079. Planning to Do Nothing
"How did you know about that?"
The hero, Gillian Aint.
The White Eagle attack squad he led.
They had found the Frost Demon Tower right after Drakson Dolph collapsed.
"It was all over the human newspapers."
He wouldn't have been human if he hadn't been shocked when he first heard the news.
The White Eagle attack squad finding the tower was something that was originally supposed to happen five years later.
Berge Dayas realized that his own actions had changed the future.
"I see. Well, human heroes are obsessed with fame and achievements, after all."
"Isn't that the same for demons?"
"It is."
Reina Sordain let out a light chuckle. But it felt somehow bitter.
"How many times has the White Eagle squad searched for your tower?"
"Was even that written down?"
Of course not.
"Yeah."
Before his regression, Reina Sordain had been tormented by the White Eagle squad.
It wasn't that she died. But if asked whether that was better than death, Berge couldn't agree.
'When I first learned about it, I laughed it off.'
He'd mocked her, saying that if she was so obsessed with appearances, no wonder she ended up treated like livestock by pathetic humans.
He'd said she'd be better off dead than living like that. And then she actually died.
"They've invaded the tower twice, and I've repelled them both times. It cost a fair bit of magic points, but no major issues."
"I don't see why I need your help."
"You really think that?"
"...There's something this lady doesn't know. Is that it?"
"Bingo."
"What is it?"
"Their schemes won't end after just one or two tries."
They'd harass Reina Sordain dozens, maybe hundreds of times. Slowly, bit by bit, gnawing away at her.
"No matter how many times, I'll block them all. Do you think this lady can't handle it?"
"No. You can. You're strong."
Reina Sordain was strong. Objectively and subjectively.
If it was just the White Eagle squad—not full-fledged heroes—she could repel them endlessly. Hell, she could wipe them out.
"...That's unusually high praise coming from you."
She cleared her throat awkwardly and averted her gaze.
"But it won't be easy. They'll use the local barbarians around you."
"No matter how many gather, it doesn't matter."
"Sure, if you come down from the top and kill Gillian right away."
"Are you telling this lady to abandon the summit? I can't do that. Following the canon is only natural."
"You heard Jason's advice when you first descended, right?"
"That's different from this. A Demon King guarding the tower summit is explicitly stated in the canon."
But kidnapping high-ranking royalty was just a recommendation.
She'd try her best to follow it, but there was no reason to risk her life over it.
"...Fine, whatever."
Berge hadn't expected her to agree from the start anyway. As long as it made her cautious enough not to reach for Luize Berft, that was enough.
"But put off kidnapping Luize for now. You can't leave your tower empty at the moment."
"...If you're asking this earnestly, there must be something to it."
"White Eagle, huh..."
Reina pondered for a moment, then nodded.
"You wouldn't bring this up for no reason. This lady will take your advice."
"Smart choice!"
"You're far too pleased. Just what about this makes you so happy?"
"...It's sad when a fellow Demon King disappears. The opposite is cause for joy."
"I see."
"Oh, and one more thing."
"What else?"
"Even if you run low on magic points later, don't go begging Jason for any."
"...?"
The communication cut off, and Reina Sordain lingered in the afterglow for a while.
"...Not bad at all."
Being worried about by another Demon King. Part of her felt belittled by it, but since it was sincere, it didn't feel bad.
"But..."
What did he mean by not begging Jason?
"This lady's magic points will run low?"
"And so I'd beg Jason?"
Reina denied it, but she couldn't completely rule out the slim possibility.
If the White Eagles turned out to be a bigger headache than expected, as Berge said, and all her monsters died, leaving her in a bind—then asking Jason Cockmond for help wasn't impossible.
Among the Demon Kings, he was the only one with any surplus right now.
Back then, anyway.
"Jason might have killed Drakson. I can't owe a debt to someone that suspicious."
In other words, Berge Dayas was worrying unnecessarily.
Of course, he'd probably accounted for that too.
"Nina."
"Yes, Demon King."
At Reina's call, her adjutant waiting outside entered.
"Send out the demons to monitor the White Eagles' movements. Gather the monsters."
"You plan to deal with them before they enter the tower?"
"We'll watch for now."
"Understood."
Nina left.
"I should heed the sincere advice of an ally."
Reina rose from her seat.
Just before Berge contacted the Akan Kingdom—and Reina began suffering at the hands of the White Eagles—Vivian Blunt, who had failed to kidnap Luize Berft, returned to her own tower.
BAM!
A massive hole appeared in the first floor. The monsters trembled and huddled against the walls.
"My tail! My precious tail!"
Her rampage lasted another hour. Only after spending magic points to repair the utterly wrecked first floor did she huff and puff her way up to the fifth floor.
"Demon King."
"What?"
"A message from Demon King Jason. He asks that you contact him immediately upon arriving at the tower."
"Ha...!"
Vivian snorted derisively.
She knew exactly what he'd say.
"He's pissed I didn't listen to him?"
Making a fuss right after she got back.
Of course, she understood. Alein was no easy dimension, just as he'd warned. The 3,198 heroes, the guard hero protecting the princess's door—everything about this dimension was off.
But.
Precisely because of that.
Vivian had to kidnap Luize Berft even more. She was the only clue to the secret behind Drakson's death.
'I have to get out of this damned place.'
By principle, a Demon King who had descended once couldn't leave unless they conquered the dimension or died.
But all principles were ultimately enforced by those in power.
Having secured a promise from Alkain Daegong, Vivian had no choice but to cling to that deal even harder.
'Somehow, no matter what, I have to kidnap her.'
Time was running out. Having failed once, the humans would be furious. If one of those heroes like the one from Berft Kingdom came charging at her like a mad dog, she'd be dead.
She bit her nails and infused magic points into the communication orb. Immediately after, a mask of composure settled over her face.
"What is it?"
A calm word, and from the orb came a voice suppressing anger.
"Was it so hard to follow my advice?"
"...I don't have to follow your words. That's what advice is, isn't it?"
"Haha. Truly, truly amusing, Lady Vivian."
Jason adjusted his monocle.
"I was willing to let your failure to fulfill your mission slide. If there had been even a hint of remorse."
"Don't make me laugh. And if you don't let it slide, what then?"
"What could I possibly do to a fellow Demon King?"
Jason laughed. Vivian felt an inexplicable chill.
"Not until now, anyway."
"From now on, I plan to do nothing."
"Yes. That's all."
"...What nonsense is that?"
"Just mumbling to myself. Nothing for you to know or understand, Lady Vivian."
The connection cut off unilaterally.
"That son of a—!"
Vivian spat curses.
"Do nothing? What the hell has he been doing until now?"
She mulled over Jason's words to grasp their meaning. And then she understood.
A few days later.
"Demon King! Heroes have invaded the tower!"
The heroes had found her tower.
"Tower Harmony, huh. Has it already been that long?"
Ugar Belbek received Jason's call.
"In a month?"
"Yes. It's your turn. It's already quite delayed, but circumstances prevent opening it right now."
Tower Harmony was an annual gathering, rotating among the Demon Kings' towers.
But this time, the one-year interval hadn't been kept. Incidents kept erupting ever since Berge descended.
'Tower Harmony.'
Until now, he'd had no doubts about it.
In his eyes, Jason had worked harder than anyone for the Demon Kings. Without him, Ugar wouldn't be where he was.
Tower Harmony had evolved from that spirit. It wasn't always useful, but the info exchange had been genuinely helpful.
But.
Doubts were creeping in. No matter how he thought about it, Jason was the only one who could have killed Drakson.
"...Do we really need to hold Tower Harmony right now? Delaying it might be better."
Perhaps sensing his hesitation, Jason sighed.
"There's no reason not to."
"I know there's suspicion toward me from you, Lady Reina, and Lord Berge."
"But I absolutely did not kill Lord Drakson."
"...But a high demon."
"Are you certain it was truly a high demon?"
"Do you have clear evidence?"
No.
It was just Drakson's claim. He'd searched the tower records to prove it but failed.
"But for Drakson to go that far means he had some conviction."
"I have conviction too. That I didn't do it. That I had no involvement in his death. That I had no reason to."
"That's why I wanted to review the tower records as well."
"To put an end to your suspicions and Lady Reina's."
"Unfortunately, that's no longer possible..."
Jason hesitated briefly before speaking again.
"Will you come to my tower?"
"...Suddenly?"
"I've spared no effort in conquering this dimension so far. I wanted to do it together with Lord Drakson, Lady Reina, and you. Do you really think I would kill him?"
That was a question Ugar had pondered too.
Without Jason, the current Demon Kings wouldn't exist. Why would he kill Drakson?
"I swear on the great Mahwang and the canon—I did not kill Lord Drakson."
"If you come to the tower, I'll show you proof that I didn't. Proof that I had no reason to."
"...I'll go."
Aware of the gravity of swearing on the Mahwang and the canon, Ugar stepped into the rift leading to Jason's tower to resolve this doubt.
The End of 079. Planning to Do Nothing