Chapter 140 - Currents Surrounding the Tower (2)

Preparations to receive Hillen Cargill and Hilderan were complete.

But that was a beginning, not an end. What truly demanded their full effort was attaching legs to the tower—and preparing to do so.

"... What do you mean by that, my lord?"

Logger, the dwarf hero, blinked. His trembling voice denied reality.

"I misheard you, didn't I?"

"You heard correctly."

"Ah."

Logger slumped to the floor. Sadly, only he and the Demon King were present, so no one helped him up.

"You can't!"

"I can't?"

"Sell my mana cannons—my children? How could you do this?"

"If the tower falls, there won't be any cannons or any other damn thing left."

"Fine. If I bend over backward to accommodate you, I can understand selling them. If it's to buy materials for the tower's legs, that's understandable. But!"

No matter how much he compromised!

"You want me to reduce the performance of my masterpieces with my own hands! You're killing me twice over!"

"Listen carefully."

"Whatever you say, I can't do that. Just sell them as they are!"

"Very well. I'll respect your wishes."

Berge considered simply shouting him down, then changed tack. That approach wouldn't bring out Logger's enthusiasm.

"Really?"

"Which means you must take responsibility for the consequences."

"Responsibility?"

"Suppose we sell the mana cannons as they are."

"Yes."

"People will certainly realize they're dwarven-made. Your craftsmanship is excellent."

"Of course. They're in an entirely different league from anything mere humans make."

The dwarf cleared his throat and puffed up his shoulders, brimming with pride.

"Naturally, other dwarves will recognize them too."

"They certainly will. My craftsmanship is impressive enough to astonish even fellow dwarves."

"And naturally, word will reach the Kingdom of Berft's Second Princess."

"... Pardon?"

"Isn't that obvious? The dwarves have designated mana cannons as strategic weapons and banned their export. You know that, don't you?"

"O-of course."

"Then how do you think they'd react if a human trading company started selling dwarven-made mana cannons in large quantities?"

Naturally, they would investigate.

And after digging, digging, and digging some more, their suspicions would probably...

"Wouldn't they turn toward you, Logger Fridri? The dwarf who defied the princess's orders, ran away, and still hasn't shown his face?"

HIC!

Logger caught his breath.

He couldn't help picturing Louise Berft charging toward him with a roar, an enormous axe in her hands.

And that axe smashing his skull.

"Of course, since you're in the Demon King's tower, that bitch can't do anything to you right now. But if you ever go outside..."

"You are absolutely right, my lord!"

"No, I respect your wishes. Preserving your pride as a dwarven craftsman is worth enduring all that."

"No, it isn't! You're right, my lord! Humans aren't ready for dwarven-made mana cannons! Reducing their performance to human standards is entirely appropriate!"

"You needn't say that on my account. I've already made up my mind."

"My lord, please!"

Logger clutched Berge's trouser leg. Berge frowned at the torrent of tears, snot, and drool.

"Listen carefully, Logger Fridri."

"Y-yes, sir!"

"I am the Demon King."

And you are a servant.

So...

"When I tell you to do something, you do it. Understand?"

"Of course!"

"Go. Reduce the mana cannons' performance. You needn't do all of them. Just a hundred to start."

"At your service!"

Logger bowed and left.

"That's another thing taken care of."

One by one, Berge was surmounting the smaller mountains standing in the way of the enormous project to move the tower.

* * *

"What an honor. The hero who discovered the Tower of Hellfire actually asking to see me privately."

The maids brought tea.

"You were the one who said you wouldn't act rashly, Brother."

"Yes. Had I known it would be so easy to find, I'd have acted first. Don't you agree?"

"It wasn't exactly easy. We found it relatively quickly, but there was considerable hardship and sacrifice."

"True, Dafner Philiain died. Oh, let me ask you something."

"Ask me?"

"Just as you have questions for me, there's something I'm curious about too."

"What is it?"

"The Four Heavenly Kings. Those demons with that childish name."

"..."

Martin Jespine had met two of the Four Heavenly Kings: the Dark Spirit Summoner and the Dark Knight. And, absurdly enough, the Dark Knight was Kaede Jespine, his dearly cherished younger sister.

He had been too confused to realize it at first, but in light of Kaede's situation, the Four Heavenly Kings were most likely the princesses the Demon King had abducted.

'The Dark Spirit Summoner is probably...'

Ernyan Hilderan, Hilderan's Crown Princess.

After all, tales of her spirit summoning weren't confined to the Kingdom of Hilderan. They were known throughout the continent.

Even setting aside how demonic energy could be sensed from her and Kaede despite their being human, he couldn't tell the truth about this. That would mean selling out his own sister.

"Haven't you already heard?"

"Hearing it directly from you would be different."

"The only one I met was the Dark Spirit Summoner."

"Yes, she's the one I'm curious about too. I've never heard of these Four Heavenly Kings before. Probably some tasteless whim of the Demon King of Hellfire. I imagine they're high-ranking demons. Aren't they?"

"... I imagine so."

"What was the Dark Spirit Summoner you met like?"

"In what respect?"

"Every respect."

"She was powerful. A wave of snow rose with a gesture of her hand, large enough to engulf the entire search party. After that, the avalanche and barrier obscured my view, but she unleashed masses of flame and shattered the barrier."

"So she commands water and fire spirits."

"Afterward, monsters attacked the search party. That was the end of the Dark Spirit Summoner's involvement."

"If she disappeared after using magic once, perhaps demons suffer adverse effects from commanding spirits. Good. So why have you come?"

"Did you know?"

"You've left out the subject. But what if I did?"

Floyan didn't ask what he meant. The question Martin would have after an audience with the emperor was obvious.

"What did His Majesty say?"

"That because this Demon King is unprecedented, we must subjugate him and eliminate him before problems arise."

"Sounds plausible."

Only on the surface.

"Leaving the true enemy who made fools of the Empire alone, while killing the idiot Demon King who's shown himself."

"Was this your influence, Brother?"

"Yes, our older brother's influence."

"Why?"

"The stated reason is exactly what you heard from His Majesty."

"And the real reason?"

"I don't know either."

Floyan shrugged.

"Our brother, Marlene, and Duke Osrian argued strongly for it."

The nobles supporting House Osrian, the First Prince, and the First Princess followed suit. That was the prevailing tide.

"You don't even have a guess?"

"I have my suspicions, but don't you as well? It's not as though no one secretly joins hands with Demon Kings. We simply lack clear evidence."

Collusion between those in power and Demon Kings. In truth, everyone in the know already knew about it.

It was only natural.

Demon Kings had once been objects of terror, but that was precisely it—the past. Now that humans clearly held the upper hand, they considered Demon Kings perfectly usable if doing so benefited them.

Wasn't exploiting even their enemies what humans did?

A race willing to do anything for money, power, and glory. That was humanity.

"But House Osrian suffered the greatest losses in this affair."

"Who knows? Perhaps their relationship runs deep enough to accept that."

"Or perhaps this is His Majesty's will, and our brother is merely dancing like a puppet."

Their gazes met.

That was the truth of it.

On the surface, the imperial succession appeared to be a struggle solely between the imperial family and the nobles following them, without any interference from the emperor. But the emperor was human too.

Not every child was equally dear to a parent, and there would be someone among the imperial family he favored more.

At least, that was how it looked to them, even if the emperor never openly showed it.

Perhaps it was simply because that child was the eldest, or because he most resembled the emperor himself.

But if numerous members of the imperial family sensed it, however faintly, it wasn't merely a feeling or a misconception.

That was the reason these two princes, born to different mothers and rivals to each other, had quietly grown close.

In a sense, joining forces to overthrow a common enemy was only natural instinct.

"What will you do, Brother?"

"What choice is there? His Majesty's will is firm. We must devote everything to killing the Demon King of Hellfire."

"With me..."

"Very well. Honestly, I'm not confident I can beat our brother alone. Our own battle can wait until afterward."

The two princes clasped hands.

'This wasn't what I came here for...'

The Third Prince's worries deepened.

* * *

She swings her sword.

Golden aura ripples.

It slashes through empty space, cleaves the air, and annihilates even the flowing beads of sweat.

Its graceful flow leaves long trails, becoming a dance that colors the world.

"Hah, hah..."

Kaede panted heavily.

Mana was scarce in the Demon King's tower, naturally limiting the aura she could replenish.

She tired quickly, and her aura was soon depleted. These were the worst possible conditions, but in one sense, they were good. She could feel herself growing stronger as she overcame them.

'What should I do?'

Today, however, she couldn't focus solely on training. Distracting thoughts refused to leave her as she swung her sword.

Soon, the Empire would come.

The Empire would come to kill the Demon King.

What should she do if she faced them?

This was entirely different from the last time, when she had persuaded her older brother. They would be determined to kill the Demon King, and she would inevitably be discovered.

Her only real hope was the tower relocation the Demon King spoke of, but she doubted whether it was possible.

A Demon King's tower sprouting legs and walking around had no place in her understanding of the world.

"Here."

A snow-white hand offered her a handkerchief. It was Ernyan.

"Wipe off your sweat."

"Thank you."

"You seem to have a lot on your mind."

"..."

"Don't worry. What you're afraid of won't happen."

"Do you think so?"

"When our lord says he'll do something, he does it. He always has. If he's decided to move the tower, it means he really will. There won't be any clash with the Empire."

"But I've never heard of anything like that happening."

"Did you ever imagine becoming one of the Four Heavenly Kings?"

"..."

Of course not.

"Nowhere else is there a Demon King's tower where a dwarf hero fills the first floor with mana cannons, a princess of Akan fills the second with chimeras, and princesses of Hilderan guard the fourth alongside elves."

"... That is true, but..."

"So have faith. It's not as though there's anything you can do anyway, Kaede."

"... That is also true, but..."

Somehow, that left her feeling distinctly uneasy.

"What brings you here, though?"

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. You know I'm leaving, don't you?"

"Ah. For Hilderan..."

"Yes. It's a shame. We haven't even had the chance to grow very close."

"A shame?"

Kaede couldn't understand her. She wasn't bound by that strange Armani Orb like Kaede, nor had she entered into a dark mage's contract, yet she regretted leaving the tower.

Did she not want to return to her kingdom and resume her old life?

"Oh, Kaede, would you like this?"

Kaede brightened at the small piece Ernyan produced.

"Where did you get that?"

"I bought it when I went out with our lord last time. I'm handing it out, since I'll be returning to the kingdom now."

"Thank you."

The brown morsel quickly vanished into Kaede's mouth. Its sweetness brought an involuntary smile to her face.

"You seem to like chocolate."

"One piece after training makes all my fatigue feel as though it's melted away."

Kaede looked happier than she ever had since arriving at the tower. Whether she simply loved chocolate or hadn't eaten any in a long time, Ernyan couldn't tell.

It was the first unexpected side she had seen of the noble imperial princess and knight who always wore such a stiff expression.

"Now this is a rare sight."

"Pardon?"

"Nothing. Would you like more?"

"You have more?"

"Here."

Ernyan tossed her a few more chocolates. While Kaede busily munched away, she went up to the fifth floor and knocked on the office door.

"My lord."

CREAK

The door opened. The Demon King asked curtly,

"What is it?"

"I wanted to give you one last piece of advice before I leave."

"Advice?"

"Kaede can be a little rigid, you know. So can you. That's why things are still so stiff between you, isn't it? Even though you're the Demon King and she's one of the Four Heavenly Kings."

"... And?"

THUD!

Ernyan pulled a thick sack from her storage-dimension pouch and set it on the table.

"... What is this?"

"Chocolate."

"...?"

"Just as you oil a rusty machine, you'll be coating your relationship with Kaede in chocolate."

"..."

It took Berge quite some time to understand what on earth she meant.

Of course, that didn't mean he found it convincing.