036. Hunt for the Dwarf
All information about the tower was conveyed to its master. From the most trivial details to the truly important ones.
The fourth floor. An anomaly had occurred there.
'Annoying.'
Pure mana had suddenly surged in the Demon King's tower, overflowing with magic points. That alien energy was utterly grating and irritating.
"Success, I see."
"Thanks to you."
Craaaack—
"Cough...!"
Kaede spat up blood and collapsed.
"Your skills have improved."
"I absorbed some of that mana while summoning the spirit."
Ernan replied nonchalantly without even glancing at the fallen Kaede. Berge looked around. The fourth floor had changed.
"Keep this up, and I'll tell her to throw you straight into the underground dungeon."
"You're not doing it yourself?"
"She's never faced me with both eyes open since the first kidnapping, except back then."
Thanks to that, quite a few magic points had accumulated, so he'd been lenient so far. But his patience was wearing thin.
'She's endured this much. She's gotten bolder.'
It was probably because Ernan was the first one he'd kidnapped after regressing. Since she'd obediently followed his lead, he'd given Kaede the same chance.
But that was over now.
"That's..."
The spirit.
Behind Ernan stood a spirit he'd never seen before. A woman radiating a presence far stronger than any spirits that had roamed the fourth floor until now.
— Nice to meet you, Demon King.
— I'm Nairuniel, an upper water spirit.
She extended her hand for a shake.
"......"
Did friendly spirits toward Demon Kings exist? No. That suspicion crept in.
"What's your angle?"
— Don't misunderstand. I don't like demons either.
— But you and Ernan's...
"That's enough, Lady Nairuniel."
Ernan clamped Nairuniel's mouth shut. The upper spirit flailed her limbs with muffled protests.
"...What the hell is this?"
"Lady Nairuniel talks a bit too much."
— No, I—mmph!
Watching their banter, which felt like a staged comedy, sparked a sudden curiosity.
The tower converted mana into magic points.
"I wouldn't know since it's the first time a spirit's been brought into the tower."
And spirits were embodiments of pure mana.
"Does it just turn into a dark spirit like that?"
— You think this much magic point corruption would infect me? That's an insult!
"Suit yourself."
— Insult me and then 'suit yourself'? Apologize!
— What do you take me for!
"Sorry, so sorry."
Ernan bowed her head repeatedly. Berge snorted and left the fourth floor.
* * *
Seeing the upper water spirit Nairuniel made Berge realize he'd been too indifferent to his own growth.
He had plenty of excuses.
He'd bought the elf Granada and released him on the continent, kidnapped the dwarf hero, blocked Hero Hillun Kargil, abducted the ninth princess, and painted a grand picture.
Since descending on Alein, Berge had lived at a frantic pace.
But those were just excuses. Ultimately, what mattered most to a Demon King was his own martial prowess.
Yet Berge hadn't seriously considered boosting his own power. His efforts had been minimal at best—just a few elixirs or spending a tiny amount of magic points to slightly alleviate dimensional interference.
'In this state, even that idiot Ugar could beat me.'
He'd lose even fighting in his own tower.
Ma-gye might be different, but the interference Ugar faced was far less than what hit Berge.
That's why Ugar, Drakson, and those fools dared bare their teeth at him. They thought what they saw was all there was.
Berge had died once and changed his path, but his core hadn't shifted.
He revered strength, prioritized force, and ruthlessly removed obstacles.
So he had no desire to tolerate those two pests any longer.
"......"
The problem was, no clear solution came to mind right now.
"...Time to head out for a bit."
He reined in his surging fighting spirit.
He'd check on the Frost Orcs too and join them for a hunt.
Maintaining real combat sense was crucial as well.
Berge stormed out of his office.
* * *
Erjest was vast.
Not just a mountain, but a mountain range, making it even more so.
The monsters living there were countless, and those that survived its harshness were unimaginably strong, thrashing desperately for life.
A forbidden zone humans could never breach.
A battlefield of survival for monsters.
And for Berge, a sturdy barrier blocking hero parties and a prison preventing princess escapes.
"It's an honor to serve you."
Krutoo, chieftain of the Red Frost tribe, bowed his head.
The Red Frost tribe, relocated to a nearby peak from the tower, had grown considerably. At Berge's arrival, they knelt in unison and paid homage.
"The tribe's expanded nicely."
"We've unified three tribes. All thanks to the power you bestowed, my lord."
Three tribes merged, but the size had doubled. He could guess the brutal wars involved.
After all, how many monsters would meekly say, "Yes, sir," to another ruling them?
Especially since their roots were demonic.
Even Frost Orcs had bared teeth against him, a Demon King.
"Your fur's thinned out too."
"It started falling after receiving your boon, my lord. Yet we feel almost no cold."
Frost Orcs had evolved thick hides and fur to survive the chill. With magic-point-enhanced bodies no longer needing it, shedding fur was natural.
"No need to dress up baldness like that."
But losing it even on the head looked rough.
"...Please ride this one."
Krutoo deftly changed the subject. He'd brought a massive frost wolf over three meters tall. Its blue mane, laced with subtle silver, was quite striking.
Kiiing—
Nngh—
"Yours?"
"Yes, but suddenly it's acting up..."
"Natural reaction."
Frost wolves were sensitive monsters. It sensed the Demon King's presence and trembled in terror. Normally, the gap would subdue it, but Berge and frost wolves were polar opposites.
"Behave. Or I'll roast you whole."
Kiiing—
But fear of death overrode repulsion. The slightly singed frost wolf calmed. Berge mounted, and the Red Frost warriors charged off in unison.
As if on cue, snow began to fall.
After a long run, a Frozen Drake lumbered in the distance with heavy thuds.
Its yellow pupils swept over the Frost Orcs and Berge. The brief killing intent vanished upon locking on Berge. It turned away.
But that indifference was just instinct suppressed by magic points. Show hostility, and its feral nature would resurface.
"We'll show you our prowess."
"Confident?"
"With the power you granted, anything's possible."
No. What Berge gave was a mere elixir laced with magic points, awakening Krutoo's forgotten monster instincts.
It was a fleeting trigger, not profound. Frozen Drakes ranked high in Erjest's ecosystem.
Berge couldn't overwhelm it easily, and it could devour dozens of Frost Orcs alone.
Still, Berge nodded.
"The Demon King's command is given! Charge!"
Kroooaaar—
Led by Krutoo, the Frost Orcs charged. Frost wolves howled. The Frozen Drake bared its fangs.
Fwoooosh—
Pure white frost breath spewed from its maw. Ice coated the snow. Krutoo narrowly dodged, yanking his wolf's fur.
The wolf leaped high, racing up the drake's arm. It thrashed, but Krutoo balanced with near-divine horsemanship.
Raw magic points coated his crude blade.
Clang—
The drake's scales held. The blade snapped instead.
But it wasn't futile. A tiny gap. The blade failed to pierce but scratched the scale.
"Your tenacity's impressive."
Frost Orcs were swept away by the thrashing. Yet Krutoo shone remarkably.
He jammed his hand into the slight crevice and clung. Bit with his fangs. Received weapons from tribesmen and widened the wound.
The battle dragged on. Dozens of Frost Orcs fell. But victory went to the orcs.
Krutoo roared, bursting its fragile eye. He mounted the fallen drake, ripping out its heart.
A mana-rich monster heart was an elixir in itself. Inferior in purity to proper herbs, but still.
"We dedicate this battle's glory to the Demon King! Glory to the Demon King!"
"Glory to the Demon King!"
"Glory to the Demon King!"
Krutoo knelt, offering the heart.
Feeling the pulsing mana, Berge recalled a pre-regression moment.
'Come to think of it, around this time... Drakson...'
He'd claimed it then. That sparked his explosive growth.
The one thing pre-regression Berge had envied about Drakson.
"Time to head back. I'll grant it to you."
"Th-thank you!"
Krutoo slammed his head down.
Berge hastily wheeled his mount around.
* * *
Luize Berft, second princess of the dwarf kingdom, had struck out repeatedly.
"Roger, you bastard!"
It was a lie from the start, so of course he wasn't there. But having seen Roger's necklace as proof, Luize figured he'd hidden better than expected.
"Princess, we can't push further. Ormus has issued an ultimatum."
No nation welcomes foreign troops marching into its territory.
Luize had promised dwarf gear and coordinated beforehand, but even that had limits.
Especially since dwarves had scoured beyond Tartar, ransacking nearby cities and enraging locals.
Ormus's king wouldn't stand by anymore. The ultimatum demanded withdrawal or war.
"It's not 'leave now,' is it?"
"It's the same thing."
"I can't give up yet. One last spot, then we go."
"We've combed Tartar and surroundings."
To her guard knight Volbof, if he hadn't surfaced by now, more searching was pointless.
"We've been duped."
"But why? And Roger's necklace was real."
Volbof had no rebuttal there.
"One place left."
"None."
"Roger's a coward. He wouldn't hide somewhere easily found."
Especially after being spotted—he'd burrow deeper.
"Perfect spot, right?"
The mountain near Tartar.
"It's a volcano. Shows signs of eruption for years—no one goes."
"Noisy but no real blast."
"Could be any moment."
"Tartar's humans wouldn't stick around if unsafe for years. Think: so scary no one goes—ideal for Roger to hide."
"Terrible. A coward avoids it more."
"No, my gut says so."
"Still no."
"Volbof, this isn't persuasion. It's notice."
"Even so, it's Demon King territory!"
Right, that was the issue. Half of Ormus was tropical jungle, Tartar perched on its edge.
And one of the five Demon Kings had built his tower there.
"You're a princess. Act like it."
"No, I'm not."
Luize bared her teeth.
"I'm the executioner here to lop off Roger's head. I'll snap that bastard's neck."
"......"
"Dwarf knights with me. Even a Demon King won't slaughter us all and kidnap me—that's war with the continent. Father won't sit idle. Precedent exists too; he's no fool."
The dwarf kingdom tangled with many nations. Their gear was indispensable.
"Two hundred years ago."
A foolish Demon King once kidnapped a dwarf crown prince. The enraged king rallied nations with massive gear bribes.
A continent-wide Demon King purge ensued. The fool couldn't withstand and lost his head.
"Two centuries isn't long for Demon Kings."
Luize grabbed her gear.
"Don't worry. Quick look, then out."
"...Understood."
He couldn't stop her. Volbof prayed the Beast Demon King remembered the past and left the princess alone.
* * *
"...Who's coming where?"
"Luize Berft."
"Why that crazy dwarf bitch?"
Ptoo—
Drakson spat his chewed meat. Appetite gone.
"You know she arrived in Ormus with troops recently."
"Bribed the king to search. Hard to miss."
"The search centered on Tartar."
"And?"
"Scoured Tartar and vicinity, found nothing. Now heading to Mercon Mountain."
"That damn bitch!"
Crunch—
Drakson's grip pulverized the thigh bone. His viscous magic points made subordinates quake.
"Can't find it, so she marches into my turf!"
"What'll you do?"
"......"
He itched to rip her head off now. But she was a dwarf princess. Reckless moves without prep spelled disaster.
Still, he couldn't just let her reach Mercon.
"Almost done here—no interruptions. Send monsters and beasts to block her. She doesn't summit, no matter what."
"Yes."
"And who's she hunting?"
"A dwarf named Roger. Claims he vanished in Tartar."
"Find him. Before that lunatic pushes further—drag him to her."
"Yes."
Casey vanished.
"Damn it, all this over one idiot dwarf...!"
Drakson gnashed his teeth.