Chapter 137 - Big, Sturdy Hope

"Long live the great hero, Hillen Cargill!"

Hillen Cargill visited the guild headquarters for the first time in a while. He paused briefly at the crowds and warm welcome stretching from the city gates all the way to the headquarters.

"Greetings, great Argan Hillen."

"What is all this?"

"A welcoming reception."

Parni Dernium, adjutant to Argan Hillen Cargill, answered with perfect composure.

"You rendered a great service by finding the Demon King of Hellfire when no one else could. You raised the guild's standing and restored its tarnished honor. Naturally, everyone is delighted to see you."

"... I see."

Hillen Cargill's lips rose in a rueful smile. It was only natural. His head had simply felt ready to burst from everything he had experienced lately, leaving him unable to think of the obvious.

"But these don't appear to be just guild members."

"Your achievement is not something that concerns heroes alone, Argan. Isn't it only natural for all the people of Carnia to welcome you?"

"Let's go."

Though a little surprised, Hillen Cargill fundamentally valued honor and enjoyed admiring gazes. He had no intention of refusing the feast prepared for him.

He guided his horse forward, waving slowly. The endless cheers gave him a rush of catharsis like a volcanic eruption, and he soon reached the guild's main entrance. The guards opened the doors for him.

Receiving awe and admiration from the heroes inside as well, he arrived at the great conference hall. Ten Argan sat on either side of a long red carpet, while the five elders who effectively determined the guild's direction occupied the seats of honor.

"Welcome, Argan Hillen Cargill."

And at the end of it all, rewards for his achievements awaited him.

Hillen Cargill cried out in delight.

* * *

After the commendations and rewards were finished, Hillen met privately with the chief elder in his office.

"Thank you for your hospitality."

"It's only natural. You're the hero who found the Demon King's tower, whose whereabouts were unknown."

The chief elder nodded calmly, then clicked his tongue.

"You must have noticed something was odd, haven't you?"

"It did feel a little excessive."

"A great deal excessive, surely."

Of course, finding the Demon King's tower—discovering a tower shrouded in mystery—was an achievement deserving praise. But ultimately, he had merely found it. He had not fought through several floors or killed a demon or a Demon King. He had simply located a tower they had previously been unable to find.

Until now, Demon Kings' towers had always been easy to locate, and this exception had admittedly caused greater anxiety. Even so, it was not an achievement that warranted almost everyone in the capital rushing out to cheer him.

'There's no way the Heroes' Guild doesn't know that.'

Besides, the Empire, not the guild, had led this search. The guild had only played a supporting role.

'If they're going this far anyway...'

It meant they had a reason.

"Is it because of Dafner?"

"Yes."

Behind the bright achievement of finding the Demon King's tower lay a shadow—a very dark shadow named Dafner Philiain. A Star hero, no less, had died during the mere preliminary step of locating the tower.

"Your success is certainly a major achievement, but Dafner Philiain's death is an acutely painful failure for the guild."

Dafner Philiain had been the freest and most active of the Ten Stars. Neither officially nor unofficially affiliated with any particular nation, he had been a hero who represented the guild. Ironically, because he traveled about building ties with nearly every nation, he had been the one the guild could trust most.

That hero was dead. The sorrow and despair would soon sap the guild's confidence, and its elders needed to shake off that loss of spirit.

"That's where you come in."

Another Star, who had killed two Demon Kings and found the Tower of Hellfire alongside Dafner Philiain.

"For humanity, this was a victory."

But not for the guild.

The Star named Dafner Philiain mattered more than finding the tower of some Demon King who had descended only a little over a year ago. Anyone with even a little awareness would wonder whether merely finding a tower could be called a victory when a giant like Dafner Philiain had died.

That was why guild headquarters had classified this affair as a defeat.

"And a defeat can be buried beneath a greater victory."

That was why they had stirred up even more enthusiasm over Hillen's achievements. They had exaggerated and inflated how great a hero he was and what incredible things he had accomplished, creating the present situation.

"But Dafner Philiain was a Star. Something like this won't..."

"You're wrong."

The chief elder shook his head.

"If you cannot bury a defeat, it is because your victories are insufficient. Because the victory is small and insignificant compared to the defeat. With greater victories, and more of them, a defeat is forgotten in an instant. It cannot help but be forgotten."

Humans were a breed that wanted to forget sorrow and despair, and later prettified those memories.

"... A greater, more glorious victory than finding the tower would mean..."

"Crushing that tower. What else could it be?"

For the guild's honor and prestige.

"We have agreed to kill the Demon King of Hellfire."

Hillen Cargill's heart sank.

"Of course, the guild won't take the lead. Aren't there already two nations in this world gnashing their teeth at the Demon King of Hellfire on our behalf?"

Hilderan and Jespine.

"I heard you visited Hilderan."

Now, tell me.

"As the guild's Argan responsible for Hilderan, as a hero born in Hilderan, and as a hero who has just had a private audience with its king..."

"What did the king of Hilderan say?"

We are ready to offer our full cooperation.

* * *

Whenever he plugged one problem, another burst open. It felt like walking through pitch darkness. The world was so black he could see nothing, and beneath him lay an abyss a thousand fathoms deep. Only a single slender rope supported his body.

Berge had decided to release Ernyan Hilderan to get Hilderan off his back. But that was only a stopgap. The far greater enemy called the Empire still remained, and Hilderan, too, would merely be holding off for a while. Its anger would not be completely quelled.

'But Hilderan will work out somehow.'

It was an irresponsible statement, but not entirely so. Considering Ernyan Hilderan's background, position, and power, merely imagining the upheaval she would cause upon returning to Hilderan was enjoyable. If she committed herself to blocking a kingdom-sponsored hero's journey, no one would lightly oppose her.

'There's a good chance a power struggle will break out, too.'

Ernyan was dependable. He did not know when he, a Demon King, had become able to place such faith in a mere human princess, but of this much he was certain.

He could trust Ernyan Hilderan.

'The problem is the Empire and the guild.'

Hillen Cargill had contacted him. Apparently, the guild had committed itself to supporting Hilderan and the Empire.

'The butterfly effect of killing Dafner Philiain. Damn it.'

He regretted it, but he could not have left Dafner Philiain alive. Now that the tower's location had already been exposed, he could not deny that it had all been pointless. At the time, however, it had been his only hope.

'Damn it, what a headache.'

Berge clutched his head. That would not produce an answer that did not exist.

He took out his communication orb and infused it with demonic energy. A moment later, Krutu answered.

『Yes, my lord.』

"Bring a frost wolf to the tower. I need some fresh air."

『I'll come at once.』

Berge left his office. When he stepped onto the third floor, the place was alive with banging and clattering.

"Whoa, no! Are you bastards going to fix it if it breaks? I said don't throw it!"

"You crazy yeti bastard! That one thing is worth more than your entire body!"

"Aaargh, my mana cannon!"

Mana cannons were heavy, delicate equipment. Logger could not carry more than three hundred of them by himself, so he had enlisted the monsters' help. But most monsters lacked higher intelligence, and some of the cannons were being handled roughly, entirely without malice. Naturally, Logger screamed.

"My lord!"

Having caught a mana cannon a yeti had thrown toward the floor, Logger spotted Berge and nearly burst into tears.

"Please stop these damned monsters! They're treating valuable equipment like garbage!"

"Ask Lavinia about that."

Lavinia was currently controlling the monsters.

"Do you think I haven't tried?"

"Then did Lavinia refuse your request?"

"No, that's not it, but..."

"Demon King."

Just then, Lavinia, who had been giving the monsters orders, came scurrying over.

"Didn't you tell the monsters to handle the equipment carefully?"

"Did."

"How?"

"Careful. Gentle."

"And?"

"Some. Understand."

She made an X with her hands. She meant that a few monsters without enough intelligence were running wild, doing as they pleased.

"Then take them off the job."

"That's okay?"

"Yes. I did tell you to put all the monsters to work so we could finish as quickly as possible, but you need to be flexible."

"Thirty-two."

"Thirty-two of them, then. Remove them."

"Okay."

Lavinia disappeared among the monsters to issue new orders. Logger bowed his head repeatedly.

"Thank you."

"That settles it, then?"

"Ah, there's one more thing."

"What is it?"

"Well, we're moving all the mana cannons and other equipment by hand, but I can't touch the workshop..."

"I'll move that myself."

Hell's Workshop was practically a component of the tower, created by spending demonic energy. There was no need to move it physically like the mana cannons. Spending a small amount of demonic energy points would suffice.

"Thank you. And what about the Mana Ghost...? I made it, but it's fully bound to the tower, so I'm not sure I should touch it. Ah, of course, if you tell me to do it myself, I'll risk my life to dismantle and analyze it perfectly..."

A growing madness filled Logger's eyes.

'The Mana Ghost?'

A single term struck Berge's mind.

Right. He had that. Something that could hide the tower, if only briefly, in exchange for demonic energy points. It was imperfect, but it had fooled Dafner Philiain once. He had been unable to use it this time because he had been away from the tower, but that did not diminish its value.

'The Mana Ghost.'

But it was not its capabilities Berge was mulling over. It was the fact that, although Logger had made it, it had become bound to the tower. That, albeit at the cost of an enormous number of demonic energy points, it had inherited some of the tower's power and affected the entire tower.

'Perhaps.'

A possibility flashed through his mind.

'Just perhaps.'

An idea no Demon King had ever entertained before—and perhaps none would ever entertain in the future.

"Logger."

"... So it's not that I'm desperate to take the tower apart. We can't just leave the Mana Ghost on the first floor, can we? That's why I, its creator, should work on it personally and study its principles and..."

"Logger!"

"... Y-yes, sir!"

Logger's blazing enthusiasm cooled. Berge gripped his shoulders firmly.

"... D-did I say something wrong?"

"Quite the opposite. Thanks to you, I've had a good idea!"

"J-just what you'd expect of me! But what sort of...?"

"We're going to build legs."

"... Pardon? A bridge? Is there a river here?"

"I mean legs, not a bridge."

"Pardon? Not a bridge?"

Surely not...

Unease made Logger shrink back. But Berge's hands tightened on his shoulders. His blazing eyes swallowed up even the madness that remained in Logger's.

"Exactly what you're thinking. The things you have, and I have."

Berge spread his arms wide.

"Very big, sturdy ones."

Ones that could move something truly enormous.

"I-I don't understand what you're saying, my lord..."

"We..."

Berge declared solemnly,

"Are going to make this tower move!"

"...!"

Crazy bastard.

Logger barely suppressed the curse that threatened to escape his lips.