Fisherman's Gain - 2
Gremory von Dieu, who had swiftly conquered five floors from the 56th to the 60th, smiled with satisfaction. She sat upon the throne that had once belonged to the Demon King of the 60th floor.
“Ahaha, is that so?”
“Yes, they sent a letter right away. I believe their response is positive.”
“Let’s check it at once. Bring it here.”
Gremory had considered it a good sign. She had sent the letter to the 69th floor merely to test whether the other party was open to an alliance, and they had taken the bait without hesitation.
With quiet anticipation, Gremory opened the letter. After reading its contents, she narrowed her eyes slightly.
“You know, Achiled.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“They say they will agree to an alliance only if I protect the 72nd floor from the coming human invasion. How should I interpret that?”
“……”
Achiled’s expression went beyond a mere frown; he scowled outright. His voice carried a note of irritation when he spoke.
“How dare they attach conditions to Your Majesty’s generous offer and speak so presumptuously.”
“But Achiled, you yourself admitted there was a chance this man could help me rise higher.”
“…That is true, but still.”
“What do you think we should do? And what is this about a human invasion? I have no idea what that means.”
Most Demon Kings had no interest whatsoever in human affairs or the state of the human world. Just as someone studying ants would not care what the ants were doing.
“Couldn’t the humans handle an invasion on their own anyway?”
“Indeed.”
At that moment, a man who had been standing quietly beside Achiled spoke up.
“Your Majesty, may I offer my opinion?”
“Go ahead, Vitus.”
It was Vitus, one of Gremory’s Three Commanders alongside Achiled.
Vitus spoke concisely.
“Why not test them?”
“Test what?”
“Whether they intend to use this alliance and discard us afterward, or whether they truly wish to maintain it.”
“Ah…”
Gremory summarized his words simply.
“You mean they want us to show trust?”
“Something like that.”
“I was planning to express that trust by gifting them a floor.”
“If we grant both requests, they will likely cooperate with us wholeheartedly. From what I have investigated, they maintain an extremely close and cooperative relationship with their ally Sitri.”
“They could do the same with us?”
“Yes, quite possibly. Given our military strength, we might even forge an even better relationship.”
“Hmm.”
Gremory ran her fingers through her attractive red hair. Her lips pursed slightly before stretching into a long, amused smile.
“Humans, is it? I have never dealt with them before.”
“They are an insignificant race. Even the forces of the once-weak Seere von Devata were enough to repel them.”
“Still, the fact that they wrote ‘invasion’ makes me wonder if there is more to it.”
Gremory gave Achiled an order.
“Achiled, take one hundred thousand troops and descend to the 72nd floor. Deal with the humans. I will send a letter to the 69th floor.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Do not let your guard down. Complacency is the greatest factor that can reverse the outcome between the strong and the weak. You know that well, don’t you?”
“Of course, Your Majesty. I will prepare thoroughly so as not to tarnish Your Majesty’s name and the honor of the 55th floor, and I will bring back victory.”
“I’m counting on you.”
Gremory smiled. She was finally going to meet the rumored kingmaker.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
#
“A letter has arrived.”
A letter had come from the 55th floor. Upon hearing the news, Nahen had come to Seere’s office. Because this was an official letter, it had been addressed to Seere.
“They say one hundred thousand troops and Achiled, one of the Three Commanders, will pass through the 72nd floor, and they request permission.”
“Grant it.”
“One hundred thousand seems like quite a lot… That number could overthrow the 72nd floor.”
“It’s fine. That won’t happen. I already told Dantalion to abandon the floor and flee if he senses anything suspicious.”
After reassuring Seere, Nahen added one more remark.
“And one hundred thousand might not even be enough.”
“What?”
“You’ll see soon enough. Gremory will probably…”
Nahen’s lips curved upward. Unlike his usual smile, this one carried a hint of bitterness.
“…shed tears of blood.”
“Sometimes it feels like you hold humans in very high regard, Teacher.”
“It’s not that I hold them in high regard. I simply believe their strengths are worth paying attention to.”
“Strengths?”
Seere tilted her head, her expression puzzled.
“What strengths could those inferior creatures possibly have?”
That was the average Demon King’s view of humans. Such a perspective would change after experiencing the calamity known as the Hero…
‘There’s no need to make Seere experience it herself.’
Even if the time came when she would have to face them, it was not now.
Nahen chuckled and gently stroked Seere’s hair. Then he explained what he considered humanity’s greatest strength.
“Potential.”
“What?”
It was a trait described similarly in other games as well. In Evil Queen Maker, the human race possessed lower base stats compared to demons or celestials, but they carried tremendous potential. Not every human was like this, but occasionally, those called “geniuses” appeared. Eri and Dane were such cases. With proper support to nurture their talents, they had grown to that extent in just five years. Honestly, if they had been demons instead of humans, Nahen would have made them legion officers.
“Their potential is not something to be underestimated. The elven archer you saw is probably similar. If you witnessed her strength, you might look at humans in a completely different light.”
“How do you know that?”
“…Because I saw such a human once, long ago.”
“Really?”
Seere showed genuine interest. Yet Nahen knew the truth behind that curiosity.
‘It’s like being amazed that an ant can lift dozens or hundreds of times its own weight.’
That was the extent of a Demon King’s sentiment toward humans. Even Seere was relatively interested compared to most. After all, she had seen Eri and Dane with her own eyes.
“If Gremory’s army is defeated as you said, what then? Do we just hand over the 72nd floor?”
“That’s one option. Abandoning the 72nd floor and shifting the defensive burden onto the 71st floor… Lady Sitri’s floor, wouldn’t be a bad move. But you wouldn’t want that, would you?”
“No.”
The 72nd floor was the place where Seere had met Nahen and grown over the past five years. She could not allow the Demon King’s castle and all her precious memories to be trampled under human feet.
“We’ll step in when the time comes.”
“What? You said we had to do it without casualties.”
“Even if Gremory’s army is defeated, do you really think the humans will escape unscathed?”
“Ah.”
“I believe the humans have a high chance of victory, but it won’t be easy. Even if they win, they’ll suffer devastating losses. The true strength of a mid-tier Demon King’s army and its officers is no joke.”
“That’s true.”
“Moreover, Achiled, the foremost of the Three Commanders, has been dispatched… He should be able to inflict significant damage.”
Nahen chuckled.
“Both to Gremory and to the humans.”
#
One week had passed since rumors spread throughout the human world that an elf chosen by the Heavenly God and granted a divine armament—the so-called “Hero of the Bow”—had appeared.
A major change occurred in the human realm. The Bismarck Empire, which had won the war against the Northern Alliance and seized continental hegemony, took the lead in forming the “First Demon Realm Subjugation Army.” This was largely due to the decision of the current emperor, Claude von Bismarck.
He had previously suffered a blow to his pride at the hands of the demons, and even afterward, adventurers affiliated with the empire continued to go missing in the Demon Realm. Every time he demanded the return of those missing individuals, the Demon Realm had refused to send them all back while still extorting money. Because of this, Claude had come to loathe the Demon Realm. When news arrived that an elf granted a divine armament by the Heavenly God had appeared, he invited her to the empire and formed the subjugation force.
“Welcome, Lady Ceres Eastwood.”
“Thank you for your hospitality, Emperor Bismarck.”
Claude greeted this seemingly innocent soul with that thought in mind. Ceres Eastwood, hailing from the Eastwood tribe—an elven group living in the eastern forests—was characterized by her pale, almost snow-white skin and ears that were short even by elven standards. She was the first “Hero” to be granted the Heavenly God’s bow.
As Ceres stood in the grand hall, a priest of the Heavenly God Church, who had been dispatched as an envoy from the Holy Kingdom and waiting in advance, stepped forward.
“Ceres Eastwood. The Heavenly God has bestowed upon you a great mission and duty. He appoints you as the Hero of the Heavenly God, and you must purge the evil lurking beneath this land according to His will…”
The priest asked her,
“Are you prepared to follow the great will of the Heavenly God?”
Ceres slightly raised her eyes. Her blue gaze met the priest’s, then shifted to meet Emperor Claude’s.
“I am fully prepared.”
Ceres took the massive, ornate bow slung across her back into her hands.
“If the Heavenly God guides me and the people of humanity support me… I will overcome any evil.”
The envoys from various nations gathered in the hall, along with the empire’s ministers and generals, showered her bold declaration with praise.
Emperor Claude smiled with satisfaction, imagining that he could finally take revenge on the Demon Realm that had wounded his pride.
The representative who had conscripted this subjugation army, Emperor Claude von Bismarck, cleared his throat and spoke.
“The Heavenly God has granted you, Ceres Eastwood, a divine armament for the sake of humanity. What does this mean? There is only one meaning.”
Claude continued his speech with an even more powerful voice.
“The eradication of evil! The annihilation of evil! Nothing else but the destruction of those filthy, vile creatures lurking beneath humanity’s feet!”
Bang! Claude rose from his throne with an exaggerated gesture, striking it.
“Go forth, Hero. Outside, brave warriors await the will of the Heavenly God alongside you!”
Four hundred thousand infantry, fifty thousand cavalry, over twenty thousand special troops, and more than one hundred formally commissioned knights. A massive multinational subjugation army had gathered, centered around a single individual—the Hero Ceres Eastwood, granted the bow by the Heavenly God.
This had been possible because the human world, which had invested considerable funds to retrieve people captured in the Demon Realm, welcomed the birth of the Hero with open arms.
Although the Bismarck Empire took the lead in conscripting the subjugation army, they did not bear the entire burden. Each nation dispatched troops under the name of the allied forces, and the empire itself conscripted from the defeated Northern Alliance and its vassal states. As a result, most of the forces deployed by the empire were knights serving as commanders.
If this operation succeeded, the Bismarck Empire would gain fame and achievements without making a significant investment. The empire, which had risen to the forefront of continental hegemony through victory in war, would now be able to solidify its position.
“For the Heavenly God, and for all of humanity, seize victory!”
Imagining his nation as a hegemonic power, Claude declared powerfully.
“Advance!”
It was the departure of the first Hero.