"This place is insane."
Before the regression, Berze had barely ever left the Tower.
The only times he ever went outside were when he occasionally kidnapped a member of the royal family.
It was only natural.
The Demon King had to remain in the Tower to await the Hero, but more importantly, the Demon King was the core of the invading army.
If the Demon King died, the Tower would collapse.
If the Tower collapsed, the demonfolk would become mere prey for humans.
As the one who absolutely had to survive until the final moment, the Demon King needed to always stay somewhere safe.
But after the regression, Berze was forced to come and go across the continent.
Perhaps because he'd gotten used to that, doing nothing inside the Tower now felt suffocating.
No—unsettling.
Because the Heroes were growing stronger.
Because he still hadn't reached the level of that time.
At any moment, the Hero's Journey could begin and the Tower could be discovered.
His heart could be pierced again by the Hero's sword.
Ralph Schmitz. And the Hero with the Crimson Blade.
More than anything, those two were the ones he couldn't stop thinking about.
He had met Ralph Schmitz not long ago. He had ordered Granada to look into him, but the man vanished without a trace.
That was deeply troublesome.
And the Hero with the Crimson Blade was the very one who stabbed his heart.
Even if he lived an entire lifetime, even if he succeeded in taking revenge, he would never forget.
"I hope we can find lots again today."
"Yeah."
Because of this, Berze often wandered the mountain range with Ernan, searching for elixirs he could taint with demonic energy—either to consume himself or to grant to the Fuer Orcs.
To strengthen the orc legions who would fight his enemies.
Berze and Ernan rode atop massive frost wolves.
Ernan rubbed her cheek against their soft fur.
"I really hope we find a lot this time."
"Yeah."
Recently, they had found twelve more elixirs. Berze had corrupted them and handed them to Krutu. Krutu consumed one himself, distributed ten among his subordinates, and formed a personal guard.
The unified tribes had increased to seven, numbering in the hundreds.
Their growth was Berze's own growth in power.
It was then—
"Huh…?"
Ernan puckered her lips.
"What is it?"
"The spirit detected something strange. It feels like a monster, but not completely… feels like a demonic beast, but also not really…?"
She tilted her head.
"It feels like a monster but it isn't?"
"It's not that far. Maybe four kilometers?"
"Let's go."
He tugged the frost wolf's fur and it sprinted across the snowy mountains.
Kwaaaaar—
A roar echoed. A faint scent of blood brushed against his nose.
Demonic energy?
As they drew closer, he felt it clearly.
Foul, filthy demonic energy that made him instinctively frown.
No way…
A strange sense of déjà vu tightened his grip on the wolf's fur. With a pained cry, the wolf dashed even faster.
And at last—
"…What is that?"
They came face-to-face with a thing that was ripping apart a troll's limbs and chewing them with wet crunches.
Its torso was that of an orc.
Its long arms were those of a troll, and its centaur-like lower body resembled a hellhound.
Grrrr—
Its red eyes found Berze and Ernan. The frost wolf bristled, growling.
The creature dropped the troll and leapt toward them. Berze hurled a fist-sized fireball.
KWA-AAAAANG—
An explosion burst in midair.
The creature collapsed, its lower half melted away, twitching on the ground.
"It's an artificially stitched-together lifeform, forcibly joined through magic. Commonly called…"
"A chimera?"
"Yeah. A chimera."
Berze's expression hardened.
"Looks like that annoying woman came all the way out here."
He snapped his fingers, and flames spread, devouring the corpse until nothing remained.
Berze turned.
"Let's go back."
"Yes."
"For the time being, we won't be coming out to gather elixirs."
"Is she dangerous?"
"You avoid filth because it's dirty, not because it's scary."
They soon returned to the Tower.
***
Berze immediately summoned Krutu to the Tower. The orc arrived, his glossy mane flowing behind him.
"You called for me."
"During the process of expanding our territory, have you ever encountered any strange monsters?"
"Strange monsters…?"
"Ones with mismatched arms and legs, or creatures with odd parts stuck all over them."
"Such monsters exist?"
Krutu, who had lived his entire life in the Ergest Mountains, didn't know what a chimera was.
So Berze explained differently.
"Just tell me if you saw any monsters that didn't belong to the mountain's usual ecosystem."
"There were no new monsters."
"I see."
So had he just happened to stumble upon a lone one?
Impossible.
Chimeras—creatures produced by artificially fusing lifeforms—were entirely creations of humans.
Though often associated with necromancers since they used living beings or corpses, the field wasn't actually related to black magic.
Such a thing would never appear here by coincidence.
It's her.
Chimera-craft was ultimately still magic. And magic differed depending on its caster—their nature, their tendencies, every aspect left a trace.
Meaning every chimera carried the maker's imprint.
And Berze recognized that aura.
Which was exactly why he had to avoid it.
As he told Ernan—dirty things aren't worth dealing with.
"In the future, if you encounter monsters like the ones I mentioned, they may start appearing in the mountains."
"I'll kill them all."
"No. Avoid them."
"Avoid… them?"
"Yeah. If you see even traces of them, don't engage. Neither you nor your troops must show yourselves before them."
"I understand, I will obey."
"Don't you wonder why?"
"I do wonder, but I am the Demon King's retainer. If you command it, I simply obey."
"…"
Berze fell silent—too taken aback by how typical a demonfolk response it was.
…Why am I even surprised? This is normal.
The Demon Realm was a world where the strong reigned.
When a superior issued a command, obedience without a shred of doubt was the norm.
A true vassal—true subordinates—were those who obeyed the Demon King's commands without hesitation.
So why had that no longer felt natural to him?
There was no need to think deeply.
Granada.
Hillen Cargill.
Logar, and even Ernan.
He had taken only non–demonfolk as subordinates, so of course such issues would arise.
And while less so now, he had constantly clashed with Gordon—the only demon among them—because he had never followed the traditional ways from beginning to end.
It had been so long since he'd held a proper conversation with a normal demonfolk that it felt strangely nostalgic.
"Good thing I accepted you as a vassal."
"…Yes?"
"Nothing. Chimeras are made by humans. If you run into one, you'll inevitably run into the mage who made it."
"If it's a human, isn't it enough to just kill them?"
"With ordinary humans, sure—it makes things easier. But the master of a chimera is a bit troublesome. Just ignore them."
"So they're a noble or royalty from some kingdom."
"That's right."
"I will obey as commanded."
"Chimeras may be mixed with demonic beasts too. If you sense any unfamiliar demonic energy, avoid immediately. And report it without fail."
"Yes. I will warn the tribe thoroughly."
Krutu left to return to his tribesmen.
Logar, who had been pretending to work on the mana cannons while eavesdropping, spoke up.
"Um…"
"What."
"…When you say chimera—?"
"You aren't ignorant of what a chimera is."
"You said demonic beasts are mixed into it…"
"And?"
"Doesn't that mean the creator can handle demonic beasts?"
"That would follow."
"And then… demonic energy too?"
"That's also likely…"
At that point, Berze realized what Logar was trying to suggest.
"Denied."
"If we bring that mage here, golem production could speed up! I don't know how she gets demonic beasts to make chimeras, but she'd be the perfect talent!"
"Perhaps so."
Logar brightened at Berze's acknowledgement. He had been stuck for days failing to create a golem core using demonic energy; a mage capable of making chimeras seemed like a ray of salvation.
"But in return, your head might end up stitched into a chimera."
"…Sorry?"
"Listen carefully."
Berze leaned in, spelling out each word clearly.
"That woman—"
"Is worse than Louise Verft—"
"A complete lunatic."
Hic—
Logar's legs buckled at the mention of Louise's name as he tried to deny reality.
"Th-that can't be. There can't be a woman in this world crazier than the Second Princess—"
"Do I have any reason to lie to you about that?"
"…None."
"I'll acquire the mage myself. You finish the first floor. Golems can be made after the mana cannons on the first floor are complete."
"…Yes."
Leaving a trembling Logar behind, Berze placed his foot on the stairs and ascended.
***
As a guest of Louise Verft, Hillen Cargill was treated with extreme hospitality.
Dozens of attendants swarmed around him and the Red Hawk Assault Unit, caring for their every need. Every meal was a lavish feast.
"Ah, this is the life."
Uurp—
Bark, the former captain of the Red Hawk Mercenary Unit, gnawed the last scraps of meat from a bone.
"Right? It's been so long since we had leisure like this."
"After Ergest and that Beast Tower, we were worn down."
The members laughed and nodded.
The Red Hawk Assault Unit had come to the Kingdom of Verft with Hillen Cargill as envoys of the Hero Guild—but they had nothing to do.
Meeting the king or princess was Hillen's job, and the guild-level negotiations were handled by Farni, who had become Hillen's aide, along with several staff members.
Thus the Red Hawks had nothing to occupy their time, and enjoyed the downtime fully.
Granada was among them as well, but unlike the others, he couldn't relax and pretend to know nothing.
The Demon King is coming.
Berze had guaranteed it, so he would come for sure.
It was only a question of when and how.
He told me to stop it…
Could he really prevent the Demon King's kidnapping?
No—the fact that Hillen Cargill is here means it's not impossible, as long as we know when he arrives.
But that thought only raised another question.
Has he lost his mind? To attempt to kidnap a dwarven princess?
Was it because he was newly descended and ignorant of the situation?
Or…
A high-level scheme?
Granada remembered Berze's very first move:
A completely unexpected abduction of the Hilderan crown princess—causing a political explosion and succeeding in a counterattack in a way no one could have imagined.
Even if he refused to believe it, part of him feared that this new Demon King might be someone like Berze.
…Well, it's not like it's my place to worry.
He had ninety-nine more years of serving Demon Kings ahead of him anyway.
He was smirking when—
KWA-AAAANG!
A massive explosion erupted.
"Everyone, arm yourselves!"
Granada dashed forward urgently.
Black smoke was rising from Louise Verft's palace.
***
Demon King—or demonfolk—kidnappings were usually carried out at night.
Night.
When living beings slept.
When vigilance naturally weakened.
But for demonfolk, it was when their strength overflowed.
Vivian Blunt took full advantage of that.
Even if the Dwarven Kingdom was underground, it wasn't difficult.
All she had to do was pick up the sleeping princess and run.
Yes—that was the plan.
"Welcome."
The knight guarding the chamber was large for a dwarf, but she dismissed it.
And when he muttered to himself, she simply thought he was a lunatic.
However—
By the time she realized that the knight was a Hero…
By the time that gaze turned directly toward the place she was hiding…
She could no longer dismiss it.
"…You can see me?"
"I can see you clearly."
The faint doubt she'd had was correct after all. Vivian's pupils trembled. At the same moment, the knight—his entire body encased in armor—drew his sword.
"…Why is a Hero here?"
Of course, she knew that this world had an overwhelmingly high number of Heroes compared to other dimensions.
But even so—
A Hero of this caliber was guarding a princess's bedroom?
The number 3198 flashed through her mind.
Just how insane a dimension was this?
Arein was—
"I don't believe I'm obligated to answer that."
The knight indeed did not answer. Instead, he unleashed his aura. His sword swung wide, tearing through the palace wall as it came crashing toward Vivian's neck.
—!
Vivian let out a silent scream.
It was only a single strike, but she sensed the brutal ferocity within it.
If she clashed with that, she would die.
She realized she couldn't win—not as she was now.
I'm a Demon King who conquered an entire dimension, for god's sake!
Humiliating as it was, the aura was far too overwhelming to meet head-on.
Gritting her teeth, Vivian ducked low and sprinted forward. The slash passed by, slicing off several strands of her hair.
If I run away, I'll never get another chance.
He was no easy opponent; retreat once, and she would be forced to retreat forever. That was something Vivian would never accept.
Kwaang—!
Her silhouette shot past the Hero, smashing through the bedroom door.
Vivian scanned the room in an instant.
I have to kidnap the princess and escape this place.
She had no hope in a head-on fight, but she had absolute confidence in her ability to flee.
After all, at the Demon King Officer Academy, escape was taught with the highest priority—right alongside stealth.
But—
"So you're the demon who came to kidnap me?"
What greeted her was not a demure, sleeping princess.
"How should I crack your skull so they'll say I cracked it properly?"
It was a roaring beast wielding a battle-axe.
"You bitch."
The massive axe came crashing down on Vivian.
"…This place is insane."
Vivian swallowed a groan.
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