Chapter 46 - The Promise

He had won.

But it was a victory that left nothing but wounds.

From the first floor to the tenth, every floor had been swept clean. The demonic creatures stationed there had been annihilated, and every facility had been smashed to pieces.

The tower's summit, the eleventh floor, was little different.

Drakson had pressed ahead with the trick of gathering all his forces at the summit. It had won him the battle, but it had also forced him into a head-on clash with an expedition that had preserved its strength all the way to the eleventh floor.

"Damn it. Roselle Charnt! That bitch and her personal guard caused so much damage!"

Crimson Hellfire, was it? He couldn't help grinding his teeth.

"Fortunately, we have plenty of demonic energy points."

Casey tried to calm Drakson.

Humans' negative emotions were the primary source of demonic energy points, but human life force itself was actually far more valuable. And many of those who had entered the tower and shed their blood were heroes.

They had received the dimension's power, gaining a strength opposed to that of the invaders—and, ironically, granting a Demon King even greater power when they died.

"It won't be enough for everything, but we should be able to restore a fair amount."

Drakson shook his head at Casey's report. He knew that restoring the tower had to take precedence now.

He also knew the Heroes' Guild would be out for blood. He had received help once, but there would never be a second time.

Yet he couldn't do it.

"I'll report to Grand Duke Alkain and search the tower's records."

What had brought him to this situation?

That bastard. The son of a bitch who had intruded into the tower and caused Ormus's Second Prince to die. Whichever Demon King had sent that demon.

Without him, Ormus's Second Prince wouldn't have died. No hero's journey would have brought hundreds of heroes charging in, and the tower wouldn't have been wrecked like this.

That was why Drakson couldn't endure it. Whatever happened, he wanted to find the bastard. Find him and take revenge.

The last of the demonic energy he had gained by repelling the expedition had to be spent on that.

Crossing dimensions required immense power.

That held true even for simple communication, so merely reporting to Grand Duke Alkain consumed a considerable number of demonic energy points.

He would have to submit his report and obtain permission. Then there were the tower's records, one of its countless powers—and activating that power required an immense amount of demonic energy.

"But, my lord...! If a second hero's journey begins while you're doing that..."

"I won't die."

Drakson didn't trust Grand Duke Alkain completely. But he trusted the demonic energy he had paid him in private tribute over the years.

He trusted his own ability to assure the grand duke that those regular payments would continue.

"Grand Duke Alkain won't be able to abandon me."

The dimension called Arain was known as the graveyard of Demon Kings. Jason Cockmundo had survived longest in that graveyard, and after him, the number of Demon Kings who survived had gradually increased.

Drakson was the second. He had endured here for nearly a hundred years. Grand Duke Alkain would find it difficult to acquire another capable operative like him.

"Leave me. I will contact His Grace."

"... Yes. I pray you achieve what you seek."

Casey left the office.

Drakson approached the crystal ball.

An immense amount of demonic energy flowed into it. The tower began to shake.

* * *

There were ten grand dukes in the Demon Realm.

Each was responsible for one dimension, with five Demon Kings serving beneath them.

Everything those Demon Kings did—the amount of demonic energy they sent to the Demon Realm, how quickly they conquered their dimension—counted toward their grand duke's performance.

In that sense, Arain was the worst possible dimension.

It had devoured dozens of Demon Kings already, and a Demon King's death also counted as a failure on the grand duke's part.

An exile posting for grand dukes. The worst assignment imaginable, where one had to give up any hope of further promotion.

"... That isn't so bad, either."

But for someone without ambition, few dimensions were as agreeable as this one.

In the past, Demon Kings had died practically every day, but at some point, they had begun to adapt. The deaths grew less frequent, and now there was little change at all.

Though one seat did keep changing hands.

In any case, Arain was an abandoned dimension, and oversight from above was correspondingly lax. In other words, he could run it while pocketing bribes to his heart's content without much trouble.

That was why Alkain Blamif liked Arain.

It would never be conquered, so unlike the other grand dukes, he didn't have to deal with work such as adapting to a new dimension.

Now that the unfortunate deaths of Demon Kings had become exceedingly rare, the work associated with those had diminished too.

Yet the position still carried prestige, and others pitied him enough to grant him greater compensation. On top of that, some Demon Kings regularly paid him tribute in demonic energy points.

For Alkain Blamif, whose only intention was to milk the position for another hundred years or so before retiring, there was no better paradise.

'Not quite perfect.'

He remembered the troublemaker who had recently turned the Demon Realm upside down.

The brat had been so infuriating that Alkain had volunteered to take him and sent him off to Arain. And to guard against any possible tricks, he had issued an order through Drakson.

'I thought he'd die as soon as he arrived, but he's holding out surprisingly well.'

The barrier between dimensions prevented frequent reports, but Alkain hadn't taken his hands off the matter entirely.

He knew the brat had kidnapped Hilderan's First Princess, and that a hero's journey had begun as a result. He also knew that journey had fallen apart.

'He built his tower somewhere strange, didn't he?'

The heroes reportedly hadn't been able to find it. That ran counter to the Guide's instruction to build a tower somewhere reasonably accessible.

Infuriating. Even so, Alkain Blamif restrained himself.

This was the troublemaker who had openly insulted the Guide at the graduation ceremony. He had expected this much.

'A tower's location is an ambiguous matter, really. What constitutes a place that's reasonably dangerous yet reasonably exposed ultimately comes down to personal judgment.'

He could find fault with it if he wanted, but it was difficult to justify a severe punishment. So Alkain Blamif was waiting for Berge to commit another offense.

'A troublemaker like that won't stop at just this.'

His offenses would pile up over time. And every one of them would tighten the noose around his neck.

'Sweet.'

Alkain savored his blood-red wine. The faint scent of blood made its flavor all the sweeter.

KNOCK, KNOCK

"Your Grace. A communication from Arain."

"Who is it?"

"The Demon King Drakson Doldorf."

"I'll be there."

'It isn't time for his regular report yet.'

Even the most trivial act of crossing the dimensional barrier required considerable power, so unnecessary communications were nonexistent.

He arrived at the dimensional communications room and closed the door. He fed demonic energy into the violently trembling communication orb.

『I greet Your Grace.』

A familiar face bowed its head.

"What brings this sudden call? There's still about a month until the scheduled date—"

『I request permission to search the tower's records.』

"... What happened?"

Searching a tower's records required a great deal of demonic energy. Most Demon Kings therefore avoided it whenever possible, and since Alkain Blamif had become a grand duke, not a single one had sought to search them.

『A high-ranking demon intruded into my territory. That demon...』

The report was utterly grim. If Drakson's account was true, his situation was precarious. A second expedition could descend on him at any moment.

'Drakson Doldorf might die?'

The senseless loss of his most reliable supplier of demonic energy was the last thing he wanted.

"Who was it?"

『I suspect Jason Cockmundo.』

"What about Berge Deias?"

『But he has no high-ranking demon at his side.』

It was sound reasoning. And yet...

'Something doesn't sit right.'

The Jason he knew was not a demon who would ever attempt something so reckless. Neither were Reina Sordein or Ugar Belbek.

'And there's something nagging at me.'

Was it coincidence that Berge's confident smile came to mind? Could there really be another Demon King capable of such defiant behavior, something an ordinary Demon King would never do?

"Very well. I will use my authority to the power protecting the tower's records. It will take some time, so..."

Alkain Blamif forced down his unease. For now, it was time to search the records and find the rebel who had dared stab a fellow Demon King in the back.

* * *

The faint fragrance of a scented candle drifted through the dark bedchamber.

The wheezing breaths were feeble.

Maids wiped the sweat trickling down the old man's forehead. Just then, the door opened slightly.

"Your Highness."

The maids quietly bowed their heads.

"Leave us for a moment. I have something to discuss with His Majesty."

"But..."

"I won't say it twice."

"... Yes."

The maids hurried away.

Only the two of them remained in the dark bedchamber. The prince pulled up a chair beside the bed and sat down, watching the old man's eyes struggle open.

"... What...is it?"

"The Kingdom of Akan has contacted us. They wish to destroy the Beast's Tower completely and have offered to send elite troops in secret."

"... That cannot...be allowed. Using the tower as an excuse...to cross our borders..."

"I've already given permission."

"The tower...must not fall...!"

The old man's eyes wavered. The prince continued impassively.

"Do you know what state the kingdom is in? Two thousand of its finest troops have vanished. Max is dead, and the nobles who followed him are gone as well. The void they've left is immense."

"And thanks to the expedition's clumsy attempt to attack the Demon King, monsters are pouring out in every direction from the territory that has slipped out of his control."

"Even as we speak, the kingdom's people are dying."

For Ormus, the Beast's Tower was a necessary evil.

The Demon King was unquestionably an enemy who had to be slain, but the Beast Demon King's partial control over the forest's monsters greatly eased the kingdom's burden.

Moreover, for a kingdom with no notable source of revenue, the vast sums spent by heroes visiting the tower and by the Heroes' Guild were desperately needed rain.

But that was all in the past now.

"Whatever the circumstances, Max invaded the Demon King's territory first. We were the ones who broke the tacit agreement. We have no way of knowing whether the Demon King will show us the same mercy again."

Worse still, someone had influenced Balaf Dislord and caused the hero's journey to fail. The prince didn't know their purpose, but he doubted it would benefit Ormus.

"So that tower must disappear. For now, it's our best option."

But Ormus lacked the strength to do it alone. That was why he had accepted the Kingdom of Akan's request.

"They will cross into Ormus in secret. There won't be many of them, so if we're careful, the other nations won't notice."

"All we need to do is open the way briefly. Then Roselle Charnt, her raiding party, and Akan's elite troops will defeat the Demon King."

"In return, we'll receive a vast sum of gold coins and a share of the spoils."

It was a short-term gain. But when everything might collapse, accepting even that was the right choice.

"But...if the tower falls, the kingdom's future..."

"I will shape that future, not Your Majesty, lying in this bedchamber with one foot in the grave."

"... How dare you."

The old man's eyes became bloodshot.

"Perhaps this is something of a disappointment for you, Your Majesty. You wanted Max on the throne rather than me."

It was entirely through the old man's influence that Max, the son of a concubine, had become an equal contender for the succession to him, the First Prince.

But Max was dead, and the shock had left the old man completely bedridden. There was no one left to take his side.

"Remain quietly in your bedchamber, in comfort, until your passing. I will still do my utmost to attend to you."

The prince rose.

Ah. That reminded him.

He turned his head.

"Was her name Kaede Jespine?"

The imperial princess whom the king had agreed to take as a concubine after paying an enormous tribute to the Jespine Empire.

He didn't snap at the old man for wasting the kingdom's resources on a mere woman.

It had been a bribe to seek the empire's mercy. What they had received in exchange was proof that they were its faithful dog.

Ormus could not escape the empire's influence, so it had no choice but to wear the shackle called an imperial princess.

"If she is rescued from the Demon King's tower, I will take her as my consort."

She probably wanted that as well.

The prince bowed respectfully once more.

"Now rest well. I will inherit the throne, Father."

CLICK

The door closed.

* * *

"Drakson is a fucking idiot."

Berge grew more certain of that assumption.

Not because Drakson was stupid. Because he was incompetent.

"Humans couldn't tell. Neither could an elf, a spirit, a Demon King, or a hero."

None of them had realized that Berge was a Demon King.

That was how extraordinary the Phoenix's corpse was. Yet Drakson, in Berge's previous life, had absorbed something like this and still failed to accomplish anything worthwhile.

Hence, a fucking idiot.

Of course, it wasn't all advantages.

Pure mana was an unfamiliar power, not something Berge, a Demon King, was accustomed to wielding. Worse, his body's rejection of it burned his own flesh.

In other words, the more he used its power, the more he injured himself.

A fucking irony.

But the benefits far outweighed the limitations, so Berge didn't care.

He couldn't even imagine how much he could accomplish with this power, blending in among Arain's native races.

"What's occupying your thoughts so deeply?"

Hillen Cargill's voice broke his reverie.

"I was thinking about what comes after hunting down the Beast Demon King."

"You believe we'll succeed, then."

"We will succeed. There is no other option."

It wasn't confidence or a declaration. Whatever happened, Drakson had to die.

"You will be the one to cut off Drakson's head."

A Demon King could also absorb another Demon King's power by killing them. Fighting and devouring one another to grow stronger—that was the essence of demons.

But not now.

Berge's body was already at capacity. The demonic energy that should have been stored in two hearts was concentrated in one, while a new power occupied the other.

For now, fully assimilating those powers was already more than enough to handle.

And even apart from that, Hillen Cargill, a hero, stood to gain a great deal by taking a Demon King's head.

Honor, power, and status.

"Yes."

Knowing that, Hillen Cargill didn't refuse either.

"And after that..."

Berge tapped the table.

"I don't know much about the Heroes' Guild, but a hero who has taken two Demon Kings' heads should be able to establish some standing there, shouldn't he? Enough to wipe away two failures."

"That's right. In fact, crafting an image of someone who overcame his own failures is my specialty."

"You really are scum."

Berge gave a faint smile.

"I want you to become a central figure in the Heroes' Guild."

He wanted to bring down the Demon Kings' greatest enemy, the Heroes' Guild, from within.

"That's what I want as well."

Every hero was required to join the Heroes' Guild. An organization whose members included every hero could hardly lack power.

Many heroes wished to become central figures in the Guild. They wanted power in their hands.

Hillen Cargill was no different.

"My goal is to become the master of the Heroes' Guild."

"I will make that dream come true. From inside, you will help m—"

Berge stopped speaking.

KNOCK, KNOCK

A moment later, someone knocked at the door. It was a human he had never seen before—no, a hero.

"Excuse me. Are you Hillen Cargill and Pale?"

"We are."

"I have a message from our captain, Roselle Charnt: 'I'll show you what I promised, so come at once.'"

"What she promised, is it?"

One condition had been to include Hillen Cargill in the hero's journey.

The other had been to arrange the second hero's journey as quickly as possible.

According to Hillen, the Heroes' Guild had been dragging its feet. What had she done to persuade them?

He would find out when he got there.

Berge rose from his seat.

"Lead the way."