Chapter 77 - Lies

"Sister, did you really meet the Demon King?"

"Yes."

"What was he like? What sort of creature is he?"

"Handsome."

"... His looks aren't what matters, Sister."

"You're handsome too."

"Ah, thank you, but..."

After returning to Hortonwork, Akan's forces assessed their losses and took time to regroup. Cain washed away his fatigue with a meal and a bath, then visited Lavinia's room. The captain of the Blue Meteor Mage Corps and the commander of the White Wolf Knights accompanied him.

Demon Kings. Sworn enemies with whom coexistence had once seemed forever impossible, yet with whom humanity had achieved a coexistence of sorts.

But that coexistence stemmed from humanity's upper hand. The present situation had arisen from a sense of superiority: Demon Kings were no longer absolute powers, they could be exploited, and they could be disposed of whenever trouble arose.

Thus, a Demon King who concealed his tower could not be allowed to exist. If one did, the tower had to be found by any means necessary. The Fifth Prince had come to Hortonwork determined to find it, even if that took months—or perhaps years.

Yet those months had been reduced to mere days, all because Lavinia had met the Demon King. Had she been abducted or killed, that would have been a problem instead, but she stood alive before them all. It would be a lie to say he wasn't pleased.

"What race did he appear to belong to?"

The Demon King's race mattered too. Beastmen had their ways, titans theirs, and frost demons theirs. A Demon King's disposition and the atmosphere of his tower varied according to his race, and so did the appropriate response.

"If he rescued a Poil Orc, is he an orc himself? No, orcs aren't demons..."

Lavinia shook her head.

"You don't know?"

"Never seen one before."

"A demon you've never seen before, Sister...?"

Lavinia was like an uncontrollable bomb. She had traveled across the continent pursuing demons, demonic creatures, and monsters. That had caused Akan no end of headaches, but conversely, few humans had encountered as many demons as she had. Perhaps only seasoned old heroes who had seen it all.

"Don't tell me his identity is completely unknown, like the Demon King of Lies?"

"There cannot be another case like the Demon King of Lies. Besides, the Heroes' Guild has given him the name Hellfire. If he uses fire, wouldn't he be a dark elf or a daemon?"

The captain of the Blue Meteor Mage Corps spoke.

The former were demons capable of using fire magic, while the latter were a populous demon race endowed with the power of fire.

"Normal ears."

"Then isn't he a daemon?"

"Your premise is mistaken. If he were a daemon, my sister wouldn't have called him a demon she'd never seen before."

"That is true."

"But are we certain he possesses the power of fire?"

"His use of fire is already common knowledge."

"But no one has actually seen him, have they?"

His infamy had soared after he abducted three princesses and thwarted a hero's journey, but no one had actually faced the Demon King of Erjest.

"A face-to-face encounter isn't the only way to obtain information about a Demon King."

Cain was not ignorant of that method either. Still, he had always questioned whether it could be trusted completely.

"Black fire."

"So it was fire?"

"Demonic energy fire."

But he could trust Lavinia's eyewitness testimony.

"Do you remember where you encountered the Demon King?"

Cain unfolded a map of Erjest, though most of it was blank. It was a forbidden region that remained largely unexplored, but the map was better than nothing.

"No."

"Then which direction did you go?"

"Forward."

"Did the Demon King have any distinguishing features, then? Anything unusual?"

"Human."

"Demons who look human are common. That hardly counts as a distinguishing feature. Sister, can you think of anything more specific?"

Lavinia tilted her head for a moment.

"Black hair?"

"And?"

"Black eyes."

"Anything else?"

"Cher..."

"Isn't Cher your favorite chimera, Sister?"

It was also the chimera she had ridden through the snowy mountains.

"Yes."

"What about Cher?"

"Was scared."

"Scared?"

"Very."

The knight, the mage, and the prince, who had been listening intently, gave deflated laughs. Naturally, a chimera would fear a Demon King, so that information was no help at all. Realizing the conversation was getting them nowhere, Cain changed the subject.

"How did you encounter the orc?"

"The dogs."

"Right, you had the demon hounds."

They were chimeras Lavinia had created herself, sensitive to demonic energy and capable of tracking it like hunting hounds. They were also the chief reason Akan's king had decided to use her to lead the search for the Demon King's tower.

"If there was a battle with the Demon King, there should be traces of demonic energy. We can track them with the demon hounds, then search for the tower from there..."

"Dead."

"... What?"

"All of them. Orcs killed them."

Good heavens. Akan's plan had gone awry before it had even begun.

* * *

An unexpected festival was underway in the dwarves' royal capital.

"Hillen Cargill!"

"Hillen Cargill!"

Fireworks burst overhead, and confetti fluttered through the air. Dwarves who had drunk their fill of beer cheered. Riding a gigantic mechanical contraption through the crowd, Hillen Cargill waved. His gesture drew even louder cheers.

"The kingdom's hero!"

"The great hero who saved our princess!"

Granada, standing behind him, frowned at the satisfied smile spreading across his face.

"Stop frowning. Everyone is watching."

"Do you really enjoy this so much?"

"I do."

"It's all just empty show..."

"Do you know something? Fame doesn't arise simply because you accomplish something."

It was, quite literally, the value of one's name. A name became complete when someone called it. Its value was created only when someone praised it.

"You could slay monsters, eliminate bandits, keep the peace, and find treasure, but if you're the only one who knows about it, nothing could be more meaningless."

It had to be seen. Someone had to witness it, marvel, and spread the word.

"That might mean one person spreading word of mouth, or a crowd witnessing your deeds. And I guarantee you, a kingdom-sponsored festival and parade like this is the finest publicity of all."

How could he possibly not enjoy it?

"Fame becomes my honor. And it becomes my power."

"Yes, yes. Congratulations."

In any case, the parade honored the entire Red Hawk raiding party, including Hillen Cargill. Granada struggled to keep his expression pleasant as he acknowledged the dwarves calling his name. Then he lowered his voice further to whisper.

"Word has come from the mountains."

"Again?"

"Apparently, Akan's forces have arrived in Hortonwork."

"No hero's journey has been declared, and no raiding party would go somewhere when they don't even know where the tower is."

"Yes, it's neither of those. Lavinia Akan is reportedly among Akan's elite troops. Do you know her?"

"Lavinia Akan..."

Akan's Third Princess. Even to Hillen Cargill, who knew of nearly every royal and noble, she was particularly memorable—a princess who warranted special caution. He realized what Akan was after.

"They're trying to find the tower."

"He said the very same thing."

"We must stop them."

It would not do for the tower to be exposed and destroyed. It had to fall someday, but not now, at least.

'The Demon King is trying to use me, but I'm using him too.'

Thanks to the Demon King, he had gained the Golden Moon Trading Company as a patron, along with immense financial backing. Thanks to the Demon King, he had slain the Beast Demon King. Thanks to the Demon King, he had thwarted the Demon King of Carnal Desire. And thanks to all that, he had become an Argan at headquarters.

The Demon King had not told him, so he didn't know the details, but surely he too had gained something in the process. Yet could those gains really exceed Hillen's? He thought not, but even if they did, it didn't matter. What mattered was that Hillen remained satisfied with this relationship and wanted to enjoy more of its benefits.

That was why he did not want Berge to lose the advantage of having a hidden tower. That would lead to a hero's journey, the Demon King's demise, and the end of their relationship.

"Go there yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"Take the Red Hawk raiding party and join them."

"...?"

"Say I sent you, and help them."

"You think Akan will welcome us if we turn up out of nowhere offering to help?"

"They will. The Red Hawk raiding party participated in the hero's journey to Erjest, and you supported me until the very end, didn't you?"

Faced with the treacherous terrain of Erjest, experience was more valuable than anything.

"After that..."

"After that, we just keep circling through places where the tower isn't?"

"That would arouse suspicion. Akan's mages are a suspicious lot."

"Then?"

"Don't try any needless tricks. Show them every place, one by one. Just leave the area where the tower is until the very end."

In the process, the Kingdom of Akan would suffer significant losses. They might even be wiped out.

"And if they still make it to the end?"

"The Demon King will handle things from there."

Hillen had never heard about the concealment that hid the tower itself. But he knew how cunning the Demon King named Berge Deias was. Thus, absurdly enough, despite being a hero, he trusted a Demon King.

"If you keep him informed from the inside about their movements, their plans, and everything else, he will never fall."

There was a vast difference between watching from outside and manipulating from within. They would become little rats in the Demon King's grasp.

"What do I say if they ask how you learned about Akan's operation?"

He didn't know whether the Heroes' Guild was aware of it, but at least the Guild had conveyed nothing to Hillen. It was bound to arouse suspicion.

"Tell them I planted someone in Hortonwork as a precaution after the failed hero's journey to Erjest."

"Will they believe that?"

"Even if they don't, they'll have no choice once a witness comes forward."

"Then you really did...?"

"Of course not. It's a lie."

"..."

At his nonchalance, Granada's face twisted into a bizarre expression.

"Once someone has been taken in by a lie, they believe it to be true. That makes them the most dependable ally you could ask for."

"... What is that supposed to mean?"

"Just say Louise Berft will vouch for it."

"...?"

He hadn't expected things to work out this way, but it wasn't bad.

"Leave as soon as the parade ends. I'll finish things up here."

"I will."

Granada nodded. Hillen Cargill's smile deepened as he gazed at the dwarves.

* * *

"Not a bad approach."

His plan was similar to what Berge had in mind. In some respects, it was more developed. Berge had merely intended to purchase people through the Golden Moon Trading Company and then watch the expedition.

But Hillen Cargill's plan was better. There was no risk of exposing his relationship with Hillen, which Berge had feared. The unruly princess Louise Berft herself would serve as the most reliable witness imaginable.

"Hillen Cargill..."

At first, he had followed Berge unwillingly because of the Armani Orb. But gradually he had adapted, and now he proposed better courses of action on his own. Because doing so benefited him.

The current relationship between Demon King and hero was closer to a mutually beneficial symbiosis than a hierarchy. Of course, even if Berge was cultivating him for eventual use, that did not change the immediate reality. That was what had made Hillen Cargill this way. He was the very model of an exceedingly greedy human.

"I believe we need to be careful."

"I know what you mean."

This solution would certainly benefit Berge, but it also concealed Hillen Cargill's greedy desire to establish good ties with the Kingdom of Akan.

"Once we get through this crisis, I suppose I'll need to spend all my demonic energy points on removing interference for a while."

Hillen Cargill was a viper. Unless he judged himself to have a decisive advantage, he would keep his fangs hidden to the very end. The foundation of keeping him in check was Berge's own martial strength. Overwhelming power.

"Yes."

"But for now, we need to send those damned bastards back."

"According to Krutu, they have chimeras that detect demonic energy."

"That should be true."

"Then what if we scatter demonic energy throughout the mountains to confuse them?"

"It would be even easier with Granada steering them from the inside."

"Yes."

"A good approach."

Perhaps he could casually trigger an avalanche or two while they wandered about lost. Berge carefully went over all the methods he had used during the hero's journey.