It was enormous.

And magnificent.

KRRRREEK!

With an uncanny mechanical screech, it releases mana—no, demonic energy.

Magic circuits glow, and cold metal grows searing hot. Snow melts, and clouds of steam billow out on every side.

KRRRREEK!

The legs straighten. The massive structure, dozens of meters tall and thought utterly incapable of movement, rises slowly, ever so slowly.

“I-it worked! It really worked!”

“N-not yet! Don’t jump to conclusions! It’s only just stood up. Can you call it a success when it hasn’t even taken its first steps?”

“Even if it fails, this is already incredible! A golem dozens of meters tall! And I built it with my own hands!”

“Get your facts straight. About 99% of the credit belongs to me. Your share is about 0.0001%.”

“What? You big-headed bastard!”

“What was that? You can’t even swing a hammer properly with that frozen shoulder!”

The dwarves’ voices were soon drowned out by an even greater noise.

BOOM!

BOOM!

The legs moved. The enormous, ponderous structure slowly planted a foot in the snow, then advanced another.

One step, two steps, three steps.

The chattering dwarves fell silent. Moved by a miracle they might never witness again in their lives, they shed tears of joy.

“... Oh.”

“... Beautiful.”

“To think I helped build this.”

“I had twenty-three nosebleeds, but it was worth every one...”

“This is all thanks to me! It was built from my blueprints!”

A distance as vast as its enormous body vanished beneath it. The tower covered fifty meters in an instant, then stopped. With a thud, its body settled back onto the ground.

Then the door opened, and the Demon King emerged.

“Everyone, get aboard.”

Today, we leave this place.

* * *

BOOM!

BOOM!

The tower moves.

It leaves deep footprints and makes a tremendous racket, but the monsters drawn by the vibrations take fright at its imposing bulk and tuck their tails of their own accord.

Berge watched it all from his throne at the summit. The walls, transparent only from the inside, gave him an unobstructed view of the landscape outside.

“So where are you planning to go?”

Vivian perched halfway onto the throne’s armrest. Berge irritably pushed her away, but she refused to budge.

“... I’ve already picked out a place.”

Berge brought up a hologram and pointed to a spot about eighty kilometers away. It, too, was a basin, surrounded by rocks that made it an ideal place to hide the tower.

“What about leaving the mountains altogether?”

“Not feasible.”

The tower was far too large. Its bulk could be an advantage, but it also made it conspicuous.

“I suppose you’re right. But what are you going to do about the trail behind us?”

“I’ve already given Krutu his orders. He’ll erase the footprints with the Poil Orcs.”

Given the tower’s weight, it left deep tracks. The Poil Orcs would take care of them all.

“Wouldn’t it be better to go farther north, though? The deeper we go, the harder it’ll be for humans to find us, right? The monsters get stronger. This spot looks pretty good.”

Studying the hologram intently, Vivian pointed to a location.

“That one is out of the question.”

“Why?”

“Something we mustn’t disturb is sleeping there.”

“Since when is there anything a Demon King can’t mess with?”

“As I recall, you became my servant after being falsely accused of messing with Louise Berft.”

“You’re the one who framed me!”

“I never framed you.”

Vivian’s eyes narrowed.

“Oh, is that so?”

It was painfully obvious that she wanted to snap back but couldn’t bring herself to do it. Berge snorted and ignored her.

“What is it?”

“You mean what’s there? Something dangerous.”

“A monster?”

“Not so much a monster as...”

After briefly debating whether to tell her, Berge shrugged. On reflection, there was no particular need to keep it secret. If anything, he needed to warn her to be careful and stay away from that area.

“A symbol.”

“A symbol?”

“Yes. For instance...”

Berge’s gaze shifted to Kaede, who stood attentively behind him. Lavinia turned her head after him.

“Why are you looking at me...?”

“The symbol of the Empire, say.”

“... What?”

“... Pardon?”

“... Oh?”

Lavinia’s eyes sparkled.

* * *

A hero’s journey composed entirely of heroes. A hero’s journey that included four Stars.

No one was bold enough to stand in the way of the force the Empire had assembled over three months.

The expedition left the Empire and passed through the Kingdom of Horton without incident. Only upon reaching Hortonwork in the Kingdom of Korzen did they take a short rest.

There was none of the networking or solicitation of additional investment that accompanied an ordinary hero’s journey. The expedition already enjoyed the Empire’s full support, and the emperor wanted the Demon King of Hellfire dead as quickly as possible.

Still, some heroes might have resented giving up an opportunity to secure greater rewards.

But Balaf Dislord, the expedition’s captain, put a stop to that as well.

“Anyone who has a complaint may leave. But you will bear the consequences entirely on your own.”

He was a great hero known to have already beheaded a Demon King.

Hillen Cargill was building his fame after slaying two Demon Kings, but the prevailing opinion was that he still could not match Balaf Dislord.

No one could disregard such a man’s words. Everyone knew he had the Empire behind him and would rise even higher if he killed the Demon King of Hellfire as well.

The malcontents fell silent, and as if in response, the expedition’s pace grew faster still.

“Welcome.”

They received a warm reception at Hortonwork, but stayed only two days—just long enough to recover from their journey.

“It’s cold here, too.”

Gillian Aint, the Great Star who led the White Eagle Raiding Party, exhaled a white cloud of breath into Erjest’s blizzard.

It wasn’t much different from the snowfields. But there was no denying that the rougher terrain made this place even shittier.

“What are the snowfields like?”

“Well, a bleak place.”

Gillian Aint smiled bitterly. Their attempt to put a leash on the Demon King of Bitter Cold and escape the Empire’s influence had failed, leaving his tribe even more dependent on the Empire.

That was also why Gillian had come all this way. He could not refuse the Empire’s orders.

“Come to think of it, Erjest must be somewhat familiar to you?”

“Well, this is my second visit.”

Watton Collo, the hero who had once failed on a hero’s journey with Hillen Cargill and had now become a new Star, offered a smile that was hardly cheerful either.

“Can anyone get used to a place like this after only two visits? Do you think this journey will succeed, Sir Gillian?”

“Of course. All five hundred of us are heroes. And it may sound like I’m boasting, but there are four Stars among us. Never mind a Demon King—even a Demon King’s granddaddy would have to die.”

“That’s true, but...”

With the memories of his first hero’s journey still vivid, Watton couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

“We never found the tower back then, but we encountered countless monsters.”

“I know. They say the Demon King of Hellfire isn’t the sort to sit quietly in his tower and wait for heroes?”

“That’s right.”

It had been true not only of Hillen Cargill’s hero’s journey, but also of Akan’s search and the large-scale joint search.

But...

“Things are different now.”

Their forces were on an entirely different level.

“I have no intention of shedding my people’s blood in someone else’s land. I’ll finish this as quickly as possible.”

The Star of the northern snowfields spoke with confidence.

“Above all, with that man here, whatever the Demon King tries will be pointless.”

Gillian looked toward the back of the knight steadily advancing ahead.

“Quite right. Once Balaf Dislord sets his sights on something, he never retreats.”

Aina smiled.

“Isn’t he impressive?”

“... He is.”

“Our new Star is surprisingly timid, isn’t he? Usually they’re brimming with confidence, challenging everyone without a thought for rank.”

“N-no, I’m not.”

“How cute. There’s something fresh about you.”

“Th-thank you!”

“I hope you keep that freshness to the end. A word of advice: you’d do well not to get involved with Roselle.”

“By Roselle, do you mean Lady Roselle Charnt?”

“That bitch doesn’t deserve to be called ‘Lady.’ ‘Crazy bitch,’ perhaps.”

“...”

“Be understanding. They’re bitter enemies, always at each other’s throats.”

“Ah, yes...”

“If you want to see a battle between archmages, just repeat what you heard today to Roselle Charnt. It’ll be a spectacle. Preferably in front of the Tower of Bitter Cold. The fallout from their battle might kill that Demon King stone dead.”

“... Uh.”

Gillian’s advice left Watton utterly confused.

‘These are Stars?’

His illusions came crashing down.

He hadn’t expected them to be terribly solemn or nearly omnipotent. But...

‘Hillen Cargill wasn’t like this.’

Though their opinions had diverged toward the end of the journey, Hillen Cargill, at least, had been Watton’s ideal Star.

Kind to everyone, always composed, merciful and benevolent.

‘I won’t become like them.’

Watton Collo made that vow.

‘I’ll be the one to behead the Demon King of Hellfire.’

Even with Balaf Dislord present, taking a Demon King’s head was every hero’s goal.

The fame of having killed a Demon King, the tangible benefit of a Demon King’s power—and for Watton Collo, proof that he had risen above his past failure.

‘Even if I miss out on the Demon King, at least one of the Four Heavenly Kings.’

Watton Collo resolved to make this journey the beginning of his ascent. Just like Hillen Cargill, who had also failed, only to soar after killing the Beast Demon King.

* * *

“Never let your guard down!”

“Watch for the Four Heavenly Kings!”

Balaf Dislord and the other heroes identified guerrilla attacks as the greatest threat on this journey.

There had been several attempts to find the Tower of Hellfire, and each time the Demon King had used monsters, demonic creatures, and the Four Heavenly Kings to harass the expeditions and search parties.

Avalanches always struck, and monsters always appeared amid the confusion.

The Demon King had exploited Erjest’s environment to the fullest.

“Be especially wary of the Four Heavenly Kings and the Dark Spirit Summoner. They are all presumed to be high-ranking demons and likely constitute the Tower of Hellfire’s strongest forces.”

Nothing had been discovered about the others, but the Dark Spirit Summoner had once swept away a search party with a tidal wave of snow.

“If the Four Heavenly Kings appear, we’ll take one each.”

“Of course.”

They happened to have four Stars on their side as well.

Thus steeling themselves for battle, they hurried toward the tower.

Contrary to their expectations, however, there was no sign of the Demon King making a move.

There were no coordinated monster attacks or avalanches.

Had that been all, they could have counted themselves fortunate.

“What’s going on?”

“Are you sure this is the right place?”

“It is! According to the recording orb, this is definitely the place!”

It was empty.

At the location Dafner Philiain had risked his life to discover, where the recording said the tower had to stand, there was nothing but fierce wind and white snow.

“Th-this can’t be...”

“Th-the tower’s gone?”

“There’s nothing in sight!”

The expedition, which had so confidently followed the recording orb, fell into a panic.

“The tower can’t be gone! Look again, properly!”

“It’s not here! How could we miss something that huge?”

Heroes though they were, they were still human.

They had been tense from the moment they entered the forbidden territory of Erjest, and their tension had mounted to an extreme as they battled snow, treacherous terrain, and monsters.

How many people could calmly accept that all of it had led to an empty void—that they had been deceived?

“This has to be a dream!”

“Was it ever really here?”

“Dafner Philiain must have lied!”

Balaf Dislord first ordered them to establish a camp in the basin and rest. Then he gathered the other Stars.

“... What do you think?”

“I have no idea. I’ve never encountered anything like this in my life.”

“Still, what possibilities do we have?”

“Two, I suppose? Either Dafner Philiain recorded the wrong location, or he never found it in the first place.”

“That’s impossible. Hillen Cargill rescued Hilderan’s Crown Princess from the Tower of Hellfire.”

Yes, that had given the expedition even greater confidence that the location Dafner had discovered was correct.

“In that case...”

“They say Dafner Philiain was being pursued by one of the Four Heavenly Kings. It would have been difficult to record the precise location. But the general area should be right.”

“So the tower must be somewhere nearby.”

“Certainly. Nothing else makes sense.”

“I agree.”

The Stars agreed in turn.

The possibility that the tower had moved lay outside their understanding of the world.

The expedition scattered in every direction and began searching. No one had expected to resume the search after the tower had already been found, but their mood was not particularly bleak.

They were certain, at least, that the tower was somewhere nearby.

But after three days, that hope shattered.

The expedition could not find so much as a shadow of the tower.

With no hope in sight, morale plummeted with each passing day.

“... Could the Demon King already be dead? Like the Demon King of Carnal Desire.”

“Killed by whom?”

“Perhaps Hillen Cargill...”

“If Hillen Cargill had done that, would it have passed without a word?”

“... No, I suppose not.”

Hillen Cargill pursued honor and fame. He had no reason to conceal an extraordinary feat like killing his third Demon King.

“And the accounts of the raiding party members who accompanied him agree. It wasn’t Hillen Cargill.”

“Then someone else...”

“No. He’s alive.”

“Pardon? How do you know...?”

“He’s alive. He’s definitely alive.”

As their gazes converged on him, Balaf Dislord struggled to justify himself.

“He’s nothing like Carnal Desire, who was brought down after causing trouble repeatedly. It would make even less sense for him to have been slain without anyone noticing.”

“That’s true, but...”

“... For now, we’ll withdraw.”

No one said they could not return before killing the Demon King.

Heroes or not, they were human, and the hopelessness of finding no tower had cast a pall over them.

Thus the expedition that had set out so magnificently descended the mountains without achieving anything.

The failure of a hero’s journey everyone had believed could never fail sent an even greater shock across the continent.

【Another Failed Hero’s Journey...?】

【Hillen Cargill Rescued Hilderan’s Crown Princess—But What of Balaf Dislord, Who Confidently Set Out to Kill the Demon King?】

【Why Did Hillen Cargill Succeed and Balaf Dislord Fail?】

【Gillian Aint Sparks Controversy: “It Was Wrong from the Start. The Tower Was Nowhere to Be Found.”】

【Is the Demon King of Hellfire Already Dead? Who Defeated Him?】

【How Did Hillen Cargill Find the Tower? How Did He Kill the Demon King...?】

【Hillen Cargill: “The Tower Was There. I Merely Followed the Recording Orb.”】

【Hillen Cargill’s Remarks Cause Uproar: Is an Expedition That Cannot Even Follow a Recording Orb Incompetent?】

【Hillen Cargill: “I Never Said That...”】

Balaf ignored everyone’s remarks and maintained his silence. Then, away from prying eyes, he contacted Hillen.

『“That is the correct location. I found it using Sir Dafner’s recording orb, discovered the tower, and rescued Her Highness the Crown Princess.”』

『“Not only I, but every member of the raiding party who accompanied me can attest to it.”』

『“I’d like to ask you that myself. Was the tower truly not there?”』

Balaf Dislord cut off the communication orb.

In the pitch-black darkness, his eyes burned with anger.

‘The Demon King isn’t dead.’

He was alive. Balaf could be certain, because he had heard it from someone trustworthy.

‘No, are they really trustworthy?’

He couldn’t deny that their relationship had been reasonably good until now, but...

Balaf hurriedly reached for his communication orb. After a long wait, he growled at the person who answered.

“Where is the Demon King of Hellfire? Surely you haven’t been lying to me, too?”

『“... Did the trust between us mean so little?”』

The person on the other end of the communication orb pushed up his monocle.