Chapter 98 - Reina Sordein’s Resolve

House Sordein was one of the most prestigious families in the Demon Realm. In a realm where strength came before all else, holding positions of power generation after generation and preserving the family’s name spoke to the tremendous strength and influence it possessed.

Reina Sordein belonged to that family’s direct bloodline. Why someone like her had come to this godforsaken dimension called Arain was unknown, but in a sense, it was only natural that countless demons from her house had followed her here.

Jason had adapted best to Arain and survived here the longest, but no demon could rival Reina in the proportion or caliber of high-ranking demons under her command. In other words, Reina Sordein actually possessed the strongest army of all the Demon Kings in Arain. That could change depending on what they did in the future, of course, but for now, it was true.

Humans, however, did not know that. Reina Sordein had been quiet for so long that there was ample room to mistake her silence for weakness. She was simply following the Guide faithfully.

“First, tell me exactly what happened, from the beginning.”

“... Yes. We met Gillian Aint here.”

* * *

A little earlier, on the day Hillen Cargill met Gillian Aint.

“A pleasure to meet you.”

“Thank you for answering my call for help!”

Gillian Aint was a typical barbarian. The enormous man pulled Hillen Cargill into an embrace.

“Ah, was that rude of me?”

“Not at all. Please, make yourself comfortable with me.”

“Then I will!”

The bare skin visible between his furs was all muscle, covered in countless scars that spoke of the life he had led.

“I was terribly disappointed when Princess Yesica turned down my request. But when she offered to introduce you instead, Hillen, you have no idea how delighted I was!”

Gillian Aint’s manner of speaking was a little rough, but there was no pretense about him. His gray eyes sparkled like a child’s.

“I would like to know exactly what you have in mind.”

“Of course! Naturally, I owe my ally an explanation.”

“Captain, I don’t think this is the place for that conversation.”

“Where’s my head? I’ve been rude again.”

At his deputy leader’s rebuke, Gillian gave an awkward chuckle and led the Red Hawk to an inn where he had rented an entire annex.

“It must have been a hard journey. Get some rest.”

After assigning rooms to the members, he sat down privately with Hillen Cargill and Granada.

“I—we intend to turn the Tower of Bitter Cold into a hunting ground.”

At first glance, his grand plan sounded like an absurd fantasy.

‘He intends to keep a Demon King under control?’

Demon Kings were powerful. However many heroes there were, however much of an advantage humans held, that fact did not change.

‘Of course, we haven’t left them alone all this time because their power is absolute...’

“Left them alone” was not quite the right way to put it, but it was not entirely wrong, either. To Hillen Cargill, Demon Kings were a necessary evil.

‘The Heroes’ Guild doesn’t want the Demon Kings to disappear.’

Because Demon Kings existed, humans needed heroes, allowing the heroes to wield the power they now possessed. To nations, Demon Kings were an irritating obstacle they could not readily remove.

He did not know whether it would actually work out that way, but Hillen Cargill believed that nations such as Jespine, Akan, and Hilderan, which prided themselves on being great powers, could wipe out one or two Demon Kings’ towers if they poured everything into the effort. But what then? Having lost everything, they would likely meet the same fate as those towers.

He considered that the greatest reason both the Demon Kings’ towers and the heroes continued to survive. Of course, that was his personal opinion, and there were likely other complicated reasons as well. Even taking those into account, however, the notion of reducing a Demon King’s tower to a mere hunting ground and keeping it under control seemed nothing short of madness.

“Do you believe that is possible?”

“That’s why I intend to try.”

“Our opponent is a Demon King.”

“And we’re heroes. It would be impossible with just me and the White Eagles, but ten tribes have joined forces, and now we have you and the Red Hawk as well.”

“But if the Demon King and the high-ranking demons intervene...”

“The Demon King never leaves the top of the tower. You know that, don’t you?”

“...”

Hillen Cargill could not answer. That had certainly been common knowledge to him, too—before he met Berge.

“What’s wrong?”

“... Of course.”

‘Berge is the unusual one. Apart from abducting royalty, the other Demon Kings have never left the tops of their towers.’

There was no need to worry, then.

“And once you clear out a Demon King’s tower, it’s weaker the next time. It needs time to regain its original strength.”

He did not know the precise reason, but every hero knew that was how a tower’s ecosystem worked.

“Turning it into a hunting ground is nothing grand. We’ll simply keep climbing only as far as the floors we can handle.”

They would slowly wear the Demon King down that way. Eventually, even if she wanted to do something, she would be unable to.

“Of course, the Demon King won’t simply do nothing.”

A tower could adapt. Once the Demon King realized what Gillian Aint was planning, however late, she would attempt some countermeasure.

“I need you to eliminate that uncertainty. On my own, I’d have to stop at the lower floors anyway. Together, we could reach higher ones.”

“...”

Hillen considered it. Little by little, the possibilities he could glimpse began to tempt him.

‘What if we really could do it?’

It was not entirely impossible. It required the Demon King to stay put, but Berge was the only Demon King who had ever failed to do so. Berge was the oddity; that was how ordinary Demon Kings behaved.

‘And even if something unexpected happens...’

There was Gillian Aint, and there was Hillen himself. They had the White Eagles, the Red Hawk, and more than a thousand barbarians.

‘If we succeed...’

They could bring even a Demon King to heel. The names of the heroes who accomplished it—his own reputation—would rise even higher. Being able to hunt the tower’s demonic creatures more easily would also give them the tremendous advantage of growing far faster than other heroes.

And later...

‘What if I kill the Demon King of Bitter Cold, too...?’

The slayer of three Demon Kings. Hillen Cargill could become a great figure without equal, past or future. It was enticing. But there was something he needed to clarify.

“I heard a tribe was wiped out by rampaging monsters. Was that the Demon King’s doing?”

“I believe it probably was.”

“Then doesn’t that invalidate the very premise that she will do nothing?”

“That’s precisely why I need your help. Whatever the Demon King does, she has limits. With you, we can push that bitch to those limits. We can eliminate every uncertainty.”

“... Hmm.”

Hillen suppressed a groan, looking troubled. His mind, however, was working furiously.

‘I am a great hero who has killed two Demon Kings.’

He had received a Demon King’s help, and it had been a joint effort with other heroes, but those facts hardly mattered. What mattered was that the power of two Demon Kings resided within him, and he was making it more fully his own with each passing day.

Berge’s ambiguous words bothered him a little, but he was confident he could overcome any minor danger with his own strength.

“... Is it truly possible?”

“Of course. I’m a hero born in the snowfields. I’ve spent my whole life here, and I’ve fought here ever since becoming a hero. No hero knows the snowfields or the Demon King of Bitter Cold better than I do.”

“... Very well.”

Hillen Cargill nodded.

“You’ve made the right decision.”

The two heroes clasped hands.

* * *

“Up to that point, it seemed to be going well.”

“Anything sounds perfect when all you hear is the plan.”

“Yes, you’re right. In any case, the northern tribes were brimming with fighting spirit. They believed the Demon King of Bitter Cold had attacked their kin. We gathered fifteen hundred barbarians, the White Eagles, the Red Hawk, and even heroes who flocked there for a share of the spoils after hearing Gillian Aint’s and Hillen Cargill’s names.”

“At that point, you could call it an expedition.”

“A somewhat weaker one, but frankly, yes.”

It fell far short of the expedition that had marched on The Beast’s Tower, but it was comparable to Hillen Cargill’s expedition to find the Tower of Hellfire.

‘The problem is...’

Reina Sordein surpassed Berge in every respect, from her influence to her personal fighting strength. That was what she had gained from the decades she had spent in Arain.

“So what happened?”

He already knew the outcome. He merely wanted to know how it had come about.

“We made every preparation and set out for the Tower of Bitter Cold.”

“For some reason, we hardly saw any monsters in the snowfields that day. We should have found that suspicious, but we simply congratulated ourselves, saying even the monsters were frightened of our force.”

It was natural to get swept up in the mood. With two great heroes and an enormous force accompanying them, confidence was only to be expected.

“After two weeks, we reached the Tower of Bitter Cold. We could see it in the distance, and the blizzard was particularly fierce that day.”

Even moving was difficult. The White Eagles and the barbarians, accustomed to the snowfields, managed well enough, but for the Red Hawk, who were not, it was an ordeal.

“We drew close to the tower and reorganized our ranks one final time nearby. Then Gillian Aint gave a brief speech.”

Today would be a turning point in history. This was the moment the barbarians would achieve greatness. He raised their morale with all manner of flowery phrases, and the barbarians roared.

And at that moment...

“As though answering them, the tower’s doors opened.”

Granada trembled slightly, as if remembering that moment.

“Old demons stood at the front. They proved the saying that old peppers pack a punch.”

“Isn’t it small peppers?”

“Shh.”

“They were high-ranking demons.”

Berge had a fair idea who they were. Probably the old demons who had stood in attendance behind Reina.

“Behind them were many more demons.”

“And behind those were even more demonic creatures.”

‘Did she send out all the tower’s forces?’

That was another loophole in the Guide. Outside the tower, there was no need to meet heroes with weak forces at the outset.

“We were taken aback.”

Every plan Gillian Aint had made relied on a single premise: weak monsters would be stationed on the lower floors, with stronger ones appearing as they climbed. No one had expected the demons and demonic creatures to open the tower’s doors and rush out first. Faced with those formidable forces all at once, victory was far from assured, even without the Demon King herself.

“Realizing something was wrong, Gillian Aint ordered a retreat. But...”

“But?”

“Thousands of monsters hidden in the snow emerged, surrounded us, and cut off our escape.”

“Thousands of monsters...?”

Demons and demonic creatures were different. So were monsters and demonic creatures. Unlike demonic creatures, which were life-forms of the Demon Realm, monsters lived in this world. They were descendants of demonic creatures the Demon Realm had scattered here long ago, but they had fully adapted and degenerated, becoming a complete part of this world.

The traces of demonic creatures remaining deep within them gave them an instinctive awe of demons, but they were not as easy to command as demonic creatures. Whereas demonic creatures knew their roles and served loyally the moment they were summoned, monsters had to be personally subjugated and taken as servants.

‘Reina Sordein...’

Gathering thousands of monsters could never have been accomplished overnight. The territory they inhabited would also be considerable. He had thought she was holed up in the snowfields doing nothing, but had she been making the snowfields themselves her domain? It was an approach entirely faithful to the Guide.

Berge wondered whether to admire her for building such a large force or call her foolish for letting the White Eagles’ scheme corner her despite it before his regression. Then he shook his head.

‘Right now, it certainly is impressive.’

She had merely been waiting for the right moment.

“And then?”

“I broke out of the encirclement with Hillen Cargill. But the swarming monsters eventually forced us apart.”

“Is he dead?”

“I don’t believe so.”

Berge agreed with Granada.

‘Hillen Cargill wouldn’t have died easily.’

If a man who had absorbed two Demon Kings could be killed so easily, he could never have become a Star in the first place.

‘What matters is the current situation in the snowfields.’

If he charged in blindly, he would likely find himself caught between the monsters and the imperial army.

‘Should I contact Reina?’

Demon Kings could not contact one another without using their towers’ communication systems. Reina, however, had given him a separate personal communication orb.

‘Nothing would be more reliable than sounding her out directly...’

Besides, she probably felt favorably toward Berge now. Their relationship had gone beyond mere cooperation: thanks to him, she had thwarted the White Eagles’ scheme more easily.

It happened just then.

HUMMM

Berge gave a startled twitch. It was the communication orb—Reina Sordein’s, the very one he had been about to use.

“Go outside and summon spirits.”

“Yes.”

Ernyan and Granada left the room. Ernyan summoned spirits and sent them roaming around it.

“Won’t this draw even more attention? You mustn’t let anyone discover your identity, Lady Ernyan.”

It was only natural for heroes to gather in response to the unrest in the snowfields. Countless heroes had assembled in the northern fortress city before heading there. Berge had to assume his Demon King form to communicate with Reina, and with so many heroes present, one of them might be able to penetrate his concealment and detect his demonic energy. The spirits were a means of hiding that energy.

“But I have you here, Granada.”

“Right, I am an elf. Cover your face immediately if anyone comes.”

“Yes.”

Meanwhile, alone in the room, Berge channeled demonic energy into the communication orb.

“What is it?”

Reina’s face appeared.

『You were right.』

“You’re giving me no context.”

『Thanks to you, I knew of the White Eagles’ scheme beforehand and could prepare for it.』

『I wished to thank you.』

“Ah, that. I heard the Red Hawk joined the White Eagles. It seems you won.”

『Thanks to you. Someday, I shall repay this favor.』

“All I did was warn you.”

『That warning changed my actions. It changed the course of events, and it changed the outcome.』

“Did they all die?”

『No. Even high-ranking demons cannot easily assure victory against those whom humans acclaim as Stars.』

『They were wounded, but they broke through the encirclement and fled.』

“I see. What do you intend to do next?”

『I intend to make an example.』

“An example?”

『I have remained as quiet as possible to avoid provoking the Empire. But if they strike at me first like this, that changes matters.』

『I believe I must make an example for the humans as well, so they never attempt such tricks again.』

『To show them that I do not remain idle because I fear them.』

“The Empire won’t stand by.”

『You seem rather different from when you first descended. Back then, you would have told me to simply crush those insignificant humans.』

“I’ve never said anything of the sort.”

『I merely thought you would, given that you insulted the Guide.』

Reina smiled faintly.

『And do not worry. It may seem that many humans have died, but that is not actually the case.』

She was angry, but she planned calmly for the future.

『By now, the survivors are probably returning to the Empire one by one. That is the end of their punishment.』

“You lifted the encirclement?”

『Yes. I do not yet have the strength to fight Jespine to the bitter end, so I have no choice but to restrain myself.』

But Reina’s eyes grew cold.

『There is one exception.』

“One?”

『I believe someone who represents humanity would make a fitting example.』

『Someone strong.』

『Renowned.』

『Someone humans regard as a source of hope.』

『A Star, for instance.』

“Gillian Aint or Hillen Cargill. Which one?”

Berge swallowed hard, praying she would name the former.

But...

『Hillen Cargill.』

The great first Demon Emperor had forsaken him once again.

『An insolent human who has killed two Demon Kings must not be allowed to exist in this world.』

『This is an excellent opportunity.』

Fuck.

Hidden beneath the desk, his hand clenched into a fist. His nails dug into his skin, drawing blood.