and turned them into Demonic Points.
“Wow, is this something that tells you about the tower?”
Perhaps because he had been checking the tower’s status the moment he entered without much thought, Ernan, who had been following behind, noticed and beamed.
‘Well, there shouldn’t be any particular problem.’
It wasn’t exactly a secret, and even if she knew, there was nothing that would change since she lacked the authority to do anything.
“Yes.”
“Something about the placement is strange.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Four Heavenly Kings were supposed to be placed on the lower floors one by one, starting from the weakest…”
“Not even worth thinking about.”
Four Heavenly Kings, my ass. Just because he had humored her a little, she was taking it seriously.
‘Was I the strange one, or was she?’
Judging from Kaede’s look of utter disgust, it was probably the latter.
“Ah, you have arrived.”
After slowly walking through a maze that hardly qualified as a maze, a workshop came into view. Perhaps he had been taking a break, as Roger, who was not hammering at the moment, greeted them.
“Demon King, hello.”
“....”
A princess who seemed to be missing something waved her hand, while the abducted golem sorcerer merely bowed his head with a frightened expression.
“Any progress?”
“Not immediately, but I am confident that within a few months, I will be able to show you what you desire. Princess Lavinia provided a great deal of help.”
“My contribution.”
Lavinia cleared her throat and shrugged her shoulders. Then she politely held out both hands.
“Demon beasts.”
“Did you leave them with me?”
“The core.”
“The price for that was more than paid with a tail. Do you even know what that is? It belongs to the Demon King. Even if you worked here for another hundred years, it wouldn’t be enough.”
“....”
Lavinia puffed out her cheeks sulkily.
What was that, was she protesting and asking to get her cheeks popped?
Berje’s face twisted sharply.
“Chimera.”
“You want to make a chimera?”
“Yeah.”
“Finish the golem first.”
“If I make it. Demon King.”
“Make it and give it to me?”
“Yeah.”
“Princess!”
Lavinia nodded. The golem sorcerer was aghast.
“You must not! What on earth are you thinking!”
He berated her, completely forgetting that the Demon King was right in front of him.
“I like making things.”
“No, even if you like making things—ugh!”
Berje flung the golem sorcerer far away.
“So you like the act of making itself.”
“Yeah.”
“And once you’ve made it, you don’t particularly get attached?”
“No. Here. I like.”
“You think the chimeras will like this place more?”
“Yeah.”
That went without saying. A chimera was, in the end, a lifeform created by modifying demons, demon beasts, or monsters to suit human tastes. Since their essence did not change, they would inevitably prefer a tower filled with demonic energy.
“Cher.”
“So Cher said that.”
Cher—that was the name of that Titan chimera, if he remembered correctly.
‘She would modify demon beasts into chimeras?’
Judging by Cher, her skill left no room for doubt. If demon beasts were modified and made into members of the tower, that could be quite…
‘Useful.’
His interest was piqued. Still, it was not something to decide lightly.
“I’ll think about it. Ah, did you attach the tail to Cher?”
“Yeah!”
Lavinia’s face suddenly brightened.
“Cher, slim.”
“It got slimmer?”
“Yeah!”
“A horrific hybrid.”
She had really gone and attached a succubus’s tail to a Titan.
A Titan without muscles. How was that any different from giving an elf a dwarf’s stubby little legs?
It was a grotesque idea that no one would have ever conceived of if it were not Lavinia Arkan.
“I kind of want to see it once.”
“Cher, crying face. Doesn’t listen.”
“That’s only natural.”
“But handsome.”
“It got more handsome?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry, but a Titan’s sense of aesthetics is the complete opposite of a human’s.”
They did not like beauty, but hulking bulk. So from Cher’s perspective, overnight it had become ugly, burdened with a bizarre tail.
“Ah…?”
As if she had never known, Lavinia Arkan made a blank expression. Berje snickered and headed up to the upper floor.
There, he found Cher crouched in a corner with its back turned, shriveled in on itself.
“You.”
Krrk?
The creature cautiously turned its head. Faced with the Demon King’s presence, it instinctively lowered its body.
Berje flinched in surprise.
“My goodness, is that really the Titan?”
Ernan exclaimed in shock.
As befitting the Demon King’s tail, the tail that had once been human-sized had grown to match the five-meter Titan’s body. The giant’s tail wriggling along its hips was quite grotesque, but Berje gave extra points to a different aspect.
‘This is fairly….’
Succubi and incubi, by color, tempted the opposite sex and siphoned off vitality as sustenance.
And quite naturally, in order to seduce the opposite sex, they had no choice but to become beautiful men and women. Because that was advantageous, they had evolved that way.
Vivian Blunt, one of the pinnacles among countless succubi, had even been granted the title of Queen. That meant she was among the most beautiful of all succubi, and conversely speaking—
It meant her tail naturally influenced appearance.
Cher’s form, with the tail attached, had changed considerably. The muscles had not disappeared completely, but the hulking, ogre-like bulk was gone.
‘Not quite an incubus, more like a large vampire.’
It meant there was balance, and it had become rather handsome. Vampires were not on the level of incubi, but they were still quite good-looking. Of course, not from a Titan’s perspective.
Berje patted Cher on the back.
“Hang in there.”
Krrk—
His reflection wavered in the creature’s tearful eyes. A pointless but amusing thought occurred to him.
‘I want to show this to Ugar once.’
If Ugar Velbek, who stood at the apex even among Titans, were to see this, what kind of reaction would he have?
Would he try to kill this thing, calling it a disgrace to the race?
Or would he deny reality itself?
‘That aside.’
Berje stroked his chin.
‘As Ernan said, she really does have skill.’
No matter how much of a chimera creator she was, to attach the Demon King’s tail to a Titan so naturally.
He could not help but admire the skill of a human—no, of Lavinia Arkan.
‘I should consider it.’
Rather than dismissing it as a mere prank, filling the tower with enhanced chimeras might not be such a bad idea after all.
* * *
Hillan stepped on pure white snow. From the sky, more snow fell, covering his footprints.
It was a sight he had grown fairly accustomed to now.
‘It’s already been two weeks.’
The grand plan to turn the Frost Demon King’s tower into a hunting ground had failed.
Gillian lost an arm, five northern tribes were annihilated, and Hillan Cargill barely survived with his life.
It was a painfully sobering experience that made him realize how much he still lacked.
“Have you arrived? Please, come inside.”
A servant he had now grown fairly familiar with opened the door.
A spread of sumptuous delicacies filled the table. The Frontier Count sat at the seat of honor, with his subordinate nobles and retainers arranged around him.
“Welcome.”
“Thank you for inviting me to the meal.”
“You say that every time. Shouldn’t you be more at ease by now?”
“This is what I’m comfortable with.”
“Tch, really with you people…”
Sit. The Frontier Count murmured as if whispering. As always, it was the seat of honor, right next to the Frontier Count’s direct lineage.
It spoke volumes about how the Frontier Count regarded him.
“Welcome.”
The Frontier Count’s eldest son greeted him. Hillan returned the admiring gaze with a smile.
“Everyone’s here, so let’s begin.”
As the Frontier Count picked up his knife and fork, the meal began. Hillan silently chewed his salad.
‘At first, I never imagined it would come to this.’
Although Berje had fled, the Frontier Count had not been enraged. He had simply asked for the reason, accepted it, and then given Hillan his full support.
Just as Hillan did, the Frontier Count sought a mutually beneficial relationship.
‘Not bad.’
Of course, it was a bilateral contractual relationship with clear compensation exchanged, but such arrangements were only possible with mutual trust.
In that sense, these two weeks of life in the north had been extremely fruitful.
“Oh right, Father, an interesting piece of news came in from the south this time.”
The Frontier Count’s eldest son spoke up. The Frontier Count gestured for him to continue.
“What is it?”
“You’re aware that the Empire and the Southern Union clashed in the south.”
“They say a mana stone vein was discovered in the Pilerium Mountains.”
“Yes. The Empire initially secured the vein, but the Union launched a surprise attack. After that, fierce back-and-forth battles followed. In the end, the Empire emerged victorious, but due to monsters and the environment, they judged it to be economically unviable and decided not to begin mining.”
“Isn’t that all the information we already know?”
“Isn’t it a bit strange? They say the war ended because the Southern Union gave up, but a mana stone vein isn’t something you abandon so easily, is it? The Empire already owns multiple mana stone mines, but the Southern Union does not. They charged in ready to die, yet after a single defeat, they tucked their tails far too easily.”
“That is certainly true.”
“However, there are rumors that it was actually the Southern Union that first proposed reconciliation.”
“After their defeat?”
“No. Before the vein was taken back from them.”
“Before? That is indeed strange.”
If one secured a foothold in the harsh land known as Pilerium, that was a definite advantage. Was there really a need to declare surrender while giving that up?
Especially when it was a mana stone vein, of all things.
“It must be that the monsters in Pilerium were worse than expected.”
The Frontier Count muttered. That was the general assumption.
“No. There was another reason.”
“Another reason?”
“Yes. This is something I heard from the eldest son of the House of Count Tights…”
The House of Count Tights was a southern noble family. They were wealthy, operating several mines and merchant companies, and they also had deep ties with the Chernian Frontier Count.
“It seems that a third party intervened on that battlefield—neither the Empire nor the Southern Union.”
“Demon race, then.”
A battlefield called for blood. And the demon race desired blood.
When war broke out, it was extremely common for the demon race to try to escalate it further.
“At first, I thought so as well, but apparently that was not the case.”
“Not the case?”
“Young master, please stop dragging it out and tell us already. This old man is going to die of frustration.”
At the reproach of an old retainer, he continued.
“One of them cried out the name of a god.”
“...!”
“...!”
“...Don’t tell me those cockroaches are still around?”
“That, we cannot be certain of. However, once the name of a god was mentioned, it seems they judged it could not be dismissed lightly.”
The nobles’ expressions grew grave.
Hmm.
“It must be one of three possibilities.”
After pondering briefly, the Frontier Count muttered while chewing on a piece of steak.
“They used deception to sow chaos between the Empire and the Southern Union.”
“Or the real cockroaches truly survived and are plotting something.”
“Or the Demon King used fanatics.”
Whichever it was—
“We cannot leave those who dared to make light of the Empire alone. It is only right to trample them thoroughly and move on. The south made the correct choice.”
A cold killing intent filled the air.