Chapter 135 : The Useful Hillan Cargill
Chapter 135: The Useful Hillan Cargill
Having persuaded Ernan, it was time to move on to the next step.
How to hand Ernan over to Hilderan in a convincing manner.
The best method was, as expected, to make use of Hillan Cargill, and Berje and Gordon settled on that course.
That did not mean there were no problems.
“For Hillan Cargill to rescue Ernan Hilderan, he will ultimately have to come to the tower.”
And the methods were either a hero’s march, or an assault unit.
But would there really be anyone who thought it was right to suddenly attack a tower that had only just been discovered and had already devoured countless people, using only a small assault unit?
There would be those who thought it possible because it was Hillan Cargill, but not everyone would see it that way.
Berje had invested innumerable efforts into Hillan Cargill. Before he was even properly put to use, he must not fall under suspicion.
“But if it is not Hillan, it makes even less sense.”
“That’s true.”
A Demon King releasing a princess for no reason was something without precedent.
Not only would humans be shocked, it was also something that could be seized upon by other Demon Kings as a pretext.
“This is driving me mad.”
At times like this, the fact that the tower had been erected in the Ergest Mountains became a problem. If it had been on an open plain that anyone could easily come and go from, slipping the princess out would not have raised objections from anyone.
‘No. If that were the case, it would have been subjugated long ago.’
It was a meaningless assumption.
At that moment, a communication device began to flicker.
“Speak of the orc, and he appears.”
“Is it Hillan Cargill?”
“Yes.”
Berje infused demonic energy into the communication device.
“What is it?”
『 Demon King, I have a request. 』
“A request?”
『 Please do not be angered, and listen to me until the end. 』
“What are you planning to say that makes your tongue so long?”
『 ...That is. 』
“I hate being frustrated more than anything.”
『 Please. 』
On the other side of the communication device, Hillan Cargill lowered his head deeply.
『 ...Please give Ernan Hilderan to me. 』
* * *
The fact that the tower had been found.
The fact that he had accompanied that journey and played a fairly central role.
At the center of it all was Hillan Cargill.
Although the Third Prince of the Empire and the Second Prince of the Kingdom of Korzen had been the nominal commanders, it was Hillan and Daphne who had led the advance of the search party.
And with Daphne’s death, that fame was poured entirely onto Hillan.
However, he could not enjoy it.
A summons arrived from Hilderan as if they had been waiting.
“The King of Hilderan has summoned you?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Hilderan must be quite anxious. Go, then.”
“My apologies.”
“Apologies? Surely you do not intend not to come when my hero’s march begins?”
“Never. My resolve to subjugate the Tower of Dark Flame has not changed.”
“I will trust that.”
After parting with Martin, Hillan returned to Hilderan.
“Long live Hero Hillan Cargill!”
“The great hero!”
As he entered the capital, a procession prepared just for him awaited. The people chanted his name and cheered.
That in itself was immensely enjoyable. Being looked upon with awe and respect was something he had always desired.
But he could not fully enjoy it, knowing what would come afterwards.
The procession stopped in front of the royal palace. Hillan dismounted from his horse, and knights approached.
“His Majesty is waiting.”
“...Yes.”
He wished he were not waiting.
The red carpet laid across the corridor felt as though it were guiding him into hell.
'It’s obvious. Now that the tower’s location has been revealed, they will tell me to go rescue the princess.'
Then Hillan would have no choice but to go, whether he lived or died, unless he intended to completely sever ties with Hilderan.
It was not just any matter, but the kingdom’s Crown Princess being rescued by the kingdom’s greatest hero, so there was no justification for refusal.
'That’s not the point.'
If he announced that he had become the leader of the hero’s march in order to kill him, what would Berje say?
‘There really are many ways to want to commit suicide.’
Would he not smash his head apart while saying that?
‘It must be stopped. Somehow, by any means necessary, the hero’s march of Hilderan itself must be stopped.’
With grim resolve, Hillan Cargill entered the King’s office.
“I greet His Majesty, the great King of Hilderan.”
“It has been a while. Have you been well?”
“Yes.”
“For someone who says that, your expression does not look very good.”
“That is not the case.”
“Well, very well. You must have a rough idea why I summoned you.”
“Yes. I do have an idea.”
“That is not very clear.”
“What is it exactly that Your Majesty desires?”
“Are you asking something so obvious?”
“I am Your Majesty’s sword, and the sword of Hilderan. I will be wielded according to Your Majesty’s will, but must I not know that will precisely in order to follow it without the slightest deviation?”
“That sword of Hilderan danced quite well in the hands of the Empire.”
“Was that not also what Your Majesty desired?”
Heh heh, the King burst into laughter.
“As expected, you are a sly one. Well, you are more entertaining than some meek fool.”
“I am glad it pleased you.”
“I want my daughter, the Crown Princess of this country, Ernan Hilderan.”
“Do you have no intention of killing the Demon King and destroying the tower?”
“If I said I had none at all, that would be a lie.”
But was it really necessary?
“Hilderan has suffered a great blow to its pride. Naturally, it must be restored. We must kill the Demon King and destroy the tower to recover our shattered pride. But is there really a need for me to spill my own blood to do that?”
No matter how much the Demon King was being restrained in Arein, a Demon King was still a Demon King. Moreover, the Demon King of Dark Flame was one who, as if fortune had favored him, had repelled expeditions and search parties multiple times.
“You are keeping the Empire in mind.”
“If the Empire will shed blood in our stead, why should I step forward and bleed myself?”
“Then....”
“But.”
The King cut Hillan off.
“For that, there must be the premise that the home kingdom rescues the Crown Princess before those imperial bastards do.”
It was not about being unable to do it, but about giving the impression of choosing not to.
“And I cannot bear to see the foundation of this country rescued by the hands of those imperial bastards.”
Seen narrowly, it was pride, but seen broadly, it was a matter of national dignity.
Therefore.
“You will rescue Ernan Hilderan.”
As this was a royal command,
“There is no right to refuse.”
“....”
Hillan could not readily answer. He could not answer at all.
“However, Your Majesty, we have only just found the tower. Even so, the Demon King of Dark Flame has devoured countless heroes, knights, and mages. No one knows what kind of demonic den the tower truly is.”
He knew it very well. On the first floor, there was a firepower-crazed dwarf obsessed with mana cannons.
But he had to pretend not to know and exaggerate as much as possible. Only then might the King give up, or at least buy some time.
“It was not the Demon King that devoured them, but Ergest. They wandered without finding the tower and suffered great losses.”
“It was the demon race that killed Daphne Phillian. If the power of the Demon King’s minions is at that level, how strong must the Demon King himself be?”
“There are already widespread rumors that Daphne Phillian did not face the creature alone. It is said he was chased by hundreds of monsters and was attacked in concert by two high-ranking demon race members called the Four Heavenly Kings. High-ranking demon race members are not weak. With an ambush, that is entirely possible. But do you not know about them?”
If one knew, then preparing countermeasures was also possible.
“But.”
“I believe their strength has been exaggerated. It is accepted wisdom that the longer a Demon King remains in one place, the more of his strength he recovers. Yet the Demon King of Dark Flame has only been here a little over a year. Those two demon race members, or perhaps even four if they truly are the Four Heavenly Kings. I believe that they constitute the strength of the Tower of Dark Flame.”
Quite literally, everything.
“Which would mean that aside from them, there is nothing of note.”
That was wrong. To begin with, the Four Heavenly Kings were not even all gathered, and they were not demon race members.
One was the foundation of this country that the King so desperately wanted to recover, another was an imperial princess of the Empire, and yet another was a crazed mage of Arkan.
‘From the very beginning, a single premise was required.’
That Ernan Hilderan would willingly follow Hillan.
Just because Hillan went to rescue her, would she really come along obediently?
Nonsense. It was Ernan Hilderan herself who had smashed the back of Hillan’s head when he went to rescue her and turned him into the Demon King’s lackey.
“However, Your Majesty.”
“It does not mean I will send only you and the Red Hawk Assault Unit. I will send Hilderan’s elites together with you, so ascend the tower covertly.”
“It is possible that we may have to fight the Demon King.”
“That is precisely why I am sending you. I did not command you to absolutely kill the Demon King.”
A great hero who had slain no less than two Demon Kings.
“Against a Demon King who has been manifested for only a year, is there really no way for you to merely rescue the princess and escape?”
“....”
Hillan Cargill could not bring himself to say that he could not.
By common sense, that was correct.
The reputation of being Hilderan’s hero instead became shackles. It was far too natural for a hero to rescue a princess.
“...Yes.”
In the end, he had no choice but to nod.
* * *
『...And that is how it turned out.』
“So you boldly declared that you would kill me and rescue Ernan, is that it?”
『I did not put it that way. And though it may sound like an excuse, I truly had no other choice.』
Demon King, or human. It was a matter of choosing one of the two.
And at the very least, before the party concerned, he had no choice but to choose the human side.
It might sound ridiculous, but with the Demon King, there was still room for compromise.
Before the King of Hilderan, being called the Demon King’s lackey meant immediate execution, but if one said to the Demon King that he would side with the humans for a while, he would listen to the circumstances and accept them.
There was room for persuasion.
“So I seem easy to you.”
『You know that is not what I mean.』
『This is not a bad condition for you either, Demon King. If I rescue Ernan Hilderan, the Kingdom of Hilderan will withdraw and observe the situation from the sidelines.』
『One of the two pillars that threaten you will disappear.』
“Stop spouting nonsense, Hillan Cargill. Before you are a human hero, you are my minion.”
『Demon King, please...!』
“From the outset, I do not feel any sense of realism. You think you can rescue Ernan? This is Ergest.”
『I will not be alone! The King of Hilderan has promised support. Elites of sufficient caliber will accompany me.』
“Only that much?”
『It is not only that much. Though the Empire and Arkan may be considered the best, Hilderan does not lag far behind. In particular, Hilderan’s Royal Knight Order does not fall far short even when compared to the Empire’s Five Dragon Knight Orders.』
“So it does fall short.”
『Of course, I cannot deny that, but... if I request assistance from the Hero Guild through Argann’s authority and add this and that, our strength will be sufficient.』
“You mean you can withstand the firepower spewed by hundreds of mana cannons?”
『That is....』
It was impossible.
The firepower of mana cannons, especially those made by dwarf craftsmen, was beyond imagination.
Though Hillan Cargill was confident he would not fall to those cannons, not everyone was the same.
The moment they passed through the first floor of the tower, at least half of their forces would be wiped out.
『...With all due respect, would it not be possible to move all the facilities on the first floor up to the next floor....』
“You expect me to hand it to you on a silver platter?”
A scoff escaped him at the absurdity. Still, he tilted his chin, signaling him to continue and see just how far he would go.
『If you fill the first and second floors with only a small number of monsters, I will sweep them away and rescue Ernan Hilderan.』
『...That is, if you place Ernan Hilderan on the first or second floor.』
“You spoke so confidently before the King of Hilderan, yet you have quite a few demands. You are asking me to do something like Reina did. Do you not think that is even stranger?”
『It is not only the Frost Demon King. Not long ago, Watton Colo, who found the Gold-Steel Tower, rescued the 3rd Prince of Gaina.』
『And it is said that the place where that prince was held was not the top of the tower, but the third floor. Like the Frost Tower, he was confined inside rock.』
Ugar?
After giving him advice once when he rescued Ellena, he was using it quite well.
Indeed, it would be stranger if a coward did *not* use such a method.
“So?”
『Since two Demon Kings are already doing it, there would be nothing particularly different if you did it as well, Demon King.』
『If Ernan Hilderan is rescued that way, you will be relieving yourself of yet another major worry!』
“You would survive, that’s what.”
『Normally, that would be the case, but this time, it is solely out of my loyalty toward you, Demon King....』
“Loyalty, huh. I have always doubted your loyalty. You could have consulted me first about this matter. But instead, you are notifying me. A minion informing a Demon King.”
『No. My loyalty toward you has never changed! It is just that the situation was what it was, and I failed to ask for your will in advance.』
『However, I am certain that this path is the better one for you, Demon King!』
“Then try it.”
『...R-Really?』
This easily?
Hillan’s eyes widened. He had devised the most plausible plan he could to persuade the Demon King, but he had never imagined it would be approved so readily.
“If you don’t want to, then forget it.”
『No! I will absolutely do it!』
“Contact me again when your preparations are complete.”
『Yes!』
The communication ended. Berje and Gordon, who had been listening silently, formed sly smiles.
“Your words are correct, Demon King. Hillan Cargill truly is quite useful. To think he would bring a contingency plan of his own.”
“And the fact that the King of Hilderan personally issued a royal command means one major problem has been resolved.”
The grounds for suspicion as to why Hillan would recklessly climb the tower had disappeared.
“Hillan Cargill will never know. That you had already devised a similar plan and persuaded Ernan Hilderan in advance.”
“Whether he knows or not is irrelevant.”
What mattered was this.
That the Kingdom of Hilderan had been taken care of.
* * *
“No, what are you talking about?! Do you have any idea how much effort I put into designing the first floor?!”
The dwarf screamed.
“You’re telling me to dismantle all of this and move it to the third floor? That’s absurd!”
“Making the absurd possible is your role.”
“Demon King!”
“Do you not understand?”
Berje growled.
“I am not asking. I am issuing an order.”
“B-But...!”
Even under murderous pressure, Roger did not back down easily. As Berje was about to grow irritated at this rare display of stubbornness—
“If things go according to your plan, Demon King, I won’t be able to wipe them out with mana cannons!”
“...Right. You were a madman too.”
“I went through all the trouble of preparing over three hundred mana cannons, and you’re saying I won’t even get to use them?! They’re going to rust from being neglected!”
“Were the ones you fired recently toys instead of mana cannons?”
“That time, we only fired two or three shots and it was over! You have to fire dozens, hundreds of shots freely for the true value of mana cannons to be revealed!”
Firepower!
Overwhelming firepower that destroyed everything and scorched the land to ash!
“That is the true value of mana cannons!”
Berje clicked his tongue at the sight of him proudly asserting his opinion.
He felt irritated, yet strangely, it was hard to truly get angry.
‘He always does exceed expectations....’
In the end, rather than forcing him, Berje decided to coax him.
“I will allow you to dismantle part of the tower while moving all first-floor facilities to the third floor.”
In an instant, Roger’s eyes changed.
“I will rip out the entire first floor and embed it into the third floor! Thorough, perfect, flawless, and combat-oriented!”
“That’s enough.”
“Yes, sir!”
Roger shut his mouth. But the greed glittering in his pupils did not fade.