056. Isn't That Your Little Sister?
『What is this?』
Hillun Kargil unfolded a sheet of paper toward the crystal orb.
Plain brown hair, brown eyes. A relatively round, innocuous face.
"It's a wanted poster."
『...Roger, huh.』
"Yes. That dwarf from the tower's first floor."
『So a warrant's been issued?』
"A few days ago, the Berft Kingdom sent these to every nation on the continent, requesting their cooperation."
Wanted: Roger Friedri
Traitor to the Kingdom
A reward has been offered in strict secrecy, but judging by how frantically the kingdoms are searching, it's no small sum.
I can't even begin to describe how shocked I was when I first heard. Of all places, the Berft Kingdom. And it was a direct order from the crown prince himself.
"I've been curious since the first time I saw him, but how did you bring Roger to the tower?"
『I kidnapped him.』
Hillun was at a loss for words at the sheer audacity.
"If it was a kidnapping, there's no reason for Berft to make such a fuss calling him a traitor to the kingdom. Besides, that dwarf didn't strike me as someone forced into loyalty to you, my lord."
A so-called hero had built a mana cannon meant to kill fellow heroes.
Fine, up to that point, you could chalk it up to coercion a hundred times over. But blocking a hero's escape and cursing their path? How do you explain that?
A normal hero wouldn't swing a hammer at their comrades like a wild beast while trying to leave together.
『Ask him yourself. He'd probably love hearing about this.』
"...Understood for now. Actually, this isn't even the main point."
『There's more?』
"We have the results."
Some elders had accused Hillun and Rozel Charnt of defying the Hero Guild's orders.
He'd heard a secret trial had been held within the guild.
『How'd it go?』
"Nothing came of it."
『After dragging it out for two weeks?』
"They never had a leg to stand on to begin with. The ban on kingdom interference exists precisely to prevent using it as an excuse to invade other nations—and now Ormus, the nation in question, is siding with Akan instead..."
Of course, there had been opposition.
Quite a few had demanded severe punishment, and Hillun figured they fell into two camps.
Those who believed the Hero Guild should stand above kingdoms—guild supremacists—and those who'd driven Balaf Disrod to abandon his hero path.
The empire? Or another kingdom?
Whoever Balaf Disrod's backer was, they'd hidden it too well for it to ever come to light.
"But the majority favored letting it slide. Heroes acting independently outside the guild's control tarnishes the guild's honor. Better to..."
『Hand over the loot and claim the credit for the guild. Honor's precious, after all.』
"Yes, exactly."
『Humans...』
『Got it. Focus everything on fully absorbing the Demon King's power for now. You can't achieve great things at your current level.』
"Yes. Oh, and Rozel Charnt's been desperately looking for you, my lord."
『......』
"She asks me about your well-being every single day."
『That persistent woman.』
"Why not just give her one and be done with it?"
『I forgot, or so I'll say.』
"How about giving her one now? Building a positive connection with her and her backers in the Akan Kingdom could prove invaluable someday."
『And you'd benefit too, right?』
"I won't deny it."
The Demon King's lips curled up on the other side of the crystal orb.
『That's why I like you. I'll think about it.』
"Yes."
The connection cut off. Hillun stretched.
"...Maybe I can finally slip away now."
It wasn't an exaggeration—Rozel Charnt really did visit every day. Hillun had followed her to the alliance partly for the trial, but mostly because she'd threatened not to let him go until he received mana from Berge.
Of course, since he'd found it somewhat useful, Hillun hadn't bothered escaping. Now was the time to consolidate gains rather than act.
Knock knock—
"Lord Hillun, a guest has arrived."
Right on cue, someone knocked from outside.
Assuming it was Rozel Charnt, Hillun paused as he reached for tea.
The presence felt different. The aura was off.
It's hazy.
Like mist.
"...Who is it?"
He asked cautiously. Instead of an answer, the door opened.
A foul stench of dirt wafted from the grimy leather armor. His scruffy beard was rough, his hair a tangled mess.
But his eyes burned with life.
"Well, well, you must be the famous Hillun Kargil. Name's Daphne Philian. Ever heard of me?"
Daphne pulled a chair over with brazen familiarity and sat.
"...I doubt there's a hero alive who hasn't heard of Daphne."
"Honored you know me."
Daphne bowed playfully.
"What brings you here...?"
"Oh, nothing major, so no need to be on guard. Just curious about something. Mind cooperating?"
"If it's within my power to help."
"Lucky me."
Daphne pulled out a small notebook.
"Then, first off, I'd love to hear all the details—every last one—about your hero exploits?"
Chomp chomp—
The meat vanished in an instant. Perfectly cooked pasta slurped into their mouths, sauce splattering everywhere.
Having tossed aside forks and knives to grab it with their hands, they weren't human—they were elves.
Granada sighed at the gluttonous scene. It wasn't disgust so much as pity that welled up first.
How starved must they have been...?
He too had endured five years as a slave. He knew well how grueling it was.
"Eat slowly. There's plenty more."
"Th-thank you!"
"Thank you!"
The fifteen elves bowed deeply. But their eating speed didn't slow.
"It's amazing every time I see it, but are they really elves?"
"What do you mean?"
"Their gluttony puts even orcs to shame..."
Jetoson shut his mouth under Granada's glare.
"Where to next?"
"Buaran. Elves are up for auction at the underground market there."
"Then I won't need your help this time, Jetoson."
"Pardon?"
"Not sure about elsewhere, but auctions don't seem to require your particular talents."
"Hey, don't say that—you'll hurt my feelings."
Jetoson thumped his chest.
"I, Jetoson, Akan's greatest merchant, am always useful no matter the situation."
"But..."
"Even monkeys fall from trees sometimes. No one's perfect—not humans, not anyone. Do you claim perfection in everything, Lord Granada?"
"...Fine. So, what's your plan this time?"
"I've studied auctions a bit more."
Ahem. Jetoson cleared his throat.
"Auctions are ultimately a battle between people. Reading each other's cues and the mood to set prices, outbidding the opponent..."
"Get to the point."
"If someone sticks to you, jack the price sky-high right away to crush their spirit. Preemptive dominance."
"Didn't you say you'd make us buy as cheaply as possible?"
"We will buy cheap."
Jetoson pulled out a notepad and scribbled lines.
"See here. Starting bid's 10, normal auction ends at 100. But if they bid 11 and you slam 60 instead of 12? They'll get cold feet."
"What if they follow to the end? You might end up paying 200 for a 100 item."
"Could happen."
"You seem confident. Got a counter?"
"Nope. Those types follow no matter what, so just roll with it—less stress."
"Even if you bid 60 on a 30 item and overpay?"
"No great merchant wins every time."
"......"
Truly a peculiar human.
Granada could see why Berge took a liking to this Jetoson.
That shamelessness was a new breed, even for someone like Granada who'd lived quite long.
"When's the Buaran auction?"
"Tomorrow, 8 PM. It's a major city with teleport arrays—easy trip."
The next day, they arrived at Buaran's auction house.
Elves went up for bid. Jetoson participated. Everything went to plan—except the opponent playing right into Jetoson's strategy.
"...I thought merchants prized knowing when to fold."
"I'm no merchant."
Granada won the elves at double the expected price.
"As expected, you're no good at auctions, Jetoson..."
"Wait, hold on—just wait. Too early to judge. The continent's vast, and we need lots more elves, right?"
"...You lot the ones scooping up all the elves lately?"
As they moved to claim the elves post-auction, someone blocked their path.
"......"
Berge opened his eyes.
This is...
Interesting.
The phoenix power nestled in his second heart had grown stronger.
Demons, demonkin, and demon beasts weaken outside their towers for two reasons.
One: escaping the interference the tower nullifies.
Two: no way to replenish magic points.
Humans absorb mana to form aura halls and mana hearts; demonkin do the same with magic points to fill their vessels.
But the mid-plane lacks magic points, forcing reliance on towers.
Not Berge.
He absorbed magic points inside the tower, mana outside.
The phoenix power enabled it.
What the hell is this thing?
He'd read about phoenixes in ancient texts.
Three thousand years ago, in the Bellars dimension, three Demon Kings barely captured one together.
One left crippled, another dead—a pyrrhic victory.
Alein's phoenix might not match Bellars', but resisting a Demon King's aura made it worth the time.
The more mana I absorb, the deeper it fuses with my body. Guess I need to head out on purpose.
Not fully controlling the power wasn't unique to Hillun.
Then—
The communication orb buzzed. Not Hillun Kargil.
A network linking tower to tower. Another Demon King.
『Long time no see, Berge Dayas.』
Injecting magic points conjured a massive face.
"What do you want, Ugar? We're not the type to chat casually."
Berge swallowed a curse.
『I have a proposal.』
"Not like we're on proposal terms."
『Arrogant from start to finish. Think you can conquer the world alone?』
"Not the kind of talk from a Demon King's mouth. I'm hanging up."
『Wait...! It's no loss for you!』
"Spit it out."
『I'll buy magic points. Heard you're trading them for human gold. I want to buy some too.』
"You need magic points?"
Word had spread? It wasn't a secret anyway. But Ugar buying them? That didn't fit what Berge knew of him.
"How much gold?"
『3592 gold.』
More than expected. Jason Cockmond's 100,000 was the outlier; Demon Kings rarely cared for money.
"180,000 points."
『That's it?』
"Promised Jason 5 million for his 100,000. Take it or leave it."
『...Fine.』
"Can't deliver right away—paying Jason steadily. I'll split it monthly."
『...Grgh, got it. Better than nothing.』
Ugar nodded after a pause.
He'd send gold upon contract, then cut off.
"Ugar needing magic points..."
Perfectly natural for a Demon King. But for someone who hated Berge to humble himself? Something was up.
Something's going on...
Because of Drakson Dolph's death?
Comparing to his past life, that was the stark change.
A Demon King who shouldn't have died did—and a new one descended.
Ah, and Vivian Blunt's idiocy had heightened wariness of Demon Kings too.
Time will tell.
Berge closed his eyes again.
The phoenix mana writhed.
"About half done?"
"Yes. The moment heroes appear, these walls will slide open, unleashing the mana cannons' firepower."
"Impressive."
Berge inspected the first floor's progress. Not complete yet. But the vision made him grin.
He couldn't wait to see the heroes' faces facing this.
Especially Ralph Shmitz.
Can your shield block this, I wonder?
He wanted to test it.
Then—
"My lord!"
Gordon came rushing in, breathless.
"Demon King Ugar kidnapped Hildean Kingdom's 13th Princess!"
"...What?"
He dropped a bombshell.
"...Huh?"
Ernan's pupils shook as she aided Roger with earth spirits.
Isn't Hildean's 13th Princess your little sister?
The oblivious water spirit tilted its head innocently.