Chapter 112 - What Are You Waiting For?

A week had passed since Hillen Cargill came to see Martin.

Surprisingly, the other members of the imperial family had made no moves to interfere.

"Hillen Cargill concealed his presence well. It may not be perfect, but unless we deliberately reveal it ourselves, I believe we can keep this secret for the time being."

"At least Hillen Cargill has some sense. Make certain everyone keeps their mouths shut."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"And what of Habstrain? Is something amiss, as Hillen Cargill said?"

"It is somewhat difficult to say whether this qualifies as something amiss."

"Difficult?"

"As you know, Habstrain is a restricted area."

Though not to the same extent as the snowfields or the Erjest Mountains, Habstrain Gorge was also territory occupied by monsters—a place that refused to admit human footsteps.

Naturally, the Empire had built fortresses nearby to hold back monster incursions, and continued to do so. Their garrisons kept a constant watch on the monsters of Habstrain.

"They report sensing no unusual stirrings of demonic energy of the sort Hillen Cargill mentioned. However, the monster population has been steadily declining over the past ten years. Monsters driven into a frenzy by demonic energy have declined even more sharply."

"Fewer monsters are being affected by demonic energy?"

Occasionally, monsters in Habstrain Gorge lost their reason under the influence of demonic energy and ran wild.

Each time, the Empire sent an investigation party to determine whether a new Demon King had descended, but no tower had ever been found. They had instead confirmed that faint demonic energy lingered in certain areas without dispersing.

They did not know precisely why. They merely believed that the presence of five Demon Kings and five towers had produced a convergence of coincidences. When another coincidence led a monster to swallow that accumulated demonic energy, it went berserk.

"Yes. They say they dispatched a separate investigation party for that reason."

"And the results?"

"The demonic energy has diminished considerably."

"That should be impossible."

Demonic energy was a power belonging to another dimension: the Demon Realm. As a foreign substance fundamentally different in nature, it could not blend into this world.

It never vanished naturally, and even artificial means could not easily eliminate it completely. That was the Empire's conclusion, and why it had left the energy alone all this time.

Concerned that tampering with the demonic energy left behind by the dead Demon Kings might cause even greater problems, it had concentrated solely on keeping the monsters at bay. A considerable amount of time had passed, and despite repeated investigations, the demonic energy had never diminished once.

Yet now it had diminished?

At least according to everything he knew, that was impossible—unless someone was deliberately absorbing it.

"Could it be..."

"Count Travian has made repeated efforts to identify the cause, but he reports finding no trace of a Demon King."

Count Travian was the man keeping the gorge sealed off: the commander of the Habstrain region.

"And the heroes found nothing either?"

"Correct. They commissioned several heroes to determine the cause, but all they could say was that they did not understand it either... Thus, those stationed there believe that perhaps, after so much time, the demonic energy has changed in nature and become closer to mana."

"Perhaps it has."

Ordinarily, the Third Prince would have let the matter rest there.

But there was one variable: Hillen Cargill. If Hillen was simply lying, everything made sense. But would he really do that? Would he go out of his way to come here for that?

"I must speak to Hillen Cargill."

Martin rose from his seat.

* * *

"It has been a week, Your Highness."

"I have been neglecting my guests."

"It is quite all right. You have been very busy, have you not?"

"After hearing what you said, I sent someone to investigate. The report states that Habstrain is gradually changing."

"Yes."

"They all claim to know nothing. Knights, mages, and heroes have investigated the gorge. Every one of them suggested that perhaps the demonic energy is simply dissipating naturally with age."

"I understand, but demonic energy never dissipates naturally."

"That is what we have believed until now. But what if this is simply something we do not understand?"

"I believe that if you truly thought so, you would not have come to see me."

Hillen smiled. Silence lingered for a moment.

"Are you certain there is something there?"

"Yes."

"Other heroes failed to notice it. Among them were men who boasted of being Stars, just like you."

"Your Highness, I do not know why they failed to notice it or how I came to discover it. Nor do I know what distinguishes me from them. I merely suspect that killing two Demon Kings has made me somewhat more sensitive."

"So in the end, you are boasting."

"You flatter me."

Martin disliked it, but he had no choice but to acknowledge the point.

Killing even one Demon King caused a hero's strength to grow dramatically. That spoke to the tremendous power a Demon King possessed. What, then, of a hero who had killed two?

Ultimately, he had to believe that Hillen alone had discovered something the other heroes had missed. At least in the current generation, Hillen Cargill was the only one who had slain two or more Demon Kings.

"What did you discover?"

"An immense amount of demonic energy."

"That is not what I am asking."

"A human."

"A human?"

"One harboring a tremendous amount of demonic energy."

Hillen's eyes narrowed.

"A human. A dark mage."

* * *

Dark mages were, by nature, beings who gained power in exchange for offering their souls to a Demon King.

In ordinary dimensions, they served as a Demon King's lackeys and were objects of terror. Not so in Arain. With Demon Kings so weak, there was no need to depend on them. Dark mages had naturally fallen behind, been weeded out, and disappeared from the continent.

Naturally, they were bound to be dismissed. Yet Martin did not dismiss Hillen's words. It might be only a dark mage, but he believed Hillen must have a reason for mentioning one.

"Are you certain this will pose a serious threat to the Empire?"

"I am."

"I am an imperial prince, and my words carry responsibility. Before I can act, I need evidence that you are right."

"If you wish, I will bring it to you."

"What do you require?"

"Your promise that if I bring back evidence, you will support my expedition to slay the Demon King of Hellfire."

"If circumstances permit, I shall."

"Thank you."

Berge and Hillen slipped out of the imperial capital as discreetly as they had entered it.

"..."

On a highway not far from the capital, once he could no longer feel anyone watching them, Hillen let out the breath he had been holding in a rush.

"What are you doing?"

"Is it true?"

"...?"

"Is that dark mage really in Habstrain Gorge?"

"Insolent fool. Are you accusing me of lying?"

"I have staked everything on you, my lord, and committed myself before the prince. There is no backing out now."

"Had I not helped you in the first place, your head would be decorating the Tower of Bitter Cold."

"..."

Hillen could not bring himself to deny it.

"Then please tell me just this. Is he truly dangerous? Even if he exists, the idea that a single man could threaten the Empire is a little..."

"Not all dark mages are alike, nor is all demonic energy alike."

"I understand that this dark mage is exceptionally talented."

"Exceptionally talented does not begin to describe it. Demonic energy is a power granted only to demons. Through talent alone, he learned to wield it and made himself a dark mage."

"That is certainly remarkable, but..."

"No, you still do not understand. That demonic energy does not belong to an ordinary demon or demonic creature. It is the essence of the energy that formed the towers. Remnants it may be, but they are the remnants of Demon Kings. Do you think it makes any sense for a mere human to master and control it on his own?"

"...!"

"He accomplished that, and has spent many years beneath the gorge awaiting his moment. Can you imagine how formidable his army must be?"

"... Surely you are not planning to take it..."

"No."

Berge shook his head.

"Tempting as it is, I have no intention of swallowing it. It is like a poisonous mushroom that only looks splendid on the outside."

It might have been different had it been near his tower, but this was the Empire—and the very heart of the Empire at that. Thousands of troops guarded the gorge at all times, and it lay an immense distance from Erjest.

"And above all, throwing it at the Empire is the better choice for now."

Giving the Third Prince an opportunity and bringing civil war into full swing to shake the Empire itself would yield greater benefits.

"What do you intend to do?"

"What else? He is a dark mage."

"Yes."

"And I am a Demon King."

"... Pardon?"

"A Demon King meets a dark mage. There is only one thing to do, is there not?"

Teach the insolent wretch who coveted what belonged to others a lesson, and brand him with a mark of obedience.

"That is the proper relationship between a Demon King and a dark mage, after all."

"You truly are every inch a Demon King, my lord, aren't you?"

"Thank you for the compliment. Speaking of which, what became of those fools?"

"Which fools?"

"You know the ones. Those I made into dark mages and dark knights when I released them along with you. I have paid little attention to any of them except Aman."

"I do not know either. If I associated with people whose demonic energy might show at the slightest mistake, I would go down with them."

"Well done. They are of little use anyway. But are they alive?"

"Wouldn't you know that, my lord?"

The dark mages and dark knights bore marks of obedience. Inscribed on their souls rather than their bodies, the marks were designed to bring a servant's soul to the Demon King upon death.

"Could it be that the bond is not entirely secure? Perhaps?"

"I can hear the gears turning in your head from here."

"It was an innocent question."

"Do not get your hopes up. You cannot escape my grasp."

"That was not what I meant."

"Of course it was."

He looked like a wild dog eager to sink its teeth in at any moment.

Berge snorted and returned to the original subject.

"For now, I suppose we can assume they are all alive and well."

No souls had ever come to him.

"You see? You did know, my lord."

"Is it yeti grease?"

"Pardon?"

"I mean that after a month or two in the warm north, life must have become so comfortable that you have greased your tongue far too well."

"It was so cold that even my tongue froze solid."

Hillen shut his mouth.

The two headed straight south. In accordance with the Third Prince's request that they leave no traces, they cut directly through little-traveled mountain paths rather than use teleportation circles.

"To dare give a Demon King orders. I will make him repay this debt."

"Isn't he repaying it by helping attack your tower, my lord?"

"..."

"... My lord?"

"... Now that I think about it, that is infuriating."

Together with a hero who would attack him, he had asked someone for help attacking him—and now he had to carry out the task that person demanded in return?

Why should he?

'Why indeed.'

Because that was the path to the Empire's ruin. Ultimately, it was for the conquest of Arain, and a better life than the one he had lived before returning to the past.

He had to endure this damned contradiction.

Though they did not use teleportation circles, the pair were a hero and a Demon King. They covered the distance swiftly, reaching their destination in only a few days.

"... They seem rather lax."

Habstrain Gorge.

Though called a gorge, it was as large as a fair-sized small nation and was practically a stronghold of monsters. The Empire had built four fortresses to seal it off.

In other words, those fortresses should always have been on alert for monsters pouring out of the gorge...

Yet Alkan Fortress, as Berge saw it, gave no such impression. There were plenty of soldiers and mercenaries, and a few heroes as well, but that was all.

None of the tension, ferocity, or desperation he had felt in the snowfields was present.

"I believe the answer lies in our conversation with the Third Prince."

"I have a fair idea myself."

It would be because of the dark mage who had settled in the gorge. As he absorbed the demonic energy, fewer monsters went berserk. As he turned monsters into undead, the monster population itself declined.

If that continued long enough, the guards were naturally bound to grow lax.

That was no bad thing. Their relaxed vigilance allowed Berge and Hillen to pass the fortress and enter the gorge more easily.

Once they had traveled so deep into the gorge that the heroes, mercenaries, and knights hunting there were no longer in sight, Berge suppressed his mana and activated his demonic energy.

His red hair and pupils turned black. He let out an excited breath.

"Excellent."

Demonic energy filled the air. He felt brimming with power, as though he were inside his tower.

Of course, that was not actually the case. An abundance of demonic energy nearby did not weaken dimensional interference.

"... I want to leave this instant. It feels as though I have entered a Demon King's tower. No, it is even more unpleasant than the towers I have climbed."

"And you told me to come inside the Heroes' Guild headquarters?"

"That was a joke."

"Shut up. No excuses."

'Fighting somewhere like this would improve my endurance.'

He could continually absorb the surrounding demonic energy. Even if dimensional interference prevented him from increasing his power output, this was far better than fighting elsewhere.

He walked slowly, spreading his demonic energy outward.

The demonic energy that a succession of overlapping coincidences had brought into existence began responding to the Demon King's power.

"Found him."

"Already?"

"I am a Demon King."

There were several reasons the dark mage had escaped the heroes' notice. Being human by nature, he could conceal his demonic energy almost perfectly until he used his power.

Moreover, heroes identified demons through their instinctive hostility and aversion to demonic energy. In a gorge overflowing with it, the entire place felt unpleasant to them.

But Berge was a Demon King: a member of a race that drew its power from demonic energy, and a demon strong enough to wield the authority of a tower.

A dark mage gathered demonic energy. All he had to do was find where it was concentrated, and that was as easy as eating cold soup.

"But are you really going to do that?"

"Of course."

"Will the dark mage obey?"

"His wishes are irrelevant."

Because Berge was a Demon King, and the man was a dark mage.

Berge sprang forward. Hillen followed.

* * *

At the center of the gorge, a crack in the rock wall opened into a passage. Dark and damp, it led underground.

At its end lay an enormous cavern.

The cavern was hell on earth.

The mountain-like heaps were masses of corpses and yellowed bones that had decayed beyond rot.

Bairif lay atop those bones with his legs crossed. Water dripped from the stalactites on the high ceiling.

Then it happened.

CLACK CLACK

A gaunt skeleton hurried over from the entrance.

"What is it?"

CLACK CLACK

"Intruders? Those imperial bastards made it all the way here?"

CLACK CLACK

"Demonic energy and a hero?"

The skeleton nodded vigorously.

Bairif frowned at the utterly incompatible combination. Yet a skeleton bound to him could not lie.

'Did those imperial bastards hire a dark mage to find me?'

No, the premise was wrong. The Empire did not know he existed.

Then what?

'I will find out once I capture them.'

Bairif got up.

"How many?"

CLACK CLACK

"Two?"

Few. Far too few.

If they had come anyway, they must be that confident.

'A Star?'

It did not matter. Here, at least, he was confident he could defeat anyone who came.

STEP STEP

Footsteps sounded from beyond the passage. Bairif jumped down from the mound of bones.

There were two presences. One was a hero who provoked a sense of revulsion; the other was a dark mage steeped in demonic energy.

'A dark mage of this caliber existed?'

What fool had made a contract with a Demon King? No, why were a hero and a dark mage traveling together?

"Who are you?"

Bairif spoke in a low voice, almost a murmur.

The footsteps stopped. Despite the darkness, his accustomed eyes swiftly swept over the pair.

'They are strong.'

The hero provoked greater aversion than any hero he had ever encountered. His demonic energy churned.

But the other man startled him even more.

Though clearly a dark mage, he could not discern what lay within him. The man completely blocked the perception Bairif had honed through long years of gathering and training his demonic energy.

A chill ran over him.

"Answer me."

No answer came.

"Fine."

Bairif roused his power.

RUMBLE

The mound of bones and corpses he had been lying on moments before began to heave. They split apart and joined together, taking shape. Dozens, hundreds—perhaps thousands.

There were many mounds, all made of corpses and bones. They were his legion.

Thick deathly energy seized the cavern. An army of thousands surrounded the two in an instant.

"If you will not answer, I will force you to. Who you are, how you came here—I will drag it all out of—"

"Insolent."

The black-haired man cut him off.

Their eyes met.

Goosebumps rose on his skin. His instincts screamed at him to flee this instant.

Cold sweat streamed down his body.

"You ask who I am?"

With an air of boredom, the man waved his hand.

Demonic energy crushed Bairif down.

"Gah...!"

The demonic energy inside him churned, struggling to escape his body.

"W-why?"

He could not control it. Appalled, he faced something he had never experienced in his life.

"W-who in the world are you, sir?"

The demonic energy escaping his control began to ravage the vessel that housed it at will. Bairif vomited blood.

"Well."

The man playfully tapped his fingers. Slowly, he approached.

"In the Demon Realm, I was called Berge Deias."

One step. Bairif retreated a matching step. Black flames surged upward.

"After descending upon Arain, I became known as the Demon King of Erjest."

One step.

"And, furthermore, as the Demon King of Hellfire."

Another step.

THUD

Rock blocked his back.

Bairif's face went deathly pale. His body trembled.

"And now..."

The man smiled. His cold gaze pierced every part of Bairif.

"I shall be your lord."

The distance between them shrinks to almost nothing.

An arrogant gaze looks down on him. A pale hand presses down on his head.

"What are you waiting for?" the man whispers.

"Kneel. Now."

BOOM

Bairif's knees slammed deep into the ground.