Chapter 37 - My Axe, Your Skull

Volbov wanted to stop Louise, but failed. The only option left to him was to contact his homeland and report the situation.

“You’re letting her do that?!”

“I’m sorry.”

“If she won’t listen, make her! However cautiously those Demon Kings are behaving, walking straight into their territory is another matter entirely! There’s no telling what might happen!”

“... I’m sorry.”

“If His Majesty learns of this... If anything happens to Her Highness...”

The minister on the other side of the crystal ball pressed a hand to his forehead. The king’s love for the daughter born late in his life was all too well known.

“... What fault could we possibly find with you? This is all His Majesty’s own doing for spoiling her so thoroughly.”

“Try to stall her for a few more days. I’ll find some way to send reinforcements and work something out.”

“Will Ormus stand by and allow that?”

“All those bastards want is equipment and money. Their resistance is simply a demand for more. The finance minister will tear into me as though he wants me dead, but what choice do we have? With Her Highness at stake, we must bring her home safely, whatever the cost.”

“... I’ll do what I can.”

“Yes. Please, find a way.”

But the minister’s hopes came to nothing.

“Wait a few more days? What if Logger vanishes completely in those few days? At least say something that makes sense!”

At the unruly princess’s insistence, the hundred soldiers marched straight into the Demon King’s territory.

* * *

The Kingdom of Ormus.

With half its land covered in jungle, the kingdom was desperately poor. Its soil was barren and its population small. Monsters emerged from the jungle almost daily, making public safety precarious as well.

Ormus had survived by plundering. Its people were few, but their lives were a constant struggle, forcing them to grow strong.

They plundered one another and other countries. Most of their territory was barren and useless, so many nations protested without bothering to attack them.

But as Ormus’s raiders grew increasingly brazen, they provoked Jespine, bringing their kingdom to the brink of destruction.

After that, they turned to trade. They sold products harvested from jungle animals and monsters across the continent, and plundering was officially outlawed.

“Louise Berft is heading into the Demon King’s territory?”

But trade had only ever been a desperate expedient. With its income drastically reduced, Ormus was perpetually hungry, its greed unsatisfied.

Berft’s offer had been like a shower of rain to the parched kingdom. Dwarven weapons and armor were excellent equipment for Ormus’s warriors, but selling them to other countries could also bring in enormous sums.

“Now this is an unexpectedly big catch.”

That was why Ormus had demanded more equipment, while the princess had failed to achieve her goal. They had intended to use an extension of her allotted time as leverage to squeeze out more weapons and armor. They had never imagined she would simply head into the Demon King’s territory.

“Princess Louise has made an unwise choice. She could end up kidnapped by the Demon King.”

The Beast Demon King and Ormus had a tacit symbiotic relationship. Though they had never negotiated directly, Ormus recognized his territory, and the Demon King stayed within it.

As a result, Ormus enjoyed a tidy profit from the money brought by heroes seeking the Demon King’s tower, without suffering much damage itself. It therefore hoped this fragile peace would remain intact. But if the princess of the dwarven kingdom was in danger, that was another matter.

“Unless we help her, the princess will suffer every manner of humiliation at the hands of that lawless, savage Beast Demon King. Isn’t that right?”

“Quite right, Your Highness.”

“And in the jungle, finding your way back is difficult if you don’t know the paths. We must send a rescue party immediately.”

One by one, his confidants voiced their agreement.

“And the Kingdom of Berft would never pretend it owed us nothing after we saved its princess.”

“Of course not, if they have any conscience!”

“Even after we rescue her, shouldn’t the princess remain with us for her safety?”

“Yes, exactly. We couldn’t let her fall into danger again after going to all that trouble to save her, could we?”

Ormus’s Second Prince rose from his seat.

“Summon the knights and gather the troops immediately. We’ll save the princess first. I’ll report the rest to my royal father myself.”

“As you command!”

A force of two hundred from Ormus, including the Second Prince, set off at a run toward Mount Merkon.

* * *

Quail was a bear beastman. One of the demons serving Drakson, he was a commander who led a host of demonic creatures.

SNIFF, SNIFF

Quail’s nose twitched. His keen animal senses sifted through the surrounding scents.

“I smell humans and runts.”

“You mean there are more than just dwarves?”

“There’s earth, damp, and the scent of beasts mixed in. People accustomed to the jungle. The scent of Ormus.”

“Why would those bastards be here?”

“That doesn’t matter.”

Quail bared his teeth.

“My lord’s orders were to let no one onto Mount Merkon. Whether they’re humans from Ormus or runts makes no difference.”

Despite his words, Quail took out a crystal ball. He was loyal and single-minded in his approach, but not so foolish as to misinterpret his lord’s wishes.

“...”

A long silence followed. Drakson did not answer readily. Quail waited patiently for his orders.

“... Give them a good scare and drive them off.”

His voice held anger, but he seemed to be forcing it down.

“... Are you sure that will suffice?”

“Don’t provoke me. No one is angrier about this than I am.”

The deep growl silenced Quail.

“I want to kill every last one of them. Cut off their limbs, rip out their hearts, and chew them up.”

“They’ve invaded my territory, and they think I’m a complete pushover. They dare treat me, Drakson, like some neighborhood dog!”

Yet he still had to endure it. He could foresee what would happen.

What if he killed Louise, the source of this entire affair?

The king of Berft adored his late-born daughter. If she died, the Kingdom of Berft would go berserk. There was every likelihood that the events of two hundred years ago would repeat themselves.

That was why, at least for now, he had to be patient.

“But not for much longer. If this undertaking succeeds...”

* * *

“...things will change.”

Drakson forced his anger down.

“The same goes for Ormus. Now is not the time to fight them.”

“Then I will put up a token fight and steer them elsewhere.”

“Yes. Be especially careful with Princess Louise. Under no circumstances can she die.”

The connection ended. Drakson crunched through a bone and swallowed it.

“Are you all right?”

“It won’t be long now.”

Drakson shattered the skull of the wolf he had been stroking. It died without even managing a scream.

“Once I obtain that thing from Mount Merkon, everything will be resolved. I only need to endure this a little longer.”

“It won’t solve everything.”

“At the very least, I’ll have more options than I do now.”

Drakson tore the wolf’s hide with his bare hands. Only then did his anger subside a little.

“And where the hell is that bastard Logger?”

Demons and demonic creatures were scouring the territory in a frenzy, but there was not the slightest trace of a dwarf.

* * *

The jungle was harsh. The ground was muddy, insects buzzed through the air, beasts roamed, and monsters displayed their savagery.

Everything in the jungle presented a problem, and the dwarves struggled to adapt to the unfamiliar environment.

For the people of Ormus, however, the jungle was home. The dwarves were slow; Ormus’s warriors were fast.

That was how the dwarves were caught just inside the Demon King’s territory.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Is this our first meeting in person?”

Hundreds of warriors surrounded the dwarves, who tightened their grips on their weapons. Wariness and hostility surged between the two groups.

“A pleasure to meet you, princess of the dwarves.”

The encirclement parted. A tall man emerged from among Ormus’s rugged warriors, making his presence felt.

“I am Max Ormus, Second Prince of the Kingdom of Ormus.”

His black eyes curved in a smile.

“And I’m supposed to care?”

“You really don’t look like a dwarf, just as the rumors say.”

His gaze traveled over Louise’s entire body.

“Nobody talks that kind of shit to me.”

“Am I the first?”

“No. They’re all dead. My axe smashed their skulls.”

Louise tightened her grip on her enormous battle-axe.

“How frightening. Do you have an inferiority complex? I prefer that you don’t look like a runt.”

Max bantered, running his tongue over his lips.

“Get those disgusting eyes off me.”

“Your Highness.”

Volbov restrained Louise.

“I know.”

Louise struggled to swallow her anger. Reckless as she was, she wasn’t enough of a moron to fight a prince of Ormus in his own territory.

“Move.”

“I’d like to grant your request if I could, but unfortunately, I cannot.”

“You want to try me?”

“I assume you know better than to provoke a Demon King recklessly. As a prince of Ormus, I have the right to stop you.”

“I’ve stuffed you bastards with a considerable amount of money and equipment in exchange for searching Ormus’s territory. That means I have the right to search it.”

“That did not include the Demon King’s territory.”

“Well, isn’t that awkward? As far as I’m concerned, it did.”

Their gazes clashed.

“Move,” Louise repeated.

“If you persist in this behavior, I’ll have no choice but to take measures for your safety and the peace of Ormus.”

“You’re deliberately provoking me, aren’t you?”

“Of course not.”

Volbov asked the princess’s leave and stepped forward.

“Then we will turn back.”

Volbov was almost grateful to Max. Louise was seething, but surely this was better than being captured by the Demon King.

However...

“You must remain under our protection. Given your princess’s unruly disposition, couldn’t she pretend to turn back only to head into the Demon King’s territory again?”

“What, you son of a bitch?”

“For how long?”

“Well...”

His evasiveness was so blatant that anyone but a fool could see what he meant. Volbov clenched his teeth. He really should have stopped Louise, whatever it took.

“Prince Max! Do you think our homeland will stand idly by? This will benefit neither side!”

“That’s your opinion.”

“Your Highness!”

“We did everything we could to prevent your entry for the princess’s safety, but the unruly princess attacked first, leaving us no choice but to respond. Then demonic creatures descended on us as well, and disaster struck. How does that sound?”

TING

He playfully flicked his blade.

“There will be a few casualties, but aren’t sacrifices made to save the princess noble ones?”

“Unless you kill me, you won’t be able to shut me up.”

“That isn’t particularly important.”

What mattered was that the princess would be in Ormus’s custody.

Ormus had no particular ties with Berft anyway. It could extract a massive payment over this affair and sever relations afterward without regret.

As though a mask had fallen away, a broad smile blossomed across Max’s face.

“Escort the princess of the Kingdom of Berft with all due courtesy. If there are any obstacles...”

Max let his killing intent show.

“You may remove them all. An unavoidable loss at the hands of demonic creatures, of course.”

Ormus’s warriors roared. Sunlight flashed off their razor-sharp weapons.

“I never thought I’d be cutting down dwarves with dwarven weapons.”

“Protect Her Highness!”

The two groups collided. Birds took flight amid the shouts and shrieks.

“Show these humans the spirit of the great dwarves!”

The dwarves did not retreat. Their princess was someone they had to protect, and they were willing to lay down their lives for her. Such was their loyalty.

But in the end, it was not enough. The jungle was Ormus’s stage, and its warriors had an overwhelming advantage in numbers.

One by one, dwarves fell. Red blood soaked the earth.

“Something interesting seems to be happening here.”

That was when an uninvited guest appeared, without a sound or warning.

“...!”

There had been no sign of his approach. He simply stood there as though he had been there all along.

Until the man spoke, Max had not noticed him. That realization sent a chill through him.

“... Who are you?”

Max jumped down from the rock where he had been watching the battle.

“Your Highness, we’ll deal with him.”

“Stand back. He’s beyond you.”

His instincts were screaming danger, but Max forced down his unease.

They were in the midst of killing dwarves. Any unforeseen witness had to die. Yes, that was the only option.

He was one of the strongest men in the kingdom, and he had reliable troops here.

“... I don’t know how you got here, but consider yourself unlucky.”

“Unlucky?”

“A man about to die doesn’t need to know all the details.”

“So a little nothing like you intends to kill me?”

Instead of answering, Max thrust out a fist. His body, honed by running through the jungle, was harder than most weapons. His fists were bludgeons—deadly weapons in their own right.

CLANG

A shock wave shook their surroundings. The uninvited guest and Max each stepped back once.

“... I knew it!”

His premonition that this would not be easy had proved correct. Since reaching adulthood, this was the first opponent he had failed to overwhelm in an unarmed fight.

“Interesting.”

His foreboding vanished, replaced instead by excitement. His muscles stirred at the thought that he had found a worthy opponent.

He kicked off the ground again. His aura rose in response. Crimson killing intent wrapped around his fist, which struck through the air in a red arc.

CLAAANG

A powerful force repelled him. Even so, Max advanced a step, pushing through the resistance and hammering down his other fist.

The uninvited guest stepped back.

“Use your aura,” Max whispered.

“This isn’t the best you can do, is it?”

That strange sensation had long since left his mind. After finally finding a worthy opponent, he wanted the man to fight him with everything he had.

And his opponent accepted the invitation.

“If that’s what you want, I’ll oblige.”

In that instant, something exploded.

WHOOOOSH

Something writhing. Dense darkness. An unfathomable abyss.

Something clinging, ominous, and immeasurably heavy.

Max caught his breath as the black wave swept over him. His mounting frenzy cooled in an instant. A chill ran down his spine.

“... Demonic... energy?”

A demon. An incredibly powerful demon, at that.

BOOM

He spat blood from the tremendous impact. His body was driven ten meters backward. The arm he had instinctively raised to block throbbed.

“Go on. Keep holding out.”

His opponent whispered softly, but the madness in his voice far surpassed Max’s own.

“Aaaaargh!”

His organs were battered. His body stiffened. Pain piled upon pain, and blocking was all he could manage, let alone fighting back.

He retreated again and again. He wanted to call for help, but no words would come. He could not afford even a moment’s opening.

He would die. He really would die.

Like this? Just when everything was going so well? Because of a demon who had appeared out of nowhere?

“Is this the Beast’s will?!”

Max shouted desperately. His opponent paused his assault for the briefest moment.

“Are you trying to break the tacit agreement between Ormus and the Beast Demon King?!”

“Yes, I’m going to break it, you son of a bitch.”

The answer came from elsewhere.

CRUNCH

Dizzying pain engulfed Max. Hot blood ran down his face.

“Ah.”

“My axe is going to break your skull, that is.”

He slowly turned his eyes. An enormous axe cast a shadow over him.

He had failed to realize that his retreat had brought him right in front of the princess who wanted him dead—that he had exposed his back to her, utterly defenseless.

“I told you. Everyone who mocks me like that is dead.”

“... You fucking... bitch...!”

Those were his last words.

THUD

Max collapsed. His pupils lost their focus.

“Your Hiiiighness!”

Ormus’s warriors screamed.