Chapter 146 : Was There Really a Need for Two?
Chapter 146: Was There Really a Need for Two?
After hearing words from Jason Kokemundo that were practically a death sentence, there was little Vivian could do.
Most of the demons and monsters she had led there had already been killed by the assault units. In the end, all that remained were the pirates and the Demonic Points accumulated from mounting infamy, and she doubted whether that would be enough to stop the hero’s march instigated by the dwarves.
Vivian forced herself to remain calm and sought a way out.
Since she had accomplished almost nothing so far, the choices before her were not many.
Only two.
To fight gloriously like a Demon King and die.
Or to cling pathetically to anything she could and somehow survive.
Her choice was the latter.
Because she wanted to live.
Some might curse her, asking where she had sold off a Demon King’s pride, but even if she had to endure such humiliation, she wanted to live.
“Help me.”
She decided to extend her hand toward every last one of the few options she had.
“I swear upon the great First Demon Emperor and The Demon King’s Standard. I have never abducted the Dwarf Princess or the craftsmen.”
『So?』
But the reply was cold.
『What does that have to do with me, Vivian Blunt? The dwarves and humans have already identified you as the culprit. Do you not know what that means?』
If she did not know, she would not be doing this. She would not be begging this idiotic Titan she loathed to the core.
“If you help me, I will give you anything I can.”
『A weak succubus like you is useless.』
“Ugar Velbek!”
『This is all your own doing. You should have handled things properly from the start. Instead of clinging to me and asking to die together, just accept death obediently.』
“If it were you!”
“If it were you, would you obediently accept death!”
『Of course not.』
『But this crisis is not mine, is it?』
At the giant’s mocking laughter, Vivian’s pride fell to the ground. Even so, she forced her expression under control.
She had not risked her life to graduate from the Demon King Military Academy for this.
She had not become a Succubus Queen, one of the leaders who guided her clan.
She had not conquered one dimension and moved on to a second for this.
She had not run so far just to die so meaninglessly.
She wanted to live.
Even if she had to roll around in a Hell Hound’s dung pit, the living world was still better.
And so, she put forward a forbidden condition that no ordinary Demon King would ever offer.
“…If you wish, I can even become your subordinate.”
『…Do you understand what you are saying right now?』
“Do you think I would say it without knowing?”
『Kuhahahaha, it seems the lofty Succubus Queen is truly desperate.』
『To fall this far.』
“.....”
It was a humiliating sneer, but she endured it. It was fine. As long as she could live. If she died, she would not even be able to feel this anger.
『To make another Demon King into a subordinate. It is tempting, I admit.』
But.
『I refuse.』
“…What?”
『Do you know this? The dwarves’ rage is directed entirely at you. At Vivian Blunt, the one called the Lust Demon King.』
『If I were to accept you, it is obvious where their anger would turn next. Do you think there is any reason for me to endure that? For the sake of a vulgar succubus whose only talent is stripping and seducing?』
“You trash heap of muscle…!”
『Having lots of muscles is a compliment to a Titan. Then I wish you luck.』
『Ah, since you are going to die anyway, how about handing over all those Demonic Points you have gathered to me?』
When Vivian cut off contact, she collapsed to the floor like a kite whose string had been severed.
With trembling hands, she forced herself to contact another Demon King.
But the next one was the same.
『Have you and I formed an alliance? Is there any bond between us strong enough to help each other? Or any benefit to be gained?』
『Why should I do something as foolish as helping you run together toward death?』
“Then at least let me become your subordinate…!”
『To become a subordinate. How utterly pathetic, Vivian Blunt.』
At the cold, contemptuous gaze, her body trembled.
『No matter how vulgar a succubus may be, if one is a Demon King, there should at least be a minimum of dignity and grace.』
『You are a base creature unworthy even of being called a Demon King. I would prefer it if you never contacted me privately again.』
That was how the contact eventually reached Berje.
* * *
‘Good heavens.’
Just how far was this foolish Demon King going to fall?
Even if she was a victim of the butterfly effect caused by Berje, the sight of a Demon King craving life so desperately that she offered to become another Demon King’s subordinate was laughable.
『Now you’re the only one left. If even you won’t accept me, then I, I…!』
On the other side of the communication device, Vivian clutched her head and whimpered.
The sight of tears streaming down, mixing with snot and flowing into her own mouth made it hard to believe she was truly that lofty Succubus Queen.
Berje unknowingly blurted out his honest feelings.
“Disgusting. Do you have no pride as a Demon King?”
『Does pride put food on the table? Once you’re dead, you can’t even uphold that pride…!』
『…I want to live.』
『So please, save me.』
“Do you even know my situation before spouting nonsense?”
『I know.』
Though Vivian was in danger, Berje was no less so. No, in some respects, Berje was in an even more perilous position.
『But I don’t have any alternatives anyway. At the very least, you, who have survived many times, are better than me. And.』
“And?”
『From this conversation, I’ve gained a bit of certainty. You have an alternative.』
“What do you mean?”
『Some demons disparage succubi for having bodies that are too weak, but on the other hand, our mental abilities are unmatched.』
『Especially when it comes to reading and grasping someone’s emotions, there is no one as adept as we are.』
“You’re rambling.”
『You’re relaxed. You’re far too relaxed for a Demon King in a situation similar to mine. Do you think that’s possible without any reason?』
“I was just born this way.”
『Then just like that, save me.』
“This is driving me insane.”
There was no stubbornness quite like this. Even so, the reason Berje did not cut off the communication was because the idea did not seem entirely bad.
A subordinate.
To demons, a subordinate was not a mere vassal. It meant a binding of souls, becoming the ruler’s complete servant.
It was stickier, deeper, and firmer than the soul contracts formed between humans and demons—the subordinate bond between demon and demon.
Once someone became a subordinate, they could never betray their lord.
‘Even if a succubus’s combat power is inferior compared to other demonic races, she is still a Demon King.’
Even frail humans could contend with demons once they crossed the wall. Regardless of her current wretched appearance, Vivian Blunt could not be confined within the narrow frame of a mere succubus.
Moreover, her current subordinates would follow their lord and come to serve Berje as well. It would allow him to expand a military force that had been sorely lacking.
For Berje, whose only demon subordinate was Krutu, whom he had awakened through elixers, this would mean gaining a proper group of demon subordinates.
Of course, it was not all advantages.
‘The arrows that were aimed at Vivian will come flying at me.’
That was the very point Ugar Velbek had been worried about.
But.
‘Is that really something to worry about? Is it even necessary?’
If this operation succeeded, the Tower could move away from its original position and hide itself even deeper. If that happened, their rage would have nowhere to go and would merely echo in vain.
The more intense it became, the more it would only inflate Berje’s Demonic Points.
“…But if you become my subordinate, what happens to the Tower?”
The Tower was connected to the Demon King. If the Demon King died, it was designed to be forcibly reverse-summoned and vanish.
But what if that Demon King did not die and merely became another Demon King’s subordinate?
Could a Demon King who had been subsumed under another still remain the master of the Tower?
‘If the Tower remains as it is, and Vivian comes to me, she will abandon the Tower. Then what if the humans destroy the core?’
The Tower also had a core. The summit of the Tower, the Demon King’s throne. That was the core and center of the Tower.
It had never been destroyed even once, but it was unclear what would happen if it were.
『I, I don’t know either! But if you want it, I’ll give you the Tower too! Take everything!』
Sensing the subtle affirmative signal contained in his words, Vivian clung on even more desperately.
When a Demon King died, and the Tower vanished, the blessing that protected the Demon King’s subordinates disappeared.
They would have to face the storm of another dimension known as dimensional interference power with their bare bodies, and its aftermath would reduce even high-ranking demons to a state worse than low-ranking demons.
There was only one way to escape that.
Serve a new demon race and receive a new blessing.
That was why Vivian did not care about her original Tower at all.
“…I’ll be coming to your Tower before long.”
『Really? If you’ve already decided to tear off Touentak’s horn in one go, why not come right now?』
“I have a lot to do as well. The hero’s march will take at least several months from decision to execution, so stay put.”
『You’re not going to wipe your mouth clean afterwards and pretend nothing happened, are you?』
“I swear upon the great First Demon Emperor and The Demon King’s Standard that such a thing will not happen.”
This time, it was genuine. There was no reason to refuse something that came rolling in on its own. It would be a bit troublesome, but it would become sufficient strength.
“Then I’ll see you later.”
Just as Berje was about to cut off the communication, he hesitated for a moment.
A problem he had been pondering before Vivian’s call came back to him.
“Ah. Wait a moment.”
『Why? What is it now?』
Berje’s gaze moved to the top of Vivian’s head.
At the look in his eyes, one whose meaning she could not grasp, her body trembled.
“That horn.”
『Wh-why…?』
“Is there really a need for two?”
As a sign of obedience, offering up at least one seemed reasonable.
* * *
“Unfortunately, I don’t think we can do business.”
“That’s quite common even within our merchant company.”
“I thought the Golden Moon Merchant Company, said to be rising in the Kingdom of Iasince, would bring something impressive, but this is disappointing.”
“Zetoson? Isn’t that bastard who swindled the princess of Berfht Kingdom and ruined the trust of Arkan merchants?”
Three days after arriving in the royal capital of the Magitech Kingdom of Arkan, Zetoson was repeatedly turned away as he made contact with merchant companies supplying goods to the Mage Tower.
His ill reputation from being disgracefully driven out of Magic Street played a part, but the biggest reason was simply that he had no value worth trading for.
The royal capital of Arkan was a place where rare magical materials from across the continent gathered. To satisfy them, an appropriate price had to be paid, and at present, the Golden Moon Merchant Company had nothing of the sort.
‘Damn it. Their necks are stiff as hell. Do they think they’re mages? They’re the same damn merchants, yet they’re trying to rank themselves above and below others?’
The way they evaluated him as if they themselves were mages made his blood boil.
Even so, he could not argue back, because he was clearly in the weaker position.
‘I need one big move. A rare item so outrageous that those arrogant bastards will have no choice but to cling to me instead…’
In Arkan, mages and Mage Towers held great authority, and while merchant companies maintained connections, the ones who ultimately made decisions were the mages.
And what drove mages insane were rare magical materials.
That was when it happened.
“Lord Zetoson.”
“What is it?”
“The main branch has sent an item.”
“An item?”
The merchant handed him a small box. The exterior of the luxurious wooden case was engraved with various magical engravings.
‘Magical engravings?’
There were two cases where magical sigils were engraved on storage containers. When the item itself was precious and needed careful preservation, or when it was so dangerous that it had to be isolated from the outside.
“What is this?”
“I don’t know either. However, I was told to deliver this letter to you along with the case, Lord Zetoson.”
“A letter?”
Taking the paper, Zetoson slowly read through it.
“...!”
Click—
After finishing the letter in one breath, he hurriedly opened the box.
He swallowed his breath at the unpleasant aura that surged out in an instant. The merchant who had brought the case and letter collapsed, seized by instinctive fear.
“W-what is that?”
“What else…”
A horn of brilliant dark-crimson color was etched into his pupils. It was incomparably beautiful.
“A treasure that will make us the ones on top.”
“…What are you doing right now?”
“Warming up my mouth. If I’m going to talk them into it, I need to loosen it up properly.”
After finishing his mouth stretches, Zetoson stood up from his seat.
“Get the carriage ready. We’re heading to the Mage Tower as we are.”
If this was truly the item described in the letter, there was no need to involve a merchant company at all.