< 112. What Are You Doing? >
A week had passed since Hillun Kargil came looking for Martin.
Surprisingly, there had been no interference from the other imperial family members.
"Hillun Kargil has hidden himself well. It can't be perfect, but as long as we don't deliberately expose him, the secret should hold for the time being."
"Good thing he had the sense to do that. Make sure to tighten security around everyone nearby."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"And what about Hamstline Gorge? Is there anything unusual there, as Hillun Kargil claimed?"
"It's a bit ambiguous whether to call it unusual."
"Ambiguous?"
"As you know, Hamstline is a controlled zone."
It wasn't as extreme as the snowy plains or the Erjest Mountains, but Hamstline Gorge was still territory claimed by monsters.
A place that rejected human footsteps.
Naturally, the empire had built fortresses nearby to block monster incursions—and they were still doing so.
And they always kept a close watch on the monsters in Hamstline.
"They say they haven't sensed any special stirring of magic points like Hillun Kargil mentioned. But over the past ten years, the monster population has been steadily declining. Especially those influenced by magic points and driven berserk."
"Monsters influenced by magic points are decreasing?"
In Hamstline Gorge, monsters occasionally lost their reason under the influence of magic points and rampaged wildly.
Each time, the empire dispatched investigation teams, suspecting a new Demon King had descended, but no towers were ever found.
And they confirmed that faint magic points lingered in certain areas without dissipating.
No one knew the exact reason why. They just assumed it was a coincidence overlapping from five Demon Kings and five towers.
If another coincidence occurred where monsters absorbed that overlapping magic points, they went berserk.
"Yes. So they dispatched a separate investigation team."
"And the results?"
"The magic points have noticeably decreased."
"That can't be."
Magic points were power from another dimension, Ma-gye.
As impurities with a fundamentally different nature, they couldn't blend into this world.
They never vanished naturally, and even artificial means couldn't eliminate them completely.
That was the empire's conclusion, which was why they'd left it alone until now.
They feared that tampering with the magic points left by slain Demon Kings could cause bigger problems, so they focused solely on blocking the monsters.
Quite some time had passed like that, and despite numerous investigations, the magic points had never decreased even once.
Yet now...
They had decreased?
At least according to common knowledge he knew, it was impossible.
Unless someone was deliberately absorbing them.
"No way..."
"Count Travian made repeated efforts to identify the cause, but there were no traces of a Demon King."
Count Travian was the one sealing off the gorge—the commander of the Hamstline region.
"The heroes too?"
"Yes. They commissioned some heroes to investigate the cause, but they had no idea either... So they've concluded that after a long time, the magic points might have degraded into something close to mana."
"Maybe."
Normally, the third prince would have let it slide.
But there was the variable named Hillun Kargil.
If Hillun Kargil was just lying, it all made sense—but would he?
Coming to him personally like that?
"I need to meet Hillun Kargil."
Martin rose from his seat.
"It's only been a week, Your Highness."
"I've been too neglectful of my guest."
"It's fine. You've been quite busy, haven't you?"
"I sent people after hearing your words. Reports came in that Hamstline is changing bit by bit from before."
"Yes."
"No one could figure it out. Among those who investigated the gorge were knights, mages, and heroes. They all uniformly said it was just old magic points dissipating naturally."
"I understand, but magic points never dissipate naturally."
"That's what we thought until now. But what if it's just something we don't know?"
"If you thought that, you wouldn't have sought me out."
Hillun smiled. A brief silence fell.
"Are you certain something's there?"
"Yes."
"The other heroes didn't notice. Some were Stars like you, boasting about it."
"Your Highness, I don't know why they missed it and I caught it, or what the difference is between them and me. I just think maybe I became a bit more sensitive after slaying two Demon Kings."
"So it's boasting after all."
"You're too kind."
Martin didn't like it, but he had to acknowledge it.
Catching even one Demon King made a hero grow dramatically. That showed how immense a Demon King's power was—so what about one who caught two?
If other heroes missed it but only Hillun found it, he had no choice but to believe.
At least in this generation, Hillun Kargil was the only one who'd hunted two or more Demon Kings.
"What did you find?"
"Immense magic points."
"That's not what I'm asking."
"A human."
"A human?"
"One harboring an enormous amount of magic points."
Hillun's eyes sharpened.
"A human. A black mage."
Black mages were originally beings who offered their souls to Demon Kings in exchange for power.
In typical dimensions, they were the Demon Kings' vanguard and objects of terror, but not in Alein.
With Demon Kings being weak, there was no need to rely on them. Black mages naturally fell into obsolescence and vanished from the continent.
Of course, black mages were ignored. But Martin didn't dismiss Hillun's words. Even if it was just a black mage, there had to be a reason he phrased it that way.
"Are you certain it's a major threat to the empire?"
"Yes."
"I'm the empire's prince, and my words carry weight. To act, I need proof your words are true."
"If that's what you want, I'll bring it."
"What do you need?"
"Promise that if I bring proof, you'll support the subjugation of the Flame Demon King."
"If circumstances allow."
"Thank you."
Just as they'd secretly entered the capital, Berge and Hillun slipped out of the capital discreetly.
"......"
On an official road not far from the capital, where no eyes could see them, Hillun finally exhaled the breath he'd been holding.
"What are you doing?"
"Are you serious?"
"......?"
"Is that black mage really in Hamstline Gorge?"
"Insolent. You think I'm lying?"
"I've bet everything on you, Your Majesty, and boasted before the prince. I have nowhere left to retreat."
"If I hadn't helped, your head would've been a decoration on the Frost Demon Tower by now."
"......"
Hillun couldn't deny it.
"Then just tell me this: it's dangerous, right? Even if it's true, one person threatening the empire seems a bit..."
"Not all black mages are the same, and not all magic points are equal."
"I get that the black mage has exceptional talent."
"Exceptional doesn't cover it. Magic points are power granted only to demons. To wield it through innate talent alone and become a black mage on his own..."
"That's impressive, of course, but..."
"No, you still don't get it. Those magic points aren't from ordinary demons or monsters. They're the essence of tower-forming magic points—remnants of a Demon King, even. You think it makes sense for a mere human to master and control that on their own?"
"......!"
"He did it, and he's been biding his time beneath the gorge for quite a while. Can you imagine how formidable his forces are?"
"No way, that..."
"No."
Berge shook his head.
"Tempting as it is, I have no intention of devouring it. It's like a mushroom that's flashy on the outside but poisonous within."
If the tower were nearby, maybe, but this was the empire—the heart of it.
Thousands of troops defended the gorge at all times, and it was an immense distance from Erjest.
"And above all, handing it to the empire is better for now."
Giving the third prince an opportunity and escalating the civil war to shake the empire itself was more profitable.
"What do you plan to do?"
"What do you mean? He's a black mage."
"Yes."
"And I'm a Demon King."
"...Yes?"
"A Demon King meets a black mage. There's only one thing to do, isn't there?"
He had to teach the insolent fool who coveted others' things a lesson and imprint obedience.
"That's the proper relationship between a Demon King and a black mage."
"You really are the epitome of a Demon King, Your Majesty."
"Thanks for the praise. Speaking of which, what happened to those guys?"
"Those guys?"
"You know, the ones I released with you and turned into a black mage and black knight. I haven't paid much attention except for Aman."
"I don't know either. Associating with them would expose the magic points if there's even a slight mistake—I'd go down with them."
"Good call. They're not particularly useful anyway. But are they still alive?"
"Shouldn't you know, Your Majesty?"
Obedience imprints were carved into the black mage and black knight—not on the body, but the soul. When a subordinate died, their soul came to the Demon King.
"It's not completely severed, is it? Just in case?"
"I can hear your brain scheming from here."
"Pure curiosity."
"Don't hold out hope. You can't escape my grasp."
"That wasn't what I meant."
"Sure it wasn't."
With the look of a hyena ready to bite at any moment.
Berge snorted and returned to the original topic.
"Anyway, assume they're all alive."
No souls had come to him.
"See? You knew."
"Yeti oil?"
"Pardon?"
"After a couple months in the warm north, I feel so comfy I've over-oiled my mouth."
"It was so cold my tongue froze solid."
Hillun shut his mouth.
The two headed south immediately. Instead of using teleportation magic circles as the third prince requested—no traces—they took a straight path through sparsely populated mountain trails.
"Daring to command a Demon King. I'll collect on this debt for sure."
"Isn't that debt helping you attack your own tower?"
"......"
"...Your Majesty?"
"...Thinking about it, it pisses me off."
Asking for help from the hero who wants to attack me to attack me, and fulfilling the conditions he demands?
Why should I?
Why, you ask.
Because it's the path to ruin the empire.
Ultimately, for conquering Alein and a better life than before regression.
He had to endure this damned contradiction.
Though they didn't use teleportation circles, they were a hero and a Demon King. They traversed quickly and arrived at their destination in days.
"...It's lax here."
Hamstline Gorge.
Not just a gorge—it was the size of a small nation, the monsters' stronghold. The empire had built four fortresses to seal it off.
Meaning the fortresses should always be on alert for monsters pouring out...
But Alkan Fortress, in Berge's view, felt nothing like it. There were soldiers, mercenaries, and a few heroes, but that was it.
No tension, fierceness, or desperation like in the snowy plains.
"I think the answer lies in our talk with the third prince."
"I have a rough idea too."
Probably because of the black mage entrenched in the gorge.
Absorbing magic points reduced berserk monsters.
Turning monsters into undead reduced their numbers overall.
If that continued long enough, they'd naturally relax.
Not bad. The lax security let Berge and Hillun slip past the fortress into the gorge more easily.
Deep inside, where no hunting heroes, mercenaries, or knights were visible, Berge suppressed his mana and activated his magic points.
His red hair and pupils turned black. He exhaled excitedly.
"Nice."
Magic points brimmed. Power overflowed like in the tower.
Of course, not really. Overflowing ambient magic points didn't weaken dimensional interference.
"...I want to bolt right now. It feels like climbing a Demon King's tower—no, more unpleasant than the ones I climbed."
"And you told me to stroll into the Hero Guild headquarters?"
"That was a joke."
"Shut up. No excuses."
Fighting here would boost my endurance.
He could endlessly absorb surrounding magic points. Even if interference kept output low, it was far better than elsewhere.
He spread magic points slowly as he walked.
The magic points born from layered coincidences began reacting to the Demon King's power.
"Found it."
"Already?"
"I'm a Demon King."
The black mage evaded heroes for several reasons.
Having a human essence let him conceal magic points perfectly until using power.
In this gorge overflowing with magic points, heroes who instinctively hated and sensed demons via magic points found the whole place unpleasant.
But Berge was a Demon King.
A race that wielded magic points as power, and among them, one strong enough to command a tower's authority.
The black mage gathered magic points. Find the densest spot—easy as cold soup.
"But are you really going to do it?"
"Obviously."
"Will the black mage obey?"
"His will doesn't matter."
Because Berge was the Demon King, and he was a black mage.
Berge leaped forward. Hillun followed.
The gorge's heart.
A crack between walls led to a passage entrance.
The passage descended underground, dark and damp.
At its end lay a vast cavern.
The cavern was hell on earth.
Mountainous piles were amalgamations of corpses, rotted to yellowish bones.
Byrif lay atop the bones, legs crossed. Water dripped from ceiling stalactites.
Then.
Clack clack—
A scrawny skeleton rushed frantically from the entrance.
"What?"
Clack clack—
"Intruders? Empire dogs came this far?"
Clack clack—
"Magic points and a hero?"
The skeleton nodded furiously.
Byrif frowned at the incompatible combo. But his subordinate skeleton wouldn't lie.
Did the empire hire a black mage to find me?
No, wrong premise. The empire didn't know he existed.
Then?
I'll know once I capture them.
Byrif rose.
"How many?"
Clack clack—
"Two?"
Few. Too few.
Coming anyway meant they were confident.
A Star?
Didn't matter. Here, he was confident against anyone.
Thud thud—
Footsteps echoed from the passage. Byrif leaped down from the bone mound.
Two presences.
One was a hero radiating displeasure. The other a black mage drowning in magic points.
Such a black mage existed?
Who idiot contracted with a Demon King? No, why were a hero and black mage together?
"Who are you?"
Byrif muttered lowly.
Footsteps stopped.
Though dark, Byrif's accustomed eyes scanned them quickly.
Strong.
The hero repulsed him more than any he'd met. Magic points churned.
But what shocked him more was the other.
Clearly a black mage, yet impenetrable. It blocked his vision honed by ages of gathering and refining magic points.
Chills ran down his spine.
"Answer."
No reply.
"Fine."
Byrif raised his power.
Rumble rumble rumble—
The bone and corpse mound he'd lain on shook.
Splintering and merging into forms. Dozens, hundreds—maybe thousands.
Peaks everywhere, all corpses and bones. His legion.
Thick death aura filled the cavern. Thousands swarmed, encircling the two in an instant.
"If you won't answer, I'll force it out. Who are you, how did you get here—spill it all..."
"Insolent."
The black-haired man cut him off.
Their eyes met.
Chills erupted.
Instinct screamed.
Run now.
Cold sweat poured.
"Who am I, you ask?"
He drawled lazily.
Swept his hand.
Magic points crushed him.
"Guh...!"
Internal magic points roiled.
Struggling to escape his body.
"Wh-what?"
Out of control. Aghast at the unprecedented, he gasped.
"Wh-who the hell are you?"
The escaping magic points began wrecking the place at will. Byrif vomited blood.
"Who knows."
The man playfully tapped his fingers.
The man approached slowly.
"In Ma-gye, they called me Berge Dayas."
One step. Byrif retreated one.
Black flames surged.
"After descending to Alein, the Erjest Demon King."
One step.
"Now known as the Flame Demon King."
Another step.
Thud—
Rock blocked his back.
Byrif paled.
His body trembled.
"And now."
The man smiled. Cold eyes pierced him through.
"I'll be your master."
They drew extremely close.
Arrogant eyes looked down.
Pale hand pressed his head.
"What are you doing."
The man whispered.
"Not kneeling immediately."
Thud—
Byrif's knees slammed deep into the earth.
< 112. What Are You Doing? > End