"Be careful of Jason."
Those were the first words Reina Sordein spoke after Berze arrived at the Tower of Frost.
It might have been pure coincidence, but Berze had heard the exact same warning from Vivian as well. He couldn't make sense of it.
What is wrong with all of them?
"What do you mean?"
"I heard about the deal between you and Ugar. And that Rosel Charnt and Hilleun Kargil were used in the process. I doubt you would have any direct ties to heroes with stellar reputations. It was probably arranged by Jason Raymun, wasn't it?"
Arranged what for whom?
"But those two are the heroes who killed Draxon. They might simply have accepted a guild request and carried out a hero campaign, but I believe it does no harm to be cautious."
The absurdity of it made Berze speak up in Jason's defense instead.
"Wait a moment. Jason killed Draxon? That's a stretch, isn't it?"
"Before his death, Draxon claimed that a high-ranking demon had infiltrated his territory. He even dug through his tower's records to prove his innocence. That makes it more than idle speculation. Ugar agrees as well."
"..."
Berze found himself wondering what kind of conversations had taken place among the Demon Kings while he had been away in Hilderan.
And what sort of image Jason had among them.
Before his regression, Berze had simply thought of them as four pathetic Demon Kings who stuck together. Maybe that had been wrong.
"Didn't Jason help you as well?"
In Arein, where Demon Kings had been dying off nonstop, Jason had been the first to survive for over a hundred years.
After Jason descended upon Arein, the survival rate of other Demon Kings rose as well. Berze had assumed there had been some exchange of help.
"I am grateful for that. However, providing help does not grant someone the right to kill another Demon King."
"There's no clear evidence that Jason was involved in Draxon's death, is there?"
"There isn't. That's why we are only suspecting him for now."
It was a surprisingly reasonable answer.
"I'm curious about something. If Jason helped you, how exactly did he do it?"
"I suppose you wouldn't know."
Reina placed a piece of candy in her mouth. A faint cherry scent spread.
"Do you know that Demon Kings who descended upon Arein used to die off within decades?"
"Of course."
"It was Jason who stopped that."
No matter how dangerous Arein was, Demon Kings were all the same.
To them, the Proper Way was invincible, and the Demon Emperor was a god.
Because the Proper Way worked in every dimension except Arein, they never questioned it.
They simply believed that the Demon Kings who died had been weak.
That was demonkind. A race that considered weakness a disgrace.
But the reason Arein devoured so many Demon Kings was not solely because of their dispositions.
Because the Demon Emperor was an object of faith, he had to always be right. And the Proper Way he designated also had to always be right.
As a result, Arein was known merely as a difficult dimension, and the Demon Kings who failed there were said to have been lacking.
That belief sent even more Demon Kings to their deaths. And once high-ranking demons in power learned the truth, they began throwing ignorant newcomers into Arein instead.
Worship of the Demon Emperor combined with deception by those at the top.
That disastrous collaboration was the truth of the dimension called Arein.
The first to block that cycle was Jason. As a senior, he helped Demon Kings who descended later.
"How?"
"Using my own case as an example, he first gave advice."
He told her not to kidnap just any royal.
"Did you listen?"
"Of course I tried not to. There was no reason to."
"That sounds like you listened."
"At the time I descended, there were two other Demon Kings besides Jason and Draxon."
"So not Ugar."
"Jason made me a proposal. He asked me to wait just one year."
"Did you wait?"
"I did. He even swore on the First Demon Emperor and the Proper Way that it would never be a loss for me."
"He went that far?"
"Yes. So I decided to wait once, even if it meant being fooled. A year is not very long for demonkind."
And then, one year later.
"The one called the Demon King of the Void acted according to the Proper Way and could not withstand the wave of incoming heroes. He was beheaded. That was when I realized that you cannot follow the Proper Way in Arein."
"Then Draxon and Ugar too?"
"I don't know how they were helped. But it was probably similar to my case."
As the conversation reached that point, a question arose.
"Then why didn't he do that for me?"
"Your actions were too fast."
"Too fast?"
"Before anyone could say anything, you immediately kidnapped the crown princess of Hilderan. Cases where a Demon King kidnaps royalty immediately after descending are rare."
No matter the Demon King, prior investigation was essential. One normally took time to observe and confirm many things before kidnapping royalty.
But Berze had skipped that entire process.
"A hero campaign broke out before there was time to intervene. After that, the timing was already lost."
"I see."
"We've strayed from the point. What matters is this."
"And that is?"
"I agree that Jason provided great help to me and other Demon Kings. But that does not give him the authority to betray us. There is also the possibility that Draxon lied. That is why we intend to find the culprit first."
A faint chill ran through the air.
"Do you have a concrete method?"
"Vivian Blunt. We will help her while she openly searches for the culprit. Ugar agrees as well."
It was not a particularly special plan. Unlike Jason or Berze, neither Reina nor Ugar had much contact with humans.
Reina was completely holed up in the north, and while Ugar was more active, he relied on Jason rather than commanding many subordinates himself.
Their options were limited.
"How will you help? With Draxon's tower destroyed, isn't it uncertain whether anything can be confirmed?"
"The Verft Kingdom."
"The Verft Kingdom?"
"More precisely, Louise Verft."
"The second princess of Verft?"
"The reason Draxon's hero campaign occurred was because a high-ranking demon killed the second prince of Ormus. Draxon claimed that demon was not his subordinate. In the end, the answer must be at the scene."
"So the only witness is the second princess of Verft."
"Exactly."
"What do you plan to do with her?"
"There is only one thing a Demon King does to a princess."
Kidnap her.
"She will be handed over to Vivian Blunt. Dwarves are tight-lipped, but Vivian Blunt is a succubus who excels above all others in mental magic."
"But that would make the Verft Kingdom your enemy. You know what it means to antagonize a dwarf kingdom."
"All responsibility will fall on Vivian Blunt."
"Oh. I see."
Berze forced a smile.
"A good plan."
We're screwed.
Louise Verft.
The hot-tempered dwarf kingdom's second princess was a witness more reliable than anyone else.
Because she had seen Berze's face.
Because she had personally smashed the skull of Ormus's second prince, she was the type to insist it was demonkind's doing no matter what.
"Gordon! Gordon!"
After returning to the tower, Berze called for Gordon. Ignoring the puzzled looks of the three princesses, he reached the summit.
"What is it?"
"Contact Hilleun and Granada. Find out where Louise Verft is immediately."
"What? Why all of a sudden-"
"We have to kidnap Louise Verft!"
"Please calm down and explain in detail."
After hearing the whole story, Gordon was horrified.
"My lord! We absolutely cannot let that happen!"
"That's exactly my point! But touching a dwarf princess without any countermeasures would cause serious problems."
"Is that the issue right now? If it becomes known that you were involved in killing Demon King Draxon, all authority granted to the tower will be cut off."
When Louise Verft was kidnapped, there was at least a slim possibility of survival. But if the tower was cut off, even that slim chance would vanish.
Between the lesser evil and the worst outcome, the lesser evil was obvious.
"You're right."
"I will contact Granada immediately."
"Do it."
Gordon rushed into the office.
Berze swallowed a groan.
Choosing the lesser evil was correct, but he wanted neither the worst nor the lesser evil.
What do I do?
How could he resolve this without any problems?
After much thought, two solutions emerged.
I kidnap Louise Verft before Reina or Ugar does. Quietly, without anyone noticing.
Or else.
I make it impossible for anyone to kidnap Louise Verft.
But how?
There's no time…
No clear alternative came to mind. His worry deepened.
Two days later, news arrived.
"Louise Verft is currently secluded in the royal capital of the Verft Kingdom."
"Secluded?"
"Yes. By royal decree, due to the incident involving Ormus's second prince, she has confined herself to the royal castle and does not leave."
"Damn it."
The curse slipped out instinctively.
All dwarf cities are underground. Their entrances are perfectly controlled, and access is naturally restricted.
As before, it would be possible to sneak in while hiding his identity. Not every entrant's background is thoroughly checked.
But the security of an ordinary city and that of the royal capital are on entirely different levels.
And the royal capital and the royal castle are different again.
He was confident he could sneak in.
Kidnapping the princess was not impossible either.
But.
"There is no way to kidnap her without revealing who I am."
The awkward power of the phoenix was not enough. The moment he revealed demonic energy, he would be exposed.
If this were an ordinary princess, it would not be such a problem.
He let out a hollow laugh. What was he supposed to do?
Then Gordon spoke.
"Isn't there a way to prevent Louise Verft from being kidnapped in the first place?"
"How? Reina has no need to hide that she's a Demon King."
Reina Sordein had said she would push all responsibility onto Vivian, and Vivian had agreed.
With no responsibility to bear, Reina had nothing to lose.
"What about naturally sending a natural enemy of Demon Kings to the royal castle?"
"You mean a hero?"
"Yes. A hero strong enough that even most Demon Kings could not easily handle."
"Hilleun Kargil?"
Berze thought it through. If Hilleun Kargil went to the dwarf royal castle and guarded the princess.
It would work.
Hilleun Kargil, who was growing after devouring two Demon Kings, together with other heroes and the elite guards of the Verft royal castle, could form an ironclad defense.
Demonkind weakened once they left their towers. Even Demon Kings were no exception.
No matter how supreme their stealth, the moment they revealed any power, Hilleun Kargil would detect it.
"But the dwarf kingdom is isolationist. They wouldn't accept Hilleun Kargil just because he shows up."
"I heard this from Hilleun Kargil. Logger Friedrich may seem lacking while managing the first floor of the tower now, but he was once a renowned craftsman in the dwarf kingdom."
"That's right."
"I've heard that craftsmen have unique marks."
"Marks?"
"They engrave them on weapons or equipment they make. To show who made them. I've heard that the greater the craftsman, the more valuable such a mark becomes."
"Oh, I've heard of that."
A successful craftsman leaving a personal mark. It wasn't exactly a secret. A brand, perhaps.
"Have Logger engrave his mark and make equipment."
"And give that to Hilleun Kargil?"
"Yes."
"And if Hilleun Kargil presents it to the Verft Kingdom…"
Louise Verft would be overjoyed.
So would the king, who adored Louise Verft and had placed a bounty on Logger.
It would be more than enough justification to enter the Verft Kingdom and meet the princess.
"But that's not enough justification to stay by her side and protect her."
"That's the problem."
Gordon groaned. Berze closed his eyes in thought.
"Then."
He opened them.
"We'll threaten them. Make it so Louise has no choice but to keep him close."
"Threaten her how?"
"Some of the demons who followed Draxon saw Louise Verft smash the skull of Ormus's second prince. And Hilleun Kargil climbed the Beast Tower and met them."
"Oh. It's plausible that some resentful demons let a few things slip during that process."
"If he threatens her with that, telling her to keep him close?"
"Hilleun Kargil's current position makes it impossible to deal with him carelessly. They'll have no choice but to cooperate!"
Demon King and adjutant cheered.
"The problem is that this will inevitably earn Princess Louise's resentment."
"Resentment is cheap, all things considered."
"That's true as well. I'll contact Hilleun Kargil immediately!"
Gordon vanished.
Berze slowly rose from the throne.
"Then I…"
It's time to put pressure on a dwarf.