No.

Absolutely not.

No one had ever mentioned it outright, but everyone who had watched Berge Deias and Ernyan Hilderan in the Demon King's tower agreed on one thing: there was something peculiar in the air between them.

One might ask how such a thing could possibly exist between a Demon King and an abducted human princess. But to Hillen, neither Berge Deias nor Ernyan Hilderan made any sense to begin with, compared to ordinary Demon Kings and princesses.

What Demon King in the world would consider taking a princess as a servant? And what princess would eagerly accept and become one of the Four Heavenly Kings?

It took two hands to clap.

'And now I'm supposed to marry Ernyan Hilderan?'

The Demon King would be furious.

Ernyan Hilderan would be furious.

'I despise humans who covet what is mine.'

'So do I, my lord. How dare he think he can stand beside me? Shall we kill him?'

'Let us tear him limb from limb and throw his head to the ogres.'

'What a wonderful idea.'

He could all too easily picture the Demon King and the princess cheerfully smiling as they dismembered him.

Above all, though, Hillen himself hated the idea. Crown Princess or not, he wanted nothing to do with such a cra... no, such a strange princess.

Noticing the change in Hillen's complexion, the king's expression hardened.

"You don't seem to like my proposal."

"N-no, Your Majesty. It's just..."

"Just?"

"Shouldn't we hear what Her Highness the Crown Princess thinks as well?"

"There is no need. Your answer is all I require."

Or...

"Are you saying you don't want to?"

"I am not worthy."

"If a man who has slain two Demon Kings is unworthy, then my daughter will have to grow old and die alone, won't she?"

"That is for Her Highness to judge, not me."

"Very well."

The king clicked his tongue.

Even he could not openly pressure Hillen Cargill. This was different from sending him to rescue Ernyan. The kingdom had had a legitimate justification then, but not now.

Fortunately, Hillen had left an opening himself. The king would have to pin his hopes on that.

"I hope you can stand by what you've said."

"Of course."

Hillen sighed with relief and nodded emphatically.

He was certain Ernyan would never agree.

* * *

In the Kingdom of Berft, the king of the dwarves, who built their cities underground, could not contain his mounting rage.

The report was torn to shreds.

"You mean to tell me they're nowhere to be found?!"

The abducted craftsmen and Louise Berft. The dwarves had believed the Demon King of Carnal Desire was responsible.

She was the only Demon King likely to have any use for craftsmen, and she was bound to hold a grudge against Louise Berft.

From that moment, the Kingdom of Berft had planned a hero's journey to rescue the princess and the craftsmen.

They sent envoys to other nations to request cooperation, promising trade in dwarven equipment. They paid an enormous sum in sponsorship to the Heroes' Guild.

Hilderan, Hessen, and Akan pledged their assistance, and the Heroes' Guild agreed to dispatch Watton Collo, who had recently risen to become a Star in Dafner Philiain's place.

Everything had been going smoothly.

Unlike other destinations, the Pirate Archipelago was swarming with pirates. But with naval flotillas from Akan and Hessen promising their help, Carnal Desire's death was all but inevitable.

Then, suddenly, the tower collapsed.

They should have rejoiced. But they could not.

Not a single trace had been found in the collapsed tower.

Not of the forty-nine craftsmen.

Not of Louise Berft.

Not even one of their belongings or a single strand of hair.

It was unbelievable.

Normally, when a Demon King died, the tower collapsed and everyone trapped inside was freed.

The surviving demons and demonic creatures scattered in all directions, and the captives were released from their cells.

That was how it usually worked. It should have happened this time, too.

"Where, where in the world have they gone?!"

But it had not.

"Your Majesty, perhaps the pirates of the Seratin Islands abducted them."

"Abducted again?"

"The tower itself stood in pirate territory. And it is no secret that the pirates covet our nation's craftsmen."

Indeed, the troops sent to search for the princess had already suffered some losses from pirate attacks.

"But even if they are pirates, do you believe they could abduct Louise without a whisper?"

"Nothing else makes sense. If they had returned to the continent from the Seratin Islands on their own, we should have found traces of them in Akan, Dormund, or Hessen. There are fifty dwarves, after all. That many cannot travel together without leaving any trace. Unless they never crossed over at all."

The king stifled a groan at those words. Everyone present was thinking the same thing. They simply did not want to contemplate it.

If the pirates truly had abducted them, rescuing the princess and the craftsmen would be nearly impossible.

The pirates of the Seratin Islands were like cockroaches that even Akan and Dormund had failed to exterminate. Even if Berft promised an unlimited supply of dwarven equipment, what nation would step into such a quagmire of a war?

The pirates used their geographical advantage to wage guerrilla warfare, and no matter how many were killed, they sprang up again like weeds.

"... Still no answer from the Golden Moon Trading Company?"

"They informed us that they, too, purchased it through someone else. But they refused to disclose who that person was."

"Put pressure on the Kingdom of Iasin."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

It was suspicious. Far too suspicious.

Even so, they could not force the truth out of the company. Doing so was highly likely to create a diplomatic dispute with the Kingdom of Iasin, and they did not believe the company could actually have abducted the dwarves and princesses.

They could only surmise that some hero was involved, and that this hero was important enough for the Golden Moon Trading Company to go to considerable lengths to protect.

"Could Hillen Cargill have been involved?"

"No. Hillen Cargill was actively participating in society in Hilderan's royal capital at the time. Besides, would he have any reason to conceal it?"

"Yes, you're right."

More importantly, what mattered now was not who had killed the Demon King of Carnal Desire and taken her horn.

It was the princess and the craftsmen, who remained missing even after the tower had disappeared.

"Is it truly those pirate bastards?"

"We must wipe them out."

"Indeed. We must make them understand exactly what it costs to dare lay hands on dwarves."

One by one, the ministers began to voice their outrage.

"These are craftsmen of the royal workshop, no less. If the nation cannot protect them, who will trust the kingdom?!"

"The pride of the dwarves has been stolen. Our people's pride cannot survive unless we reclaim it."

"Your Majesty, if we set a precedent of responding halfheartedly, humans will look down on dwarves."

"Crush the pirates!"

"Crush the pirates!"

The ministers bowed their heads low.

Faced with their adamant demands, the king spoke.

"It is not that I don't wish to do so myself. But the Pirate Archipelago is their stronghold, and it has never once been subdued."

"We need not actually eradicate them. We must make a show of doing so and force them to back down first."

"Make them feel threatened? You mean we should use the method we excel at."

"Yes. Are there not others who want the pirates eliminated even more than we do?"

The world called them the Kingdom of Dormund, the Kingdom of Akan, and the Kingdom of Hessen.

"We must promise mana cannons and the assistance of our craftsmen. Hundreds—no, thousands of mana cannons, and craftsmen to reinforce their warships. We must devote everything we have to helping them, on a scale never seen before and never to be seen again."

Only then would a nation be willing to wade into the quagmire of a campaign against the pirates.

"And what of the mana-cannon and weapons technology that will leak in the process?"

"We will have to accept that. With time and effort, we can pull ahead in technology again. But trust and honor, once lost, are difficult to restore."

"... You are right."

The king closed his eyes for a moment, lost in thought. His ministers were right, but he could not deny that they were being too emotional.

Even if the matter directly concerned the kingdom's honor and its people's safety, waging war against the pirates would be like sinking into a swamp.

These pirates had already weathered repeated campaigns against them. No amount of support would make complete eradication possible. Unless they took fright and raised the white flag first, it would be no different from sinking into a deep quagmire.

The fate of the princess and the craftsmen would become even more uncertain.

'If they were to die...'

He might well lose his mind.

That little, adorable child...

Perhaps refraining from provoking the pirates would be a better way to keep her alive. But he was king, and he could not let affection dictate every decision.

"... Very well. But do not limit this to one nation, and pursue technological partnerships or exchanges rather than simple aid."

Humans believed that if they could not have something, no one else should have it either.

The continent was full of people who would not want Berft's weapons and technology flowing exclusively into the Kingdom of Akan.

Especially the Empire. If it sabotaged the arrangement, the Kingdom of Berft would also be in danger. They needed a sturdy bulwark.

"Send envoys to the kingdoms neighboring the Seratin Islands. Dormund, Hessen, and Akan."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Pay particular attention to Akan. Question them about the Demon King's horn and obtain any clues you can, however small. Officially, they obtained it through the Golden Trading Company, but Akan itself is very likely involved."

"Yes. As you command."

"Work out the details carefully. The kingdom must suffer no losses."

"Yes. We will do our utmost."

Two days later, delegations from the dwarven kingdom departed for the three kingdoms.

* * *

"At last, the time has come!"

Balaf Dislord, captain of the expedition, stepped onto the platform.

Looking down at the five hundred members, he slowly began to speak.

"The Demon King of Hellfire is unlike any Demon King before him. He built his tower in the treacherous terrain of Erjest to hinder our search, and opposed us outside his tower rather than within it."

"We suffered enormous losses merely searching for the tower, and our proud Star, Dafner Philiain, died."

"He was a new kind of Demon King, unlike anything we had ever encountered."

His voice remained calm, never rising. That only made it resonate more deeply in the expedition members' hearts.

"Ernyan Hilderan. He abducted Hilderan's Crown Princess."

"Kaede Jespine. He abducted Her Highness the Ninth Princess of this Empire."

"Elena Hilderan. He abducted Hilderan's Thirteenth Princess."

"No Demon King had ever abducted an heir to the throne. We humans made certain of that. Yet the Demon King of Hellfire broke that unwritten rule."

"He trampled and made a mockery of everything we have built over a thousand years. With his tower hidden, he laughed at us and ravaged the continent!"

And we...

"Could do nothing but watch! Because we could not find his tower, because we did not know where it was!"

But that was no longer true.

"Through Dafner Philiain's sacrifice, we found the tower! The time has come to punish that vile Demon King who lacks even the courage to reveal his tower openly!"

SHING!

Balaf Dislord drew his sword. Sunlight glinted off its snow-white blade.

"We!"

"Will behead that vile Demon King who mocked humanity and ravaged the continent, and show that justice still lives upon this land!"

RAAAAAAH!

"March forth!"

And so, the expedition of 512 began its hero's journey, led by Captain Balaf Dislord, with Gillian Aint and Aina Diaphrin as deputy leaders, and including the newly appointed Star, Watton Collo.

It was an unprecedented expedition composed entirely of heroes, with four Stars among its ranks.

It embodied the desperate resolve of the Empire and its emperor to kill the Demon King of Hellfire without fail.

* * *

"My lord! We've finally finished it!"

On a snow-white mountain beneath a heavy snowfall, a dwarf hopped up and down, cheering.