<055. No Tower>
The sky was clear.
Daphne Philian let out a sigh as he gazed at the snowcapped mountains he'd been staring at for nearly a month.
Cold.
Breathing out a puff of white mist, he moved carefully. The pristine snow remained spotless even after his footprints passed over it.
'Sick of this place. Never coming back to the Erjest Mountains.'
A Prison Drake's roar echoed from afar.
The mountains trembled from the territorial disputes between monsters.
Cold. Monsters everywhere. Shitty weather.
He regretted taking the lucrative commission so readily. He should have investigated when Hillon Kargil reported failure.
'Just this side left.'
He had combed through the entire range like a fine-tooth comb.
Even for Daphne, it wasn't easy.
He had to keep his senses razor-sharp every day, and resupplying was a nightmare. Not to mention, even a great hero like him couldn't handle every monster lurking in the Erjest Mountains.
'Especially that demon.'
The monster that had fooled even his senses.
Daphne still got chills just thinking about it.
'Fortunately, it's not that fast. But since it could show up anywhere, anytime, I have to stay cautious.'
It had been a bad experience, but it helped him zero in faster than expected. There was definitely a demon tower in this area.
'One week. I'll find it within a week and get out of these mountains.'
And he'd never even take a piss in the direction of Erjest again.
On the Demon King's floor, Berge Dayas sat upon his jade throne. At his command, the tower's authority activated.
A holographic view of the exterior unfolded before him.
"He's here."
Even without Gordon Dirik's words, the cautious figure approaching the basin was visible.
"Daphne Philian."
It was the same guy from before.
[82459pt]
[82439pt]
[82419pt]
The magic points were dwindling rapidly. Perhaps because the anger and attention directed at Berge had shifted to Drakson Dolph's death and the emergence of a new Demon King. Far fewer points had accumulated than expected.
At this rate, it'd all be over in just over an hour.
"I've confirmed the authority's effects myself, but..."
Gordon stammered uneasily.
"Can we evade that guy's senses?"
"Can't say for sure."
Thanks to Mana's Phantom, the acquired authority was low-tier, befitting the tower's level. It could fool the incompetent, but Berge doubted it could fully deceive Daphne Philian.
"From a quick glance at a distance, though, he won't notice..."
"Then Krutoo's role becomes all the more crucial."
Daphne arrived at a peak with a clear view of the basin. The tower stood within, but it wouldn't be visible to him.
If only he'd just leave. But Daphne took a step into the basin.
At that moment—
KWOOOOOAAAHH—
The monster roars made Daphne freeze. A massive Yeti burst through the snow.
BOOM—
A gigantic hand smashed the ground. Dozens of Frost Orcs charged with guttural screams.
That was the signal.
Yeti, Prison Drakes, White Wolves, Twin-Headed Ogres—a horde of monsters assaulted the Frost Orc colony in the basin.
It was a perfectly orchestrated play.
Following Berge's orders, Krutoo had relocated his village to the basin, timing the monster herding to coincide with Daphne's arrival.
And the ensuing battle would serve as an excellent breakwater, keeping him from approaching the tower.
"Placing the tower in the basin turned out to be a masterstroke."
The basin itself was hard to spot, and once atop it, there was no need to descend—the view below was wide open.
But as expected, he didn't turn back right away. He stared blankly at the scene, and when a Prison Drake that had coincidentally spotted him spewed breath only to collapse like a beehive—that was a minor hiccup.
That was when—
Knock knock.
"Come in."
"...Busy?"
It was Ernan Hildean.
"What is it?"
"Lady Kaede woke up."
"Good. You're in charge from now on. Joint responsibility."
"I did stop her."
"You should've made her not even think of escaping."
"That's unfair."
"Demon Kings make the unfair fair."
Ernan's eyes narrowed petulantly.
"What's with that cheeky glare? Want me to pluck 'em out?"
"...No."
She averted her gaze. Then her eyes landed on the central hologram.
"Oh, Lord Daphne?"
"You know him?"
He chuckled at his own absurdity after saying it. Of course the crown princess of Hildean Kingdom would.
"Yeah. He once asked me to teach him spirit magic."
"Spirit magic?"
"No talent, though. Couldn't even resonate with low-grade spirits."
"Lucky break."
Spirits were aggregates of pure mana, making them highly sensitive to antagonistic magic points—practically a natural counter.
A hero-summoned spirit amplified by dimensional interference? Unthinkable.
"What, wanna escape?"
Ernan's gaze remained fixed on Daphne.
"If you do, go now. I'll open the door—ask for help. You can open doors, and that hero could easily get you out."
It was true. If Daphne seriously bolted with Ernan in tow, Berge had no immediate means to stop them.
"...You want me gone?"
"Who knows?"
"You'd really let me leave?"
As if.
Berge didn't bother answering. Ernan's amethyst eyes gleamed with a peculiar light.
"I'm a Dark Spirit Sorceress."
"One of my subordinates, right?"
"Precisely, one of the Four Heavenly Kings."
Her brazenness drew an incredulous snort from him.
"What the hell is with that childish naming?"
"I saw it. Demon Kings always have special retainers by their side."
Such a childish Demon King existed?
"History book?"
"...Who knows?"
"Novel."
"...A play."
"They turned that crap into a play?"
"A famous touring troupe was invited to the palace."
"Hildean royals have unique tastes."
"I was ten at the time."
"But you liked it enough to remember it all these years?"
"Not liked. Envied. They were free. Unlike me."
Especially the 'Hell Giant' who bellowed 'Four Heavenly Kings' with booming laughter...
Ernan's cheeks flushed faintly as she studiously avoided his eyes.
"So you're treating this like a scene from the play? You're the actress?"
"No."
"Whatever. I don't care what delusions make you cooperate—just don't change your mind."
She was still shrouded in mystery, but he wouldn't pry further. Thanks to her, capturing Hillon Kargil had been a breeze. Her contributions deserved respect.
"...I won't."
"Can't say I trust you. We're not the trusting type."
She nodded faintly and changed the subject.
"...Probably Father."
"The one who sent that guy?"
"Lord Daphne has deep ties with Father. He's taken quite a few commissions."
"Hildean after all."
He'd heard that after Hillon Kargil's failed hero act, they'd tried to forcibly drag him off. But once pretext blocked it, they'd gone quiet, so he'd tuned them out. Apparently, they hadn't given up.
Made sense. Abandoning their promising crown princess to kidnapping?
"...Problems keep piling up."
Continent domination via elves, investigating Ralph Shmitz, now Hildean's pursuit.
All self-inflicted—no one to blame.
He sank into thought. Meanwhile, Daphne circled the basin a bit more before turning away.
Exactly seven minutes later, the tower reappeared.
A close call.
"Failure? Failure?"
"I searched everywhere within my capabilities. But no tower anywhere."
"So the Demon King's tower isn't in Erjest—it's elsewhere?"
"I did find demons."
"So it exists. Incompetence, then?"
"Erjest is a forbidden zone teeming with monsters beyond human ken. Even I can't cover everything."
"You call that an excuse...!"
"If I may advise: if even I can't find it, no one can. Self-praise, but there's no better tracker in this world."
"Hah..."
The man sighed. Daphne stared back calmly.
"His Majesty trusted only you."
"I know. That's why I dropped other commissions and rushed here out of respect for our bond. But I can't achieve the impossible."
"...Damn it, how do I report to His Majesty? He hounds me daily without fail."
"Wouldn't commissioning the Hero Guild be better? Even after one failure, a crown princess's kidnapping should get a reaction."
"Ah, you've been holed up in the mountains, so you wouldn't know. The guild's in uproar—turns out Demon Kings used succubi to manipulate Dormunt nobles."
"Old-school Demon Kings still kicking around?"
"The Beast Demon King died recently. This is a new descent. Succubus Queen, they say."
"Hid her tower too?"
"Tower found on an island in the Seratin Archipelago. Risky like the others, but not impossible to locate or assault."
"At least that's something."
"Who knows if it's good. Demon Kings are acting differently now. The fragile balance is cracking."
Since the False Demon King's descent, disputes between Demon Kings and humans had dwindled.
After Beast, Frost, and Diamond settled in, they nearly vanished—only one 'bomb' incident.
"Now it's two again. And one's still a total unknown."
"But the scales tip our way."
Unclear in the early days, but now Alein clearly held human supremacy over Demon Kings.
"Two hero acts failed. Hero acts can't crumble—not raids, but hero acts. You know that."
"But the last one succeeded?"
"Lucky break, and not under Hero Guild lead. That's why the uproar. And this—you might not know."
The man hesitated before continuing.
"His Majesty sent the Sea Knights to capture Hillon Kargil."
"...News to me."
"You were in the empire then, and we kept it hushed."
"Tore guild-kingdom relations to shreds."
"Total disaster."
Daphne scratched his goatee.
"Where are Waton Colro and Hillon Kargil?"
"What're you planning?"
"With my Hildean ties, can't leave this half-done, right?"
"They failed to find the tower too."
"But who knows? Maybe a clue in their tracks."
"Fair point. Handle it, then. Gives me ammo to calm His Majesty."
"Yes."
"Waton's in Hessen, Hillon in Traparta. Referred to guild trial with Rozel Charnt."
"Understood. I'll head out first."
Daphne vanished. Silence fell, as if no one had been there to begin with.
The lone man tilted his glass.
"A tower even Daphne Philian can't find."
Heh heh. He chuckled.
"Your Majesty, looks like the heavens chose me, not you."
The liquor tasted sweet.
< 055. No Tower > END