Demon Kings
"What happened to Hillen Cargill? Is he dead?"
The first words she spoke were, "Hello, Gordon. It's the first time we're meeting face-to-face, isn't it?"
And then she went straight to the point.
Berze had expected that this question would inevitably come up once he arrived here.
So he warned Gordon thoroughly in advance.
—We didn't fight. Hillen Cargill is still wandering somewhere in the Ergest Mountains.
Gordon asked why. Why hide the fact that he had captured such a famous hero? Wouldn't boasting of that achievement raise their standing among the Demon Kings?
Berze called that a short-sighted view.
—The man will become the dagger I planted. He will return as a hero who suffered a minor setback, but has still never been defeated.
Gordon understood what Berze intended—and was horrified.But faced with Berze's unwavering gaze, he couldn't argue.
It seemed impossible by common sense, yet Berze's entire path so far had been beyond common sense.
And the result?
A complete success.
Thus Gordon chose to believe in Berze. He had already decided to.
"He isn't dead. In truth, he never even reached the tower."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Tap, tap—
Aina's heels clicked, but her voice had a note of confusion.
"Hillen Cargill is likely still wandering in the Ergest Mountains even now."
"How is that possible?"
Under normal circumstances—it wasn't.But now, it was.
"I trust you all know what Lord Berze did during the Demon King Academy's graduation ceremony."
"···They say he insulted the doctrines."
"It wasn't a simple insult. I heard it myself. He called it the act of a foolish idiot, no different from walking into a dragon's lair carrying a hatchling's corpse."
"···Even the mightiest Demon King has no right to mock the doctrines."
Gordon nodded at the faint anger in her voice.
"That is exactly what I mean."
"···Now I understand why you had so many complaints. So he truly built the tower elsewhere? Not on the highest peak?"
"More than that—he hid it where it can hardly be seen."
"Incredible. Hiding it in a place as harsh as Ergest… no wonder the hero can't find the tower."
She stopped walking.
"It's your first time, so don't be too nervous. Unlike those oh-so-great Demon Kings and their lofty meetings, we vice-commanders are basically employees gathering to vent about our bosses."
"If that's the case, I'm confident I can do it better than anyone."
"Judging from what I've heard, that seems likely."
She turned and straightened Gordon's outfit.
"Still, he's your Demon King. And secrets are never truly secret—so don't go too wild."
"Of course."
"I'm kind to everyone. Don't misunderstand just because I act like this."
"···Isn't that a bit of an inflated ego?"
"Oh my—your words say one thing but your heartbeat is quite loud."
"Dark elves have large hearts by nature."
Creak—
The door opened. It was Gordon's first time attending a vice-commanders' meeting.
"Never even reached the tower?"
How was one supposed to process such an absurd claim?
Draxon Doldov snorted.
Reina Sordein blinked expressionlessly.
And Ugar Velvek chose to get angry.
It had nearly been a month since the hero expedition first began ascending the mountain.
Half the group had dropped out; a similar number had died or descended the mountain as corpses.
Yet Hillen Cargill hadn't even reached the tower?
"You expect me to believe that?!"
"You don't need to. I have no reason to beg some lump of meat like you to believe me."
"Who are you calling a lump of meat?!"
Had they not been inside a tower—had there not been an unspoken rule forbidding conflict between Demon Kings—Ugar would have killed him on the spot.
And realistically, he could have. Due to dimensional interference, Berze was the weakest one in this hall.
"Wait."
The one who cut through the bloodlust again was Jayson.
"That means Hillen Cargill is still wandering the Ergest Mountains."
"Correct."
"Then their hero expedition isn't over. And Lord Berze's defense of his tower is also not over."
But then—
"Lord Berze, why did you leave your tower?"
"Is that a problem?"
"Of course it is."
Jayson lifted his monocle and spoke calmly.
"A Demon King does not have to be in the tower at all times. When kidnapping a princess or prince, when planning something, or during the Unity—leaving is acceptable."
However—
"But if a hero is aiming for your tower, a Demon King must never leave it."
A tower exists only because its Demon King exists.Its systems operate under the Demon King's command, it lends him power, and its functions only work smoothly when the Demon King is present.
"If you leave, it's the same as abandoning your tower."
It was suicide.A Demon King cannot survive without his tower.A tower replenishes the magic consumed as a medium, accumulates magic points, and frees him from interference.
Without that—could one still be a Demon King?
No.That was merely prey.
In fact, history in Arein recorded Demon Kings who lost their towers and were hunted to death like toys by heroes.
"You were the ones who invited me to the Unity."
"We assumed the battle was already over. It's been weeks since Watton led the hero expedition back down the mountain."
Berze said nothing. Yet that was answer enough.
"So you really built your tower somewhere other than the peak?"
Draxon interjected suddenly.
"I know very well you're a troublemaker. I heard exactly what foolishness you pulled during the sacred graduation ceremony."
"And?"
"But before that, you supposedly worshipped the doctrines more than anyone. So I thought it was just talk—a momentary deviation."
At least up until he kidnapped the Princess, he had adhered to them reasonably well.
"But then you openly broke the doctrine?"
"There is no passage saying the tower must absolutely be built on the summit."
"There is a passage saying it must be in a dangerous yet visible place where it can be found easily. You broke both."
The summit of the Ergest Mountains was extremely dangerous.In its depths were creatures even Demon Kings dared not provoke.
"So?"
"What?"
"The doctrines are not laws that must be followed unconditionally. The Demon King's Doctrines are merely a collection of the First Demon Emperor's advice. Nowhere does it say they are absolute."
"A tradition passed down for thousands of years is already a mandate. Tradition is tradition because it must be upheld; doctrine is doctrine because it is naturally correct."
"Exactly right!"
Ugar chimed in loudly. Berze calmly twisted his lips.
"And can you confidently say all of you have followed the doctrines perfectly and proudly?"
"At least we didn't break them like you."
"Which means you're not free of faults either."
Using doctrines designed for other dimensions, unchanged, in a place as unique as Arein—of course it couldn't work perfectly.
If it could, they wouldn't be Demon Kings—they would already be former Demon Kings.
"That's enough for now."
Once again, Jayson Corkmundo stepped in at the perfect moment.The deliberate intervention left Berze feeling far from pleased.
"Lord Berze is correct. I also don't approve of breaking the doctrines, but we have no right to impose them upon him."
"Hmph."
"And you still haven't answered the question. So—do you know where Hillen Cargill is now?"
"I said he's wandering in the mountains."
"I would like to believe Lord Berze, but frankly, I do not think you are foolish enough to leave your tower unattended when a hero is sharpening his blade for you."
"I said he's wandering the mountains, not that the tower is in danger."
"How many days?"
The cold voice came from the frost demon who had been silently sitting in boredom at the table.
"At least a week."
"The Unity of the Towers ends in a single day. I see nothing wrong with his choice. Efficient, even."
"And the broken doctrine?"
"That discussion just ended, didn't it? Ugar, are you so stupid that you're repeating what's already been said?"
A cold glare made Ugar flinch.Even between Demon Kings—equals among equals—there were still hierarchies.
"···Khm."
He turned his head away.
"Jayson. Why don't you stop as well? If his tower is taken, that is his own responsibility to bear."
"Of course. I was merely concerned. I respect Lord Berze's free will."
Jayson shrugged.
A short silence followed.Then casual conversation resumed.
"My kin have decided to descend into Arein this time. They will become my subjects and aid me. It may cost quite a lot of magic points, but it is worth it."
"That's not bad. But don't reveal them too openly. Humans never overlook a Demon King who grows too powerful."
"The 9th Princess of the Zespine Empire has gone missing. I've wanted to ask this for some time—was it any of you?"
"I have no intention of provoking the Empire."
"The 9th Princess—wasn't she supposed to be engaged to the King of Ormus?"
"The 2nd Princess of the dwarven nation, Verftr, has left her kingdom and begun wandering the continent. Does anyone here know anything about that?"
"I heard Logar Friedrig disappeared."
"That half-wit hero?"
"Not a kidnapping—they say he fled on his own to avoid forging a weapon for the Princess."
"That makes sense. The 2nd Princess's personality is practically demonic."
Berze did not join the conversation.To the Demon Kings, it was idle chatter. But because the speakers were Demon Kings, the topics were news and rumors from every corner of the continent.
Berze quietly listened, considering what might be useful.
Or what might be bait meant to deceive him—so he stayed cautious.
Then he felt a sharp gaze. Reina Sordein—the Frost Demon King—was looking at him.
A brief moment of eye contact.With a small gesture, she rose from her seat.
Berze quietly followed her.
Clack—
The hall doors closed.The moment they shut, the other three Demon Kings, who had been noisily chatting, all fell silent.
"Aren't you curious what they're going to talk about?"
"It's obvious."
Draxon snorted.
"She never said it outright, but she's always hinted at dissatisfaction with the doctrines. A blatant troublemaker paired with a quiet rebel. They'll get along wonderfully."
"I don't like either of them."
Draxon and Ugar grimaced, baring their teeth.
Jayson simply stared at the closed doors with an amused expression.
"What are you doing?"
Tap tap—
A light tapping on his shoulder made Logar turn around.
The Princess, wearing her usual innocent expression, looked up at him with curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
"I'm repairing the shattered mana cannon."
"And you're not running away?"
"What do you mean?"
Logar froze.
"No one's here right now, right?"
At the moment, the tower had no Demon King and no Gordon.No guards. No obstacles to their escape whatsoever.
Well… not exactly.
There was Granada, the elf.And the Ergest Mountains—the natural fortress.
But was that really why he wasn't fleeing?
Logar questioned himself.
No.
"I'm not staying because I won't run. I'm staying because I can't run."
More precisely—he had nowhere to run to.
Thanks to the Demon King, Logar no longer had a warm home to return to.The workshop he once loved with all his passion no longer belonged to him.
Princess Ruize…
Logar knew her well.
He could sense it—the rage she now directed at him.The obsession beginning to bloom.
She was probably tearing the entire city apart by now.If she still couldn't find him, she would scour the entire kingdom.The entire continent.
If she caught him—
A cold shudder ran through Logar.He didn't even want to imagine it.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason.
He had also become strangely attached to this bizarre tower gifted to the Demon King.To this structure.
Even if his mana cannon oppressed him, and even if heroes would suffer from it in the future—did it matter?In the end, the most important thing in life was oneself.
"Then why doesn't the Princess run away?"
To Logar, the Princess was even stranger.Unlike him, she wasn't bound by anything.Yet she voluntarily cooperated with the Demon King.
She even betrayed the hero who came to rescue her, identifying herself as the Demon King's subordinate and leading him into a trap.
"I don't trust myself to descend the Ergest Mountains alone."
He knew that wasn't the real reason.
But Logar didn't pry.There was something unsettling about this Princess.
"I see."
Instead of continuing the conversation, he resumed his repairs.
Then—she poked his cheek.
"···What are you doing?"
"A gift."
Not a finger.Soft warmth.A sweet scent.
A cookie—flecked with chunks of chocolate.
"I baked it just now."
"In this empty tower?"
When Logar first arrived, the tower had been completely barren.Only the basic furnishings on the 5th floor existed.
The Demon King never commanded him to make anything either—only told him to prioritize the mana cannon.
"I reshaped the ground to make an oven, and put a fire spirit inside it."
"Ah."
Well, for a spirit magician who commanded all four elements, that was child's play.
And despite being a kidnapped Princess, her boldness in baking cookies here was… admirable, in a way.
Logar, hungry as he was, took a bite.
Crunch—
Crisp and sweet in just the right measure.
"How is it?"
"It's delicious."
Even without her sparkling, expectant eyes, it was a genuinely good cookie.
"Huh…?"
He noticed something strange around his fifth bite.
"···What did you put in this cookie?"
"I mixed in just a tiny bit of an Aloje shard."
The Princess smiled.
"That stuff is an elixir, isn't it?"
"I used to take a lot of elixirs back in the kingdom. There's still plenty in my body. I can't fully digest new ones anymore. So I thought I'd make use of it like this."
Aloje.Logar knew that was what she received from the Demon King in exchange for betraying the hero.
But she used it on him?
Even if it was only a fragment, Aloje was a rare, pure spiritual herb grown in the natural fortress that was Ergest.The pure mana within it devoured the interference lodged in him as a hero—leaving none behind.
It was a windfall.
For someone like Logar, a hero of insignificant potential, it felt monumental.
"This is a gift so we can get along better. Do you like it?"
"It's… almost too good. But why would you go that far for me…?"
"Isn't it natural? You, Granada, and I—we're going to be seeing each other for a long time."
If that was the reason, Logar felt like bowing in gratitude.
"Thank you."
"Do you think Granada will like it too?"
"She'll go even crazier for it than I did."
"I thought so."
The Princess trotted off.Her steps led down the stairs—to Granada, no doubt.
A bold Princess.
No matter how abundant elixir flowed within her, elixirs were always precious.Giving them away was something almost no one could do.
Logar's opinion of Ernyan rose a little.
But then why…
…does this feel like accepting a cursed bribe?
A chill crawled down his spine.
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