Lie
Hillen Cargill couldn't clear his mind at the Empire's current situation.
With a single desperate shout from the black mage, Berze's existence had been exposed—and the Empire was grinding its teeth.
The Heroic March would inevitably begin, and he had no choice but to participate in it.
However.
'Which side am I supposed to take?'
The Demon King, or the Empire?
If one were to judge the outcome objectively, it was honestly the Empire.
'On the first floor of the Demon King's Tower are the mana cannons. Hundreds of them.'
Created by Logar, one of the top three dwarven artisans in the Dwarf Kingdom—their destructive power was undeniable.
But even so, they were still mana cannons. They would unleash overwhelming power at first, but the Empire would find a way to break through eventually.
'The elves, and the princesses, will be shaken at the start…but…'
Once that initial shock passed, they would find a solution somehow. That was simply what humans did.
'They can't drag a whole army inside, but you can't judge the Empire's strength by its army alone.'
Vast territory, immense population. From that arose resources and supplies, abundant wealth, and talented individuals—knights and magicians alike.
Compared to what Berze possessed, the Empire was clearly ahead.
'The Empire will win. Absolutely.'
There was no room for doubt.
But he couldn't just leap to the Empire's side.
Because of the sphere embedded in his head—the thing that had saved his life on the snowy plains but now served the opposite purpose.
'If I betray him…'
The last sight of Bairif, coughing blood, his head bursting, his body scattering into dust without even leaving a corpse behind—his soul bound to Berze even after death, writhing in unending torment—was burned into his mind with frightening clarity.
'I won't go down that easily. A hasty betrayal would be idiotic.'
Hillen decided to obey the Demon King's commands for now. Fortunately, the Demon King's orders aligned with the duties of a hero. At least for the moment.
"The Heroic March won't begin immediately."
The Empire had proclaimed the successful subjugation of the black mage who had infested Hapstline.
But there was no mention of the Flame Demon King who had been controlling him.
They had deliberately hidden it.
"This concerns the Empire's honor and prestige, so they must be absolutely certain."
Thus, the Empire chose to focus all efforts on locating the Tower first.
"They're sending secret envoys to the northern kingdoms to request cooperation."
"Korzenn, Hoten, and Dormunt?"
"Correct. Hotenwalk may be the city closest to Ergest, but Ergest is a massive mountain range spanning three kingdoms."
Hotenwalk was also the closest to the highest peak of Ergest. That was why Hillen Cargill had departed from Hotenwalk in the first place.
"But the Demon King's Tower wasn't there. Which means they must search all the other regions."
The roots of the Ergest mountain range extended into the Kingdom of Dormunt as well, but compared to the regions touching the other two kingdoms, it had fewer monsters and gentler terrain. The Empire believed the Tower was more likely to be in the areas bordering Korzenn and Hoten.
"Will the search be easy?"
"It will not."
If it were easy, Ergest wouldn't have been declared forbidden ground in the first place. And now the Demon King was involved.
"Which is why we must cooperate with other nations."
"Will they comply?"
"As the Flame Demon King causes more incidents, the three kingdoms bordering the mountain range are the ones who grow most anxious."
Martin sipped his tea.
"There can be no more failures. Slowly, but surely, we must tighten the net."
From the start of Hillen Cargill's Heroic March to the disappearance of Lavinia Acan, there had already been two attempts—and two failures. The Jespine Empire was furious, but had no intention of ruining their plans by acting on emotion.
Finding the Tower would be a long-term operation.
The anger was merely being set aside, not forgotten. The moment the Tower was found, the Empire would mobilize everything it had to bring down the Demon King.
"Is there nothing I can assist with?"
"In time, you may act separately, but for now everyone will pool their strength for the search."
"Even that will be led by the princes?"
"From finding the Tower to slaying the Demon King—everything is a test, and that is His Majesty's will."
"Why go that far…?"
"No one knows His Majesty's true intentions. But support will not be lacking, so do not worry."
That was at least a relief. No matter how great the princes' authority or the power of the families backing them, the Emperor's power was on an entirely different level.
"And as for me…"
Martin set down his teacup.
"I intend to search for the Tower personally."
"…Personally?"
"It's true that I fall behind my elder brothers. Which means I must put in more effort. A thirsty man digs his own well."
"It's dangerous."
"Of course it is."
"I understand that you wish to rescue Prince Kaede, but…"
"You think I'm going to Ergest just to rescue Kaede? Do you truly believe that?"
Martin's eyes darkened.
"…Is that not the case?"
"It is one of the reasons, certainly."
And it carried significant weight. But it was not the only reason.
"How many direct members of the imperial bloodline do you think have no interest in the throne?"
Some, perhaps. There were indeed imperial relatives who trembled at the current imperial power struggle.
But Martin—and the other three imperial royals—were not among them.
Especially Martin. Compared to the other three, his faction was weak and his influence small. But his ambition lacked nothing.
"When the Heroic March begins, it will inevitably be announced to the people. And if it becomes known that one of the imperial princes personally discovered the Tower?"
I'm sorry to say this, but—
"Something that neither you nor Acan accomplished?"
Martin did not look the slightest bit apologetic. And Hillen could only nod at his words.
Even if you combined Hillen and Acan's achievements, Acan's name would carry far greater weight.
Though relations were now somewhat stable, long ago the two nations had fought numerous wars, and even now Acan constantly hindered Jespine's expansion at every turn.
The people's sentiments were the worst; their hostility toward each other wasn't even hidden.
For a prince of the Empire to achieve what Acan could not—that propaganda alone could win support from a significant portion of the populace.
And among the populace were nobles as well.
"Thus, I require your assistance."
"You wish for me to search for the Tower with you?"
"Do you not wish to erase your failure with your own hands?"
"Of course I do."
"Then that's settled."
Refusal.
"I refuse."
The grip of Martin, whose hand Hillen had taken, tightened. Hillen forced an awkward smile.
***
"So the search comes first."
『Yes, that is correct.』
Hearing Hillen's report, Berze tapped the table with his fingers.
'As long as Hillen Cargill doesn't reveal the Tower's location, I still have time.'
And Hillen had seen Bairif die right before his eyes without the slightest warning—he wouldn't be able to speak.
Not unless the betrayal he felt toward Berze threatened his life that very moment.
'What should I do…?'
He had agreed with Gordon's opinion to some extent, but uncertainty remained.
Lurking in the wilderness and devouring the search parties wasn't a bad idea, but doing absolutely nothing wasn't a bad option either.
'I have the Mana Phantom. Could I do it the same way I sent Daphner Philian?'
He couldn't give himself a clear answer yet. When he sent Daphner Philian, he had been incredibly lucky, and not long ago he had spent all of his accumulated demonic points on releasing interference—he didn't have much left.
"How will the search party be organized?"
『The details haven't been disclosed yet. But since they said they would work with the kingdoms bordering the mountains, it's very likely Dormunt, Korzenn, and Hoten will be involved.』
They would probably not refuse. Humans always wanted the upper hand; the ambiguous coexistence between the Demon King and humans persisted only because humans believed they held the advantage.
But by hiding the Tower, Berze had instilled a sense of unease—and every human wished to eliminate their unease.
And if the Empire itself offered the excuse to draw their swords,
Which country would refrain from joining?
'Dormunt, which is politically closer to Acan than the Empire, may be the least enthusiastic.'
But the chances of rejection were extremely low.
Three kingdoms acting under the Empire's leadership.
'If this goes on…'
Wouldn't the Tower eventually be exposed?
His tapping sped up as anxiety crept in.
'…There's no helping it.'
After agonizing, Berze made his decision.
"You'll be part of the search party as well, won't you?"
『Yes. It seems I'll be moving together with the Third Prince.』
"Report everything to me—every detail of their composition, schedule, and movement. And whatever happens, you must protect the Third Prince's life."
『Surely not…?』
"If someone dares set foot in the Demon King's domain, they must be prepared to give up their life."
『That would be a terrible move! The greater the casualties, the less willing the Empire will be to give up!』
"They will not give up anyway. Simply hiding won't solve anything."
The moment he touched the imperial bloodline, the outcome had been sealed. They would not give up until they achieved meaningful results.
And those "meaningful results" began with rescuing the princesses. But the moment the Demon King's Tower was exposed, things would spiral toward an even worse catastrophe.
Because of the other Demon Kings.
Thus, he must prevent that at all costs. Letting the princesses go was never an option.
Either the Tower must never be found… or there must be no survivors.
Berze chose the former. By any means necessary, the Tower must not be discovered.
"I will make sure your humans understand why Ergest has been forbidden to you all this time."
『…And if things go well, what of my life?』
"As long as you do not betray me, you have nothing to fear."
『Yes. Thank you.』
The connection cut off. Berze immediately left the Tower. Outside, two hundred Fuer Orcs were waiting.
"We greet the Demon King."
Kruutu and the Fuer Orcs bowed deeply in reverence.
"Your role is important."
"Please give your command."
"Comb through the entire mountain. Identify every monster settlement and territory within Ergest."
"'Every' one, my lord?"
"Except for the places I mentioned before."
"Understood."
"I said 'every monster,' but it doesn't have to be literally all of them. I don't want you dying out there. But the more monsters you scout, the better."
"Demon King…! We will stake our lives to fulfill your command!"
Overwhelmed with emotion, Kruutu and the others pressed their heads even lower.
"I told you not to die."
"Yes! We will preserve our lives as well!"
"If you find something, don't provoke it prematurely. Memorize the location and report it to Gordon."
"Yes, my lord."
"Go."
Led by Kruutu, the Fuer Orcs rode off on frost wolves.
Watching their tracks, Berze reaffirmed his resolve.
'The princesses, the elves, the chimeras, the mana cannons, and the monsters of Ergest…'
There wasn't a single proper demon beast among them, and Gordon was the only demon under his command—but they could not be called weak.
This past year had not been wasted.
No matter what happened, he would prevent them from discovering the Tower.
Without fail.
***
『I heard you met Berze Deias recently.』
"I did."
『What did you speak about?』
"Must I tell you that?"
Reina's eyes darkened. Realizing he had misspoken, Ugar hurriedly corrected himself.
『No, as I said before, Jayson is not the culprit. Not me, not you—so in the end…』
"So you mean Berze Deias is the culprit?"
『That's what I believe.』
"How amusing, Ugar velvek."
『What?』
"I cannot trust you. Nor can I trust your words. You claim Jayson is not the culprit? On what grounds? You haven't given me a single reason, yet you insist on your claim and expect me to accept it?"
『No, I told you—I saw it! There is no way Jayson is the culprit!』
"And yet you haven't told me what you saw. If your proof were truly certain, why would you hide it?"
Ugar could not give an answer.
"I still suspect Jayson. The only reason to think he might not be the culprit is the claim you make—just one. Meanwhile, there are dozens of reasons Berze cannot be the culprit."
『That may be true, but…』
"Let me ask you one thing. What you witnessed—was it a definite and certain reason that Jayson Cokmundo could not be the culprit?"
Ugar hesitated for a moment.
『…If you insist on asking to that extent…』
"That's enough."
『I haven't even answered yet!』
"That hesitation is your answer."
『Grrnng…』
Unable to find anything more to say, Ugar hurriedly changed the subject.
『Ah, right. Did you hear the news?』
"News?"
『Berze caused quite the incident.』
"Don't drag it out. Speak."
『The presence of a black mage operating in the Hapstline Gorge has been exposed.』
"A black mage? He should know such tricks don't work in Arein."
『It was Berze's doing. The black mage supposedly died after confessing Berze's name.』
『Naturally, the Empire exploded in uproar. Rumor has it they're secretly searching for Berze's Tower.』
『And once they find it, you can imagine well enough how the Empire will respond.』
『Berze Deias is finished now. To have dared to provoke the Empire—he must have grown far too bold.』
Ugar let out a mocking laugh. He had never held good feelings toward Berze.
"How utterly pathetic."
『Right? They say he even insulted the doctrine back at the academy. That arrogant fool who thought the sky revolved around him—』
"I wasn't speaking of Berze. I meant you, Ugar velvek."
『…What?』
"To say a Demon King 'dared' touch a human, even if it's the Empire… You've adapted to Arein a little too well, it seems."
『...』
Under Reina's open scorn, Ugar fell silent.
"That information came from Jayson, didn't it?"
『I heard it directly—』
"I am no fool, Ugar velvek."
『…Fine.』
"Have you not considered how nonsense it sounds?"
『What?』
"A black mage revealed Berze's name? That a mere black mage betrayed the Demon King? And I'm supposed to believe such nonsense?"
A black mage's soul belonged to the Demon King. Betrayal was impossible from the start—unless one sought death.
No, even seeking death wouldn't change that.
"A black mage's soul is bound to the Demon King even after death. Any black mage knows the torment awaiting them is worse than death if they ever betray their master."
Anyone who had made a contract with a Demon King knew. The more demonic power they used, the more time passed, the more the shackles—and their future—became unmistakably clear.
That was why not once in history had a black mage betrayed their Demon King. Not once. Because they couldn't.
『…That is…』
"Yes, it's not completely impossible."
Reina Sordein presented a single hypothesis.
"If that black mage was Jayson's own mage—acting under Jayson's orders. I find that far more believable."
Because he was—
"That 'lie' who has never once revealed anything about himself properly."
READ MORE CHAPTERS HERE : https://beastnovels.com