Necessity
Hillen Cargill thought.
How could he convince himself—much less anyone else—that the Demon King would kidnap Louise?
That the Demon King told him directly?
That he had a close relationship with the Demon King?
Complete nonsense that wouldn't convince a toddler. In fact, knowing Louise's personality, she'd probably blow up, accusing him of being a spy.
'I need to create plausible justification.'
It didn't have to be perfectly watertight. He only needed to fool one person: Princess Louise.
"What kind of nonsense is that? The Demon King plans to kidnap me?"
"Yes."
"And what evidence do you have?"
A Demon King kidnapping a princess wasn't unusual. Ever since the Demon King's descent, it had happened dozens—hundreds—of times.
But never once had the kidnapping been announced beforehand.
"Do you know that I once set out as a Hero to kill the Demon King of Ergest?"
"What does that have to do with your rambling?"
"At the time, I failed. No—since I couldn't even find the Tower, calling it a failure is embarrassing. Only now have I somewhat redeemed myself by killing the Beast Demon King, but as a Hero, as a Star, it was humiliating."
Louise tilted her head—a gesture telling him to continue.
"So after that day, I planted people near Ergest."
"People?"
"Yes. The Demon King is never satisfied with just one princess. I believed he would appear again someday. That he would kidnap a new royal. And eventually, we caught on."
"The 9th Princess of the Jespine Empire?"
"Her Highness, yes—and the bastard struck Hilderan again."
"I heard. The 13th Princess was kidnapped?"
"Hilderan went completely mad over it."
"So you chased the Demon King who kidnaps princesses and found the Tower? That's your story?"
"Regrettably, no."
Louise's face, which had shown the faintest hint of expectation, twisted in irritation.
"Are you playing with me?"
"If you listen just a bit longer, you'll understand why I'm telling you this."
"...Speak."
"I failed to find the Tower, but I gained something else."
"Something else?"
"I couldn't find the demons going in, but I discovered the demons coming out. And their destination."
By now, anyone with a brain would realize.
"...Don't tell me."
"Yes. The Kingdom of Verft, and their target is Louise Verft. You, Your Highness."
***
There were gaps in the story.
Let's assume he truly tracked demons and discovered their destination was Verft.
But the conclusion—that their specific target was Louise?
The explanation lacked justification. Yet Hillen Cargill compensated with his own reputation.
"Fine. Let's say I entertain this. What proof do you have that it's specifically me?"
"I cannot speak on that part."
"Are you joking?"
"But I can swear upon my honor and upon my title as Argane of the Guild. I have no intention of harming you, and the Demon King will undoubtedly target you."
"..."
Louise, who had been yelling, fell silent.
Even if she was the cherished daughter of the Dwarven Kingdom, the man before her had killed two Demon Kings, and he was Argane of the Guild.
One of the hottest figures on the continent swearing on his honor—she couldn't dismiss that lightly.
Heroic oaths carried real weight.
As Louise fell deep into thought, Hillen added another lie.
"But we cannot guarantee it is the Demon King of Ergest."
"You said the Demon King of Ergest was after me less than five minutes ago."
"He did descend the mountain, yes. But my report says it was a succubus. You know this—Demon Kings tend to employ demons of their own race."
"...A succubus? Then it's the Demon King of Lust?"
"You may not know, but among Demon Kings…"
"They have gatherings. I know; I've heard."
"I believe my agent might have spotted them after such a meeting."
This should be enough.
He would have loved to let the suspicion point straight to Berze, but that would be too hasty.
A Hero's expedition did not start on a whim, and if the rumor's source was traced back to Hillen Cargill, he had no idea what the thing in that head of his might do.
The Demon King would die—but Hillen would die too. He had zero interest in a bright future for a world without him.
'This is not the time to betray the Demon King.'
Finished speaking, Hillen watched Louise silently.
"The Demon King of Lust is targeting me?"
"The Demon King of Lust… targeting me?"
"Planning to kidnap me?"
"Ridiculous!"
Muttering like a madwoman, she shot to her feet.
"Where are you going?"
"How dare he target me? Me!? Does he think I'll just sit and wait!?"
"Your Highness!"
"I must report this to Father immediately—inform him of the Demon King's intrusion!"
"You must not!"
Hillen urgently grabbed her shoulder.
"Let go."
"It is still only speculation."
"Speculation?"
"I am not the Demon King—how could I know his true intentions? I merely offered the strongest possibility based on deduction."
"But you swore on it—you must be somewhat certain."
"Yes."
"Then what is there to hesitate about!? We must increase security immediately!"
"That will not stop the Demon King."
"What?"
"The Demon King's stealth is already legendary. You cannot be sure you'll detect him. And if he senses something is off, he might choose not to kidnap you now. We cannot stay on maximum alert forever."
"...So what are you proposing?"
"I will protect you. So that you are not kidnapped by the Demon King."
"And why would you?"
Her wariness rose again. Faced with that fiery gaze, Hillen chose honesty.
"For honor."
"Honor?"
"If the Demon King truly comes, and I protect you—that would be a first. Preventing a princess from being kidnapped by a Demon King."
Hillen deliberately did not hide his ambition. His eyes gleamed with desire.
"...I heard you were endlessly kind and devoted to your people."
"Being good doesn't mean being without desire. In my case, I simply value honor a bit more than others."
"I'm sure the people of Hilderan would love to hear that."
But somehow, I like that.
"Who cares what they think? You matter. Grant me the honor of protecting you for one month. Just one month."
"Are you certain? That the Demon King will come within a month."
"I am certain."
"Fine."
Louise extended her hand.
Crack—
A powerful grip crushed down on Hillen's.
"Whatever your true motive for proposing this deal…"
"If what you say is true, and you protect me…"
"The Hero Guild and the Kingdom of Verft will become closer than ever. Thanks to you."
Hillen bowed.
"Thank you. Ah—when this is all over, I will also tell you where Logar Fridri obtained his weapon."
"Ah."
Louise ground her teeth.
"That bastard was there, wasn't he?"
***
Berze removed his hand.
"How is it?"
The expectant look in her eyes was almost burdensome.
"Your mana is decreasing. It'll still take a long time, but since it's working, you'll be able to learn magic someday."
"Thank you!"
The two sisters—who looked very much alike—bowed their heads.
"If your mana decreases just a little more, you should be able to use the remaining mana to gradually reinforce your body. A mana heart would be better than an aura hole."
They were the same root, but aura—processed once—was harder and rougher. It didn't suit Elena's frail body, which could tear from the slightest strain.
The problem lay elsewhere.
Even if Elena was pathetically weak now, she had once been a Hero, and Heroes could not handle magi.
"Should I teach her myself?"
It wasn't that she had zero affinity for spirits, but there was no particular pull. Ernan and Nairuniel were merely exceptions; in general, spirit sorcerers—and spirits—were not favorable toward demons.
Nairuniel had once mentioned that when Ernan summoned a high-level spirit, every spirit except herself had resisted the summoning.
Because Ernan had shown the nuance of cooperating with Berze, the Demon King.
Ernan was simply lucky to have encountered an oddball like Nairuniel. But could Elena be guaranteed the same?
— He is right.
— Most spirits cannot understand the beauty that comes from taboo.
Nairuniel's added comment strengthened his conviction.
"There's still time. I'll think about it a bit more."
"Yes."
Leaving the sisters behind, he descended to the second floor. Heat pressed against him. A wave of sweat stench hit him instantly.
Boom—
A human silhouette grazed past Berze and slammed into the wall, coughing and groaning.
"You're here?"
Gordon, who had sent Kaede flying, signaled casually. Kaede scrambled back to her feet.
"My Lord."
Even though it had begun with a contract, once she had chosen her path, Kaede became a fiercely loyal knight.
Strictly principled—one might say.
From Berze's perspective, it wasn't bad at all.
"Don't mind me. Continue."
"Yes."
Kaede raised her sword again. She dashed forward, stabbing at his blind spot.
Her sword was fast and concise. Heavy, at the same time.
Golden aura flashed as Gordon drew his blade.
Clang—!
Black magi and golden aura gnawed at each other.
A light clash gradually escalated into a faster, heavier battle.
Swish—
A few strands of Kaede's hair fluttered through the air. Blood trickled from a wound on her cheek.
At the same time, Gordon's front sleeve was sliced apart. Berze let out a breath of admiration at her unexpectedly fierce performance.
"You've improved a lot for only a few days."
"That only shows the skill of my teacher."
"Not that you're weak?"
"Think whatever you wish."
The duel continued for quite some time. Unlike the confident start, Gordon was now overwhelmingly dominant, and Kaede was barely holding on.
Amid the raging waves of sword strikes, Kaede looked on the verge of collapse.
'And yet she's holding up impressively.'
Objectively speaking, Kaede was quite capable. Perhaps thanks to formal training by Imperial knights, her fundamentals were solid and her growth rate was fast.
And the fact that she was a Hero—and the clear murderous intent in her eyes—only made him like her more.
"Still… 'Dark Knight,' huh…"
Wasn't that from some play more than ten years ago? The naming sense was ridiculously childish.
Even worse, the play's purpose had been to praise the greatness of Heroes and humanity while ridiculing the Demon King.
Then, a thud. Kaede's body flew through the air.
"Your sword tip shook for a moment. What foolish thoughts were you having?"
"My apologies…!"
Kaede gasped and apologized under Gordon's reprimand. For an instant—barely a heartbeat—her eyes flicked toward Berze.
…?
"Dark Knight."
Flinch—
"Dark Knight?"
This time she seemed unaffected, but she couldn't hide her reddening cheeks.
"Dark Knight, Dark Knight, Dark Knight, Dark Knight."
"…I would appreciate it if you stopped."
"You were the one who said you wanted to become a Dark Knight."
"…I heard that's what you preferred."
"I don't enjoy such childish naming sense."
"Then?"
"I never said anything, yet someone decided you were a dark spirit sorcerer."
"…I've been tricked."
"You weren't exactly tricked. Calling a dark spirit sorcerer and a Dark Knight my subordinates is a bit embarrassing, but I can respect personal taste."
"I would prefer if you didn't."
"Judging from your reaction, I'm beginning to respect it even more."
"…"
Kaede bit her lip. Berze turned toward the entrance leading down to the first floor.
"Gordon, finish the Dark Knight's training properly."
"Yes."
Leaving the trembling Kaede behind, he walked past the nearly finished magic arrays and approached the workshop.
He could feel the flow of magi. Logar's back was visible as he manipulated a contaminated mana stone.
"How's it going?"
"Ah—My Lord, you're here?"
Logar scratched his head.
"I've been researching continuously, but magi and mana are just too different. It's giving me trouble. This really isn't my field of expertise."
"You need a magician?"
"If you want the kind of results you're expecting—quickly—then yes. That would be best."
"A magician, huh."
Logar, Elena… yes, he definitely needed at least one.
'Among the elf slaves, there should be at least one magician.'
He needed to bring the slaves sooner rather than later.
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