“Faster than I expected.”

Word of the coalition army’s departure, following its lavish send-off ceremony, reached Berge as well.

Their speed was astonishing. Barely a month and a half. An exceedingly short time to assemble an army of 110,000.

It must have reflected just how furious they were with Berge, and how determined they were to kill him.

“Quite an impressive roster, too.”

Balaf Dislord.

Hillen Cargill.

Roselle Charnt.

Ralph Schmitz.

Gillian Aint.

Aina Diaphrin.

Watton Collo.

Three more Stars had joined, bringing the total to seven. It was unprecedented.

Two names on that list bothered him most: Balaf Dislord and Hillen Cargill.

‘There haven’t been any rumors about the red sword. But I was told there were plenty of witnesses who said Balaf Dislord played a leading role in the dragon hunt.’

Did that mean Balaf Dislord possessed the sword? Or had someone else avoided notice and dealt the mortal wound with it?

‘At least Balaf Dislord isn’t that fucking bastard I knew.’

He had already seen his face once in Habstrain. He had the same black eyes and hair, but a different face.

Still, for now, he was the prime suspect.

‘I’ll find out when they find the fake tower.’

If they wanted to survive, they would have to reveal everything they had.

And then there was Hillen Cargill.

‘That fucking bastard.’

He had told him time and again not to participate.

Of course, he understood.

[“I wanted to obey your command as well, my lord. But with both the Heroes’ Guild and the king of Hilderan pressuring me...”]

The Guild demanded that he fulfill his duties as an Argan. The king ordered him to go and assist Hilderan’s troops.

On top of that, every hero of any renown had announced their participation, so the people of Hilderan naturally assumed Hillen Cargill would join them.

All three pressures aligned perfectly to drive Hillen onto the battlefield. He could not refuse.

Which left Berge unable to fault him, either. All he could say was:

“If you find the tower, don’t set foot inside. Once you do, even I won’t be able to guarantee your life.”

[“... That isn’t entirely up to me, either, but I’ll try.”]

An army of 110,000 was marching out, but most of them would merely search for the tower. Ultimately, to minimize casualties, the heroes—with their overwhelming advantage against demons—would have to step forward.

Only heroes would likely enter the tower. And when they did, Hillen alone could hardly turn tail.

“I have to take care of every last thing for you. You’re not a goddamn child.”

[“...”]

“The tower is here. Go search as far from this location as you can. Make sure it’ll take you a very long time to reach it even after it’s found.”

There were no teleportation circles in Erjest. Since they would have to rely entirely on their own two feet, this was the best solution available.

[“Yes.”]

After pointing Hillen in the right direction, Berge left the real tower and headed for the fake one.

Hundreds of monsters roamed the tower. It was a waste to expend them here, but they were essential to deceiving the heroes.

The problem was that, since this was not a real tower, the monsters needed direct supervision to keep them under control.

They could not feed on the demonic energy supplied by a tower, so they needed either actual food or someone to provide that energy.

“You, here.”

“You, there.”

Inside, Berge found Lavinia directing the monsters. When she spotted him, she rushed over, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Me too.”

“You want to do research?”

“Unfair.”

“Why should you have to work while the dwarves are having fun with the dragon?”

“Yes, yes.”

Lavinia nodded vigorously.

“Because you’re the only one besides me who can manage the monsters properly.”

In truth, she was not the only one.

Leaving aside Gordon, who could not leave the tower as its adjutant, Vivian, a succubus queen, would be an even more reliable means of controlling them.

Yet somehow he could not trust Vivian. Not because of her abilities, but because of that flighty personality.

‘She’d probably toss them inside and wash her hands of the whole thing.’

Besides, Lavinia was not managing the monsters in the fake tower alone. At Berge’s command, succubi under Vivian were helping her.

“I can hardly do it myself, can I?”

“Why?”

“Because it’s a bother.”

“...”

Her pout made it clear she was cursing him with her eyes, even without saying a word.

Well, so what? Why should he do it himself when he had perfectly capable servants?

Berge shrugged.

“I gave you the dragon’s corpse in return. Shouldn’t you earn your payment?”

“... Yes.”

Leaving her slumped in dejection, Berge slowly inspected the tower.

It had only two floors. Each was roughly twenty meters high, and both had been made into mazes.

That would accommodate more people and keep them trapped longer.

‘The third floor.’

He passed the second floor and climbed the stairs leading toward the third. The staircase spiraled around the tower’s center, only to end at a solid ceiling.

“Amusing.”

What expressions would the heroes wear when they reached this point?

It was a shame he would not see them himself.

‘The preparations are perfect.’

Now, if he removed Lavinia and the succubi before the coalition found the tower, no one would suspect it was not a Demon King’s tower.

‘I can’t wait.’

Please, let them find this tower soon.

For the first time, Berge earnestly rooted for the heroes.

* * *

Late that night, the army of 110,000, which had left the Traparta Union and begun its slow march north, set up camp on a plain and fell fast asleep.

“Hmm.”

“Hmm.”

Inside the tent provided for the Star hero Hillen Cargill, Hillen and Granada looked at each other and quietly stifled groans.

“The Demon King said that?”

“Yes, he did.”

“Then we have to obey. No matter what.”

“You’re right. If we don’t, the Demon King will never let us off.”

“Of course not.”

The Demon King’s order not to participate in the hero’s journey was simple, but difficult to carry out. They had been forced to join against their will, but fortunately, the Demon King had offered an alternative.

“The tower is in the northwest of the mountain range.”

“How the hell did that Demon King move his tower?”

Whatever the answer, it was fortunate that it now stood off to one side.

The mountain range was vast. Having experienced several failures, the coalition army of 110,000 had decided to start again from scratch rather than repeat the same mistakes.

Three kingdoms bordered the Erjest Mountains: Horton, Korzen, and Dormund.

Search parties would set out from those three kingdoms in their respective directions and scour the entire range.

Any problems and losses along the way would be swept under the banner of the greater cause.

“We must be assigned to Horton.”

Though elite, the hastily assembled army of 110,000 had only a broad framework. It still lacked a proper organization or assigned routes.

They were therefore scheduled to divide into proper formations in the Kingdom of Iasin, where their paths would branch. Both Hillen and Granada wanted to get as far as possible from the tower the Demon King had indicated. It had to be Horton.

“Can you manage that?”

“Once the coalition splits into three, each force will need an overall commander.”

Giving that role to a particular kingdom would sow discord. It would therefore fall to the heroes, and Hillen Cargill was bound to be one of the three.

“If I insist strongly on Horton...”

Just then, Hillen fell silent at the sound of footsteps. Someone was outside.

“Lord Hillen.”

“Who is it?”

“Lord Balaf sent me. He would like to meet with you privately.”

“Now?”

“Yes.”

After a moment’s consideration, Hillen rose.

“I’ll come now.”

He did not know why Balaf Dislord was summoning him so late at night, but he had intended to speak with him anyway.

“Welcome.”

An imperial knight escorted him into a tent where a sumptuous dinner had been laid out.

“Sit down and join me.”

“Thank you.”

Hillen cut into the steak at his place. He had already eaten dinner, but saw no need to refuse.

“Aren’t you going to ask why I called you?”

Only after they had eaten in silence for about ten minutes did Balaf speak.

“I am curious. Would you tell me?”

“Because I was curious.”

“About what?”

“About you, as a hero.”

Balaf savored his wine.

“People call you the second Balaf Dislord. Or the hero destined to become the greatest.”

“They flatter me. How could I claim that with you here?”

“Spare me the empty words. That can hardly be excessive praise for a hero who has slain two Demon Kings and absorbed their power.”

It was true. At least among the current Stars, no other hero had defeated two Demon Kings. Indeed, even those who had killed one were rare.

“To be honest, I had my suspicions.”

“About what?”

“That you might have joined hands with the Demon King to make a fool of me.”

“...!”

Fortunately, Hillen’s emotional reaction did not show.

“What do you mean?”

“You found the Demon King’s tower and rescued Hilderan’s Crown Princess, while I failed to do so.”

“That isn’t the case. I merely followed Lord Dafner’s records.”

“Yes, of course. I know that, too. It was nothing more than a fantasy born of frustration after searching those damned mountains for months without finding it. A hero who killed two Demon Kings, connected to a Demon King? It’s laughable nonsense.”

Balaf laughed heartily.

“My apologies. I let my emotions get the better of me.”

“I understand.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

Silence lingered for a moment. Balaf put a piece of steak into his mouth, then spoke again.

“Where will you go?”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“You know the coalition army will split into three. Command of each force will ultimately fall to the heroes. Naturally, you and I will be two of them. I can’t be certain who the third will be.”

Officially, heroes belonged to no nation, but unofficially, that was not the case. The kingdoms would maneuver to place heroes friendly to them in command.

Unless, like Balaf or Hillen, a hero was considered superior to the other Stars.

“Anywhere is fine with me.”

“Of course it is. No one could stand in your way, wherever you go. But surely you have at least a slight preference?”

“In that case, I’ll choose Horton.”

“Why?”

“The tower I found was near the center. If he moved it, it would be to one side or the other.”

“That makes sense. Then why Horton rather than Dormund?”

“I wouldn’t particularly mind Dormund, either.”

“Hmm.”

After considering it briefly, Balaf nodded.

“Then I should choose somewhere other than Horton.”

“You needn’t go that far...”

“Let’s call it goodwill toward a junior hero.”

“... Thank you.”

“Finish your meal before you leave. My chef is an excellent cook.”

As he promised, the dinner was delicious. Though the strange atmosphere left Hillen so distracted he scarcely knew what he was swallowing.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Good night.”

Hillen left the tent.

“So far, his prediction was right.”

[“Hillen Cargill is connected to Berge Deias. Whether it’s an outright alliance or merely cooperation, he certainly knows where the tower is.”]

[“Hillen Cargill has joined hands with the Demon King? What proof do you have?”]

[“I have no definitive proof to show you. But when have I ever told you anything to your disadvantage?”]

[“Never.”]

[“Then ask Hillen Cargill which of the three regions he wants. He will probably choose either the east or the west, not the center. And the tower will be on the opposite side.”]

[“You mean he’ll try to avoid encountering the Demon King he’s cooperating with as much as possible. But couldn’t it be the reverse? In these circumstances, he might lead the charge to erase evidence that he joined hands with the Demon King.”]

[“In that case, Berge Deias would surely know. He would have told him the tower was on the opposite side instead. So the result is the same.”]

[“Hmm. Understood.”]

Balaf tapped the table lightly.

“Hillen Cargill chose Horton. The east.”

He unfolded a map.

“Then I’m going to Dormund.”

He planted his fork in western Erjest.

“Wait for me, Demon King of Hellfire. I will not fail twice.”

He would cut off that head without fail and restore his wounded pride.

A heavy bloodlust settled around his lips.