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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: An Inevitable Matter
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"Uh... Did I hear that right?"
Ernyan blinked her large eyes.
"You heard correctly."
"But."
No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't understand.
"I'm a princess."
"And I'm the Demon King."
"Heroes come to rescue me."
"They come to kill me. So?"
"I can't do it."
"Yeah, I figured you'd say that."
Berge hadn't held out much hope either.
It was just that...
Ernyan's unusually cooperative attitude.
Her lack of aversion to the Demon King's Tower.
That had sparked a faint "maybe it's possible" in his mind.
But he had no intention of forcing her. Forcing a human wouldn't make them help wholeheartedly, and there was no need to tie himself to an elf for that.
Still, he had to try the persuasion tactics he'd thought up.
"Hillun Kagil is a strong hero. There's a good chance he'll kill me and rescue you. A good chance he'll take you back to your kingdom."
"Ah. Back to the kingdom..."
Berge didn't miss the change in her eyes. There was definitely something there.
It was almost instinctual. For some reason, Ernyan dreaded returning to her kingdom.
'What could be in her home that she fears it more than the Demon King?'
Berge couldn't imagine it. So he didn't try. Instead, he tossed out a carrot this time.
"By the way, you seemed pretty eager about that spiritual medicine."
"Spiritual medicine?"
"I could give it to you if you want."
"...If I oppose the hero?"
"That's how it'd play out."
She shut her mouth. Her tiny lips worked silently.
And after a long pause...
"...Can I think about it a little?"
It was a relatively positive response.
...Was this actually working?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Honestly, it was a gamble.
If it worked, great—but he'd rated the odds as extremely low. So he'd just gone for it, and surprisingly, he'd gotten a positive reply.
Now Berge was in a bind.
He'd thought he knew humans pretty well, but it looked like he needed a full rethink.
"Don't humans have strong family bonds?"
So why did this princess hate her kingdom so much? He'd heard she was a promising prodigy there.
He didn't know the reason, but he couldn't deny it had worked out well.
"If Hillun Kagil climbs to the fourth floor all confident, only to run into the princess..."
He could already picture the panic.
He hadn't expected the princess to win anyway. The point was the opening she'd create by opposing the hero who'd come to rescue her.
"She really agreed to it?"
"Not confirmed yet."
"Of course it's good news, but that woman's gotta be insane."
"Maybe."
Gordon clicked his tongue. Relieved as he was, his mind wandered elsewhere.
"Speaking of which, are we really doing nothing about Demon King Drakson?"
"What's there to do?"
He had no monsters to send, and a written protest would just get snorted at.
"He'll play dumb and deny everything. We can't pin it on him."
"But if we sit idle and he spreads rumors that Granada is your subordinate..."
"You didn't like it when things went wrong, but now you don't like them going right either?"
"That's not it, but this is your carefully laid plan, right?"
"Your loyalty brings tears to my eyes. If only you'd been this eager without the objections..."
"..."
Why couldn't he just accept the worry at face value?
Gordon clamped his mouth shut. No matter how he looked at it, this damn lord grated on him.
"No need for pointless worries anyway."
"What's that mean?"
"It means it's meaningless."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Crunch crunch—
"That guy's completely nuts!"
A massive bone shank crumbled. Drakson swallowed it whole and burst into laughter.
"Is it true?"
"Yes. The Red Hawk Mercenary Corps has joined Hillun Kagil's hero quest."
"And Granada's definitely with them?"
"The current captain of Red Hawk is Granada."
"Then it's confirmed."
Drakson gobbled the remaining bones. Red blood trickled down his chin.
"I figured the arrogance meant something big. But shoving an elf into a hero quest? What do you think he's aiming for?"
"A spy. Probably planning a betrayal at the quest's peak."
"That's what I think too. And it's not a bad idea."
No other Demon King had thought of it. But it was so brilliantly simple, it begged the question why not.
Crumbling from within was far easier and more effective than from without.
"Interfering would be pointless."
"Even if we expose Granada as a Demon King spy, no one would believe it."
"Exactly."
Humans had precedents. Even without dark mage pacts, some sided with Demon Kings for their own desires.
But not elves.
Elves had the World Tree as their anchor. To protect it, they opposed demons.
In the hundreds of years since the demon world found and descended into the Aren dimension, not one elf had sided with demons.
"How the hell did he convince an elf?"
"Maybe it's easier than we think."
"Easy?"
"Elves exist in other dimensions too. We all assume they're impossible to sway because of their resolve there. No one in Aren has even tried."
"I heard there were attempts early on. They all failed, so no one's bothered since."
"Couldn't that just be prejudice? Maybe a little more effort would've worked, but we wrote them off based on other dimensions."
"So Berge charged in clueless and hit beginner's luck... something like that?"
"Yes."
"Not certain, but worth considering."
Drakson stroked his chin.
"We'll watch Granada's moves for now. Subtly approach the elves and test the waters."
"Understood."
"And Berge came down?"
"Yes. He used a dimension transfer device in Hortonwork with a dwarf and vanished. We know the destination was Angsila, but nothing after."
"Angsila's not my turf, so that tracks. A dwarf?"
"Yes. Likely kidnapped."
"When?"
"During the gap after Rosal got wrecked by Demon King Berge and slunk back."
"First an elf, now a dwarf..."
Was he so fed up with demon antics that he'd alienated even the archdukes and decided monsters were hopeless?
Planning to fill the tower solely with mid-realm beings, excluding demons entirely?
"I doubt he'd go that far."
"Yeah, no Demon King would stoop that low."
His demon pride rejected the notion. Even a rule-breaking nutcase couldn't fathom that.
"Maybe using it as a spy like the elf."
"Check it out. See where he's placed the dwarf, and if he has, watch closely till the end."
"Yes, I'll keep it in mind."
"Wonder what picture he's painting."
Drakson grabbed a fresh hunk of meat.
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Ernyan Hildean, the kingdom's princess kidnapped by the Demon King, tossed a mud ball.
A wind spirit zipped over and fetched it. She stroked its head in thanks, and it danced. The routine repeated a few times.
'Block Hero Hillun...?'
She honestly couldn't picture it.
Hillun was Hildean's hero, and as crown princess, she'd crossed paths with him a few times.
An endlessly kind man.
An endlessly affable man.
He was coming to save her. Yet she had to stop him with her own hands?
'But.'
She didn't want to return to the kingdom.
Salvation wasn't salvation to her. Just as her kidnapping wasn't mere kidnapping.
Tower life was dull. Nothing there, no one paying attention.
The sudden limited freedom felt stifling and boring.
But it beat the kingdom's suffocating pressure and scrutinizing gazes.
Especially lately—it hadn't been boring at all.
Her thoughts reached that point, and she stood. She descended the stairs to the first floor.
Scattered tools and lines greeted her messily.
Thud thud thud—
Loud hammer strikes.
Whoosh—
Hot heat scorched the air. In the corner workshop, a dwarf's back hammered away diligently.
"What're you doing?"
No reply. But this happened often. He claimed focus blocked out words.
With nothing else to do, she sat quietly and watched the roaring flames.
A fire spirit dove in and danced. The blaze intensified.
Ernyan flinched, but Roger said nothing. Seemed harmless, so she left it.
After a while...
"...What're you doing here?"
Roger finally noticed Ernyan.
"Got curious."
"Curious?"
"Why're you working here, Roger?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You're a hero, right? Kidnapped and all. Just wondering why you're working for the Demon King."
"..."
Why? No choice. Refuse and die.
And he couldn't escape because escape led only to a grim future.
Probably, outside, the princess was scouring everywhere with bloodshot eyes by now.
"...I have my reasons."
But pride wouldn't let him admit it outright. Even as a coward living free of hero duties, some lines had to be held.
"I see."
Ernyan tilted her head.
"Still, it helped."
"...Not sure what I said, but glad it helped."
"The Demon King said if a hero reaches the fourth floor, block him."
"...Pardon?"
Roger dropped his hammer. He glanced around cautiously and whispered.
"Is the Demon King insane?"
"Doesn't seem so. Looked perfectly fine."
"And he told you that?"
"I agonized over whether to do it."
"You agonized?"
No agony needed.
Of course pray for the hero to slay the Demon King and return to the kingdom.
"But hearing you made up my mind."
To do it.
She muttered resolutely.
"Everyone has unavoidable circumstances. What rights does a hostage have? To survive, follow the kidnapper's lead."
To Roger, she just needed self-justification. She'd already decided alone.
'...Is Hildean's crown princess nuts too?'
He couldn't think otherwise.
Meanwhile, Ernyan had chosen her path.
"Still, I don't want the hero to die. So make that a condition."
"Doubt the Demon King'll agree..."
Heroes grew by slaying demons and monsters; Demon Kings grew by slaying heroes. Especially strong ones—irresistible prey.
"You think?"
"Definitely."
Roger was certain. That greedy Demon King wouldn't pass up prime meat.
"I'll allow it."
"Thank you."
"..."
Roger gave up thinking.
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Getting stronger wasn't the immediate priority.
Surviving was.
Only the living could grow strong. Could avenge.
So certainty of capturing the hero outweighed the slim chance of beheading him for power.
"Besides, if he doesn't breach the first floor, it's all moot."
Click—
Roger, who'd followed Ernyan out of curiosity only to earn a sharp glare, shrugged.
"How's the progress?"
"...Mana Ghost installation's done. Was coming to report that."
"Let's check it."
They descended to the first floor. The Mana Ghost artifact was embedded fully into one wall. Tendrils from it sprawled across the entire floor, giving an eerie vibe.
But plenty of Demon King Towers had weirder stuff, so no issue.
"Activating."
"Power source?"
"Normally draws ambient mana for near-perpetual operation. But now it needs mana stones."
"Activate it."
"Yes."
Roger flipped the switch. The magic tool roared to life.
Something brushed his skin. A hazy veil enveloped the floor. Berge sensed no malice.
'Containment.'
It blocked internal energy from leaking out.
'Hold on.'
Berge paused while testing performance. Magic tool. And tower.
'Artifacts mixed in with humans—if I bring them to the tower, I can use them more smoothly. No need to blow magic points buying everything like an idiot?'
Was it coincidence that another Demon King brag—about the thirteenth princess info—came to mind?
One tower function: recognition and assimilation.
A system to enhance mid-realm artifacts to tower standards.
But he hadn't bothered. No point wasting magic points on lowly mid-realm junk.
Back then, he'd been obsessed with doctrine and demon supremacy.
Berge cautiously touched the artifact's core.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [The Tower recognizes the magic tool 'Mana Ghost' installed on the 1st floor.] [Determined to be installed by the Tower Lord's will. Can assimilate the tool with the Tower.] [Requires 1000pt.] [Assimilate?]
1000pt wasn't trivial. Especially since he'd converted most to cash via Drakson, making points precious.
But magic points weren't omnipotent to him anymore.
"Do it."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Consuming points.] [12182 → 11182]
He nodded slightly, and magic surged.
Crackle—
The tower's magic rushed the tool. Upon reaching the core, a massive spark shook the floor.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Detected massive mana energy.] [Assimilation failed.]
"Failed?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Requires more magic for complete assimilation.] [Consume 10000pt to assimilate?]
What?
Failed, and points needed jumped tenfold. It was all he had left, but "massive energy" piqued his curiosity.
"Accept."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Consuming points.] [11182 → 1182]
The halted magic tool thrummed back to life.
Tendrils wove more intricately. No longer just along walls—they burrowed into floors, ceilings, walls, becoming one.
Finally.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Mana Ghost recognizes Tower Lord, Berge Dayas, as its master.] [Mana Ghost's power source fully replaced: Mana → Magic.] [Mana Ghost's function, mana concealment, changes to conceal all energies except magic. Strength proportional to Tower and Demon King level.] [Mana Ghost's range expands to entire Tower.] [Continuously conceals internal Tower energies.] [Can consume magic points to conceal the Tower itself.]
"I-I didn't do anything weird! It was fine in the workshop, why suddenly..."
"I did it. Shut up and stay quiet; you're distracting."
"Yes!"
"Princess. Summon a spirit and cast any spell."
"I can?"
"Do what you want."
Berge stepped outside the tower.
Slowly, very slowly.
He crossed the threshold. Stepped on pristine snow. Turned around.
Yet Berge felt...
No mana fluctuations at all.
Nothing.
He snapped his fingers. The tower, per his will, absorbed magic.
And vanished. Not perfectly, but unless staring hard, it faded like a mirage.
"..."
Berge trembled in ecstasy.