010. A Useful Princess
Berge personally confirmed that Granada had joined the Red Hawk Mercenary Corps.
It was satisfying to know that a subordinate he could trust for now—bound by contract—had infiltrated the humans' ranks.
Now the real work begins.
With his support, Granada and the Red Hawk Mercenary Corps would grow rapidly.
The corps' expansion would mirror Granada's own, and the elf he became would serve as a poisoned dagger for the future.
A stiletto blade to stab the humans and heroes in the back of the neck.
One matter resolved.
Upon descending to Alein, Berge had outlined three main directions for dimensional conquest.
Become the black curtain pulling the strings from the shadows.
Grow stronger himself.
Reinforce the tower and its territory.
The tower and territory could only be enhanced with magic points, making it impossible for now. But alleviating dimensional interference didn't strictly require magic points.
Elixirs.
Herbs or spirit pills dense with the dimension's mana. Though different in nature from magic points, the tower could convert mana into magic power.
The purity was lower than from emotions or direct magic points, but it was better than nothing.
Time to put in some legwork.
The farther he strayed from the tower—which suppressed interference to some degree—the greater the burden on him.
The newly established tower's range was extremely narrow, so scouring the vast snowy mountains for elixirs would be no easy task.
Still, he had to do it. He couldn't leave everything to Granada.
Granada is ultimately just support. If I'm weak, it means nothing.
No matter how much they blocked, heroes would eventually knock on the tower's door. Someone had to face them.
And Berge hoped that someone would be him.
With his own hands.
With his own power.
He wanted to crush those vermins' throats himself. To roar at the bastards who had mocked and killed him that he had returned.
That was when it happened.
"……."
His steps toward the city's north gate halted abruptly.
A sinister gaze pricked the back of his neck stealthily.
Someone was following. Watching.
Who?
Daring to stalk him?
Berge resumed walking, slowly but surely slipping into a deserted alley.
Did they notice?
The shadow tailing Berge hesitated. The dark alley felt like the maw of a dragon.
Instinct screamed a warning.
I've been made. Retreat for now and wait for another chance….
"Your brain grinding away is too damn loud."
"……!"
A chill of murderous intent froze their spine.
The shadow gritted their teeth.
Rip—
Beast claws slashed the air. Muscles tore through clothing, bulging across their body.
The moment they realized the attack had failed, they launched themselves away. The roof shattered under the impact.
"A beastkin, huh."
Berge snapped his fingers at the rapidly fleeing demon.
Whoosh—
Black flames shot forward in a straight line.
"Kuh…!"
The beastkin twisted their muscles mid-air, forcing a turn. But the flames veered like a living thing, engulfing their body.
The beastkin unleashed magic power in a burst. It would leave traces, but they had no time to care.
The magic power shook off the flames' remnants.
But.
"I'll praise you for shaking off the flames. Not bad for a beast—your head turns quick enough."
That brief opening allowed Berge to seize the advantage.
Boom!
A massive hand clamped around the beastkin's throat.
It punched through the roof, smashing through five floors before crashing into the ground. The beastkin writhed in agony.
H-how? Even a Demon King should be weakened by dimensional interference…!
In contrast, they had descended to Alein long ago and regained much of their original power. Yet this overwhelming gap—what was it?
"Wh-why are you doing this?"
"Don't worry. I won't ask who sent you. It's too obvious, isn't it?"
"I was just passing by!"
"Sure. I was just in a bad mood. You dared glare at a Demon King and run, souring my mood. Isn't that reason enough to punish you?"
"That's forced!"
Crack—
The grip on their throat tightened. Bloodshot veins burst in the beastkin's eyes.
"So? Might makes right."
"I-if you do this, Lord Drakson Dolph…."
"If you're going to hide it, hide it to the end. Have you beasts turned your brains to mush too?"
It wouldn't change anything anyway.
"I'll let you live, for now."
His mood soured, but openly antagonizing Drakson right now wasn't wise.
The chokehold loosened. As the beastkin sighed in relief, both arms snapped.
"Gaaargh!"
"Can't let you walk away scot-free, though. Go tell Drakson this: I'm no debtor owing him money, so he has no reason to concern himself with me."
He tossed the limp beastkin into a spot out of public view.
Berge scaled the walls and headed into the mountains.
More direct than I thought.
It had been mere surveillance, but it soured his mood. And it confirmed his suspicions: Drakson would interfere no matter what he did.
I need to reduce dimensional interference as fast as possible.
Combat between Demon Kings was forbidden, but loopholes were fair game. He couldn't be sure Drakson wouldn't exploit them.
In such a situation, only personal power was reliable.
His eyes hardened coldly.
The Erjest Mountains were vast and immense.
No mountain range on the continent could match their height and harshness, so humans and other intelligent beings dared not set foot there.
Naturally, monsters claimed the empty domains, and the mana in this untouched environment grew purer over time.
Plants absorbed nature's mana as they grew, becoming spirit herbs.
Animals ate those herbs and became spirit beasts.
One human mage had described the Erjest Mountains thus:
『Treasure Trove of Elixirs』
Guarded by treacherous terrain and countless monsters.
If he wasn't using magic points right away, this was the easiest way to mitigate interference.
The problem? Finding them wasn't easy.
"The farther you go from the tower, the stronger the interference. Poor mountain weather weakens the tower's influence further. It's dangerous."
Gordon's objections were valid.
In a place like Erjest, blizzards weren't mere natural disasters—they were mana-fueled storms.
Just as fire wouldn't burn in the rain, chaotic mana would diminish the tower's role.
Thinking monsters wouldn't attack a Demon King just because he was one was a mistake. Unless fully subjugated, they merely sensed intimidation and fled—show the slightest weakness, and they'd rip out your throat without hesitation.
"Above all, there's no guarantee we'll find any. The mountains are vast."
"That's true, but we'll find something eventually if we search. Better than doing nothing."
"Well, yes, but…."
That was when it happened.
Knock knock—
The door cracked open. A small face peeked through the narrow gap.
"Um… are you busy?"
"What is it?"
"Well, it's just…."
In that moment, a spirit rose above her face, making its presence known.
"……."
Berge and Gordon gasped in unison.
Unexpectedly, the answer was right under their noses.
The spirits, more sensitive to mana than anyone.
"I'm really looking forward to this."
The princess smiled, a expression oddly mismatched with the situation.
"I've been a little—no, pretty bored."
Though she'd borrowed others' hands, shedding the burden she'd so desperately longed to escape was pure bliss.
Not being harmed after her kidnapping was sheer luck.
But weeks of idleness in an empty space turned pleasure to boredom, gratitude to curiosity.
She'd heard the rumors as a princess.
The Beast Demon King tosses kidnapped princesses into animal cages.
Or.
The Frost Demon King turns princes into ice statues.
Or even.
The False Demon King pampers kidnapped princes and princesses with the finest treatment.
To Demon Kings, princes and princesses were bait to lure heroes and valuable hostages for negotiations.
Whether through kindness or cruelty, they twisted situations to their advantage. Yet the Demon King before her hadn't touched her once. Hadn't even visited.
Curiosity naturally stirred, but she quashed it.
He's still a Demon King, after all….
She figured she should just be grateful for being left alone.
But for someone crushed daily by heavy duties and expectations, this sudden infinity of time was torture.
She wanted to do something, but she was still a hostage.
I could decorate this place however I like.
Her eyes fell on the empty fourth floor. She wanted to turn this hollow space into a playground for spirits.
Boldly, she knocked. It was mad, but she couldn't endure the boredom any longer.
Her heart pounded like it might burst. But an unexpected response came.
"Bundle up tight."
She wrapped herself in the thick fur coat he handed her. He'd bought it recently in a nearby city.
"Keep your promise."
"Letting you decorate the fourth floor however you want? As long as you find elixirs, sure."
When he first heard, Berge thought she was insane.
Even if I've given her free rein, she wants to decorate a Demon King's tower?
A mere human?
But instead of scolding, he accepted. He had no spare time to grow the tower anyway.
And since he wanted something from her, a trade benefited them both.
The tower door opened. For Ernan, it was her first glimpse outside in weeks. The biting cold and swirling snow stung, but it was refreshing.
The water spirit cheered. The fire spirit shrank and hid in her clothes.
"I'm probably the first to roam the upper Erjest Mountains."
"Don't care. Listen up, princess. Your job is…."
"Ernan."
"……?"
"Call me Ernan. We'll be seeing each other for a while, right? It's better that way."
Berge's face twisted.
Too much slack had driven her mad.
"You keep forgetting your place…. Want me to move you to a cell?"
"……."
She fell silent. Her face paled at the subtle killing intent.
Berge withdrew it and strode out of the tower.
"Your job is simple. Use the spirits to find places dense with mana."
Spirit herbs needed special spots rich in mana to form. Finding broad areas would be easier than pinpointing tiny plants.
"Got it."
Ernan sent out the water and wind spirits.
"Found one."
"……?"
Meanwhile, as Berge searched for spirit herbs with Ernan.
A message arrived from Granada.
『News from the Information Guild.』
『Heroes, including Hillon Kargil, 32 in total, have departed the Hildean capital and begun heading north.』
『They are expected to act like typical heroes, with their forces continuing to grow.』
Gordon bit his lip.
"I hoped they'd be delayed as long as possible…."
At last, the heroes were on the move.