Chapter 139 : The Flow Surrounding the Tower
Chapter 139: The Flow Surrounding the Tower
Aman Katrash.
The vice-head of the Golden Moon Merchant Company and a Black Knight of the Demon King, he was a fairly capable merchant.
He had originally been a knight, but after his aura hole was destroyed, he had no choice but to walk the path of commerce, and fortunately, it suited his aptitude quite well.
However, what he did was not simple trade.
It was procuring supplies for the Demon King, the natural enemy of humanity.
That was the Golden Moon Merchant Company’s top priority. Of course, only a very few within the company even knew that fact.
“···This is too much. There are so many rare materials—I’m not sure we can obtain them all.”
The man who always handled matters with confidence showed hesitation. That alone spoke to how vast the list of materials handed over by the elf, who bore the Demon King’s orders, truly was.
“Is money insufficient?”
“I can’t say for certain.”
The one hundred thousand gold invested by the Demon King had been multiplied considerably through the efforts of his father and the affiliated merchants.
However, with various ventures underway, the actual cash on hand was not that abundant, and once incorporated into the company’s supply chain, he also had to be mindful of the executives’ reactions.
On top of that, many of the supplies the Demon King demanded were rare and exorbitantly priced, items whose sellers named their own prices.
“If we buy all of this at once, the company will stagger.”
And that was not all. Supplies offered to the Demon King could not be openly explained as to where they had been sold.
There would already be considerable opposition to risking the company’s fate to purchase them, but after finally persuading the executives to approve the purchases, if everything simply vanished, would they really accept it with a calm ‘I see’?
Although Aman effectively held full authority in place of his aging, semi-retired father, the company was not his alone.
“If payment is made properly, wouldn’t the executives have no grounds to object?”
“That is true, but…”
In the end, commerce was about profit, and even if supplies disappeared, merchants tended to shrug it off as long as appropriate compensation came in.
That did not mean there were no problems at all, but it was undeniable that at least part of the issue would be resolved.
“What about the mana cannon?”
“The mana cannon?”
“I assume you have a rough idea of how the supplies entering the tower through the company are being used.”
“Of course.”
That dwarf on the first floor. He himself had experienced the countless mana cannons that dwarf had created.
“Surely you don’t mean that mana cannon…?”
“The Demon King said he was willing to provide mana cannons as payment for resource purchases.”
“Oh…!”
It was not bad. No, it was the best possible outcome. Alongside golems, mana cannons stood at the pinnacle of magi-engineering, strategic weapons desired by every nation’s military due to their destructive power.
And yet, many lacked the ability to produce them themselves, meaning there were countless buyers.
“However, if they are dwarf-made mana cannons, the Berfht Kingdom will not remain idle.”
If they judged that dwarf goods had been exported, they would immediately launch an investigation and take measures by any means necessary. That was how dwarves handled strategic materials.
“Don’t worry. The Demon King said he would slightly lower the mana cannons’ performance. Comparable to the better examples made by humans. Just about that level.”
“In that case, that’s perfect!”
“Then I will report as such to the Demon King.”
The elf disappeared.
Aman stared at her retreating back and sank briefly into thought.
He had answered in excitement at the mention of mana cannons, but his words had not been false.
‘The executives will go crazy for mana cannons.’
Not long after he became a Black Knight, the company began handling military supplies with outside investment, and as relations between the Demon King and humanity worsened, those ventures slowly began to pay off.
And mana cannons were the pinnacle of such military supplies.
Of course, exporting such items would require spreading a considerable amount of money around, but it was worth the value.
However.
‘Selling mana cannons means the situation must be that urgent, right?’
As a merchant, he was sensitive to information. In truth, even those who were not merchants could not be ignorant of the current state of affairs.
The Zespine Empire and the Kingdom of Hilderan, grinding their teeth toward the Tower of Dark Flame.
The death of Daphne Phillian, and the tower’s location finally being revealed.
Anyone could predict that a hero’s march would occur.
The Demon King had likely made his decision to respond to that.
‘I don’t know what he’s planning, but for now, I have no choice but to obey faithfully.’
Having entered into a contract with the Demon King, he could not betray him.
Although there was lingering resentment over his aura hole being destroyed, his gratitude for saving the collapsing company and reviving the family outweighed it.
In that situation, the Demon King, though demanding, opened a breathing hole in his own way and asked something in return.
Thus, Aman chose to follow the natural course of things.
He would do his utmost to help the Demon King.
And if the Demon King died, he would completely forget his existence and live a normal life as an ordinary human.
‘Still, obtaining all of this will be quite a headache…’
First, he would have to find out where the required resources were, check the distribution channels, and persuade the executives as well.
‘The executives can be persuaded.’
The Demon King had promised to send a few mana cannons as samples soon, so using those would make things relatively easy. They were not incompetent enough to miss the chance to handle mana cannons, a strategic material.
‘But I need to find the right person.’
Someone who could travel the entire continent to procure what the Demon King demanded. Some items were rare enough that they would need to go directly to auction houses and put in serious legwork.
At the same time, expenses had to be kept to a minimum.
Just then, one human came to mind.
“Is anyone outside?”
“Yes.”
“Go and call Zetoson.”
“Yes.”
One man sent by the Demon King, whose tongue and business acumen were flawlessly smooth.
* * *
“So, the Hero Guild refused?”
“Yes.”
While Berje was entertaining the audacious idea of making the tower move, Hillan Cargill left the guild headquarters and returned to Hilderan to meet the king in private.
“What exactly did you discuss?”
“The guild said they would support the heroes. However, their intentions were far from pure.”
“Because of Daphne Phillian?”
“Yes.”
They intended to help with the Demon King subjugation in order to cover up Daphne’s death.
Under normal circumstances, Hillan would have gladly accepted. He would have to share the credit with the guild, but he was, after all, affiliated with it, and his fame had grown far too great to be overshadowed by the guild anyway.
But what the King of Hilderan wanted was not a hero’s march.
It was a rescue team to save the Crown Princess—hardly even worthy of being called an assault force.
‘The guild bastards want chess pieces to fight in their stead. I have no intention of playing along.’
‘I am also of the guild, Argann.’
‘Before that, you are a citizen of Hilderan.’
‘Without the guild’s help, we cannot rescue Her Highness.’
‘Then compromise appropriately. But never give them what they want. Surely you are not lacking even that much ability.’
These were the kinds of exchanges Hillan and the King of Hilderan had shared in this very place. And that direction clearly diverged from that of the Hero Guild and the Grand Elder.
‘If it’s not an expedition, we cannot provide full support. What do you even intend to do with that level of force?’
‘An assault group on the scale of a hero unit? With the sole objective of rescuing the Crown Princess?’
‘I understand Hilderan’s anguish over losing the Crown Princess, but we cannot provide extensive support for that alone.’
‘In any case, I heard you are also participating in Zespine’s hero’s march. Let us discuss it again then.’
Hilderan’s request, conveyed through Hillan, was rejected in that manner.
The Hero Guild sought to restore its honor through a hero-centered march and turn Daphne’s death into a glorious martyrdom, while Hilderan wished only to rescue its Crown Princess and then remain aloof.
With their positions running in parallel lines, it was only natural that no agreement could be reached.
“Then was there no gain at all?”
“I brought back the Red Hawk Assault Unit, along with twenty-one heroes.”
They were individuals who had followed Hillan personally. They admired his renown and achievements, and they had gone to the guild headquarters in the first place because of them.
Though their numbers were not large, as those who hovered around the headquarters, their skills placed them among the upper ranks of heroes, making them all significant assets.
“I will hire at least two hundred mercenaries. And I will attach the Azure Sea Knight Order and the Sea Dragon Mage Corps disguised as mercenaries.”
“Will that be all right?”
Why had heroes and mercenaries become the mainstream means of seeking the Demon King’s tower? Because under the pretext of a hero’s march, armies were often dispatched to strike from behind.
That was why the empire, when searching for the Tower of Dark Flame, joined forces with the three northern kingdoms under a just cause and even sent an imperial hostage.
Only by going that far could they formally dispatch troops.
“If discovered, Hilderan will face serious diplomatic trouble.”
“You are mistaken. Do you think I would have waited idly after Ernan was kidnapped?”
Although he could not rescue Ernan immediately, he had prepared for the day the tower would be discovered.
A secret pact with Korzen.
“Everything has already been settled with Korzen. I gave up quite a lot, yet all I received was one knight order and one mage corps. Still, Hillan Cargill, I believe that will be enough with you.”
“···I cannot deny that they will be of great help.”
“I want a more certain answer.”
The King of Hilderan growled.
In truth, by attaching one elite knight order and one mage corps to an assault force heading into foreign territory, he had already done all that could reasonably be expected.
Hillan thought for a moment.
‘Rescuing the princess itself is not a problem.’
He could do it alone if necessary. The Demon King, the princess, and the hero—everything was already a rigged game of poker.
But appearances mattered. No matter how much he was a hero who had slain two Demon Kings, how many people would truly believe it if he entered the Demon King’s tower alone and returned with the princess?
They would sooner suspect him of being a lackey of the Demon King who betrayed humanity (which was true).
From that perspective, more than forty heroes and several hundred troops made for a suitably convincing assault force.
If such a force happened to find the princess on the first or second floor, who would object?
Something seemed strange?
That the hero had colluded with the Demon King?
No.
Once is coincidence, but twice or three times becomes inevitability.
After the Frost Demon King, then the Gold-Steel Demon King, and after the Gold-Steel Demon King, the Dark Flame Demon King—no one would find it strange that they operated their towers in the same way.
‘And above all…’
Though disguised as mercenaries, it was ultimately a flimsy pretense. Once something was exchanged as payment with the Kingdom of Korzen, foreign intelligence networks would have noticed, and those who needed to know would know that these were not a hundred heroes, but a hundred elites.
Therefore.
“I will definitely rescue Her Highness the Crown Princess.”
If he failed to dance properly on such a well-laid stage, the name Hillan Cargill would not be worth bearing.
* * *
The success of locating the Tower of Dark Flame did not merely inflame the Hero Guild, Hilderan, and a few other nations.
In dispatching the search party, the empire had been the most proactive and held the greatest stake.
Yet the empire was rejoicing from a different perspective.
A sense of superiority that while Hilderan and Arkan had failed, the empire had succeeded.
In particular, the empire took great pleasure in knocking down the pride of Arkan, which, though not an official enemy, constantly interfered with imperial actions.
They widely publicized the achievements of the empire’s Third Prince, stirring the people’s pride, sense of superiority, and loyalty to the imperial family.
“I truly do not understand Father’s intentions.”
And the very prince who had achieved those accomplishments emerged from his audience with the emperor, weighed down by worry.
“What is the matter?”
“Bring me a cup of coffee first.”
“Here you are.”
Martin took a sip of coffee. As the bitterness stimulated his tongue, he calmed slightly.
“Do you remember how the black mage confessed the truth, and the direction the empire’s response was supposed to take?”
“Yes.”
“He said he would conquer the Tower of Dark Flame.”
“···Didn’t he say that the Dark Flame Demon King was unlikely to be the true mastermind, and that he would keep another Demon King in mind? But that the Tower of Dark Flame couldn’t be ignored forever, so he would use this opportunity to draw in other nations’ support.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
In fact, that had been the very foundation of Martin’s belief.
No matter how much authority he wielded as a prince, once an imperial order was issued, he had no choice but to obey.
But the emperor’s true target had not been the Dark Flame Demon King, and believing there would be no issues beyond a search party was why Martin had been able to give the Demon King a certain level of assurance.
Until just recently.
“Did he explain why he changed his mind?”
“Because of Daphne Phillian’s death. I understand it. Until now, not a single Star hero had died during a mere search, nor had any Demon King struggled so desperately to kill one. The Dark Flame Demon King is different from the others in every way, so it’s natural that His Majesty would not want variables.”
However.
“But there is another mastermind trying to drive the empire to ruin, and yet he intends to subjugate the Dark Flame Demon King outright. Honestly, I oppose it.”
The subjugation of the Dark Flame Demon King would sever the lifeline that had been thrown to him.
One might think he could simply cut ties with the Demon King, but he had already given up too much.
‘The token from the imperial palace archive. And Kaede is with the Demon King. At the very least, until the day Kaede is freed from her contract with him, the Demon King must remain alive.’
He knew that when a Demon King died, their subordinates were released. But would a cornered Demon King truly let them go quietly?
If the empire took the forefront, would an imperial princess like Kaede be treated gently? And would the Demon King really keep silent about the token from the imperial palace archive?
No. Martin was certain the Demon King would do no such thing.
‘Above all, I need his help to become emperor.’
He did not expect grand favors. But at least in some areas, his help would be meaningful, and those small pieces would accumulate into the power needed for him to ascend the throne.
He had to stop it. And if he could not stop it, he had to delay it as much as possible.
“I need to meet Brother Floyan.”
Martin rose from his seat.
* * *
Meanwhile, Berje resolved to roll out the carpet for Hillan Cargill.
“The best course is to send Ernan back as quickly as possible to placate Hilderan and then begin the work.”
The very idea of attaching legs to the tower and making it move could never be exposed to humans.
The construction process for those legs would inevitably take place outside the tower.
“You really want to send me off that quickly?”
“Don’t mock me.”
“I was just joking.”
Ignoring Ernan’s peculiar smile, Berje continued.
“The ideal would be to throw the doors wide open, but that would arouse suspicion. So we’ll interfere appropriately, and I mean appropriately.”
“It’s for show.”
“Yes. Krutu.”
“Yes, Demon King.”
“When they start climbing the mountain, lure monsters to attack them. There shouldn’t be too many, and they shouldn’t be stronger than necessary.”
“Yes.”
“And leave cross marks and directions along the shortest route to the tower. I’ve already discussed it with Hillan.”
“Yes.”
“And also…”
He issued several more necessary orders. From his adjutant Gordon to the lowest-ranked Peul Orc.
All members of the tower steeled their resolve.
“There must be absolutely no failure in this matter. Remember that failure means death.”
“Yes!”
The Tower of Dark Flame was ready.
Except for one.
“You want me to turn my own children into screw-loose idiots with my own hands? That’s impossible!”
The dwarf who had received orders to downgrade the mana cannons for transfer to the Golden Moon Merchant Company.