THE EXISTENCE CALLED A GOD
"A god?"
A god, he says.
The words were so absurd that Berze couldn't even muster a hollow laugh.
"Do the humans of Arein believe in something like that?"
But Hillen was serious.
『There are rumors circulating among the nobles. They didn't arise for no reason.』
"There are really people who believe in a god?"
『No one in Arein worships a god.』
There is magic, there is aura. There is mana, there are spirits. What the believers of gods call miracles required not faith, but effort and talent.
No one had ever proven the existence of a god. There was no such thing as divine power.
In Arein, gods had naturally faded away.
『But there are those who worship someone as if he were a god.』
『A "human" who calls himself a god.』
"A mere human claiming to be a god is laughable enough, but the fact that there are idiots who believe it is even more shocking."
And the fact that he had once lost to such trash and died…
"Who is it?"
『The hero who killed two demon kings.』
"I didn't think you were that insane. Did you lose your mind after getting beaten by Reina?"
『…To be accurate, the hero from about 500 years ago.』
Arein had devoured dozens of demon kings over the course of a thousand years. A hero who killed two demon kings, while rare, wasn't unheard of.
Hillen Cargill now was such a one, and if he traced back a thousand years, there were roughly three.
『Daniel Deirus.』
『Around 500 years ago, he killed two demon kings and obtained tremendous power. None in the world were stronger, and he gradually grew arrogant. He believed himself greater than kings and emperors.』
"The kingdom and the empire wouldn't have tolerated that."
『Circumstances favored him. At the time, the continent was engulfed in war. A blaze sparked by the empire's expansion swept across the entire continent, increasing the number of those who suffered.』
When humans struggle, they look for something to cling to.
But it wasn't the state. To its people, the state was an evil that committed exploitation, plunder, and forced conscription.
『That was when Daniel Deirus appeared. He helped people, building his fame. More and more came to follow him.』
『By the time the decades-long war began to die down, his influence had grown uncontrollably large.』
"And then?"
『But he was still, in the end, only a hero, and kings and emperors would not permit his existence.』
『They heaped countless crimes upon him, branding him a traitor who had turned to the demon king.』
"Interesting."
『As the atmosphere shifted toward another outbreak of war, he wiped out the entire pursuit force sent by the allied kingdoms to capture him—and then he declared:』
『He would kill the third demon king and prove his greatness.』
『If he returned after slaying the demon king, they were to worship him—someone the world had never seen before and would never see again.』
"The kings allowed that?"
『He offered conditions. He would climb the tower alone.』
A hero can never climb the tower alone and kill a demon king.
The personal strength of a hero has limits.
This was true 500 years ago and remains true now.
"What was the result?"
『The demon king's tower collapsed.』
"He succeeded?"
『But all traces of Daniel Deirus vanished.』
"Mutual destruction, then."
『Most people assumed he died. But his followers thought differently.』
『They claimed he killed the third demon king and finally obtained divine authority, ascending to the heavens. That he would one day descend again to save them.』
When the story reached that point, Berze burst out laughing.
"He became a god because he killed three demon kings?"
If that were the case, the Demon Emperor would already be an unrivaled god.
So would the Grand Dukes.
"So there are idiots who still can't forget a hero who died 500 years ago."
『That is the summary.』
『Their madness crossed boundaries and caused great disorder. There were multiple purges, and the last was 110 years ago. We thought none remained.』
"Fine. I'll keep it in mind."
『Yes.』
"How about the Border Marquisate?"
『Not bad. At the very least, if it benefits both sides, they are now more likely to cooperate.』
"That really is not bad."
『Yes, truly not bad.』
The demon king and the hero exchanged faint smiles. Soon after, the communication cut off.
'Fanatics, huh.'
They weren't exactly claiming a real god, but to think such rumors circulated in the southern Empire.
'There are signs they intervened in the battle between the Alliance and the Empire?'
Did Jayson use them to ignite a war between the Empire and the Alliance?
'I didn't find any humans who seemed suspicious, though…'
He had no idea that the nonsense he had blurted out in irritation was rolling into a butterfly effect.
'Enough. My mood has improved somewhat.'
His thoughts returned to the hero worshiped as a god.
'So there was once almost a hero who killed three demon kings.'
A story that could never be ignored.
If something happened once, there was no guarantee it would not happen twice.
And no matter that it was his tower…
Even if the mana saturation of the first floor and the princesses' attacks came first…
Would he really—
'Could I defeat a hero who killed three demon kings right now?'
If he were in the Demon Realm, the question would be meaningless.
He was confident he would lose to no one. But weakened by dimensional interference, things were different.
Aside from Vivian, he couldn't defeat any of the other demon kings.
A handful of humans calling themselves "stars" would force him to worry for his life.
In the end, it all came back to individual power.
The one who would remain at the end and face the hero in a decisive battle was Berze himself. If he was weak, nothing else mattered, no matter how much he raised the others.
'Balrog wasn't the real problem.'
He didn't need to worry about the tower being invaded for a while. Conversely, he never knew when he himself would have to roam outside again.
Therefore—
At least until he deemed it enough—
'I have to release the interference.'
[5135110pt]
He poured all of his demonic energy points—
[0pt]
Into releasing dimensional interference.
***
"…The power."
Gordon, who had been receiving reports from the elves successfully embedded in the Acan Kingdom, clenched his fist.
His personal state had not changed much. But the sensation was like having hundreds of weights attached to his body—and several had just fallen off.
'Don't tell me…?'
Dimensional interference is undone using the tower's power.
All demons belonging to the tower are affected together.
In other words, releasing dimensional interference applies not only to the demon king himself but to all demons and monsters under him.
'Some of the interference has been lifted.'
Not all, but compared to the whole, though small, it was by no means insignificant.
For Gordon, it was the greatest sense of liberation he had felt since descending.
The exhilaration made him smile without meaning to.
'To think that regaining something I originally had would feel this good.'
Dimensional interference affects extradimensional power.
Demons and monsters are affected, but in principle, what is restrained is magi itself.
Dimensional interference suppresses magi. It is a simple suppression of energy, but magi is what moves all demons and monsters. The suppression of magi directly results in suppression of the body.
For that to be even partially loosened meant that magi could flow more freely, and the pressure accumulating in the body decreased.
'I thought he was too busy making use of the princesses, elves, and dwarves to care about releasing dimensional interference…'
Even with all his logic and schemes, the demon king was still a demon. And demons were a race that could not tolerate weakness.
『Gordon, come to my office.』
At that moment, the demon king summoned him.
"You called?"
"You felt it, didn't you?"
"Yes. It feels a little more like the Demon Realm now."
"From now on, I intend to use all magi points solely to release dimensional interference."
"Truly? Then the tower…"
"That doesn't mean I'll do nothing. I simply won't be using magi points."
"...."
A sinking sense of dread washed over him. Things never ended well when the mood began like this.
"I've been thinking. How can we make humans and heroes suffer greater failures and despair? How do we prevent them from growing?"
The truth was—no matter how weak a monster was, its death provided at least some help to a hero's growth.
Strong monsters were the same. At first their unexpected power would surprise the intruders, but eventually they would be hunted. That was the human strategy that had never changed.
"Is there a method?"
"Don't let them kill anything. More precisely, give them nothing to kill. No demons, no demonic beasts, not even monsters. We won't deploy anything."
"...."
'Why not just open the doors wide, roll out a carpet, and welcome them in?'
Perhaps thanks to long experience, he managed not to say it aloud.
"Your eyes were strange just now."
"…Ah, nothing. Then what will you place in the empty floors?"
"Traps, of course. We have Logar, the golem artificer, and even Lavinia, who despite being human is well-versed in magi. We'll use them to fill the 2nd and 3rd floors with traps."
Not normal things that cost magi points—but something original, something far more malicious.
"For example, we could lower the temperature itself, forcing humans to take constant damage while wandering a maze without an exit. Humans are peculiar creatures—if a path exists, they insist on following it. They'll wander endlessly, not realizing there is no exit, and freeze to death. Quite a sight, really."
Well, eventually they would break through the walls anyway.
"But what if we layer an illusion field on top of that, making them perceive each other as enemies? Heroes might endure, but the humans weakened by the cold would suffer greatly."
"So you are saying…"
"You will take the lead in designing it. On the second floor."
"…Cold alone has limits. The same goes for mental magic. Heroes' parties always come equipped with gear that grants high magic resistance. Unless you and I were incubus-type demons, it wouldn't really penetrate…"
"That's why you have to make it penetrate."
"Do you have a good method?"
"That is what you will begin thinking about now."
"...."
"I only gave you the broad outline. Adding flesh to it is your job. What use is a lieutenant if the demon king has to do everything himself?"
It was so logically sound he couldn't even argue.
"Even if I improve it into a more complete design, without magi points or the tower's support, it will be impossible."
Because mental-type magic was involved.
"At the very least, reach the stage before that, then complain if you must."
"…I will do my best."
"I don't like effort. I like results."
"I'll deliver results."
"Same thing."
"…May I ask just one question?"
"Ask."
"I agree with your intention to prevent heroes from gaining anything. But protecting the tower is only one phase of the whole plan."
A demon king builds a tower, guards it, and accumulates power.
And when the time comes, he conquers dimensions.
That was the strategy of the Demon Realm and its demon kings.
"But under your plan, they gain nothing—but neither do we."
"Why do you think we gain nothing?"
"…You mean we do gain something?"
"I intend to take the monsters of the mountain range as my vassals."
"You said before you weren't going to do that."
"I had no intention of wasting magi on ordinary monsters. But what if we turned them all into chimeras?"
"…Lavinia Acan. You mean that princess of Acan?"
"Yes."
Gordon wanted to protest—how could they trust some human princess—but he couldn't say it.
"Attaching a succubus queen's tail to a titan… even demons well-versed in magic would struggle with something like that."
"Demons in the Demon Realm have no interest in chimeras."
Because demons, by nature, killed and devoured each other to absorb strength. They didn't need chimeras.
But here, things were different. This world did not overflow with demons and demonic beasts as the Demon Realm did. They had no luxury to devour one another.
"When the heroes come, they will gain nothing. And one by one, we will take the mountain monsters as vassals and begin modifying them into chimeras."
"If that works, it is indeed an excellent method…"
"You're wondering if the princess will do it?"
"Yes."
"She said she would."
"…Are you sure you're not an incubus rather than a demon dragon?"
"Don't spout nonsense."
"If that's not it, then why do the hero, the elves, and now the princesses keep lining up to—"
Then it happened.
Vrrrrrrm—
A vibration rumbled from within Berze's coat.
A faint chill escaped, cooling the office heated by demonic energy.
"…Is that Demon King Reina?"
"Keep out of sight."
"Yes, sir."
Berze injected magi into the communicator.
"What's the matter?"
『So this is your office.』
Without any greeting, Reina inspected the scene visible through the communicator.
"Yes."
『This time.』
"What?"
The coldness in her tone startled Berze. He forced himself to maintain composure.
"What do you mean?"
『You.』
"Yes."
『Do you have nothing to say to me?』
"Nothing to say?"
『I formed an alliance with you.』
『And I believe trust is important between allies.』
『Even if demons tend toward individualism, that fact does not change. If you intended to live alone, you should have rejected my proposal from the start.』
Berze tapped his fingers on the desk.
His mind raced.
What is this? What did I do?
The clues were hidden in her words:
Office. This time. Alliance. Trust.
…Did she catch me?
Saving Hillen Cargill in the snowfield?
His heart dropped.
Reina's eyes through the communicator were icy sharp—like she was staring down an enemy, faint anger seeping through.
No… no.
If she had discovered he interfered with her business by saving Hillen, or that he trespassed into a demon king's territory, she wouldn't be speaking like this.
This felt more like… she was giving him one more chance.
Then…
He had been caught—but not for that.
The communicator.
He had contacted her from the snowfield… but claimed it was Ergest. Fortunately, that region was not Reina's territory.
Then what must he do now?
"…I'm sorry."
『For what?』
"When we talked through the communicator, I wasn't in Ergest."
『You were in the snowfield.』
"But it wasn't your territory. That's why I didn't mention it. Even if it wasn't, it still wasn't something pleasant to say. I wasn't trying to deceive you for any purpose."
『To save a monster?』
"Yes."
He nodded without even listening to what she was actually asking.
『…So it was the snowfield.』
"…What?"
What did she just—
No way…
Had he just—fallen straight into the most amateur trap?
You utter fool…!
A stupid mistake made because he panicked. Berze's face turned pale.
Reina Sordein didn't respond immediately, which made it worse.
What in the world have you been doing out there, my lord!?
Gordon screamed silently from the shadows.
Time passed. One second felt like an hour.
『Good.』
"Good?"
『…Honestly, I was wondering what to do if you lied to the end.』
『Once trust breaks, it cannot be repaired.』
Especially between demons.
『But you did not. That is fortunate.』
…So I passed?
He exhaled in relief. It felt like he went to heaven and back to hell in a single moment.
『I will invite you.』
"Suddenly?"
『The reason you came to the snowfield. I will give you what you wanted.』
The communication ended.
"…?"
"…?"
Berze and Gordon looked at each other, equally confused.
"Did Hillen Cargill get captured by Demon King Reina?"
"Who do you think knows—me or you?"
…What was that supposed to mean?
Berze first checked on Hillen's condition.
Fortunately, he was unharmed.
***
"…I will apologize for what happened earlier."
Reina Sordein said nothing. After a moment of hesitation, Berze spoke first.
"No matter that it wasn't your territory, coming near without informing you was clearly my mistake."
Still no answer. The atmosphere grew colder. The chill of the snowfield seeped into his neck.
Damn it.
He needed to smooth this over somehow, but no good ideas came to mind.
Then Reina opened a drawer, pulled out a candy, and held it out. He took it and slipped it loosely into his coat.
"That part doesn't particularly matter."
"It doesn't?"
"If you had lied to the end, then it would have mattered. But you didn't."
Reina rolled a candy in her mouth. A sweet cherry scent drifted through the air.
"A demon king saving a monster isn't unusual. Ergest is a land of perpetual snow—only the snowfield resembles that environment. I understand you. It annoys me that you didn't tell the truth from the start, but… you didn't hide it until the very end."
"…Thank you."
Berze let out a sigh of relief. His heart, which had nearly dropped, began to beat again.
"So, did you find a monster you liked?"
"I stayed around the outskirts to avoid entering your territory, so… not really."
"I figured as much. I told you I'd give you what you were looking for."
"Don't tell me…"
"Did you see the monsters outside?"
"I did."
When he arrived at the first floor, at the entrance to the tower, hundreds of monsters had been arranged as if welcoming Berze.
"I will give them all to you."
"…Truly? Why so suddenly?"
The more monsters he had to turn into chimeras, the better. It was an appealing proposal—but far too abrupt.
"Because that is what you want. If you went so far as to come near my territory, it must be urgent for you."
"Well, that's true but…"
"So I'm giving them to you. As allies, this is only natural."
"…In that case, I gratefully accept."
"However."
She added a condition.
"You must give me something equivalent in return."
"That means it's not really a gift."
"My heart would rather give it freely. But unbalanced relationships collapse quickly. If something goes, something must come."
"I don't think one-sided things are always bad."
"What an amusing joke."
Berze considered it.
He did need monsters, but there was no urgency. He could slowly take Ergest's monsters one by one and turn them into vassals.
There was no need to pay Reina anything equivalent just to get them now.
But this was Reina offering goodwill as an ally.
The meaning lay beyond the contents themselves.
The monsters are just an excuse.
She simply wanted to reinforce the trust between them, which had nearly cracked.
"What do you want?"
"What do you think I would want?"
"Well…"
If this had been a short while ago, she might have wanted direct help.
But Gillian Aint and the White Fangs had been defeated, and the northern tribes had tucked their tails like frightened dogs.
And the Border Marquis of Chernian had decided to avoid further disorder.
Wait.
Would Reina Sordein know that?
Berze had heard the marquis's plans from Hillen Cargill.
And he had never publicized that information. Given Reina's lack of interest in the human world, she almost certainly didn't know.
"I'll tell you the situation in the imperial north."
"The northern situation?"
"The war hasn't officially ended yet, has it?"
"That's laughable. As if humans and we would ever end a war by formal agreement."
"Which is precisely why you need to know how they intend to move."
"You receive that from Jayson, don't you? That wouldn't be your accomplishment."
Berze did not bother correcting her assumptions.
"Then what is it that you want?"
"Ugar."
"Ugar?"
"Recently Ugar contacted me. And then, out of nowhere, he said something strange."
"What did he say?"
"'Jayson is not the culprit. Please believe me.'"
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
"I do not know. He cut off contact afterward. I wanted to ask again, but the situation being what it was, I forgot."
"And you want me to look into it?"
"Not very difficult, is it? In exchange for several hundred monsters, I think the price is quite cheap."
"…Fine."
He said Jayson isn't the culprit?
What had he seen? What had he heard to say such a thing?
Ugar may be a cowardly idiot, but he doesn't make things up…
Don't tell me he found out I'm the culprit?
Damn it—feels like I'm walking on a blade's edge.
"I'll count on you."
"Sure."
Berze grasped the hand she extended. Despite the cold aura she always emitted, her hand was warm.
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