An event worthy of history—
The friend of the woman who killed his kin was strong. Incredibly strong.
Krutu had slaughtered all the other chimeras that poured out, yet that was all he could manage.
Covered in blood, he had no choice but to flee.
His surviving subordinates scattered in all directions at his command. Fortunately, the human and the monster chased only Krutu.
"Demonic energy. Monster. Demonfolk?"
His blood left a trail across the white snow.
A crimson path.
Thud, thud, thud—
Massive chimera footprints trampled that trail.
I must reach the Demon King.
Only then could he live.
It was instinct.
"Ah…"
But just then—
Krutu let out a gasp and collapsed at the sight of a distant silhouette.
Fwoosh—
Black fire fell from the sky, cutting between Krutu and the chimera.
"Demon King!"
Krutu shouted.
Berze showed a displeased smile.
"…I'm sorry. I failed to carry out your command."
"Stay back."
He walked past the sniffling Krutu.
Berze took a single step forward.
The chimera shook off the flames.
The human riding on its shoulder muttered,
"Demon King?"
Berze barely suppressed the sigh that rose on its own.
Annoying.
His worst suspicion was correct.
He knew that face.
Before the regression, after the regression.
He had hoped never to see it again.
Perhaps the price of abandoning the established path—
the First Demon Emperor was apparently not watching over him kindly.
Petty.
That pointless thought ended there.
Berze examined her carefully.
Her long lavender hair, falling to her hips, was matted and dirty.
Her red, chimera-like eyes were brimming with pure passion and curiosity.
But that purity—
was madness.
Which was why one must never associate with her.
If I kill her now…?
There were no witnesses.
No evidence.
She was nearly a discarded child—surely her kingdom would overlook it?
But they must know she came up the mountain.
Her movements drew too much attention.
The kingdom surely knew that she had entered the Ergest Mountains.
They might not know where she went next, but even a small hint would cause trouble later.
"Does the Kingdom of Acanknow? That you're here."
"You… know me?"
"How could I not."
"I don't know you."
"Is that important?"
"No."
She shook her head.
"Father. Knows."
"Mother knows."
"Royal Knight Captain."
"Tower Master."
"Sisters, brothers."
"Younger siblings."
It was her answer to who knew.
At this point, one might as well say: everyone knew.
"So this time you didn't sneak out?"
"Sneak… yes. Little sister helping."
"Little sister?"
"Below."
…Don't tell me.
Did Acansend escorts on purpose?
If so, knights must already be searching.
And in Acan, there were many mages.
With such an unruly princess, they would have sent people skilled in tracking as well.
A chill ran down Berze's spine.
Instinct screamed: Do not get involved any further.
Acanis a stronger nation than Hilderan.
Especially their magical strength—powerful enough to make even the Empire envious.
Though they had suffered losses in the Beast Tower incident, that was only a fraction of Acan's total strength.
"That."
She pointed.
Her pale fingertip aimed at Krutu.
"Give him to me."
"No."
"Why?"
She pointed at herself.
"Need."
"…"
What was he supposed to do with this girl—
this unbelievably, catastrophically pure princess?
Murderous intent rose again.
He glanced at Krutu.
His body was a mass of wounds.
Anyone could tell the path he had taken was a trail of brutal slaughter.
To erase all that would take some time.
Would killing her and erasing the traces be faster, or would Acan's search party find her sooner?
Either way—it was a gamble.
And Berze had no desire to stake his life on this broken-brained human.
Thankfully…
They were far enough from the Tower.
If he fled at full speed, she wouldn't be able to follow.
The moment he finished thinking, he moved.
He grabbed Krutu's body and unfurled his wings.
"Ah."
The princess was left standing there, mouth hanging open.
"..."
She stepped down from the chimera's shoulder.
She walked across the snow-melted ground, searching for remnants of demonic energy.
Good.
"Demonic energy."
Good.
"Material."
I want it.
Pure, unfiltered greed rippled from her.
***
"Don't move for a while. Discipline the orcs and avoid all conflict."
"Yes. Thank you for saving me."
After giving Krutu strict instructions, Berze sent him back to the orc tribes.
Berze went straight to the 4th floor to find Ernan.
"Do you know anything about Lavinia Acan?"
"The third princess of Acan?"
"Yes."
"Well… I hate to say this about a princess, but she's completely insane."
It was the first time Berze heard Ernan speak so bluntly—
but he agreed entirely.
"If she were to die, what would happen?"
"A Hero's Journey would probably begin."
"I heard she's a discarded child of the kingdom?"
"You said she was a discarded child of the kingdom?"
"That's only from the king's perspective. In the magic community, she's treated very carefully. I'm not sure if you know, but she's the highest-ranking authority in chimera research."
"She's only in her twenties, isn't she? I didn't think AcanKingdom lacked talent that badly."
"It's not that they lack talent. It's that no mage has ever dug into chimera research to that degree. Even if someone studies monsters or demonic beasts, at the end of the day, it involves life. And that makes people sensitive."
No matter how many mad mages existed, when it came to manipulating life, sensitivity—and caution—were inevitable.
Yet there was a reason the chimera school continued to survive:
Because in the process of studying monsters and demonic beasts, weaknesses were revealed—one after another.
In the current relationship between Demon Kings and humans, Heroes were the dominant force, but chimera mages also played a significant role.
"It's a necessary evil, in a way. Of course, she's also a genius. The Royal Tower Master of Acanoften praises her—says that if she had learned standard magic, she would've become an Archmage."
Ernan tilted her head.
"But why are you suddenly asking…? Don't tell me—"
"What you're thinking is probably correct."
"…I heard she wanders around alone sometimes to collect monsters or demonic beasts, but I didn't think she'd come all the way to Ergest."
"I was surprised too."
"Wait—did she come all the way to the Tower?"
"She's still far from the Tower."
"Hm. Then maybe we can just leave her alone? Ergest is huge and full of monsters. She can't handle them all herself. Better to avoid stirring up trouble."
Berze agreed. Then he gave a short, incredulous laugh.
To think I'd be discussing this with a princess. Before regression, this would've been unthinkable.
He already knew he was changing. Whether for better or worse was unclear.
But so far, it had worked.
Ernan's presence had benefited him.
Either way, he hoped this crisis passed without escalating.
He wasn't ready to get entangled with a nation like Acan.
***
"Now, speak."
Louise crossed her legs and jerked her chin upward.
"You've received everything I promised as compensation."
The reward for saving the princess was anything but small.
Through Hillen's name, a weapons-supply treaty was signed between the Hero Guild and the Kingdom of Verft, and at his request, some supplies were routed to the Golden Moon Merchant Guild as well.
On a personal level, he earned the right to receive equipment crafted by the kingdom's greatest artisan, along with a hefty sum of money.
But all of that was secondary.
The most important reward was fame.
Saving the princess from a Demon King's kidnapping attempt had shaken the entire continent in just a few days.
Verft had intentionally leaked the news at Hillen's request.
"Thank you."
"Gratitude is shown through actions, not words. Where is Logar Freidri?"
"Before that, may I ask one question?"
"What now."
"Why are you looking for Logar?"
"Now you want to know my personal business?"
"You may have guessed, but Logar and I did not end on bad terms. If your purpose is to kill him, I cannot tell you."
"Relax. I'm not killing him."
"Then what?"
"I'm going to lock him in my workshop and make him build my equipment for life."
Oh—breaking one of his legs so he can't run away might also be acceptable.
"…In that case, I truly cannot tell you."
"Hah, you want to fight me now? You think getting your reward means we're equals?"
"That is not what I meant."
"Logar Freidri ran away in the night, disobeying my orders. Capturing and punishing him is my rightful authority."
It wasn't a nighttime escape—
it was a nighttime kidnapping.
"If he fulfills Your Highness's command, doesn't that erase his crime?"
"Don't joke with me. That's not how calculations work. You know better."
Louise slammed the table. Tea splashed in every direction.
"What are you really trying to say?"
"I want to mediate between Your Highness and Logar."
This wasn't Berze's order—
but Hillen's own decision.
Logar Freidri was one of the top three dwarven master artisans, and the only one among them capable of crafting equipment infused with dimensional interference.
A priceless talent—his works sold for absurd prices. Hillen wanted access to that craftsmanship.
But the eyes of the Dwarven Kingdom made that difficult.
If they asked Berze, the Demon King would surely make Logar craft equipment.
The cloud symbol he carved into all his works could be altered or covered.
But there was no guarantee it would remain hidden forever.
Dwarven artisans had sharp eyes.
Someone capable of embedding interference into equipment was extremely rare.
People would notice.
The Hero Guild and the Dwarven Kingdom would take action.
New lies would require more lies.
Eventually, it would be exposed.
Perhaps long in the future—but inevitable unless solved now.
"Mediation is fine. But I want only one thing—his custody."
"If you threaten him or pressure him, Logar will never cooperate. You know the temperament of master artisans."
"No, Logar works better when he's threatened."
"…"
Considering his behavior in the Tower, that wasn't entirely wrong.
But Hillen couldn't accept that logic.
"Please hear my proposal first."
"I still don't see why I should negotiate with you over someone who belongs to Verft in the first place. Just because you saved me doesn't mean you can overstep your place—don't you think so?"
"You wish for revenge, don't you?"
"Revenge? Me? On who?"
"The Demon King of Lust."
"…"
Even though the kidnapping failed, it was still an attack.
Louise was harmed.
Would someone as prideful as she simply let that go?
No.
She would one day be burning with the desire to tear the Demon King limb from limb.
Louise Verft is the one who crushed Prince Max's skull. There is no way she lets this pass.
Berze hoped the Demon King of Lust remained alive, but if the entire Kingdom of Verft committed itself to the hunt, even Berze wouldn't be able to stop it.
"I can help you."
He had gained enormous fame by saving the princess—and would gain even more.
But human greed had no end.
Hillen refused to abandon a chance to become even greater.
A Hero who killed two Demon Kings was remembered in history—
but a Hero who killed three Demon Kings?
Such a figure had never existed in a thousand years.
Hillen wanted—
to become the one and only name remembered by history.
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