Chapter 141 - A Subject

“Damn it.”

Granada exhaled a cloud of white breath. The bitter cold had turned his cheeks red.

“Erjest again.”

Ever since contracting with the Demon King and becoming one of Hillen Cargill’s close associates, Granada had been unable to shake the feeling that he was being worked to death.

Starting with his infiltration of the first hero’s journey led by Hillen Cargill, he had entered The Beast’s Tower and narrowly escaped death, climbed Erjest to help Akan, returned once more for the Empire-led search, and now joined the raiding party organized by Hilderan. He was even scheduled to take part in the Empire’s upcoming hero’s journey.

And all of it in a land of bitter cold where snow fell year-round.

‘Does he not know elves live in warm places with beautiful mountains and clean water?’

No, even if he knew, he wouldn’t care. That was why he was a Demon King.

“Are you sure these are orders from above, and not just you trying to betray him?”

Granada glared at Hillen Cargill, who was walking beside him.

Otherwise, why would Berge keep urging him to join hero’s journeys and raiding parties meant to kill Berge himself?

“There are other people around, Master Granada.”

“I see. Then allow me to ask again politely. Aren’t you simply planning to stab him in the back in a disgusting attempt to save your own skin?”

“That wasn’t remotely polite, but I’ll answer. I merely obey faithfully, as always.”

“Must your faithful obedience always involve me?”

“So that’s what’s bothering you. Of course, he never explicitly mentioned that part, but humans have a saying: where the needle goes, the thread follows. If I go, wouldn’t it be absurd for my Red Hawk raiding party and its deputy leader, Master Granada, not to accompany me?”

“... Damn you.”

Granada barely suppressed the urge to slap Hillen’s smug, smiling face.

He looked toward the distant mountains and steadied his breathing. The sight of an ogre rising through the snow drew an involuntary curse from him, but he forced his thoughts in another direction.

‘He told me to help Hillen Cargill rescue Ernyan Hilderan.’

That meant the Demon King had decided to release Ernyan Hilderan. By sending her back, he intended to silence Hilderan, one of the two powers threatening him alongside Jespine.

Under the circumstances, it was the best option available. Even so, the greater mountain that was the Empire would remain.

‘He’s not really going to die, is he?’

What would happen then? Even though Granada had sworn by the World Tree, there would be no reason to uphold the oath once the person it concerned was gone.

‘But even if I’d be all right, the other elves wouldn’t.’

As the Demon King’s subordinates, they would have to fight the expedition. Would humans enraged at the Demon King spare the elves? They would call them traitors and make their deaths all the more painful.

‘...’

He had made those elves the Demon King’s lackeys with his own hands. He had consoled himself that it was better than slavery, but that did not change the fact.

He could not let them die as the Demon King’s lackeys. At least until a hundred years had passed, the Demon King must not die.

That was Granada’s responsibility for drawing them into this.

‘Damn it. Did the Demon King use the elves knowing this would happen?’

Either way, he had no way out.

Meanwhile, as he continued to brood, the raiding party advanced rapidly toward the Tower of Hellfire.

The problem was that they were moving too rapidly.

It was far too easy for a place called Erjest, the domain of the Demon King of Hellfire.

SLICE

The enormous monster’s head fell, split in two. The pristine snow turned red.

‘So this is what he meant.’

Having killed the monster, Hillen Cargill flicked the blood from his sword.

The Demon King had said he had prepared a smooth road to the tower. Now Hillen understood.

The path was well cleared, and markers only he could recognize indicated the shortest route to the tower. Monsters appeared, but their strength and numbers were kept within a range he could comfortably handle.

Hillen Cargill had grown considerably stronger, so even those monsters inflicted quite a few casualties on the others. Still, some of the more perceptive members could not help wondering.

“Is this really Erjest?”

“Wasn’t it supposed to be a forbidden region crawling with monsters?”

“I thought it snowed all year round. The sky’s perfectly clear.”

With even the weather cooperating, the difficulty had plummeted. Hillen smiled outwardly while inwardly cursing these people who couldn’t simply accept things even when everything was spoon-fed to them.

“In a way, this is only natural.”

“Natural?”

“Though the search party suffered heavy losses, we clashed with the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s army. His forces must have suffered substantial losses as well, so naturally there are fewer monsters to obstruct us.”

“That’s true.”

“And who am I? It may sound like boasting, but I am Hillen Cargill.”

“... Indeed.”

“Just what we’d expect of you, Lord Hillen.”

His explanation satisfied those who had raised doubts.

“Come to think of it, the monsters were strong. Lord Hillen was simply stronger.”

They were seasoned mercenaries and the kingdom’s elite. They had merely been bewildered by how easygoing the journey felt compared with the region’s fearsome reputation. They knew that even one of the monsters slain by Hillen’s sword would cause a major commotion if it descended the mountain.

“Anyway, I hope it stays this way.”

“Agreed.”

It did.

Following the smooth road prepared by the Demon King, they discovered his dwelling far sooner than anyone had expected.

“The tower!”

“There really is a tower!”

The Tower of Hellfire. The hottest tower on the continent appeared before their eyes.

There were no monsters nearby. The raiding party calmly reached the tower’s entrance.

The relaxed atmosphere tightened with tension once more.

‘I’m back.’

Hillen Cargill placed a hand on the door. It felt cold from standing in the snow.

Once he opened it, he would finally enter the tower.

Everything had already been arranged. All he had to do was open the door, deal with a few minor monsters, and rescue the Crown Princess from the first or second floor.

But...

‘There really will be monsters in there, right?’

Not mana cannons?

He would be greeted by the monsters’ roars, not dazzling flashes of light, wouldn’t he?

Of course, he knew the Demon King would not lie. But the deep trauma left behind was not so easily dispelled.

Cold sweat trickled down his back.

“Lord Hillen?”

“Is something troubling you?”

The raiding party’s members looked puzzled by his hesitation.

“No, not at all. It’s just that finally being able to enter this tower brings back a great many feelings.”

“Ah, I understand. This tower must hold particular significance for you.”

Reminded of his failure, the search party briefly grew somber.

“But that’s all in the past, isn’t it? Once you rescue Her Highness the Crown Princess and kill the Demon King, your fame will resound throughout the continent!”

A mage hurriedly tried to brighten the mood. Granada, however, knew perfectly well that this was not the cause.

‘He’s scared.’

Well, dozens of mana cannons firing the instant the door opened had truly been a bolt from the blue.

And now there were reportedly hundreds of them. If the tower still followed its original layout, more than half the search party would be blasted away the moment the door opened.

“Thank you for your encouragement. How unseemly of the hero who should be leading you all to slay the Demon King.”

Forcing his worries aside, Hillen applied pressure with his hand.

CREEEAK

With a heavy rumble, the massive door slowly opened.

GULP

The search party’s members tightened their grips on their weapons, preparing for monsters to spring out.

And when the door was fully open, Hillen Cargill felt relief.

At the sight of a tower as conventional as any could be.

At the absence of even a single mana cannon.

‘Yetis?’

Dozens of snow-white bundles of fur roamed the first floor. They were not weak monsters, but they fell far short of being a match for the search party.

“Th-there...!”

A knight suddenly shouted. Every gaze followed his pointing finger.

And there she was.

Hilderan’s Crown Princess, Ernan Hilderan.

Inside a small iron cage in a corner of the first floor, she lay asleep with her eyes closed, her face deathly pale.

“Good heavens, Your Highness!”

“Your Highness!”

“Your Highness, Crown Princess!”

The Hilderan knights and mages who recognized her face cried out.

Hillen Cargill blocked them as they made to rush toward her.

“Calm yourselves. This is the Demon King’s tower.”

“But Her Highness is right there...!”

“Her Highness is alive. Her presence here means the Demon King of Hellfire follows the same approach as the Demon King of Bitter Cold and the Adamant Demon King.”

Placing kidnapped royalty on the lower floors to avoid excessive confrontation.

“Ah...”

Realizing this, the search party brightened.

What those Demon Kings had in common went beyond simply placing royalty on the lower floors. Not once had any of those royal captives died.

“We’re fortunate. There’s no longer any need to risk forcing our way up to the Demon King’s Floor.”

Hillen Cargill raised his sword.

“I’ll lead the way.”

Before the search party could react, lightning struck.

KRA-BOOM!

A snow-white yeti collapsed in a mass of black ash. The thunderous blast that swept through the first floor provoked the yetis’ fury.

Thick killing intent heralded the start of battle. Hillen charged, followed by the Red Hawk raiding party with Granada at its head.

“Aren’t you impatient? Are you that eager to rescue Her Highness?”

“Of course. I’m the one who will rescue the Crown Princess.”

Hillen brushed off the elf’s sarcasm. Staged though it was, there were nearly three hundred witnesses. He could hardly help wanting the credit.

ROOOAR

The yetis roared, but they could not bar Hillen’s path.

The crackling lightning blackened their fur without allowing them even to spill red blood.

A blackened path formed.

SLICE

The suspended iron cage fell. Hillen caught it and carefully set it down.

He cut through the bars and gently lifted out the Crown Princess. Her body was terribly cold, but her faint breaths indicated that she was alive.

“Her Highness...?”

The search party caught up and gathered around Hillen.

“She’s alive. I see no notable injuries. But her body is far too cold. I believe she needs treatment.”

“Where is the healer?”

“Attend to Her Highness at once!”

“I think it would be best to descend to the village first and get her proper treatment.”

The commander of the Blue Sea Knights hesitated at Hillen’s suggestion.

“But Princess Elena...”

Ernyan Hilderan was indeed their highest priority, but the royal orders included Elena Hilderan as well. She, too, was a princess of Hilderan.

However...

“The foremost priority in my orders is Her Highness Crown Princess Ernyan Hilderan. Now that we’ve found the tower, we can organize a hero’s journey at any time. Protecting the Crown Princess comes first.”

‘Ernyan Hilderan is the only one the Demon King has permitted us to take. We mustn’t touch Elena.’

The moment he exceeded the mercy the Demon King had granted, his head would explode.

“But...”

“Lord Hillen! We must descend at once! Her Highness’s condition isn’t improving!”

The healer’s urgent cry came at just the right moment. Hillen hurried over.

“There are no apparent external injuries. Is it serious?”

“Her ice-cold body shows no sign of regaining warmth. I fear this is beyond my abilities. It would be best to return to the capital and have His Excellency the court mage examine her.”

“Let’s leave at once.”

Amid the commotion, the commander of the Blue Sea Knights could say nothing. Hillen swung his sword toward the tower’s closed doors. Powerful dimensional interference severed the force of the separate dimension.

The doors were forced open, and the raiding party left the tower, having safely accomplished its objective.

* * *

“Her Highness the Crown Princess has awakened!”

“She is still unwell. I think we should make camp and let her rest.”

The rescued Crown Princess awoke around halfway down the mountain.

Her complexion returned to normal, as though her previously ice-cold body had been an illusion.

The raiding party made camp in a place with few signs of monsters, and Hillen Cargill received a request for a private audience with the Crown Princess.

“I heard Her Highness has awakened.”

“Yes. Her Highness is waiting for you.”

Hillen Cargill entered the tent. Looking haggard, Ernyan was eating spoonfuls of soup.

“I’ve come at your summons.”

“Ah, Lord Hillen.”

“Your Highness.”

“It’s all right. How could I remain lying down to greet the hero who rescued me from the clutches of that wicked Demon King?”

She struggled to sit up. The knight guarding her tried to stop her, but Ernyan shook her head.

“Are you feeling well?”

“Thanks to you. Without you, Lord Hillen, I might have died.”

Ernyan turned toward the knight.

“Sir, would you leave us for a moment? I wish to speak with Lord Hillen.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The knight obediently left. At that moment...

- Ah, that was stifling.

A spirit peeked out. A translucent membrane of water enveloped the pair, blocking out sound.

“How was it?”

Ernyan’s tone changed. Her pitiful, exhausted expression became utterly playful and full of life.

“My acting.”

Ernyan smiled.

Hillen smiled as well.

“Superb.” “Really?”

“Without your perfectly timed assistance, we would have gone to the upper floors to rescue Princess Elena.”

“That wouldn’t do. It’s not what my lord wants.” Besides, Elena is better off in the tower for now.

“Congratulations on returning to your position as Crown Princess, Ernyan.”

“I heard from my lord that you love honor more than anyone, Lord Hillen.”

“No one dislikes honor.”

“And money?”

“No one dislikes money, either.”

“How does the title of benefactor to the Queen of Hilderan sound? And what if that queen offered her wholehearted support to make you not merely an Argan, but the Guildmaster of the Heroes’ Guild?”

“I have been Your Majesty’s subject from the very beginning.”

Hillen Cargill knelt.