Golem.
A giant artificial construct created with a core and magic circuits—the pinnacle of magi-engineering.
It was exactly what Berze had wished Logar would one day learn to build.
"Th-that's orichalcum!"
Logar shouted.
A subtle brass-gold gleam—these golems were made from orichalcum, the magical metal.
So hard that it could not be smelted without elite skill and specialized techniques, and when infused with mana, it reacted and became even harder. Because of this, it was used sparingly—on fortress outer walls or top-tier armor.
And now, that metal composed the bodies of the five golems before them.
"To use such precious metal whole… No, that faint rainbow sheen means they probably alloyed it with another metal or coated the surface. My gods… truly, only Acan."
"Looks impressive."
"Well of course—when you see things that incredible—ah, n-nothing!"
Logar's admiration aside, the golems dutifully performed their task.
They braced their own bodies against the collapsing wall, lifting it upright again. Even as the avalanche poured over them, they protected the human encampment.
They only barely held on—but the fact that they succeeded was what mattered.
"…So they were hiding that."
Berze had hoped the avalanche would cause significant damage. A pity.
"Still, the damage isn't completely nonexistent."
"Indeed."
Krutu was right. The hastily constructed barrier hadn't fully enclosed the camp, and snow had curved around the walls, invading part of the encampment.
But the damage was pitifully minor. Magic tents and camp structures had been half destroyed, but there were no casualties.
"Logar."
"Y-yes!?"
"That's exactly what I want. You can make one, right?"
"Uh… well…"
"Not a very confident answer."
"I do know a bit about magi-engineering, but that—that's a masterpiece even specialized golem-smiths struggle to build."
The difficulty of a golem rises in proportion to its size.
The larger it is, the more power is required to move it, the greater the weight it must support, and yet it must still maintain speed, destructive power, and durability.
To achieve all of that, intricate, high-grade magic formations must be engraved.
And that's assuming the body isn't made of a difficult alloy like orichalcum.
"So you're saying you can't do it?"
"Not that I can't—but if you were to bring just one expert, I could manage something."
"Expert?"
"There's plenty of them over there, aren't there?"
Heh-heh. Logar smiled innocently and pointed at the mage controlling the golem.
This brat—did he forget he's supposed to be a hero?
"…If possible, I'd like one of those golems too. Taking it apart would teach us so much."
The same madness flashed in his eyes—the same madness as when he wanted to dismantle the Tower.
"I'll let you if the opportunity arises."
But now wasn't the time to hunt for spoils. They had immediate obstacles to overcome.
"What now?" Krutu asked.
"With those golems holding the line, even sticking your head out would get most monsters blown apart."
"So then?"
"Then we make all of them blow apart."
The mountain was vast. Monsters were plentiful. Losing a few would change nothing.
Even if the orcs defended smoothly, daily waves of monsters would grind at their sanity.
Eventually, someone would discover a way to topple those damned golems.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
"…"
"Logar."
"Y-yes! I'm coming!"
***
The avalanche instilled caution in Acan.
"Is it possible the Demon King intentionally caused the avalanche?"
"I've never heard of a Demon King who could do that."
"Then was it coincidence?"
"We cannot be certain. Ergest has never been fully conquered. We don't know what monsters live here, nor the complete nature of this environment. Regardless of whether it was deliberate, our task does not change."
At the Blue Meteor Mage Corps commander's words, Kain nodded.
"Right. Whether a Demon King caused it or nature did, we have to deal with it the same way."
Acan advanced once more—but with heightened caution, their pace slowed further.
And such sluggish movement naturally made them easy prey for the hunting monsters.
"Ground Hounds!"
Wolves over three meters tall, charging in packs—
"Trolls! Hold them!"
"A Twin-Head Ogre!"
Familiar monsters.
"Damn it—Frost Gorgon!"
"Deploy the golems!"
"Never collide head-on!"
Even monstrous frost-adapted beasts—giant, fur-covered cattle that normally lived on plains or plateaus—appeared.
It was a storm of monsters.
"We spot Frost Orcs at times, but they don't attack directly. It feels like they're intentionally herding monsters toward us."
"So the Demon King truly is commanding the orcs."
With five golems and Cher—the titan chimera—at their front line, Acan fended off the monsters more easily than expected.
But not perfectly—damage and fatigue gradually accumulated.
And in the midst of all this—
"Many."
"Use."
Only Lavinia Acan was delighted.
"Don't."
"Use."
"No."
"Use."
She rummaged through the monster corpses that dyed the snow red—hearts, bones, hides, tendons. Every viable piece of material was sucked into her subspace.
"Cher, stronger."
Uwooooo—
Satisfied with her harvest, Lavinia beamed.
Her friend, Titan, raised its arms and cheered.
Covered head to toe in monster blood, carving apart their corpses—no matter how kind your interpretation, there was nothing "princess-like" about it.
"…Forgive the rude question, but… are all Acan princesses like that?"
"…My sister is… slightly unusual. But thanks to her, we're finding the path to the Demon King's Tower, so let's call it a blessing."
Ahem.
Kain deliberately avoided Granada's gaze.
***
The Hero Guild's banquet was special.
Countless heroes were invited, and countless powerful figures—across nations and races—attended just to see them.
And the star of today… is me.
Though a Demon King had contributed a portion, the rest was entirely his own achievement.
If it hadn't been me, no one could have managed it.
The Demon King merely supported him.
"You've arrived."
After walking down a long corridor, Hillen stood before the banquet hall's doors. The knights guarding the entrance brightened at the sight of him.
"It is an honor to meet you, Sir Hillen."
"Thank you."
"To be the one to announce your entrance—what fortune I have."
"You flatter me. I am merely a humble hero."
"No one could call the slayer of two Demon Kings a humble hero."
The guild herald cleared his throat.
Then proclaimed:
"Slayer of the Demon King of Lust and destroyer of her tower! Slayer of the Beast Demon King and destroyer of his tower! Protector of the Second Princess of Verft from the Demon King of Desire! The great hero—Hillen Cargill—enters!"
At the end of the long proclamation, the doors opened. The music paused. All eyes turned toward him.
Hillen Cargill stepped forward slowly, savoring the hungry gazes fixed upon him as he took a glass from a passing attendant.
At the same time, his eyes scanned the crowd swiftly.
Here is the corrected translation with Acan, Louise, and Argane applied exactly as requested.
(Only those names have been changed — everything else remains the same.)
***
'That man is the marquis Abronic of the Ias people.'
'Count Galleon of Acan, Count Guros.'
Count Tomhal of Corzen and Marquis Killian of Horton.
And that was only considering counts and marquises—there were far more barons and viscounts.
Not to mention the heroes as well.
"Pleasure to meet you. I am Perdal Killian."
The first to approach Hillen was a middle-aged man with a magnificently grown mustache.
A high noble of Horton, the powerful kingdom of the North.
"Hillen Cargill."
They clasped hands.
"Your reputation precedes you to the point my ears hurt."
"Have I truly earned such a reputation?"
"You are far too humble. Having slain two Demon Lords, you may proudly call yourself the greatest among all living heroes."
Even if his current ability did not yet justify it, one day it inevitably would.
"Thank you."
A short conversation followed.
"Ah, how did you come to rescue Louise Verft? How did you know in advance about the Lust Demon Lord's kidnapping?"
"It was coincidence. You know I visited the kingdom as an envoy of the Hero Guild."
"Well, that's what I figured. Still, it's a truly absurd coincidence."
Perdal laughed heartily.
"They say the Lust Demon Lord lost its tail? I'm disappointed I didn't get to see that Demon Lord fleeing with my own eyes."
"It wasn't anything impressive. Except for being just as disgraceful as a human."
"Keh-heh-heh, even a Demon Lord has thrown away whatever dignity they had left. Ah, look at me."
Perdal shook his head.
"I've held the popular man for too long. Others will slap me for hogging you."
"Not at all."
"One last thing—may I introduce you to someone?"
"If it is your introduction, Marquis, I will gladly accept."
"Your Highness."
A murmur spread through the crowd. The human wall formed around Hillen naturally parted.
Through it, a woman stepped forward.
Golden hair falling to her waist, blue eyes. And a well-trained body.
"It is my first time seeing you in person. A pleasure."
Hillen knew who she was. But this was the first time he saw her face-to-face.
"Ah, forgive me—I have been rude to someone I am meeting for the first time."
"It's fine. Please be at ease. Hillen Cargill."
"Then I am relieved. Yessica Horton."
A hero who had risen to the Seat of Stars, yet served as a knight of the Horton Kingdom.
All heroes belonged to the Hero Guild. Although many maintained unofficial ties with their nations, none could officially belong to a kingdom.
But she was one of the few exceptions acknowledged by the guild.
A member of Horton's royal family, a hero, and the commander of the White Rose Knight Order—Yessica Horton.
"It is an honor to meet the great hero who has defeated two Demon Lords."
"And it is an honor for me to meet Your Highness, whose renown is well known."
Horton was one of the three kingdoms bordering Ergest. They were never free from monsters descending the mountain range. Its knights fought for their lives every single day.
And at the front line stood Yessica Horton.
She was a great hero and knight who had protected the kingdom in the frozen lands for more than a decade.
"I heard you forged a treaty to receive equipment from the Dwarf Kingdom. An astounding feat."
"You praise me too highly. It's simply purchasing them with coin."
"Even so. The fact that those proud dwarves agreed to supply the guild with a fixed amount every month is tremendous. Thanks to you, even the kingdom holds great expectations."
Equipment delivered to the Hero Guild naturally went to the heroes first. And though she belonged to Horton, as one who had risen to the Seat of Stars, she held significant priority.
"Ah, but that's not the main reason I approached you…"
She glanced around. Those who had been preparing to approach Hillen hesitated before her overwhelming presence.
"I'm sorry to ask this the moment I arrived, but could we speak privately for a moment?"
"It would be an honor to have an audience with Your Highness."
"You have a sweet tongue. Let us move to the terrace."
Yessica gave him a faint smile. Hillen followed her to the terrace. The cold night breeze brushed pleasantly across his face.
"It's not something I should say to someone I'm meeting for the first time, but… have you heard the rumors about the northern snowfields of Jespine?"
"The northern snowfields—the land of the barbarians, isn't it?"
"And at the same time, the domain of harsh frost."
So the Frost Demon Lord is involved.
Hillen dug through his memory as best he could. But perhaps because he had focused entirely on adapting to the Hero Guild, he hadn't had the room to pay attention to the far-off northern snowfields.
"What happened there?"
"Something did. Big or small depending on how you see it. Do you know Gillian Aint?"
"The Star who leads the White Falcon."
"It seems he tried something against the Frost Demon Lord. But it went poorly, and the Demon Lord must have been angered—monsters and fiends wiped out several barbarian tribes."
"…My god."
Hillen desperately worked his mind.
Even Berze had never mentioned this. Did he intentionally avoid telling him? Or did Berze not know?
"You know Gillian Aint and the White Falcon are from the northern tribes, yes? Thanks to this, the snowfields are practically a war zone right now."
But if anger alone could solve everything, the Demon Lords would have been dead long ago.
Gillian Aint alone could not withstand a Demon Lord's power.
"He asked me for help."
The snowfields where Gillian operated and Yessica's northern front were closely connected. They had long exchanged support.
"I want to help him, but unfortunately, for some reason, the number of monsters descending from the mountains has increased. I cannot possibly leave my post for long."
"You want me to go to the snowfields in your stead and help him?"
"It's not something I should ask someone I just met… but yes. Please."
She nodded.
"He has helped me greatly. It is time I repay him. But circumstances won't allow it, and your name came to mind."
"…This is a bit troublesome."
Hillen currently had much to do at the headquarters. He had already left for Verft as soon as he became an Argane, and he didn't want to disappear for another long period.
"I understand. I know well how absurd my request is."
It wasn't that absurd. Heroes existed to confront Demon Lords.
Anyone could ask Hillen to fight a Demon Lord for the continent's sake.
"I only ask that you consider it. And I'm not asking for a favor without compensation. If you accept, I will do everything within my power to reward you. But it is not an order—if you cannot, simply say so. I won't hold any resentment."
Hillen gave a small nod.
"I don't think I can answer immediately. May I have time to think?"
"As much as you need. I'm grateful even that you're willing to consider it. Honestly, I thought you'd refuse outright."
"For now, I'd like to enjoy the banquet."
"Ah, I've detained a busy man far too long."
Yessica lightly tapped his shoulder.
"Shall we head back together?"
"Yes."
'I should contact the Demon Lord first.'
Yessica Horton was popular not only among heroes but among common citizens. Granting her request and building rapport would bring benefits, never harm.
'I'd rather not let the chance slip.'
For Hillen, reputation—and the connections tied directly to honor—
were more important than anything else.
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