The Guildmaster had returned!

The Heroes' Guild boasted a long history and tradition stretching back more than five hundred years. Countless Guildmasters had come and gone during that time, but the current one was special.

Heroes were people born with extraordinary talents granted by the power of the dimension. Destined to oppose Demon Kings and demons, they had to be strong. Only the strong commanded respect.

Yet most heroes were human, too, and could not defeat time. Even the strongest grew old. Grew weak.

Their experience, however, did not disappear. Thus, the Guild distinguished between those on active duty and those who were not.

The strongest—the Stars—were the Guild's vanguard commanders, fighting on the front lines. Actual management of and responsibility for the Guild rested with its five elders and Guildmaster.

Active heroes were occasionally appointed as Argan, but only retired veterans qualified to become elders. The Guildmaster, in turn, was elected by those veterans—not from among the strongest heroes of the present, but from those most highly respected for their great achievements in the past.

Yes, achievements in the past.

Most of them fell short of the active Stars. That was inevitable, and that was precisely what made the current Guildmaster special.

More than a dozen years had passed since his disappearance, and even then, he had been well over seventy. Yet he had looked young enough to pass for a man in his thirties, and had been strong enough to overwhelm the Stars, supposedly the strongest heroes.

After he disappeared, the emergence of an outstanding hero named Balaf Dislord had left him largely forgotten. Still, many could not let go of their nostalgia for him. He was a great hero who had slain two Demon Kings before Hillen Cargill, and a great leader who, even past seventy, had been stronger than the Stars.

And so:

"Long live the Guildmaster!"

"The Guildmaster has returned!"

His return was bound to shake the entire continent.

Moreover, his appearance, seemingly unchanged from decades earlier, made him stand out all the more.

"Now that the Guildmaster is back, that Demon King of Hellfire..."

"Even that fucking bastard won't stand a chance against him!"

"Of course he won't."

People believed the Guildmaster had ended his seclusion and returned because he could no longer bear to watch the Demon King of Hellfire wreak havoc. Hope allowed them to push aside their anxiety. They believed their ever-remarkable Guildmaster would naturally solve this problem, too.

And their conjecture was partly correct.

* * *

Hillen Cargill sensed the heavy atmosphere. Apart from his appointment as an Argan, this was the first time all the Guild's officers had gathered.

No.

'... That man.'

This was the first time truly every officer had assembled.

'The much-rumored Guildmaster of the Heroes' Guild.'

The man called a great hero for killing two Demon Kings before Hillen Cargill. A man who had scarcely found a worthy opponent even after retiring as a Star. A man who had reigned as Guildmaster, then suddenly vanished and become a legend.

This was Hillen's first time seeing him in person. By the time Hillen began his first hero's journey, the man had already disappeared.

'He's young.'

Despite reportedly being close to a hundred, he looked remarkably young. Had Hillen not known beforehand that he was the Guildmaster, he might have mistaken him for just another ordinary hero.

The realization that the man was concealing his presence almost perfectly sent a chill down Hillen's neck.

"Good to see you all."

The Guildmaster, who had sat quietly at the head of the table waiting for everyone to take their seats, spoke for the first time. His voice was low, level, and calm, yet its weight overwhelmed the room.

"Some familiar faces, and some unfamiliar ones."

He surveyed the gathering. People shrank back whenever his gaze reached them. Then his eyes met Hillen's.

"..."

"..."

At that instant, goosebumps rose all over Hillen's body. He sensed something immense, unlike anything he had ever encountered. Every hair seemed to stand on end, and he desperately bit his lip.

Was it his imagination that the corners of the Guildmaster's eyes seemed to curve in a faint smile?

The pressure vanished in an instant as the man turned back to the rest of the gathering.

"I imagine you have some idea why I ended my seclusion to return to the Guild, and why I summoned you immediately."

"Surely you have come to save us from the chaos of our present circumstances."

The chief elder bowed his head.

"Close, but not quite. I could no longer bear to watch this pathetic spectacle of you being led around by a Demon King."

It was pathetic. Utterly pathetic.

"A mere dozen-odd years ago, such a situation would have been unthinkable. We led Demon Kings around, never the other way round."

Dozens upon dozens of raiding parties had assaulted the towers, and whenever a hero's journey began, at least one Demon King inevitably died. Demon Kings had not dared set foot in human territory. Those had been times when humans could proudly proclaim their clear superiority over Demon Kings.

People had even joked that they only kept Demon Kings alive because they needed them.

And at the forefront had stood the Guildmaster. He had slain two Demon Kings, hundreds of demons and demonic creatures, and even more monsters.

"And yet you've fallen this far just because I stepped away for a little while."

His gaze turned toward certain elders.

"The Heroes' Guild, which should uphold neutrality more strictly than any other organization, has been forging ties with nations and engaging in filthy political games."

As if that were not enough:

"Those who should be leading the charge against Demon Kings are protecting their own skins."

The Guildmaster released a faint aura of power. Some caught their breath as the atmosphere grew heavier still.

"Even pressing on from the defeat of the Adamant Demon King to slay the Demon King of Hellfire would scarcely be enough, yet I hear preparations for the hero's journey are dragging. With people trembling in fear, can you still proudly call yourselves heroes?"

"But..."

An elder cautiously spoke up.

"Hundreds of heroes died in the failed assault on the Tower of Hellfire. These are the most devastating losses we have suffered in centuries. We need time to recover fully."

"So we may ignore the Guild's honor and justice, dragged through the dirt by that failure? Ignore the hopes of the frightened people who look to us alone?"

"Fortunately, we conquered the Adamant Tower. We cut off the Adamant Demon King's head, and the entire continent saw his corpse. Thanks to that, the Guild has regained some of its honor and prestige, and people's anxiety has lessened. I believe it is right to use this precious time to repair the damage to the Guild."

"Do you truly think so?"

"Pardon?"

"I'm asking whether you truly believe killing the Adamant Demon King has fully healed the Guild's wounds."

"Not fully, but to some extent..."

"Elder Tristano Kaniev."

Tristano fell silent beneath his contemptuous gaze.

"Hundreds of heroes died. And you truly believe killing a mere single Demon King restored our lost prestige?"

"... A Demon King is no mere trifle."

"Yes, it is. Countless Demon Kings have failed to achieve their ambitions and left not even a corpse behind."

"That was in the past."

"It is the present. The same held true just one or two years ago. Isn't that right, Hillen Cargill? As someone directly involved, what do you make of this nonsense?"

Before Balaf Dislord slew the Adamant Demon King, the last Demon King to die had been the Beast Demon King, and Hillen Cargill had cut off his head. Before that had been the Demon King of Lust, whom Hillen Cargill had also slain.

"... I agree with the Guildmaster. Just one or two years ago, I could not have imagined our current situation."

"Of course, I agree on that point as well. But the Demon King of Hellfire is different. Hillen Cargill! Didn't you fall victim to his tricks yourself?"

"That is also true. But that is precisely why I believe we must not leave him alone. The Demon King of Hellfire is different from other Demon Kings. If we keep standing by, we will likely face a problem far greater than the loss of hundreds."

"We are of the same mind."

The Guildmaster smiled. Tristano, however, remained opposed.

"I'm not suggesting we stand by. We simply need time. We cannot afford to fail again, can we? Another failure would deal the Heroes' Guild a blow it could never recover from!"

He was not wrong. The Demon King of Hellfire had inflicted far too many failures upon the heroes. He had brought them shock and terror.

If they acted rashly and failed once more, could they truly recover? Perhaps the honor and prestige the Heroes' Guild had built over centuries would fall beyond any hope of restoration.

"Nevertheless, we cannot simply do nothing."

"You are absolutely right."

"If we do nothing because it is dangerous, stopping the Demon King of Hellfire may become even harder."

The chief elder agreed, as did some of the elders and Argan. Tristano bit his lip.

After a moment's consideration, the Guildmaster fixed his gaze on Hillen Cargill.

"Then we should prepare the hero's journey step by step, under the leadership of someone more dependable."

A hero who had clashed with the Demon King of Hellfire more often than anyone else, and had produced outstanding results.

"Hillen Cargill."

The Guildmaster murmured his name.

"I would like to entrust it to you. What do you think?"

"You mean me?"

"You are a great hero who has slain two Demon Kings, and the only one to rescue Hilderan's Crown Princess from the Demon King of Hellfire. I can think of no one better suited. Well?"

"..."

Hillen could not answer rashly. As Berge's servant, he could never accept such a proposal. Yet the Guildmaster's reasoning was sound. He could not disregard the man's authority in front of everyone.

"It is more than I can handle."

"What do the rest of you think?"

"The Guildmaster is right."

"I, too, believe no one is better suited than Master Hillen."

Everyone voiced their agreement.

"You heard them, I trust? Any further refusal would be neglect and irresponsibility, not modesty. An abandonment of your duty as a hero."

"..."

In the end, Hillen had no choice but to bow his head.

"I will do my utmost to slay the Demon King of Hellfire."

* * *

"Have you heard? The Heroes' Guild is preparing another hero's journey to the Tower of Hellfire. Hillen Cargill will lead it."

"Not Balaf Dislord? The Demon King of Hellfire isn't like the others. Surely the greatest hero should step forward."

"Greatest hero, my ass. Why entrust a hero's journey to a failure who's already failed several times?"

"A failure? Don't you know who cut off the Adamant Demon King's head this time?"

"Adamant and Hellfire are different. You're the one who seems to have forgotten which hero alone managed to find the Tower of Hellfire."

Balaf Dislord and Hillen Cargill. The current strongest and a rising powerhouse. Comparing the two was a natural human instinct.

Such conversations took place throughout the continent. To dispel people's worries and fears about the Demon King of Hellfire as much as possible, the Heroes' Guild had widely announced the next hero's journey, with Hillen Cargill as its leader.

"But apparently this was the Guildmaster's decision."

"Why isn't he going himself?"

"Who can fathom his profound intentions? He must have something in mind."

"True enough. Whoever it is, I just hope they kill the Demon King of Hellfire."

Whether they championed Hillen Cargill or Balaf Dislord, the conversation always ended the same way. They drank, wishing for Hellfire's death. The things he had done had shocked them that deeply and left lasting scars.

But the man upon whom all those hopes rested could not accept his role with pleasure.

"So you will be leading this hero's journey."

"I'm sorry. I couldn't refuse."

"It doesn't matter. What you should be worrying about is how to preserve as much of your reputation as possible even when you fail."

"Yes."

"More importantly, what sort of man is this Guildmaster?"

"I didn't have the chance to speak with him privately. And outwardly, I sensed nothing unusual."

Except for the brief instant when their eyes met. Hillen Cargill was probably the only person who had glimpsed a fragment of the Guildmaster's power.

"He gave me chills. Not even Balaf Dislord affected me that much."

"There's a hero stronger than Balaf Dislord?"

"That makes no sense."

Balaf Dislord had fought on equal terms with Berge, who had surpassed his own strength before his regression. Though Balaf had borrowed the Red Dragon Sword's power, and neither had fought with everything they had, his strength could not be dismissed.

And there was a hero stronger than that?

"But that is certainly what I felt."

"What did he look like? Tell me his hair and eye color."

"Both were black."

"... Fuck. Don't tell me..."

Berge's eyes darkened gravely. One possibility came to mind: the hero who had killed him before his regression.

That man had been immensely strong and had wielded Barstein, the Red Dragon Sword. But he had not been Balaf Dislord.

'If Balaf really is just an intermediary, and the Guildmaster is the sword's owner?'

That would mean the hero who killed Berge back then was the Guildmaster.

'But no matter how I look at it, there's another bastard like Balaf Dislord out there.'

A curse escaped him unbidden. With every revelation, the wall before him grew higher, reminding him once again why Arain was the worst dimension.

'Balaf Dislord and the Guildmaster of the Heroes' Guild. I must always watch out for those two.'

"Understood for now. Do your utmost as a hero."

Those words only made the burden on Hillen's shoulders heavier. They meant Berge was that confident.

'... Will I ever get a chance to escape?'

He sighed and cursed the Guildmaster who had saddled him with such an excessive responsibility.

* * *

"The Guildmaster, huh."

Berge had not seen his face in person, but somehow felt it would be that man.

For now, that was all. Another hero's journey no longer posed a danger to Berge. Something else was troubling him at the moment.

'Ugar Belbek.'

He was dead. The Adamant Tower had fallen.

They probably had not targeted the Adamant Tower from the outset. Their assault on the Tower of Bitter Cold had been genuine. They must have made a quick decision after it disappeared.

'Is this the butterfly effect of my saving Reina?'

The idiot.

He cursed Ugar, now nothing more than a departed soul. The bastard valued his life above everything, yet had done nothing when it truly mattered.

Had he so much as contacted Berge once, Berge would have immediately made him a servant and absorbed his tower.

What a waste. Such a terrible waste.

'It's already over. A new Demon King will come anyway. So let go of the regrets...'

Berge tapped his armrest. His thoughts branched off in another direction.

Jason Cockmundo.

'Was this your intention?'

Ugar had been little more than Jason's faithful lackey. His death at Balaf Dislord's hands meant Jason had abandoned him.

'To strengthen Balaf?'

Was that worth abandoning Ugar, who had been with him for nearly a century?

'It is.'

Yes, there was one reason. One clear reason.

'To kill me.'

To strengthen Balaf and make certain he could take Berge's head.

'Do you think I'll just sit back and take it?'

In a sense, this, too, amounted to one Demon King killing another.

'What if I gather evidence and contact the grand duke through Reina's communication orb?'

What if he severed Jason's connection to the Demon Realm that way?

The damage Jason would suffer would be on an entirely different scale from Berge's.

'Absorbing Reina really was a masterstroke worthy of the First Demon Emperor.'

Just as Berge was about to summon Gordon and Reina to flesh out his plan:

"My lord!"

Gordon came running in.

"What is it?"

"There are dozens of ships floating directly above us. I thought they would leave soon, but they haven't moved for days now."

"Ships?"

Could it be a hero's journey? How had they learned the tower's location?

"Uh, um, you know..."

Vivian poked her head through the half-open door.

"I think that might have something to do with me..."

"...?"