Chapter 180: Acknowledgment
Haha.
Hahaha.
Hahahaha.
“Isn’t it just so, so amusing, Lady Aina.”
“....”
Aina Sermyun could not readily answer. Just by standing beside him, she could keenly feel how furious the lord she served was.
“I must acknowledge it. I truly must acknowledge it. That Demon King, Berje Deias, was greater than this Jason Kokemundo!”
“Compared to the Demon King....”
“No. How dare I compare Lord Berje to something like myself.”
He laughed self-deprecatingly.
“I lacked the nerve to wage an all-out war against the Empire. I did not have the courage to make the entire continent unite, nor the heart to kill hundreds of heroes with traps and, when everyone fell into panic, kidnap the Empire’s First Prince to worsen the situation even further!”
His voice gradually rose. Twisted rage shattered the mask.
“Because I knew how foolish that was! I knew what happened a hundred years ago and what became of the Demon Kings! I had experienced what consequences such stupidity, for the sake of momentary exhilaration, would bring!”
That was why he endured. He was cautious, again and again.
He placated the Demon Kings and made coexistence with humans possible, enduring until now.
The relationships and forces he had secretly built up were steadily encroaching upon the continent, and if only he had been given enough time, he was confident he could have embraced Arein within the Demon Realm.
“But then this! That damned Demon Dragon bastard!”
A single loach ruined everything.
The atmosphere of coexistence with the Demon Kings that he had painstakingly built completely vanished.
Voices calling for the subjugation of all Demon Kings began to surface frequently.
The carefully cultivated liaison was kidnapped.
This was bad.
“I should have dealt with it sooner. I should have killed him long ago!”
When he first kidnapped the Crown Princess of the Kingdom of Hilderan—no, even when he learned that the tower had been hidden in violation of The Demon King’s Standard.
Thinking that they were more reasonable than the stubborn Demon Kings, he had reached out first, only to realize it would become his regret for all eternity.
“It is not too late yet.”
“...That is right.”
Hoo. With a short sigh, Jason retrieved his mask once more.
“It is not, not over yet. Even though hundreds of heroes were killed by Lord Berje, even though he astonishingly regained his strength in barely over two years.”
“Demon King.”
“If we stir public opinion and slightly change the direction of their rage, making it focus entirely on Lord Berje. We can use the Empire to push him from behind, meddle with the Hero Guild as well, and tell the dwarves that it was Lord Berje who kidnapped the princess and the royal craftsmen....”
“Is that acceptable? A great deal of Demonic Points are already flowing toward him. If we fail to stop it in time, it will only end up strengthening him.”
“Even so, we cannot allow humans to vent their anger on me and the other Demon Kings in place of the Demon King of Dark Flame.”
Therefore, there could be no further failures.
“He must die. Without fail, he must die.”
“But we still do not know the location of the tower.”
“That is right. That is the problem.”
──!
Jason hurled the glass. Shattered fragments flew in all directions.
Aina, accustomed to it, cleared away the shards and brought a new glass, pouring wine into it. It was repeated twice, then three times.
Only after breaking two more glasses did Jason regain his composure.
“Did the investigation team sent to Ergest yield no results at all?”
“I apologize.”
“What does Lady Aina have to apologize for? It only means that Lord Berje hid the tower that well.”
Just how he managed to hide the tower, he did not know.
“Could it be that those illustrious Demon Dragons possess some special authority to manipulate towers?”
“I believe it is not entirely impossible. Even the First Demon Emperor....”
“He was a Demon Dragon. Yes, I know.”
The corner of Jason’s mouth twisted.
“But that is, at most, a small possibility. This is not the first time a Demon Dragonkin has become a Demon King and descended, so I would rather place greater emphasis on Lord Berje being special.”
“Yes.”
“I will somehow handle the tower. So gather all the shadows. If they resume activity and get noticed by humans again, the problem will only grow larger.”
“Yes. However, when you say you will handle it yourself....”
“It will be exactly what Lady Aina is guessing.”
“That is...! That is not a good method.”
“The time to argue over good or bad has passed. What remains is the worst and the lesser evil. Already, human fear and anger are concentrated on Lord Berje.”
Already, far too much demonic energy had converged on Berje.
The reason he had deliberately intended it that way was simple. He thought Berje would die soon.
Knowing that a brief surge of Demonic Points gained from the rage of the entire continent could not fend off an alliance, he had merely allowed him a final sweet dream.
Yet who could have imagined it would turn out like this.
Jason reproached his own complacency.
“...Even so, the Archduke will not end it easily. He will seize a weakness and exploit it again and again.”
“I know.”
But.
“We are not the only ones holding weaknesses.”
“...Yes. I will trust you, Demon King.”
“Yes, do so. Ah, by the way, how is the condition of that wolf who exposed me to Berje and caused me trouble?”
“She is still holding out.”
“Tough, isn’t she. Test her for just one more week, and if she endures, release her.”
“Would it not be better to simply kill her? If we are being precise, was it not her carelessness that caused the Demon King Berje to go berserk? She is a useless wench who could not even properly carry out her mission.”
“That is that, and this is this. If something can be used, it should be used. That wolf will become a very good blade.”
By informing her of the true culprit who killed the Beast Demon King.
“Because there is nothing more heartfelt and profound than rage and hatred over loyalty that could not be upheld. For the sake of revenge, she will do anything.”
“...Are you saying that Demon King Berje killed Demon King Draxon?”
“Ah, I did not tell you. More precisely, he was somewhat involved and intended the direction. That would be accurate. But what does that matter? What matters is making the wolf think the way I want her to.”
Jason smiled faintly.
Some time later, Aina left the office. Jason took out a crystal orb that had been carefully stored away.
Compared to the others, it was far larger and suffused with dense demonic energy.
“I would have preferred not to use this method, if possible.”
Lord Berje. I will make you pay this price without fail.
He infused demonic energy. The tower shook. It pierced through dimensional space and reached even a higher dimension.
After a long while, a response came.
“It has been a while since I last greeted you, Archduke Arkaine.”
『What is this, all of a sudden?』
“I have a favor I wish to ask of you, Archduke.”
『For you to ask me a favor.... What is it?』
“I wish to know the locations of the other Demon Kings’ towers.”
The vampire beyond the crystal orb frowned.
『No matter how I look at it....』
『It sounds like nothing other than you aiming for another Demon King.』
“That is correct. I will kill the Demon King, Berje Deias.”
『You are insane.』
『Conflict among Demon Kings is forbidden. No matter how much you....』
“It was Lord Berje who killed Draxon Doldov.”
『...!』
『Is that truly so?』
“Had you not already roughly guessed as much?”
『And knowing that, you report it now?』
“I would prefer that neither of us overcomplicate things. Should we not, for now, punish the outrageous one who murdered his own kin?”
For a while, no reply came.
『You do have solid proof, I assume?』
“Of course.”
『Very well. I permit it.』
“Yes. And please ensure that the new Demon King is strong and someone who works well with me.”
『What are you talking about?』
“Is there not one vacant seat among the Demon Kings? So....”
『So what nonsense is that? Since Draxon’s death, there has been no tower summoned to the Demon Realm.』
“...!”
* * *
“...Hmm.”
When he opened his eyes, all he saw was pitch-black darkness.
It was damp, foul-smelling, and filthy. His brow furrowed involuntarily.
Clank—
His arms and legs would not move. Massive chains restrained his limbs. Even when he tried to draw up mana, it would not respond.
“You’re awake?”
At the unfamiliar women’s voices, he flinched.
“Who are you.”
“I’m Natalia Iasince. And you?”
“...The kidnapped princess of Iasince, I see.”
“And you?”
“I do not know.”
Rufus crushed his parched lips. Being kidnapped as the Empire’s First Prince was a humiliation to him.
He had no mood to laugh and exchange pleasantries with some princess of Iasince.
“Where is this? The tower’s prison?”
“You do not answer, yet you seem to have things you want to know.”
“Answer me.”
“That’s right. This is the prison of the Tower of Dark Flame.”
The answer came from another direction.
Only then did Rufus realize that Natalia was not the only one here.
As his eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, his vision brightened slightly. Amidst it, countless pupils were blinking.
“...There are many.”
“That’s because the Demon King of Dark Flame kidnapped many. They are the princesses of Ormus, Gaina, Hessen, and Karmenia.”
There were many kingdoms. But something felt strange.
“What about Zespine?”
Kaede was not there. His sister, who had been kidnapped by a Demon King long ago.
“That damned bitch is up above.”
“Above? Is the prison structured in multiple levels?”
“Higher than the prison.”
“That’s just the tower.”
“Yes. The tower. Kaede Zespine became the Demon King’s lackey and is living as a member of the tower.”
“...What?”
He could not believe it.
Kaede Zespine, his half-sister, was not someone he had ever been close to or regarded with familial affection.
However, he had encountered her many times as one of the imperial royals supporting Martin, and he had never been lax in his vigilance toward her.
That a rigid human who prided herself on being a righteous knight had become a Demon King’s dog?
“That cannot be.”
“What do you mean, it cannot be? Not only Kaede Zespine, but that dwarf bitch Louise Berfht is there too.”
“Louise? Then was it truly Dark Flame, not Lust, who kidnapped the dwarves!”
Such rumors had circulated subtly. He had thought they were mere doubts—but it was true.
‘Jason, you damned bastard!’
There was no way Jason did not know this. That bastard had deceived him. He knew it—trusting a Demon King was never right.
No, that was not what mattered now.
“Kaede being the Demon King’s lackey—was that really true?”
“Have you been living deceived all this time?”
“Judging by your reaction, you must be an imperial prince. We sisters saw it with our own eyes. She was being called something like one of the Four Heavenly Kings—a ridiculous name, really.”
“My heavens....”
One of the Four Heavenly Kings was not a demon, but Kaede?
Rufus panicked.
* * *
“Is it uncomfortable?”
“Not particularly.”
They were siblings, yet worse than strangers. The First Prince regarded her as a rival coveting power, and indeed she had supported the Third Prince rather than the First.
“It is simply fascinating to see a human who was always so lofty and arrogant reduced to that state. Still, I never imagined you would kidnap Rufus, Elder Brother.”
“He is connected to the one humans call the False Demon King, Jason. As I said before, this is a war between Jason and me, and by kidnapping him, I sever the greatest link.”
“I was surprised. I never imagined there were this many who joined hands with Demon Kings.”
“It has been a full hundred years. If Demon Kings did nothing and behaved quietly for a hundred years, that would be stranger.”
“That is true.”
Kaede silently lowered her head. She did not speak, but a subtle discomfort could be felt.
Well, of course. She had realized that the one with the highest chance of becoming the Empire’s emperor was a Demon King’s pawn.
She probably wanted to lash out in anger, but she herself was also a pawn of a Demon King, and she had even turned the Third Prince into one as well, leaving her with mixed feelings.
“With this, the Third Prince’s chances of becoming emperor have increased.”
With the strongest rival gone, a three-way contest had turned into a two-way one.
“Do you intend to keep Elder Brother captive?”
“Probably. At least until the succession to the throne is decided.”
For him, going to Martin after Martin had already become emperor would be worse than death.
Considering the suffering of his past life caused by the First Prince, this was still merciful.
“Then may I entrust Elder Brother’s treatment to myself?”
“...What are you planning to do?”
Was the faint sense of killing intent just his imagination?
“I do not have many good memories of Elder Brother Rufus. I nearly died several times.”
“....”
Was that complicated look not something else, but her restraining killing intent?
“You must not kill him.”
“I will not even hit him. I do not wish to become the same kind of human.”
“Then?”
“I will only have a few conversations with him.”
Crushing someone with words alone.
“...Would you like some chocolate?”
“Thank you.”
Her expression relaxed a little.
Yes, that was finally the Kaede he knew.
He felt relieved.