I should kill him.
A Heroic March—whose purpose is to kill a Demon King and collapse their tower—is the greatest subject of attention across the entire continent.
So their failure returned like a massive shockwave.
『The hero squad suffered damage close to annihilation, and Rozel Charnt has lost her left eye.』
The grim report reached Berze just as he finished his meeting with Reina and was contemplating how best to pass the responsibility onto someone else.
Dark news. Hillen Cargill's face, projected through the communication artifact, had no trace of life.
Berze tapped his fingers on the desk.
He had wanted the heroes to win. Even if they didn't win, he at least hoped they would inflict a massive blow on Draxon.
Of course, he knew it wouldn't be easy.
Draxon was strong. He was also a Demon King who had graduated from the Demon King Academy, and having descended to Arein decades ago, it was safe to assume his dimensional interference had loosened significantly.
But if Draxon absolutely had to win every time, then in the past, Berze wouldn't have failed.
He wouldn't have been humiliated by heroes, decapitated, forced into regression, cursed the principles, and been branded a lunatic.
Back then, Berze had been even stronger than Draxon was now.
"I even told you his weakness."
『...That is the only reason we survived.』
"Tell me exactly what happened. Not a single word out of place."
A deep sigh spilled from beyond the communicator.
『...We broke through the monsters in the territory and reached the tower entrance.』
***
The Heroic March had not gone smoothly from the start.
The originally planned hero squad had a dual-command structure.
The Archmage, Rozel Charnt.
And the Great Knight, Balaf Disroad.
These two, counted among the very top of all heroes, led elite mage and knight units that followed them.
The heroes dispatched officially by the Hero Guild and Ormus's 2,000 soldiers were bonuses.
It was a truly overwhelming force.
No one imagined the march would fail. This wasn't like Berze's bizarre, newly erected tower in Ergest. The Beast Tower had existed for ages; it was fully analyzed and well known.
But Balaf Disroad poured cold water onto this blazing surge of morale.
"I withdraw from the Heroic March."
With his abrupt departure, the knights and heroes who followed him left as well.
Nearly half the fighting force vanished. Morale plummeted. Hillen Cargill joined belatedly, but…
"Comparing you to Balaf Disroad seems unfair, huh?"
『He is one of the top heroes among heroes. Purely by martial strength alone, he has nearly reached the summit.』
It wasn't that Hillen was weak. It was simply that the comparison target was too large.
Draxon was not an easy opponent, and voices arose suggesting they postpone the march. But Rozel Charnt and the king of Ormus blocked it.
『I understand Rozel Charnt. Once that woman decides on something, she charges forward. She must have hated the situation and thought she could handle it alone.』
『But I never expected the dying old king of Ormus to insist so strongly.』
"And you?"
『You told us his weakness. Not going would have made me an idiot.』
Rozel Charnt and Hillen Cargill—the two main heroes—and the client king all demanded they move forward. Thus, the Heroic March began.
And initially, it went smoothly.
From the gnolls and hell hounds of the 1st floor, to the lycanthropes on the 6th, to the Shavel Tigers on the 10th. The steadily increasing difficulty was familiar.
『Unlike someone, that is.』
"You think you're safe just because you're far away?"
Berze manipulated the Armani Orb. A stabbing pain pierced Hillen's mind, and he gasped. When he spoke again, his voice was noticeably more obedient.
『...Up to the 10th floor, everything was manageable. Rozel Charnt lived up to her reputation.』
The monsters weren't weak, but Rozel Charnt's fire magic incinerated everything. The Beast Tower's jungle-like interior offered plenty of things to burn.
"Draxon must have been thrilled."
A tower reduced to ashes would require reinvesting magic points to rebuild—if everything was burned clean down to the root?
The thought of Draxon's twisted expression was oddly refreshing.
『The problem was the 11th floor. We should have realized earlier—why no demons appeared, and why only a Shavel Tiger guarded the 10th floor.』
Every Demon King except Berze followed the principles. Arein was no exception.
They simply twisted the rules within the allowable boundaries.
According to the principles, a Demon King must greet the heroes at the top with a prince or princess.
But they were not required to bring all kidnapped royalty.
Thus, Reina Sordein placed frozen princes or princesses on various floors to satisfy heroes enough to make them leave early.
『Suddenly, every demon jumped out at once.』
And Draxon had baited them into complacency.
The principles declared that floors must increase in difficulty. That was enough. How weak the first floor was and how strong the upper floors were—that was entirely up to the Demon King.
Draxon gathered all the tower's forces at the summit. The sacrifices required were ignored.
And when the heroes climbed the final floor in their carelessness, what awaited them was, of course, the Demon King. The Demon King leading an army of demons and monsters.
***
"Everyone stay calm! These are the enemies we must face anyway if we want to kill the Demon King!"
Rozel Charnt chanted. Magic circles lit up all around, raising walls of fire to hold back the encroaching monsters.
In that brief moment, the hero squad quickly formed a battle line.
"You dare play with fire in front of me!?"
But the line shattered with a single roar.
The Demon King cleaved through the flames, claws bared. And as if waiting for that opening, Rozel Charnt thrust her staff forward.
"I've already analyzed your movements!"
A beam of burning heat fired in a straight line, melting the air as it struck the Demon King.
A massive explosion shook the tower. The shockwave made everyone groan.
"Do you know something?"
Through the sizzling heat, the Demon King growled.
"Your pathetic magic does nothing to me, foolish hero."
The fire-wreathed wolf leapt.
Hillen Cargill moved between the mages and the Demon King.
KWA-AAAAANG—!
***
『He had none of the hypocrisy Demon Kings usually show. Sitting on his throne, he looked at us with—』
『They didn't "appear" slowly— the moment we reached the 11th floor, they surged in like a crashing wave.』
『Magic didn't completely fail. But aside from Rozel Charnt, most spells were meaningless.』
"Of course."
The beastfolk had no magical aptitude, but their physical abilities were among the highest even compared to demons. And such physical prowess included exceptionally high magic resistance.
『And the Demon King knew this as well.』
Someone needed to hold the Demon King down while Rozel Charnt attacked.
Originally, that would have been Balaf Disroad's responsibility. But after his departure, the role fell to Hillen Cargill.
"So in the end, you're saying you lost because of you."
『...』
He said it, but he couldn't blame Hillen entirely.
If their forces had been properly intact, perhaps they could have blocked Draxon's assault together.
But in the deluge of demons and beasts, Hillen Cargill had to single-handedly hold back Draxon, who was focused solely on killing Rozel Charnt.
He simply wasn't enough.
From the first clash, he sensed defeat.
『We were all mistaken. Even if Balaf Disroad had come, there is no way he could have defeated the Beast Demon King! Even the Demon King of Lust wasn't like this!』
This wasn't the excuse of a beaten dog.
"If you thought a Demon King who has accumulated power in another dimension for a hundred years would be weak, you're a fool. Draxon is on a completely different level than Tulus."
Not all Demon Kings were equal. Their caliber and accumulated time differed greatly.
But humans had placed Draxon and Tulus on the same line, and thus they lost. It was the price of their complacency.
Still, Berze didn't think it reflected the true potential of humans. There were still many heroes, and barring special cases, they never left a failed Heroic March as a "failure."
"Enough excuses. Tell me how the situation stands now."
『Talk of a second Heroic March has begun. Rozel Charnt insists they must strike again quickly, while the Hero Guild wants to take more time and gather sufficient strength.』
"So no one is opposed to launching a second march."
『Our reputation has taken heavy damage from two failures. Voices calling the Hero Guild useless have risen again, so they'll push aggressively. It's a matter of when, not if.』
Hillen explained that the Hero Guild was sharpening its blades.
At that moment—
Knock, knock.
"Come in."
It was Gordon.
"What is it?"
"Word from the Beast Tower."
"...?"
"The Demon Kings request an emergency council."
***
When a gate opens to another Demon King's tower, one always arrives at the first-floor entrance.
Thus, Berze had no choice but to look upon the charred ruins.
"What a mess."
Where lush jungle once stood, nothing remained but blackened ash. Dried, scorched bloodstains and piles of corpses told the story of that day's carnage.
The door stood open, but no monsters greeted him.
"Welcome."
A bear beastman awaited him alone.
I recognize him.
He was the high-ranking demon Berze had seen in the battlefield where the Ormus prince was killed.
"The Demon King awaits above."
"And the others?"
"Everyone has arrived."
From floors 1 to 10, it was harder to find a single intact chamber.
"You must have struggled."
"There were no issues."
Without further talk, they ascended to the 11th floor—the summit. It was relatively intact.
There, around a central table, the Demon Kings were seated.
"Is being late a habit of yours?"
"So what?"
Draxon glared for a moment, then turned his gaze away.
"Since we are all gathered, I'll get straight to the point."
Draxon took control of the atmosphere.
"Just days ago, there was a Heroic March targeting me and my tower. You all know why it happened."
"Because you killed the Second Prince of Ormus."
"Let me state clearly—I never killed the Second Prince."
"There's a human saying: 'There's no smoke without fire.'"
At Berze's remark, Draxon snorted.
"At the time, a massive surge of demonic energy was detected in my territory. And that demon was not under my command."
"So that's what this is about."
Jayson frowned.
"You intend to blame us and shift responsibility?"
"Because it's true."
"You've already decided it was me."
"You are the most likely."
"I did nothing. What would I gain by sending demons into your territory?"
"You, of all people, should know that answer."
The two Demon Kings' gazes clashed.
"This is your last chance. Confess."
"How deeply unpleasant."
Jayson lifted his monocle.
"Can you take responsibility for that accusation?"
"I only ever say what I can take responsibility for."
"I'm beginning to suspect the opposite. That this is your theater. You killed the Second Prince and now wish to turn human hatred toward me. At the very least, a Demon King should be honest about his own actions. Please do not make yourself so disgraceful."
"If you insist on playing it that way, I have my own ideas."
Draxon exhaled a harsh breath.
"I will report this to His High Authority and request permission to scour the tower records."
"...!"
"...!"
The Demon Kings stirred at his explosive declaration.
"That is a bad move."
Reina tried to stop him.
"That will consume enormous magic. You have already suffered great damage, and humans are speaking of a second Heroic March. Should you not restore your tower first?"
"Reina Sordein—do I look like I care about my tower right now? Or are you afraid your crime will be exposed? Jayson is the prime suspect, but I suspect you as well."
"That is slander. Do you think I am capable of such a disgraceful act?"
"Who knows?"
"Are you trying to start a fight?"
"I don't mind."
Tension surged. Murderous intent and mana clashed, warping the space around them.
But even with their rage boiling to the top of their skulls, they did not clash directly.
They still upheld the principle that "Demon Kings do not fight one another."
After a brief breath, Draxon spoke again.
"Jayson Cocmundo. I do suspect you, but I do not think it must be you.
But it is certain that the culprit is one among us."
It was obvious—only Demon Kings could command high-ranking demons.
Draxon slowly met the eyes of the four Demon Kings.
"I don't know what you wanted or why you did it."
"But I am a Demon King too. I've lived in Arein for decades."
"No matter what it takes—I will find the one responsible. And when I do—"
"You will pay the price."
He uttered the words as if he were chewing them apart.
"On the honor of me, Draxon Doldorf."
It wasn't a question, nor was it a request for opinions.
It was simply a declaration.
Even if he pushed himself to the edge of a cliff, he would definitely find the bastard who humiliated him—
and kill him.
***
"What did Demon King Draxon say?"
Berze passed Gordon upon returning to the tower.
"My lord?"
Gordon took a step toward repeating the question—
and froze.
That expression…
Chills ran down his spine. In all the time he had served as Berze's adjutant—short as it was—
he had never once seen that face.
…What on earth happened?
Gordon swallowed dryly as Berze closed the door to his office.
Berze sat and tapped on the table.
…If a report is submitted…
Draxon had sworn upon everything he had that he would reveal the culprit.
He would scour all tower records to trace the remnants of magic.
The cost would be massive magic point expenditure, and he would owe countless offerings to Grand Duke Arcane—but he would do it.
There is no guarantee he will find anything.
But there was also no guarantee he wouldn't.
As far as Berze knew, tower records were not omnipotent.
They were merely traces of events within a Demon King's territory.
They could certainly prove that a demon had appeared there.
But could they determine which demon?
Could they identify that the magic belonged to Berze?
Could they differentiate the nature of magic that had already faded with time?
He doubted it.
But if—
really if—
If they discover it was me…?
Magic bore the "rank" of the demon who wielded it.
Tower records alone couldn't perfectly identify an individual, but Berze could not claim absolute knowledge of the system created by the First Demon Emperor.
"...…"
If it were revealed that Berze was the culprit—
that he had invaded another Demon King's territory and led Draxon into an ambush—
The Demon Kings would never let it slide.
Just looking at Reina Sordein's reaction earlier was enough to predict that much.
He had lived a stupid first demon life.
He had been given a second chance—to take revenge on the heroes who mocked him.
He had no intention of throwing away this golden opportunity over something so pointless.
If Draxon was willing to do anything to uncover the culprit—
then Berze would do anything to avoid being discovered.
To do that—
I must destroy the Beast Tower.
Before Grand Duke Arcane intervenes—
the tower and all recorded traces within it must be blown to pieces.
So—
…I'll have to kill Draxon.
CRACK—
His finger crushed into the desk.
The murderous intent seeping through the door made Gordon, who was waiting outside, flinch in terror.
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