Reina Sordein's Resolve
The Sordein family was one of the most prestigious houses in the Demon Realm.
In a world where strength is everything, maintaining the family's name generation after generation by securing high positions meant their power and influence were immense.
Reina Sordein was of the direct bloodline of that family.
No one knew why she came to this damned dimension called Arein, but with so many high-ranking demons from her house following her across, it was almost expected.
Fundamentally, the one who adapted best to Arein and survived the longest was Jayson, but in terms of the quality and number of high-ranking demons under their command, none could match Reina.
In other words, among all Demon Kings in Arein, the one with the most powerful military force was actually Reina Sordein.
Of course, things could change depending on what happened in the future—but for now, that was the truth.
But humans did not know that.
Reina Sordein had been quiet for a long time, giving humans plenty of reason to mistake that silence for weakness.
When in fact, she was simply adhering to the standard methods.
"Start from the beginning and explain properly."
"Yes… We encountered Gillian Aint here."
***
A little earlier—on the day Hillen Cargill and Gillian Aint faced each other.
"It's good to meet you."
"Thank you for answering my call for help!"
Gillian Aint was the picture of a typical barbarian.
With his massive frame, he grabbed Hillen Cargill in a crushing embrace.
"Ah—was that rude?"
"It's fine. Please treat me comfortably."
"Then I will!"
The bare flesh visible between his fur clothing was all hardened muscle.
And as if telling the story of his life, his entire body was covered in scars.
"When Princess Yessica refused my request, I was greatly disappointed. But when she said she'd send you in her place—ha! I was delighted!"
Gillian Aint's manner of speaking was rough, but he was honest and free of pretense.
His gray eyes sparkled like a child's.
"I want to know exactly what you're planning."
"Of course! As allies, I must tell you."
"Boss, isn't this something we shouldn't discuss out in the open?"
"Oh—my manners. Another mistake."
At his lieutenant's scolding, Gillian let out an awkward chuckle and led the Red Hawk to an annex he had rented in its entirety.
"You've traveled far. Relax a bit and shake off the fatigue."
After assigning rooms to his warriors, he sat down with Hillen Cargill and Granada.
"We… We are going to turn the Tower of Bitter Cold into a hunting ground."
His grand plan sounded at first like absurd delusion.
'Control a Demon King?'
A Demon King was overwhelmingly powerful.
No matter how many Heroes there were.
No matter how greatly humanity flourished.
That fact never changed.
Of course, the reason Demon Kings hadn't been eradicated wasn't simply because they were invincible…
It wasn't entirely accurate to say they were "left alone," but it wasn't completely wrong either.
To Hillen Cargill, Demon Kings were a necessary evil.
'The Hero Guild does not want Demon Kings to disappear.'
Because Demon Kings existed, humans needed Heroes—and thus Heroes held power.
To nations, Demon Kings were an obstacle—annoying, but too dangerous to touch heedlessly.
Hillen believed that if great nations like Jespine, Acan, or Hilderan poured everything they had into it, they could erase a tower or two.
But afterward?
Having lost everything, they would likely meet the same fate as the Demon King's tower.
That, he thought, was one of the biggest reasons the Demon King towers—and the Hero system—still survived.
Of course, that was only his personal belief; many other complicated factors existed.
But even considering them, the idea of turning the Demon King's tower into a mere hunting ground sounded insane.
"Do you believe that's possible?"
"That's why we'll try."
"We're dealing with a Demon King."
"We're Heroes. If it were just me and the White Eagle, maybe not. But ten tribes have united, and now you and the Red Hawk are with us."
"But if the Demon King and higher demons step in—"
"The Demon King never leaves the top floor. You know that."
"..."
Hillen could not respond.
That was common sense—at least before he met Berze.
"What's wrong?"
"…Nothing."
'Berze is the strange one. Other Demon Kings have never left the top except when kidnapping royalty.'
So there was no need to worry.
"And once the tower is cleared once, it becomes weaker. It takes time before it returns to its original state."
He didn't know the precise reason, but every Hero was familiar with that phenomenon.
"Calling it a hunting ground sounds grand, but it's really simple. We just keep climbing up to the floors we can handle and repeat that."
Gradually eating away at the Demon King.
Eventually, even if the Demon King wanted to act, she would be unable to.
"Of course, the Demon King won't do nothing."
The tower was organic.
If Reina ever realized Gillian Aint's intentions, she would certainly attempt something.
"That's why I need you. Alone, I'd get stuck in the lower floors. But together, we can push far higher."
"..."
Hillen hesitated.
But the faint possibility being offered… it was tempting.
'If we really could achieve it…?'
It wasn't entirely impossible.
It required the Demon King to remain passive—but all Demon Kings except Berze had always stayed passive.
Berze was the anomaly; the others were "normal."
'And even if something unexpected happens…'
Gillian Aint would be there.
He himself would be there.
The White Eagle, the Red Hawk, and over a thousand barbarians would be with them.
'If we succeed…'
Even a Demon King could be placed beneath his feet.
The names of the Heroes who achieved it—their fame—would soar.
On top of that, they could grow far faster by hunting tower creatures more easily than other Heroes.
And eventually…
'If I kill even the Demon King of Bitter Cold…?'
The man who slew three Demon Kings.
Hillen Cargill could become an unprecedented legend.
He was tempted.
But there was one thing he had to address.
"I heard a tribe was wiped out by monster activity. Could that not be the Demon King's doing?"
"I suspect it is."
"Then doesn't that mean your premise of 'she does nothing' is already wrong?"
"That's why you are necessary. Whatever she tries, she has limits. With you, we can push her to those limits. We can remove every variable."
"Hm…"
Hillen frowned, letting out a strained sound, though his mind was spinning rapidly.
'I'm the Hero who killed two Demon Kings.'
Yes, others helped.
Yes, Berze's involvement muddied the record.
But none of that mattered.
The two Demon Kings' powers flowed within him, and he was mastering them more each day.
Berze's vague comments lingered uneasily—
but Hillen believed he could overcome any minor danger with his own strength.
"…Is it truly possible?"
"Of course. I'm a Hero born in the Snowfields. I spent my life here, and even as a Hero I kept fighting here. Among all Heroes, no one knows the Snowfields and the Demon King of Bitter Cold better than I do."
"…Very well."
Hillen Cargill nodded.
"You've made the right choice."
The two Heroes clasped hands.
***
"Up to that point, everything seemed to be going well."
"Everything sounds perfect when it's only a plan."
"Yes, exactly. Anyway, the northern tribes were filled with fighting spirit. They believed their kin had been killed by the Demon King of Bitter Cold. So the one thousand five hundred barbarians who gathered… along with the White Eagle, the Red Hawk, and the Heroes who joined after hearing Gillian Aint and Hillen Cargill's fame—"
"With that many, it's practically a Hero army."
"A little lacking, but honestly, yes."
Compared to the force that had once climbed the Beast's Tower, it was insufficient.
But it could rival the Hero army Hillen gathered for the Tower of Blazing Ash.
'The problem is…'
Reina Sordein surpassed Berze in every way—authority, influence, and personal power.
The price of her decades spent in Arein.
"So—what happened?"
He already knew the final result.
He only wanted the details.
"We prepared thoroughly and marched toward the Tower of Bitter Cold."
"That day, the Snowfield monsters were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps we should have suspected something then… but we assumed even the monsters were frightened by our presence."
Given the atmosphere, overconfidence was natural.
With two great Heroes and such numbers, confidence was inevitable.
"It took us two weeks to reach the tower. We saw it in the distance, and the blizzard was terrible that day."
Even moving was difficult.
The White Eagle and the barbarians, accustomed to the Snowfields, managed—but the Red Hawk, unused to the cold, suffered greatly.
"We drew close to the tower and reorganized our formation one last time. Gillian Aint gave a brief speech."
Today was a turning point in history.
A moment when the barbarians would become great.
He raised morale with every dramatic line he could muster.
The barbarians roared.
And at that very moment—
"As if answering the roar, the tower's gates opened."
Granada shivered, recalling the memory.
"The ones at the front were elderly demons. The type that prove the saying 'old peppers are the spiciest.'"
"Isn't it 'small peppers'?"
"Quiet."
"They were higher demons."
He could vaguely guess who they were.
Likely the elderly demons who had been standing behind Reina.
"Behind them were many more demons."
"And behind even those—far more magical beasts."
Did she send out the entire power of the tower?
That too was a flaw in the standard doctrine.
Outside the tower, there was no reason to greet Heroes with weak forces at the beginning.
"We were stunned."
Every plan Gillian Aint had devised relied on a single assumption:
That the lower floors of the tower were filled with weak monsters, and the higher you go, the stronger they become.
For demons and magical beasts to open the tower's doors first and charge out—
no one had ever imagined such a thing.
Even without the Demon King herself present, colliding with such overwhelming force all at once meant victory could not be guaranteed.
"When Gillian Aint realized something was wrong, he ordered a retreat. But…"
"But?"
"Thousands of monsters hidden in the snow emerged, forming a ring around us and blocking our escape."
"Thousands of monsters…?"
Demons and magical beasts were different.
And magical beasts and monsters were also different.
Magical beasts were creatures of the Demon Realm;
monsters were beings of this world.
Though they were descendants of magical beasts left behind long ago, they had adapted and degenerated into creatures wholly belonging to this world.
Deep within their bodies remained faint traces of magical-beast ancestry, causing them to feel instinctive reverence toward demons—
but unlike magical beasts, they could not be controlled so easily.
Magical beasts, once summoned, immediately knew their role and obeyed.
But monsters had to be dominated personally to be made subordinates.
Reina Sordein…
Controlling thousands of monsters was not something achieved in a day.
Their territories would also have been vast.
So while she seemed to be doing nothing, hiding in the Snowfields…
she had actually been turning the Snowfields into her domain.
An extremely orthodox, methodical approach.
Berze wondered whether he should admire how great a force she had built—
or wonder how someone so capable still allowed herself to be cornered by the White Eagle in the previous timeline.
He shook his head.
Right now, her strength is what it is.
She had simply been waiting for her moment.
"And then?"
"I escaped the encirclement with Hillen Cargill. But as the horde of monsters closed in on us, we inevitably became separated."
"Dead?"
"I don't believe so."
Berze agreed with Granada.
Hillen Cargill wouldn't die so easily.
If someone who devoured two Demon Kings could die that simply, he never would have become a "star" in the first place.
The important thing is the current state of the Snowfields.
If he entered recklessly, he could be crushed by monsters and then crushed by Imperial forces as well.
Should I contact Reina?
Communication between Demon Kings was impossible without the tower's channel,
but Reina had given him a private communicator.
Nothing is more reliable than asking directly…
Besides, Reina should currently have a favorable impression of him.
Thanks to him, she'd easily thwarted the White Eagle's scheme.
And then—
Vwoooom—
Berze flinched.
The communicator.
The one he had been planning to use—
Reina Sordein's.
"Go outside and summon a spirit."
"Yes."
Ernan and Granada stepped outside.
Ernan summoned spirits and had them circle around the building.
"Won't that draw more attention? Lord Ernan's identity must not be exposed, correct?"
It was natural for Heroes to gather because of the Snowfield unrest.
The northern fortress city was full of Heroes preparing to enter the Snowfields.
If Berze was going to communicate with Reina, he needed to appear as a Demon King—
and with so many Heroes gathered, some might be able to detect demonic energy even through his concealment.
The spirits were a ploy to mask that demonic energy.
"Granada is here."
"I am an elf indeed. If anyone comes, cover your face immediately."
"Yes."
Left alone in the room, Berze infused demonic energy into the communicator.
"What is it?"
Reina's face appeared.
『You were right.』
"You're not making much sense."
『Thanks to you, I learned of the White Eagle's scheme in advance and prepared for it.』
『I wanted to thank you.』
"Ah, that. I heard even the Red Hawk joined the White Eagle. So you won?"
『Because of you. I will repay this debt someday.』
"I only warned you."
『That warning changed my actions. The process changed, and the result changed.』
"Did they all die?"
『Not all. Those humans they call 'stars'—even high demons could not guarantee victory against them easily.』
『They were wounded, but they broke through the encirclement and fled.』
"I see. What do you plan to do next?"
『I intend to set an example.』
"An example?"
『I stayed quiet to avoid provoking the Empire, but if they touched me first, the story is different.』
『Humans must be shown an example so they never attempt such schemes again.』
『They must understand that I stayed quiet not out of fear.』
"The Empire won't sit still."
『You've changed compared to when you first descended. Before, you would've said to simply crush the humans.』
"I have never said that."
『I just assumed that someone who mocked the standard methods would.』
Reina smiled faintly.
『Do not worry. Although many appear to have died, in truth they have not.』
Her anger was real—
but her planning was calm.
『By now, the survivors are probably returning to the Empire one by one. Their punishment ends with that.』
"You lifted the encirclement?"
『Yes. I do not yet have the strength to fight Jespine to the end, so I must endure.』
But—
Reina's eyes turned cold.
『One exception exists.』
"One?"
『An example works best when it is made of someone who represents the humans.』
『Someone strong.』
『Someone famous.』
『Someone humans consider a symbol of hope.』
『In other words—a star.』
"Gillian Aint or Hillen Cargill. Which one?"
Berze swallowed dryly, praying she would choose the former.
But—
『Hillen Cargill.』
The great First Demon Emperor abandoned him once more.
『That arrogant human who killed two Demon Kings must not remain in this world.』
『This is a perfect opportunity.』
…Shit.
Under the table, Berze's hand clenched into a fist.
His nails broke skin, drawing blood.
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