Chapter 136 : A Self-Inflicted Matter
Chapter 136: A Self-Inflicted Matter
“Move?”
The princess controlling the monsters on the 2nd floor, Lavinia Arkan, tilted her head.
“Why?”
“Humans will come.”
“Heroes?”
“Yes.”
“Arkan too?”
“No, not Arkan. Hilderan.”
“Then me?”
“I had no intention of sending you, of course.”
“Relief.”
Lavinia Arkan let out a sigh of relief.
“Do you like the tower?”
“Yes. Monsters.”
“Well, even if it’s the Kingdom of Arkan, chances to encounter such a wide variety and such a large number of monsters aren’t common.”
“Yes.”
There were even some high-ranking monsters of the snowfields that humans could not easily encounter, so from Lavinia’s perspective, it was no different from a treasure vault.
“You haven’t even started chimera production yet, right?”
“Yes, golems.”
No matter that there were golem mages and dwarf artisans, since everything had to be made with demonic energy rather than mana, it required rebuilding things from the ground up.
Thanks to Lavinia being accustomed to demonic energy, there had been some progress, but it would still take a great deal of time.
“Pick out a few of the weaker monsters and place them appropriately on the 1st and 2nd floors. There’s no need for many—just enough to make a show of it.”
“For show?”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
Lavinia Arkan readily agreed and disappeared.
‘So for now, that’s settled.’
Preparations to receive Hilderan were proceeding smoothly. Now all that remained was how to position Ernan Hilderan on the lower floors.
Fortunately, that method was easily resolved by the person herself.
“Please make a small prison and place it in a corner of the 1st or 2nd floor. I’ll stay in there.”
“It would be nice if there were appropriate magic sigils engraved on the bars.”
“That way it looks more convincing, right?”
“And after that?”
“I should be unconscious. With Lady Nairuniel’s help, I can enter a suspended state.”
She explained that by lowering her body temperature, she could enter a kind of hibernation.
“That chatty spirit turned out to be more useful than expected.”
- In times like this, you’re supposed to say versatile.
Nairuniel popped out and glared.
“I need to look as pale and haggard as possible so the heroes won’t move on to the next floor, right? They came to save me, so my life comes first.”
“If we just fan the flames a bit, Hillan will handle the rest on his own.”
He was exceptionally seasoned in that sort of thing.
“Yes.”
“When you return, are there nobles who support you?”
“Why… are you really going to make me queen?”
“I do not lie.”
“Mm, actually, there are a lot.”
Too many, in fact.
That was because Ernan was an extremely firmly established Crown Princess. Compared to other royals who were called alternatives, she was overwhelmingly superior, leading to that phenomenon.
“Of course, most of them aren’t supporting me purely for my sake, but because of their own ambitions.”
“Is there any human who isn’t like that?”
“That’s true.”
Ernan nodded.
“That said, it’s not like there are no problems at all.”
“The owner of the vault we looted last time?”
“Yes. Duke Heinz.”
The ducal house of Heinz, which had branched off from Hilderan’s royal family, could be called the foremost noble house of Hilderan.
That was not simply because of its scale, power, or the many who followed it.
It was because Duke Heinz was the former king’s son and the current king’s younger brother.
A royal who had been pushed aside in the line of succession. Yet he had been a meritorious contributor who helped the current king—his own elder brother, the First Prince—eliminate other rivals and place him on the throne.
For now, he also enjoyed considerable trust from the king.
“Duke Heinz constantly put out the nuance that he had no interest in the throne, putting Father at ease.”
“From what you’re saying, it doesn’t sound like that’s true.”
“It’s not. His insides are pitch-black.”
Ernan possessed an exceptional talent for reading people’s thoughts and emotions. It was close to an ineffable supernatural ability, and Ernan sensed the craftiness of Duke Heinz.
“So if someone is in the way, it means it’s definitely him?”
“Probably.”
“Then the very first thing to do is to oust that bastard.”
“When we went to rescue Ellena, you know I looked into various things, right?”
“I know. You were the one who informed Kaede that the Empire’s 8th Prince had died. Was there something else?”
“At that time, I realised it. That a very small obstacle had appeared.”
In truth, Ernan Hilderan’s succession to the throne had been extremely easy.
The king had already laid out the entire board, and the nobles were dancing atop it.
If she did not become queen, that would be the stranger outcome. As time passed, she would naturally ascend to the seat of Queen of Hilderan.
“An obstacle?”
“Yes. I was kidnapped.”
Yet a very small crack had formed.
In ten years, even mountains and rivers change. But even one year does not pass without change—especially when the subject is human.
“As far as I know, kidnappings in Arein aren’t considered a big deal.”
They were not insignificant incidents. It was just that people had grown accustomed to them, and as long as the victim was rescued safely, they tended to let it pass.
“But the Demon King endured well over the past year. More importantly…”
“...You hid the tower well, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
They could not find the tower. They did not even hold hope of finding it. That led to doubts about whether Ernan Hilderan might never return.
“So it was Heinz after all?”
“Not directly. Obest Hilderan. The 2nd Prince. Aside from me, he’s Father’s most outstanding result. For now, he’s also my older brother.”
“Duke Heinz and Obest Hilderan joined forces?”
“Yes.”
“You managed to uncover that fact in such a short time. Impressive.”
“I was lucky. I released spirits throughout the royal capital, and the two of them were having a secret meeting.”
“You released spirits in the royal capital and weren’t discovered?”
“I have a complete grasp of every place where detection magic arrays are installed.”
“They wouldn’t have been careless enough to meet in an open area.”
“They weren’t. The spirits saw the two of them enter a sealed room, and I saw a magic array activate that blocked outside sight and magic. I got curious and had Lady Nairuniel infiltrate directly. They couldn’t block the power of a high-grade spirit.”
“....”
She had openly released spirits in the royal capital and gone undetected.
Should this be believed, or not?
After a brief moment of consideration, Berje decided to believe her. There was no reason for her to lie about something like this.
‘But if that’s true, then she’s beyond a mere high-grade spirit caster…’
She was far more advanced than that.
What was this insane growth rate?
“Then when you return…”
“They’ll be very surprised, won’t they? I’m quite curious about that expression.”
“Is that the end of it?”
The king and the majority of the nobles had named Ernan Hilderan as the successor.
But Hilderan was not a nation belonging solely to its king, and the nobles would have gradually turned their backs on Duke Heinz and the 2nd Prince’s ways of handling things.
The longer that time dragged on, the greater the anxiety would grow, and as anxiety grew, so too would their numbers.
But.
“Of course?”
Ernan lacked confidence.
“That seat was mine from the very beginning.”
Confidence that she would lose.
“I was exhausted by Father’s and the nobles’ pressure and expectations, and I wanted to escape, but I couldn’t until the Demon King kidnapped me. I had the strength, but I lacked the trigger and the courage.”
In other words.
“That’s why I endured it all in silence for over a decade. Becoming Father’s puppet, bearing what no other royal could endure.”
Along with the expectations that they should have borne.
Learning spirit arts.
Studying the art of rulership, military science, diplomacy, and politics.
She went out into high society and built connections.
She walked the path to becoming king.
That was why Ernan believed she was qualified.
“And I.”
The corners of her eyes curved into a crescent moon.
“I really hate having what’s mine taken away. I’m very greedy.”
Even if it was something she herself had briefly turned away from and fled.
It was not without an owner.
* * *
Reina Sordein.
The Demon King whom humans called the Frost Demon King looked down upon the snowfield outside the tower.
The pure white plain was the same as always.
She rolled a bright red candy around in her mouth. Yet even its sweet scent and taste failed to ease her worries.
“Berje Deias.”
She recalled the name of the Demon King whose hand she had clasped for the first time since descending upon Arein.
She had taken a liking to Berje, formed an alliance with him for a smoother conquest of Arein, and extended goodwill by giving him hundreds of monsters.
But before that goodwill could even be repaid, Berje had fallen into great danger.
While attempting to use Black Mages in Hapstrain Gorge, his identity had been exposed, and the enraged Empire had discovered the location of the tower he had kept hidden.
Although he had shown remarkable prowess by defeating Daphne Phillian, a hero at the Star level, in the process, that was as far as it went.
With imperial royals threatened and the tower exposed, the Empire would inevitably begin the hero’s march.
There were also many heroes directly and indirectly connected to the Empire, so in terms of scale and strength, they would be more than enough to kill Berje.
‘It’s been just over a year since Berje descended.’
Due to his impulsive actions at the graduation ceremony, he had descended with nothing but his adjutant.
In that short time, how many monsters and demons could he have summoned, and how much interference power could he have released?
The hundreds of monsters she had given him as a token of alliance would be mercilessly cut down by the blades of the heroes.
That fact was what troubled Reina.
Whether she should abandon Berje.
Or whether she should help him.
“Helping him is not the right choice.”
Her adjutant, Nina, who shared her thoughts, objected.
“An alliance requires mutual benefit. But Demon King Berje would only bring harm to you, my lord, and offer no benefit whatsoever.”
“He simply hasn’t yet seen the light. Who can guarantee that he won’t be of use in the future?”
“There is no future. That is why I say this.”
Nina stated firmly.
“The Empire is strong. Demon King Berje cannot endure.”
“That is precisely why I intend to help him.”
“You must remember that the snowfield is officially Imperial territory, and that it borders the Empire.”
If it were revealed that Reina had helped Berje Deias—
“The Empire will lead its legions and visit the tower.”
This would be entirely different from a mere hero’s march.
The Empire possessed the capability to deploy an army of well over a hundred thousand troops.
Of course, they would not all come since the borders had to be guarded, but there was no denying that wave would be extremely difficult to stop.
“Most of the snowfields have entered my domain. The majority of the monsters have become my vassals.”
Their number was close to ten thousand.
It was power she had quietly nurtured over more than eighty years.
A legion created with time bought by discarding even the pride of a Demon King after sensing the situation in Arein.
“...Even so, it still won’t work.”
By the end, Reina’s voice grew small.
If it had been any ordinary kingdom instead of the Empire, she could have destroyed it instead. But the Empire was the greatest and strongest nation on the continent.
“Perhaps if we had another hundred years of leeway, but for now, it’s impossible.”
That was how strong the Empire was. At present, she thought it might take all five Demon Kings joining forces to barely manage it.
‘It’s different from other dimensions.’
Sending Black Mages or vassals to incite internal strife and have them erode each other’s strength was the most basic and most effective strategy of a Demon King.
But in Arein, that method was blocked by the existence of thousands of heroes, making the disparity in power even more severe.
“Then all that’s needed is to leave no evidence that I intervened, isn’t it?”
“The only way you could help, Demon King, is by dispatching demon race forces. Monsters would only increase numbers and wouldn’t be of much help.”
“That’s true.”
“But aren’t all of your vassal demons frost demons?”
“...They are.”
“Anyone would immediately suspect you.”
“They could think they’re Berje’s vassals, couldn’t they?”
“What nickname have humans given Demon King Berje?”
“...Dark Flame.”
High-grade frost demons existing in the Tower of Dark Flame? Anyone would have no choice but to be suspicious.
The same applied even if they were vassals Berje had summoned himself. Humans were more biased than one might expect.
In the end, Reina had no choice but to give up. Regrettably, she could only hope that Berje would endure with his own strength.
“And there is something I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“Demon King Jason has been waiting for some time now.”
“For me?”
“Yes.”
“Why are you only telling me now?”
“I mentioned it earlier, but it seems you were too deep in thought to hear.”
“...Is that so.”
Reina cleared her throat awkwardly and stood up.
“Let’s go.”
* * *
“Then why are you asking that?”
Reina’s expression hardened.
At her anger, cold frost settled around them.
『I would appreciate it if you didn’t take offense. I am merely asking out of concern, to offer advice.』
“I asked why you are questioning the relationship between Berje and myself.”
『Because I am worried that Lady Reina might help Lord Berje.』
“Whether I help Berje or not, what does that have to do with you?”
『As I said, it is because I am concerned. No matter how well things have gone until now, Lord Berje committed the mistake of provoking the Empire’s reverse scale.』
『It has been only one year since his descent, and no matter how much demonic energy he has gathered compared to ordinary Demon Kings, stopping a determined Empire will not be easy.』
『That would remain true even if Lady Reina were to help.』
“I do not particularly like your roundabout way of speaking.”
『I am saying that if you help Lord Berje out of personal attachment, Lady Reina would also be placed in danger.』
『The opponent is the Empire. Their power is something you understand better than anyone, do you not?』
“Jason Kokemundo. You are quite thorough in worrying about me. Is this the first time since around ten years after descending upon Arein?”
『You have managed yourself well since then, after all.』
“Because I owe you for that time, I will answer. As you say, I know the Empire well. That is why I do not intend to help Berje.”
『That is a relief.』
“It seems you wish for Berje’s death.”
『That is a misunderstanding. It is simply that the crisis Lord Berje now faces is one he brought upon himself. I offered advice as I once did to Lady Reina and to Lord Ugar, but in the end, it came to this.』
“So it sounds like you’re displeased about that.”
『I still wish for Lord Berje’s safety. It is difficult to find someone as compatible as he is. However, I also do not wish for others to suffer because of his mistake.』
『If we compare Lord Berje, whom I have known for just over a year, with Lady Reina and Lord Ugar, whom I have known for decades, isn’t it obvious who takes priority?』
Reina smiled.
His words were smooth, but she knew well enough that they were hardly so pure.
Still, she did not bother to argue, and the conversation afterward was nothing remarkable.
The connection was cut, and beyond the communication device, Jason Kokemundo, seated in the Tower of Falsehood, stared at the empty communicator.
“...So the relationship between the two.”
It’s not at that level yet.
Jason’s lips curled upward.
Given Reina’s disposition of trusting and believing to the very end, once she committed, if their relationship had advanced rapidly, she would have tried to help no matter what.
“Lord Berje. Please do not resent me too much.”
This is all something you brought upon yourself.