135. Useful Hillun Kargil
With Ernan convinced, it was time to move on to the next step.
How to hand her over to Hildean in a way that made sense.
The best method was, of course, to use Hillun Kargil, and Berge and Gordon had settled on that plan.
But that didn't mean there were no issues.
"For Hillun Kargil to rescue Ernan Hildean, he'll have to come to the tower eventually."
And the way to do that would be as a hero—or rather, with an assault team.
But would anyone really think it was right to assault a tower that had only just been discovered and had already devoured countless people, using only a small strike force?
Some might say it was possible because it was Hillun Kargil, but not everyone would agree.
Berge had invested endlessly in Hillun Kargil. He couldn't afford for those efforts to go to waste before he even got proper use out of him, just because of some suspicion.
"But if it's not Hillun, it makes even less sense."
"Exactly."
A Demon King releasing a princess out of the blue, with no reason? That was unprecedented.
The humans might be shocked, but it would give the other Demon Kings something to latch onto as well.
"This is maddening."
At times like this, placing the tower in the Erjest Mountains became a problem. If it had been out in some open plain where anyone could wander in, no one would have batted an eye at sneaking the princess out.
'No, then it would've been subjugated ages ago.'
A pointless hypothetical.
At that moment, one of the communication orbs began to flicker.
"Looks like the orc's making good on his word."
"Hillun Kargil?"
"Yeah."
Berge infused magic points into the orb.
"What is it?"
『My lord, I have a request.』
"A request?"
『Please, hear me out to the end without anger.』
"Why's your tongue so long for this?"
『...Well.』
"I hate beating around the bush the most."
『Please.』
Hillun Kargil on the other side of the orb slammed his head down.
『...Please give me Ernan Hildean.』
Finding the tower.
Being at the center of that journey, playing a pivotal role.
Hillun Kargil had been right there in the thick of it.
The Third Prince of the Empire and the Second Prince of Korzen Kingdom might have been the nominal commanders, but it was Hillun and Daphne who had truly driven the search team forward.
And with Daphne dead, all that fame poured straight onto Hillun.
But he couldn't bask in it.
Because a summons from Hildean had arrived, as if they'd been waiting.
"The King of Hildean has called for you?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Hildean's been eager for you. Go."
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry? You weren't planning to skip my hero expedition, were you?"
"Never. My resolve to subjugate the Flame Demon Tower remains unchanged."
"I'll believe you."
Bidding farewell to Martin, Hillun returned to Hildean.
"Long live Hero Hillun Kargil!"
"Great hero!"
As he entered the capital, a parade in his honor was ready. The citizens chanted his name and cheered.
It was exhilarating in itself. Having people revere and respect him was always what he'd craved.
But he couldn't enjoy it fully, knowing what came next.
The parade halted before the royal castle. Hillun dismounted, and knights approached.
"His Majesty awaits."
"...Yes."
He wished they hadn't been waiting.
The red carpet in the corridor felt like it was leading him straight to hell.
'Predictable. Now that the tower's location is out, they'll want me to rescue the princess.'
If so, Hillun had no choice but to go—no matter what, unless he wanted to burn all bridges with Hildean.
It wasn't just any mission; it was the kingdom's top hero rescuing the crown princess. There was no excuse to refuse.
'It's not about excuses.'
What would Berge say if it came out that he'd become the leader of the hero expedition just to get himself killed?
'So many ways to commit suicide.'
He might just explode his head on the spot.
'I have to stop it. Somehow, by any means, I need to block Hildean's hero expedition entirely.'
With grim determination, Hillun Kargil entered the king's office.
"I pay respects to His Majesty, the great King of Hildean."
"It's been a while. Doing well?"
"Yes."
"You don't look it."
"I'm fine."
"Well, you can guess why I called you."
"Yes. I have an idea."
"Not direct enough."
"What exactly does Your Majesty desire?"
"Asking the obvious?"
"I am Your Majesty's sword, and Hildean's sword. I shall swing as you command, but only if I know your precise will can I execute it without the slightest deviation?"
"Hildean's sword dancing in the Empire's hand, eh?"
"Was that not what Your Majesty wished?"
Heh heh. The king burst into laughter.
"You're a sly one, as always. Better than some spineless fool, at least—more entertaining."
"I'm glad it pleases you."
"I want my daughter back. The crown princess of this nation, Ernan Hildean."
"No desire to slay the Demon King and topple the tower?"
"It'd be a lie to say none at all."
But why bother?
"Hildean has suffered a grave wound to its pride. It must be mended, of course. Slay the Demon King, shatter the tower, restore our honor. But do we really need to shed our own blood for it?"
No matter how weakened a Demon King was in Alein, it was still a Demon King. Especially the Flame Demon King, who had repelled multiple expeditions and search parties even with luck on their side.
"You're thinking of the Empire."
"If the Empire's willing to bleed for us, why should I step up?"
"Then..."
"But."
The king cut him off.
"For that, Hildean must rescue the crown princess before the Empire does."
It wasn't that they couldn't—it was that they wouldn't.
"And I won't stand by while my nation's foundation is saved by Empire scum."
On a small scale, pride. On a grand one, national dignity.
So.
"You will rescue Ernan Hildean."
This was a royal decree.
"You have no right to refuse."
"......"
Hillun couldn't answer readily. He couldn't answer at all.
"However, Your Majesty, we've only just found the tower. And yet the Flame Demon King has devoured countless heroes, knights, and mages. No one knows what kind of demon lair it is."
He knew damn well. The first floor had a firepower-obsessed dwarf maniac with mana cannons.
But he had to play dumb and exaggerate as much as possible. That way, the king might back off—or at least buy time.
"It wasn't the Demon King who devoured them—it was Erjest. They wandered lost and took heavy losses."
"Daphne Philian was killed by demons. If the Demon King's minions are that strong, how mighty is the king himself?"
"Rumors are already flying that Daphne didn't face it alone. Chased by hundreds of monsters, ganged up on by two upper demons called the Four Heavenly Kings. Upper demons aren't weak. A surprise attack could do it. But now you know about them, don't you?"
Knowing meant preparing.
"But."
"I believe their forces are exaggerated. The theory is a Demon King grows stronger the longer it stays here. But the Flame Demon King has been around just over a year. Those two demons—maybe four if they're the Four Heavenly Kings—that's probably the tower's full strength."
The whole thing.
"Excluding them, there's nothing else noteworthy."
Wrong. The Four Heavenly Kings weren't even all assembled, and they weren't demons.
One was the nation's foundation the king so desperately wanted back, another the Empire's princess, and another Akan's princess.
'It all hinges on one assumption.'
That Ernan Hildean would meekly follow Hillun.
Would she really come quietly just because he showed up to "rescue" her?
Bullshit. Ernan Hildean was the one who'd smashed the back of Hillun's head when he'd come to save her, turning him into the Demon King's lackey.
"However, Your Majesty."
"I'm not sending just you and the Red Hawk assault team. I'll send Hildean's elites too. Climb the tower in secret."
"We might have to fight the Demon King."
"That's why I'm sending you. I didn't order you to kill it."
The great hero who'd slain two Demon Kings.
"Against a Demon King that's only been here a year, you can't even rescue a princess and escape?"
"......"
Hillun Kargil couldn't bring himself to say he couldn't.
It made sense, logically.
His fame as Hildean's hero had become shackles. A hero saving the princess was too obvious.
"...Yes."
In the end, he had no choice but to nod.
『...That's how it happened.』
"So you boasted you'd kill me and rescue Ernan."
『I didn't put it that bluntly. And as an excuse, it really was unavoidable.』
Demon King or human—it was a binary choice.
And at least in front of the party involved, he had to pick human.
It might sound ridiculous, but the Demon King allowed for compromise.
Calling himself the Demon King's lackey before Hildean's king meant instant execution. But telling the Demon King he'd play human for a bit? He'd listen and understand.
There was room for persuasion.
"You think I'm a pushover."
『You know that's not what I mean.』
『This is good for you too, my lord. If I rescue Ernan Hildean, Hildean Kingdom will pull back and watch from the sidelines.』
『One of the two major threats to you vanishes.』
"Cut the crap, Hillun Kargil. You're my subordinate before you're a human hero."
『My lord, please...!』
"It doesn't even sound realistic. You, rescuing Ernan? This is Erjest."
『I'm not alone! The Hildean king promised support. Plenty of elites will come with me.』
"Plenty?"
『Not just any—Hildean may not top the Empire or Akan, but we're not far behind. Especially the royal knights; they rival the Empire's Five Dragon Knights.』
"Rival means they're still behind."
『I can't deny that, but... with Argans' authority to call in Hero Guild help and extras, our force will be sufficient.』
"You think you can withstand hundreds of mana cannons firing?"
『That's...』
Impossible.
Mana cannon firepower—especially dwarf-crafted ones—defied imagination.
Hillun was confident he could dodge them, but not everyone could.
The moment they passed the first floor, at least half their force would be gone.
『...If I may be so bold, how about moving all the first-floor facilities to the next floor...?』
"You want a free pass?"
A scoff escaped him at the absurdity. But he jerked his chin, signaling to keep going and see how far he'd push.
『Fill the first and second floors with light monsters, and I'll sweep them, rescuing Ernan Hildean.』
『...Assuming you leave her on the first or second floor.』
"Big talk to Hildean's king, but quite the list of demands for me. You want me to pull a Reina? Doesn't that strike you as the weirder option?"
『It's not just the Frost Demon King. Recently, Waton Colro rescued Gaena Kingdom's Third Prince from the Diamond Demon Tower—not the top, but the third floor. Imprisoned in a rock, just like Frost Demon Tower.』
Ugar did?
He'd given advice once when rescuing Elena, and the coward had put it to good use.
Made sense—a scaredy-cat like him wouldn't do otherwise.
"So?"
『With two Demon Kings already doing it, you following suit won't raise eyebrows.』
『Rescuing Ernan that way lifts a huge weight off you!』
"You mean you survive."
『Normally, yes, but this is purely my loyalty to you...』
"Loyalty. I always question yours. You could've consulted me first. Instead, you're just informing me. A subordinate to his Demon King."
『No! My loyalty to you is unwavering! The situation just spiraled—I couldn't ask your will in time.』
『But I'm certain this path benefits you most!』
"Then do it."
『...Really?』
This easily?
He'd crafted the most plausible plan to convince the Demon King, but he hadn't expected instant approval. Hillun's eyes widened.
"If you don't want to, forget it."
『No! I'll do it!』
"Contact me when you're ready."
『Yes!』
The communication cut off. Berge and the silently listening Gordon shared sly grins.
"You're right, my lord. Hillun Kargil is endlessly useful. Who'd have thought he'd bring his own alternative."
"The Hildean king issuing a direct royal decree solves a major issue."
No more grounds for suspicion about why Hillun was pushing so hard to climb the tower.
"Hillun Kargil will never know. That you've already planned something similar and convinced Ernan Hildean."
"Doesn't matter if he does."
What mattered.
Was that Hildean Kingdom was handled.
"No, what the hell! Do you know how much work I put into the first-floor design?!"
The dwarf wailed.
"Rip it all out and move it to the third floor? That's insane!"
"Making the insane possible is your job."
"My lord!"
"Don't you get it?"
Berge growled.
"This isn't a request. It's an order."
"B-but...!"
Even faced with killing intent, Roger didn't back down easily. As Berge's irritation peaked at the rare stubbornness,
"If things go your plan, we can't blast them with the mana cannons!"
"...Right, you're a lunatic too."
"I prepped over 300 cannons, and now we can't even use them?! They'll rust from neglect!"
"Weren't the ones we fired recently real cannons?"
"That was just two or three shots! Mana cannons shine when you unleash dozens, hundreds—freely!"
Firepower!
Overwhelming firepower that destroyed and scorched everything!
"That's the true value of mana cannons!"
Berge clicked his tongue at the dwarf's bold declaration.
He was pissed, but weirdly couldn't vent it.
'He always exceeds expectations...'
In the end, Berge opted for coaxing over force.
"In moving the first-floor facilities to the third, I'll let you peek inside part of the tower."
Roger's eyes changed in an instant.
"I'll rip up the whole first floor and replant it on the third! Thoroughly, perfectly, without gaps—combat-ready!"
"That's enough."
"Yes, sir!"
Roger shut his mouth. But the greed in his pupils lingered.
< 135. Useful Hillun Kargil >