There Is No Second Time
Officially, a Demon King cannot kill another Demon King. Must not kill one.
It wasn't just an unspoken rule or a long-standing convention—this was a law explicitly enacted by the Demon Realm itself.
But there is no such thing as an absolute in this world.
The royal capital of Ormus, Orthan. Its atmosphere was hardly different from that of a mourning house.
The sorrow and fear flowing from every corner of the city gave Berze the same delight he felt upon returning to the Demon Realm.
If my tower had been nearby, I could've harvested a richly concentrated magic point.
That alone was regretful.
"...I didn't expect you to come in person."
Granada was staying at the lodging arranged by the Hero Guild's Ormus branch, staying there as a hero squad member.
"How's your unit?"
"The Red Hawk Mercenary Corps is intact."
"...Not a single casualty?"
"Yes, not a single one."
"...So you're more capable than I thought?"
"...I'm not sure if I'd call that 'capable.' It's not that they're bad either, but... that skill is that skill..."
"I don't even know what you're talking about. But if there were no casualties, that's fine."
He assumed the mercenary corps would have taken heavy losses, and yet—they all survived.
"What about Hillen?"
"He was summoned to the Hero Guild. The cleanup following the failed hero campaign, and matters regarding the next one..."
***
"So what I'm saying is—I'm going to burn that bastard Draxon down right this instant!"
Roaring voices clashed in the chamber. Hillen silently watched the woman shouting with veins bulging on her neck.
Rozel Charnt. Over the empty socket of the eye she'd lost in the last battle was a black eyepatch. It only emphasized the wild, untamed aura unbecoming of a mage but natural to her.
"I failed, so I'll take responsibility. Didn't you hear me say to form the second hero campaign immediately?"
"Calm yourself, Lady Rozel. It's not that we don't understand your feelings, but it is impossible for the moment."
"There's no need to drag this out. The Demon King's strategy is simple—gather power and crash in all at once."
That alone placed the hero squad at a disadvantage.
There is a clear difference between advancing step by step, splitting the enemy's forces, and facing all of them at once.
But if the enemies are gathered, then they simply had to gather more on their side as well.
"We just have to push harder than they do. We don't need many. I may have failed to cut off his head, but I wiped out most of them by myself!"
"That's far too rash a conclusion. There's no law saying one failure cannot become two. You must be more prudent."
"This bastard is the only reason we failed in the first place!"
Rozel Charnt's finger stabbed toward Hillen.
"If this useless weakling covered in froth had held out just a little longer, the one losing an eye wouldn't have been me—it would've been Draxon!"
"Lady Rozel! Mind your tongue. Sir Hillen is also a hero of the guild."
Hillen let out a sigh at the crude insult.
"I admit I failed to hold Draxon back properly. But that doesn't justify this kind of humiliation."
"Oh? Should I give you a reason?"
"I understand Lady Rozel's anger. But hero campaigns do not always succeed."
"You're spouting nonsense because you have a mouth to do it with. Should I melt your lips and seal them shut so you can't make excuses?"
"...If you continue like this, I won't be able to hold myself back either."
"Now that's something I've been wanting to hear."
Rozel Charnt stood.
"Draw your sword. The moment you do, this day next year will be your memorial day."
Hillen gripped his sword's hilt. Rozel murmured an incantation under her breath.
"Stop, enough! This is the Hero Guild, and the two of you are heroes. I will not stand by any longer."
At the branch chief's restraint, Hillen lowered himself back into his seat, expression resigned. Rozel's hostility swiveled toward the branch chief.
"Fine, fine. Answer me this then. What exactly does the Hero Guild even do? If that bastard Balaf hadn't suddenly pulled out, none of this would've happened."
"Sir Balaph's withdrawal was unexpected even to us."
"That's your excuse? Isn't persuading and managing heroes your job? You think saying 'we failed and we didn't know' fixes anything?"
"There is nothing I can say except offer my sincere apologies. On behalf of the guild, I apologize once more."
"And who is it?"
Rozel Charnt crossed her arms and leaned back.
"Who is it that you're so scared of that you can't say anything even when someone slaps you in the face like this?"
"...There is no such person."
"So someone comes all the way here, participates in the strategy meeting, then suddenly withdraws—and there's no further story? Do you take us for idiots?"
"...The headquarters is treating the matter with utmost seriousness. New directives will arrive soon."
"Changing the subject? Fine. No point in finding the culprit when the failure's already done."
What Rozel Charnt cared about wasn't that. It was restoring her shattered pride—and avenging her dead comrades.
"You'd better prepare the second hero campaign as soon as possible. Before I run out of patience."
Otherwise, she would wage it on her own authority if she had to.
She shot to her feet. Her sharp gaze slashed briefly across Hillen.
"And this maggot—leave him out next time."
She left. Silence flooded the meeting hall like the wake of a departing storm.
"The meeting is adjourned. Everyone, return to your posts!"
The heroes, cowed by Rozel Charnt's sheer presence, quietly dispersed one by one.
"My apologies."
"It's fine. It's true my skills fell short. If I had held the Demon King down better, the campaign would not have failed."
"You are not weak. We were simply too complacent. We underestimated the Demon King far too much."
They had forgotten the most obvious truth—that just as heroes grow stronger, so do Demon Kings.
Perhaps it was because peace had lasted so long. Or because they had never failed a hero campaign even once in nearly a hundred years.
Whatever the case, the fault lay with them.
"What will become of the next hero campaign?"
"Headquarters is in an uproar. There will not be a second failure. And I am sorry to say this but..."
"My place won't be there."
"Lady Rozel's influence is too strong."
Rozel Charnt and Hillen Cargill. Their renown was similar, but everything else between them differed greatly.
It wasn't simply a matter of strength. The fact that Rozel Charnt was backed by the AcanKingdom was something the upper ranks of the Hero Guild all knew implicitly.
It wasn't something that could be hidden even if one tried. Because of that, many regarded her will as the will of the Acan Kingdom.
And Hillen Cargill?
He had risen sharply after slaying the Lust Demon King, only to become overconfident and sever all ties with his patrons. Then came the failure at the Ergest Expedition.
His fame plummeted, and his backing vanished. Choosing Rozel Charnt over Hillen Cargill was—
This was only natural.
"...I suppose it can't be helped."
Hillen Cargill endured the cracking edges of his mask with superhuman patience.
"...I'll take my leave now."
"Don't be too discouraged. You are a fine hero—if not this time, the opportunity will come again."
"Yes."
An opportunity will come again?
There were many heroes. Hillen Cargill wasn't just another replaceable one among them, but ultimately, it was a matter of trust.
Once, and then twice. What would happen if he failed twice, and Rozel Charnt's insults spread alongside it?
That would become his image:
Hillen Cargill, the hero who couldn't even properly handle a single Demon King.
Hillen Cargill, all fame and no substance.
And Hillen Cargill, whom no one even knew how he managed to kill the Lust Demon King.
That, at least…
He had to stop. No matter what it took.
How do you think I crawled my way up here?
He'd long known his skills were somewhat lacking. He wasn't weak, but he was not enough to stand alongside the very best heroes. So he worked harder in other areas.
He built connections and bribed people. But now, the bastards who had eaten his money like dogs were turning their backs on him all at once.
I can climb again.
But who would compensate him for the long years of endurance?
There must be some way…
Clinging desperately to his fraying thoughts, Hillen slowly exited the Hero Guild.
"Become my companion."
And then he witnessed a familiar someone arguing with an even more familiar someone.
***
A hero, hm.
The hero campaigns were initiated by heroes themselves, but those heroes were managed by the Hero Guild.
Every hero belonged to the guild, and in truth, the entire hero campaign was effectively run by the guild.
It was only natural, then, that Berze—desperate to make the second hero campaign happen—would wander around the area near the guild, lost in thought.
Bang—
At that moment, the front doors burst open. A woman with a black eyepatch over her left eye stormed out, fuming.
Instant rejection flooded his instincts. A being of interference: a hero.
And an exceptionally strong one. Berze instinctively assessed her, comparing her to himself.
If we fought now, I would lose without question.
The Phoenix's power had not fully become his yet. He was slowly melting it down within his second heart, but because it was not demonic power, it remained immature.
If I fought at full strength in my tower…
Even then, he couldn't guarantee victory. No—nine times out of ten, he would lose.
This was simply the price he'd paid by converting all his demon power points into currency instead of using them to reduce interference.
"What are you supposed to be?"
Their eyes met. Her single remaining, blood-red eye twisted harshly.
Then it widened.
She strode toward him in big steps, eyes scanning every inch of Berze's body.
"Not bad…"
Rozel Charnt was a grand mage with seven engraved marks. Even if she weren't a hero, she was strong—easily one of the strongest humans when it came to fire.
So she sensed it clearly: the pure, scorching heat radiating lightly from Berze.
"Haa…"
She let out an excited breath.
Berze silently stared at her.
…Is this woman insane?
He could guess who she was. Even in a Hero Guild branch, there weren't many heroes this strong. And among them, only one one-eyed woman radiated such intense heat.
Rozel Charnt. The Flame Grand Magus.
Are all heroes missing a screw?
After sniffing around with her eyes closed far too long, Rozel finally opened her eye and shoved her face toward Berze.
"Who are you? I've never felt such pure heat before. How did you cultivate this energy?"
"Do I have to answer that?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm asking you."
Her expression made it clear she believed this completely. Berze was momentarily speechless.
"You've got to be kidding."
"You don't know who I am?"
"No. But I know what people call you."
"What?"
"A pervert."
"Pervert?"
Rozel's face contorted.
"If you don't like being called that, stop sniffing strangers."
"If you were an ordinary man, you'd already be roasted whole."
But I can't just let this pure heat go unused.
"Be grateful for my mercy."
Rozel nodded to herself as if the matter were settled.
Only then did Berze truly understand what kind of person Rozel Charnt was: egocentric, one of the most annoying types of humans.
And the best option was to avoid people like her entirely. If she were weaker, he would've simply killed her on the spot.
I've mellowed a lot.
After being beaten by a hero once, he felt like his anger management had improved.
First, avoid her and find Hillen—then plan the next hero campaign…
Berze silently stepped around Rozel.
"..."
"..."
But Rozel blocked him again.
"...Move."
"I never said you could leave."
"Did you rent out this whole street?"
"It won't be bad for you either."
"…I'll listen."
"You interest me. I've never felt such pure mana—such blazing heat."
"So?"
"You. Become my companion."
Berze frowned. It was difficult to understand her meaning.
"You know I failed the Demon King subjugation. My Crimson Flame Assault Unit suffered heavy losses. I need to replenish my forces."
"A recruitment offer?"
"The Crimson Flame Assault Unit is one of the top ten strike teams on the continent. And most importhantly—I, Rozel Charnt, am the commander. I'll give you the best treatment in the whole industry."
"And what exactly are you basing that on?"
"Your pure mana. And its size."
Rozel Charnt had sensed the Phoenix's power precisely. Even the dormant potential Berze could not yet fully wield—she felt its outline vaguely but clearly.
"You're weak right now, but I see a brilliant future in you. And I need companions like that."
"Why?"
"Because I have to kill the Beast Demon King."
Rozel Charnt released killing intent. It piqued Berze's interest.
"Soon, the second hero campaign will begin. I will climb that tower again and take my revenge."
"...!"
Berze had guessed a second hero campaign would happen, and he had come to consult Hillen to hasten it—but he never expected to get entangled directly with another key figure.
He thought for a moment. But soon he shook his head. It wasn't even worth considering.
"Fine."
"You made the right choice!"
"But I have conditions as well."
"Let's hear them."
"First, I want the hero campaign to begin as soon as possible."
"That's exactly what I want too. We may have been forced to retreat, but I smashed that tower to pieces. We have to kill him before it's fully rebuilt. If the Hero Guild drags their feet, I'll assemble my own hero squad and go without them."
A satisfactory answer.
"And second—him."
Rozel Charnt's gaze followed Berze's pointing finger. Her expression twisted.
"If he also climbs the Beast Tower with us, I'll accept your offer."
Standing there was Hillen Cargill.
***
"How did you know?"
"About what?"
"I was excluded from the upcoming hero campaign. Because Rozel Charnt opposed me."
"Simple. Did you think I became Demon King by luck?"
He didn't become First Seat by chance.
He'd encountered Rozel Charnt's type many times before. Blunt and self-centered, the kind who pushes forward relentlessly with whatever she believes is right.
Conversely, if she thinks something is wrong, then it is wrong—no matter what.
"I heard she's furious with you. She believes the hero campaign failed because of you. There's no way she'd take you back."
But that wasn't what Berze wanted. Hillen Cargill was a useful chess piece. He had to regain his reputation and rise again.
"And I want the next hero campaign to start as quickly as possible. In such a situation, leaving a capable force like you unused would be foolish."
"Are you planning to participate yourself?"
"Yes."
The question why? naturally arose. Why would a Demon King, especially one appearing in such an un-demon-like manner, want to kill another Demon King?
Perhaps it was obvious.
Humans waged wars, committed murder, and accepted assassinations. Why would demonkind be any different? The only reason people assumed Demon Kings would never oppose each other was because they simply hadn't—for centuries.
By analyzing centuries of Demon King behavior, people inferred they sacredly adhered to certain principles. They turned those assumptions into a guidebook. And the Hero Guild blindly trusted that guidebook.
"...Thank you."
Whatever the truth, this meant a lost opportunity had returned to Hillen Cargill.
"There is no second time. We must kill Draxon this time."
"Yes."
A Demon King and a hero began their desperate struggle for survival.
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