Chapter 140
Preparations to receive Hillen Cargill and Hilderan were complete.
But that was not the end—it was only the beginning. What truly required their full strength was attaching legs to the Tower, and all the preparations for that task.
“...What do you mean by that, my lord?”
The dwarf Hero, Logar, blinked rapidly. His trembling voice clung to denial.
“I must have misheard, right?”
“You heard correctly.”
“Ah.”
Logar collapsed onto the floor. Sadly, only he and the Demon King were present, so no one helped him back up.
“This cannot be done!”
“Cannot?”
“You want me to sell the mana cannons—my children!? How can you ask such a thing of me?”
“If the Tower collapses, your mana cannons won’t matter anyway.”
“Fine. Let’s say—I concede, even if it pains me—that selling them is acceptable! If it’s to obtain materials to make the Tower’s legs, I can understand that much. But!”
No matter how much he conceded—
“You want me to degrade the performance of my own masterpieces!? That is killing me a second time!”
“Listen carefully.”
“No matter what you say, that one thing I cannot accept. Just sell them as they are!”
“Very well. I’ll respect your opinion.”
Berze had been about to yell at him but changed tactics. That approach would not motivate Logar.
“Truly?”
“And thus you will take responsibility for what follows.”
“Responsibility?”
“Let’s say we sell the mana cannons exactly as they are.”
“Yes.”
“People will immediately recognize them as dwarf-made. Your craftsmanship is excellent.”
“Well of course. They’re leagues above anything humans could ever craft.”
Ehem. The dwarf puffed out his chest, smirking proudly.
“And naturally, other dwarves would recognize them too.”
“Of course. Even fellow dwarves would be astonished by my work.”
“And naturally, word would reach the Second Princess of the Kingdom of verft.”
“...Pardon?”
“Isn’t it obvious? The dwarves classify mana cannons as strategic weapons and strictly forbid their release. You know that, surely?”
“O-of course.”
“But if dwarf-made mana cannons suddenly start appearing in bulk on a human merchant guild’s market, how do you think the dwarves will react?”
Naturally, they would launch an investigation.
And after digging, and digging, and digging some more—their suspicions would eventually turn toward…
“You, Logar Friedrich—the dwarf who defied the princess’s command and deserted, and has yet to show his face.”
…gulp.
Logar swallowed hard.
He could vividly imagine it—the sight of Louise Verft charging toward him, roaring, with a massive axe in her hands.
And that axe smashing his skull.
“Of course, since you’re in the Demon King’s Tower, she can’t do anything to you right now. But if you ever leave…”
“Your words are a hundred times correct, my lord!”
“No, no—I meant what I said. If your pride as a dwarf craftsman is worth enduring all that, I will respect it.”
“No, absolutely not! My lord is correct! Dwarf-made mana cannons are far too advanced for humans! Lowering the performance to human level is absolutely appropriate!”
“There’s no need to say it on my behalf. My decision is already made.”
“My lord, please!”
Logar clung to Berze’s trouser leg, tears, snot, and spit overflowing in a disastrous mix. Berze grimaced.
“Listen well, Logar Friedrich.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
“I am the Demon King.”
And you are my vassal.
Therefore—
“When I tell you to do something, you simply do it. Understand?”
“Of course!”
“Go. Degrade the performance of the mana cannons. You don’t have to do them all—start with just a hundred.”
“Yes, my lord!”
Logar bowed and hurried out.
“That’s one more task done.”
Bit by bit, they were clearing the small hills standing in the way of the grand project—making the Tower move.
***
“It’s an honor. The hero who discovered the Flame Tower wanting to see me personally.”
The attendants served tea.
“You’re the one who said you wouldn’t act recklessly, brother.”
“Yes, if I had known it would be found so easily, I would have acted first myself. Don’t you think so?”
“It wasn’t exactly easy. We found it in a relatively short time, but there were many hardships and sacrifices.”
“Well, Daphner Philian did die. Ah, let me ask you one question.”
“To me?”
“As much as you want to ask me something, I too have things I’m curious about.”
“What would that be?”
“The Four Heavenly Kings. Those demons with that childish title.”
“……”
Martin Jespine had met two of them: the Dark Spirit Summoner, and the Dark Knight. And laughably, the Dark Knight was his beloved younger sister, Kaede Jespine.
He hadn’t understood at first due to confusion, but when he considered Kaede’s case, he realized that the so-called Four Heavenly Kings were likely princesses kidnapped by the Demon King.
‘The Dark Spirit Summoner is probably…’
Ernan Hilderan, Crown Princess of Hilderan.
Her reputation for spirit arts wasn’t limited to her kingdom—it was famous across the entire continent.
Setting aside how humans like her and Kaede could emit demonic energy in the first place, he could not speak the truth. That would be selling out his own sister.
“You’ve already heard, haven’t you?”
“Hearing it from you directly is different.”
“The only one I met was the Dark Spirit Summoner.”
“I see. She’s also the one I’m interested in. This is my first time hearing about ‘Four Heavenly Kings.’ Probably just some twisted hobby of the Flame Demon King. I assume they’re high-ranking demons. Correct?”
“I… believe so.”
“What was the Dark Spirit Summoner like?”
“In what sense?”
“All of it.”
“She was strong. With a wave of her hand, a tidal wave of snow surged forth and wiped out the entire search party. After that, her avalanche and barriers obscured the view, but she unleashed volleys of fireballs that shattered our defenses.”
“She controls both water and flame spirits, then.”
“After that, monsters swarmed the search party. That was the end of the Dark Spirit Summoner’s involvement.”
“If she used magic once and vanished, perhaps demons suffer side effects from handling spirits. Good. So—why have you come to me?”
“Did you know?”
“You forgot the subject. But suppose I did know?”
Floyan did not ask ‘know what.’ It was obvious what Martin, fresh from an imperial audience, would be questioning.
“What did His Majesty say?”
“He said that since this Demon King is like none before, we must subjugate him before any incidents occur.”
“Plausible.”
Only on the surface.
“To leave the true enemy who mocked the Empire untouched, and instead kill the idiotic puppet Demon King on the surface…”
“Is this your influence, brother?”
“Yes. My influence.”
“What is the reason?”
“On the surface, the same reason His Majesty told you.”
“Then who is the real mastermind?”
“I don’t know either.”
Floyan shrugged.
“Elder Brother, Marlene, and the Duke of Osrian insisted strongly.”
The nobles supporting the Osrian ducal house, First Prince, and First Princess followed them. That was the prevailing tide.
“You don’t even have a guess?”
“I have guesses, but you’re no different. There are always those who secretly join hands with the Demon King. We just lack clear evidence.”
Collusion between power and the Demon King. In truth, everyone with any insight already knew.
It was inevitable.
In the past, Demon Kings were objects of fear—in the past. Now, humans clearly stood above them. If it was beneficial, humans believed they could freely make use of a Demon King.
Weren’t humans the kind of creatures who would even use their enemies if it suited them?
For money, power, and honor—humans would do anything.
“But the greatest damage from this affair fell upon the Osrian ducal house.”
“Who knows. Perhaps their relationship is deep enough that they can accept even that loss.”
“Or perhaps this is solely His Majesty’s will, and Elder Brother is simply dancing like a puppet.”
Their gazes clashed.
And indeed, that was the truth.
Though imperial succession seemed, on the surface, to be a conflict among royal heirs and their supportive nobles, with the Emperor uninvolved—the Emperor was still human.
Every parent has favorites among their children, even if they pretend otherwise.
The Emperor showed no outward preference, but from the perspective of the princes and princesses, they believed otherwise.
Whether because one child was the eldest, or because one resembled him most—something existed.
And if multiple members of the imperial family felt this subtly, then it was not mere illusion.
It was this dynamic that allowed two half-brothers, divided by different mothers and competing for the throne, to become quietly close.
Unifying to fight a common enemy was instinctive.
“What will you do, brother?”
“What choice do I have? His Majesty’s will is firm. I must commit everything to slaying the Flame Demon King.”
“And I…”
“Good. Truthfully, I cannot defeat Elder Brother alone. Our own battle can come afterward.”
The two princes clasped hands.
‘This is not what I came here for…’
The Third Prince’s worries deepened.
***
The sword swung.
Golden aura surged.
It sliced the air, split the empty space, and even evaporated the sweat that scattered from its wielder.
The graceful flow left long trails—like a dance painting the world.
“Haa… haa…”
Kaede panted heavily.
The Demon King’s Tower had thin mana, and naturally her ability to recover aura diminished as well.
She tired quickly, and her aura was consumed swiftly. It was the worst environment—but in some ways, beneficial. The more she overcame these conditions, the more she could feel herself grow stronger.
‘What am I supposed to do?’
But today she could not focus purely on training. No matter how she swung her sword, distracting thoughts clung to her.
The Empire would come soon.
The Empire would come to kill the Demon King.
When she faced them, what was she supposed to do?
This was nothing like the previous time she persuaded her brother. They would certainly try to kill the Demon King, and she would inevitably be exposed.
Her only hope was the Demon King’s claim that the Tower would migrate—but she doubted it was possible.
In her understanding, a Demon King’s Tower did not sprout legs and walk.
“Here.”
A pale hand offered a handkerchief. It was Ernan.
“Wipe yourself.”
“Thank you.”
“You seem troubled?”
“……”
“Don’t worry. The thing you fear won’t happen.”
“You believe that?”
“When the Demon King says he’ll do something, he does it. Always. If he said he’ll move the Tower, then he will. That means the Empire won’t clash with us.”
“But such a thing has never been heard of.”
“Did you ever imagine you would become one of the Four Heavenly Kings?”
“……”
Of course not.
“There has never been a Demon King’s Tower where a dwarven Hero fills the first floor with mana cannons, a princess from Acan fills the second floor with chimeras, and princesses of Hilderan guard the fourth floor with elves.”
“…Well, that is true.”
“That’s why you should trust him. Not that you could do anything about it anyway.”
“…That is also true.”
Somehow the way she phrased things felt annoying.
“So what is it you seek?”
“Just to say goodbye before I leave. You know I'm heading back to Hilderan, right?”
“Ah. To Hilderan…”
“Yes. I’m sad about it. We never got to become very close.”
“You’re… sad?”
Kaede could not understand her. She wasn’t bound by some strange relic like Kaede’s Armani Orb, nor tied by a black-magic contract—yet she regretted leaving the Tower?
Did she dislike returning to her own kingdom and proper life?
“Ah, Kaede, do you want this?”
Kaede brightened the moment she saw the small piece Ernan pulled out.
“Where did you get that?”
“I bought it when I followed the Demon King out last time. Since I’m returning to the kingdom, I’ve been giving the rest away.”
“Thank you.”
The brown piece disappeared quickly into Kaede’s mouth. A smile naturally bloomed from the sweetness.
“You like chocolate, don’t you?”
“After training, just one piece feels like it washes all the fatigue away.”
Kaede looked genuinely happy—perhaps happier than at any time since arriving at the Tower. Whether it was simply because she loved chocolate, or because she hadn’t eaten it in so long, Ernan didn’t know.
It was the first time the noble princess-knight—usually so rigid—showed such unexpected softness.
“This is valuable.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. Want more?”
“You have more?”
“Here.”
Ernan tossed her several more chocolates. While Kaede munched away blissfully, Ernan climbed to the fifth floor and knocked on the office door.
“My lord.”
Creak—the door opened. The Demon King spoke bluntly.
“What is it?”
“Before I leave, I have one last piece of advice for you.”
“Advice?”
“Kaede is a bit stiff. So are you. That’s why things between you two are still awkward, even though you’re the Demon King and one of the Four Heavenly Kings.”
“…And?”
Thud—
Ernan pulled a thick sack from her subspace pouch and placed it on the desk.
“…What is this?”
“Chocolate.”
“……?”
“Like oiling a rusted machine—you’re going to oil your relationship with Kaede using chocolate.”
“……”
It took Berze a long moment to even process her intention.
Not that he accepted it, even then.