Chapter 86 - A Request

Golems.

Artificial giants made using cores and magical circuits. The pinnacle of magical engineering.

These were precisely what Berge had wanted Logger to make.

"Th-that's orichalcum!" Logger shouted.

A muted brass gleam. The golems were made of the magical metal orichalcum.

It was so hard that refining it required exceptional skill and specialized techniques. Infusing it with mana made it even harder, so it was occasionally used for the outer walls of specialized fortresses or the finest armor.

That metal formed the bodies of all five golems.

"Surely they didn't make the whole thing out of something that precious? No, judging by that faint rainbow sheen, they must have alloyed it with another metal or applied it as a coating... My goodness. That's Akan for you."

"It looks impressive."

"Well, seeing something that magnificent, of cour—n-no, sir!"

Regardless of Logger's admiration, the golems remained faithful to their task. They propped up the collapsing walls with their bodies and kept the human camp safe even amid the avalanche.

True, holding out was all they could manage, but what mattered was that they managed it.

"... So that's what they were hiding."

Berge had hoped the avalanche would inflict considerable damage. What a disappointment.

"Still, they don't seem to have escaped entirely unscathed."

"Indeed."

Krutu was right. The hastily erected barrier had not completely enclosed the camp, and some snow had flowed around the walls and swept inside.

Of course, the damage was trifling. Nearly half the magical tents and camp had been swept away, but there were no casualties.

"Logger."

"Y-yes?"

"That's what I want. You can make one, can't you?"

"Uh... um..."

"That doesn't sound very convincing."

"I do know a fair amount about magical engineering, but those are masterpieces that even most specialist golem makers would struggle to produce."

The difficulty of making a golem increased in proportion to its size. The larger it was, the more power it needed to move and the greater the load it had to bear. Even with that heavy body, it still needed speed, destructive power, and durability.

Achieving all of that virtually required highly sophisticated magic circles.

And if its body was made from an orichalcum alloy, notoriously difficult to work with...

"So you're saying you can't?"

"Rather than saying I can't, I'm saying I could manage somehow if you brought me just one expert."

"An expert?"

"Aren't there plenty over there?"

Logger chuckled, pointing at a mage controlling the golems with an innocent smile.

Had this bastard completely forgotten he was a hero?

"... And one of those golems, while you're at it. I think I could learn an awful lot by taking it apart."

The same madness showed in him as when he had said he wanted to dismantle the tower.

"If possible, I'll do that for you."

But this was a time to overcome the immediate obstacle, not pick out spoils for after their victory.

"What should we do?" Krutu asked.

"With golems like those standing guard, most monsters will get smashed the moment they poke their heads out."

"Then?"

"Let them all get smashed."

The mountains were vast, and there were plenty of monsters. A few deaths would hardly matter.

Even if the expedition easily repelled the monsters the orcs herded toward them, attacks every single day would wear away at their minds.

Perhaps, in the meantime, a clever way to bring down those damned golems would present itself.

"Let's go."

"Yes, sir."

"..."

"Logger."

"Y-yes! Coming!"

* * *

The avalanche put Akan's forces on their guard.

"Is it possible the Demon King deliberately triggered the avalanche?"

"I've never heard of or seen a Demon King who does such a thing."

"Then was it simply a coincidence?"

"We cannot be certain of that either. Mount Erjest has remained unconquered for a very long time. We do not know precisely what monsters live here or what conditions prevail. And whether it was deliberate or not, our task remains the same."

Cain nodded at the captain of the Blue Meteor Mage Corps's words.

"True. Whether the Demon King caused it or it occurred naturally, we still have to stop it."

Akan resumed its advance. But their wariness of avalanches inevitably slowed their pace still further.

Moving as slowly as tortoises, they naturally became targets for monsters seeking prey.

"Ground hounds!"

It began with packs of wolf-like monsters more than three meters in size.

"Trolls! Stop them!"

"A twin-headed ogre has appeared!"

Familiar monsters.

"Shit, a Poil gorgon!"

"Deploy the golems!"

"Do not meet it head-on!"

Even a monster resembling a gigantic bull appeared. Normally found on grasslands or plateaus, it had adapted to the snowy mountains and was covered in fur.

It was like a storm.

"We occasionally spot Poil Orcs too, but they aren't attacking directly. It feels as though they're deliberately herding the monsters toward us."

"It really does seem certain that the Demon King is commanding the orcs."

With five golems and the titan chimera Cher at the forefront, Akan repelled the monsters more easily than expected.

But their defense could not be perfect, and damage and fatigue slowly accumulated.

And amid all this...

"So many."

"Things to use."

Lavinia Akan was the only one enjoying herself.

"Can't use this."

"Can use this."

"Can't use this."

"Can use this."

She rummaged through the monster corpses that had stained the white snow red. Hearts, bones, hides, even tendons. Every usable corpse was sucked into her storage dimension.

"Cher. Make you stronger."

ROOOAR!

Pleased with her haul, Lavinia smiled happily. Her friend, the titan, raised both arms and roared in celebration.

Covered from head to toe in monster blood as she butchered their bodies, Lavinia was not a pleasant sight, no matter how favorably one tried to view her.

"... Forgive me if this is an impertinent question, but are all Akan's princesses like that?"

"... My sister is a little unusual. But thanks to her, we're gaining a way to locate the Demon King's tower, so surely all's well that ends well."

"Ahem."

Cain did his best to avoid Granada's gaze.

* * *

A Heroes' Guild banquet was something special.

Countless heroes were invited, and countless powerful figures of every nationality and race attended to see them.

'And I'm the star of it all.'

Although some of it had admittedly been arranged by a Demon King, the rest was entirely the fruit of his own abilities.

'Without me, no one would have managed it in the first place.'

The Demon King merely lent a hand.

"You've arrived, sir?"

Hillen passed down the long corridor and stopped before the banquet hall doors. The knights guarding them brightened in recognition.

"It is an honor to meet you, Sir Hillen."

"Thank you."

"To think I get to announce your entrance myself."

"You flatter me. I'm merely an ordinary hero."

"No one could dismiss you as an ordinary hero when you've slain two Demon Kings."

The Guild's chief steward, responsible for announcing arrivals, cleared his throat. Then he called out:

"The great hero who slew the Demon King of Lust and brought down his tower, slew the Beast Demon King and brought down his tower, and protected Berft's Second Princess from the Demon King of Carnal Desire! Hero Hillen Cargill!"

After the lengthy introduction, the doors opened. The sweet music filling the hall paused briefly. Every gaze turned toward him.

Hillen Cargill advanced one slow step at a time. Enjoying the avid looks directed at him, he accepted a drink from a passing attendant.

All the while, his eyes rapidly scanned the guests.

'That's Marquis Abronic of Iasin.'

'Count Gallion and Count Guros of Akan.'

Count Tomhal of Korzen and Marquis Killian of Horton.

Those were merely the counts and marquises. There were far more barons and viscounts.

And heroes as well.

"A pleasure to meet you. I am Ferdal Killian."

The first person to approach Hillen was a middle-aged man with a splendid mustache.

A high-ranking noble of Horton, the powerful northern kingdom.

"Hillen Cargill."

They shook hands.

"I've heard of your fame until my ears ache."

"Am I famous enough to warrant that?"

"You're far too modest. Having slain two Demon Kings, you may proudly call yourself the greatest hero alive."

Even if his present abilities did not justify it, he would eventually become just that.

"Thank you."

A brief conversation followed.

"Ah, how did you come to save Louise Berft? How did you know beforehand that the Demon King of Carnal Desire would attempt to abduct her?"

"It was a coincidence. As you know, I visited the kingdom as an envoy of the Heroes' Guild."

"True, I thought that might be the case. Still, what an extraordinary coincidence."

Ferdal laughed heartily.

"I hear the Demon King of Carnal Desire lost her tail? Such a shame I didn't see her flee with my own eyes."

"There was nothing particularly remarkable about it, save that she made just as disgraceful a spectacle of herself as any human might."

"Heh heh, so she abandoned all her dignity as a Demon King. Ah, where are my manners?"

Ferdal shook his head.

"I've monopolized our celebrity for too long. The others will slap me for it."

"Not at all."

"Before I go, may I introduce you to someone?"

"If you wish to make the introduction, my lord marquis, gladly."

"Your Highness."

A murmur rose among the guests. The wall of people surrounding Hillen parted naturally.

A woman stepped through the opening.

Blond hair reaching her waist, blue eyes, and a well-trained physique.

"This is our first meeting in person. A pleasure."

Hillen knew who she was, though he had never met her in person.

"Ah, how rude of me at our first meeting."

"Not at all. Please speak freely. I am Hillen Cargill."

"I'm glad, then. I am Yesica Horton."

She was a hero who had risen to the rank of Star, yet served as a knight of the Kingdom of Horton.

All heroes belonged to the Heroes' Guild. Though many maintained unofficial ties to individual nations, they could not formally serve a kingdom.

But she was one of the few exceptions recognized by the Guild itself.

Yesica Horton: a member of Horton's royal family, a hero, and commander of the White Rose Knights.

"It is an honor to meet the great hero who slew two Demon Kings."

"The honor is mine, Your Highness. Your renown precedes you."

Horton was one of the three kingdoms bordering Erjest. Naturally, not a day passed without monsters descending from the mountains to plague it, and its knights fought for their lives every day.

Yesica Horton stood on the very front line.

She was a great hero and knight who had defended the kingdom in the land of bitter cold for well over a decade.

"I hear you negotiated an agreement to receive equipment from the dwarven kingdom. A remarkable achievement."

"You flatter me. We are simply paying to purchase it."

"Regardless, getting those haughty little dwarves to agree to supply a fixed amount to the Guild every month is an enormous achievement in itself. The kingdom has high hopes for it too."

Equipment supplied to the Heroes' Guild naturally went to heroes first. And although she served Horton, her status as a Star gave her considerable priority.

"Ah, but that isn't what I wanted to discuss..."

She glanced around. Those hoping to approach Hillen Cargill hesitated, cowed by her presence.

"My apologies when you've only just arrived, but might we speak privately for a moment?"

"A private audience with Your Highness would be an honor."

"You have a silver tongue. Let us go to the terrace."

Yesica smiled faintly. Hillen followed her out onto the terrace, where the cold night breeze brushed pleasantly across his face.

"This is hardly something to bring up at our first meeting, but have you heard the rumors about Jespine's northern snowfields?"

"Aren't the northern snowfields the barbarians' territory?"

"They are also Bitter Cold's domain."

So the Demon King of Bitter Cold was involved.

Hillen searched his memory as thoroughly as he could. But perhaps because settling into the Heroes' Guild had been his highest priority, he had had no time to concern himself with the northern snowfields.

"Has something happened in the snowfields?"

"It has. A major matter or a minor one, depending on how you look at it. Do you know Gillian Aint?"

"The Star who leads the White Eagles."

"Apparently, he tried something against the Demon King of Bitter Cold. But it didn't go well, and perhaps he angered the Demon King, for monsters and demonic creatures reportedly wiped out several barbarian tribes."

"... My goodness."

Hillen's mind raced desperately.

Even Berge had never told him about this. Had he deliberately withheld it? Or did Berge not know either?

"You know that Gillian Aint and the White Eagles come from the northern tribes, don't you? As a result, the snowfields are practically a battlefield now."

But if rage alone could solve everything, all the Demon Kings would have died long ago.

Gillian Aint alone was not enough to withstand a Demon King's power.

"He asked me for help."

The snowfields where Gillian operated were fairly close to Yesica's northern territory. The two kept in frequent contact and helped each other.

"I wanted to help him, but unfortunately, for some reason, more monsters have been coming down from the mountains. I simply cannot afford to leave for an extended period."

"Are you asking me to go to the snowfields in your place and help him?"

"It isn't something I should ask of someone I've only just met, but yes. Please."

She nodded.

"He has helped me a great deal as well. It is time I repaid him. But my circumstances are difficult, and I thought of you."

"... That puts me in something of a difficult position."

Hillen currently had a great deal to do at headquarters. Having already gone to Berft immediately after becoming an Argan, he did not want another prolonged absence.

"I understand. I know how unreasonable a request I'm making."

It was not entirely unreasonable. A hero's calling was, after all, to oppose Demon Kings.

Anyone could ask Hillen to fight a Demon King for the sake of the continent.

"I only ask that you consider it. Nor am I asking you to do it for nothing. If you accept, I will try to reward you as generously as I can within my means. But I am not forcing you. If you cannot do it, say so. I will bear you no ill will."

Hillen gave a slight nod.

"I don't think I can answer immediately. Would you allow me some time to consider it?"

"As much as you need. I'm pleased you're even willing to consider it. Frankly, I expected you to refuse outright."

"For today, I would like to enjoy the banquet."

"Oh dear, I've kept a busy man far too long."

Yesica patted his shoulder.

"Shall we go back in together?"

"Yes."

'First, I'll have to contact the Demon King.'

Yesica Horton was popular not only among heroes but among ordinary people as well. Granting her request and cultivating her friendship could only benefit him, never harm him.

'I'd rather not let this opportunity slip away if I can help it.'

To Hillen, connections directly tied to fame and honor mattered more than anything.