After hearing how a levitation ship might reach them, Berge immediately began making preparations. He halted construction of the harbor, gathered all the dwarves, and gave his orders.

"So you want us to plant bombs in the sea?"

"Yes. Lay underwater bombs around the tower."

No matter how impressive the levitation ship was, it would ultimately have to submerge and travel through the sea to reach the tower. And if that sea was teeming with mana bombs? They could deal it a heavy blow before it even arrived.

"Underwater bombs in the sea... I've never even imagined such a thing."

"We don't have the technology for that."

The dwarves' country was a mountain range in its own right. Though the levitation ship could cut through the sea and submerge, it had originally been designed as a flying strategic weapon, just as its name suggested. Underwater bombs were uncharted territory—something the dwarves had never made before.

"Still, I don't think it would be all that difficult."

"As long as we waterproof them properly... They're mana bombs, after all, so we could send a signal using mana or demonic energy..."

Of course, that didn't mean they couldn't make them.

"Excellent. And can you make some enormous mana cannons? Preferably powerful enough to smash a huge warship to pieces."

They didn't need to ask why.

"That is possible, but..."

It would require more time and effort, as well as materials and technical expertise, but it wasn't impossible.

"Then make them. Picture it: a magnificent barrage striking a levitation ship already reeling from underwater bombs."

"Ohhh, that certainly..."

Soon the Demon King left, and the dwarves fell into troubled thought.

"... It does sound impressive, but should we really be helping with this?"

"We're supposed to help destroy the kingdom's sacred treasure?"

"The Demon King clearly said he wouldn't touch the Kingdom of Berft."

"He also said he wouldn't stand by if it attacked first."

"And this counts as attacking first, doesn't it?"

"Yes."

"Ugh, this is driving me mad."

They were cooperating to survive, but they still loved their country. Was it really right to kill their own people and destroy the kingdom's sacred treasure to save themselves?

Just then, Logger appeared.

"Look at it another way."

"Another way?"

"If you help my lord destroy the levitation ship and stop the hero's journey, he will keep his promise. Berft will lose its sacred treasure and some of its people, but it will survive."

But if they didn't?

"He might destroy the Kingdom of Berft first."

"... Surely not."

"You haven't forgotten that he's the one who dropped hundreds of monsters on the Jespine Empire because he was displeased, have you?"

"..."

A chill ran down the dwarves' spines.

"And most importantly..."

Logger raised both hands.

"If we destroy the levitation ship, we can become legends."

"Legendary traitors who betrayed their country, you mean?"

"No, that's not what I mean."

Despite their sarcasm, Logger steadfastly continued making his case.

"Think about it. If the levitation ship is destroyed, there will be wreckage left behind, won't there?"

"Yes. The dwarves' glorious legacy will be reduced to mere wreckage."

"Which would leave us with levitation stones."

"... Huh?"

"What would you do with the enormous quantity of levitation stones that made up the ship? I still remember your ambition to install mana cannons throughout the tower and lift the whole thing into the sky to create a sky tower."

"...!"

The dwarves' eyes grew dreamy.

"Never mind the tower fragments my lord promised us in return. If we can just lift the tower into the sky, we can leave our names in history."

The dwarves were as fanatical about glory as they were stubborn about their craft. The honor of creating an object unlike anything else in the world, the fame of forging a weapon that would go down in history—those were part of what drove them.

"Centuries ago, our ancestors made the levitation ship and left their names in history. But what about you? You are every bit their equals, if not their betters. Yet all you get to do is repair or modify the levitation ship. That isn't enough to leave your names in history! But!"

Logger shouted.

"What about a sky tower?"

"A!"

"Sky!"

"Tower!"

The dwarves shouted in unison.

"Who cares if we're betrayers? We'll have built a sky tower no one else could make!"

"Who cares if we're traitors? Craftsmen speak through their work, and nothing else!"

"When the tower we built soars through the sky, rains cannon fire on the ground, and becomes an impregnable fortress no one can conquer, what will the continent call it?"

A peerless masterpiece that would go down in the continent's history.

A legend without equal.

"You will undoubtedly be recorded as devils. But the sky tower you build will endure for ages, becoming a legend people speak of for generations."

Even so...

"Will you refuse?"

Logger held out his hand.

"And most importantly..."

At that point, Logger offered the craftsmen a psychological safety net.

"Didn't Princess Louise tell us to do our very best to help my lord?"

"That's right! She did!"

"Yes, I'm merely following the princess's orders."

"Hear, hear!"

Madness took hold of the dwarves.

Logger met Berge's eyes as the Demon King watched him from a distance.

"Don't forget the reward you promised!"

He whispered softly. Berge nodded.

* * *

"Impressive. Is that how you've been using the dwarves?"

Berge shrugged at Reina's question.

"It's easy to stir up dwarves who've spent their entire lives shut away in little rooms."

He had deliberately put Logger up to it. A fellow dwarf and craftsman would be more effective than Berge himself. And the results were exactly what he had wanted.

"... Lifting a tower into the sky. I could never have imagined such a thing."

"Well, you're the very model of a narrow-minded demon, aren't you?"

"It seems your tongue will have to freeze solid one day before you learn your lesson."

"Oh my, how frightening. I'm just a vulgar demon, so I wouldn't know."

"Rather, I suspect your ears no longer function properly because you're missing a horn and your tail."

"What? What do my ears have to do with my tail? You used your servants as an excuse to cling to Berge because you wanted to live, you bitch!"

"It was no excuse. It was the truth. And unlike you, I did not disgrace myself by crying and throwing a tantrum."

"A tantrum? Me? What is this idiot saying when she barely won even inside her own tower?"

"I may have barely won, but you failed to win at all."

"I'm a Demon King too!"

"Even Demon Kings have their ranks."

"Grr...!"

The succubus queen and frost demon snarled at one another.

Berge sighed at what had become an almost daily occurrence. He hadn't expected the two Demon Kings to cooperate or become friends easily, but he had never dreamed they would become bitter rivals who bickered whenever they met.

To be precise, Vivian picked fights over every little thing and always came off worse.

"To be precise, it's because the Demon King Military Academy never taught us that. I won't tolerate any more fighting."

Berge settled the matter.

"First, we can't lift the tower into the sky before they arrive. We have to destroy that levitation ship and acquire its levitation stones before that's possible."

So, like it or not, they would have to face the enemy underwater.

"What about moving farther north?"

"North?"

"Icebergs drift through the northern sea. Ships cannot enter it recklessly, and the cold strengthens us frost demons. What if my servants confronted them outside while you faced them in the tower?"

It wasn't a bad plan. Cold was poison to humans, so it would at least give them a little extra advantage.

The problem was...

"Louise."

"What?"

"What powers the levitation ship, and what's its top speed?"

"Mana stones power it. As far as I know, I've heard it can fly at close to three hundred kilometers per hour."

"The tower is far slower. They would probably catch us en route, forcing us to fight with hardly any preparations."

The iceberg-filled northern sea looked close on a map, but it was actually a long way from here.

"A pity."

Just then, Gordon quietly raised his hand.

"Do we really need to worry about this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Before, we had no servants and the tower was empty, so we resorted to all sorts of tricks. But honestly, now I can't see us losing, no matter who comes."

Now that he thought about it, Gordon was right.

The Demon King of Carnal Desire and her servants. The Demon King of Bitter Cold and her servants. The elves. The dwarves. And even four princesses.

They had thousands of monsters alone, along with plenty of demonic creatures and demons. And that wasn't all. Dwarf-built traps lay everywhere, and mana cannons filled every corner.

It was a formidable force that no hero could dare challenge. There was no need to keep calling himself the weaker side and scrambling about.

"... I..."

He really had worked hard.

The realization stirred fresh emotions. With this much strength, he could confidently claim to have surpassed what he had possessed before his regression. Above all, he had two Demon Kings and the high-ranking demons who followed them at his side.

After that damned hero had mocked him, he had carried his fury back through his regression and wrecked the graduation ceremony. Even when he descended with Gordon alone, the future had still seemed daunting.

"What are you suddenly talking about?"

"What, do you have some unhappy past?"

"Are you all right?"

"My lord?"

The Demon Kings and princesses questioned him in turn.

"Tears?"

A small hand tapped Berge's shoulder. When he turned, Lavinia offered him a white handkerchief.

"I'm not crying."

"Really?"

"Yes. So put the handkerchief away."

In any case, Berge changed the mood.

"You're right. There's no need to prepare anything elaborate."

"The one variable is Balaf Dislord."

"If we fight inside the tower, I'll win without question. I'll leave the other Stars to you."

Reina, Kaede, and Lavinia nodded.

"Cher. Dragon. Star."

"He can take on a Star too? Are the modifications finished?"

"Almost?"

"I'm looking forward to it."

A titan fitted with a succubus queen's tail and a dragon's scales and horns. It would be stranger if he weren't strong.

There was the downside that Lavinia's involvement might be exposed, but they had already decided to throw caution to the wind. What did it matter anymore?

"But why aren't you saying anything?"

"Huh? Does that include me? I'm not confident in combat."

Vivian averted her gaze.

"I'll have to tell them to put off your horn for as long as possible."

"N-no! I'll do my best! I'll fight too! You've already told the dwarves to build a harbor and underwater bombs, so there's no telling when they'll get around to compressing my horn!"

Vivian grew tearful. Elena lowered her head.

"I'm sorry. I'm still not ready to face a Star..."

"No, that's fine. You're doing well enough already. All you need to do is give it your best."

Elena already had four engravings. She might still be far behind the Stars, but no one could deny that her rate of growth was utterly unrivaled. And now that she had consumed dragon blood and would soon gain a fifth engraving, it was like giving wings to someone already running.

"Still, we should minimize our losses. I'll cover the first through fifth floors entirely in traps."

It would be best to suspend harbor construction for a while. Still, they already had plenty of traps made, so placing and servicing them wouldn't take too long.

"And we'll fight the decisive battle on the sixth floor."

"... Are you not going to face them at the top?"

"Then we'll all gather at the top and fight the enemy there."

"..."

"Facing them one group at a time is just handing them food to kill and grow stronger. They'll come up with their full strength, so why should we spread ours evenly throughout the tower?"

"That is the Guide."

"Then abandon it now. That is an order from your lord."

Reina's delicate brow creased. But she soon sighed and smoothed it again.

"Yes, I am your servant now. I will obey."

Still, she didn't forget to add one remark.

"I'm beginning to doubt whether you truly are a demonic dragon."

"I'm doing this because I'm a demonic dragon. A demonic dragon made the Guide, so another demonic dragon will break it."

"Sophistry."

"Sophistry is better than foolishly piling up casualties. You cherish your servants, so you should understand."

"..."

"Now, there's only one thing left for us to consider."

"What is it?"