Chapter 153 : An Old Custom
Chapter 153: An Old Custom
“Do you think this is going to be okay!”
“That’s right! Send us back!”
“You vicious bastards!”
“Please, spare us!”
Natalia Iasince. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th princesses of the Kingdom of Iasince could not comprehend the situation they were currently in.
Just a few days ago, it had been an annex palace of the royal palace. They had been enjoying elegant tea gatherings with nobles while expanding their influence in high society and politics.
And yet, all of that had vanished in an instant.
Kidnapping.
The infamous Demon King of Dark Flame and the Tower of Dark Flame.
The fact that the sisters had been kidnapped together offered no comfort.
What was even more surprising was the inside of the tower. Contrary to their expectation of a horrific place crawling with monsters and demons, there were spirits and elves.
If not for the demons occasionally coming down, they would have thought it was not the Demon King’s tower at all.
At first, they had thought those beings were captives just like themselves.
However, they did not resist the demons. Rather, they cooperated with them and oppressed the princesses of Iasince.
They could not believe it, and denial soon turned into anger.
“You traitors of humanity! All of you will be struck by divine punishment. The location of the tower has already been revealed! Once the hero’s march begins, no more— kyaak!”
“Sister!”
With a sharp crack, Natalia’s head snapped to the side. She had been struck so hard that her lip split open and blood flowed.
“Y-you…!”
“Be quiet and shut up.”
“Y-you, do you know who I am!”
“That’s right! Do you know who we are!”
“Then do you bitches know who I am!”
Kwaaang!
A massive battleaxe brushed past the space between Natalia and the princesses.
The deeply gouged earth and the debris slapping against their cheeks felt unreal.
“You think you’re the only one who got kidnapped? Where do you get off acting so high and mighty, you ridiculous thing?”
“I-I am Natalia Iasince, the 1st Princess of the Kingdom of Iasince! How dare you swing an axe at—!”
“If you’re Natalia Iasince, then I’m Louise Berfht, you bitch!”
“What?”
“Later, make sure you send word to the Kingdom of Berfht. Tell them that their princess slapped another princess across the face over here, so they should pay the medical expenses!”
“…L-Louise Berfht?”
“That’s right. And the one over there watching this place is the 9th Imperial Princess of the Zespine Empire, so bill the Empire too. A princess got hit and she just stood by, right?”
“E-even Kaede Zespine?”
“Now that you know, shut up and stay quiet. The weakest bitches always have the loudest mouths, making a damn fuss, a damn fuss.”
With the successive appearance of heavyweight princesses, the princesses of Iasince rolled their eyes back and fainted.
“I need to spar, and this stupid nonsense really.”
Louise clicked her tongue and raised her axe once more.
“Now that the obstacles are cleared, again!”
“Aren’t you tired?”
“Tired? I feel great. You have no idea how restless I was, being cooped up in the annex palace while I was supposed to be reflecting on myself.”
“…Very well. Sparring with you will also be beneficial to me.”
“But what are they planning to do with those ones they kidnapped? Don’t tell me they’re going to feed them some weird orb again and use them?”
“I believe there must be a profound intention behind the Demon King’s will.”
“You’ve become a real loyalist, huh? Are all those knight types like that? The Imperial Emperor would be delighted to see this.”
“The same applies to you and the Kingdom of Berfht.”
“Hmph!”
Louise swung her axe.
Kaede met it head-on.
After moving the unconscious princesses to one side, the sparring continued until they woke up.
* * *
Although the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th princesses of the Kingdom of Iasince had been kidnapped, the kingdom did not immediately proclaim a hero’s march. It was quiet to the point that one would doubt whether four princesses had really been abducted.
However, contrary to the silent royal court, rumours continued to grow louder, and the attention directed toward the Golden Moon Merchant Company inevitably faded, if only a little.
Taking advantage of that opening, Berje visited the Golden Moon Merchant Company once again.
“The materials?”
“It looks like you’ll need to make the trip back and forth a few more times.”
“So be it.”
“However, there are many problems.”
Aman opened his mouth cautiously.
“Problems?”
“Selling off the Demon King’s horn, and secretly reaching out to other merchant companies in order to sell mana cannons.”
Needless to say, the Demon King’s horn, and mana cannons as well, were strategic materials treated as invaluable by any nation.
No country would simply stand by and watch a mere merchant company manufacture and sell such things.
“There’s a limit to using Hero Hillan Cargill’s name. Some nobles of Iasince are even slandering us as Hilderan’s lackeys. The royal family is also showing signs of trying to rein us in. It weakened them somewhat since you suddenly kidnapped four princesses, but still.”
It was nothing more than buying a brief amount of time.
“That’s not a problem I can solve for you.”
“We are lobbying the nobles and holding out as much as we can for now, but…”
“How about moving the merchant company to Hilderan?”
In the end, it was a problem that could be solved if they had a massive backer. If Crown Princess Ernan actively supported them, there would be no issue at all.
“Abandoning the merchant company’s foundation and leaving would be no different from giving up the company itself.”
“How troublesome.”
“Still, it’s not as though there’s absolutely no way.”
“Speak.”
“We offer part of the mana cannons to the royal family and high-ranking nobles as tribute, and receive their protection.”
“Have you secured the connections?”
“It cost a great deal of money, but fortunately, we managed to establish ties with the Crown Prince.”
“Wait, so in the end…”
“Yes, we need more mana cannons.”
“I’ll bring more next time.”
It was a hundred times better than letting the merchant company collapse.
“Thank you very much!”
“However, what excuse are you going to give regarding the disappearance of the materials?”
The golem materials Berje had demanded. If the mountains of materials currently piled up were to vanish, suspicion would inevitably arise.
Especially now, when all eyes were focused on them.
“We’ll send dozens of supply wagons to workshops owned by the merchant company. And what comes out of that will be mana cannons bestowed by the Demon King.”
Hundreds of mana cannons were not a small number. One could say the materials had been reasonably accounted for, but…
“The materials for mana cannons and golems are quite different, aren’t they?”
There were some overlapping parts, but many that were not.
“We can simply say that part of it is being used for golem research. If we maintain strict security and claim that a considerable amount of funds were consumed in research, how would they know?”
“What about the executives? They’ll think you’re selling the materials.”
“As I mentioned before, we used Hero Hillan Cargill. They are people who, for ten years, followed my father and placed the merchant company above all else, so they all accepted it.”
Officially, the one who had invested money into the merchant company was Hero Hillan Cargill. Faced with the demands of a major shareholder holding a substantial stake, the executives naturally reached an agreement.
“They’ll accept it since it results in mana cannons. Of course, it may be exposed soon enough, but at least for now, this is the best we can do.”
Hillan really was versatile, good for everything.
‘Feeding Draxon to that guy was the right choice.’
No matter how exceptional Hero Hillan Cargill was, if he hadn’t finished off Draxon, none of this would have happened.
Berje let out a small snort.
* * *
“…What does that mean?”
『I said the plan has changed. You’ve been completely excluded from the hero’s march.』
He couldn’t understand it.
It sounded self-praising, but Hillan was the only hero who had killed two Demon Kings. Most evaluations said he might even be able to seize Balraf Dislode by the collar, who had maintained the title of the strongest for a long time.
And yet he, who had even built ties with the Third Prince, was being excluded?
“What happened?”
『I don’t know the details either. His Majesty won’t tell me. All I can say is that the plan to turn this hero’s march into a competition among us has fallen apart.』
“Does that mean all the imperial family members…?”
『That’s right.』
Why all of a sudden?
It did not align with the Empire’s behavior shown so far. Hadn’t the Emperor been indifferent to everything ever since ascending the throne?
『The doubts you have are the same ones I have, so even if you ask me, I can’t give you an answer.』
“I understand.”
『Ah, come to think of it, I heard you distinguished yourself and rescued Ernan Hilderan.』
“Yes.”
『How was it?』
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
『I’m asking what the tower and the Demon King were like.』
“He was ordinary. Like the Frost Demon King or the Gold-Steel Demon King, he kept the princess on the first floor. For a Demon King who toyed with us like that, I thought he was rather ordinary.”
『Ordinary, you say. I see.』
Martin nodded.
『Though we won’t be able to take part in the hero’s march together, I believe that, although you are currently Hilderan’s hero, our connection won’t end here.』
“Of course. I can’t forget the bond we formed when we climbed the mountain together to seek out the tower with Your Highness, even before rescuing the Crown Princess.”
『Thank you. I’ll contact you again next time.』
“Yes.”
The connection ended.
Beyond the crystal orb. The prince residing in the Zespine Empire let out a snort.
“Ordinary.”
A Demon King who took a kingdom’s Crown Princess and an imperial princess into his ranks, and negotiated with a prince like himself.
“There’s no way that’s ordinary.”
If so, then it would be nothing more than a terribly boring, cheap farce.
“The Demon King used his head well.”
Releasing Hilderan’s Crown Princess to preemptively block Hilderan’s attack.
“Somehow.”
He strongly felt that the Demon King would survive even this hero’s march.
“Are you not going to ask about the Demon King’s horn or the mana cannons?”
Sir Kawel, who had been standing quietly behind him, asked.
“The merchant company is hiding everything. They don’t want to talk about it. Hillan is no different. There’s no need to deliberately touch a sore spot and sour relations right now.”
“But aren’t they extraordinary things?”
“What does it matter? There are plenty of others besides me who will pressure the Golden Moon Merchant Company.”
“That’s true as well.”
“And the Empire isn’t something that would be’ frightened by mere mana cannons made by a merchant company.”
It was indeed surprising that a mere merchant company of a kingdom had secured the technology to make mana cannons, but aside from Berfht, the Empire had not just one or two workshops that produced the finest mana cannons together with Arkan.
They needed to keep an eye on it, but there was no need to be overly sensitive.
“Still, I am curious how they obtained the Lust Demon King’s horn.”
Unfortunately, it wasn’t something he could find out right away.
* * *
After rescuing Ernan Hilderan, Hillan Cargill’s reputation, already blazing hot, truly exploded.
Dozens of invitations to banquets and tea parties were a given, and every day his estate was packed with people coming to visit.
But he neither attended everything indiscriminately nor met with everyone.
Meeting people, forming connections, and turning those into networks and power was his pleasure, but after joining hands with Ernan Hilderan, he couldn’t simply associate with just anyone.
“This one, and this one are fine. I think you can attend this banquet.”
“I’ll do so.”
“Oh, my impressive elder brother is hosting a banquet. What do you think? Shall you go there with me? I’d like Lord Hillan to escort me.”
“You have terrible taste.”
“Well, to a snake that covets another’s place, this much is nothing, right?”
Thus, day by day. Hillan formed ties with the nobles Ernan pointed out, and conversely kept his distance from the factions of the Second Prince and Duke Heinz.
Just when everyone believed his moves were clearly pro-Ernan, the king summoned him.
“Welcome.”
The king pushed the documents aside. A servant brought out tea.
“Have some.”
“Thank you.”
A brief silence followed, with only the sound of tea being sipped gently spreading through the room.
The one who broke it first was the king.
“I hear you’ve become the brightest rising star in high society these days.”
“You flatter me.”
“Even though the nobles are all desperate to form ties with you?”
No, it wasn’t just the nobles.
“I’m told my children like you very much.”
“I imagine it’s because I rescued Her Highness Ernan.”
“Don’t spout nonsense. If anything, it’s because they want to take you.”
“....”
The king let out a dry chuckle. In truth, it wasn’t all that surprising. As king, there was no way he wouldn’t know the relationships among the royal family.
Still, it was somewhat strange that he allowed it while knowing full well.
“Doesn’t Your Majesty dote on Her Highness Ernan?”
“More than dote. Among my children, the only one fit to lead Hilderan is Ernan.”
“And yet....”
“And yet you want to ask why I stand by and allow it?”
“...That’s not what I meant.”
“As if.”
The king smirked, then slowly opened his mouth.
“It’s to make her strong.”
“Strong, you say?”
“Ernan is a great queen who will turn Hilderan into an empire. If she can’t overcome the petty checks and restraints of her own blood, how could she possibly handle the politics and diplomacy of great powers?”
“....”
Hillan couldn’t understand the king’s thinking. But he felt like he finally understood why Ernan Hilderan had become the way she was.
‘In some ways, it’s worse than the Empire.’
A hollow laugh nearly escaped him, but he didn’t show it.
“In that sense, even being kidnapped by the Demon King’s tower could be called a blessing in disguise. I was worried she might end up with a narrow view from being confined to a narrow palace, but she’s experienced the world now.”
If he knew that the woman who should have become the Queen of Hilderan had instead become one of the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings because of that experience, what kind of expression would he make?
Hillan felt an itch at the corner of his mouth.
“I.”
Hillan carefully managed his expression. The king’s voice dropped even lower.
“Do you know why I’m telling you all this?”
“....”
It was certainly strange. Deliberately standing by while royal infighting continued was little different from an unsavory secret that should never be revealed outside.
Hillan felt an ominous unease. The king’s gaze grew more intent.
“...I don’t know.”
“Then do you know why I summoned you?”
“Wasn’t it because of high society?”
“It’s true I don’t like heroes participating in politics, but unfortunately, no. I wouldn’t summon a great hero over something so trivial.”
“Then...?”
Cold sweat trickled down.
“Do you know of something that was once done long ago, like a custom? Back when the Demon King’s tower first appeared, when royalty were kidnapped, and when the Demon King was still an object of terror. It’s a very old story. Hundreds of years ago, and then some.”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“That’s understandable. It’s a code of conduct from an age long forgotten.”
An ancient age? A code of conduct?
Why was he taking such a long detour?
“In the past, humans couldn’t gain the upper hand against the Demon King. That’s why the Demon King was an object of fear.”
“I know that.”
“And when such beings kidnapped royalty, kingdoms fell into chaos. Kings tried every means to rescue their abducted kin, but few were willing to step forward.”
That was because the standing of the Demon King then, and the number and strength of heroes, were different from now.
“They had to offer appropriate rewards to those willing to risk their lives and head for the Demon King’s tower. And to prevent future kidnappings, they had to place a trustworthy strong individual at their side.”
No way.
A single hypothesis flashed through Hillan’s mind.
“A hero who breaks through the Demon King’s tower and rescues royalty—doesn’t that sound ideal?”
Surely not.
“What do you think?”
“...So what you’re saying now is.”
Hillan swallowed his dry saliva. He prayed it wasn’t so, again and again.
“That’s right. How about entering into a betrothal with Ernan? The union of Hilderan’s Crown Princess and the hero who rescued her. Isn’t it beautiful beyond compare?”
Especially since it seems your relationship has improved since you rescued her.
But the gods had abandoned him.
“....”
Good heavens.
In Hillan’s mind, he saw a vision of himself being killed by Berje.