Black Mage
The current emperor's succession policy is, quite literally, wild.
As long as you don't get caught.
As long as nothing becomes exposed.
Anything is tolerated if it's in service of becoming the crown prince. Because that's exactly how the emperor himself took the throne.
Three empresses, and six concubines.
From them came the 11 princes and 18 princesses.
Among the 29 direct imperial offspring, only four are considered to have any real chance of aiming for the throne.
The 1st prince and 1st princess, both born of the 1st empress.
The 2nd prince, born of the 2nd empress.
And the 3rd prince, born of the 3rd empress.
The concubines fundamentally could not challenge the authority of the empresses, and naturally, the concubines' children gathered beneath the empresses' children according to their own interests.
The 8th prince was one of the few royal offspring who chose the 3rd prince.
And his death meant that the true succession crisis had finally begun.
『So you're telling me to go meet the 3rd prince and build rapport with him?』
"Correct."
『That would be a terrible move.』
『Compared to the 1st prince, the 2nd prince, or the 1st princess, the 3rd prince has a weak foundation. If I seek his favor and end up earning the hatred of the others, there's no scenario worse than that.』
『And as an Argane of the Hero Guild, the Empire would never look kindly on me meddling in imperial affairs.』
『If it were you, my lord Demon King, I believe you'd have told me to approach the 1st or 2nd prince instead, since they have a far higher chance of success. So then… the reason you mention the 3rd prince—is it because of the 9th princess?』
Hillen Cargill kept questioning himself and arriving at his own answers. This is why smart people are easy to converse with.
"So then?"
『I don't know if I'm allowed to say this as a hero, but… I'd like to ask you to act like a Demon King.』
Act like a Demon King, huh.
I never thought I'd hear such a thing from the hero who killed two Demon Kings.
But he wasn't wrong. Berze had no real reason to listen to Kaede's request. It was clearly a foolish decision made out of personal attachment.
If things went poorly, Hillen Cargill's value as a card would plummet. Even a hero with a promising future couldn't expect the Empire to treat him the same after offending them.
And if the Empire were to notice his involvement?
That would mean war. The Empire would scour Ergest with fire in their eyes.
"This isn't just about Kaede."
『What… Don't tell me you truly intend to place the 3rd prince on the throne?』
"If possible."
『It's impossible.』
Hillen's tone was firm.
『The emperor continues to remain silent. In the end, one must rely on the empresses for support, and although House Einstein is indeed a prestigious noble line within the Empire, it has long since lost its momentum.』
『Their power has faded. They simply do not have the strength to enthrone the 3rd prince.』
"And if you give support?"
『A terrible move. The Empire absolutely does not welcome interference from the Hero Guild. The emperor himself might step in to crush me.』
『One small advantage, at least, is that other royals won't lay hands on the 3rd prince recklessly. They have no reason to make an enemy of me unnecessarily.』
Yes. That level of involvement was exactly what Kaede wanted—something grounded, realistic.
But Berze didn't want that.
The moment Kaede even mentioned imperial succession…
The moment he decided to intervene…
The long-sleeping embers burst into flame.
His pride as the Demon King—back before the regression, when he was unbearably arrogant.
The self-loathing he'd felt after being killed by nothing more than a human empire—an event that had subtly frightened him.
All of it became fuel for the fire.
If he was already stirring things up to uncover the connection between Jayson and the Empire…
Then wouldn't it be better to push the Empire toward maximum destruction?
『The death of the 8th prince means they have already begun moving. The 3rd prince never had a future to begin with.』
"The 3rd prince can be saved. What you need to consider… is what comes after."
『What does that mean?』
"A variable will arise. Something significant enough that they won't have the leisure to focus on the 3rd prince."
『My lord Demon King… don't tell me you already…?』
"No. This is the natural course."
Something that had happened before the regression.
***
It feels repetitive to say it so often, but before the regression, Berze was unbearably arrogant.
He had no particular interest in human affairs, and he had no need for it. He simply acted as he wished. There was no need to be cautious.
But everything changed when he kidnapped the Jespine Empire's crown prince.
As if mocking the idea that his success thus far had been due to his own brilliance, heroes and Imperial soldiers flooded in relentlessly.
The Tower grew weaker, and Berze grew furious. He wanted to march into the Empire and annihilate everything, but he was already struggling just to defend the Tower, and he could not leave the upper floors.
So he eventually chose infiltration.
To sow discord among the Empire's people and shake its roots, he needed to know the Empire.
He spent massive magic power to summon demons and monsters, and drove them straight into the Empire.
Looking back, it was unbelievably stupid.
Countless monsters and demons were slaughtered, and the Tower's situation only worsened. Ironically, the reason magic power continued to flow steadily was because humans, enraged by monster attacks, launched even fiercer assaults on the Tower.
Still, even as monsters and demons died like grains of sand, there were gains. Imperial politics, imperial enemies, imperial nobles, imperial royals—the Empire, the Empire, the Empire.
Berze had confidence. In this damned dimension called Arein, the nation he knew best was the Jespine Empire.
Which was why he had tried to avoid getting involved with it… but expectations always change.
'There is Kaede Jespine.'
He didn't know whether he could form a connection with the 3rd prince through her, but regardless, she was a thread linking him to the Empire.
And Hillen Cargill knew what would soon happen in the Empire. The memories were in his head.
'Using all of these to devour the Empire's future…'
Is it really impossible?
Of course, the future had already changed drastically.
Berze himself filled the Tower not with demons and monsters, but with elves and heroes; Draxon was dead; Reina no longer owed a debt to Jayson.
And above all, Berze did not insist on success.
Success would be nice. But if it required risking everything—if the stakes were too high—there was no need to force it.
Even the attempt alone would shake the Empire, creating differences from the Empire he knew before regression.
Weakening his greatest enemy was valuable enough.
The enemy of your enemy is an ally—and the best outcome is when they tear each other apart.
'A succession battle that would have ended as a two-way fight between the 1st and 2nd princes…'
If he could turn it into a three-way war?
And cause a full-scale civil war that drenched the Empire in flames?
'Just imagining it is…'
Exhilarating.
"Here it is."
Kaede handed him a necklace.
"My mother gave this to me. Only my brother and I possess them, so for him it will be undeniable proof."
"Good."
"But if you bring this, won't they be even more suspicious?"
"You can't go yourself, can you?"
"···That's true."
I'm sure she'd want to, if she could. But she knew her own situation.
"But… is it really necessary for you to go personally? If you simply tell Hero Hillen…"
"Don't worry. I'll handle it."
"···What are you planning?"
Kaede muttered anxiously.
"Don't worry. No matter what happens, I'll at least save your brother's life."
"···Do you realize that's exactly what makes me even more anxious?"
"Is that so?"
Berze shrugged.
It wasn't his concern.
***
The Empire was in a time of turbulence.
If one wanted to stir up chaos, now was the time. If one wanted to unleash hell, now was the time.
A few years from now, once the 1st prince eliminated the other royals and became crown prince, the Empire would become unified—and thus an even stronger enemy.
"To think you actually came to the Hero Guild in person. Truly, Lord Pale, I can't keep up with you."
Hillen greeted him, shaking his head.
"Would you like to come inside the headquarters?"
"I have no desire to step into a building reeking with filth."
"You managed to come all the way here regardless."
"This is at least outside."
"The Hero Guild is surely investigating your identity as Lord Palel."
"That's fine."
If they could find anything about the identity called "Pale," which had dropped from the sky, then let them.
"So, what excuse did you use to slip out?"
"I'm not sure if you know, but Argane are required to tour five guild branches across the continent every half year."
"Haven't you gone to the Empire more than enough already?"
The northern tundra was the Demon King's territory, and naturally, there was a Hero Guild branch in the territory of the Chernian Border Earl nearby.
"The Empire is vast. The distance from the capital to Chernian is longer than crossing an average kingdom."
"Your entourage?"
"I'm supposed to travel with retainers normally, but surely you know—I'm not just any Argane."
The advantage of being a Star—the one who slew two Demon Kings—showed itself here.
Who would dare harm Hillen?
"People's gazes are irritating."
"Many here are interested in you."
"That's none of my concern."
They soon left the city.
"So it truly is the 3rd prince?"
"Yes."
"This is not right. If something goes wrong…"
"Both the 3rd prince and your reputation within the Empire will be finished."
"You know this, yet you insist?"
"The 1st and 2nd princes lack nothing. They have no need for your help."
"Which is exactly why the best path is to avoid involvement entirely."
"If you succeed, you become godfather to the emperor."
"If I fail, I die."
"You won't die. At worst, you'll be forced to sign some humiliating contract with the winner."
"···So you really won't change your mind."
"Coming this far was answer enough, wasn't it?"
"Fine. So what exactly is this 'event' you spoke of?"
"The Empire is vast. There are many regions listed as imperial territory that aren't fully under their control yet. The most famous example is the tundra."
"Yes."
"Now it's the domain of the Frost Demon King, but in the past, many Demon Kings built their towers within the Empire. And countless times they died, and the towers fell."
"Everyone knows that."
"No—you don't know the truth. For a thousand years, eleven towers have been built within the Empire, and five were built in the same location."
"The Hapstline Gorge."
"So you do know. Do you know why?"
"Because it's rich with mana, isn't it?"
"Correct."
Hapstline Gorge was filled with monsters, but unlike Ergest, it wasn't untouched by humans.
Still, it contained an unusually abundant flow of mana. Humans do not dislike mana-rich places—and neither do Demon Kings.
The more mana in the surroundings, the more magic power a tower can convert.
It was no coincidence that five Demon Kings chose Hapstline Gorge as their grave.
"When a Demon King dies, the tower collapses. Monsters and demons weakened by the loss of interference and magic supply are naturally hunted down."
But—
"Magic power does not completely disappear."
"It doesn't disappear?"
"Magic power is fundamentally different from mana. It does not mix, it does not dilute. It merely scatters throughout the world."
Yet as this happened five times in the same place, a miracle formed through coincidence.
"So that means…"
"It means that beneath Hapstline Gorge lies the accumulated magic power left behind by five Demon Kings."
"So you're going there to retrieve it? But what does that have to do with causing problems in the Empire…?"
"Shut up and listen. It does relate."
Berze's threat made Hillen close his mouth.
"Before the regression, I didn't know this."
Likely no one knew. Normally, when a Demon King dies, magic power spreads throughout the entire dimension. The miracle of five Demon Kings choosing the same place for their graves was unheard of.
Berze had learned this far too late in his previous life.
And after the regression, even once he knew, he couldn't obtain it.
The region was imperial territory, and building a tower there just to claim that magic power carried too great a risk.
And afterward, frankly, he had forgotten about it.
"So I didn't know that some arrogant human had been living there—absorbing that magic power."
"···A human?"
Hillen blinked rapidly.
"There is a human there?"
"Yes. A single black mage, absorbing that magic power and growing stronger."
One who used magic power, yet had no contract with any Demon King—an anomaly.
People believed the most knowledgeable human in magic power was Lavinia Acan, but this one was likely similar.
"Originally, the man goes berserk after some time has passed. I plan to bring that forward."
"That's only a single human, though."
"And if that human is a necromancer?"
And—
"What if he's been raising the monsters in the gorge one by one into undead and forming a legion?"
"Good heavens…"
"Normally, one would request the Hero Guild to subjugate them. But the emperor will choose a different method. He'll issue a subjugation order to the imperial royals."
A test.
A trial to see who truly has the qualities of an emperor.
The capable rise; the weak are culled.
"I intend to make use of this."
Berze smiled wickedly.
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