Chapter 128 - The Red Blade

“Damn it.”

Dafner Philiain spat out the snow that had gotten into his mouth.

Screams and monstrous cries rang out without end. The overpowering stench of blood mingled with the cold, almost numbing his nose.

Fortunately, the imperial knights had recovered their wits, formed up, and charged. The kingdom’s rangers raced across the snow, driving back the monsters. Little by little, the allied force was regaining its cohesion.

But that did nothing to dispel the confusion roiling in Dafner’s head.

‘The Four Heavenly Kings?’

He had heard of them. But weren’t they a product of human imagination, born of fear long ago when Demon Kings were still unfamiliar? Something found only in old fairy tales and plays.

These days, even children knew that Demon Kings didn’t keep subordinates with such childish names.

And yet they were real?

‘She was powerful.’

Childish as the name Dark Spirit Summoner was, her abilities could not be dismissed.

The snow she had summoned swallowed everything. The masses of flame raining down with it had shattered the ice wall and broken the search party’s formation.

‘What were those things? They were just like mana cannons.’

But a Demon King would never use mana cannons. He bitterly regretted not getting a clear look through the avalanche and ice wall.

Dafner drew his bow again. An arrow formed of mana pierced the heart of a troll targeting him.

Three more arrows followed, severing its neck from its upper body as it writhed and regenerated.

‘Damn it, there are too many monsters.’

Normally, that would pose no problem. But the situation was terrible—no, the conditions the Demon King had created were terrible.

‘All of this was deliberate. He’s trying to overwhelm us and wipe us out.’

The avalanche, the magical bombardment, the monster hordes—everything flowed seamlessly from one attack to the next.

The allied force was strong, of course. He had no doubt they could hold them off. But the casualties required to achieve that would keep mounting, and the thought that this was exactly what the Demon King intended made him grind his teeth.

‘The Demon King’s scheming...’

Then he sensed a current of mana. Demonic energy was mingled with it, making it feel profoundly alien.

He followed the flow and spotted the masked Dark Spirit Summoner. Beside her stood a black-haired man.

‘A demon...?’

Something about him was familiar. He was the man Dafner had seen on his previous climb into Erjest—the one who had fooled even his senses.

‘His face looks rather...’

He resembled that man called Pale. Though the impression he gave was completely different.

‘She’s defenseless.’

This was his chance. Suppressing his presence as much as possible, he drew his bow, poured in mana, and released it in a single explosive burst.

A flash of light blazed.

CRUNCH

In an instant, the arrow reached the Dark Spirit Summoner’s face. Just as he thought it had struck, a hand thrust into its path.

‘He’s strong...!’

He drew and fired in rapid succession. The flashes flew straight at their target, only to be blocked again and again.

Black flames flared ceaselessly.

‘There’s no doubt. He’s a demon of Hellfire.’

Probably a high-ranking demon.

‘I have to take him down here. I can’t let him escape.’

He swiftly surveyed the battlefield. The avalanche had put them at a disadvantage, but Hillen Cargill and the allied elite were living up to their reputations, keeping the force from losing much ground.

‘Those two are commanding the monsters. If I kill them, we can seize the advantage.’

Dafner ran toward the rise. Then a horn sounded once more.

A sense of foreboding crossed his mind.

ROOOAAAR

With a tremendous roar, an orc-like demon riding a wolf leaped down. Hundreds of Poil Orcs accompanied him.

“... Good gods.”

Biting his lip, Dafner drew his bow and unleashed a flash of light at the enormous demon leading them.

* * *

“Hah, hah...!”

Dafner panted heavily.

The demon was strong. His swordsmanship was crude but powerful, and he was fast and agile despite his massive size.

Even so, he was only around mid-ranking, and there was no reason Dafner couldn’t kill him—if not for the Poil Orcs who charged in heedless of their lives whenever he was about to land the killing blow.

Dozens of Poil Orc corpses lay piled around him.

The fighting had been ferocious, and his wounds had multiplied. But the allied army had finally held them off, and the demon he had been fighting fled on his wolf.

“Are you all right?”

“... Yes. What about you, Master Hillen?”

“I’m all right as well.”

The battlefield was utter chaos: snow stained red with blood, corpses scattered throughout it.

The allied force had climbed the mountain full of confidence, only to pay dearly for falling into the Demon King’s trap.

Still, a victory was a victory, and cheers rang out in the joy of survival.

“Get the horses out of the snow!”

“Rescue the wounded first, then we’re leaving!”

“Recover the bodies!”

But the celebration was fleeting. Their triumph was brief, and the allied force quickly began clearing the battlefield.

Dafner used his senses to locate signs of life beneath the snow.

“Dig here, here, and over there.”

“Yes, sir!”

He also dug out buried knights himself. It happened as he was doing so.

As he melted the snow with mana and descended, a hand suddenly shot out and grabbed his ankle.

“... Master Dafner.”

A face emerged, followed by a torso and legs. The pale-faced knight recognized him.

Dafner realized he was one of the Third Prince’s bodyguards.

‘... Why is a bodyguard buried in the snow?’

There had been an avalanche, so it was possible. But a deep foreboding swept through his mind.

“... W-we have to save him.”

“... Don’t tell me His Highness...?”

“Y-yes!”

The knight shouted. As though on cue, voices came from outside the pit.

“Master Dafner! Something terrible has happened!”

“His Highness has disappeared!”

The bodyguard shouted again, driving the point home.

“A demon kidnapped His Highness and Sir Carwol!”

“...!”

* * *

Martin’s last memory was of the knights protecting him, the Platinum Shield mages erecting barriers around them, and a demon breaking through it all.

He had been powerless against the force that seized him by the nape.

‘Have I been... kidnapped?’

He had come to find the tower and rescue Kaede, only to be captured himself?

Rather than fear at having been kidnapped by the Demon King, he felt so dumbfounded he couldn’t even laugh.

He was an imperial prince, too. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t considered the risk of kidnapping when entering a Demon King’s domain. That was why he had brought the Platinum Shield Mage Corps and excellent bodyguards. He had never imagined things would turn out like this.

‘But where am I?’

He felt a chill against his back. Above him, he could see the sky.

He was in a small pit. He barely managed to crawl out, revealing a field of pristine white snow.

“You...!”

Then he spotted the demon called the Dark Spirit Summoner.

“Good to see you, imperial prince. Allow me to introduce myself again. I am the Dark Spirit Summoner, one of the Four Heavenly Kings serving my lord.”

She bowed, just as courteously as before.

“... Why did you kidnap me?”

Martin struggled to remain calm. He understood none of it: why he wasn’t in the tower, why he was having this composed conversation with the Dark Spirit Summoner.

“You’re rather impatient. At times like this, it’s good to remember the saying, ‘More haste, less speed.’”

“I asked why you kidnapped me. Do you think the Empire will stand idly by?”

“Making it stand idly by is our job.”

“Our?”

Only then did Martin realize she wasn’t alone. Another masked woman stood with her.

“Allow me to introduce the Dark Knight, another of the Four Heavenly Kings serving my lord alongside me.”

“The Dark Knight?”

Unlike the robed Dark Spirit Summoner, she was clad in heavy black armor. It was a little strange that she wore a mask rather than a helmet and visor, but he could sense faint demonic energy.

Their eyes met.

“...”

“... You.”

Something about her was familiar.

Her long blond hair reaching to her waist.

Her emerald eyes, like a lake.

Her composed bearing.

“I am the Dark Knight, one of the Four Heavenly Kings serving my lord.”

And her trembling voice.

It couldn’t be.

Surely his little sister couldn’t be acting as the Demon King’s lackey.

“We brought you here because I have a proposal for you.”

Despite what his mind told him, warmth welled up in his chest.

“... Kaede?”

And so he said it. Even after the word slipped out, it felt unreal.

Surely a kidnapped imperial princess couldn’t be working for the Demon King...

“... Yes, that’s right, Brother. You recognized me immediately, just as I expected.”

The Dark Knight removed her mask, revealing his sister’s deeply familiar face.

“... It’s really you, Kaede?”

“Yes. Kaede Jespine, Ninth Princess of the Empire, greets you, Brother.”

And at the same time—

SHING

Kaede drew her sword. She slowly approached and held it to Martin’s throat.

“But I am also the Dark Knight serving the Demon King of Hellfire now.”

“... What are you saying? You’ve truly become the Demon King’s lackey? You, an imperial princess?”

“Yes. But I am not alone.”

Because...

“You will serve the Demon King of Hellfire alongside me, Brother.”

“... What?”

“Brother.”

I am doing this for you.

So...

“You must trust me completely.”

I do not want to lose you.

The Dark Knight’s gaze was resolute.

* * *

By the time Berge arrived where the two imperial siblings and the princess were, their conversation was well underway.

Ernyan, who had distanced herself from the siblings and was drawing in the snow with her finger in a corner, greeted him.

“How long have they been talking?”

“Almost thirty minutes. I nearly died of boredom sitting here alone.”

“Boredom is a good thing.”

It meant the conversation was continuing at length. Given how unlikely a favorable answer was to begin with, a short conversation could only mean rejection.

“What happened to the allied force?”

“They belatedly noticed the prince was missing. They’re searching in every direction, but they won’t make it here.”

“Did I do well?”

“You did.”

Thanks to Ernyan thoroughly drawing their attention, it had been easier than expected to station monsters nearby and send them in at the desired moment.

The enormous tidal wave of snow she had raised had inflicted heavy damage.

It wasn’t something he couldn’t have done without her, but he couldn’t have guaranteed such a flawless result. She had undoubtedly played a major role.

“Then give me something I want, too.”

“What?”

“You promised Lavinia a scale, didn’t you?”

“What do you want?”

“Can I tell you later?”

Hadn’t she done this last time, too?

“As you like. As long as it isn’t excessive, I’ll grant it.”

Unlike Kaede and Elena, Ernyan was not Berge’s servant. Their relationship had begun with goodwill, and her help had been immense thus far.

He was more than willing to grant her a reasonable request.

“Lord Berge.”

Kaede called to him then.

“We’ve finished talking.”

“And the result?”

Berge strode over to them. Kaede bowed her head without a word, while Martin looked up sharply.

“If we can reach mutually acceptable terms, I am willing to cooperate with the Demon King as a partner.”

“Cooperate?”

Not become his servant?

“I am an imperial prince, and my goal is to become the Empire’s supreme ruler. The emperor who governs the greatest nation on the continent cannot become a Demon King’s servant.”

“You won’t become emperor if you refuse, though.”

“Even if I never become emperor, I remain an imperial prince. I would not stand by and watch the Empire become a Demon King’s puppet, even in death, simply because I failed to take the throne.”

“Then you can die.”

Berge unleashed his killing intent.

“My lord!”

“I gave you a chance through Kaede. That was not an offer of friendship, but an act of mercy. Because your sister begged me.”

Yet Martin had rejected it.

“If you kill me, the Empire will surely destroy you.”

“I do not fear the likes of the Empire.”

“If that were true, you would never have made me this proposal.”

“I already told you.”

It was because of Kaede.

His killing intent intensified. Though Martin felt his breath catch in his throat, he gritted his teeth and answered.

“Nonsense! No Demon King acts on the words of a princess he kidnapped!”

“Not on a princess’s words, no. But I do act on a request from my subordinate, the Dark Knight.”

“Even so, you wouldn’t have done it unless it benefited you.”

“Of course. But not in the way you imagine. There is merely an inconvenient path and a slightly more convenient one.”

“Making me your servant is no more than a convenient path?”

“Yes. But you’ve thrown away that lifeline, so it no longer matters.”

In that case, naturally, he had to die.

WHOOSH

Black flames flickered.

They swept over Martin, engulfing him.

“Aaaaaagh!”

A terrible, lung-rending scream burst out. Wrapped in flame, he rolled across the snow. Still, the fire would not go out.

“My lord!”

“Wait.”

Kaede bit her lip. She wanted to save her brother immediately, but she could not move.

After a long while, Berge waved his hand. The fire subsided.

Martin emerged, his hair wildly disheveled and his breathing ragged. His eyes had lost all light, blank as white paper.

“That was only a taste. There won’t be a second. What will you do?”

“... An emperor cannot become the Demon King’s lackey.”

Even now, the man repeated himself. His resolve was worthy of praise—if Berge had belonged to the Empire rather than being a Demon King.

“Instead...”

“Instead?”

“I will leave you something else.”

“Something else?”

“A hostage.”

“Kaede is already my servant.”

“Not Kaede. My elder sister. I will give you my elder sister.”

There was only one person Martin could call his elder sister.

“The First Princess?”

“Yes. I will ensure there are no problems even if you kidnap her.”

“Making bullshit sound plausible is one of your human traits.”

Berge clamped his hand around Martin’s throat. Martin thrashed in midair.

“You pretend to offer a hostage, while using my hands to eliminate your political rival?”

Did he think Berge was a fool?

“Th-then I’ll hand over a sacred heirloom! Something that can serve as a token of trust!”

“A sacred heirloom?”

“The sword that symbolizes the imperial emperor! Without inheriting it from the previous emperor or obtaining it, no one can be formally recognized as emperor!”

A sword indispensable to being recognized as emperor.

If that was true, it was worth more than most hostages.

Berge loosened his grip.

“You cannot become my servant, but you can hand over something like that?”

“In the end, it is a symbol. It cannot be more important than a person. But without it, whoever takes the throne will have weaker legitimacy. That makes it suitable for establishing mutual trust.”

“And you can simply hand it over?”

“I can tell you where it is. And provide a little help.”

“It’ll be in the imperial secret vault.”

It was obvious. They would never guard a sword symbolizing the imperial family, the emperor, and the Empire carelessly. Knowing where it was wasn’t what mattered. The question was whether he could steal it.

If Berge needlessly intervened and exposed his demonic energy, the repercussions would be worse than what he faced now.

“I have the right to enter the imperial secret vault. When I do, I can take one bodyguard with me as far as the entrance. The rest would be up to you, but that much isn’t a bad offer, is it?”

“That depends on what sort of object it is. If it’s worthless rubbish with only symbolic significance...”

“Absolutely not! It is a sword of blazing fire made from the bones of a red dragon. The Red Dragon Sword, Barstein. Its blade is as red as flame...”

GRIP

“Gah! Wh-why are you doing this...!”

“What did you say was red?”

The blade.

Was red?