Advice
"I can't believe it."
Even with the Demon King personally trying to persuade his adjutant, Gordon refused to accept reality.
"The canon is never wrong. No matter how the situation changes, it is always absolute."
That's why it's the canon. And yet—
"Even if they're Heroes, how could mere humans create a canon to oppose ours?"
"They don't call it a canon outright. But it spreads quietly, like an unspoken rule."
"You seem well-informed for someone new to Arein. Are all first seats like that?"
I barely suppressed the heat rising in me and asked back.
"Then why haven't you conquered Arein yet?"
"That's because the Demon Kings dispatched in the past simply lacked ability."
Yes—that's the other reason the canon has persisted so stubbornly.
The law of the strong.
A simple logic: if you fail and get weeded out, it's not because the opponent is strong—it's because the loser was a weak, pathetic fool.
I only escaped that mindset after living through it—after dying. I never expected to convince him in one go; in my previous life, no one worshiped the canon more fervently than I did.
If this reduces his annoying objections even a little, that's enough. For now.
"All those dozens of Demon Kings who died here, you think they were all like that?"
"…"
Gordon shut his mouth tightly.
Having successfully sunk his fierce resistance, I looked around the tower.
Its structure was simple: a basement prison to confine princes, princesses, or hostages. Then empty floors from the 1st to the 4th. And finally, the 5th floor reserved for the Demon King.
The red carpet rolled out luxuriously and the throne raised upon a dais—meant as courtesy, to greet the Hero with more grandeur.
But in my eyes, it looked like nothing more than a slightly fancier execution platform.
I entered the office behind the throne. A modest desk, chair, and several communication orbs sat within.
Vrrrr—
One of the orbs immediately started to hum, as if it had been waiting.
"…Greetings. This is Gordon, adjutant to Demon King Berze."
Gordon hurried to answer it.
『Connected properly. I am Casey, adjutant to Lord Draxon. I'm here to convey Lord Draxon's wish to hold a welcome banquet for the newly assigned Demon King to our dimension.』
Ah, right.
'I almost forgot.'
To survive in Arein's bizarre environment, Demon Kings changed. They overcame their individualism, formed gatherings, and invited new recruits to banquets to force them into the circle.
They wanted obedient juniors in the little society they created.
Put bluntly—
It was Arein's signature hazing ritual.
'How annoying.'
A sigh escaped me.
"Goodness… Demon Kings gather together?"
The contact was so contrary to normal demon nature that Gordon's pupils trembled.
"Don't worry. I don't intend to mingle with them. Canon aside, I'll be the noble Demon King you want."
"…Is it that you won't, or that you can't? Considering you're already rumored to be a rebel."
Even in his confusion, he struck the core precisely.
He's at least competent in that regard.
'In my previous life, the summons came a week later.'
For it to come this quickly—
'It means there's already a problem.'
Seems they dislike having a rebel like me far more than I expected.
The Beast Tower.
Humans of Arein give each Demon King's tower a name, based on their nature and actions.
Draxon, the one who invited me, was called the "Beast Demon King"—because he was a beast through and through.
In behavior and in appearance.
Grrr—
From the moment I stepped into the tower, the beast's scent filled my senses.
Rancid stench. Muggy heaviness. Wildness and madness.
None of it pleasant. And mixed among it, blatant hostility.
I hadn't taken more than ten steps from the entrance before nausea rose.
I did not endure what I didn't need to endure.
"Keep rolling your eyes at me like that and you'll never see forward again, you half-witted excuses for sentient beings."
Yelp— The weakest creatures filling the first floor of the tower shoved their heads to the ground.
The same scene repeated on the second and third floors. Their blatant, theatrical posturing made me laugh.
Some things never change.
"So you're beasts not only in appearance but also in mind?"
"…This is Demon King Draxon's tower."
"No need to be polite to someone being rude."
"That's true. Even if he's a new Demon King, this is going too far after inviting him."
A faint anger tinged Gordon's voice.
Of course. No matter how stubborn an idiot he might be, an adjutant can't sit quietly while his lord is insulted.
"Don't step in. I'll handle it."
"…Understood."
We continued upward. Up to the 5th floor, it was tolerable. They still stared with insolent eyes, but a hint of killing intent shut them up quickly.
But the 6th floor was different.
Lycanthropes. Superficially similar to beastkin—half-man, half-beast—but unlike beastkin, who can become fully beast or fully human, these pests could be neither.
They didn't hide their fangs even at my warning. They didn't hide their hostility.
They were dogs faithfully following commands from someone above.
Seeing them tremble only halfway, unable to even hide their shaking legs, made me chuckle.
"So loyal."
But since their loyalty wasn't directed at me, I saw no need to respect it.
Screeeech—!
A lycanthrope screamed, grabbed its face, and collapsed, beast blood pooling beneath it.
I tossed its removed eye.
"I wasn't planning to cause trouble in another Demon King's tower, but if they insist on giving me a reason, I see no reason not to accept."
If you're underestimated, you're used. If you're underestimated, you're eaten. If you're easy, they bare their fangs.
That is the Demon Realm and its demons.
"Don't you agree?"
I turned my head. From among the lycanthropes, a massive beast rose.
He caught the eye I'd thrown toward him.
"Indeed."
Splat—
Vile fluid dripped down his gray fur.
"You crushed the other trainees and took first seat, they say. Truly impressive."
"Is this how beasts treat their guests?"
"I'd say personally coming to greet you is enough courtesy."
"Not simply impatient, then?"
"That too. I couldn't wait to meet the famous trash in person."
"I felt the same. I heard that Demon Kings—of all things—had grown so scared they were holding hands like worms. Naturally, I got curious."
"Haha… Of course. No wonder Duke Arcine told me to keep an eye on you."
"You think something like that would make blood shoot from my eyes?"
"It might—from yours."
He growled. The explosive killing intent made Gordon shrink. I pulled him behind my back and sneered.
"I wonder what gives you the confidence to act this arrogant."
"Because you've never been the top student."
"Because you're a canon-mocking, rebellious piece of trash."
"Funny how important the canon is to you, yet your Demon King pride seems to have been tossed out the window."
The killing intent grew thicker—sticky, oppressive, pressing against the skin.
I pinched my nose and frowned.
"Mind cleaning your breath? I'm sensitive."
"Right, a fool who dared mock the canon at graduation should at least have this much backbone."
"Seems this conversation will drag on. And here I thought they'd at least offer tea when hosting a discussion."
Draxon signaled with his eyes to the beast behind him.The beast returned carrying a large hunk of meat and held it out to me.
"Remarkable. You people drink your meat?"
"We consume nothing but flesh and blood."
"How uncivilized."
I noticed a document tucked together with the meat.
"Pretending to be refined doesn't suit you."
"Shut up and read."
Shrrrk—
A formal letter made of Demon Realm paper unfolded. Draxon muttered the contents.
"Message from His Excellency, Duke Arcine.Demon King Berze Deias is ordered, under the decree of the great canon, to kidnap a prince or princess within one month and report the results."
"If he fails to fulfill the order, the system authority of the tower granted to Demon King Berze Deias will be revoked."
…Ha.The jaw I'd been about to bite meat with closed. My appetite vanished.
So because they think I won't obey, they're forcing it on me outright?
Even to the point of pressuring me through another Demon King?
Smack—
I threw the hunk of meat to the ground and crushed it underfoot.
"I appreciate the hospitality, but my palate is too refined for this garbage."
The beasts' faces hardened fiercely.
"We do not intend to force our tastes on a fool."
"How generous."
"You still haven't answered."
"So—if I don't comply, they revoke the tower's system authority?"
Rrrip—
I tore the official letter apart.
Among the scattering shreds of paper, Draxon's enraged roar rang out.
"You dare destroy a message from the Duke!"
"Don't worry. I was going to do it anyway, even without this pathetic coercion."
Meaning—
"Don't give me orders, you bastard."
It stinks.
"Why, why, WHY!"
Gordon screamed.
"Why would you do that!"
"Is there a problem? Demon Kings aren't allowed to fight each other. Draxon won't break that rule. His beast brain follows his master's commands with perfect obedience."
"I know that! I'm asking why you tore up the Duke's command!"
Ah. So that's what he meant.
"Relax. Like I said, I'm going to kidnap a princess anyway. The tower system won't shut down."
"That is NOT the problem!"
"That is the problem. I was already planning on doing it, but now it feels like I'd be doing it because they told me to."
"And what's wrong with obeying His Excellency's order?"
"It would've been nice if we had parted on good terms."
In my previous life, I didn't have a particularly bad impression of him.But that was then.Right now, he's nothing more than a worm who stole what was rightfully mine and tried to threaten me.
My firmness made Gordon switch the topic.
"…But didn't you say you wouldn't follow the canon?"
"I'm not following it completely. That doesn't mean I won't use the parts that are convenient."
"Then which princess? Before coming here, I investigated a few kingdoms in the northern continent and—"
"I said I'm not following the canon exactly."
"…You mean you won't kidnap a princess from a nearby kingdom?"
They must have thought that once I began the first step of the canon, I'd be forced to follow the rest.
I already built a tower—the first step.If I proceed with the second step, kidnapping, the rest will flow automatically, regardless of the Demon King's intentions.
The enraged king will pay the Hero Guild to retrieve his child, and the heroes will move.
But I have no intention of satisfying that expectation.
I closed my eyes briefly, and the system revealed the tower's status.
[Tower Lord – Berze DeiasDeputy Tower Lord – Gordon DyricFloors – 5]
[AffiliationDemons – Gordon DyricDemonoids – NoneMonsters – None]
[1F – Empty2F – …]
Pathetic.
At this rate, following the natural flow means elimination.
So I must target a princess whose kingdom won't care even if she's kidnapped, or one whose kingdom is too weak to retaliate.
Fortunately, I knew such a princess.
Long ago—some time in my previous life.
It was when I picked a fight with the strongest empire in Arein.
At the time, relations with other Demon Kings were at rock bottom, and I was struggling against the sudden surge of heroes.
Then one Demon King came to me.
A fool drunk on his own superiority.A loudmouthed worm who couldn't hold back from bragging.
He had taken great pleasure in my suffering.
Tsk tsk. See? I told you not to touch the Imperial Princess. Arein is nothing like other dimensions. You should've engraved your seniors' advice deep into your bones.
Look at me. I kidnapped a princess nobody cares about. Easy as can be. The king doesn't even give her attention, so at most a weak hero shows up once in a while—it's bliss, really.
If Demon King battles weren't forbidden, he would've lost his life on the spot—without ever realizing why he was still alive.
"He annoyed me so much I wanted to rip all his teeth out back then, but I suppose he's finally useful."
"What do you mean?"
"I've decided which princess to kidnap."
"Who is she?"
"The 13th Princess of the Hilderan Kingdom, at the continent's southernmost edge."
A frail king's illegitimate daughter, too weak even for a political marriage.
Her.