< 063. Hildean's Hero >
The anomaly spread quietly.
Knight commanders rushed in to whisper urgently to their lords. Nobles whose faces had paled hurried toward the terraces.
"My God."
"The annex..."
On one side of the royal palace, black flames surged with ominous power. The mana was so thick and foreboding that anyone could sense it.
A muffled explosion followed. Magic alarms, drowned out by the banquet's clamor, now blared in frantic warning.
"Put out the fire!"
"Demons have invaded!"
"Protect the princesses!"
Soldiers scrambled into action. The chamberlain entered the banquet hall.
"Tonight's banquet ends here. Intruders have breached the palace grounds. By His Majesty's order, for your safety, no one is to leave the hall until the situation is resolved."
The nobles froze.
No fool among them missed the undercurrent of suspicion hidden beneath the pretext of safety.
"...Ahem. Very well."
"That mana reeks of demons, no doubt..."
The joyous banquet hall filled only with unease, awkward silence, and a pall of suspicion.
"Who?"
"Berge Dayas. The Demon King of the Erjest Mountains."
The kidnapper introduced himself as a dark spirit summoner. That alone wasn't enough to pinpoint which Demon King he was.
But the black flames consuming the annex...
"It's definitely the Flame Demon King."
It matched the identity the Hero Guild had recently publicized.
A demon serving him could wield a fraction of his power without issue.
"Who did he take?"
"Princess Elena..."
Crash!
The king hurled his goblet. The formal attire he'd been changing into for the banquet tore to shreds.
"It's only been a few days since Elena returned."
Yes, not months or even weeks—just days.
The festival celebrating her safe return was still ongoing, and the banquet had only just begun.
"Yet that bastard treats Hildean like a joke."
This wasn't poking the bear; it was detonating a bomb in its face.
"The Hero Guild is clearly slacking. The Flame Demon King? Not a fake—real flames!"
To deceive him like this!
"I tried to hold back, telling myself the time wasn't right yet. But Berge Dayas, that damned demon, is testing my patience."
He had strived to make Hildean wealthier and stronger than any other kingdom. Everything until now had been for that goal.
And in this moment, the national prestige he'd built was flushed down the toilet.
"Pressure the Hero Guild."
It was impossible to chase a Demon King who'd already kidnapped royalty and vanished. Their stealth was beyond capture.
That was the unbreakable law of this world.
Finding the tower was out of the question too.
Daphne Philian's failure meant no viable path forward without reckless moves—at least not now.
His rage boiled, but as king before man, the kingdom came first.
He wouldn't dwell on one failure. He'd seek other paths.
"Formally protest to the Hero Guild and demand answers. Warn them that if their incompetence persists, I'll have no choice but to form a royal hero corps under direct crown control."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The knight bowed. The maids shuddered at the chilling killing intent.
Hildean's 13th princess, Elena Hildean.
Their connection traced back to Berge's initial descent after regression.
A princess the kingdom ignored as useless.
Before regression, he'd trusted one piece of info from Ugar and targeted her for kidnapping. But he'd botched it, snatching the wrong princess—3 instead of 13.
Fortunately, that outcome had worked out, leading to now.
But for a better future, more was needed. Kidnapping the 13th princess was part of that process.
He couldn't deny Ernan's request played a role, but had the 13th princess he'd met in the Diamond Demon Tower been useless, he never would've taken her.
The 4th floor, where Ernan was recognized as layer master. Berge laid the 13th princess on the earthen bed she'd crafted.
"Just as expected."
"Yes. Mana overload."
The World Tree's Child was ultimately a spell forcing mana into a body to enhance it.
In short, the born children overflowed with mana. They raced toward their fates.
Bodies adapting to mana from birth, rejecting the power and suffering bodily damage that rendered them unable to wield it, or simply dying.
The first was Ernan.
The second were the 12 princes and 16 princesses officially known as Hildean royalty, excluding her.
The third were those never born, never counted as royalty.
But Elena Hildean fit none of those.
She was neither a complete success nor total failure.
Her body couldn't withstand the mana and grew frail, yet it absorbed vast amounts.
Her frame constantly brimmed with energy it couldn't handle. Overloaded.
She should've died at birth, saved only by one stroke of luck: being a hero. Dimensional interference barely suppressed her body's collapse.
"If her body had been even slightly sturdier, Hildean's king wouldn't have left her alone."
The overload stemmed from her unique constitution. Without special training or effort, she drew in dozens of times more mana than a normal person.
It was the blessing and curse earned as recompense for the immense risk of the World Tree's Child magic.
She held mana others envied, but lacked the body to bear it.
Unable to learn or step forward.
"You survived well enough."
"Mei'ar."
A tiny spirit peeked from Elena's shoulder. The sparrow-like spirit perched on Ernan's finger.
"I assigned it to her."
Elena's survival was simple: expend all her mana. Burn through it as fast as it filled.
But her frail body rejected even normal methods. Her max output was just one tiny, delicate spirit.
And that became her lifeline, extending her life to now.
"What do you think? Will it go as you said, my lord Demon King?"
"It will."
But first.
"Elena Hildean. You've heard the details from Ernan, I assume."
"Yes."
"I'll ask: Can you turn against humans for me?"
"Can I really learn magic?"
"I stake my Demon King's honor on it."
"Then I can pledge loyalty to you, my lord. I don't want to lie in bed anymore. I don't want to fall asleep wondering if I'll die."
"Even as a hero?"
"I've never taken pride in being one. I've always just been a bedridden invalid."
"Ernan Hildean."
"I'll take responsibility for her training."
Berge crossed his arms.
Elena Hildean was definitely useful. A mere invalid now, but trained right, she'd be a solid card.
Princess, hero. Plus that mana-absorbing constitution.
'But I still can't fully trust her.'
Ernan had proven herself through actions. Not so with Elena.
"Even if I implant a special substance in your head?"
"What restrictions does it impose?"
"It prevents betrayal. That's all."
"I'll accept it. I'd have died otherwise anyway."
"Like sisters."
Berge snorted. It was like having another Ernan.
"We're sisters, after all."
"You're fine with something weird in your little sister's head?"
"Better than death. Truth is, Mei'ar was starting to exceed what she could handle."
A few more years like this, and Elena would've died. That she'd survived until just before Berge's death pre-regression...
'Thanks to Ugar.'
"But can I really get better?"
"Not instantly. But you can learn magic, and with it, strengthen your body yourself."
"That's enough. So what do I do?"
"Nothing."
"...?"
"Just wait on the 2nd or 3rd floor doing nothing. That alone will heal the overload."
Elena's issue was her body drawing in more mana than it could endure.
Too frail for deliberate depletion methods.
But in a Demon King's tower? Mana so thin there's none to overload with?
Living daily life would deplete it gradually, restoring balance. Then slowly strengthen the body.
"Once enough mana drains to allow normal activity, start learning magic."
"...Really, just that?"
"Don't doubt a Demon King."
"...Yes."
Elena nodded hesitantly.
Flashes erupted.
Dozens of magic cameras captured Hillun's face.
Good. This attention.
Hillun basked in the reporters' gazes before steadying his emotions. A single tear dropped.
"I never imagined something like this could happen."
He spoke slowly. His dampened voice stirred their sentiments.
"I was born in Hildean. Raised here. I've always taken pride in being a son of Hildean."
So.
"I wanted Hildean to shine. I stepped forward as if its humiliations were my own."
"I rushed ahead of all to rescue Crown Princess Ernan, endured mockery for my failure, and staked my life to save Elena Hildean."
Yet for her to be kidnapped again so soon...
Hillun choked back sobs, trailing off.
One reporter raised a hand.
"Does that mean the palace security was lacking?"
"Not at all. It's my failing. Had I been more vigilant, this wouldn't have happened."
"But..."
Hillun cut the reporter off. He didn't want blame pinned on the kingdom.
"I'd love nothing more than to slay the Demon King now and rescue the princesses. Regrettably, this incompetent me couldn't even find a trace of the tower."
"You're not incompetent. If a hero who slew two Demon Kings is, then no decent hero exists."
"Exactly! Hillun Kargil is the only one fighting so hard for Hildean!"
Onlookers cheered from the crowd. Hillun bowed, holding back tears in gratitude.
"Thank you. But that won't bring back the kidnapped princesses. Nor make me able to save them. However."
He gripped his voice with resolve, solemnity.
"Having received so much from Hildean, I can't just let this slide. I won't."
"As a citizen of Hildean." "I, Hillun Kargil, representing all Hildean's heroes, swear here and now."
Someday.
"Someday, without fail."
Hillun's voice settled calmly. It built even more trust.
"I will rescue both princesses from the Demon King's clutches."
"And restore Hildean's fallen honor."
"That's what I swear."
As his words concluded, cheers exploded like a volcano.
Roooaaar!
Long live Hillun Kargil!
Long live Hero Hillun!
Please save the princesses!
The air quivered. Hillun's body trembled with ecstasy.
Hildean's rage and shame transmuted into frenzy and adoration.
Hillun brimmed with euphoria.
The Demon King and the hero exchanged smiles across the communication orb.
< 063. Hildean's Hero > End