Chapter 24 - Hillen Cargill’s Whereabouts

Watton’s return. A partial failure.

After the news spread, one question interested people more than any other.

So where was Hillen Cargill?

“He is still searching the Erjest Mountains for the Demon King’s tower.”

Watton had given them an answer, but as more time passed without news, an increasing number of people began to worry.

“He’s probably dead. It was a failure.”

“That’s ridiculous. He killed the Demon King of Lust. There’s no way he’d lose to some Demon King who only just descended.”

“Sure, he wouldn’t lose to the ‘Demon King.’ But think about it. Are the Erjest Mountains an ordinary mountain range? They’re crawling with monsters, blizzards hit practically every day, and they’re notorious for their treacherous terrain. He’s been wandering around out there for weeks. Could even a hero survive that?”

No, by that point, even finding the tower would pose a problem.

“Could he defeat the Demon King in that condition?”

However recently he had descended, a Demon King was still a Demon King.

No one could answer that question with confidence.

Erjest’s reputation was no accident, nor was a Demon King’s.

Hillen was a hero, but ultimately, he was human. And for heroes who went to a Demon King’s tower, no news had never been good news.

“He must be dead.”

“Hillen Cargill failed!”

“The fact that he still hasn’t returned proves it!”

Dread was quick to spread.

The rumors steadily grew, lining someone’s pockets as they did.

* * *

[125412pt]

“Excellent.”

Berge smiled happily as he watched his demonic energy points rise rapidly.

The humans might not know it, but the hero’s journey had been utterly crushed. Peace had come to the tower.

Cleaning up after a war was always important, but Berge had little to do himself. Tidying the tower’s interior was Gordon’s job, and he had entrusted Granada with managing the prisoners. Logger would have to deal with the broken mana cannons and ballistae himself, while the fourth floor was the princess’s responsibility.

For now, they were waiting for the prisoners’ spirits to break. As the Demon King, he enjoyed the wait.

The heroes’ approach had quietly frayed his nerves day after day, and he had been running without a moment’s rest since his regression. This leisure was precious.

The accumulating points were a bonus.

“An invitation has arrived.”

That was when a visitor arrived to herald the end of his leisure.

“An invitation?”

“A message from the Beast Demon King. ‘At noon in one week, a banquet will be held at the Tower of Lies to celebrate the new Demon King’s descent and victory. You must attend. Your absence will not be accepted.’”

“My absence won’t be accepted? I wonder if he wasn’t embarrassed to say that himself.”

A banquet.

Unlike Demon Kings in other dimensions, Arain’s Demon Kings knew their position was not absolute. They knew they could fall from hunters to prey.

So, to survive and carry on living, they sought to strengthen their bonds with one another.

That was the banquet, the Harmony of Towers—a gathering where the five Demon Kings met and mingled.

It was held once a year, with each tower taking its turn as host. The exception was when a new Demon King descended.

Before his regression, the banquet had been held shortly after Berge’s descent. He had ignored the invitation then.

‘Back then, I thought banding together was unworthy of Demon Kings.’

That aside, it was strange that the invitation had only arrived after several months.

‘This must be another butterfly effect.’

He had insulted the Guide and been branded a blockhead.

Drakson had been hostile from the outset, deliberately working to undermine him. He had wanted Berge dead.

“But the bastard he expected to die succeeded instead, so now he wants to see my face, if only out of curiosity?”

“What will you do?”

“He went so far as to send an invitation. I ought to show some courtesy.”

Berge was walking a completely different path from his previous life.

The relationships and events along that path had changed, and to avoid repeating the same outcome, he needed to change his own attitude as well.

‘I also need a clearer understanding of the relationship between the Demon Kings and the humans.’

In the past, Berge had formed no meaningful relationships with humans. He was a conqueror, and they were nothing more than spoils to be won through battle and struggle.

He had been a law unto himself.

He had associated with none of the other Demon Kings.

He had scoffed at humans who offered negotiations.

He had considered every hero beneath him.

And so,

No Demon King had helped him.

When he chose war over negotiation, the humans formed an alliance.

The heroes were the ones making a fool of him.

Back then, he had thought it right. He had taken it for granted.

But a single failure had made what once seemed unquestionable no longer so.

‘This time will be different.’

It had to be different. Without fail.

He had changed how the tower operated by making use of a dwarf and a princess.

Now it was time to change his diplomatic and social relationships.

* * *

The Harmony of Towers.

That was what Arain’s Demon Kings called their banquet.

The first banquet had been held exactly 351 years ago.

Demon Kings had fallen one after another before the waves of heroes, and newly arrived Demon Kings had been unable to establish themselves properly.

Unable to stand by any longer, one Demon King had proposed that they band together like the humans. Their first gathering had been the Harmony of Towers.

“Calling yourselves Demon Kings, yet using a word as embarrassing as ‘harmony.’”

The choice of word revealed just how badly Arain’s Demon Kings had been cornered.

“Shall we depart?”

“Yes.”

Only Demon Kings and their adjutants were invited to the Harmony of Towers. Thus, only Gordon could accompany Berge.

[Opening a gate to the Tower of Lies.]

[The other party’s consent is required.]

[Accepted.]

[100pt will be consumed.]

The gates linking the towers could be opened and closed at the will of their respective Demon Kings. They would not open without both parties’ consent or sufficient points, but no Demon King refused the banquet of harmony.

At least, not in this life.

CRACK

Space split open on one side of the fifth-floor grand hall, where the golden throne stood.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Berge stepped into the rift.

* * *

“Welcome.”

“We welcome the great Demon King, Lord Berge Deias!”

A gate between towers always delivered its travelers to the first floor of their destination.

Thus, Berge emerged at the tower’s entrance. The door creaked open.

He stepped onto a red carpet.

Magnificent chandeliers illuminated the interior. Golden statues, beautiful paintings, and finely crafted ornaments delighted the eye.

Amid them, dark elves stood in ceremonial ranks with swords in hand. Behind them, succubus maids and incubus butlers bowed respectfully.

“Uh...”

Gordon was bewildered by the sight, so unlike a Demon King’s tower. Berge, however, walked silently along the carpet.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Berge Deias. I am Aina Sermun, adjutant to Lord Jason.”

At the end of the first floor, where the carpet and ceremonial ranks ended, a red-haired succubus bowed respectfully. Courteous and graceful, with impeccable dignity.

“We prepared this welcoming ceremony especially for you, my lord. Is it to your liking?”

“Not bad.”

“Then our preparations were worthwhile.”

“I particularly like that golden statue. The finely worked jeweled ornaments, too. Dwarven craftsmanship?”

“... You are a rather unusual Demon King, my lord.”

“Surely you heard that long ago?”

“I did, but rumors are only rumors, are they not?”

“They’re true. Not a grain of falsehood in them.”

A faint crack appeared in Aina’s pleasant expression.

“... I see. The Demon King of Lies is waiting upstairs. I shall escort you.”

“And the other Demon Kings?”

“They have all arrived.”

“I don’t believe I’m late.”

“No. The others simply arrived a little early.”

“They must have had plenty to discuss without me.”

“As a mere adjutant, I would not know anything about that.”

“An adjutant is hardly ‘mere.’ Ordinarily.”

“...”

CLICK, CLICK

Silence fell. Only the faint clicking of Aina’s high heels echoed through it.

Thirteen floors. The Demon King of Lies’s tower was thirteen floors tall.

Aina stopped before the doors to the grand hall on the thirteenth floor.

“The Demon Kings are inside. This is not a gathering an adjutant would dare join. May I take your adjutant elsewhere, my lord?”

Berge nodded, not particularly concerned. Aina knocked softly on the door. The dark elf guarding it called out.

“Demon King Berge Deias has arrived.”

“Please show him in.”

The doors opened as the reply came.

“Enjoy your time here.”

Aina bowed and departed with Gordon.

The interior was extravagantly splendid.

It represented the pinnacle of old-world elegance lavishly plastered with money, making the first floor seem like a mere drop in the ocean.

The golden throne had been moved far aside. In its place stood a circular table, translucent and carved from a single diamond.

And around that table, four Demon Kings welcomed Berge Deias.

“It’s been a while.”

The Beast Demon King glared at him with a look of mild displeasure.

“You are Berge Deias?”

The Demon King of Bitter Cold regarded him with a cold gaze tinged with curiosity.

“The infamous blockhead graces us with his presence.”

The Adamant Demon King flapped his mouth with a flippancy ill suited to his five-meter bulk.

“Welcome.”

The Demon King of Lies bowed elegantly.

Berge sat in the seat prepared for him. Four pairs of eyes fixed on his expressionless face.

“Good to see you.”

The Demon King of Lies adjusted his monocle, a gentle smile on his lips.

“‘Good to see you’?”

Berge slowly turned his head. Ugar Belbek. The titan’s enormous eyes stared at him.

“Everyone here is your senior. Show some respect, you stupid blockhead.”

“Stupid, am I?”

Berge tapped the table.

“I graduated top of my class. Did you?”

“You bastard...!”

“Is this how you treat your guests?”

He turned toward the Demon King of Lies rather than Ugar.

“I came because you invited me, only to find you’ve put some pig in front of me to grunt away. Is that your way of telling me to leave?”

Killing intent erupted.

“... Do you want to die?”

“Lord Ugar, this is a banquet hall. I would ask you not to spoil this sacred gathering.”

“But...!”

“Lord Ugar.”

At the Demon King of Lies’s intervention, Ugar scowled and reined in his killing intent.

“Lord Berge, you seem more worthy of being called a Demon King than anyone.”

“I’ll gladly accept the compliment.”

“Is there anything else you wish to say? If so, I will hear it all now.”

Berge shook his head without a word.

He was not close enough to them to exchange friendly greetings, and this was his first banquet. Unsure what he should do, he intended to observe for now.

“Of course. I see.”

Jason nodded exaggeratedly, as though he understood.

“This may feel a little unfamiliar, but this gathering is intended to foster harmony among Demon Kings. We learn more about one another and share our affection so that we may respond to humans more effectively.”

“That’s not merely embarrassing. It’s revolting.”

He knew the idea was not wrong.

Ultimately, results were what mattered. Just before Berge’s regression, he had failed, while Jason and the other Demon Kings had not.

They had not succeeded either, but the important thing was that they had not failed.

Still, agreeing with them from the outset would be the wrong move. To them, Berge was a blockhead who ignored even the Guide. They would find such agreement all the more suspicious.

“Of course. I believe that is a perfectly natural sentiment for a Demon King.”

Despite the blatant criticism, Jason’s expression did not change in the slightest.

He had always been that way. Always wearing a smiling mask, always courteous to everyone.

“But the dimension of Arain is not as easy to handle as you believe, Lord Berge. It shames me to say this as a Demon King, but this is a world where even Demon Kings must compromise.”

“Demon Kings and compromise do not belong together.”

“Of course. But nothing in this world is absolute, is it? Just as you denounced the Guide, which demons consider absolute.”

“Are you mocking me?”

“I am merely stating a fact.”

Jason shrugged. Berge did not press the matter further.

What followed was small talk.

“Since this is your first meeting, I imagine you know little about the others. As this gathering of harmony is being held in my tower, I shall fulfill my duty as host and introduce them.”

A simple conversation in which the Demon King of Lies described the other three Demon Kings to Berge.

“This is Lord Ugar Belbek. He is a titan whom humans call the Adamant Demon King.”

“Hmph. A name too fine for the likes of you to hear.”

The hulking figure snorted. Berge frowned, feeling as though a rotten stench filled the air.

“You are already acquainted with the Beast Demon King, I believe. This is Lord Drakson Doldorf. He is a wolf beastman.”

“As insolent as ever.”

As expected, hostility rained down on him.

“And this is Reina...”

Berge let the introduction go in one ear and out the other as he sank into thought.

The Harmony of Towers.

Judging by what he had seen so far, there was nothing particularly special about the Demon Kings’ banquet. Like an ordinary human banquet, they drank, enjoyed food, and talked with one another.

That was all.

But was it really?

‘The Harmony of Towers has lasted a long time. And after it began, fewer Demon Kings died at the hands of heroes.’

Could simply building friendships achieve that? Surely not.

If that were all, this event could never have lasted for centuries.

If that were all, every Demon King except him would not have made a point of attending.

“Now that we have finished introducing ourselves, let us hear your introduction. No, actually, there is something we are more curious about.”

Just as he had expected.

“Berge Deias.”

No sooner had Jason finished speaking than Ugar growled.

“Where is Hillen Cargill?”