While Berge and Gordon discussed what to do next, Vivian decided to take a leisurely look around the tower. The very idea of towers merging had surprised her a little, but it was already irreversible. She might as well adjust.

'What will Berge’s tower be like?'

She was full of anticipation at the thought of seeing the tower of a demonic dragon, a race renowned even in the Demon Realm for its aloofness and strength. After all, this was where she would be living from now on.

She headed down to the ninth floor.

"... Huh?"

An ecosystem had been established there that she could hardly believe was inside a tower. The spirits flying about made her rub her eyes.

"Huh? Who’s that?"

The elves splashing around with the spirits spotted her. They grew wary at the sight of an unfamiliar demon.

"Why are there elves here?"

"Who are you?"

"I’m the one ask—... A hero?"

A knight stepped forward to speak for them. The woman was like a finely honed blade, and she was a hero bearing that repulsive interference power.

"A hero...in a Demon King’s tower?"

An intense bout of cognitive dissonance struck her.

"You’re an intruder!"

Nothing about the scene suggested that, yet Vivian reached that conclusion. She could imagine no reason for a hero to be in a Demon King’s tower other than an invasion by a raiding party or expedition.

Vivian bared her claws. The Demon King’s demonic energy surged like a storm.

"Stop!"

Gordon leaped down from the stairs above and blocked her path.

"She is my lord’s servant!"

"... Do you think that makes any sense? She’s a hero! How could he take a hero as a servant?"

"She swallowed an Armani Orb."

"A hero just sat there and swallowed an Armani Orb? You expect me to believe that?"

"You became another Demon King’s servant to survive. Why couldn’t a hero do the same?"

"... You! How dare a mere adjutant speak to me like—!"

"My lord said, ‘I will not tolerate any disputes.’"

"..."

Biting her lip, Vivian withdrew her demonic energy.

"Allow me to formally introduce you. This is Kaede Jespine, the Jespine Empire’s Ninth Princess and now my lord’s servant. Lady Kaede, this is Vivian Blunt, the Demon King of Carnal Desire, who has also become my lord’s servant."

"... Is it possible for a Demon King to become another Demon King’s servant?"

"... She’s not just a hero, but an imperial princess?"

Their equally bewildered gazes met. Before another dispute could arise, Gordon led Vivian downstairs.

"What the hell was that? She’s an imperial princess and a hero, so why is she Berge’s servant? What kind of crazy bitch does that?"

"You shouldn’t be surprised yet. There are plenty of things more surprising than that."

"There’s more?"

"I will show you everything, one step at a time."

They descended to the eighth floor, formerly the third. The third floor had been set aside for Elena Hilderan and Charlotte. It was an empty floor with little mana, all for Elena’s sake.

BOOOM!

A huge storm erupted on one side of the floor.

"Well done. You’ve become proficient with two engravings now."

"It’s all thanks to you!"

"Another human hero, and another elf? What is this now...?"

Vivian gave a hollow laugh at the sight of them casting magic and crying out in delight.

"Elena Hilderan, the Kingdom of Hilderan’s Thirteenth Princess. She is also my lord’s servant and swallowed an Armani Orb. The elf is Charlotte, a mage with six engravings. She is currently teaching Elena Hilderan."

"... I’m very confused."

"I understand. I was the same at first."

"And you aren’t now?"

"Everyone adjusts with time. Now that you have become my lord’s servant, you will need to get used to it."

"..."

The seventh floor, formerly the second.

"At least this place is a little more normal."

The sight of monsters swarming everywhere put Vivian somewhat at ease.

For the first minute, anyway.

"Uncomfortable?"

GROOOAN!

"Bear it."

An ogre with four arms looked ready to cry, while a tiny human scolded it. The scene was far beyond anything Vivian could have imagined.

"... And that?"

"Lavinia Akan. A princess of the Kingdom of Akan, she is modifying the monsters here into chimeras under my lord’s orders."

"... The Kingdom of Akan this time?"

This was fucking insane.

"Gordon."

Spotting Gordon and Vivian, Lavinia came trotting over.

"Who?"

"Vivian Blunt. My lord’s new servant."

"Hi."

Lavinia waved. Vivian ignored her. She still hadn’t fully accepted the reality before her, much less become ready to return a friendly greeting.

An abducted princess waving happily at a demon. Was she dreaming?

"Is the chimera work going well?"

"Yes."

"My lord has high expectations."

"Yes. Repay kindness."

She disappeared among the monsters again.

"... Th-that..."

Then Vivian spotted it: the enormous titan following Lavinia Akan, and the all-too-familiar shape of the tail twitching on its backside.

"That’s mine!"

It had somehow grown larger, but it was unmistakably hers.

Gordon had no time to stop her. She spread her wings and bared her claws. Slashes that tore through space struck the titan’s back.

BOOOOM!

A deafening crash rang out.

The titan retreated three steps. Lavinia Akan was already beside Cher, radiating murderous intent.

"Cher. Attack. Enemy."

"Give me back my tail, you stupid titan bastard!"

"Strong."

Both Cher and Lavinia felt it. Succubi might be weak fighters, but Vivian was a Demon King. The primal fury pouring from her made the monsters scream in agony.

"Disputes are not permitted, Lady Vivian."

"Are those eyes of yours just decorations? That’s my tail! My severed tail!"

"Yes, I know. But you have no reason to blame Lavinia Akan. My lord was the one who gave it to her."

"... What...did you say?"

"I said my lord gave her the tail."

"Berge gave my tail to that dim-witted bitch?"

"Yes."

"You expect me to swallow that fucking bullshit—!"

"Wouldn’t it be strange for your tail to be here otherwise?"

"..."

"I understand that your feelings are rather complicated right now. But why not see the rest of the tower before making any judgments?"

"... Yes. Let’s do that."

Once events had exceeded her ability to make sense of them, Vivian actually felt herself growing calmer.

'That bastard Berge personally gave my tail to this bitch?'

What did that mean? How had Berge gotten hold of her tail?

She wanted to grab Berge by the collar and shake him right that instant, but she restrained herself. Something in Gordon’s words had given her a feeling.

The feeling that her tail being attached to a titan’s backside was merely the tip of the iceberg.

'Surely not.'

It couldn’t be. What could possibly be more horrifying than this?

The moment she descended to the first floor, that thought was disproved.

* * *

"Dwarves..."

They were dwarves. And that was Louise Berft, no less.

"The fucking bitch who cut off my tail!"

"Correct. Louise Berft has also become my lord’s servant."

"And those dwarves..."

The worst possible scenario occurred to Vivian.

No, right?

"Well? That’s not it, is it?"

"... It probably is. They are craftsmen from Berft’s royal workshop. My lord abducted them recently."

"... Ahaha. How very funny. So I took the blame for what Berge did, and became his servant because of it?"

She crumpled to the floor.

"Lady Vivian!"

Vivian had lost consciousness.

* * *

Vivian dreamed.

She stood atop a hill of gold. All that beautiful glitter belonged to her. But one day, it all vanished.

Vivian set out to find the culprit and met a demonic dragon along the way.

"I’m looking for the thief who stole my gold."

"Someone stole your gold? What a wicked fellow, coveting what belongs to others."

"Could you help me? I’ll give you half."

"I’d rather have your tail and horn."

"But these..."

"Forget it if you don’t want to."

"I’ll give them to you."

With tears in her eyes, Vivian tore off her horn and tail. Pleased, the demonic dragon found a clue to the thief’s whereabouts and handed it to her.

Vivian followed the trail once more. She crossed mountains and rivers, and finally came face-to-face with the thief.

"... Lord Dragon?"

"Welcome, succubus."

"... Don’t tell me..."

"Indeed. I’m the one who stole your gold."

"You said people who coveted what belonged to others were wicked!"

"Indeed. I am wicked."

The demonic dragon roared with laughter.

"You must pay a price for entering another’s territory, mustn’t you?"

"I already paid you!"

"That was then. This is now."

"That’s absurd..."

"Become my slave if you want to live. I happened to need a succubus slave anyway."

"Th-this is a scam!"

"Only a fucking idiot gets scammed!"

Vivian turned and tried to flee. Breath erupted from the dragon’s mouth.

"Aaaaaah..."

"... Aaaaaaah!"

Vivian awoke screaming. Her clothes and bedding were soaked through with cold sweat.

"Hah, hah..."

She recalled the last sight before her reason deserted her: Louise Berft and the dwarves.

It had felt like a play, as though the whole world had staged an elaborate scam to deceive her.

But a scam though it might be, it was no play.

"You’re awake."

Seeing Berge’s face as soon as she opened her eyes, Vivian ground her teeth.

"You...! You...!"

"Not ‘you.’ ‘My lord.’ Have you forgotten? You are my servant."

"This is a scam!"

"What is?"

"You were the one who abducted the dwarves!"

"I was. What of it?"

"You framed me!"

"Strictly speaking, the dwarves jumped to that conclusion themselves. Because you were making a nuisance of yourself with those pirates. You brought it upon yourself."

"How can you even say—!"

"Should I have told them I was the real culprit, then?"

"... You vile..."

"Calling a Demon King vile? Thank you for the compliment."

"You...!"

Vivian felt an urge to tear apart Berge’s smug face. But she couldn’t.

Why? Because she was Berge’s servant. Because she had entered a soul contract and willingly shackled herself so that she could never betray him.

"If I’d known this would happen, I’d have died before becoming your servant!"

"Then you really would have died."

"Shut up!"

"If you wish."

"..."

He had her on a leash. There was no going back. Berge knew that too, which was why he could tell her everything so openly.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.

"... Fine. Let’s say that was a misunderstanding."

"Let’s."

"But what’s the story with that titan?"

"The titan? You mean Cher?"

"I don’t care whether it’s Cher or Chess. Why is that goddamn lump of muscle wearing my tail?"

"Compared with other titans, it is rather inaccurate to call Cher a lump of muscle."

"That’s even worse! It’s as big as a mountain, but it looks more like a vampire!"

"All thanks to your tail."

"Shut up! Stop humiliating me!"

"It’s quite simple if you think about it."

"Simple?"

"Who cut off your tail?"

"Louise Berft. That damned dwarf bitch."

"And where is that dwarf bitch now?"

"In this tower..."

"Ah," Vivian exclaimed.

Of course, there were plenty of holes in that explanation. Why would Louise still be carrying the tail after so much time had passed since she severed it? And even if he had abducted her, how had he attached it to a titan in so little time?

But Vivian was far too mentally exhausted to delve into such details. Ever since the towers merged, everything had been sheer chaos.

"Fine, I understand. Now give me back my tail."

"That’s impossible. It has already become one with the titan."

"Then cut it off and give it to me!"

"Don’t get too caught up in such trivial matters. Your tail will grow back, won’t it?"

"That takes a hundred years!"

"A hundred years isn’t that long for demons."

"That only applies to you because you’re a demonic dragon!"

"Not ‘you.’ ‘My lord.’"

"... Why did I ever agree to become your servant?"

"Regret always comes too late, no matter how soon you feel it."

Vivian ground her teeth.

"... Fine. It pisses me off, but let’s say I understand that much."

"You’re doing a great deal of understanding today. Is there something else?"

"Why are the princesses and elves loyal to you? There’s even a hero."

"They call themselves the Four Heavenly Kings. The Dark Spirit Summoner, the Dark Knight, the Commander of the Legion of Death, and the Giant of Hell, apparently."

"That’s not what I was asking... The Dark Knight is that crazy hero bitch, and the Commander of the Legion of Death is the dim-witted bitch who snatched my tail. But I didn’t see a Giant of Hell or a Dark Spirit Summoner."

"I believe Louise Berft will become the Giant of Hell. They have already agreed among themselves."

"... A giant? She’s tiny!"

"Let’s overlook the trivial details."

"And the Dark Spirit Summoner? Don’t tell me it’s that mage learning magic from the elf. She wasn’t a spirit summoner."

"I released the Dark Spirit Summoner recently. She returned to her kingdom."

"Released recently? Only one princess has been freed from your tower..."

Could it be?

Vivian’s eyes widened.

"Your guess is probably correct."

"Ernyan Hilderan serves you too? The princess who can summon a high-ranking spirit at her age, who’s practically certain to take control of the Kingdom of Hilderan?"

"Yes."

Vivian staggered.

"Are you all right?"

"Do I look all right?"

"You don’t. But you no longer have any choice."

The servant contract had already bound her soul, and her tower had been absorbed and vanished. Without a tower, even being released from servitude would pose a problem.

"... Yes, and that makes me even angrier. I feel like I’ve been dancing in the palm of your hand from beginning to end."

"It’s not a feeling. It’s a fact."

"Just! Shut up!"

She paused to take a deep breath.

No amount of complaining or venting could undo what had happened. Berge was telling her everything because he knew that too.

It was infuriating, but there was nothing she could do. And she couldn’t help admiring the skill it must have taken to acquire a card like Ernyan Hilderan.

Even successful incubi would struggle to seduce an abducted princess.

"So is that everything? There isn’t more, is there?"

"There’s one more."

"... More?"

"Hillen Cargill, who interfered with your plans."

"The hero who killed two Demon Kings?"

"He is my servant as well."

Fucking hell.

"You goddamn son of a bitch! So you were behind my tail getting cut off too!"

"I didn’t cut it off. But yes, I sent Hillen to stop you."

"... Grr."

Her blood pressure soared, and she fainted again.

Much later, she opened her eyes. Berge was still there.

"... Have you calmed down a little now?"

"Please don’t talk to me. It only makes me angrier."

Vivian closed her eyes again and sank into thought. After fainting, she felt strangely calm. She considered the situation levelheadedly.

Everything Berge had accomplished. The position she now found herself in.

So what if the princesses had become a Demon King’s lackeys? So what if the heroes had too? So what if that hero had actually been sent by Berge, completely ruining Vivian’s plans?

So what if she had taken the blame for Berge’s deeds and become his servant? So what if her tower had vanished?

What mattered was that she could not undo her servitude or her tower’s disappearance.

And in her eyes, the Demon King named Berge Deias was closer than any other Demon King to conquering this godforsaken dimension of Arain.

Infuriating though it was, that was the truth.

"... You’re not going to release me from servitude, are you?"

"With your tower already gone, I will if you wish."

That was closer to mockery than generosity or mercy. She had no choice to begin with.

"... It is a great honor to serve such a magnificent swindler."

"Indeed. Insolent though that is, I shall be gracious enough to overlook it."

A Demon King and a former Demon King joined forces.