Chapter 110 - The Dark Mage

The current emperor’s succession policy was nothing short of survival in the wild.

As long as they were not caught.

As long as nothing came to light.

He condoned anything done to become Crown Prince. After all, that was how he himself had become emperor.

Three empresses and six concubines.

Eleven princes and eighteen princesses born to them.

Of those twenty-nine direct members of the imperial family, only four were considered to have any real chance at the throne.

The First Prince and First Princess, born to the First Empress.

The Second Prince, born to the Second Empress.

And the Third Prince, born to the Third Empress.

The concubines could not challenge the empresses’ authority, and naturally, their children gathered under the empresses’ children according to their own interests.

The Eighth Prince had been one of the few imperial family members to choose the Third Prince.

His death meant that the struggle for imperial succession had begun in earnest.

『So you want me to meet the Third Prince and cultivate a friendship with him?』

“Yes.”

『That is a terrible move.』

『The Third Prince’s power base is weak compared with those of the First Prince, Second Prince, and First Princess. If I incur the others’ hatred while trying to win his favor, there could be no worse outcome.』

『Besides, the Empire would hardly look kindly on an Argan of the Heroes’ Guild interfering with the imperial family.』

『I would have expected you to tell me to approach the First or Second Prince instead, my lord, since their prospects are better. Is the Ninth Princess the reason you singled out the Third Prince anyway?』

Asking and answering his own questions, Hillen Cargill arrived at the truth himself. This was why clever people were so easy to talk to.

“And if she is?”

『I do not know whether it is my place as a hero to say this, but I would ask you to act like a Demon King.』

Act like a Demon King, was it?

He had never imagined he would hear something like that from a damn hero who had killed two Demon Kings.

But Hillen was not wrong. Berge had no need to grant Kaede’s request. It was clearly a foolish choice driven by sentiment.

If things went wrong, Hillen Cargill would become a less valuable piece on the board. However assured his future as a hero might be, things would never be the same once he fell out of favor with the Empire.

And if, by some chance, the Empire discovered Berge’s involvement?

That would mean war. The Empire would scour Erjest with vengeance in its eyes.

“This is not simply about Kaede.”

『What... Surely you do not truly intend to put the Third Prince on the throne?』

“If possible.”

『It is impossible.』

Hillen’s tone was firm.

『The emperor maintains his silence. Ultimately, they have no choice but to rely on the empresses’ support. House Aincheil is one of the Empire’s most distinguished marquisates, but its fortunes have been declining for a long time.』

『Its influence has faded. It lacks the power to install the Third Prince as emperor.』

“What if you lend him your strength?”

『It would be a terrible move. The Empire would never welcome interference from the Heroes’ Guild. The emperor might even step in and eliminate him from contention.』

『If there is one advantage, it is that the other imperial family members would hesitate to act rashly against the Third Prince. They have no reason to make an enemy of me.』

Yes, that was exactly what Kaede wanted. An eminently realistic solution.

But Berge did not want to settle for that.

The moment Kaede mentioned the imperial succession.

The moment he decided to intervene.

A dormant ember flared to life.

His pride as the supremely arrogant Demon King he had been before returning to the past.

His self-loathing for having died at the hands of a mere human empire—and for the quiet fear that death had instilled in him.

They became fuel for a roaring fire.

If he was going to act to uncover the connection between Jason and the Empire anyway, would it not be best to steer things toward the greatest possible destruction of the Empire?

『Moreover, the Eighth Prince’s death means they have begun to act. The Third Prince has no future to begin with.』

“The Third Prince can be saved. What you need to consider is what comes afterward.”

『What do you mean?』

“Something unexpected will happen. Something that leaves them no time to worry about the Third Prince.”

『My lord, have you already...?』

“No. This is the natural course of events.”

One that had played out before his return.

* * *

It had been said so often that it was tiresome to repeat, but before returning to the past, Berge had been supremely arrogant.

He had little interest in human affairs, nor any need for it. He did everything exactly as he wanted and wished. There had been no need for caution.

But everything changed when he abducted the Crown Prince of the Jespine Empire.

Heroes and imperial troops poured in without respite, as though to tell him that his unbroken string of victories had never been a testament to his greatness.

The tower grew steadily weaker, and Berge was furious. He wanted to invade the Empire immediately and sweep everything away, but merely defending his tower kept his hands full. Obliged to guard its summit, he could not even descend to the lower floors.

In the end, he chose to use spies.

He sought to learn about the Empire so that he could sow discord among its humans and shake its foundations.

He spent vast amounts of demonic energy summoning demons and demonic creatures, then drove them straight into the Empire.

Looking back, it had been utterly idiotic.

Countless demons and demonic creatures were ground to pieces, and the tower’s situation deteriorated further. Ironically, he still received a steady supply of demonic energy because the humans, enraged by the demonic creatures’ actions, attacked the tower all the more fiercely.

In any case, although demons and demonic creatures died like grains of sand slipping away, he did gain something. The Empire’s political situation, its enemy nations, its nobles, its imperial family, the Empire’s, the Empire’s, the Empire’s.

Berge could say with confidence that the Jespine Empire was the nation he knew best in this damned dimension called Arain.

That was why he had tried to avoid entanglement with it as much as possible. But minds could always change.

‘I have Kaede Jespine.’

He did not know whether he could forge a connection with the Third Prince through her, but either way, he had a tie to the Empire.

And he had Hillen Cargill, along with knowledge of the events that would unfold in the Empire.

‘Using these to devour the Empire’s future...’

Was it truly impossible?

Of course, the future had already changed considerably.

Berge himself had filled his tower with elves and heroes rather than demons or demonic creatures. Drakson was dead, and Reina owed Jason no debt.

Above all, Berge did not consider success an absolute necessity.

Success would be welcome. But if it required risking everything, if the danger was too great, there was no need to succeed.

The process alone would shake the Empire, making it different from the Empire he had known before his return.

Weakening his most powerful enemy would be worthwhile in itself.

The enemy of one’s enemy was an ally, after all. And what could be better than having his enemies slaughter one another?

‘The succession struggle that would once have ended as a two-way contest between the First and Second Princes...’

What if he turned it into a three-way contest?

What if he sparked a full-fledged civil war and engulfed the Empire in its flames?

‘Just thinking about it...’

It was utterly exhilarating.

“Here it is.”

Kaede handed him a necklace.

“My mother gave this to me. Only my brother and I have one, so it will be the surest proof possible for him.”

“All right.”

“But will bringing this not make him even more suspicious?”

“It is not as though you can go yourself.”

“... That is true.”

She would surely go if she could. But she understood her situation.

“But do you need to go in person? If you simply tell Hero Hillen...”

“Do not worry. I will handle it.”

“... What are you planning?”

Kaede murmured uneasily.

“Do not worry. Whatever happens, I will at least save your brother’s life.”

“... Do you realize that makes me even more anxious?”

“Does it?”

Berge shrugged.

That was not his concern.

* * *

The Empire was currently in a period of upheaval.

If he wanted to make a mess, now was the time. If he wanted to raise hell, now was also the time.

In a few years, once the First Prince had disposed of all the other imperial family members and become Crown Prince, the Empire would unite and become an even more powerful enemy.

“Even so, coming all the way to the Heroes’ Guild yourself... There really is no stopping you, Pale.”

Hillen greeted him with a shake of his head.

“Would you like to go inside headquarters?”

“I have no desire to set foot in a place crawling with disgusting bastards.”

“I am surprised you managed to come this far.”

“At least this is outside.”

“The Heroes’ Guild is probably investigating you anyway, Pale.”

“I do not care.”

Let them try to find something about Pale, an identity that had dropped out of thin air.

“By the way, what excuse did you use to get away?”

“I do not know whether you are aware, but every six months, Argans are supposed to choose five Guild branches across the continent and make an inspection tour.”

“Have you not visited the Empire more than enough already?”

The northern snowfields were a Demon King’s domain, and naturally, there was a Heroes’ Guild branch in nearby Margrave Chernian’s territory.

“The Empire is vast. The distance between the imperial capital and Chernian’s territory exceeds the width of a fair-sized country.”

“How many people?”

“Ordinarily, I would need to travel with attendants, but I am not merely an Argan, am I?”

This was where being a star who had slain two Demon Kings paid off.

Who would dare harm Hillen?

“I can feel their eyes boring into me.”

“Many people are interested in you.”

“Not my concern.”

The two soon left the city.

“But are you truly choosing the Third Prince?”

“Yes.”

“This is not right. If we should fail...”

“We can consider both the Third Prince and your reputation in the Empire finished.”

“And you are doing this knowing that?”

“The First and Second Princes lack nothing. They have no particular need for your help.”

“That is why it would be best not to interfere at all.”

“If we succeed, you will become the emperor’s patron.”

“If we fail, I die.”

“You will not die. I imagine you will simply have to sign some humiliating contract with the winner.”

“... So you have no intention of changing your mind.”

“Does the fact that I have come this far not answer that sufficiently?”

“Very well. What exactly is this incident you mentioned?”

“The Empire is vast. Many regions are imperial territory in name, but are not yet fully under its control. The snowfields are a prime example.”

“Yes.”

“Only the Demon King of Bitter Cold remains now, but many Demon Kings built towers within the Empire in the past. Countless kings died, and their towers fell.”

“Everyone knows that.”

“No, you do not know the details. Over a thousand years, eleven towers stood within the Empire, and five of them were built in the same location.”

“Habstrain Gorge.”

“So you know. Do you know why?”

“Because it is rich in mana, is it not?”

“Correct.”

Habstrain Gorge had many monsters, but unlike Erjest, it was not untouched by humans.

It was, however, exceptionally rich in mana. No human disliked a place with plentiful mana. Nor did any Demon King.

The more mana there was in the surroundings, the more the tower could convert into demonic energy.

It was no coincidence that no fewer than five Demon Kings had chosen Habstrain Gorge as their grave.

“When a Demon King dies, the tower collapses. The demons and demonic creatures, unable to reduce interference and no longer supplied with demonic energy, grow weaker. Naturally, they are eventually exterminated.”

But here was the thing.

“Demonic energy does not disappear completely.”

“It does not disappear?”

“Demonic energy is fundamentally different from what exists in Arain. It does not mix with mana or become diluted. It simply scatters in every direction and drifts about.”

But when that happened five times, chance produced a miracle.

“Then you mean...”

“Beneath Habstrain Gorge lies the demonic energy amassed by five Demon Kings.”

“So we are going to retrieve it? What does that have to do with trouble breaking out in the Empire...?”

“Shut up and listen. It is connected.”

At Berge’s threatening tone, Hillen closed his mouth.

“I did not know about it before.”

Probably no one had known. Usually, when a Demon King died, the demonic energy scattered throughout the dimension. This was a near-miraculous phenomenon brought about by five Demon Kings settling in the same place and choosing it as their grave.

Before returning to the past, Berge had learned of it far too late.

And after his return, even knowing about it, he had been unable to claim it.

It was imperial territory, and building a tower within the Empire just to obtain that one thing posed too great a risk.

Afterward, to be honest, he had forgotten about it.

“So I also did not know there would be an impudent human living there, absorbing that demonic energy.”

“... A human?”

Hillen blinked.

“You mean there is a human there?”

“Yes. A dark mage is building his strength by absorbing it.”

An unusual bastard who used demonic energy without having a contract with a Demon King.

People believed Lavinia Akan to be the human most knowledgeable about demonic energy, but perhaps that man was on a similar level.

“He would normally go berserk a little later, but I intend to bring that forward.”

“Even so, is he not just one human?”

“What if that human is a necromancer?”

And on top of that:

“What if he has been turning the gorge’s monsters into undead, one by one, and forming an army?”

“Good heavens.”

“Ordinarily, they would commission the Heroes’ Guild to exterminate them. But the emperor will choose another method. He will order the imperial family to carry out the extermination.”

It was a test.

A test of their qualities, to determine who was more worthy of becoming emperor.

The capable would pull ahead, and those who fell short would be weeded out.

“I intend to take advantage of that.”

Berge smiled schemingly.