212. Equal Treatment
Following the Jespain Empire's declaration of withdrawal, the Ormus Kingdom followed suit, but they couldn't defy the overwhelming momentum to slay the False Demon King.
It was only natural.
Though they suspected the empire was playing a shallow game to preserve its forces, no one imagined they'd dare stab the alliance in the back without going mad.
Akan, Iasin, Dormut, Korzen, Horton, Hildean, Hessen, Traparta Alliance, Marciel, and more. A whopping fifteen kingdoms and alliances of all sizes had joined.
No matter how mighty the empire was, it couldn't fight nearly every other nation.
The sheer scale was overwhelmingly against them, and even if they won, it would be a pyrrhic victory at best.
And their excuse rang true enough.
"Our kingdom will focus on the Flame Demon King, not the False one. Since he kidnapped the empire's first imperial prince, we won't strike any other Demon King until he's dead."
The empire had suffered the greatest losses from the Flame Demon King.
And they'd lost their most vital royal.
At least on paper, they had justification.
"We can do this without the empire."
"Exactly. Without them, we fight without them. We've lost to those bastards before because we fell into traps or couldn't coordinate our armies. But this time's different."
"We need to crush the False one, restore crumbling morale, and regain the upper hand. The people's anxiety has gone too far."
The humiliation of repeated failures.
The fear of Demon Kings they'd almost forgotten.
The furious public sentiment.
All pushed them forward.
It had to be now. If not now, the regret would only grow later.
It was the wave started by the Flame Demon King—one impossible to stop.
The variables of the empire and Ormus's withdrawal weren't enough to break that wave.
"Subjugate the False Demon King!"
"Form the allied forces!"
The Carmenia Duchy in the Traparta Alliance, where the first alliance summit had been held, now hosted diplomats from every nation on a permanent basis to discuss the subjugation force. Debates raged busily over who would lead the alliance, its composition and scale, and how to assault the tower.
In the midst of it all, the Akan Kingdom received an unexpected guest.
"Sis is back?"
Cain, the fifth prince of Akan who had just returned from the Traparta Alliance, bolted at the news of his missing sister's return.
He raced out of the palace and down the main avenue. Amid the crowds, he spotted mages from the magic tower. Beyond them loomed a massive titan—no, a chimera that was a bit unusual even for one.
And perched on its shoulder, gazing down expressionlessly, was his sister.
"Sis!"
Cain kicked off lightly from the ground, soaring over the crowd like a bird to land right beside her.
"Cain?"
"Sis, you're alive!"
"Your Highness?"
"Prince!"
Thud—
He landed on Cher's shoulder, right next to Ravinia. He was one of the few permitted to climb aboard.
"Where the hell have you been? Why show up now?"
"Er. Research."
"Research in the Erjest Mountains? Well, that's the only thing you're obsessed with, so in a way, it's obvious..."
Cain sighed.
"Fine. You're alive—that's what matters. I'm just glad."
Yeah, that was enough. He was truly relieved his sister had returned safe and sound.
"But why are you with Pail?"
Cain turned his head. In his initial joy at seeing Ravinia, he'd missed it, but Pail occupied Cher's other shoulder.
Pail. The one he'd directly contracted with to supply mana, only for him to vanish.
The one Ravinia had insisted on meeting, prompting her trip to Erjest.
"Long time no see."
"Indeed."
"You vanished after the contract, so I thought you'd cut ties with Akan."
"That was the deal from the start—I'd come and go as I pleased. No need to be tied down."
"True, but I didn't expect you'd show up with Sis."
"Erjest has a lab. Ran into her while gathering materials."
"So you've been with Sis this whole time?"
"We helped each other out quite a bit."
"Help. Pail. Me."
"You helped Pail and he helped you?"
"Yeah."
It wasn't without suspicion. But surviving months in brutal Erjest—even with Cher and her chimeras—would've been impossible without outside aid.
'Plus.'
"I heard Rozel went looking for you."
"She did."
There was another witness: Rozel Charnt.
She'd gotten Pail's location from Hillun Kargil and headed straight to Erjest.
And when she returned, she'd grown far stronger. She'd shattered a long-stuck wall.
'But Rozel...'
Never mentioned meeting Ravinia.
Cain knew Rozel well. If she'd met Ravinia in Pail's lab, she wouldn't have stayed silent.
"Did you meet Rozel there too, Sis?"
"Yeah. Rozel. Fun."
"Fun?"
"Yeah."
"Then why didn't she tell me about you?"
"Secret."
"Pardon?"
"Secret."
"You asked her to keep it secret?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"You."
"Worried I'd fret? Come looking?"
"Yeah."
Berge smirked inwardly as Cain nodded in growing understanding. He'd trained Ravinia well, just in case.
Even if it cost twelve chocolates—not a penny wasted.
"Princess, are you alright?"
"Cher's changed a lot—how did you modify him?"
Then the mages swarmed in. Even with the prince right there, they fussed over Ravinia and Cher.
"Huh? This mana..."
"It's Pail! Lord Pail!"
"Pure mana! Fire mana!"
And their frenzy spread to Pail.
"Show some decorum! This is a royal guest!"
"But Your Highness!"
"The royals can't monopolize him!"
"Pail isn't an object! Knights! Hold back the mages!"
Their madness only ended when knights and soldiers physically dragged them away.
* * *
"Uh, um..."
Berge—no, Pail—had become an official royal guest and soon received an invitation to the magic tower, which he accepted.
Rozel Charnt had sent it, but it wasn't her idea.
"So why'd you come in person?"
"That's pretty curt for a subordinate talking to her lord."
"You said this was fine."
"Yeah, well. It's easier for both of us."
In Rozel's private office, Pail sank into the plush sofa.
"So why are you here? You cool with unleashing the princess like that?"
"Ravinia's kidnapping wasn't official."
"True, but Cher's been upgraded with dragon byproducts. The mages won't miss that."
"Just insist it's a drake."
"You really think that'll fly?"
"No matter how much they rage, if Ravinia denies it, what can they do?"
Mad as the mages were, none outmad Ravinia Akan herself.
Madness bowed to greater madness. Add her royal status, and no mage could openly criticize or steal her away without permission.
"Fair enough... So why are you here?"
"To join the hero expedition."
"Ha...! Again? You Demon Kings really hate each other, huh?"
"And to issue a warning while I'm at it."
"Warning?"
"Know why the empire bailed this time?"
"They claim it's to fight you, not the False one, but it's really to preserve strength. Biggest losses hurt most."
"One step further: they're planning to backstab the alliance after we take heavy hits fighting the False one."
"The emperor would have to be insane."
The empire was strong, but not against every other nation combined.
Even with miracles and luck, it'd be mutual destruction, not victory.
"What if he is?"
"The emperor's insane?"
"There's a deep connection between the empire and the False one."
"The False one's egging them on? After we failed and took big losses?"
"Probably."
"You're joking. Unless the Demon King plans beyond his own death, that needs one big assumption."
The False Demon King surviving subjugation. The alliance failing.
"He thinks he can stop you? One Demon King against all?"
"I stopped you."
"Different story! The alliance wasn't united then! You ambushed us waiting for reinforcements!"
"Why assume Jason can't do what I did?"
"Hits my pride. Won't happen twice. I didn't go all out then."
"Sure."
But.
"Isn't the hero force weaker now? No Balaf Disrod."
"You killed him. Got the right to say that?"
"That's why I'm here. To help you."
"Help?"
"Ravinia Akan can overwhelm Ralph Shmitz. She took dragon byproducts herself and strengthened Cher. Big asset."
"So that's why you released the princess."
"And from Hildean, Ernan will join personally."
"Your Dark Spirit Summoner? She'd be a huge help."
More than huge. Contractor of a Spirit King. Rozel didn't like water spirits, but the power was undeniable.
Rozel, with eight engravings and a new realm, still couldn't guarantee victory over a Spirit King.
"Hillun Kargil will join too. Last time, Jason sniffed our connection and excluded him on purpose. Not this time."
"Speaking of, he vanished without a trace, right? The fake hero expedition."
"The shock of losing to me buried that. He packaged himself as a hero anyway."
Planning a fake expedition got overshadowed by the real one's failure.
Luckily, thanks to Hillun's groundwork, he wasn't ostracized among heroes but seen as a hero taking another role to fool the Demon King.
Still, with the failure, most regretted not having Hillun—the second strongest after Balaf—on board.
"Heard the Hero Guild's in uproar over the guild master vanishing again."
"Would be."
He was Balaf Disrod's other identity.
"With the guild master gone for good, Hillun makes a perfect replacement."
"That fool as guild master?"
"No hero's stronger than him now."
"What about me!"
"Eh."
Rozel, with eight engravings and a new realm, outclassed other Stars, but Hillun—who'd slain two Demon Kings and kept growing—was no slouch.
"That second Demon King was practically handed to him!"
"So you want guild master?"
"Hell no, too much hassle. He wants it bad, so I'll graciously yield."
"You've got an angle."
"Just a bit of that horn..."
"You're insane."
"Never handled a magic dragon horn in my life. And it's a fire one?"
"Kneel."
"What? Suddenly what the fu—ghk...!"
Pain crushed her soul, forcing Rozel to her knees.
"Forgot? You're my subordinate. I'm your master."
"...Masters can grant subordinates gifts, right? I even helped convince Ralph."
"Mouthy to the end."
"Nothing stops a mage's curiosity."
"Greed."
"Same difference!"
"Fine, a little wouldn't hurt."
Horns held vast mana, but losing one didn't cripple him.
"Loyalty surging!"
"If you kill Jason."
"Ha, just wait. I'll show you an eight-engraving grand mage's power."
"Obviously. But that's not your immediate task."
"Right, got it. I'll warn the king and nobles—the empire's suspicious, stay vigilant."
"And watch Ravinia closely."
"Why the princess?"
"Not Ravinia—Jason's the issue. He might know she's my subordinate."
"He had a False minion among heroes?"
"Not among them. But 'might' exists."
"Paranoid master, huh. No wonder you hid the tower and pulled every trick. If it happens, I'll protect her myself. Don't worry."
"Good."
Berge finally relaxed.
"You really treasure the princess."
"She's my subordinate."
"Not that attitude with me."
"You're not the same."
"How? We're both subordinates."
"Want some too, then?"
"What? Dragon heart? Blood?"
Rozel perked up. But what Berge held wasn't so grand.
"......"
"......"
"...What's this?"
"Chocolate."
"Who doesn't know that? Put it away."
"Don't like chocolate?"
"Is that the point?"
"Then?"
Chomp—
The chocolate went into Berge's mouth.
"Premium stuff—tasty."
"Yes, yes. Eat up, Master. Burst your gut, heart pops out, and I'll use it well."
"Big dreams."
"Dreams should be big!"
Rozel shot to her feet.
"Where to?"
"Carrying out orders! Warning the king and tower lord! Why?!"
Rozel stormed off, fuming.
"Damn it, what kind of Demon King carries chocolate?"
When he should be munching monster hearts.
"Tower Lord!"
Rozel flung open the tower lord's office door, her actions uncharacteristically aggressive.
End of Chapter 212