052. Did That Happen?
Several months after his return to the tower, the first floor had changed.
"A maze?"
It was a bit too simple for a maze. There weren't any notable traps in sight.
They've hidden them inside the walls.
Mana cannons concealed from view lined the corridors.
He walked along the path. It twisted and turned, but there were no forks. About halfway through, a dwarf installing mana cannons greeted him.
"Demon King! You've returned!"
But the dwarf wasn't alone.
"You're back?"
A princess with dirt smeared all over her face—yet still retaining her beauty—poked her head out from a pit.
"...What are you doing?"
"Roger said he needed help, so I've been lending a hand."
"Ah, building walls and digging trenches takes too long with my strength alone, so I asked her. If that's a problem..."
"No, it's fine."
It was strange enough that the princess was cooperating properly. If she was willing, there was no reason to stop her.
What was it like in my previous life?
There hadn't been much interaction. He knew nothing of her private life or personality.
He turned to Roger.
"So, what do you plan to do with the first floor?"
"Yes, well, along the walls..."
The explanation was lengthy, but it boiled down to plastering the place with mana cannons.
He'd told them to create something the heroes wouldn't expect, and this design fit the bill. Unexpected firepower wasn't a bad thing.
In the end, as long as the heroes died without mounting a proper counter, everything was okay.
"Not enough."
But Berge decided to go further. Even blanketing the place with mana cannons wouldn't kill a hero like Ralph—that was his assessment.
"How so...?"
"To deal with those who survive the bombardment in the plaza, we'll station a few golems. You said you had knowledge of alchemy and enchantment magic, right?"
"Ah, yes, I can. But it'll require a lot of materials."
"Doesn't matter. What do you need?"
"Ore of any kind works, but the better the quality and type, the better the golem's performance."
"I'll get you the good stuff."
"Thank you!"
Leaving Roger, who bowed deeply, he ascended to the next floor.
"You can make golems too, Roger?"
"My personal power was too weak for a hero—it was my trauma. So I got interested in golem crafting."
Their conversation faded into the distance.
He passed the still-empty second and third floors, thinking he needed to fill them with something. The fourth floor held little interest now that its master was gone.
He tossed a casual word to the princess diligently swinging her sword as he passed.
"Your skills have improved."
"Big trouble, Demon King."
When he reached the fifth floor, Gordon urgently called out to him.
"Word from Krutoo. Seems someone's searching for the tower. According to him, even the Frost Orcs can't handle..."
"I've already met him."
"Pardon?"
"Daphne Philian. A hero."
"...Don't tell me he's on a hero expedition."
"Not alone, so probably not. But it could be prep work for one."
The intent to avoid repeating past failures was clear.
"Shouldn't we hunt him down?"
"How?"
"Pardon?"
"He's the fastest among heroes, and his stealth is legendary. In that one skill, he rivals Demon Kings."
"No way..."
Stealth was what Demon Kings learned first at the Demon King Academy and honed until graduation. It wasn't wasted effort.
For him to rival that.
"...So there's no way to catch him?"
"I said we can't catch him, not that there's no method."
There was no need to catch him anyway. If he wanted something, they just had to show it to him.
"...What do you mean?"
"The dwarf brought an artifact. We just need to throw off his direction."
"Ah."
Gordon let out a small exclamation.
"Your skills have improved."
Kaede's sword halted at the casual praise tossed her way as the Demon King passed.
...My skills have improved?
Of course they had. She had no choice but to improve.
After being kidnapped by the Demon King, she'd trained desperately to escape somehow.
Watching the Spirit King contract up close had advanced her another step.
But hearing it from the Demon King was another matter entirely.
Kaede was an imperial princess, and he was the Demon King.
She was a hero, and he was the enemy.
Yet that Demon King had praised her.
So nonchalantly, as if her growth was only natural.
Does that make sense?
It did. If she added one assumption.
From Berge's perspective, he was used to the unusual princess Ernan, so it slipped out without thought.
But for Kaede, receiving it, it was different.
Don't tell me me too...
To turn her into his subordinate?
That's why he was letting her train freely and treating her kindly?
A hero princess as the Demon King's subordinate. It might be overthinking.
But there was evidence she couldn't simply dismiss.
Ernan Hildean.
She was already the Demon King's loyal servant. Decorating the fourth floor herself and helping the dwarf on the first with vicious traps to kill heroes.
And Roger Friedri.
He was even a hero. Yet he served the Demon King wholeheartedly.
No.
Kaede was the empire's princess. At the same time, a proud knight and hero of the empire.
Her defection wouldn't just be personal betrayal—it would shame the empire. For someone overflowing with knightly pride like her, it was utterly unacceptable.
I have to escape.
No matter what, she had to escape.
She steeled her resolve.
- Go to the Golden Moon Merchant Guild and find Aman. Just say you're in charge of the elf business.
Granada and the Red Hawk mercenaries were excluded from the second hero expedition.
Instead, they headed to the Golden Moon Merchant Guild on Berge's orders.
"So we're buying elves?"
"Yes. Scour every slave market on the continent."
"That'll take over a year..."
"My lord has extended your employment by a year. Same pay as before."
"Uh, if you could just pay a bit more... We've climbed the Erjest Mountains, reached the Demon King's tower, done dangerous work more than once or twice."
"You mean before you fled without even fighting properly?"
"I'm originally satisfied with the reward!"
"Me too!"
On the way, they renewed their contract, and the massive payment brought happy smiles to their faces.
Upon arriving at the Golden Moon Merchant Guild, Granada met their representative.
"Pleased to meet you. Jetoson, newly in charge."
"Granada."
"Oh, the famous Granada and Red Hawk mercenaries. I've heard. Buying and freeing elf slaves. Wow, that's cool."
"...Ah, yes."
Jetoson continued smoothly.
"Truth be told, I've been heartbroken seeing elf slaves. Banned by continental law ages ago, yet such barbarism persists. Trust me. I'll do my utmost to rescue as many as possible!"
"...Uh. Thank you."
Jetoson's first impression wasn't trustworthy. But his earnest words built unexpected trust.
"I've listed major markets where elves might be traded. Don't worry. Mention your name, and they'll line up the elves."
The first stop he guided them to was the slave market in Pelrum, a major city of the Iasin humans.
Elven Forest, home of the elves.
Berft Kingdom, realm of the dwarves.
And the human kingdoms.
Long ago, after endless strife, they forged a pact banning official enslavement of each other's races.
On the surface, the treaty signed by all human kings and heterogeneous species leaders held. But human greed knew no bounds, and shadows always lurked behind the light.
The Iasin kingdoms were no exception.
Every major city had a slave market, and deep underground—accessible only to VIPs—auction houses dealt in rare goods and heterogeneous species slaves.
"Halt."
Wearing half-masks, they entered the slave market. After secret gestures and codes, they descended via hidden passages.
Jetoson, leading it all, casually presented a small badge.
"Identity verified. This way."
They followed the guide down the underground stairs.
Granada whispered softly.
"What's that?"
"Dark auctions like this aren't for commoners. Need money or power—great nobles, guild masters, top merchants. This is a guild-issued ID from Golden Moon."
"I see."
"You're not used to the shadows, are you, Granada?"
"...Well, yeah."
Granada had wandered slave markets for five years. In some ways, he was more familiar with black markets.
"Trust me. Raised as a merchant from childhood, I became one."
"Impressive."
But contrary to his words, Jetoson showed little skill.
Only two elves appeared at auction, and it proceeded smoothly.
Jetoson, who thumped his chest vowing cheap buys if they trusted him alone, ended up paying three times the starting bid.
"That damn pig bastard! Eyes bulging for a female elf!"
He sneered at the bidder who'd driven up the price, then forced an awkward laugh at Granada's stiff expression.
"...Haha, might seem like a misunderstanding, but this isn't all. My specialty is selling, not buying."
"......"
"Auctions aren't true commerce. Face-to-face talks to agree on price—that's the merchant's way."
"......"
"Not all merchants are the same. Everyone has a specialty. Mine's persuading people in person..."
"Jetoson."
"Yes."
"Let's go pick up the elves."
"...Yes."
Granada simply disliked seeing elves treated as human playthings.
"This puts me in quite a bind."
Far from troubled, his voice held no distress.
"I had issues scraping funds urgently too. Yet you delay even the magic points..."
At Jason's words, Berge had no choice but to reveal part of the truth.
"A problem arose."
"What problem?"
"Daphne Philian."
"So he's hunting your tower."
An amused chuckle echoed.
"Dodging his eyes won't be easy. What's your plan? Keeping the tower's location secret is crucial for you, isn't it?"
"Do I have to tell you that much?"
"I think it's a fair right, given the debt you owe."
"I've paid half."
"Half remains."
"I'll summon a monster and kill him."
"...Sounds like there's more, but understood."
"And I have something to tell you."
"What?"
"Tomorrow, a Demon King summit at my tower."
"Suddenly? Isn't Tower Harmony still some time away?"
"Ah, forgot—you're out of touch with outside news."
"A problem's arisen."
He continued.
"Drakson Dolph is dead."
Yeah, I know. I did it.
Berge replied calmly.
"...My goodness. Did that happen?"
"Yes. We need to discuss it. A new Demon King has descended."
"...What?"
Already?
This time, even Berge was surprised.
< 052. Did That Happen? >