071. Necessity
Hillon Kargil thought to himself.
How could he convince her that the Demon King was going to kidnap Luize?
That the Demon King had told him directly?
That he was buddies with the Demon King?
She wouldn't buy that crap for a second. Knowing Luize's temper, she'd probably flip out and accuse him of being a spy.
'I need to create some plausible reasoning.'
It didn't have to fit perfectly. He just needed to fool one princess.
"What the hell is that nonsense? The Demon King is going to kidnap me?"
"Yes."
"On what grounds?"
Demon Kings kidnapping princesses wasn't weird. They'd done it dozens, hundreds of times since descending upon the world.
But there had never been a single instance where their plans to kidnap a princess ahead of time had leaked out.
"Do you know that I set out as a hero to slay the Demon King of the Erjest Mountains?"
"What does that have to do with your bullshit?"
"I failed back then. No, I couldn't even find the tower, so it was too embarrassing to call it a failure. I've recovered a bit now after slaying the Beast Demon King, but as a hero—as a Star—it was a massive blow to my pride."
Luize tilted her head slightly, a gesture urging him to continue.
"So after that day, I planted eyes around the Erjest Mountains."
"Eyes?"
"Yes. No Demon King is satisfied with just one princess. I figured he'd come back eventually. That he'd target new royalty. And I finally caught him."
"The Jespain Empire's 9th Imperial Princess?"
"Not just her—he went after Hildean again."
"I heard. The 13th Princess got snatched, right?"
"Hildean Kingdom turned upside down because of it."
"So you tracked the princess-kidnapping Demon King and found his tower?"
"Unfortunately, no."
Luize's face, which had shown a flicker of expectation, twisted in disappointment.
"Are you messing with me right now?"
"Hear me out just a bit more, and you'll understand why I'm telling you this."
"...Fine. Speak."
"I didn't find the tower, but I got something else."
"Something else?"
"I couldn't spot demons going in, but I did find ones coming out. And I learned their destination."
By that point in the story, anyone who wasn't an idiot could connect the dots.
"...No way."
"Yes. It's the Berft Kingdom—and the target is Luize Berft. Your Highness."
It was a story full of holes.
Sure, maybe he tracked demons and learned their destination was Berft.
But why her specifically?
The explanation lacked justification. But for that part, Hillon Kargil leveraged his reputation.
"Fine, whatever. Sounds good. But what's your proof it's me?"
"I can't tell you that part."
"Are you kidding me?"
"But I swear on my honor and my position as an Argon of the Hero Guild. I have no intention of harming you, Your Highness, and the Demon King will target you."
"......"
Luize, who had been barking at him, faltered.
No matter how much of a sheltered jewel she was in the dwarf kingdom, her opponent was a hero who'd slain two Demon Kings—and an Argon of the Guild.
The hottest figure on the continent swearing on his honor? It was hard to dismiss lightly.
A hero's oath carried real weight; it wasn't something to toss around casually.
As Luize fell into thought, Hillon added one more lie.
"But I can't say for sure it's the Erjest Demon King."
"You just said five minutes ago it was the Erjest Demon King targeting me."
"He did come down from the mountains, of course. But what I heard reported was a succubus. You know Demon Kings prefer to use demons of their own race, right?"
"...A succubus? So the Lust Demon King?"
"You might not know this, but among Demon Kings..."
"They have meetings. I know. I've heard."
"Maybe my contact spotted her coming out of one."
'This should be enough.'
He'd love to point the sword straight at Berge, but that would be too hasty.
Hero expeditions didn't start overnight, and if word got out that Hillon Kargil was the source of the rumors, who knew what that brain parasite would do.
The Demon King would die, but so would Hillon. He had zero interest in some bright future without him in it.
'Now's not the time to betray the Demon King.'
Having said his piece, Hillon quietly watched Luize.
"The Lust Demon King targeting me?"
"The Lust Demon King, me?"
"Kidnapping me?"
"Ridiculous!"
Muttering like a madwoman, she shot to her feet.
"Where are you going?"
"Daring to target me? Me? You think I'll go quietly?"
"Your Highness!"
"I need to tell Father about the Demon King's invasion!"
"No!"
Hillon urgently grabbed her shoulder.
"Let go?"
"It's still just a guess."
"A guess?"
"I'm not the Demon King. How could I know his exact intentions? I'm just sharing the most likely possibility based on my speculation."
"But you swore an oath, so you must be somewhat sure?"
"Yes."
"Then what are we waiting for? Tell them now and beef up security!"
"That won't stop a Demon King."
"What?"
"His stealth is already legendary. We might not even catch him if we try, and if he senses something off, he might not kidnap you right now. And we can't keep security maxed out forever, can we?"
"...What are you getting at?"
"I'll protect you, Your Highness. So the Demon King doesn't kidnap you."
"Why you?"
Her guard, which had softened a bit, flared up again. Facing her battle-hardened glare, Hillon decided to be straightforward once more.
"For my honor."
"Honor?"
"If a Demon King really comes—and I protect you from him—wouldn't that be a first? Blocking a kidnapping by a Demon King."
Hillon didn't hide his greed on purpose. Eyes gleaming with desire made for the most convincing motive.
"...I heard you were all noble and cared about the people."
"Being noble doesn't mean I'm without ambition. I just value honor a bit more, that's all."
"Hildean's people would love hearing that."
But damn if it doesn't appeal to me.
"Who cares about them? It's you who matters, Your Highness. Grant me the honor of guarding you for just one month—one month exactly."
"You sure? That the Demon King comes within a month."
"I'm certain."
"Fine."
Luize extended her hand.
Grip—
Her iron-strong handshake crushed down on Hillon.
"I don't know what your real goal is with this deal."
"But if you're right and you protect me."
"The Hero Guild and Berft Kingdom will be closer than ever. Thanks to you, of course."
Hillon bowed his head.
"Thank you. Oh, and once this is over, I'll tell you where Roger Friedri got his weapons."
"Ah."
Luize gnashed her teeth.
"That bastard's involved too, huh?"
Berge pulled his hand away.
"How is it?"
Her eyes brimmed with expectation, which felt a bit burdensome.
"Your mana is decreasing. It still needs time, but since it's working, you'll learn magic eventually."
"Thank you!"
The similarly beautiful sisters bowed deeply.
"Once your mana drops a bit more, you can use what's left to gradually reinforce your body. A Mana Heart would suit you better than an Aura Hole."
Aura, refined from the same roots, was tougher and rougher. It didn't fit Elena's fragile body, which could tear at any moment.
The real issue was elsewhere.
Elena was weak, but she was still a hero—and heroes couldn't handle magic power.
"Can't I just teach her?"
She wasn't without spirit affinity, but it didn't draw her in strongly. Ernan and Nairuniel were exceptions; spirit mages and spirits alike weren't fond of demons.
Nairuniel had once mentioned that when Ernan summoned high spirits, all but her hesitated—because of the nuance that Ernan was cooperating with Demon King Berge.
Ernan got lucky with a weirdo like Nairuniel, but what guarantee did Elena have?
—She's right.
—Most spirits can't appreciate the beauty born from 'taboos.'
Nairuniel's addendum bolstered his conviction.
"We have time, so think on it a bit more."
"Yes."
He left the sisters and headed down to the second floor. Heat hit him. A wave of sweat stench followed.
Bang—
A human shadow whooshed past Berge, slamming into the wall and groaning.
"You're here."
Gordon, who had sent Kaede flying, nodded calmly. Kaede scrambled up.
"Demon King."
Contract or not, once her path was set, Kaede became the epitome of a loyal knight.
Principled to a fault, perhaps.
Not bad from Berge's perspective.
"Don't mind me. Keep going."
"Yes."
Kaede raised her sword again, charging swiftly to stab at his blind spot.
Her blade was fast and concise—heavy too.
Golden aura flared, and Gordon drew his sword.
Clanggg—
The sword's magic power gnawed at the golden aura, and vice versa.
The light skirmish escalated, growing faster and heavier.
Slash—
A few strands of Kaede's hair fluttered. Blood trickled from a gash on her cheek.
At the same time, Gordon's forelock was sliced off. Berge let out an impressed whistle at the unexpectedly even fight.
"You've improved a ton in just days?"
"My teacher is that exceptional."
"You're not just weak yourself?"
"Think what you will."
The bout dragged on. Unlike the start, Gordon now dominated offense, leaving Kaede scrambling to defend.
In the whirlwind of slashing blades, she looked perilously fragile.
'Yet she's holding her own pretty well.'
Objectively, Kaede was decent. Well-trained by imperial knights, her fundamentals were solid, and she progressed quickly.
Plus, she was a hero—and that obvious killer instinct was a bonus.
"By the way, Dark Knight, huh..."
A play from over a decade ago, apparently. The naming sense was childish no matter how he sliced it.
Especially since its purpose was to laud heroes' and humanity's greatness while mocking the Demon King.
Then—thud. Kaede's form flew through the air.
"Your sword tip wavered for a split second. Daydreaming?"
"Sorry."
Kaede panted an apology under Gordon's scolding. For a brief moment, her gaze flicked to Berge.
'...?'
"Dark Knight."
Flinch—
"Dark Knight?"
This time she seemed unfazed, but she couldn't hide her flushed face.
"Dark Knight, Dark Knight, Dark Knight, Dark Knight."
"...Please stop."
"You were the one who wanted to become a Dark Knight first."
"...I heard that's what you wanted."
"I don't like that childish naming sense."
"Then?"
"I never said a word, yet someone became a Shadow Spirit Mage."
"...I got tricked."
"Not really tricked. It's a bit embarrassing having a Shadow Spirit Mage and Dark Knight as subordinates, but I can respect tastes."
"Don't respect it."
"Your reaction's making me respect it more."
"......"
Kaede bit her lip. Berge headed for the stairs to the first floor.
"Gordon, finish training the Dark Knight properly."
"Yes."
Leaving trembling Kaede behind, he passed the nearly completed mana cannons and reached the workshop.
He sensed magic power flowing. There was Roger, fiddling with a tainted mana stone.
"Coming along?"
"Ah, Demon King."
Roger scratched his head.
"I'm researching, but magic power and mana are so different it's tricky. Not really my specialty."
"Need a mage?"
"To get results as fast as you want? Yeah, that'd help."
"A mage, huh."
Roger, Elena—yeah, they definitely needed one.
'There must be a mage or two among the elf slaves.'
He needed to fetch the slaves sooner.