Chapter 106 - A Horrifying Hybrid

Berge did not know exactly what had been said, or how the discussions had unfolded. All he received was a sudden notice—a unilateral announcement from the Empire.

- A mineral deposit has been discovered in the Philerium Mountains.

- The southern alliance unlawfully occupied imperial territory, but the Empire has reclaimed the deposit.

- However, given the poor economic viability imposed by Philerium’s unique environment, the Empire will not develop the deposit at this time.

The southern alliance raised no objections. They simply withdrew their troops and returned to their respective territories. Nowhere was there any mention of the Red Dragon Knights’ defeat.

No—their deployment had never even happened.

“Unbelievable.”

He had never imagined it would actually turn out this way.

“Have those imperial bastards no pride? The Red Dragon Knights were beaten. Their captain was wounded. And they’re ending it at that?”

“They’re doing this because their captain was wounded.”

“What?”

“If it had only been an ordinary member who was injured, that would have been acceptable. Their opponent was Pablo Barkat, after all. Even the Empire’s dragons aren’t invincible. But their captain hovering on the brink of death? That’s another matter.”

An ordinary member and a captain carried different weight, just as an ordinary knightly order was different from one of the Empire’s dragons.

That was the nature of symbolism.

“And from their perspective, my lord, a third party was interfering. That probably played the biggest role.”

“Was I too blatant about stirring things up...?”

Had he known this would happen, he would not have shown off at the end. His excessive enthusiasm had backfired.

After returning to the past, he had thought he could make everything go his way. How was it that nothing ever did?

This affair, Hillen—neither had gone as intended.

“Collect the portable miniature towers. We’re withdrawing.”

The Demon King returned to his tower.

* * *

[1513514pt]

Those were the demonic energy points he had earned from the clash between the Empire and the southern alliance.

It was an enormous amount for a clash involving only hundreds of combatants. That was probably because their resentment, bloodlust, and rage toward one another ran deeper, and because the combatants themselves were more powerful.

Adding what he already had stored in the tower and the negative emotions steadily flowing in from Hilderan and Jespine brought the total to:

[5135110pt]

At last, he had enough to summon a single balrog.

In just over a year. That was exceptionally fast.

‘No, even “exceptionally” doesn’t do it justice.’

It was even more staggering when he took into account the demonic energy he had given Jason Cockmundo in exchange for money.

For the first time in a while, he checked the tower’s status.

[Tower Master - Berge Deias

Deputy Tower Master - Gordon Dairik

Floors - 5]

[Members

Demon - Dark elf, Gordon Dairik

Demonic creature - Poil Orc, Krutu

Monster - None]

[Floor 1 - Dwarf hero, Logger

Floor 2 - None

Floor 3 - Princess of Hilderan, Elena Hilderan

Floor 4 - Princess of Hilderan, Ernyan Hilderan

- Imperial princess of the Jespine Empire, Kaede Jespine

- Elf of the Maple Tribe, Charlotte.

- Elf of the Old Tree Tribe, Nania.

- Elf of the Old Tree Tribe...

Floor 5 - Demon King’s Floor]

Kaede Jespine and Elena Hilderan, who had swallowed Armani Orbs, and all the elves who had sworn upon the World Tree had been accepted as members of the tower.

The once-desolate tower, inhabited only by Berge and Gordon, was now fairly bustling. Though it was rather ironic that humans and elves outnumbered demons.

‘I could never have imagined this in the past.’

He would have demanded how anyone dared let vermin from the Middle Realm into his tower, then killed them all for demonic energy points.

“Wow, does this tell you about the tower?”

Perhaps because he had checked its status without thinking as soon as he entered, Ernyan, following behind him, spotted the display and brightened.

‘Well, it shouldn’t be a problem.’

It was hardly a secret, and even if she knew, she had no authority. Nothing she could do would change.

“Yes.”

“The arrangement is strange.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Four Heavenly Kings should each occupy a lower floor, starting with the weakest...”

“That isn’t even worth considering.”

Four Heavenly Kings, his ass. He had only humored her a little, but she seemed genuinely serious.

‘Am I the strange one, or is she?’

Judging by Kaede’s appalled reaction, probably the latter.

“Ah, you’re back?”

As they strolled through the maze that barely deserved the name, the workshop came into view. Logger, who was not hammering away—perhaps he had been taking a break—greeted them.

“Demon King, hello.”

“...”

The princess who seemed to be missing a screw waved, while the abducted golem controller merely bowed his head with a frightened expression.

“Any progress?”

“It won’t be immediately, but I’m confident we can show you what you want within a few months. Princess Lavinia has been a great help.”

“Thanks to me.”

Lavinia gave a self-important “Ahem,” lifted her shoulders, then politely held out both hands.

“Demonic creatures.”

“Did you leave some in my care?”

“Core.”

“The tail was more than enough payment for that. Do you know what it is? It belongs to a Demon King. Another hundred years of work here wouldn’t pay for it.”

“...”

Lavinia puffed out her cheeks in a sulk.

What was this? Was she demanding that he pop them?

Berge’s face twisted sharply.

“Chimeras.”

“You want to make chimeras?”

“Yes.”

“Finish the golems first.”

“When made. Demon King.”

“You’ll give them to me once you make them?”

“Yes.”

“Your Highness!”

Lavinia nodded. The golem controller was aghast.

“You can’t! What on earth are you thinking?”

He rebuked her, forgetting that the Demon King stood right in front of him.

“Making things. Like it.”

“No, however much you like making things... Aaagh!”

Berge hurled the golem controller far away.

“So you enjoy the act of making them itself.”

“Yes.”

“And once they’re made, you aren’t particularly attached?”

“No. Here. Better.”

“The chimeras would like it better here?”

“Yes.”

That was only natural. Chimeras were, ultimately, demons, demonic creatures, or monsters modified to suit human tastes. Their fundamental nature remained unchanged, so they were bound to prefer a tower filled with demonic energy.

“Cher.”

“Cher said so, did he?”

Cher was the titan chimera’s name, if he remembered correctly.

‘She’s offering to turn demonic creatures into chimeras?’

Judging by Cher, there was no question of her skill. If he had demonic creatures modified and made them members of the tower, they could be quite...

‘Useful.’

It was tempting. But he should not decide too hastily.

“I’ll think about it. Oh, did you attach the tail to Cher?”

“Yes!”

Lavinia’s face suddenly lit up.

“Cher, slim.”

“He’s gotten slimmer?”

“Yes!”

“What a horrifying hybrid.”

She had actually attached a succubus’s tail to a titan.

A titan without muscles. How was that any different from giving an elf a dwarf’s stubby legs?

It was a grotesque idea no one but Lavinia Akan could have conceived.

“I’d like to see him.”

“Cher, sulking. Won’t listen.”

“Of course he won’t.”

“But handsome.”

“He’s gotten more handsome?”

“Yes.”

“Sorry, but titans’ idea of beauty is the exact opposite of humans’.”

They liked brawny bulk, not pretty faces. From Cher’s perspective, he had acquired a bizarre tail and become ugly overnight.

“Oh...?”

Lavinia Akan looked blank, as though she had never known. Berge chuckled and headed upstairs.

There, he found Cher huddled in a corner with his back turned.

“You.”

GRR?

The creature cautiously turned his head, instinctively bowing before the Demon King’s presence.

Berge started in surprise.

“My goodness, is that really the same titan?”

Ernyan was aghast.

True to its origins as a Demon King’s tail, the once-human-sized appendage had grown to suit the five-meter titan’s body. The giant’s tail writhing over his backside was quite grotesque, but Berge awarded more points to another aspect of his transformation.

‘This is actually rather...’

Succubi and incubi were lust demons. They seduced the opposite sex and stole their vital energy for sustenance.

Naturally, to seduce the opposite sex, they had to be beautiful. They had evolved that way because it gave them an advantage.

Vivian, one of the very pinnacles among countless succubi, had been granted no less a title than queen. It meant she was one of the most beautiful of all succubi, which, viewed another way, meant that her tail would naturally influence appearance.

Cher’s appearance had changed considerably after receiving the tail. His muscles had not vanished completely, but his ogre-like bulk was gone.

‘Not quite an incubus. More like an oversized vampire.’

In other words, his proportions were balanced now, and he had become fairly handsome. Vampires, while not as attractive as incubi, were quite good-looking too. Of course, a titan would disagree.

Berge patted Cher’s back.

“Hang in there.”

GRRR...

His reflection appeared in eyes that looked ready to cry. An amusing thought occurred to him.

‘I’d like to show him to Ugar.’

How would Ugar, who stood near the pinnacle even among titans, react to this sight?

Would he try to kill Cher, calling him a disgrace to their race?

Or would he refuse to accept reality?

‘Still...’

Berge stroked his chin.

‘She’s skilled, just as Ernyan said.’

Even for a chimera maker, attaching a Demon King’s tail to a titan so seamlessly was impressive.

He could not help admiring the human’s—no, Lavinia Akan’s—skill.

‘I should consider it.’

Rather than dismissing it as a joke, filling the tower with enhanced chimeras might not be such a bad idea.

* * *

Hillen stepped onto the pure white snow. More snow fell from the sky, covering his footprints.

By now, the sight had become quite familiar.

‘Two weeks already.’

The grand plan to turn the Demon King of Bitter Cold’s tower into a hunting ground had failed.

Gillian had lost an arm, five northern tribes had been exterminated, and Hillen Cargill had barely escaped with his life.

It had been a painful lesson in how much he still lacked.

“You’re here. Please, come inside.”

A servant with whom he was now fairly familiar opened the door.

A feast of every delicacy lay spread before him. The margrave sat at the head of the table, surrounded by the nobles and retainers in his service.

“Welcome.”

“Thank you for inviting me to dine.”

“You say that every time. Isn’t it about time you felt more at ease?”

“This is what feels comfortable to me.”

“Honestly, you...”

“Sit,” the margrave said, almost in a whisper. As always, Hillen’s place was a seat of honor, immediately after the margrave’s immediate family.

It made the margrave’s regard for him clear.

“Welcome.”

The margrave’s eldest son greeted him. Hillen answered that admiring gaze with a smile.

“Now that everyone is here, let’s eat.”

The meal began when the margrave picked up his knife and fork. Hillen silently chewed his salad.

‘At first, I never imagined it would go this far.’

Although Berge had fled, the margrave had not been angry. He had merely asked why, accepted the explanation, and done everything he could for Hillen.

Like Hillen, he wanted to establish a mutually beneficial relationship.

‘Not bad.’

Of course, it was a bilateral arrangement with clearly defined returns on both sides, but even that required mutual trust.

In that respect, his two weeks in the north had been extremely productive.

“Oh, Father, some interesting news has arrived from the south.”

The margrave’s eldest son spoke up. The margrave gestured with his eyes for him to continue.

“What is it?”

“You must know about the clash between our Empire and the southern alliance.”

“A mana stone deposit was discovered in the Philerium Mountains, I believe.”

“Yes. Our Empire secured the deposit first, but the alliance launched a surprise attack, and fierce fighting over it reportedly followed. The Empire ultimately won, but deemed mining economically unviable because of the monsters and the environment, so it will not begin extraction.”

“Isn’t that all something we already know?”

“Isn’t it a little strange? They say the war ended because the southern alliance gave up, but a mana stone deposit is hardly something one abandons so easily. The Empire already owns several mana stone mines, of course, but the southern alliance doesn’t. After fighting tooth and nail for it, they tucked their tails between their legs far too readily after a single defeat.”

“That is certainly true.”

“But there is talk that the southern alliance actually proposed peace first.”

“After their defeat?”

“No. Before they lost the deposit again.”

“Before? That is strange indeed.”

Securing a stronghold first in terrain as harsh as Philerium was a definite advantage. Was there any need to abandon it and declare surrender?

Especially when the prize was a mana stone deposit.

“The monsters in Philerium must be worse than expected.”

The margrave muttered. That was the natural conclusion.

“No. It was for another reason.”

“Another reason?”

“Yes. I heard this from Viscount Taits’s eldest son...”

House Taits was a noble family from the south. It had grown wealthy operating several mines and trading companies, and had close ties to Margrave Chernian.

“Apparently, a third party, belonging to neither our Empire nor the southern alliance, was interfering on that battlefield.”

“Demons, then.”

Battlefields called for blood. And demons craved blood.

When war broke out, it was extremely common for demons to try to escalate it.

“That was my first thought as well, but apparently not.”

“Not demons?”

“Young master, please stop keeping us in suspense and tell us. This old man is dying of impatience.”

At the longtime retainer’s reproach, he continued.

“One of them reportedly invoked a god.”

“...!”

“...!”

“... Surely those cockroaches aren’t still around?”

“There’s no way to know for certain. But with a god’s name invoked, they seem to have decided they couldn’t simply overlook it.”

The nobles’ expressions grew grave.

“Hmm. It must be one of three possibilities.”

After considering for a moment, the margrave murmured as he chewed a piece of steak.

“Either they used deception to sow confusion between our Empire and the southern alliance.”

“Or those cockroaches really have survived and plotted this.”

“Or a Demon King used the fanatics.”

Whichever it was...

“We cannot leave those who dare make light of our Empire alone. Crushing them thoroughly is the proper course. The south made the right choice.”

A cold bloodlust filled the air.