Chapter 174 : The Place He Had to Go
Chapter 174: The Place He Had to Go
“Faster than expected.”
The allied army’s departure, after holding a noisy send-off ceremony, reached Berje’s ears as well.
It was a surprising speed.
Barely a month and a half.
Considering that a massive force of as many as 110,000 troops had gathered, it was an extremely short time.
That alone meant how great their anger toward Berje was, and how strong their determination to subjugate him must have been.
“The lineup is splendid as well.”
Balraf Dislode.
Hero Hillan Cargill.
Rozel Charnte.
Ralph Schmitz.
Gillian Aint.
Aina Diaphrin.
Watton Colo.
With three more Stars added, a total of seven Stars had participated. It was unprecedented.
Among them, the names that irritated him the most were two.
Balraf Dislode and Hero Hillan Cargill.
‘There were no rumors about the Red Sword. But there were many testimonies saying that Balraf Dislode had played a leading role in the dragon hunt.’
If that was the case, was the one who possessed that sword Balraf Dislode, or had someone else delivered a fatal blow with the Red Sword while avoiding public attention?
‘At the very least, Balraf Dislode is not that damned bastard I used to know.’
He had already seen his face once in Hapstrain Gorge. He had the same black eyes and hair, yet his face was different.
Even so, he was still the most suspicious.
‘Once they find the fake tower, it’ll be revealed.’
If they wanted to survive, they would have no choice but to lay all their cards on the table.
And then there was Hillan Cargill.
‘This damned bastard.’
He had told him not to participate so many times.
Of course, he understood.
『I wanted to follow the Demon King’s command as well. However, pressure came from both the Hero Guild and the King of Hilderan....』
The Guild demanded that he fulfill his duty as an Argann.
The King ordered him to go and aid the Hilderan army.
On top of that, all the heroes with any kind of name to them had expressed their intent to participate, so the people of Hilderan naturally assumed that Hillan Cargill would step forward as well.
With all three conditions perfectly aligned, Hillan was driven onto the battlefield, unable to refuse.
That was why even Berje could not say much.
He only said—
“Once you discover the tower, never enter it. From that point on, even I won’t be able to take responsibility for your life.”
『...That isn’t exactly something I can decide on my own, but I’ll try.』
Although 110,000 troops were mobilized, most of them were merely for the purpose of searching for the tower. In the end, in order to minimize damage, the heroes—who showed absolute compatibility against demons—had to step forward.
There was a high chance that tower entry would be carried out only by heroes. And when the heroes entered the tower, it was impossible for Hillan alone to back out.
“I have to take care of everything from one to ten. You’re not even a kid anymore.”
『....』
“The tower is located here. You should conduct your search as far away from this place as possible. Even if you discover the tower, make sure it would take an extremely long time for you to get there.”
There were no transport magic circles in the Ergest Mountains. Since everything depended purely on one’s own legs, there was no better method than this.
『Yes.』
After indicating the direction to Hillan, Berje left the real tower and headed toward the fake one.
Hundreds of monsters were roaming about the tower. They were too valuable to be wasted in a place like this, but they were absolutely necessary in order to deceive the heroes.
The problem was that since this was not the real tower, the monsters had to be managed directly.
Because they could not feed on the demonic energy supplied by the tower, they had to either actually eat something or be provided with demonic energy.
“You, here.”
“You, there.”
As he entered the tower, he saw Lavinia, who was controlling the monsters. Upon discovering Berje, she ran toward him in a single bound, her eyes welling up with tears.
“I too.”
“You want to research?”
“Unfair.”
“Because the dwarves are having fun playing with dragon while you’re the only one working?”
“Yes, yes.”
Lavinia nodded vigorously.
“Well, aside from me, you’re the only one who can control the monsters smoothly, aren’t you?”
In truth, she was not the only one.
Leaving aside Gordon, who could not leave the tower due to his role as adjutant, Vivian, the Succubus Queen, was a far more reliable option.
But for some reason, Berje could not trust Vivian. Not because of her level, but because of that fly-like personality of hers.
‘She feels like the type who’d just shove them in roughly and then wash her hands of it.’
And it was not only Lavinia who was controlling the monsters in the fake tower. Succubi under Vivian’s command were helping Lavinia at Berje’s order.
“That said, I can’t do it myself, can I?”
“Why?”
“Because it’s a hassle.”
“....”
From her sullen expression, he could feel that she was cursing him with her eyes without saying a word.
Well, so what? When there were plenty of capable retainers around, why should he bother?
Berje shrugged his shoulders.
“I gave you a dragon’s corpse as compensation, so shouldn’t you at least earn that much?”
“...Yes.”
Passing by her slumped figure, Berje slowly looked around the tower.
The tower only had a total of two floors. Each floor was roughly 20 meters high, and both the first and second floors were made into mazes.
That way, they could accommodate more people and hold them back for a longer time.
‘The third floor.’
He stepped onto the stairs leading past the second floor to the third. The spiral staircase that wound around the tower ended at a completely sealed ceiling.
“Interesting.”
What kind of expression would the heroes who reached this place make?
It was a pity he could not see it in person.
‘Preparations are perfect.’
Now, as long as he removed Lavinia and the succubi before the alliance found the tower, no one would think that this tower was not the Demon King’s tower.
‘I’m looking forward to it.’
He sincerely hoped that the tower would be discovered quickly.
For the first time, Berje earnestly cheered for the heroes.
---
Late at night, the 110,000-strong army, which had left the Trafarta Union and slowly begun marching north, set up camp on the plains and fell into a deep sleep.
“Mm.”
“Mm.”
In the tent prepared for the Star Hero Hillan Cargill, Hillan and Granada looked at each other and quietly swallowed their groans.
“So the Demon King said that?”
“Yes, he did.”
“Then you must obey. No matter what.”
“That’s right. If we don’t, the Demon King will never leave us alone.”
“Of course.”
The order issued by the Demon King not to participate in the hero’s march was simple, yet difficult to carry out. He had no choice but to participate reluctantly, but fortunately, the Demon King had presented a new alternative.
“The tower’s location is in the northwest of the mountain range.”
“How in the world did that Demon King bastard change the location of the tower?”
In any case, the fact that it was now skewed to one side was a relief.
The mountain range was vast, and the 110,000-strong allied army—having experienced multiple failures—decided to start over from scratch to avoid repeating the same mistake.
Three kingdoms bordered the Ergest Mountains: Horton, Korzen, and Dormunt.
Search parties would depart from each direction, centred on the three kingdoms, and turn the entire mountain range upside down.
Any problems and damage that occurred in the process would all be buried under the greater cause, and—
“We must be assigned to Horton.”
Though elite, the 110,000 troops had been gathered hastily. There was only a broad framework in place; proper organization and even designated directions had yet to be determined.
Thus, it was planned that proper organization would be decided at the branching point, the Kingdom of Iasince. Both Hillan and Granada wanted to stay as far away as possible from the tower the Demon King had mentioned. Therefore, it had to be Horton.
“Will that be possible?”
“Once the alliance splits into three branches, each will need a supreme commander.”
Giving that role to a specific kingdom would sow the seeds of conflict. Therefore, it would be given to heroes, and Hillan Cargill was bound to be one of the three.
“I’ll strongly push for Horton—”
That was when it happened.
At the sound of footsteps, Hillan closed his mouth. He sensed someone outside.
“Sir Hillan.”
“Who is it?”
“I was sent by Lord Balraf. He said he would like to have a private meeting with you.”
“Right now?”
“Yes.”
After a moment of hesitation, Hillan rose from his seat.
“I’ll go now.”
He did not know why Balraf Dislode was calling for him at this hour, but he had been planning to speak with him anyway.
“Welcome.”
Inside the tent, where he was led by an imperial knight, a splendid banquet was laid out.
“Sit and dine with me.”
“Thank you.”
Hillan cut into the steak placed before him. He had already eaten dinner, but he did not bother to refuse.
“Aren’t you going to ask why I called you?”
Only after about ten minutes of silent dining did Balraf finally open his mouth.
“I am curious. May I ask?”
“Because I was curious.”
“About what?”
“About you as a hero.”
Balraf savored his wine.
“People call you the second Balraf Dislode, or say you are the hero destined to become the greatest.”
“That’s too much praise. With you here, how could I possibly—”
“Don’t say things you don’t mean. For a hero who has subjugated two Demon Kings and absorbed their power, that can hardly be called excessive praise.”
That was the truth. Among the current Stars, there was no hero who had defeated two Demon Kings. In fact, even killing a single Demon King was rare.
“Honestly, I was a little suspicious.”
“About what?”
“That you might be in league with the Demon King and trying to make a fool of me.”
“...!”
Fortunately, Hillan’s emotional change did not show outwardly.
“What do you mean by that?”
“You found the Demon King’s tower and rescued the Crown Princess of Hilderan, while I could not. That’s all I meant.”
“That’s not the case. I merely followed Lord Daphne’s records.”
“Yes, that must be it. I know as well. After searching that damned mountain range for months with nothing to show for it, it was nothing more than an irritated delusion. The idea that a hero who killed two Demon Kings would have ties with a Demon King— even a passing dog would laugh at such nonsense.”
Balraf burst into hearty laughter.
“My apologies. I let my emotions get the better of me.”
“I understand.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
A brief silence followed. After putting a piece of steak into his mouth, Balraf spoke again.
“Where will you go?”
“I don’t quite understand.”
“You know the allied army will split into three branches, and the responsibility for each unit will eventually fall to heroes. Naturally, two of them will be you and me, and as for the remaining one, I can’t say for sure.”
Although heroes were not officially affiliated with any nation, unofficially, they were. Each nation would try to appoint a hero close to them as commander.
Unless they were regarded as being superior to the other Stars, like Balraf or Hillan.
“I’m fine with anywhere.”
“Of course you are. There’s no one who could block your path wherever you go. Still, isn’t there a place you prefer, even slightly?”
“In that case, I’ll choose Horton.”
“And the reason?”
“The tower I found was near the center. If it was moved, it would be to one of the two flanks.”
“That makes sense. Then why Horton instead of Dormunt?”
“Dormunt would be fine as well.”
Hmm.
After pondering for a moment, Balraf nodded.
“Then I suppose I should avoid Horton.”
“There’s no need for you to go that far—”
“Just think of it as goodwill toward a junior hero.”
“...Thank you.”
“Finish your meal first. My chef is quite skilled.”
As he promised, the banquet was delicious. But perhaps because of the strange atmosphere, Hillan could not tell whether the food was going in through his nose or his mouth as he swallowed it down.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Take care.”
Hillan left the tent.
“At least that part of his prediction was correct.”
‘Hillan Cargill is connected to Berje Deias. Whether it is a direct alliance or simple cooperation, he definitely knows the tower’s location.’
‘You’re saying Hillan Cargill joined hands with the Demon King? Do you have proof?’
‘I have no clear evidence to show you. But have I ever told you something that worked against you?’
‘You haven’t.’
‘Then ask Hillan Cargill which of the three regions he wants. He will likely choose either the east or the west, excluding the center. And the exact opposite side will be where the tower is.’
‘You’re saying he’ll try to avoid encountering the Demon King he’s cooperating with as much as possible. But couldn’t it be the opposite? Given the situation, he might actually take the lead to erase evidence that he joined hands with the Demon King.’
‘In that case, Berje Deias would not fail to notice. He would have told him the opposite location instead. So the conclusion is the same.’
‘Hmm, understood.’
Balraf tapped the table lightly.
“Since Hillan Cargill chose Horton, the east.”
He spread out the map.
“Then the place I’ll go is Dormunt.”
He stabbed the western part of Ergest with his fork.
“Wait for me, Demon King of Dark Flame. There will be no second failure.”
He would surely take that head and restore his tarnished pride.
A thick killing intent clung to the corner of his lips.