It was the snowfields.
The Mercenary Guild.
Just as all heroes joined the Hero Guild, all mercenaries joined the Mercenary Guild.
Unlike the Hero Guild, it wasn't mandatory, but the reputation, trust, and structure the guild had built over the years made it function that way.
People simply trusted those with a mercenary plaque more than those without.
They should be alive.
Wherever people gathered, the Mercenary Guild existed. And of course, it existed here as well— the very front line bordering the snowfields.
Granada made time to visit the guild.
The Red Hawks might have become an assault unit, but at their core they were mercenaries.
If they were alive, they would surely be resting in the familiar guild hall.
Surely they're not all dead… right?
Normally they were good at surviving on their own— though that came with the problem of prioritizing their own lives over the mission. But this time wasn't the moment to nitpick.
They had been together for over a year now.
They had grown on him— in good ways and bad.
Just in case…
A coil of anxiety twisted inside him.
Their survival instincts were strong— but what happened in the snowfields was beyond anything one could confidently survive.
Demonkin, monsters, and beasts had overflowed.
The brutal natural environment was a danger all on its own.
Even if the Demon King of Frost had shown mercy, there were still dead.
There was no certainty that they had made it.
Creak—
"Drink more! More!"
"Captain, did all that snow you ate in the snowfields leave no room for alcohol in your stomach?"
"Maybe he slept wrapped in monster hide to keep warm, and now he thinks he's a beast. Didn't he also claim that disgusting chunk of meat tasted good?"
"Shut up, you bastards! If I don't empty this barrel today, I'm not captain anymore— I'll go back to being the youngest!"
"Ooh, good proposal!"
"Make him the youngest and a servant too! I accept the challenge!"
—And all that anxiety vanished the moment Granada opened the branch hall's door.
The northern city's guild branch— fueled by the endless work created by snowfield monsters— was naturally enormous.
And such a large building was filled with mercenaries.
Within that lively chaos, the voice of the former Red Hawk mercenary commander was especially loud.
Granada walked between the tables.
The thick smell of alcohol.
Roaring laughter.
The overwhelming mixture of food, sweat, and stale air.
He arrived at the loudest, rowdiest corner.
Ignoring the surprised eyes staring at him, he pointed one by one.
"One, two, three… thirty-two."
"C-Captain…"
"You're all alive, huh?"
Not a single one missing.
Granada smiled. The mercenaries responded with awkward grins.
"Haha… After a few days, the pursuit suddenly got weaker, so…"
"I know. You did well."
"R-really?"
"Yes. Staying alive was good, but…"
Crack—
Granada tore the armrest off a nearby chair and turned it into a club.
"But drinking yourselves stupid without making a survival report to me— how is that even remotely acceptable?"
"C-Captain!"
"L-let's talk! Let's talk this out!"
"Dialogue! Humans are humans because they use dialogue!"
"I'm an elf, you filthy mongrels!"
A beating ensued.
Red Hawk mercenaries scattered in every direction, and the surrounding mercenaries, angered by overturned drinks, began fighting among themselves.
It became total chaos.
***
"So you're asking for money because you want us to pay compensation?"
Is he insane?
"…Well, because these idiots wrecked the tavern."
"What? That's— mmph!"
Berze let out a hollow laugh.
Granada quickly avoided his gaze.
"You caused trouble already. Elves are usually calm. Are you sure you're even an elf?"
"..."
"Forget it. Just follow me."
"What happened?"
"Hillen Cargill has awakened."
A knight of the Chernian Border Duke brought the news.
He arranged for Berze and Granada to meet Hillen.
In the single-patient room, Hillen was sitting blankly on the bed.
"…This place is…"
"The northern fortress, Cherville. The stronghold of this region's lord."
"…I survived."
Hillen's last memories were of the snowfields—
Berze falling from the sky, mage cannons firing streams of magical fire—
the renewed escape, and the blaring horn that shook the snowfields.
"Thank you."
Hillen bowed his head.
"You saved my life."
"At least you're aware. Granada told me everything already. Demonkin and monsters poured out, didn't they?"
"Yes. It was my first time seeing them open the tower doors and come out first."
"It's not the first time."
"It wasn't the same with the Demon King, was it?"
It was nothing like the occasional handful of monsters that attempted night raids.
"You stopped me earlier— did you foresee something like this happening?"
"I expected that you wouldn't succeed easily. Though I did not expect this much."
"…Even after slaying two Demon Kings, I am still lacking."
"Reina descended upon Arein nearly a hundred years ago. Even with many heroes in the world, Demon Kings remain among the strongest beings in the Demon Realm. They're not something you can underestimate."
"I felt that painfully."
Hillen nodded.
When Berze appeared and saved him, he truly realized—
he still could not leave the Demon King's shadow behind.
Perhaps all of this could have been Berze's scheme.
But the ones who defeated them were entirely the forces of the Demon King of Frost.
He realized he was still far from being able to challenge Demon Kings who had endured for decades.
"I like that expression. How's your body?"
"Other than feeling a little sluggish, not bad."
"You weren't seriously wounded to begin with, so that's natural. Now that you're awake, the Border Duke will soon seek you out. He might call the three of us together."
"The Border Duke…"
Just as the Border Duke wished to form a connection with Hillen, the reverse was equally true.
Although the north's isolation limited his influence in central politics, in the north he held immense authority— and in the Empire, few could rival his military power.
"Whatever connection you form with the Border Duke, whatever schemes you two exchange, I won't interfere."
"Thank you."
"But— don't let his attention turn toward me."
"Wouldn't it be fine if the Demon King appeared openly just once?"
"Don't say things you don't mean."
Of course, it wouldn't necessarily be bad.
But in the end, Berze was still a Demon King. He wasn't like Hillen— skilled in acting or navigating human society.
Berze had learned this after meeting Kain of Acan:
If your tail gets too long, it eventually gets stepped on.
As long as Hillen Cargill and Granada existed as convenient "mouthpieces," Berze had no need to stand on the stage directly.
Maintaining a moderate relationship with Acan was enough.
"I understand. I'll handle it properly."
"Now that you're awake, I have no more reason to stay here."
"If you leave, the Chernian Border Duke won't think kindly of it."
"Why should I care about the opinions of a human Border Duke?"
"It may not matter to you, but it matters for me and Hillen Cargill."
"…Exactly."
Berze turned to Hillen Cargill.
"I waited until this brat woke up."
"What…?"
"Yes."
Hillen nodded.
"I'll handle it."
"You may connect me with Acan. We're already entangled to some extent anyway."
"Yes."
"Then contact me again if something comes up."
"Yes."
Creak—
Berze opened the window.
"Ah, could you use the front gate properly? If you say you're going out for some fresh air, they'll let you pass. I'll be here, after all."
"Very well."
He left through the door.
***
Snowfield – Empire Border, near Cherville Fortress
"I thought you weren't coming."
Around 20 km from the northern fortress of Cherville, at the border between the Empire and the snowfields—
Ernan, who had been hiding in the snow after walking here alone, sniffled.
"Hillen woke later than expected."
"So he woke up safely."
"He wasn't seriously wounded to begin with."
"You never know, though."
"You didn't run into monsters, I assume."
"I hid well. I was terrified demonkin would appear."
"Good work."
"That's it? That's all you have to say?"
"What else?"
"I spent all day buried in snow, wandered the snowfields alone, and then hid in the snow for days again!"
"I said good work, didn't I?"
"…Yes. Sure."
"Let's return to the south. I'm curious what the Empire–Southern Alliance is plotting."
"Oh, right. I forgot about that."
The northern ordeal had been that exhausting.
The cold biting constantly, the ever-present fear of demonkin—
simply existing in the snowfields drained one's spirit greatly.
"We'll head to a city other than Cherville and use their teleport circle. You'll need to make sure your hair and eyes stay fully hidden."
"With my current appearance, does it matter?"
"I slipped out without the Border Duke's permission."
"What? Won't that cause trouble?"
"That's what Hillen and Granada are there to handle."
"Hmmm…"
At that moment—
Bzzzt—
The communicator in Berze's coat vibrated.
It was his private communication link with Reina.
He gestured for Ernan to move far away.
『Berze Deias.』
"What is it?"
『Where are you? You're not in the tower.』
"I'm in Ergest. I stepped out briefly to take in some monsters as subordinates."
It wasn't forbidden for Demon Kings to leave their towers.
They simply had to ensure they were on the summit when heroes entered—
and that humans never discovered them roaming without dignity.
Which, when viewed closely, amounted to "you generally must not roam freely."
But going outside to gather monsters was not suspicious.
『I see.』
"What happened?"
『You remember that I said I would capture Hillen Cargill.』
"I remember. You said you'd kill him as an example, while sparing the other heroes and humans. Did it work?"
『It failed.』
"Failed? You would never prepare carelessly."
『I prepared as thoroughly as possible, but it seems it was not enough. I underestimated the humans' strength.』
"This is Arein. Carelessness is unwise."
『I will accept your advice. However…』
She paused.
The brief silence felt like hours to Berze.
Did she figure something out?
There was no real reason she should.
But because he did have something to hide, anxiety pricked at him.
He had a feeling he knew what she would say next.
『The high-rank demonkin I sent to capture Hillen Cargill said something strange.』
『They claim to have seen you.』
As expected.
Berze replied as calmly as possible, furrowing his brow in feigned confusion.
"Me?"
『Correction— not you exactly. They said they saw a human who looked exactly like you.』
"A human who looks like me… amusing."
Berze let out a snort.
"What did that human do?"
『He rescued Hillen Cargill just when he was about to be captured. One could say he is the very person who ruined my plan.』
"Kill that demonkin."
『What do you mean?』
"I never left Ergest. If he dared slander another Demon King to cover his own failure, even executing him on the spot wouldn't be enough."
When Berze growled, Reina let out a small amused chuckle.
『He didn't exactly say that human was you.』
『He only said that aside from the hair, eyes, and aura, everything else looked identical.』
"Do you know what people normally call that?"
『What?』
"Completely different."
『That… does sound reasonable.』
"Why are you even telling me this? Do you truly think I did it?"
『I do not.』
"If it were me, Hillen Cargill's head would've been rolling across the snow long ago. I have my own long-standing grudge against him."
『If my words upset you, I apologize. I merely vented out of irritation.』
『I was confident in my success, yet I failed. My mood is… unpleasant.』
『But I cannot confide in my subordinates, can I?』
"That much is understandable. But remember this: I would never do anything that harms you. We agreed to cooperate, and above all, trust between us must come first."
『You're right… My apologies.』
"…I accept it. So what will you do now?"
『I will think on it from here.』
There was a faint anger in her voice. Berze maintained his composure and continued:
"There's nothing I can say about your failure. You'll succeed next time."
『…Indeed.』
The connection cut.
Berze let out a long breath he'd been holding.
"…It should be fine, right?"
It should.
No sane Demon King would assume that a human with no demonic aura whatsoever was identical to a Demon King just because they looked similar.
Besides, Reina didn't sound suspicious— merely irritated and amused by the strange report.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
Berze and Ernan hurried their steps again.
***
Frost Tower, Northern Snowfields
Reina stared for a long time at the communicator that had gone dark.
Nina, noticing her strangeness, called out:
"Your Majesty?"
"…It was."
"…Pardon?"
"…The snowfields… it was."
The communicator showed not only the user but a small portion of the surrounding environment.
What Reina saw behind Berze's back had been snow.
A vast snowy plain.
A sight Reina Sordein knew better than anyone.
Even if it wasn't exactly her territory and was closer to the Empire—
It was unmistakably…
The snowfields.
"It was the snowfields…"
Reina muttered like someone possessed.
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