Chapter 13

Chapter 13
## Chapter 13: The Infiltrator

—

『Enlist as a sellsword within the traveling party of the champion Hillun Kagil.』

『Commit your full strength to his cause and enhance your personal reputation.』

“Is this truly a mandate from the Demon King?”

『The command comes from the Demon Lord. Control your tongue and show proper respect.』

“Listen, whether you call him Demon King or Demon Lord, it’s bizarre, isn’t it? Since when does a dark monarch order someone to prop up a hero?”

『How could a creature of your standing grasp the depth of His Majesty’s designs?』

“And I suppose you’re his closest confidant who knows it all?”

『Hold your tongue and carry out the mission.』

Granada let out a dry laugh at the harsh, low-pitched warning.

“Well, what autonomy does a bondservant have anyway? Very well. At this rate, I might be the one to take the Demon Lord’s head myself one day. I’m simply too efficient at following orders, you see.”

『You pale-skinned trash never truly learn until your life is extinguished.』

“And you dark-skinned types are utterly devoid of humor.”

The two elves stared intensely at one another through the glowing surface of the crystal ball. A thick, sharp pressure filled the room. Eventually, Gordon was the one to avert his gaze.

『To think the Demon Lord would recruit such a degenerate… tsk.』

With a sharp grunt of disapproval, he severed the magical link. Granada reached up to rub the bridge of his nose.

“What is the actual play here?”

He was being told to join the very group destined to hunt his master down.

Granada began to weigh the power dynamic between himself and the current Demon King.

Back during the conflict at the spire, years of being treated as property had left him a shell of a man. His physical form was riddled with sickness, and his combat prowess had grown dull—he had been little more than a liability.

But what about his current state?

While he hadn’t reached his absolute zenith, he felt capable of tearing through five versions of his former self simultaneously.

And yet.

“I still can’t get a handle on him.”

The sovereign was a newcomer to this world, yet he possessed an incomprehensible level of power. Beyond that, there was a strange, unpredictable nature to him.

It defied logic.

“I suppose there’s no point in overthinking it.”

Regardless of the man’s strength, Granada had given his word to the World Tree. He was bound to this service for a hundred years, or until death claimed him.

In the lifespan of an elf, it was a mere blink of an eye, and he felt no remorse. Serving a Demon King and hunting humans was a far more dignified fate than rotting away as a human’s plaything.

Particularly that one wretched soul.

The tracker who had snared him and handed him over to the traffickers.

Grit coming from his clenched teeth, Granada shook off the memory and stepped out of the concealed chamber. He delivered sharp thumps to the skulls of his subordinates, including Bark, who were currently drowning their senses in ale.

“Ow! What gives, Captain?!”

“We have our instructions from the master.”

“Finally?”

“Indeed. We are linking up with the hero’s company.”

“Hillun Kagil?”

“The champion of the Hildean Kingdom?”

“Ah, is that why you’ve been buying every scrap of intel on heroes from the guild? To stage a collaboration?”

“Something like that.”

It wasn’t an exact match for the truth, but it was a convenient cover. Perhaps that had been the Demon Lord’s foresight all along.

“But Hillun Kagil’s group? Won’t there be a swarm of competitors trying to get close?”

The prestige of already having a Demon King’s head to his name was a massive draw. With victory seemingly assured, every scavenger in the land would be circling to grab a piece of the glory.

“Which is exactly why we need to move immediately.”

They had to ensure they were the most dominant scavengers in the pack.

The Red Hawk Mercenary Corps began their march toward the south.

—

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

“…What exactly am I looking at?”

Gordon, having returned to the lower levels after relaying the Demon Lord’s will to Granada, stopped dead in his tracks on the fourth floor.

“Ah, you’ve returned?”

The princess greeted him with a radiant, joyful beam.

“I spent some time reshaping the area into a landscape that would appeal to the spirits. What’s your assessment?”

“A landscape for spirits… I see.”

Indeed, the spirits would find such an environment intoxicating.

“Is this intended to be a river?”

“I had hoped to expand it into a proper waterway, but my current mana pool limited me to this small valley stream.”

Water spirits were currently splashing and playing in the meandering brook that carved through a section of the fourth floor.

“And this specimen…”

An earth spirit was currently hanging from a sturdy branch, lost in sleep.

Fire spirits were leaping within a crackling campfire, and wind spirits were circulating the formerly stagnant air of the tower.

The rumors that she commanded all four cardinal elements were not exaggerated. It was a reality.

“I’ve put a forest over here and a meadow over there. It’s quite refreshing, wouldn’t you say?”

“Extremely refreshing.”

Too much so. A light, pleasant gust of wind brushed past Gordon’s face.

It was a self-sustaining habitat.

A slice of the natural world thriving inside the Demon King’s fortress.

Though limited in scale, there was no denying the princess was a being of extraordinary talent.

“I could have transformed the entire floor instantly, but the mana density in this place is quite thin, isn’t it?”

“It is a commendable effort, all things considered.”

Naturally. The spire was saturated with demonic energy, which naturally choked out pure mana.

To manifest this much life despite those conditions was a feat deserving of recognition. If only she weren’t a royal prisoner. And if only this wasn’t the sanctuary of the Demon Lord he was sworn to protect.

*I want to tear it all down.*

If he weren’t restrained by his master’s commands, he would have obliterated it. He would have banished the spirits and dragged the girl down to the darkest cell in the depths.

Champions and heroes were never supposed to set foot above the third level.

Gordon felt a burning sense of indignation. This assault on the tower’s grim majesty must never be witnessed by the outside world.

Why was the master showing such kindness to a simple human royal?

Aren was a unique world, certainly. Providing basic comforts was one thing, but this was an entirely different level of indulgence.

“Oh, by the way—did the Demon Lord mention when he might go out to gather more mystical herbs?”

“The Demon Lord moves according to his own schedule.”

“Oh, my apologies.”

The princess lowered her head in a polite bow. Gordon could not see the look in her eyes.

—

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

The situation was becoming warped.

He could no longer hide the truth from himself.

An unparalleled master of his craft, yet he had snatched a hero from the world.

Looking at the back of the dwarf walking ahead of him, a murderous urge bubbled in his chest.

This wasn’t the man who had ended his life, nor the one who had insulted him at the summit—but he was a hero nonetheless.

In his mind, heroes deserved to have their bones shattered and their spirits crushed, and even that would be too lenient a punishment.

He could always find another builder. While the rumors of the kidnapping might have reached the dwarf clans, with enough force, finding a replacement wasn’t impossible.

Yet, Berge held back.

Because he was a hero.

Because he had perished after being exploited by those who called themselves heroes.

*For me, as well…*

There was no law saying he couldn’t exploit a hero in return.

Wouldn’t it be far more rewarding to force him to grovel like a cur, to use him as a tool and discard him like rubbish—paying back the humiliations he had suffered a thousand times over?

Focusing on that thought allowed him to push down the worst of his fury.

He blinked, and the dwarf’s rear was still right there in his field of vision. A fresh wave of annoyance hit him.

He had demanded a secret exit, yet this path required him to crawl like an insect—was this a deliberate insult?

Should he crush the dwarf? He paused; a single strike would likely turn the creature to pulp.

“This is leading to the exit, I assume?”

“Y-yes, sir.”

The path, however, continued to descend. Eventually, they reached a small mining pocket.

Berge wordlessly delivered a heavy swat to the dwarf’s head. The small man let out a yelp.

“Right there! The exit is that way! It’s an old, forgotten mine—I carved out a fresh connection!”

A single blow had immediately improved the dwarf’s manners. Effective.

“This is your final opportunity. If I find you’ve misled me again, the consequences will be unpleasant.”

“I wasn’t lying to begin with…”

“……”

“N-no! Wait! Might I ask a single question?”

Berge gave a curt, almost imperceptible nod.

“Why go to the trouble of kidnapping a hero like me?”

“You were the one who volunteered to replace the princess.”

“But even so…”

Heroes and Demon Kings were fundamentally incompatible. Legend didn’t speak of dark lords showing mercy to champions, or vice versa.

*They exist, but…*

Those were anomalies.

Refusing to climb to the top of a tower didn’t count as “sparing” the Demon King.

“Stop wasting time and lead the way.”

“U-understood!”

Roger began to squeeze his way through a narrow crevice.

“You expect me to fit through that?”

“It’s my private tunnel—the opening is cramped. It opens up further in, so just endure it for a…”

*Crunch—*

The stone at the entrance gave way. The wall that had been squeezing Roger suddenly disintegrated.

“It seems it wasn’t that narrow after all.”

“…If you hit the wrong spot, the entire shaft will cave in.”

“And yet, it remains standing.”

“Well, we got lucky, but when you’re underground, things are always…”

“It makes me suspect you’re trying to delay me so I’ll stay here.”

“N-not at all! Please, move quickly!”

The path shifted into a set of steep, rough-hewn stairs. Roger huffed as he climbed upward on his short limbs.

What happened next?

He was being coerced into helping the Demon King escape, but what about his future? It was a complete unknown.

Running away was out of the question. Why had he been kept alive instead of the princess?

“…What do you intend to do with me?”

“Do you have a desire to stay alive?”

The cold, sharp words made Roger recoil.

He was a hero. A strange one who had never drawn a sword or gone on a quest, but a hero nonetheless…

A dignified craftsman who shouldn’t have to plead for his existence before a dark monarch…

“…I wish to live.”

Roger let out a pathetic whimper. If he were the type of person who viewed his life as disposable, he would be on a battlefield, not in a workshop. He had never asked for the title of hero.

“Hmm.”

A chilling sensation touched his throat. Roger’s legs gave out, and he crumpled.

“Provide me with a reason why a Demon King should show clemency to a hero like you.”

“I-I have utility! I can’t fight worth a lick, but my building skills are second to none!”

“You’re just one dwarf among thousands.”

“No! I’m not being arrogant, but every dwarf in the mountains knows the name Roger! I’m arguably the greatest artisan our race has produced!”

“Very well, let’s assume that’s the truth.”

Roger nodded frantically at the slight concession.

“But you—a hero—proposing to use those skills for my benefit? Does that seem logical to you?”

“Why shouldn’t it?!”

Roger’s mind raced with desperate speed to find an answer.

“The Hero Pallus once purchased a princess taken by the King of Lies using a mountain of gold!”

“The monarch of the Horton Kingdom actually signed a secret treaty with the King of Lies!”

“The Diamond Demon King was hired by the Iasin Kingdom to purge the monsters from the Ians Forest!”

“The King of Frost once released twelve heroes who invaded his domain without a single scratch!”

He rattled off the high-level gossip like a man possessed. These were secrets known only to the elite and the hero circles.

“Secret alliances between heroes and Demon Kings are more common than people think! There is no reason I cannot serve you!”

*Poke—*

His desperate plea was met with a low chuckle.

Though he couldn’t see the face behind him, Roger could sense the Demon King’s mouth twisting into a grin.

Was it amusement or a prelude to a kill? The tension made him break out in a cold sweat.

“I set out to take a princess and ended up being propositioned by a tiny dwarf.”

“In terms of raw practicality, I’m far more valuable than she is! Turn me into your informant! Your spy!”

“That is my decision to make, not yours.”

“Of course, naturally!”

Hmm.

The Demon King tapped his chin for a moment.

“I’m not entirely convinced a pathetic specimen like you is worth the effort, but…”

The silence that followed was agonizing. Roger’s breathing was erratic, and his limbs trembled.

“If you’re going to sob and beg this much, it would be cruel to refuse. I am, after all, a benevolent Demon King.”

Roger immediately spun around and pressed his forehead into the dirt.

“Thank you! My deepest thanks! All glory to the magnificent Demon Lord!”

“Stand up.”

The Demon King’s hand reached down and hauled him to his feet.

“Please…”

He patted the dwarf’s shoulder with a thin smile.

“Keep that perspective in mind moving forward, little hero.”

If he failed to do so.

“The things you fear most will become your reality.”

“I would never! I will remember this mercy as long as I live! Thank you, truly!”

*I’m alive. I actually survived…*

His knees buckled again, and Roger hit the ground. He wiped the tears and mess from his face.

He swore he would never get involved with that princess ever again.

Regardless of whether he was a spy or not, he planned to stay as far away as possible.

And at the very first opening, he would vanish, slipping away from the Demon King’s reach forever.

No more bad luck—and no more of this terrifying good luck either.

He made the vow with everything he had.

A wave of pure relief washed over him, and a small, shaky smile finally appeared on Roger’s face.