Chapter 138

‘What… did I just hear?’

If his ears weren’t lying, the Demon King had said “a bridge.”

‘A bridge. Sure, bridges are nice.’

A structure that spans rivers to shorten travel time. But that was not the kind of bridge the Demon King meant.

‘A bridge… attached to the tower?’

And then move the tower?

What on earth was he talking about?

The tower was enormous. And heavy. No—beyond merely massive and heavy, this tower was built from the powers of the Demon Realm itself; everything about it was unknown.

Move that tower?

That was… that was—

“That’s an impossible, insane idea!”

Logar shouted.

Even with his innate talent and skill for creating things—

Attaching legs to the Demon King’s Tower and making it move was beyond any conceivable standard.

“You think it’s impossible, so it becomes impossible.”

“It is impossible, that’s why I’m saying it’s impossible.”

“Logar.”

Berze’s eyes fell cold. At the low, growling tone, Logar flinched.

“S–sorry…”

“Are you human, or a dwarf?”

“Of course I’m a dwarf.”

“And dwarves are artisans with far superior craft than humans, correct?”

He had no idea why the Demon King was asking this, but Logar answered sincerely.

“Not just humans—no race can match the craftsmanship of the dwarves.”

“Then what about you, Logar?”

“What do you mean?”

“Dwarves are the best. But among the dwarves, where do you stand? Top tier? Bottom tier?”

Where do I stand among dwarves…?

“Of course I’m the best in Verft, no—on the entire continent! There has never been anyone better than me, and there never will be!”

“Then shouldn’t a master craftsman like that create something great that others can’t even attempt?”

“Of course! I can create things those inferior fools wouldn’t even dare to try!”

“Then you can build legs for the tower.”

“…Hic.”

Swept up in the atmosphere, Logar had been roaring with pride—only now did he fully grasp the situation again.

“Th-that’s a bit different, I think…”

“You just declared you would. Don’t tell me you’re not a great ‘dwarf craftsman,’ but a trashy little ‘gnome’ who goes back on his own words?”

“O-of course I’m a great dwarf craftsman…”

There was no way he could deny it. Because the Demon King was terrifying—and because of his own pride.

Even though he knew he was walking right into the jaws of death.

“Then build it.”

“But…”

“You will accomplish something no one has ever achieved—or even imagined attempting.”

“…A great achievement.”

“All artisans will look up to you. They’ll admire and worship the masterpiece you create. They might even erect a golden statue of you in the center of the continent.”

Gulp—

Logar had no real interest in things like honor. But like any dwarf, even if the world never acknowledged him, he wanted to create the first and greatest weapons and artifacts ever made.

He didn’t envy the fame of the Dragon Slayer—
But he did want to be the craftsman who forged the Dragon Slayer’s weapon.

“I will do it!”

“Good! That’s my subordinate!”

“Of course! With the greatest craftsman under you, your will shall always be realized!”

Kahahahaha! The Demon King and the dwarf burst into thunderous laughter, facing each other.

“Ah, first finish moving everything on the first floor. We’ll let Hilderan’s assault team arrive according to schedule. After that, we’ll work out the details. Finish your work and come up to my office.”

“Yes!”

The Demon King waved and disappeared.

‘…I’m doomed.’

It didn’t take long for the dwarf—intoxicated by delusion—to return to reality.

***

While moving the remaining mana cannons, Logar thought.

Is it possible?

Impossible.

‘Of course, I want to try something like that…’

Making the Demon King’s Tower move—how thrilling that sounded.

But reality was harsh. Dwarven technology was the most advanced on the continent—

But even its pinnacle, golem construction, had a limit of around seven meters. Far superior to what humans could build, yes, but still—

A tower dozens of meters tall was incomparable.

This wasn’t like mass-producing mana cannons. It was on an entirely different scale.

‘I won’t—no, I can’t do it.’

But after falling for the Demon King’s trick and boldly declaring he would do it, it wouldn’t be easy to take it back.

So he changed strategies.

‘I’ll explain why it’s impossible and make the Demon King give up on his own.’

There were countless reasons it couldn’t work. No trouble listing them.

Facing the Demon King and his adjutants, Logar chose three.

“There are three problems with making the tower move.”

“Speak.”

“First, a tower dozens of meters tall is extremely heavy. To support such a structure, the legs would have to be massive—and that requires an enormous amount of materials.”

“I’ll manage the distribution through the merchant guild.”

“But we need far more than a few items. I’m not sure the merchant guild can gather that volume, and if they do, it could expose the guild you’ve been carefully building…”

“Would it?”

Berze looked at Gordon.

“Transporting that much resource into the mountains is possible if we disassemble the materials and hide them in the Demon King’s subspace. But them vanishing entirely without trace could itself raise suspicion.”

“You can gather what’s needed, right?”

“I can only confirm once we have precise schematics and quantities, but we’ve been steadily acquiring ore and construction material for the mana cannons. The distribution network exists. Black Knight submitted the report recently, so it should be accurate.”

“Then it’s settled. The merchant guild exists to be used. If I die and the tower collapses, it becomes meaningless anyway. What are the other two problems?”

Logar’s excuse had been crushed with terrifying decisiveness.

“The second issue is the core. In truth, this is the most important. A tower that moves using legs is ultimately not different from a giant golem. And what makes golems function is the core supplying mana. Without sufficient power, even the best-built legs won’t move the tower.”

“That is nothing to worry about. Do you remember what happened with the Mana Phantom?”

“Ah…!”

Logar recalled it.

The Mana Phantom had fully fused with the tower, functioning through demonic energy.

“If we attach the legs directly to the tower, they’ll automatically connect the same way!”

“Exactly.”

Although the amount of demonic energy required would be unimaginable, Berze would gladly pay more if it meant avoiding the Empire’s warrior campaign.

“Then… it might really be possible…?”

A power source capable of moving the enormous tower.
With the greatest problem solved far more easily than expected, Logar accidentally let his true thoughts slip out.

“Of course it’s possible. You’re not seriously thinking it won’t work, are you?”

“N-no, of course not!”

“What’s the third and final issue?”

“Manpower.”

“Manpower?”

“I was able to craft things like mana cannons because they’re relatively small. But legs like the ones needed here are a different story. They would need to be several meters—maybe even tens of meters—of magi-engineering equipment proportional to the tower’s size. I cannot build something like that alone.”

“What about using the elves?”

“They can assist, but… well…”

“You need artisans of proper skill, then?”

“Yes, exactly. It’s only an estimate for now, but a total masterpiece of magi-engineering that has never once been attempted can’t be handled by just anyone.”

“What about the golem artificers, Lavinia, and the monsters?”

“The golem artificers and Princess Lavinia will definitely help. But the monsters—never, absolutely never!”

“Understood. Then I’ll obtain craftsmen for you somehow. The more, the better, right? Preferably dwarves?”

“Y-yes, of course…”

“Then if I secure enough craftsmen, you’ll be able to build it, correct?”

“…Uh.”

The conversation was progressing too smoothly, and before he realized it, Logar nodded.

“…There will be minor issues, but I think it’s possible.”

The most important part of a golem was always its power-supply core.
But if the tower’s demonic energy acted as the core—then maybe, truly…

‘If I do this… my name might go down in history.’

Wholly engrossed in creation—blind to anything else—Logar couldn’t see it.

If he ever was recorded in history, it wouldn’t be as a great dwarven artisan…

But as the Demon King’s lackey.

***

Logar left.

“I’m surprised, my lord. To suddenly decide on moving the tower.”

“I thought you, of all people, would oppose it as nonsense.”

“But we already have the precedent of the Mana Phantom. Even I don’t fully understand the limits of this tower’s authority.”

Gordon smiled bitterly.
Even as the top graduate of the Demon-Folk Training Academy, the tower remained a mystery.

‘They never taught us that magi-engineering devices could be fused with a tower.’

It wasn’t that they hid the information—
It was far more likely they simply didn’t know.

The first Demon Emperor who designed the tower and sublimated it into authority was long dead, and today’s demons were merely using the inherited artifact left behind.

There must still be countless hidden features undiscovered.

‘There are only fifty towers.’

Ten dimensions at a time, fifty Demon Kings in total.

Even though more Demon Kings were graduating from the academy or returning after conquering dimensions, the Demon Realm never opened more than ten simultaneous invasions for one simple reason—

There were no more towers.

When a Demon King died, the tower disappeared.
But in truth, it didn’t vanish—it was forcibly resummoned back into the Demon Realm.

A tower was an irreplaceable artifact the current Demon Realm could no longer create.
Something that must never be lost.

“Even if Logar succeeds, it will require an enormous amount of magic points to move the tower.”

The power of the Demon Realm was never cheap to activate.

[5154232 pt]

Berze checked his magic points.
Even after spending nearly everything to disable interference, an impressive amount had been restored in a short time.

‘Incredible.’

The magic points had begun surging only recently—
Right when the tower’s location was exposed and announced across the continent.

He had consumed several search units that entered the territory.
He had killed a Star-class warrior, Daphner Philian.

A Star was the symbol of warriors and the hope of humanity.
Killing such a figure meant sowing continent-wide dread—
But humans responded in their own way.

‘They buried Daphner’s death.’

Not completely, of course.
They mourned her and grieved.

But they excessively glorified Hillen Cargill.

They promoted the idea that humanity—the Empire—had “won” by discovering the tower.

And so Daphner Philian’s death grew smaller than it should have been.
But in exchange, their anger grew.

Anger to kill the Demon King who slew the one who found the tower.
Daphner Philian became a martyr for humanity,
And Berze became a historic villain.

It was the result of the Empire and the Warrior Guild shaping public sentiment—shifting sorrow away from a fallen Star, and fueling rage toward the Demon King.

But that rage was steadily becoming Berze’s strength.

He predicted that at this rate, his magic points would keep rising until he reached ten million.

Not that it was entirely good news.

“At this level…”

Connecting the legs Logar built to the tower and moving it once or twice would be more than doable.

“But there is one thing, my lord.”

Gordon murmured uneasily.

“What is it.”

“Can those legs actually be built?”

“…”

“With the example of the Mana Phantom, I don’t doubt it’s possible, but if it were to fail…”

“Then we’d be finished. But it will succeed.”

“You’re certain?”

“No one expected the Mana Phantom to fuse with the tower—
No one expected it could cloak the entire tower.”

“But hiding the tower briefly and moving the tower itself are completely different.”

“They are not.”

Berze could state it with confidence.
The true limits of this damn tower’s power were still unknown.
But if the legs failed to properly bind to the tower, the reason would be simple—

“It would just mean magic points weren’t enough. Add more magic points.”

“……”