Chapter 160 : Common Sense
Chapter 160: Common Sense
When the Tower of Dark Flame concealed itself beneath the sea and Berje returned to the continent, the continent was burning hot.
【Arkan Kingdom occupied Artian Island. The collapse of the Kelcasis Alliance....】
The rage of the dwarves, who had lost their princess and craftsmen, passed through Arkan and headed toward the Pirate Archipelago.
【Balraf Dislode and the Three Stars. Once again, to Ergest.... There will be no second failure.】
The great hero, who had been forced to retreat without even seeing the shadow of the Tower, once again set foot in Ergest.
【Golden Moon Merchant Company escapes the brink of bankruptcy.】
【Why did the merchant company that had been thriving after receiving Hillan Cargill’s investment suddenly face a crisis....】
And one merchant company was staggering.
“...What is this?”
After having a light lunch in Kroint, an eastern city of the Kingdom of Dormunt, and preparing to head for the Empire, Berje crumpled the newspaper placed in the restaurant.
It was absurd.
‘The merchant company almost went bankrupt?’
Something that had been perfectly fine until recently?
At least it was fortunate that they had escaped the crisis for now. Otherwise, he might have gone to find Aman and ripped his head off.
Gnawing down the chicken leg he had been tearing apart, bones and all, he left the restaurant.
‘What was the reason?’
Even though it was already over, the back of his neck prickled.
The Golden Moon Merchant Company was not merely for supplying materials.
Information, and connections.
The information accessed through the merchant company’s merchants and the web-like network of connections were the company’s greatest assets.
If the merchant company went bankrupt, all of that would vanish completely.
‘Now that Ernan has returned, there is another organization called Hilderan, but....’
That was not a reason to abandon Golden Moon. Hilderan would be Hilderan, and Golden Moon would be Golden Moon—both needed to become his limbs.
Berje’s furious steps quickened.
* * *
Hic—
Aman, who had been processing the merchant company’s documents, was flustered by the violently opened door and the furious gaze.
“B, bankruptcy crisis? That’s nonsense.”
A crumpled piece of newspaper was shoved into his face.
“It’s written this blatantly in the article, you know?”
“There was a crisis, that’s true, but it was resolved properly.”
“And you didn’t report it to me?”
“I did! But you didn’t receive it!”
“You should have done it again and again!”
“I did it again and again!”
At the expression dripping with grievance, Berje first suppressed his anger.
“When exactly was that?”
“About one and a half months ago.”
“Hm.”
It was when he had been moving the Tower back into the sea. At the time, with nothing in particular to do, he had leisurely soothed the Tower’s members and ignored all bothersome contacts.
‘My fault, then.’
But a Demon King did not readily admit fault to just anyone.
“And? You’re not about to spout some bullshit about contacting me once and stopping there, are you?”
“There were circumstances! Please, listen to my story!”
“I’ll listen.”
But if he failed to convince him—
Crack—
“I’ll leave what comes after to your imagination.”
“Y, yes, of course.”
Aman swallowed his saliva at the shattered armrest of the chair.
“A few weeks ago, we received contact from the White Snake Merchant Company.”
The White Snake Merchant Company was a merchant company based in the Empire.
“They said they wanted to buy mana cannons.”
Within the Empire, only a few merchant companies could handle war supplies such as mana cannons. The White Snake Merchant Company was one of them.
A merchant company that supplied the Imperial Army.
“At first, we refused.”
“Why?”
“As I told you before, our top priority was Iasince.”
It was the price of being under the protection of the Kingdom of Iasince. Not only did they have to supply the Iasince royal family, they also had to sell to Iasince merchant companies with top priority.
That was, of course, the intention. But the royal family instead actively encouraged trade with the Empire.
“It was a move to somewhat ease the Empire’s pressure. As for us, as long as they paid, we didn’t care where. They were even offering extra.”
“Go on.”
“Yes. In any case, the contract proceeded smoothly, and we received 20,000 gold as an advance payment.”
An advance payment, and in fact the full amount. From Golden Moon’s perspective, which had been thinking in terms of 10 gold per mana cannon, it was an offer they couldn’t refuse.
They departed, and the merchant company began the trade run.
Since it involved as many as 150 mana cannons, they took special care. They even sent a hundred as escorts, which could be considered more than sufficient.
“But it was destroyed.”
There had been a monster attack. More than half of those participating in the trade run died, and most of the mana cannons were destroyed, becoming unusable scrap metal.
“Monsters? You expect me to believe that you suffered that level of damage from mere monsters?”
Monsters were not weak. But between the territories of the Kingdom of Iasince and the Empire, there were no places where particularly strong monsters could form groups.
For the sake of public order, each nation conducted regular subjugations.
“...Well.”
“Spit it out.”
“Most of them didn’t die to monsters, but to chain explosions.”
“What?”
“The monsters touched the mana cannon shells, causing them to explode. In that process, a chain reaction occurred....”
“...Ha.”
He was so dumbfounded that no words came out. Even if mana cannon ammunition was mana rather than gunpowder, it still contained explosive properties.
If not handled carefully, it was only natural for it to explode. But compared to gunpowder, mana cannon ammunition should have been far more stable.
“As far as I know, unless you strike the circuit of the firing mechanism using a mana cannon, it doesn’t easily explode?”
He remembered it because Roger Friedrich kept going on about it.
“They say a basilisk breathed fire there.”
“Why would a basilisk be there!”
“Even if you ask me that....”
“...This is driving me insane. So?”
“We had to pay a penalty triple the advance payment.”
“60,000 gold, then.”
“When you add the amounts that went into lobbying here and there, it exceeded 62,000 gold.”
“You spent over 2,000 just on lobbying? Isn’t the tail wagging the dog?”
“Isn’t this something that won’t end with just this one time?”
“...That’s true.”
Berje intended to acquire many things through the merchant company in the future, and paying with mana cannons was the most efficient method.
“Anyway, with the merchant company’s own capabilities, we couldn’t raise that much money immediately.”
It was by no means a small sum. The 100,000 gold Berje had provided had all been invested as the business expanded, and the money being earned was the same.
Unable to repay immediately, the merchant company began to stagger, and it was only natural for unsettling rumors to spread.
“Alright, I understand up to that point. But it feels like the most important part still hasn’t come out, hasn’t it?”
Berje grabbed Aman by the collar. Lifted into the air, he flailed.
“I, I was about to say it!”
“Say it.”
“Lord Hillan said so! Since the Demon King was busy with the hero’s march, we were to resolve the matter first and wait for contact from you!”
“Hillan?”
“That’s what Lady Ernan told me to convey!”
“Ernan?”
“Y, yes. Not long after, investments came in—50,000 each from the Kingdom of Hilderan and the Kingdom of Iasince, a total of 100,000 gold. Thanks to that, we put out the urgent fire.”
“...In the name of the Hilderan royal family?”
“Yes, in the names of both kingdoms....”
What followed didn’t really register.
* * *
『I’m sorry if it was presumptuous. You weren’t taking calls, so you seemed very busy. But we didn’t have the leeway to wait indefinitely for the Demon King, so I took action.』
“That’s fine. It was partly my responsibility too. But was it really necessary for you to step in?”
『I’m one of the Four Heavenly Kings. When the Demon King is in trouble, it’s only natural for a Four Heavenly King to clean things up.』
『If you think that’s strange, I’d be hurt, you know.』
She said that with a smile, leaving him with nothing to say.
“...Thank you.”
『It was nothing. Ah, and don’t worry. It wasn’t my money or the royal family’s. I have more than enough money myself, but there was no need to use my own.』
“Duke Heinz?”
『Yes. Thanks to the Demon King, persuading him was easy.』
“Persuading? You didn’t steal it?”
『...What do you take me for? You’re the one who does the stealing, Demon King.』
“I heard everyone living in Hilderan enthusiastically went along with it.”
『They were taken hostage, so they had no choice. If they wanted to live, they had to follow the Demon King’s orders, right?』
“A passing hellhound would laugh at that.”
『Let it laugh. Anyway, can I continue the story?』
“Go on.”
『This is all thanks to the Demon King kidnapping the dwarf princess and framing the Lust Demon King.』
“That’s the reason?”
『The dwarves, having completely misunderstood, are stirring up the Pirate Archipelago under the banners of Arkan, Hessen, and the Kingdom of Dormunt. In that process, massive amounts of dwarf-made strategic equipment are flowing into those three kingdoms.』
And among those strategic weapons, the most representative was the mana cannon.
Mana cannons that had been strictly managed by the Berfht Kingdom and not released evenly were now concentrated in only those three kingdoms.
『What do you think will happen?』
“The surrounding countries will be shitting bricks.”
Even allies wouldn’t calmly watch another nation grow stronger. No nation—no human—would.
It was the opening act of an arms race.
『Exactly. Hilderan is one of them. And Duke Heinz is also the kingdom’s naval commander.』
『In front of someone like him, a merchant company appeared that could produce mana cannons of quite high quality—even if they couldn’t compare to dwarf-made ones.』
『And then it fell into danger, right?』
“Hilderan should be able to produce mana cannons too, shouldn’t it?”
『The Golden Moon Merchant Company’s mana cannons had superior performance compared to what we produced ourselves.』
“...I understand.”
That Roger bastard. He told him to lower the performance moderately, and he really did lower it just moderately.
『So the conclusion was to reach out and get their hands on the technology first. Of course, I’ll make sure the merchant company doesn’t get completely swallowed up.』
“Even so, Iasince wouldn’t have handed it over easily, would they?”
『We went through quite complicated negotiations. We’ll have to share with the Kingdom of Iasince, but they said it was still a satisfactory outcome.』
『It also helped that Golden Moon Merchant Company had already fed a lot of money to the upper ranks.』
Ah, and there were also some threats mixed in, along with Lord Hillan’s name.
Ernan smiled brightly.
“I see.”
『But there’s one thing that doesn’t quite sit right.』
“What is it?”
『The trade run was attacked in the Ormus region. It used to be the territory of the Beast Demon King.』
“And?”
『Beast-type monsters attacked the trade run. That’s possible. After the Beast Demon King died, the monsters there were unleashed. But one of the survivors said they saw a beastman.』
“...A beastman? Are they sure?”
『Not completely. In the chaos, they might have been seeing things. No one else saw it, after all.』
“I see.”
『And it’s also strange that the moment the basilisk appeared, it immediately breathed fire right where the mana shells were.』
“It could be a simple coincidence.”
『Most likely. That’s why I just said it was something that didn’t quite sit right.』
『And one more thing. The White Snake Merchant Company does handle part of military supply, but the goods are low-quality swords, shields, armor, things like that—and even then, only for some regional forces.』
『They’re small in scale. Don’t you find it strange that people like that would suddenly buy 150 mana cannons and pay in a lump sum?』
“That is a bit strange.”
But if they saw mana cannons as a golden opportunity and made a gamble staking the fate of their merchant company, it wasn’t completely incomprehensible either.
There was no need to supply the Imperial military directly, and with Berfht and Arkan, more nations were seeking mana cannons.
‘But if you link the two, it does feel a bit odd.’
Viewed separately, neither was strange at all. But how likely was it for two such coincidences to occur simultaneously?
‘A beastman, huh.’
After Draxon died, most beastmen should have died along with him.
Even those who survived wouldn’t have lasted long once the Tower disappeared. There was no way they’d still be alive now.
‘Unless they became subordinates of another Demon King....’
Berje’s eyes sank coldly.
‘Subordinates of another Demon King.’
Who would it be?
It wasn’t Reina. He had gone in and out of her Tower several times, and he hadn’t seen any beastmen.
‘Ugar, or Jason.’
One of the two.
But why?
‘Then in the end, none of the Demon Kings touched the Dwarven Kingdom, but those people misunderstood and caused all this.’
Jason’s final words came to mind. That gaze—smiling at the corners of his mouth while staring straight at Berje—was unforgettable.
It could be excessive suspicion. It could be an overreaction.
It felt like an absurd coincidence, but the world did occasionally produce such coincidences.
But it didn’t matter. He could investigate, and if it was just a coincidence, he could let it go as one. The time and effort spent would be better than the growing suspicion in his heart.
‘If this really is your doing.’
Berje swallowed his killing intent.
“For now, I understand.”
『Shall I look into it once?』
“There’s no need for you to step in. How’s the kingdom?”
『It’s a bit annoying. My older brother married a princess of the Kingdom of Hessen, and benefits have started being given to merchant companies connected to Hessen’s merchants.』
With those benefits, more Hessen merchant companies began doing business in Hilderan, and more Hilderan merchant companies headed to Hessen.
And all of those merchant companies inevitably fell under the influence of the Second Prince. Naturally so. He held a tight grip on ties with Hessen using the princess as leverage.
“So he plans to expand his influence that way?”
『That’s right.』
Influence over merchants and nobles was bound to expand gradually. No matter how capable a human was, money always had the final say.
“Will that be alright?”
『Don’t worry. I told you, didn’t I? I hate having what’s mine taken away.』
“I’ll trust you.”
『Yes. Oh, I heard you’re going to the Empire. It’s because of that sword, right?』
“That’s right.”
『It’s a sword symbolizing the Empire—will you be able to obtain it?』
“I’m not trying to obtain it. I’m going to destroy it.”
『Destroy it?』
“Yes. I’ll shatter it so completely that no one can ever use it again.”
If it really was the sword that had pierced Berje’s heart. The very existence of that disgusting sword in this world was abhorrent.
‘And I should also take a look around. A hero wielding a sword symbolizing the Empire would surely be someone closely tied to the Empire.’
To be honest, at first he suspected Balraf Dislode. Among the heroes, he was stronger than anyone and had close ties with the First Prince, making him the most likely candidate.
But his face and aura were slightly different.
‘Who else could be a hero on that level besides Balraf Dislode?’
He had checked most of the Stars—directly or through Hero Hillan Cargill. There was no one particularly suspicious.
Among the Stars, the only one he hadn’t properly examined was Hollen Calife, but powerful heroes weren’t limited to the Stars alone.
There were also those who had once been Stars but had stepped down from that position—effectively retired, yet still possessing power that couldn’t be ignored.
‘It would be nice if Hillan Cargill became the Guildmaster of the Hero Guild soon.’
Then he could know all of the guild’s rosters.
『I’m curious, but I won’t ask the reason. You must have something in mind, Demon King. I wish you good luck.』
“Alright. I wish you good luck too. If you need help, tell me. I’ll do everything I can.”
『Yes.』
The connection ended.
* * *
“Interesting.”
Even though the pressure using the merchant company had failed, Jason did not lose his pleasant demeanor.
“I thought Hillan Cargill would naturally step in, but it seems he was persuaded better than expected.”
To think that Duke Heinz of Hilderan would step in personally to invest.
“It seems the Crown Princess of Hilderan is also involved.”
“It must be Hillan Cargill’s influence. The 100,000 gold has been disguised as Hillan Cargill’s investment and placed into the Golden Moon Merchant Company.”
Jason grasped the overall flow in his own way.
The money he had paid Berje in exchange for demonic energy had been absorbed straight into the Golden Moon Merchant Company. And at just that moment, the heir of the Golden Moon Merchant Company returned from wandering after the failure of the hero’s march.
With his aura hole shattered.
“Making him a Black Knight and then shattering his aura hole was the best choice. That way, he couldn’t reveal demonic energy to the outside.”
“Is Hillan Cargill also involved?”
“He is involved.”
Otherwise, there was no way that 100,000 gold could transform into Hillan’s investment funds the moment he returned from Ergest.
“Hillan Cargill joined hands with Berje. He might even have lied from the start, saying he couldn’t find the Tower even after finding it.”
“But even so, a Star hero....”
“Heroes are human in the end. And humans are infinitely weak in the face of desire.”
“I think it would be unreasonable to announce this fact immediately.”
“That’s right. Without clear evidence, it would be dismissed as mere rumor. The reputation he has built is by no means light, so provoking him recklessly is not a good method.”
First, strike down the merchant company, cut off Hillan’s source of funds, and slowly erode his reputation.
“A wise approach.”
“Let’s move on to the next plan.”
“And the Crown Princess of Hilderan....”
After pondering briefly, Jason continued.
“Leave her alone. When she later realizes that Hillan Cargill was a hound of the Demon King, she’ll be even more enraged at having been used and will try to kill Berje.”
“Well, she has suffered all kinds of hardships at the hands of Demon King Berje, so her resentment must be deep.”
“Make contact with Hilderan’s Second Prince. Hillan Cargill, who supports the Crown Princess, will be more irritating to him than a thorn in his eye.”
“Yes.”
They did not know that one of their assumptions was wrong.
Perhaps they would never know.
Because within their common sense, there was no such thing as a kidnapped princess becoming one of the Four Heavenly Kings.