Chapter 18

Chapter 18
## Chapter 18: An Inevitable Matter

“Wait… did I actually hear that correctly?”

Ernyan’s wide eyes flickered with confusion.

“You did.”

“But still.”

She struggled to reconcile the request with her own reality.

“I am a royal princess.”

“And I am the Lord of Demons.”

“A champion is supposed to come for my rescue.”

“He is coming to end my life. Your point?”

“I simply cannot do it.”

“I expected that would be your answer.”

Berge hadn’t placed much faith in the idea to begin with.

However, Ernyan’s strangely compliant behavior and her lack of hostility toward the Demon King’s Tower had whispered a small “perhaps” in the back of his mind.

But he wasn’t interested in coercion. A human forced into service wouldn’t be effective, and he didn’t want to be permanently tied to an elf under those conditions. Nevertheless, he decided to employ the persuasive arguments he had prepared.

“Hillun Kagil is a formidable hero. There is a high probability he will defeat me and ‘liberate’ you. He will likely escort you back to your father’s kingdom.”

“Ah. Returning to the kingdom…”

Berge caught the fleeting shadow in her gaze. There was something significant there. It was a visceral reaction; for reasons unknown, Ernyan seemed to dread the idea of going home more than staying with her captor.

*What could possibly exist in her homeland that terrifies her more than the Demon King?*

Berge didn’t bother to solve the riddle. Instead, he presented an incentive.

“On another note, you seemed quite captivated by that spiritual medicine earlier.”

“The medicine?”

“I am willing to grant it to you.”

“…In exchange for standing against the hero?”

“That would be the arrangement.”

She fell silent, her small lips pressing together. After a long, heavy pause, she spoke.

“…May I have some time to consider this?”

It was a surprisingly open-ended response. Was his gamble actually paying off?

—

In truth, it was a long shot.

He had estimated the success rate at nearly zero, yet he had received a tentative “yes.” Now, Berge felt a bit unsettled. He thought he understood the human heart, but he realized he might need to re-evaluate his perspective.

“Don’t humans value their kin above all else?”

He couldn’t fathom why a celebrated prodigy would loathe her own kingdom so much. Whatever the reason, it served his purposes perfectly.

“If Hillun Kagil scales the tower to the fourth floor, full of righteous fire, only to be confronted by the princess…”

The mental image of the hero’s confusion brought a grim satisfaction. He didn’t expect the princess to actually defeat the man; her role was to create a devastating psychological opening by opposing her own savior.

“Did she truly agree?”

“It isn’t finalized yet.”

“It’s beneficial for us, certainly, but that woman must be out of her mind.”

“Perhaps.”

Gordon clicked his tongue in disbelief. Despite his relief, his thoughts drifted to other threats.

“Are we really going to ignore Demon King Drakson’s meddling?”

“What choice do we have?”

They lacked the forces for a counter-offensive, and a formal complaint would be laughed off.

“He will simply deny involvement. We have no proof.”

“But if he continues to spread the lie that Granada is your servant…”

“You were miserable when things went poorly, and now you’re miserable when they’re going well? Make up your mind.”

“It isn’t that, but this was your meticulous strategy, wasn’t it?”

“Your sudden devotion is touching. If only you had displayed this zeal without the constant arguing…”

“……”

Gordon fell silent, frustrated that his genuine concern was being mocked. This lord truly knew how to get under his skin.

“Regardless, there is no need for worry.”

“How so?”

“Because it is ultimately inconsequential.”

—

*Crunch, crunch—*

“That man is utterly insane!”

A massive bone snapped between the teeth of Drakson, who swallowed the marrow and roared with laughter.

“Is the report verified?”

“Yes. The Red Hawk Mercenaries have officially joined Hillun Kagil’s party.”

“And Granada is definitely among them?”

“He is currently leading the group.”

“Then the rumors are true.”

Drakson finished the bone, blood staining his chin.

“I knew his arrogance was backed by something. But embedding an elf into a hero’s party? What is his endgame?”

“An internal saboteur. He likely intends a betrayal at the most critical moment.”

“I agree. It’s a clever move.”

No other Demon King had attempted such a thing. It was so simple it was brilliant, making one wonder why it hadn’t been done before. Breaking a hero from the inside was far more efficient than a direct assault.

“There’s no point in interfering.”

“Even if we tried to expose Granada as a spy, the humans wouldn’t believe it.”

“Precisely.”

Humans were known to turn traitor for greed or power, even without demonic influence. But elves were different. Their connection to the World Tree made them the ultimate enemies of the demonic realm. In the centuries since the demons arrived in the Aren dimension, not a single elf had ever defected.

“How did he manage to break an elf?”

“Perhaps it wasn’t as difficult as we assumed.”

“What do you mean?”

“Elves exist across many worlds. We assume they are incorruptible because of their reputation elsewhere. No one in Aren has even tried to sway one.”

“I heard there were attempts long ago that failed miserably.”

“Could that not just be a dated prejudice? Maybe a bit of the right pressure would have worked all along, but we stopped trying based on old failures.”

“So Berge just stumbled into a ‘beginner’s luck’ success because he didn’t know it was impossible?”

“It is a possibility.”

Drakson rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“We will monitor Granada’s actions. Also, begin discreetly testing the resolve of other elves.”

“Understood.”

“And what of Berge’s recent movements?”

“He traveled to Hortonwork with a dwarf via a transfer gate and then vanished. He was seen heading toward Angsila, but we lost the trail after that.”

“Angsila is neutral ground, so that makes sense. A dwarf, you say?”

“Yes. Most likely a captive.”

“When did this happen?”

“In the chaos after Rosal was humiliated by Berge and retreated.”

“First an elf, now a dwarf…”

Drakson wondered if Berge had grown so cynical regarding other demons that he had decided to replace his entire hierarchy with inhabitants of the mid-realm.

“I doubt he would go that far.”

“No, a Demon King wouldn’t discard their pride to that extent.”

His own demonic ego couldn’t accept the idea. Even a madman like Berge surely wouldn’t sink that low.

“He’s likely using the dwarf as another pawn. Investigate. Find out where the dwarf is stationed and watch them closely.”

“I will see to it.”

“I wonder what kind of masterpiece he thinks he’s painting.”

Drakson reached for another piece of raw meat.

—

Ernyan Hildean, the kidnapped princess, absentmindedly threw a ball of mud. A wind spirit darted forward to retrieve it, and she patted its translucent head in a rhythmic cycle of boredom.

*Stop the Hero Hillun…?*

The concept felt alien. Hillun was the pride of her kingdom. As the crown princess, she had interacted with him many times. He was a man of infinite patience and kindness. He was coming to rescue her, yet she was considering standing in his way.

*But.*

She truly did not want to go back. To her, “rescue” was just a return to a different kind of prison. Her life in the tower was mundane and quiet, but the suffocating expectations of the palace were far worse. And lately, life hadn’t been boring at all.

Her thoughts spurred her to action. She walked down to the ground floor. The area was a chaotic mess of tools and glowing etchings.

*Thud, thud, thud—*

The rhythmic strike of a hammer echoed through the hall. Waves of intense heat radiated from a corner workshop where a dwarf was buried in his labor.

“What are you working on?”

There was no response. This was common; Roger often claimed his focus was a shield against the world. With nothing else to occupy her, she sat and watched the dancing flames of the forge. A fire spirit played in the embers, making the heat rise. Ernyan winced, but Roger remained unfazed.

Eventually, Roger looked up.

“…Why are you sitting there?”

“I was curious.”

“About what?”

“Why you are here, Roger. You were a hero once, right? Why are you helping the Demon King?”

“……”

The truth was simple: he didn’t want to die. And he couldn’t leave because the outside world held nothing but the vengeful eyes of a princess he had failed.

“…I have my reasons,” he grumbled, his pride preventing him from being fully honest.

“I see,” Ernyan replied, tilting her head. “But talking to you helped.”

“…I’m not sure how, but you’re welcome.”

“The Demon King told me that if a hero arrives, I should stop him.”

“…What?” Roger dropped his hammer, looking around nervously before whispering, “Is he completely mad?”

“He seemed quite sane when he asked.”

“And you’re actually considering it?”

“I was struggling with the decision.”

Roger thought there was no struggle to be had. One should obviously wait for the hero to kill the demon and go home.

“But listening to you made me decide,” she said firmly. “I’ll do it.”

She whispered to herself, as if seeking validation.

“Everyone has their own burdens. As a prisoner, what choice do I have? I must do what is necessary to survive.”

To Roger, it sounded like she was just making excuses for a choice she had already made. *Is everyone in the Hildean royal family insane?* he wondered.

“I don’t want the hero to be killed, though,” she added. “I will make that a condition.”

“I doubt the Demon King will agree to that,” Roger noted. Demon Kings grew stronger by consuming the souls of powerful heroes.

“You think so?”

“I’m certain of it.”

“I will allow it.”

Berge’s voice cut through the room.

“Thank you,” Ernyan said.

Roger stopped trying to make sense of the situation.

—

Gaining raw power wasn’t the immediate goal for Berge; survival was. Only those who survived could eventually conquer. Ensuring the hero was captured was far more valuable than a risky attempt at an execution.

“Besides, if he can’t even get past the front door, it doesn’t matter.”

Roger, who had followed them out of curiosity, winced at Berge’s cold gaze.

“What is the status of the installation?”

“…The Mana Ghost is set. I was just coming to inform you.”

“Show me.”

They walked to the primary wall where the Mana Ghost artifact was fused into the structure. Glowing veins of energy pulsed across the floor like a spiderweb.

“Activating it now.”

“What is the fuel source?”

“It usually pulls from the air, but for now, it needs mana stones for the initial jump.”

“Proceed.”

Roger flipped a heavy toggle, and the machine hummed to life. A strange, invisible veil seemed to settle over the floor. It wasn’t hostile; it was a containment field designed to mask energy.

Berge stopped as he felt the resonance. *An artifact created by humans—if I integrate it into the tower, it should function even more efficiently.*

He recalled the boasting of other Demon Kings. The tower had a function for assimilation, turning mid-realm objects into part of the tower’s own system. He had ignored it in the past, viewing human tools as beneath him.

He placed his hand on the core of the device.

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[The Tower recognizes the magic tool ‘Mana Ghost’ installed on the 1st floor.]
[Determined to be installed by the Tower Lord’s will. Can assimilate the tool with the Tower.]
[Requires 1000pt.]
[Assimilate?]

1,000 points was a significant amount, especially after his recent spending, but he no longer viewed points as his only path to power.

“Confirm.”

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Consuming points.] [12182 → 11182]

Magic flared. The tower’s energy surged into the tool, resulting in a violent spark that shook the very foundations of the floor.

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Detected massive mana energy.] [Assimilation failed.]

“Failed?”

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Requires more magic for complete assimilation.] [Consume 10000pt to assimilate?]

The price had skyrocketed. It was nearly everything he had left, but the mention of “massive energy” intrigued him.

“Accept.”

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Consuming points.] [11182 → 1182]

The machine, which had gone dark, suddenly roared with a new, dark intensity. The energy veins didn’t just sit on the surface anymore; they merged into the stone and mortar, becoming a part of the tower’s anatomy.

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Mana Ghost recognizes Tower Lord, Berge Dayas, as its master.]
[Mana Ghost’s power source fully replaced: Mana → Magic.]
[Mana Ghost’s function, mana concealment, changes to conceal all energies except magic. Strength proportional to Tower and Demon King level.]
[Mana Ghost’s range expands to entire Tower.]
[Continuously conceals internal Tower energies.]
[Can consume magic points to conceal the Tower itself.]

“I—I didn’t break it! It worked perfectly in the shop!” Roger stammered.

“Be quiet. I did this. Your job is done.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Princess. Summon a spirit. Cast a spell.”

“Now?”

“Go ahead.”

Berge walked out of the tower and into the cold, pristine snow. He turned back. He could feel nothing. No ripple of mana, no hint of the princess’s magic. The tower was a void.

He snapped his fingers. Following his command, the tower absorbed the surrounding light and magic.

It began to blur, fading like a dying dream until it was nearly invisible against the landscape.

Berge stood in the silence, a tremor of pure triumph running through him.