035. Queen of the Chessboard
In the domain of the Jespain Empire—or rather, in lands untouched by their reach.
A place where snow fell eternally, monsters of the snowfields rampaged, and scattered barbarians waged desperate struggles for survival.
People had once called it the barbarians' land. But after one Demon King built his tower and made his nest there, it began to be known as the Frost Land.
"I heard you borrowed money from Jason."
Berge walked alongside Reina, who was personally guiding him.
The Frost Demon Tower rose eleven stories high, every inch of it crafted from ice. The chill emanating from the tower itself froze the skin and pierced deep into the bones.
If even this gets to me, any weaklings would just freeze solid on the way here.
In truth, the path to this place wasn't easy. It was freezing cold, crawling with barbarians and monsters.
Of course, it was incomparable to his own tower—high altitude, bitter cold, swarming with high-level monsters.
First floor has ice skeletons. Second has frost orcs, third has frost knights and snowflower wolves.
Weak on the lower floors, growing stronger as you ascended. A perfectly textbook setup.
"...You're not answering?"
"...Hm?"
He snapped out of his thoughts under her piercing gaze. Reina was staring at him intently, and her retainers behind her glared daggers with burning eyes.
"What did you say?"
"You weren't listening to this lady."
"I was admiring how cool the tower is."
"...I see. That makes sense. I did put some thought into it."
The corner of her mouth twitched upward ever so slightly.
"So, what was it again?"
"I heard you borrowed money from Jason."
"Did Jason tell you?"
"He said it wasn't exactly a secret."
It wasn't a secret, but it sure felt like he'd spread it on purpose. Couldn't collect the debt, so he was nailing in stakes to make sure he would someday.
"I did. 100,000 gold."
"...This lady has no interest in human currency, but even I know that's no small sum. Did Jason really have that much?"
"He claims he scraped it together, but who knows."
"And the collateral?"
"Magic Points."
"Good lord."
Reina's pupils dilated.
"How many?"
"Worth one balrog."
"Five million. Not a trivial amount in your position."
"That's why we're paying it back gradually."
Before his regression, Berge had summoned over ten balrogs, but five million was still no joke.
Points skyrocketed at first after kidnapping a princess, but human emotions weren't infinite.
Still, considering what 100,000 gold could buy in the human world, it was actually a bargain.
"Let's keep this between us."
"Of course. Now, to the main point. How did you know a hero expedition was planned here?"
"Does that matter?"
"It does. Both you and Drakson told me the exact same thing at nearly the same time."
Berge halted. Reina and her retainers stopped naturally as well.
"Drakson said the same?"
"Yes. That a hero expedition was coming soon, and this place would be the target, so prepare. Word for word the same as you."
Hillun Kargil had said the Hero Guild was torn between Drakson and Reina.
But Drakson had spoken with certainty. Hillun had leaned slightly toward Reina, but speculation wasn't the same as confirmation.
Look at this bastard.
Drakson Dolph seemed even more in bed with the humans than he'd thought.
And yet he'd tried to rip Berge apart for "mocking the canon"?
Disgusting prick.
Whether he had direct ties to the Hero Guild, indirect involvement, or spies planted—no one knew for sure.
But Hillun had said some Demon Kings had "connections" to the Hero Guild. If it was just spies, he wouldn't have phrased it that way.
"Drakson's had time to build his foundation, so I get it. But you? No."
"Afraid I can't tell you."
How could he proudly admit a Demon King had turned heroes into subordinates and infiltrated them?
Reina stared at Berge. Their gazes locked for a moment.
"...Fine. It'd be weirder if you spilled easily. This lady misspoke."
"If you already knew, this'll be quick. What're you gonna do?"
"What choice is there? Nothing changes. I'll receive them as always."
Stronger monsters and traps on higher floors, waiting at the top for the heroes to climb.
"Tossing kidnapped princes onto certain floors like decorations—that's what sets your tower apart from the others."
They had reached the top before they knew it. Reina's office was utterly ordinary.
She gestured from her plush chair.
"But, Demon King."
"We can't trust Demon King Berge..."
"It's rude for retainers to interrupt Demon Kings' talk. Don't make me say it twice."
The demons withdrew with dissatisfied expressions.
"Sit."
"Your demons sure dote on you."
"Grateful lot who've followed this lady from Ma-gye."
Come to think of it, Reina Sordain was practically a princess. Born of the greatest bloodline among frost demons—noble from birth.
"Care for some?"
She opened a box and took something out. Candy. Red, with a faint cherry scent.
"Candy?"
"The only human food this lady likes."
"I'm good."
"I see."
Click.
Reina put one back and popped the other in her mouth.
"So."
She propped her chin on her hand. The atmosphere shifted instantly. None of the warmth from when her retainers were around.
"What brings you here in person?"
"I told you. The Hero Guild drew their swords after failing to kill me and rescue Hildean's crown princess. You're a likely target."
"This lady's no fool, Berge Dayas."
Her eyes turned icy cold.
"If that was all, you wouldn't have come. A warning via communication would've sufficed."
"Like Drakson?"
"Exactly, like Drakson. But you didn't. Despite no close friendship between us. This lady thinks there's one possibility. Does it match what you think?"
"Probably."
"That's odd."
"What's odd?"
"My clan steadily feeds me info from Ma-gye. Including on you."
"What'd they say?"
"Top graduate of the Demon King Academy."
The finest graduate, outshining any class before.
"High praise."
"Not all praise. Also called the academy's biggest idiot."
"Embarrassing past, that's all."
"You could be prouder. Mocking the canon at graduation isn't something just anyone can pull off. Good or bad."
Her words said one thing, but her eyes held no goodwill.
"That's the puzzle. Up to graduation, you were the perfect demon."
Worshipping the canon.
Arrogant.
Disdainful of others.
Utterly individualistic.
"Honestly, I liked you back then."
"Not now?"
"Mocking the canon docks points. If not for Alein, this lady might've fought you too."
"Lucky for Alein, then."
There'd be no reason otherwise. The canon worked fine in most dimensions except Alein.
"Yet you coming to help this lady first? Didn't expect that."
"Demons change. I just did."
"Heard graduation flipped you into a whole different demon. What sparked it?"
"Nothing special."
There was. Losing his life—the surest proof the canon was wrong.
"Maybe demons don't need a big trigger to change. But this lady saw traces of your old self."
"Old self?"
"At the Tower Harmony, you clashed with Drakson. Disliked Ugar, wary of Jason. Peak arrogant Demon King."
Drakson had poked at Berge from the moment he descended. Ugar was an annoying idiot from his past life, and Jason remained an inscrutable puzzle.
"But not with this lady."
"That's weird?"
"Very. And you rushed here in person to warn me. Normal demons don't bother for outsiders."
"......"
Not wrong. But Berge wasn't a normal demon.
"From the moment you came, this lady pondered. And reached a conclusion—perhaps presumptuous."
"What?"
"Just suppose. Really just suppose."
Reina's snow-white cheeks faintly flushed.
"Could it be... you're smitten with this lady?"
"......?"
"If so, this lady has no intentions until Alein is fully conquered..."
Is she insane? What the hell is she saying?
* * *
"This lady understands. My clan's demons say I'm the most beautiful, so it's natural you'd fall for me."
Correcting Reina's princess complex delusion took far more time than expected.
"So you picked this lady out of the four other Demon Kings because you're smitten?"
"I said no."
"Efficiency-wise, Jason makes sense. He's been in Alein longest, tallest tower. Yet you chose this lady."
"No!"
Fuck.
Berge barely swallowed his curse. He couldn't fathom arguing with Reina over this nonsense.
"Bad blood with Drakson, Ugar's an idiot."
"This lady agrees on Ugar being an idiot."
"Jason's unreadable, can't trust easily. You said that yourself. Who else is left?"
"...Understood."
Finally, after a long while. Reina, face red as a tomato, bowed her head. The candy fell from her mouth onto the desk.
"...This lady made an embarrassing mistake. Sorry."
"Good you get it now. I just want a solid Demon King-to-Demon King alliance."
"This lady doesn't mind cooperating with you. Accepted."
Done.
A bit of an unpleasant detour, but building friendly ties with Reina Sordain would pay off eventually.
And not in some distant future, either.
"On that note, a favor."
"Favor?"
"Planning to release some princes, right?"
"Depends on them. This lady plans to place a prince statue on the fifth floor. If they can't reach it, they'll pay dearly for underestimating me."
"Anyway, can you make it the crown prince of Asoin Principality?"
"Asoin Principality's crown prince... Not a tough request."
"Thanks."
Berge flashed a sly grin.
* * *
"This is unbearably worrisome."
Outside Reina's office, her retainers paced anxiously.
"Leaving her alone with that scoundrel. Who knows what that shameless rogue might do to our Demon King."
"Exactly. Mocking the canon—a notorious fool. Will he honor the no-Demon-King-conflict rule?"
"Our lady won't fall so easily."
"True, but if that frail beauty gets tainted by such filth..."
"Horrifying just to think."
They were the ones who'd relayed info on Berge Dayas to Reina. They knew exactly what he'd done, what kind of demon he was.
"What if he confesses his love?"
"She's the world's most beautiful—it's possible!"
"We won't stand for it!"
Many had been with Reina since her youth. Their attachment ran deeper than outsiders could imagine.
"Enough. She's a proper Demon King, been one for a while. She won't lose ground to a fresh descender in her own domain."
At adjutant Nina's words, the retainers groaned in reluctant agreement.
Then the office door opened. All eyes turned.
"I'll take that as settled, then."
"Such a sudden visit—I couldn't entertain properly. Next time, this lady will welcome you right."
"Looking forward to it."
Berge vanished through a dimensional portal. Once the guest was gone, a brief silence fell.
"Lady, how was he?"
"Did that rogue try anything untoward?"
The retainers spilled their pent-up anxiety. But Reina's gaze wasn't friendly.
"...Lady?"
Before they could sense something off—
"...You lied to this lady. Said any man reaching out must be smitten with my beauty. Do you know how embarrassed I was?"
Get out. Can't even look at you.
In a sudden eviction, they were chased out of the tower.
* * *
"On the fifth floor of the tower, Asoin Principality's crown prince awaits. Saving him is now solely up to you."
This was a guaranteed successful hero expedition, so competition was fierce.
"I prefer solid results over flattery."
"I heard your goal: rescue him yourself, forge a firm link with Asoin. I'm asking about feasibility. Can you pull it off?"
"Best of luck. But fail, and I'll doubt your abilities."
Berge cut the connection.
He closed his eyes, envisioning the grand design.
The Hero Guild's new expedition was a massive wave. Berge couldn't bend it alone.
So he chose to ride it with Hillun Kargil.
Use the expedition to elevate Hillun further.
Hillun Kargil.
"Will be my queen."
The finest chess piece to navigate the grand chessboard of dimensional conquest.