A Glimpse of the End
To begin the pursuit in earnest, I needed to obtain Princess Luen's permission.
However, it would be best to confirm the current location of the Tower Master first. Delivering precise information to Princess Luen would expedite the process.
"Hero. Can you temporarily release the seal? I want to pinpoint his exact location before reporting to Her Highness."
"I can do that," Robento replied.
The Hero immediately released a portion of Hailyn's seal. A faint black light welled up in her gray eyes.
"Use your Authority."
Hailyn bowed her head slightly, her expression tightening in concentration.
"...The Tower Master seems to have already entered the Demon Realm," she answered, her voice strained. "He's staying in one place. Not moving."
"That's enough."
At my signal, the Hero restored the seal. The black light faded from Hailyn's gray eyes.
"The Demon Realm, is it?"
So the Tower Master had already crossed over. I immediately summoned Lieutenant Railyn.
"Yes, General."
"Begin preparations for the pursuit. We depart at dawn tomorrow, immediately after I finish reporting to Her Highness."
"Understood."
Leaving Hailyn in the Hero's custody, I headed straight for Princess Luen's office. Despite the late hour, the Princess had been working late into the night recently.
"This is an urgent matter. Inform Her Highness Princess Luen that Grand Marshal Arsen Berhart requests an immediate audience."
The attendants and guards outside the office flinched at the sudden demand. Before they could respond, Princess Luen's voice drifted out from inside.
"General Berhart? What is the matter? Please, come in."
At the Princess's permission, the guards and attendants quickly stepped aside. I pushed the door open and stepped into the office.
"Your Highness. I have an urgent report."
Skipping the formalities, I cut straight to the chase. "New intelligence regarding the Tower Master's location and movements has been acquired. I request your permission to pursue him personally."
Princess Luen's eyes widened, clearly taken aback by the sudden development.
"Could you explain the details in order?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
I briefly explained how a demon possessing a tracking Authority had approached us to offer cooperation. The Princess looked astonished to hear that our informant was a demon.
"A demon is helping us?"
"Yes. She was originally one of the Tower Master's test subjects. He forcibly implanted a Demon King's Fragment into her, turning her into a demon."
Princess Luen's expression darkened. It was only natural for her to be skeptical of a demon.
"Can we truly trust this demon?"
"The Hero and the Saintess have verified her, so she is reliable." I recalled the moment the Saintess's eyes had glowed gold. "We have already established contact with the Holy Kingdom. Upon observing the demon through a Magic Tool, the Saintess personally guaranteed her trustworthiness."
The Saintess's endorsement was equivalent to a divine guarantee. When it came to matters concerning demons, no authority carried more weight than hers.
"Even the Saintess..." Princess Luen fell into a brief silence.
Accepting aid from a demon was a heavy political risk, especially in times like these. However, with the backing of the Holy Kingdom's most prominent figures, that burden was significantly alleviated.
"Very well. I will not question that matter any further." Princess Luen nodded slightly.
"Then, I assume you have located the Tower Master using this demon's Authority?"
"The Tower Master has reportedly already entered the Demon Realm."
At my reply, the Princess's face grew grim.
"Already in the Demon Realm..."
"It appears he is preparing something there."
Princess Luen pondered for a moment before looking up at me. "But... must you go there yourself, General?"
A flicker of anxiety crossed her face as she gazed at me.
In truth, leaving the imperial palace and the Princess behind at this juncture was a significant risk. Even though the First Prince, Leon, had lost his political foundation and was living like a broken shell, he was still a lingering threat. Yet, with the Tower Master having entered the Demon Realm, I had no other choice.
"Those capable of entering the Demon Realm are extremely limited."
For that place was quite literally hell on earth.
"The demonic energy of the Demon Realm is incomparably denser than any ordinary corruption. To track someone while enduring that environment, one must either possess overwhelming divine power or be a master of at least the 8th Tier."
"..."
"Ordinary paladins would reach their limit just near the entrance. To conduct a pursuit deep within the Demon Realm, one requires divine power on par with the Hero's."
"And the masters of the 8th Tier or higher within the Empire..."
"The only one currently available is me, a 9th Tier."
The Princess fell silent.
If anyone else could have been sent, we would have sent them. But the Demon Realm was not a place to be taken lightly.
"I understand," she finally said, granting her permission. "I authorize the Grand Marshal's direct pursuit."
Princess Luen continued calmly, "While you are away, General, I will do everything in my power to keep the Empire stable. I will also increase our support for the North, which you have been so concerned about. It seems... a war might truly break out again."
Perhaps it would.
"But General, may I ask you one more thing?"
"Speak, Your Highness."
"Perlin Claire... what do you think will happen to her?"
At her question, I briefly considered Perlin's situation.
She had likely entered the Demon Realm with the Tower Master's assistance. If our pursuit succeeded and we killed the Tower Master, Perlin's chances of surviving the Demon Realm without his protection were zero.
Of course, the Hero might fail to sever his lingering attachment and attempt to escape the Demon Realm while shielding her with his divine power. Even then, she would not escape the charge of conspiring with demons. Having already lost Crown Prince Leon's favor and all her political power, clearing her name of such treason would be impossible.
Ultimately, execution awaited her. But I saw no need to voice these thoughts.
"Our priority is dealing with the Tower Master. We can decide her fate after that is done."
Princess Luen nodded at my response. Then, she gazed at me quietly.
"Arsen."
Luen called my name, stepping closer to me.
"Please return safely. Our contract is not yet finished."
She clutched the edge of my sleeve, her voice trembling slightly as she pleaded.
"I will," I replied briefly.
No other words were necessary. My absolute certainty was the greatest guarantee I could offer.
Leaving the office, I headed to the annex.
Inside, the Hero sat opposite Hailyn, who was bound in heavy restraints.
"The report is finished."
"So you received her permission."
"Yes. We depart tomorrow at dawn."
The Hero nodded. I took a seat and added,
"Her Highness asked about Perlin Claire's fate."
At the mention of Perlin, the Hero's face stiffened.
"...How did you reply?"
"I told her we would deal with the Tower Master first, and decide her fate afterward."
"I see."
The Hero's voice was calm, but it didn't sound entirely sincere.
"Robento."
"Yes, General?"
"Do you feel guilty?"
"..."
He remained silent.
"Are you thinking that if you had helped Perlin, she wouldn't have resorted to seeking the Tower Master's aid?"
Robento raised his head to look at me.
"I do not believe my refusal is what drove her to that extreme. However..."
A faint trace of self-reproach flickered in his eyes.
"I do wonder if I abandoned her too easily. If I had guided her toward the right path, would things have turned out differently?"
"No." I did not hesitate to answer. "Nothing would have changed. In the end, her inability to let go of power would have driven her to summon the Tower Master regardless."
"Is that so?" The Hero wore a bitter smile.
"Even so, I still feel a certain reluctance toward her death."
"So, will you save Perlin once we enter the Demon Realm?"
"If possible," the Hero replied. "But I will not allow that to compromise our pursuit. My absolute priority is tracking down the Tower Master."
"Good. That's all that matters."
A fitting answer for the protagonist of a story.
He refused to abandon his personal ties, yet prioritized his duty. He was slightly different from me, who prioritized nothing but the desire to protect the Empire—but our paths did not clash.
"..."
Wait.
A sudden sense of incongruity made me retrace my thoughts.
He was slightly different from me, who prioritized nothing but the desire to protect the Empire...
The desire to protect the Empire.
I had accepted that thought so naturally.
This... was definitely strange.
I was a transmigrator. The only reason I protected the Empire was to ensure my own survival. The Empire was merely a tool for my survival, not the goal itself.
Yet just now, those two concepts had flipped. As if protecting the Empire had become my fundamental purpose.
Could it be?
Had Arsen's memories begun to consume me? Since when?
Once suspicion took root, it flooded my mind endlessly. And from within those doubts, a foreign memory began to surface.
It was a scene I had never encountered, neither in Arsen's memories nor in the original novel I had read.
In that memory, the imperial palace lay in ruins. I knelt before the devastation, tears streaming down my face. An endless, crushing guilt washed over me. The overwhelming despair of failing to protect the Empire weighed down on my chest.
As time passed, that despair slowly morphed into rage. The fury spread like wildfire, forcing me back onto my feet. Consumed by wrath, I stood alone amidst the ruined palace, raising my sword.
I swung the blade. Again and again. With every strike, countless demons were obliterated into nothingness.
Like a precise machine forged by a god, I repeated the cycle endlessly. I lost track of how much time had passed.
Even after all of humanity had perished, I wandered the world alone, living through ages never meant for a mortal to endure.
Yet, the demons did not vanish. Instead, they thrived, beginning to extinguish every last spark of life in the world.
And finally, when the very last ember of life was snuffed out...
A colossal entity began to take shape.
I saw it.
A being that a mortal vessel was not even permitted to gaze upon. One who was born mortal, who sought to reach the heavens, but ultimately fell.
That existence was swallowing the world, attempting to grasp the heavens once more.
Yet, such a grand cause meant nothing to me. For after enduring an eternity, all that remained within me was pure, unadulterated rage.
The moment I laid eyes on that being, I knew instinctively: that entity was the source of everything.
And so, just as I always had, I raised my sword. To cut it down.
"...!"
A sudden, violent headache struck me, dragging me out of the bottomless depths of that memory.
Even through the throbbing pain, I tried to grasp at the memory once more, but the fragments scattered in an instant—as if I had glimpsed a scene I was forbidden to see.
"What on earth was that...?"
Even as the memories faded entirely, a single emotion lingered deep within me.
The guilt of failing to protect the Empire. That despair. That rage.
Perhaps it was indeed the result of Arsen's memories slowly consuming me. Yet, the emotion was so overwhelmingly intense that, in the end, I had no choice but to raise my sword.