"My god, sister! This isn't funny!"
"Find the princess!"
Acan's forces, trying to leave the blood-soaked battlefield as fast as possible, found themselves suddenly pressed for time.
"Cher isn't visible either."
"Are you telling me my sister hid herself on purpose? With the massive Behemoth corpse right before her eyes?"
"…That would be impossible. Unless something even more interesting showed up."
"There is nothing more interesting than a Behemoth."
Knights and soldiers searched in every direction. Mages cast detection spells.
But the search didn't last long.
Grrr—
ROOOOAR—!
Drawn by the noise and the scent of blood, the native monsters of the mountain range began gathering one by one.
"…Your Highness, we must retreat for now."
"..."
"Princess Lavinia disappeared together with Titan. That means she didn't fall into danger—she discovered something on her own. She isn't someone who would die in a place like this."
"Well… that's true, but…"
Kain bit his lip.
Lavinia absolutely had to be found.
She was his sister—and the spiritual core of the Chimera School. Many mages did not wish for her death. Many would do anything to save her.
But he could not endanger the entire army for her sake.
They could hold out in this spot for a while.
There were still golems left, and their force was strong. But they could not wait endlessly for someone whose location they didn't know.
Given they had just fought a major battle and still had to descend the mountain, the idea of lingering was unquestionably reckless.
"…We retreat."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Acan's force began withdrawing.
***
Grrr—
The monsters drawn by the battle and blood looked greedily at the scattered corpses of Feral Orcs and humans.
But soon they hesitated—and backed away.
The overwhelming presence that appeared after the humans departed made them recoil.
"Get lost, you stupid beasts."
Even with the Demon Lord's threat, the monsters did not fully retreat. Their visible hostility made Berze click his tongue.
"I really must be weakened."
To think he was being disrespected by trash like this.
"This is your final warning."
Grrrr—
The Demon Lord released his mana. His eyes darkened. Dragon scales crawled across his skin.
"Begone."
Dragon Fear.
Under the aura of a supreme apex predator, the monsters tucked their tails and fled.
The Feral Orcs formed a circle around the remains as if guarding them.
"A golem! It's a golem!"
A dwarf rushed past them and threw himself upon the half-buried golem.
He examined the body, pounding on it with his fist, touching various components, then shouted in awe:
"This brilliant sheen! It's definitely an orichalcum alloy!"
Because of the monsters drawn by the scent of blood, Acan's forces hadn't been able to retrieve everything.
The destroyed golem fragments remained.
More accurate to say they were too distracted by the Behemoth.
Their own dead and the Behemoth corpse had vanished without a trace—they had prioritized gathering those before anything else.
Which worked out nicely for Berze.
His gaze shifted elsewhere. A human, collapsed as if dead. The golem artificer Krutu had kidnapped on Berze's orders.
Acan's forces probably assumed he had simply been trampled to death in the chaos.
Together with the golem parts, this was an excellent gain.
Then—
Berze froze mid-observation. Something peculiar brushed his senses.
"..."
He extended his hand. Black flame clung to the snow and melted everything in its path with scorching heat.
Three meters. Five. Ten. Twenty. It burrowed into the ground.
And then the creature emerged—ashen pale, motionless, more corpse than living being.
"..."
"..."
From within the creature's arms, a young woman lifted her head. Their eyes met.
"Demon Lord."
"Princess?"
No—why was this girl here?
"Why are you—?"
"Magic."
"You sensed my magic?"
She shook her head.
Her finger pointed beside Berze.
Krutu.
"Orc. Running."
She crossed her fingers in an X.
She had sensed that Krutu did not run away, but lingered in the vicinity—even during the Behemoth's rampage.
Lavinia tapped Titan. The creature that had seemed like a lifeless corpse stirred faintly.
At the same moment, the barely perceptible magic inside Titan quivered.
"...!"
Berze was shocked.
It was a staggering sight. Titan—whose bodily functions had completely stopped, radiating no aura—was reviving.
And that this method had fooled even the Demon Lord, however briefly…
And that a mere human had created such a thing—not a demon…
"How did you pull this off?"
"Death."
"I know you brought it close to death."
"Well?"
Berze barely restrained the urge to kill her.
"Demon Lord. I will kill her."
"No. Stop."
He halted Krutu, who had drawn his blade.
Berze examined the situation from the roots.
With how deeply she burrowed underground, Acan's people must have noticed something.
And since their princess had vanished, they obviously wouldn't just leave.
This meant her disappearance was permitted by the Acan prince.
And the prince's permission was the king's permission.
In other words, Acan knew she was lying in wait here.
For what reason?
To locate the tower?
Or—…
'Did she know I would come?'
A chill ran down his spine. It wasn't impossible.
Berze had once appeared before Lavinia to protect Krutu. If Acan had set a trap using that precedent—
If they knew Feral Orcs would appear at the abandoned battlefield, and Lavinia approached specifically to find Berze—
Then Berze arrived at a single conclusion:
He absolutely must not kill Lavinia Acan.
He absolutely must not let her die by accident.
'Damn it…!'
He recalled Draxon, crushed because Max Ormus's death eventually tightened around his own throat.
"Why are you here?"
"Going out…"
"Come out."
Tap, tap—
Lavinia tapped Titan. The creature, revived from its corpse-like stillness, raised its massive body and leapt out of the 20-meter-deep pit in a single motion.
Lavinia jumped down from Titan's shoulder.
"Did the Acan prince ask you? Did he tell you to wait because he expected me to show up?"
"No."
"No?"
"Mm. I came alone."
"Alone?"
So this wasn't coordinated with the prince or the Acan leadership?
It was absurd—yet, amusingly, not entirely unbelievable.
Lavinia Acan. Anyone who knew even a little about her knew:
She was a bomb nobody could fully control.
But he still couldn't entirely rule out the trap possibility.
"Why did you wait alone?"
"Trade."
"You want to make a trade?"
Her finger pointed at Berze.
"Fiends. Demons."
Then she pointed at herself.
"Money. Help."
"You want to give me money in exchange for fiends?"
"Mm."
Her eyes held pure passion. Madness. Greed.
Berze recalled the girl who'd been rescued from Draxon's tower. She had once said she bought fiends from Rozel Charnt with money.
And he knew that wasn't the full extent of her obsession.
In that sense, hiding from her own brother makes sense too…
"A-ah, if you mean help, perhaps assisting in golem construction—"
"Silence."
"…Yes."
Logar, who spoke without reading the mood, cowered instantly.
"You said you knew I would come?"
"Guess. Magic."
She sensed magic and guessed it was him.
Wait—if she did all this on her own…
Then Acan must assume she simply disappeared somewhere in Ergest. Which means they wouldn't immediately suspect Berze if she was delayed returning.
He had no intention of kidnapping her permanently. Locking her inside the tower would be foolish.
But—
What if she simply returned a bit later?
Lavinia Acan was an authority in chimera creation. A human who manipulated demonic mana and magical mana.
As Logar had said, she was perfectly suited for crafting a golem core using demonic mana.
If he borrowed her expertise to complete the core
—then sent her back—
Wouldn't Acan assume she merely wandered the harsh Ergest for a while?
"If you desire it, I can trade with you."
"Happy."
"But there is a condition."
"...?"
"I will bring you to my tower. You will cooperate with me in the tower."
"Mm."
"And everything about meeting me and entering the tower must remain secret. You must tell no one."
"Why?"
"Because I want it that way."
"Mm."
She nodded without resistance.
And Berze knew she would keep it.
She did the same before regression.
He had never interacted with her directly then, but her deeds were legendary.
She kept silent about cooperating with Jayson even when the entire world knew they had worked together.
When asked why, she simply said it was because she had promised.
Even under the pressure of multiple kingdoms, she never broke that promise.
Berze decided to trust that precedent—her strange yet absolute mind.
"Let's go."
The orcs gathered the golem fragments. With the princess and Titan added, the group returned to the tower.
"Tower…"
"Yes, the tower."
"Cannons."
"Mana cannons."
"Many."
"They are all my creations, princess!"
Logar puffed his chest proudly.
"I want…"
"You will help Logar create the golem core. And persuading him is your problem."
Lavinia nodded. Then extended her hand.
"Fiends."
"The golem core first."
"…Promise."
She held out her finger.
"Fine."
"Promise."
Her finger did not move until Berze hooked his with hers. At the moment, he needed her more than she needed him.
"Yes, a promise. And in return, you must keep everything a secret—coming to the tower, cooperating, everything you saw here."
"Mm. Promise. Keep. I also keep."
She nodded.
Then suddenly—a faint unease struck him.
She was pure. And because she was pure, she did not lie.
If Berze told her to keep the tower's location secret, she would keep it.
Even if a blade were at her throat, she would keep it.
But if Acan asked her—
Would Lavinia Acan answer "I don't know"?
Or would she answer—
"Secret."
"…What the hell."
***
"When will the Demon Lord contact me again?"
『Wait.』
"It's already been several days."
『And?』
At the dark elf's curt reply, Hillen grit his teeth inwardly. But he couldn't ruin the image he had built up over something as small as this.
"Is the Demon Lord still being harassed by Acan?"
It was frustrating—nothing from the Demon Lord's side. He wanted to hear information about the frozen lands as soon as possible and act on it.
『Not your concern.』
"…Understood. Please tell him I would appreciate a reply as soon as he can."
『Fine.』
The connection ended.
Hillen immediately sent a servant to the guild's guest palace. Many nobles from various nations were still staying there after the banquet, hoping to build connections with the heroes.
"A message arrived—someone wishes to dine with you this afternoon."
"Tell them I'd be happy to."
The promised time approached quickly.
Hillen dressed neatly in formal attire and entered the guest palace. The knights guarding the entrance recognized him and opened the doors at once.
He followed the hallway into a luxurious dining hall. Someone was already seated there.
"Count Tomhal."
Hillen bowed.
"It is even more delightful to meet you like this, great hero Hillen Cargill!"
Count Tomhal welcomed him warmly.
"Sit."
"Yes."
At his clap, servants began bringing dishes. Warm tomato soup was served first.
"I was surprised when you suddenly wanted to speak with me."
"Is that so?"
"At the same time, I was pleased. Am I not the first you chose to approach?"
"You are."
"Heh-heh, try it. The chef here is truly superb."
The tomato soup was pleasantly tangy, salty, and rich—excellent.
"It's delicious."
"The main dish is even better."
The main was roast chicken stuffed with spices between skin and flesh. The bursting juices were marvelous.
As he set down the chicken bone, the Count spoke.
"Now, tell me."
"Do you know what is happening in Hotenwalk?"
"Hotenwalk…"
Count Tomhal swallowed a breath. His eyes grew strange as he examined Hillen. Seeing that gaze, Hillen continued.
"I know Acan's forces arrived in Hotenwalk."
"…How?"
"That's hardly a secret, is it?"
"It was a secret. Even though it spread, it's not something you should have learned so easily."
"I'm an Argane of the Guild."
"This matter was led entirely by Acan. They did not cooperate with the Hero Guild."
In other words, no leaks to the guild.
"And there is no guild branch in Hotenwalk."
"After failing to locate the Demon Lord's tower and Retreating, I planted someone there."
"Someone?"
"Just in case. To see if any demons descended the mountain to kidnap royalty."
"A strange excuse."
"But true."
"Then simply ask that person."
"Acan's camp is in turmoil, and the secrecy is unusually strict—that is why I ask you, Count."
Hillen sharpened his gaze.
"Surely, between us, you can share at least this much? Who knows—I may be of help to you."
"Hmm…"
After a moment of thought, the Count nodded.
"Do not forget this favor."
"Of course."
"I don't know the detailed situation, but from what I've heard…"
"Yes?"
"They say Acan's Third Princess has gone missing. In Ergest."
"…The Third Princess…? Don't tell me—"
"Yes. The chimera princess."
"...!"
Holy hell.
In this world there are things you can touch…
And things you must never touch.
The great bloodlines of the stubborn dwarves.
The idol of all magic-obsessed scholars.
And Berze—
Had just managed to provoke both of them.
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