Chapter 68 - I'm Screwed

"Beware of Jason."

Those were Reina Sordein's first words after Berge arrived at the Tower of Bitter Cold. It had to be pure coincidence, but having heard the exact same warning from Vivian, he couldn't understand it.

'What's gotten into all of them?'

"What do you mean?"

"I heard about the deal between you and Ugar, and that Roselle Charnt and Hillen Cargill were brought in for it. I cannot imagine you have direct connections to heroes with the renown of Stars. Jason Cockmundo presumably arranged it for you?"

Who had arranged what for him?

"But those two are the heroes who killed Drakson. They may simply have undertaken the hero's journey on a commission from the Guild, but I believe caution can do no harm."

"Wait, Jason killed Drakson? Isn't that a bit too speculative?"

The idea was so absurd that Berge actually found himself defending Jason.

"Before his death, Drakson said a high-ranking demon had infiltrated his territory. He even searched the tower's records to prove his innocence, so I do not believe this is mere speculation. Ugar agrees."

"..."

Berge wondered just what the Demon Kings had been discussing while he was away in Hilderan—and what sort of reputation Jason had among them. Before his regression, he had thought they were merely four pathetic Demon Kings who enjoyed one another's company. Had he been wrong?

"Didn't Jason help you, too?"

In Arain, where Demon Kings died one after another, Jason had been the first to survive for over a hundred years. After his descent into Arain, the other Demon Kings' survival rate had risen as well. Berge believed they must have helped one another in some way.

"Of course, I am grateful for that. But helping a Demon King does not give him the right to kill that Demon King."

"You don't have any clear evidence that Jason was involved in Drakson's death, do you?"

"No. That is why we merely suspect him."

That was a fairly reasonable answer.

"There's something I'm curious about. If Jason helped you all, how exactly did he do it?"

"Now that you mention it, you would not know much about that."

Reina put a candy in her mouth. It gave off a faint cherry scent.

"Do you know that Demon Kings who descended into Arain used to keep dying before they could last even a few decades?"

"Of course."

"Jason put a stop to that."

However dangerous Arain might be, Demon Kings were all the same. To them, the Guide was invincible, and the Demon Emperor was a god. Since the Guide worked well in every dimension except Arain, they never considered that it might be wrong. They simply believed the dead Demon Kings had been weak. That was the demon race—a race for whom weakness was a disgrace.

But the sheer number of Demon Kings Arain had devoured was not solely a result of their nature. As the object of their faith, the Demon Emperor always had to be right. The Guide he had laid down always had to be right as well. Thus, Arain became known as merely a difficult dimension, and the Demon Kings sent there as inadequate. That drove still more Demon Kings to their deaths, and once the powerful demons at the top learned the truth, they began sending in newcomers who knew nothing.

A maddening collaboration between worship of the Demon Emperor and the deception of the bastards at the top. That was the truth of the dimension called Arain. Jason had been the first to stem the tide. As their senior, he had helped the Demon Kings who descended after him.

"How?"

"To use my own case as an example, he began by offering advice."

He told her not to kidnap just any royal.

"Did you listen?"

"Naturally, I had no intention of listening. There was no reason to."

"That sounds like you did listen."

"When I descended, there were two other Demon Kings besides Jason and Drakson."

"So Ugar wasn't one of them."

"Jason made me a proposal. He asked me to wait just one year."

"Did you wait?"

"I did. He even swore upon the first Demon Emperor and the Guide that it would not be to my detriment."

"He went that far?"

"So I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and wait. A year is not very long for a demon."

And one year later...

"The one known as the Demon King of the Void followed the Guide, failed to withstand the waves of heroes pouring in, and was beheaded. That was when I realized that we could not follow the Guide here in Arain."

"Then Drakson and Ugar, too?"

"I do not know how they received his help. But it was probably similar to my own case."

At that point in the conversation, a question occurred to Berge.

"Then why didn't he do that for me?"

"You acted too quickly."

"Too quickly?"

"You kidnapped Hilderan's Crown Princess before he could say anything. Demon Kings seldom kidnap royalty immediately after descending."

Even Demon Kings needed to investigate beforehand. They took their time, checking a great many things before kidnapping a royal. But Berge had skipped that process.

"The hero's journey began before he could do anything. After that, he presumably missed his opportunity."

"I see."

"We have strayed from the subject. That is not what matters."

"Then what does?"

"I agree that Jason has been a great help to me and the other Demon Kings. But that does not give him the right to betray us. Nor can we rule out the remote possibility that Drakson was lying. That is why I intend to find the culprit first."

A faint chill spread through the air.

"Do you have a concrete plan?"

"Vivian Blunt. She is making no secret of her search for the culprit, and I will help her. Ugar has also agreed."

It wasn't a particularly remarkable plan. Unlike Jason or Berge, neither Reina nor Ugar had much contact with humans. Reina remained secluded in the north, and while Ugar was relatively active, he relied on Jason's help rather than keeping subordinates of his own. Their options were limited.

"How will you help? With Drakson's tower destroyed, you don't even know whether his claim was true."

"The Kingdom of Berft."

"The Kingdom of Berft?"

"Louise Berft, to be precise."

"Berft's Second Princess?"

"The hero's journey against Drakson took place because a high-ranking demon killed Ormus's Second Prince. And Drakson said that demon was not one of his servants. Ultimately, the answer must lie at the scene."

"... And Berft's Second Princess is the only witness."

"Exactly."

"What do you intend to do with her?"

"There is only one thing a 'Demon King' does to a 'princess,' is there not?"

Kidnap her.

"I will hand her over to Vivian Blunt. Dwarves are tight-lipped, but Vivian Blunt is a succubus whose skill in mental magic is second to none."

"But that will make an enemy of the Kingdom of Berft. Surely you know what it means to turn the dwarven kingdom against you."

"Vivian Blunt will bear all responsibility."

"Oh, now that..."

Berge forced a smile.

"That's a good idea."

He was screwed.

* * *

Louise Berft. The hot-tempered Second Princess of the dwarven kingdom could provide more decisive testimony than anyone else. Because she had seen the face of Berge the demon. Because the bitch had smashed Ormus's Second Prince's skull herself, and would be all the more adamant that a demon had done it.

"Gordon! Gordon!"

Back at his tower, Berge sought out Gordon. Ignoring the puzzled looks of the three princesses, he reached the top.

"Is something wrong?"

"Contact Hillen and Granada and find out where Louise Berft is, immediately."

"Pardon? Why are you suddenly...?"

"We have to kidnap Louise Berft!"

"Please calm down a little and explain in detail."

After hearing the whole story, Gordon was horrified.

"Good heavens! We absolutely cannot let that happen!"

"That's what I'm saying! But touching the dwarven princess without a plan will cause serious trouble."

"Is that really the concern right now? If they learn you were involved in killing Demon King Drakson, my lord, they will cut off all the powers bestowed upon the tower."

If they kidnapped Louise Berft, they would at least have a slim chance. But if the tower was cut off, even that chance would vanish. Between the lesser evil and the worst possible outcome, the choice was obvious.

"You're right."

"I will contact Granada immediately."

"Do that."

Gordon ran into the office. Berge stifled a groan. Choosing the lesser evil over the worst outcome was the right thing to do, but he wanted neither.

'What should I do?'

How could he solve this problem without creating any others? After some thought, he arrived at two solutions.

'I kidnap Louise Berft before Reina or Ugar can. Without anyone noticing.'

Otherwise...

'I have to make sure no one can kidnap Louise Berft.'

But how?

'There's no time...'

No clear alternative came to mind. His deliberations grew deeper.

* * *

Two days later, word arrived.

"Louise Berft is reportedly secluded in the Kingdom of Berft's royal capital."

"Secluded?"

"Yes. Apparently, following the death of Ormus's Second Prince, she was ordered by the king to remain in the royal castle and has not left."

"Fuck."

The curse slipped out instinctively.

Every dwarven city was underground. Their entrances were completely controlled, which naturally meant access was controlled as well. He could conceal his identity and slip inside as he had last time. They didn't thoroughly verify the identity of every visitor. But security in an ordinary city and security in the royal capital were worlds apart. And the royal castle was another matter entirely.

He was confident he could sneak in. Kidnapping the princess wasn't impossible, either. But...

"There's no way to kidnap her without exposing my identity."

His clumsy use of the Phoenix's power wouldn't be enough. If he revealed his demonic energy, he would be discovered without fail. Kidnapping an ordinary princess wouldn't have been much of a problem. He gave a hollow laugh. What on earth was he supposed to do?

Then Gordon asked, "Could we not prevent Louise Berft from being kidnapped instead?"

"How? Reina doesn't need to hide the fact that she's a Demon King."

Reina Sordein had said she would place all responsibility on Vivian, and that Vivian had agreed. With no responsibility to bear, nothing held Reina back.

"What if we sent a Demon King's natural enemy to the royal castle in a way that seemed natural?"

"You mean a hero?"

"Yes. A hero so powerful that even most Demon Kings could not take him lightly."

"Hillen Cargill?"

Berge considered it. If Hillen Cargill went to the dwarven royal castle and protected the princess...

'He could stop them.'

If Hillen Cargill, who was still growing stronger after feeding on two Demon Kings, the other heroes, and the elite forces of Berft's royal castle guarded the princess with ironclad defenses, they could certainly stop them. Demons grew weaker outside their towers. Demon Kings were no exception. Even if Reina stood at the pinnacle of stealth, with Hillen Cargill there, she could be detected the instant she revealed even a little of her power.

"But the dwarven kingdom is insular. They won't simply welcome Hillen Cargill if he shows up."

"Hillen Cargill told me that although Logger Fridri may seem rather inadequate on the tower's first floor now, he was quite a renowned craftsman in the dwarven kingdom."

"That's right."

"I hear craftsmen each have a unique mark of their own."

"A mark?"

"They engrave it on the weapons or equipment they make, so people can identify the maker. I hear that the more accomplished the craftsman, the more valuable an item becomes when it bears that mark."

"Ah, I've heard of that."

Successful craftsmen left their own distinctive marks. It was hardly a secret. Branding, was it called?

"We have Logger make some equipment and engrave his mark on it."

"Then give it to Hillen Cargill?"

"Yes."

"And if Hillen Cargill delivers it to the Kingdom of Berft..."

Louise Berft would probably be overjoyed. So would the king, who doted on Louise Berft and had put a bounty on Logger. That would be ample justification to enter the Kingdom of Berft and meet Princess Louise.

"But it's not enough justification to stay by the princess's side and protect her."

"That is the problem..."

Gordon stifled a groan. Berge closed his eyes and sank into thought.

"In that case..."

He opened his eyes.

"Let's blackmail her. So Louise has no choice but to keep him at her side."

"Blackmail?"

"Some of Drakson's demons saw Louise Berft split Ormus's Second Prince's skull open. And Hillen Cargill climbed the Beast's Tower and met them."

"Ah, it would be plausible for those wronged demons to have blurted out a few things in the process."

"What if he uses that to blackmail her into keeping him at her side?"

"Given Hillen Cargill's current standing, she cannot simply dispose of him. She will have no choice but to cooperate!"

The Demon King and his adjutant cheered.

"The problem is that this will inevitably earn Princess Louise's resentment."

"If resentment is all it costs, we're getting off cheaply."

"That is true. I will contact Hillen Cargill immediately!"

Gordon left. Berge slowly rose from his throne.

"As for me..."

It was time to put the screws to the dwarf.