SPLASH

Ripples disturbed the calm seawater. Drawn by the smell of blood, monsters rushed over and ended their lives with the rare experience of burning to death underwater.

In the dark depths, where not even light could penetrate, an enormous tower stood on the seabed. It opened its doors at its master's arrival, and Berge stepped inside.

"It's our lord!"

"Our lord has returned!"

"My lord, how was it? How powerful were our special bombs?"

"I wanted to see them myself!"

"The recording orb! You said you'd record it for us!"

"Thanks to our research into making golem cores, we managed to coat the mana with just the right amount of demonic energy. They wouldn't have noticed until right before the explo...sion?"

"... My lord?"

"... Are you all right?"

"Vivian. Fetch Vivian."

"Our lord is hurt!"

"Maybe our bombs were stronger than we expected and he got caught in the blast?"

"So we made them well enough to work even on a Demon King? My skills really are..."

The dwarves hurried upstairs in a flurry of fussing. A moment later, Vivian appeared.

"What? What happened? Don't tell me it failed?"

"It succeeded. It's just..."

"Just?"

"No, never mind. There was an unforeseen factor. But it was dealt with."

"You don't look like it was dealt with."

Even the most generous assessment couldn't call Berge's condition normal. Half his scales had been torn away, and deep sword wounds marked his body. The blood pouring out showed no sign of stopping.

"You're a demonic dragon. Your regeneration should..."

"It's dimensional interference. It's suppressing my recovery. That's why I called you."

Succubi knew healing magic, however weak it might be. Their ability fell far short of a proper healing mage's, but it was still better than nothing.

All the more so for a succubus queen.

"You said you were only going to watch. Did you get spotted and surrounded by tens of thousands of people?"

"Something like that."

His battle with Balaf Dislord had been one-on-one, but coalition troops had filled the surrounding area, so it wasn't untrue.

"So you ran away with your tail between your legs?"

"My tail was not between my legs."

He had merely retreated for the time being because he had no fallback if he fought to the bitter end. He couldn't be certain whether he would win or lose against that man. And even if they were panicking, tens of thousands of humans surrounded them.

He had no desire to win only to be hunted down like a wretched, wounded dog. So he had swallowed the humiliation and retreated.

"We call that running away."

"Shut up. Don't include me in that 'we.'"

"That pride of yours. There. That's the best I can do."

"That's all?"

"It's not my specialty to begin with."

"Well, not bad."

Berge checked his condition. His wounds hadn't healed completely, but much of the interference had been cleared away. They hadn't been life-threatening injuries in the first place, so the rest would heal naturally with time.

"Are you all right?"

Gordon came downstairs belatedly. Berge nodded.

"Gather the princesses at once. There is something I need to find out."

Balaf Dislord. Questions about that damned hero still wouldn't leave his mind.

How had he come to possess the Red Dragon Sword? How could a mere hero be so powerful?

No.

'Is he really Balaf Dislord?'

Was he truly the strongest Star, who had slain one Demon King and lived as a hero for decades?

"Yes, my lord."

"You will join us too. Vivian, you as well."

"All right."

A little later, the Demon King, four princesses, his adjutant, and a former Demon King gathered at the top of the tower.

"Just now, the expedition fell into the trap I prepared."

"Ah."

"Then did they all die?"

"Dead?"

"They must all be dead. Everyone knows how good dwarven bombs are."

The responses came from Kaede, Elena, Lavinia, and Louise, in that order.

"The heroes who entered the tower were nearly wiped out, and the coalition troops guarding the area around it suffered heavy losses as well."

"Wait, some of them survived?"

Louise furrowed her brow.

"Yes."

"Impossible. Dwarven bombs are the best on the continent! With all the bombs we planted in that fake tower, how could they not have been wiped out?"

"It changes nothing."

"There are only two explanations for this."

"What are they?"

"Either there weren't enough bombs, or that bastard Logger did a sloppy job making them!"

"Neither."

"Neither?"

"The blast was powerful enough."

It had dealt ample damage. More bombs would have increased its range, but even then, they wouldn't have killed Balaf Dislord.

"But there was one son of a bitch who exceeded my expectations."

"An extremely powerful hero?"

"Balaf Dislord."

"I know Balaf Dislord is strong, but that strong?"

"Yes. Kaede Jespine."

"Yes, my lord."

"You remember my asking you about Balaf before."

"Yes."

"Back then, it was only a suspicion."

"... Back then?"

"Now I'm certain. He drew the Red Dragon Sword."

Kaede's pupils widened.

"How could that be?"

"According to what you told me, the emperor must be involved. Correct?"

"... That is the only possibility, but I find it hard to believe Father would hand the symbol of the Empire over to a mere hero."

"Balaf Dislord is hardly a mere hero."

"Compared to the Empire, he is."

"Then what if the emperor's anger toward me is that great?"

Berge had left an enormous scar on the Empire's once-unshakable honor. He had set dark mages to work in secret in Habstrain Gorge, seeking to overthrow the nation, and dropped monsters onto imperial territory.

The emperor—the supreme ruler of the Empire—could never have tolerated such provocation.

"But didn't the Red Dragon Sword disappear before you dropped those monsters, my lord?"

"It was also after Balaf failed a hero's journey."

Of course, he couldn't be certain of anything. Berge was merely considering a plausible possibility.

"In any case, that isn't what matters now. Balaf Dislord's strength is. He fought me on equal terms."

Against Berge, who had absorbed a Phoenix's corpse, absorbed a tower to improve the efficiency of removing interference, and even consumed a dragon heart.

This surpassed everything known about Balaf until now.

"How long has Balaf Dislord been a hero?"

"Twenty-eight years. I heard he first made his name subjugating monsters in the Empire."

Twenty-eight years. To a demonic dragon like him, it was a very short time, but to a human, it was very long.

And even the same span of time did not pass equally for everyone. Short-lived humans lived all the more fiercely; some killed Demon Kings before they had even lived fifty years.

Twenty-eight years wasn't an exceptionally long time, but it was enough for an exceptional human to grow immensely powerful.

Even so...

'That level of strength makes no sense.'

"How many Demon Kings has he killed?"

"One."

All the more so if he had killed—and therefore absorbed—only one Demon King.

"The name?"

"I heard the Demon King bore the epithet Sea of Blood."

"The Demon King of the Sea of Blood..."

The name alone told him enough. What a straightforward choice.

"A vampire lord?"

"Yes. The Demon King was slain about fifteen years ago. I heard that, at the time, it had been about ten years since his descent."

"Why was he targeted?"

As Jason intended, Arain's Demon Kings rarely stepped out of line. Beyond Jason steering events that way, they knew it was better for their survival.

A vampire who had lasted ten years couldn't have been unaware of that.

"Because he attacked eastern Hilderan."

Elena answered instead.

"Eastern Hilderan?"

"Yes. They say the Demon King of the Sea of Blood commanded thousands of servants at the time."

"Why?"

"His forces were expanding rapidly, so Hilderan was planning to subjugate him. He struck first."

"Sounds like he ran wild, like a typical Demon King."

"Probably. Anyway, the attack was almost a complete surprise, and it devastated the towns and cities of eastern Hilderan. Father, who was Crown Prince at the time, organized a subjugation force and asked the Heroes' Guild for help."

This wasn't a case where intervening nations prevented an army from being sent. Like Ormus, which had sent thousands of troops after losing a prince, Hilderan had decided to subjugate them itself.

While organizing its force, it requested help from the Heroes' Guild. The hero dispatched then was Balaf Dislord.

"At the time, Balaf Dislord was just one of the heroes making a bit of a name for themselves."

He was strong and had completed quite a few successful subjugations, but he lacked a defining achievement. As a result, he was undervalued and had yet to join the Stars.

"So the leader of the expedition was a Star named Beirn Cockna."

"Did he die?"

"Yes. As far as I know, he died during the subjugation. And Balaf Dislord, who cut off the Demon King's head, became a new Star."

"What did he do afterward?"

"He showed pro-imperial leanings, and was occasionally seen joining raiding parties or subjugating various demonic creatures and monsters. But nothing particularly remarkable."

"Then that's even stranger. Why is he considered the strongest hero if he has done nothing remarkable?"

Of course, that assessment was true. No hero alive today surpassed Balaf Dislord. Berge had experienced that firsthand.

"There was an incident."

"An incident?"

"It must have been only a few years after the Demon King of the Sea of Blood died. As Balaf Dislord's fame was growing, he got into a dispute with Carlson Donnet, one of the Stars at the time."

"Carlson Donnet?"

"He was the Star hailed as the strongest back then."

Humans always liked ranking things. The Stars, considered the strongest of all active heroes, were the envy of every hero, and even among them, people tacitly singled out the strongest for praise.

Carlson Donnet had been the great hero before Balaf Dislord.

"No one knows what caused their dispute. Neither of them explained it."

"But one day, they held an official sparring match at the Guild headquarters in the Traparta Union."

"Balaf won."

The outcome was all too easy to predict.

"Yes. Balaf Dislord won."

"They say he didn't merely win—he overwhelmed him. The duel was one-sided from start to finish, and Carlson Donnet couldn't inflict a single wound on Balaf Dislord. He, on the other hand, lost his right arm. That forced him to retire."

A new powerhouse who had overwhelmingly defeated the strongest of his era. It was only natural that people held him in awe and that he rose to prominence.

"And that reputation has lasted to this day."

"His many successful subjugations matter as well. Everyone who has joined him on a raid or monster subjugation holds him in awe."

"Because he does it so easily?"

"Yes."

'Not enough.'

It was all too vague. Overwhelming a previous Star sounded impressive at first, but it was a drop in the ocean compared to the strength he had displayed.

'But can I conclude he already possessed that level of strength well over a decade ago?'

To have been skilled enough even then to make light of another Star... Considering a human's short life, that was quite astonishing.

"What about his activities before that?"

"I don't think much is known. Even if it is..."

"You had no reason to take that much interest in him. I understand."

"I'm sorry we couldn't be of more help."

"It's fine."

It had helped in its own way.

'I expected too much to begin with.'

Thinking of Ernyan, who could readily answer whatever he asked, he had summoned the princesses out of habit. But one hero's personal history wasn't something they would know in detail.

'I'll have to order Ernyan, Hillen, and Golden Moon to gather more information on him.'

'And separately from that, I should proceed as planned. If I kidnap that damned bastard in this situation, the continent will be shaken even more—'

Only then did he realize everyone was looking at him.

'Hmm.'

Breaking off his thoughts, Berge reached into his storage dimension out of habit.

"Would you like some chocolate?"

The princesses nodded.

* * *

GRRR

The titan opened his eyes. He saw the tower's now-familiar ceiling.

He sat up, scratching his backside and yawning at length. Then he quickly inspected his body with newfound vigilance. He sighed in relief. Fortunately, nothing had changed.

GROAN

His mistress always began her work when he fell asleep. Until now, he hadn't thought that was a bad thing.

Whenever he woke, he was stronger than before. He was a demon and a titan. The instinctive pursuit of strength was in his nature.

He had trusted that his mistress would never harm him. Until very recently, at least.

That trust had broken not long after he arrived at this tower. He had woken to find something new above his backside. His bulging muscles had vanished, replaced by something strange.

For him, a member of the proud titan race, to sport a weak succubus's tail! To have his muscles degenerate because of it!

It was a disgrace to all titans.

However much his mistress cared for him and loved him, this was unacceptable. He had gone straight to her and asked her to remove the tail.

"Quiet."

But his mistress was firm. She had thumped him on the head when he protested. It hurt enough to bring tears to his eyes.

He tried to remove the tail himself, but however she had attached it, it wouldn't come off.

Even so, he hadn't given in. He had shouted that unless she removed the tail, she could no longer do anything to his body.

And so he had been avoiding his mistress ever since.

"Cher."

Just then, his mistress approached.

Cher shrank back warily, checking his escape route so he could flee at any moment.

"Enhancement."

GRRR

He pointed at his tail.

"No."

Then his answer was no too. He shook his head.

But his mistress wouldn't back down either.

"This."

Monsters carried something over. It was a beautiful red.

"Dragon. Scales."

"...!"

A lustrous ink-black color.

"Dragon. Horn. Wings."

"...!"

"You?"

Cher imagined himself in all his majesty, covered in dragon scales, sporting a dragon's horn and wings on his head.

He was beautiful. Strong and fierce. It was the ideal he had dreamed of.

Like an enormous demonic dragon. A demon of unparalleled nobility and greatness.

He nodded fiercely.

"Tail."

He nodded again.

If he could have dragon scales and a horn attached, he could overlook a mere succubus's tail.

"Hand."

He held out his hand.

BAM

His head slammed into the floor with dizzying pain. It hurt.

"Tantrums. From now on."

He swore he would never throw another tantrum. He nuzzled his face against his mistress's hand.

"Good. Good boy."

Only then did his mistress smile.

Cher smiled too.

It was a little humiliating, but so what? A dragon's power awaited him.