Chapter 15 - What It Takes to Put a Dwarf to Work

A hero's journey did not simply involve going to a Demon King's tower, fighting, and calling it a day. Along the way, heroes fought demonic creatures and demons sent by the Demon King, thwarted his schemes, battled monsters that harmed people, and killed bandits to keep the peace.

All those deeds added directly to the heroes' fame. And they brought in money: materials harvested from demonic creatures, demons, and monsters, as well as loot seized from bandits. Every last bit was valuable, so naturally mercenaries seeking fame and fortune joined them. Merchants did the same.

But all of that was merely a by-product. The real prize was the Demon King's tower. Demon Kings, ignorant of the value of money, piled all manner of valuable things in their storerooms. Their towers were gold mines everyone dreamed of visiting at least once.

Thus, in Arain, a hero's journey was a business venture. The stronger the hero leading it, the greater its chances of success—and the more investors and packs of jackals it attracted. The name Hillen Cargill, and his fame as the hero who had slain the Demon King of Lust, were symbols in their own right. Countless merchants offered sponsorship. Even more mercenaries arrived with weapons in hand.

"Welcome."

"I'm Granada, captain of the Red Hawk Mercenary Company."

"It's a pleasure to have you. Thank you all for coming to defeat the Demon King and uphold justice."

Granada and the Red Hawk Mercenary Company joined the crowd. There, he met Hillen for the first time as the hero personally welcomed the newcomers. Granada's first impression was that he was a good man. Hillen greeted everyone politely, never letting the smile leave his face.

The number of mercenaries gathered there exceeded a hundred. The Red Hawks marveled at the enormous crowd.

"We haven't even covered a quarter of the journey. If there are this many already, I can't imagine how many there'll be later."

"You were right, Captain! Coming early instead of waiting was the right call!"

"Then stop arguing and follow my lead."

One of the hero's aides showed them to a tent, and the mercenaries began unpacking. Just then, the crystal ball tucked inside Granada's clothes rang. It was a call from the tower.

"Step outside for a moment."

"What? I was just about to go to sleep."

"Out."

The mercenaries, who had been undressing, grumbled as they went outside.

"Damn it. Talk about a newcomer pushing out the old hands. He thinks he's our lord and master."

"Doesn't it piss you off, Captain?"

"Put up with it for one year, and a fortune falls into our laps. Naturally, I can't afford to get angry either."

"True. Nothing cures your troubles like money."

"And who knows? We might make a tidy sum on this hero's journey too."

They had expected Granada to keep quiet and simply pose as a mercenary. Instead, as soon as he became a senior mercenary, he challenged Bark to a sparring match.

["I have no intention of serving under someone weaker than me."]

["It's only a year, but you'll treat me as your captain for that time. If you refuse, come at me."]

Naturally, they resisted, and a fight broke out. Then came defeat. They were utterly crushed—not just one-on-one, but even when twenty attacked him together. Some mercenaries regretted accepting the job, but the money was too good to turn down.

'One year. Just endure it for one year, and we'll be rich.'

'Damn it, still, he's strong. Doesn't that improve our chances of surviving?'

That was how they had made it this far. And Granada was not the only person on Bark's mind.

'The real client—the man who bought Granada. He's even stronger.'

He had both money and power. The mere thought of what might happen if they reneged on such a man's commission frightened Bark.

'Once we finish this job, I'm cutting ties immediately.'

He had a feeling they should not stay involved with him. Something about it felt wrong.

* * *

Meanwhile, alone in the tent, Granada answered the call. Gordon appeared.

"... Really?"

『Yes. The Demon King commands you to do everything you can to assist the hero's journey. Get to work.』

"He really wants me to do my best to help? He didn't say anything else?"

『No. You're irritating me. Stop asking.』

Gordon abruptly ended the call. Granada's brow furrowed.

"That crazy bastard..."

Then the crystal ball rang again.

"What now? You told me to do it!"

『What an insolent tone.』

"Gah...! I-I'm sorry."

Granada hastily covered his mouth. He had assumed it would be Gordon, but the Demon King's face was staring at him instead.

『I hear you've joined the hero's journey.』

"Yes. But is it really all right for me to help the hero?"

However reluctant he might be, Granada was the Demon King's subordinate. He had even sworn an oath upon the World Tree. No matter how he looked at it, helping someone cut off his master's head felt wrong.

"Honestly, I thought you wanted me to pretend to help the hero and then stab him in the back."

But that was not the plan either.

『Do you know why hero's journeys became like this?』

After a brief silence, Berge spoke again. His question had little to do with Granada's.

"Haven't they always been that way?"

Hero's journeys had been like this since before Granada was born.

『Nothing in this world has always been the way it is. This is all because of those idiotic Demon Kings.』

"... Hmm."

Granada nearly blurted out, 'Aren't you one of those Demon Kings yourself?'

『You must at least know that Demon Kings follow certain rules.』

"I've heard rumors to that effect."

『They're true. And they're why things have come to this.』

So determined to follow the Guide more faithfully than anyone else, they never left their towers except to kidnap someone. At most, they sent demonic creatures of suitable strength to help heroes grow. They cast themselves as masterminds, setting all manner of events in motion and scattering treasure everywhere. They provided a steady supply of harvestable materials.

『People have come to count on it.』

There were no greater suckers.

『In truth, the best way to break that expectation is to kill them all the moment they set out.』

But Berge currently had neither the strength nor the forces to do that. So he approached it from the opposite direction. If he could not destroy them, he could at least avoid helping them grow stronger. There was another intention behind it as well.

『A hero's journey is human greed in its purest form. They gather to satisfy their own desires.』

Some sought fame, some money, and others something beyond that.

But what if all of those rewards vanished? Or, even if they did not vanish, diminished? What if, moreover, Hillen Cargill's name had drawn more people than before, with even greater expectations?

『I will send no demonic creatures.』

『I will send no demons either.』

『Nor will I employ any other tactics.』

Without battles, there would be no fame to gain. Without corpses, there would be no materials to harvest. Without incidents, public interest would wane.

How would the jackals eyeing the spoils behave once those spoils dwindled? With Hillen holding everyone together, there might be no major problems. But even petty complaints and minor disputes would be a gain. Through them, Berge would explore other possibilities and consider new approaches. He was also certain that the number of heroes and mercenaries would drop, however slightly.

『You will report to me promptly on how the hero's journey changes for the worse.』

"... I'll keep that in mind."

As Granada bowed his head, he felt a chill run down his spine.

'Good heavens. A Demon King who understands human nature far too well.'

Money. He had struck at a more fundamental aspect of the hero's journey. And to Granada, who had witnessed human greed as a slave, this approach seemed far more effective than sending demons or demonic creatures to interfere.

* * *

["I'll allow you anything. Build the finest traps you can."]

["There is just one condition."]

["Do not use mana stones. There must not be any trace of mana."]

It was only one condition, but an extraordinarily restrictive one.

"... Hmm."

Dwarves were skilled with their hands. That dexterity had led them into metallurgy, smelting, and crafting. It was only natural that their steadily advancing technologies would combine with mana and develop into magical engineering. Dwarven technology today could not be discussed without it.

"Is it difficult?"

"... Eek!"

Logger jumped at the voice that came out of nowhere.

"Did I startle you? I'm sorry."

The princess beamed.

"... You nearly gave me a heart attack. Please be more careful next time."

"I will."

'I just can't get used to this.'

She was supposed to be a captive, yet she wandered around so freely. Apparently the Demon King had told her she could, so it was none of his business.

"I'm glad you're here. There's nothing to pass the time in this tower."

"That's true."

"And even though you've been captured, you're still a hero, so I feel safer. Anyway, what are you going to do with the first floor?"

"I'm working on a plan."

If only he could use mana stones, things would be easier. With all sorts of traps laid from the entrance onward and dozens of magical cannons aimed at the doorway, even the greatest hero could not escape unscathed. But mana was forbidden as a power source.

'Use gunpowder for the cannons, a traditional mechanism for the ballistae, and for the traps...'

There were plenty of alternatives to mana. The question was whether they could produce the destructive power and effectiveness the Demon King wanted.

"You're right. I don't think crude gunpowder technology could do much to Sir Hillen..."

"Hillen Cargill? The hero who killed the Demon King of Lust?"

"Yes."

"He's coming here? Are you certain?"

"Not certain, no."

The hero's journey had already begun, but Ernyan was cut off from the outside world inside the tower. Neither Berge nor Gordon shared outside news with her. Still, it was a very simple deduction.

"My father cherishes me dearly. The kingdom is probably in an uproar, and he'll surely do whatever he can to rescue me."

"He's bound to commission a hero with a chance of success, and Sir Hillen is the strongest hero in Hilderan."

"And Sir Hillen won't be able to refuse. Because I'm the Crown Princess."

Ernyan was certain. Logger was horrified.

'The Crown Princess...?'

It was the first he had heard of that.

In that case, Hillen Cargill was certain to come. And the Demon King wanted Logger to build traps that could stop such a monster. Without magical engineering, no less. Logger toppled backward.

"Are you all right?"

"No, I'm not."

He wanted to cry.

* * *

"I must have misheard."

Berge picked at his ear. Logger clenched his teeth at the faint contempt beneath his bored demeanor.

"I heard there's a strong chance Hillen Cargill will come."

"It's not a chance. He's coming. He's already begun his hero's journey."

"..."

The conditions were already terrible, and now there was a deadline too.

"Hillen Cargill is one of the greatest heroes, the man who killed the Demon King of Lust. Building traps that can stop him will not be easy."

Not easy? It was nearly impossible.

"Then you lied to me. You claimed to be the finest craftsman in the dwarven kingdom, and said you would be useful. Yet you're useless. And I have no particular reason to keep a useless 'hero' around."

FWOOSH

Berge conjured black flames. Gordon's face turned deathly pale.

"Mana! I can do it if you let me use mana! I'm not saying it's impossible. I'm asking you to let me use mana."

"I instructed you not to use mana."

And there would be no compromise on that.

"Heroes are more sensitive to mana and demonic energy than anyone else, because they are loved by the dimension. Do you think a hero wouldn't notice magical devices powered by mana stones?"

"He might not..."

Logger timidly objected, fidgeting.

"The great hero Hillen, you mean?"

"..."

It was especially true inside a Demon King's tower. Mana was utterly out of place in a world overflowing with demonic energy. Would a hero fail to notice the difference? Fail to sense anything strange? No. Even a hero other than Hillen would certainly suspect something was amiss. Berge wanted to eliminate that oddity. A perfect ambush, after all, began with a completely unsuspecting enemy.

"B-but this is Hillen. He's beheaded a Demon King. It's impossible to kill him with outdated equipment that doesn't even use mana."

"Making the impossible possible is your job. And I never said you had to kill him."

"... B-but."

"Humans often say that a craftsman doesn't blame his tools. You claimed to be an exceptionally skilled craftsman, so you will have to live up to that claim."

"That's all human bullshit. Among us dwarves, craftsmen are even more particular about their tools!"

"Will you quiet down if I tear apart that loudly yapping mouth of yours?"

"Gah—no."

Logger clamped his hands over his mouth. But soon he opened it again.

"There is a way. A way to use mana without causing the problem you're worried about."

"Oh?"

When the Demon King's expression turned interested, Logger began speaking faster.

"There's a magical device that conceals traces of mana. If we bring it here..."

"Are you certain it can fool him? Here?"

"The concentration of mana within the tower's domain is low, but it isn't completely absent. We should be able to reduce it to that level. At the very least, we can fool him until just before he opens the tower's door!"

"That's not bad. Where is it?"

"Uh... In my workshop."

"..."

"... P-please spare me! I swear I'm not trying to escape! Aagh, I can't breathe!"

Suspended in midair, Logger frantically kicked his short legs.