Can I really trust them?
"You want me to accept you as my retainers?"
Monsters have their own ecosystem.
The law of the strong devouring the weak.
These beings, born from demonic beasts and branching off from them, may have partially escaped the Demon Realm's influence—but they inherited their forebears' disposition exactly.
They fight and struggle.
They eat and are eaten.
To survive, they must fight, must become stronger.
Yet ironically, there is no race with a more fixed nature than monsters and demonic beasts.
Orcs cannot defeat trolls.
Orcs cannot defeat yetis.
Orcs cannot defeat ogres.
Orcs cannot defeat basilisks, cocodrilles, gargoyles, or wyverns.
The orc race boasted the highest numbers among the demonic races due to their superior reproduction—but their limits were painfully clear.
They were weak and numerous, looked down upon even by humans.
Of course, even among orcs there are levels.
Feral Orcs stand at the very top of the orc race; even a small group can chew apart an ogre, and humans dare not dismiss them.But everything is relative.
In the harsh land known as Ergestre, even Feral Orcs became nothing more than ordinary orcs.
They were the bottom of Ergestre's ecosystem.
They were the ones who had to do anything to survive.
And Spirit Grass was exactly that.Spirit Grass was hope—the hope that might break their limits.
"So you dared to defy the Demon King's command and refused to give up the Spirit Grass? And now you want me to understand?"
"Tch."Berze let out a hollow laugh.Did these idiots even realize what they were saying?
"We do not seek understanding. They simply paid the price for their foolish choice. We only wish for you to know that our tribe is different from theirs."
"You had better be different. If you were the same as those fools, you wouldn't be flapping your jaws in front of me right now."
At the faint killing intent, the orcs trembled.
"You knew I would come?"
"Not long ago, we heard the Gale Tribe had been annihilated. That they coveted the Spirit Grass and were slaughtered by you, my lord."
"And?"
"We understood that you desire the Spirit Grass. Our tribe found it… and we believed that one day you would come for it. So we moved our settlement and waited."
"You're not far from the Tower. And yet you didn't come to the Tower?"
"We thought you might not wish that…"
Fairly sharp.If they had come to the Tower and made demands, he would have ripped off every last one of their heads.
"We humbly beg you—please accept us as your retainers."
"Please accept us!"
The Feral Orcs bowed again, slamming their heads to the ground.
"What is your name?"
"I am Krutu, chieftain of the Red Frost Tribe."
"How many orcs does your tribe have?"
"One hundred fifty-three. Half of them are warriors."
Berze fell into thought.
This wasn't unheard of.
Among monsters with enough intelligence to converse, some voluntarily asked to become the Demon King's retainers.
Because it was another way to break their racial limits—to receive demonic energy from the Demon King and the Tower, to take a step beyond.
Strictly speaking, it was returning to their original form.But that didn't make it any less appealing.
Were the Feral Orcs useful? No.It was Krutu.
Why were monsters called monsters?
Not merely because they descended from demonic beasts.
But because they lacked intelligence and acted on instinct.
Because conversation was difficult, and they lacked the presence of true sentient beings.
If every orc were like Krutu, humans might have classified orcs not as monsters, but as a demi-race.
Not demonic beasts, but demonfolk.
And there was something else.The pressure Krutu radiated was completely different from the other orcs.
Yes. This one—
"You ate the Spirit Grass."
"Yes. Long ago, my father found one… and I was lucky enough to consume it."
"Good. I will accept you."
"Thank you!"
"But it's too soon to celebrate."
A monster accepted as a retainer receives demonic energy through the Tower, consuming it steadily—much like a salary paid to a human.
From a monster's perspective, that was the reason to become a retainer.But Berze, whose demonic energy was severely lacking, had no intention of accepting them all as they were.
Therefore—
"I will accept only you as a retainer."
He began drawing the big picture.
"...So this is it."
Krutu stepped inside the Tower and looked around in awe.
"A Feral Orc, this time?"
Gordon noticed him and spoke.
"And this one is?"
"My lieutenant, Gordon."
"I greet you, Gordon. I am Krutu, leader of the Red Frost Clan."
The natural flow of his conduct made Gordon blink.
"An orc…?"
The orcs he knew could not speak this fluently.
"He will be my first retainer since descending to Arein."
"...I have no objections whatsoever."
This was the first normal monster.Not a princess, not a dwarven hero—an actual monster.
Gordon had no reason to oppose it. Not that opposition would matter anyway.
"But there's a dwarf in the Tower…?"
Krutu's gaze drifted toward Loger, who was so absorbed in trap-building that he didn't even notice his master had arrived.
"Is that important?"
"No. Since you traveled with a human woman as well…"
"I'll tell you something. I actually had no intention of taking in retainers for the time being—more precisely, I couldn't."
Demonic energy was limited.He didn't want to waste it on orcs who served little purpose.
"But the only reason I changed my mind was you."
"It is an honor."
Krutu's potential.
The potential of the Feral Orcs he would command.
"But although I will accept you as a retainer, I will not make you a member of the Tower."
"...Is that different?"
"It is. I will take you as a retainer. And through you, the chieftain, I will control your entire tribe. So you will run across the snowy mountains with your people."
Orcs are a race that run across vast plains, roaring with bestial fury.Even without demonic energy, confining such beings inside a narrow tower was extremely inefficient.
Thus, orcs were never particularly favored by Demon Kings.
"You have fought in Ergestre for countless years."
"You've leapt from mountain to mountain, eating and being eaten by many monsters."
"You know the geography of the mountains, and the territories of the monsters. Isn't that right?"
At Berze's rapid-fire words, Krutu nodded.
"Yes."
"I have seen the future through you."
Berze's voice trembled with delight.
It wasn't a lie.In his mind, the Feral Orcs ran across the mountains, roaring at the hero's party climbing to kill him.
He imagined them dragging mountain monsters with them, unleashing them upon the heroes trudging through the blizzard—and the thrill was indescribable.
"Take this."
It was Iasynth.
It had lost its former coldness and purity—now steeped in thick, murky Demon Realm energy.
"My retainers must match the greatness of their lord."
"They must stand behind me and support me."
"They must crush my enemies."
"And they must give their lives for me."
"And you must give your life for me."
If you do that—
"I, too, shall bestow upon you."
"Ahh…"
Krutu knelt.He bowed his head and raised both arms, carefully receiving the corrupted Iasynth.
"It is an honor…!"
Berze placed his hand atop Krutu's head.
[Will you accept the Feral Orc, Krutu, as your retainer?]
[1000 pt of demonic energy will be consumed.]
A rather high price.Which meant this one was worth it.
Demonic energy surged.The slave's brand seared itself into Krutu's soul.
The dormant demonic energy within him awoke, drawn by the Tower's aura.
Black horns sprouted.His tough gray skin darkened, faint patches spreading across his body.
Krrr—
His pupils turned pitch black.The Black Dragon sigil—Berze's symbol—appeared faintly engraved on his chest.
Krutu trembled with ecstatic joy.
He exhaled a quivering breath.
"My lord… command me."
"Go. Grow your tribe. Devour other tribes, conquer them, expand your forces.Do that—and wait for the time."
There was no rule saying he had to face the hero inside the Tower.
If he inflicted enough damage while the hero was climbing the mountain, the final confrontation would be far easier.
"I obey."
A monster who had awakened a fragment of its Demon Realm heritage bowed its head, overwhelmed by the loyalty rising from deep within its soul.
[182 pt]
Completely wiped out.
Berze couldn't stop the sigh that escaped.
Before the regression, he had been glorious.
He kidnapped princesses from several kingdoms, slaughtered countless heroes—and far more humans.
His infamy spread across the entire continent, and the negative emotions of humanity never ceased.
Hundreds of thousands, millions of points were always overflowing.
"…And yet I died in the end."
Infamy brought him many points—but also created many enemies.
Heroes came to the Tower nearly every day.He welcomed them with monsters summoned at enormous cost, but every one of those monsters eventually became sacrifices.
"At the time, I stupidly thought I was winning."
Each time the heroes came, his monsters were used up.Some heroes survived and fled, and Berze mocked them as rats and never bothered chasing them.
Even after it happened over and over, he simply dismissed those weaklings as annoyingly persistent.
He never realized it was all a performance.
Pfhuhuhu.
A self-mocking laugh escaped him.The anger engraved in his soul slowly raised its head.
Still, I've already done nearly everything I can for now.
He'd sown division by removing the spoils and valuables humans would gain.
He had unleashed the Feral Orcs into the mountains.
Mana cannons were being prepared on the first floor.
And if they overcame even all that, the princess awaiting "rescue" would turn against them.
While they're distracted by the princess…
He would smash the back of their unguarded heads himself.
That would be the highlight.
Berze hoped the hero would at least reach the fourth floor.Just imagining their dumbfounded expressions made him grin.
"…Are you busy?"
Speak of the ogre and he shall appear—Ernan peeked her head through the half-open door.
"What is it?"
"I knocked, but you didn't answer…"
"I asked what you want."
"Gordon said you called for me."
"Ah."
Right—he had.
Berze pulled out one of the fruits.One of the two fruits the Red Frost Tribe had been protecting.What was its name—Aloze?
Unlike Iasynth, it came from a tree that bore multiple fruits.
"The Tower stains elixirs with demonic energy. You should eat it as soon as possible."
"Thank you! And also…"
"Speak."
"You said you wanted me to personally stop the hero, right?"
"Yes."
"So… what exactly do you want me to do?"
Berze fell silent.He couldn't understand her intent in asking.
"Oh, no, I don't mean anything weird. I just thought—you must have something specific in mind, right? It's better to be clear."
"I didn't expect you to be this proactive."
"If I've been compensated, I should give my best. That's just proper."
Did that "proper duty" humans talked about apply to demonfolk as well?
Well, it didn't matter.If she worked hard, that was good enough.
"You cannot defeat Hillen Cargill. But you can throw him into chaos."
"Ahh, a honey trap? If it's that, I'm confident."
"...…"
"…No?"
Ernan deflated after winking.
"It doesn't matter what method you use. As long as it's obvious you're hostile to him. He would never imagine that the princess he's supposed to rescue would actually try to fight him."
"And that's when you'll strike, my lord."
"Exactly."
"Then…"
After thinking a moment, Ernan's eyes sparkled.
"What if I introduce myself as your subordinate? Wouldn't that hit even harder?"
"It's a good idea, but…"
Really?
"I'll think on it more and tell you if I come up with something better!"
Why does she look happy about this?
He didn't understand.So he didn't bother trying.You weren't supposed to understand crazy women anyway.
"Do as you like."
He waved her off.Ernan left with a bright smile.
Can I really trust her?
He was uncertain, but the dice had already been cast.Berze decided to focus on what he could do right now.
He took out a root of Iasynth saturated with demonic energy from storage.He put it in his mouth and bit down.
The melted demonic energy surged through his entire body.
His pupils turned black.
『We have arrived at Hotenwalk. We'll begin climbing the mountain soon.』
Time passed.At last, the hero party led by Hillen reached the Demon King's front yard.
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