Reina melted the frozen sea again. Berge conjured flames of mana and erased every trace of demonic energy.

After herding the surrendered heroes into the tower, they descended beneath the sea, towing the levitation ship with them.

And so the sea grew peaceful again, as though nothing had happened.

* * *

"We don't have enough cells."

"I think we should put all the heroes together on one floor."

All the heroes except the Stars were fitted with mana-restricting cuffs and assigned to the tenth floor. Being deep underwater, the tower would have been difficult to escape even from the first floor, but this was an extra precaution.

The frost demons were placed in charge of guarding them.

Berge convened a meeting to decide what to do with the prisoners. All four Heavenly Kings were present, along with the two demons who had once been Demon Kings and his adjutant.

"So you're suggesting we take all of them as servants?"

"The more, the better. Especially if they're all heroes."

Berge considered Ernyan's proposal. Really, only the first time was difficult. The second and third were easy.

Having already accepted heroes and even princesses as servants, he found the prospect of taking in this group of heroes—reduced from a thousand to roughly eight hundred—quite tempting.

'Eight hundred servants, all heroes.'

And what if those servants rallied around Hillen Cargill and took control of the Heroes' Guild?

The Guildmaster who had disguised himself as Balaf was already in captivity. With no one left in charge, what could stop Hillen from taking over the Heroes' Guild?

"If we take all the Stars as servants too, it might actually work."

"Not might. It will. We can put the Heroes' Guild in your grasp, my lord."

And that was not all.

The Heroes' Guild was indisputably the greatest and most powerful organization on the continent. Since its founding, it had spent long years weaving itself into the continent's fabric. Now, no discussion of the political situation could leave it out.

Countries, imperial families, royal families, nobles, and merchants were all connected to the guild.

After nations had invaded their neighbors under the pretext of subjugating Demon Kings, an agreement had been signed to prevent such incidents from recurring. From then on, defeating a Demon King required the assistance of heroes and the Heroes' Guild.

Naturally, those ties could only deepen, and the guild's connections spread across the continent like a spiderweb.

"Won't it be hard to manage so many?" Vivian asked.

"What does it matter? Once they're servants, that's all we need."

A servant could not betray their master. As time passed, servants naturally came to understand that after death, their souls would belong to the Demon King and suffer torment worse than death itself.

Except for one foolish dark mage who had been cornered too quickly to learn that.

"But how?"

"We use Armani Orbs."

"That's impossible. Our connections to the Demon Realm have been cut off."

Berge's connection had been severed long ago, and Vivian had met the same fate after hurling abuse at Grand Duke Alkain.

"Are you an idiot? Is Reina not a Demon King anymore?"

"Oh, right. Yours hasn't been cut off yet?"

"What are you two talking about? My tower is gone. So is my authority as a Demon King. How am I supposed to connect to the Demon Realm?"

"You can still make purchases with demonic energy points. Your tower wasn't destroyed; it was absorbed. Some of your authority remains."

"Truly?"

"As long as you're touching the throne."

Reina rested a hand on the throne and used her authority to connect to the Demon Realm.

"... You're right."

"While you're connected, buy Armani Orbs. Lots of them. An enormous number."

"I have zero demonic energy points."

"Ah, because all of yours were transferred to me?"

Could he transfer demonic energy points when her tower was gone?

After briefly checking the tower's system, Berge took Reina's hand.

"This should work."

Demonic energy points passed between them through physical contact. Ernyan's eyes briefly gleamed, but no one noticed.

'Hmm. I'd better stay out of this. Good luck, my lord. I'm rooting for you.'

No one except Elena, who was beside her.

"This is far too much."

"Spend it all on Armani Orbs. Once Grand Duke Alkain finds out you've become my servant too, he'll certainly sever your connection."

"Understood."

Thousands of orbs spilled out before Berge. Only then did he smile in satisfaction.

"Still, I wonder whether we can persuade them."

"We need to persuade the Stars first. Then we use them to persuade the others."

"Ralph."

Lavinia raised her hand.

"You want to persuade Ralph yourself?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Me."

"Because he recognized you?"

"Secret. Promise. Couldn't kill."

"You made a promise, but couldn't keep it because you couldn't kill him? So you want to take responsibility?"

"Yes."

Had Lavinia always had this side to her?

"Finger."

"You made a pinky promise, so you have to keep it one way or another. Is that it?"

What? Did merely linking fingers mean that much to Lavinia?

'I haven't ignored any pinky promises I made, have I?'

After a moment's thought, Berge concluded that he had not.

"Very well."

"Yes."

"I'll help too."

"I'm very familiar with your talents."

"Why are you looking at me?"

"I didn't say anything."

"I didn't say you did."

Kaede's gaze sharpened. Berge turned away.

"But Balaf Dislord—no, Daniel Deirus—is out of the question."

"That wasn't the Guildmaster's name, as far as I knew."

As Hilderan's Crown Princess, Ernyan had considerable information about and contact with the Heroes' Guild. The Guildmaster had never been called that.

"Is he really Daniel Deirus? The man who killed two Demon Kings hundreds of years ago, then vanished along with the third tower?"

"He said so himself, so he probably is."

"But his outward appearance..."

"Was Balaf Dislord's. I suspect that was just another identity. Who knows how many more he has?"

"... I never noticed he was wearing a disguise."

"Neither did I."

That was the chilling part. Neither the Demon Kings nor the Star had known. No one had.

Above all, Berge was appalled that even he had failed to realize it—a demonic dragon with senses second to none.

Whether or not that was Daniel Deirus's own ability, it could not be taken lightly.

"I'll interrogate him myself."

"Yes. Then what will you do about the main force following them?"

The heroes had arrived first only because the levitation ship was unimaginably fast. The hero's journey was not over yet.

"Do we need to bother? Without the levitation ship, there's no chance they'll find the tower."

"I'm asking whether we'll ignore them completely or send the defeated heroes to join them before they leave."

"The latter seems to require a few conditions."

"First, it'll take at least two days for the main force to arrive. Then they'll spend at least several days wandering the sea in search of the levitation ship."

They would never imagine that the expedition and the levitation ship had been utterly defeated and everyone taken prisoner. They would merely assume they had missed each other.

"If it takes too long, they'll realize something is wrong and retreat. Then getting the heroes to join them will become awkward. You aren't going to send the levitation ship back, are you?"

"Of course not."

He would dismantle the entire levitation ship and extract its levitation stones. Then he would combine them with the tower to create a sky tower.

It had been the dwarves' grand ambition, but now it was Berge's as well.

"Then we need to persuade them within those few days. And get their stories straight: everything was going well until Balaf Dislord lost to you, so they retreated."

Only that would provide a plausible explanation for the heroes surviving out on the open sea after their levitation ship disappeared.

It would make no sense to claim they had lost the ship to a Demon King, then survived a swim of hundreds of kilometers.

The Stars and the strongest heroes might manage it, but not all seven hundred.

"Oh, you won't be releasing Balaf Dislord, will you?"

"Of course not."

Berge and Ernyan's discussion grew increasingly heated.

After listening quietly, Reina whispered to Vivian beside her.

"If I'm not mistaken, that princess seems to be leading the meeting."

"She is."

"Why?"

"Because she's Berge's lover."

"... But she's human. Taking humans as servants is one thing, but isn't that an entirely different matter?"

"Don't expect common sense from Berge."

"... True. His tower and his actions are completely unlike everything I learned and knew."

"Besides, we're his servants now, aren't we? To put it bluntly, even if Berge dated an orc, what could we do about it?"

"... That would be a little much."

Reina believed Berge's dignity and honor, now that she served him, were as important as her own. Everything he did would become a source of pride for his servants. He had to set an example.

In that sense, Ernyan was acceptable enough. Though human, she was a spirit king's contractor. Perhaps not yet, but with time she would grow strong enough to face most Demon Kings alone.

An orc, however, was merely a monster. That would never do.

"It was a joke. Berge wouldn't do that unless he lost his mind. Our dear frost demon really can't take a joke, can she?"

"It wasn't particularly funny, so I simply didn't realize it was a joke."

"What?"

"Your jokes are vulgar and petty. They aren't worth laughing at."

"You want to say that again?!"

"Be quiet. We're in a meeting."

The conversation, which had begun amicably before devolving into a quarrel, ended with Berge's rebuke.

* * *

Ralph Schmitz could not believe what was happening.

"Servant."

"She says you should become the Demon King's servant."

"Good."

"She says it'll be very good."

"Roselle."

"You. Me."

"Since you learned Her Highness's identity..."

"Roselle."

"No choice."

"She says you either become a servant or die. No exceptions."

"Roselle!"

"You startled me! Why are you shouting?"

Roselle Charnt irritably covered her ears.

"What exactly is going on here?"

"We're persuading you."

"But why?!"

Why were she and the princess working together to convince him to become a Demon King's subordinate?

"You lost to Her Highness, didn't you?"

"I did."

"And you still haven't figured it out?"

"... Her Highness really is..."

"Yes, she's the Demon King of Hellfire's servant. It's a childish title, but she's one of his Four Heavenly Kings."

"Then why are you here?"

"Well, one thing led to another..."

Roselle Charnt smiled awkwardly.

"Leave."

"You're going to stick to your principles? Then you'll die."

"As a hero, I cannot betray humanity."

"That's harsh. Are you calling me and Her Highness traitors to humanity?"

"Are you not?"

"It's not that we're not, but we're not."

"What nonsense is that?"

Roselle desperately racked her brains. Lavinia had told her to persuade Ralph somehow, and the Demon King had said the same. If she succeeded, he would draw some more of his blood for her.

"The Demon King of Hellfire is different from the others."

"He certainly is. Isn't he the one who killed countless heroes and made a mess of everything, destroying our peace?"

"That's why we should restore that peace. The century of peace was built on a secret pact with a Demon King anyway."

"Lies and Hellfire are different."

"They are. The Demon King of Hellfire could already bring down the continent if he wanted to."

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"The Four Heavenly Kings. Do you think Lady Lavinia is the only princess among them?"

"... What do you mean?"

"The Dark Knight is Kaede Jespine."

"Jespine's Ninth Princess...!"

"And the Giant or Dwarf of Hell, whichever it is, is Louise Berft."

"..."

"Now, a question. Who do you think the Dark Spirit Summoner is?"

It was not difficult. That made it all the more absurd.

"Ernyan Hilderan."

"Exactly. Hilderan's Crown Princess, the great spirit summoner who summoned a spirit king, is one of the Demon King's Four Heavenly Kings. And you think that's all? Hillen Cargill is his servant too."

"What... did you say?"

Ralph's brow furrowed.

"Since when?!"

"Since before you first met him."

"... We've been completely fooled. But that was the hero's journey against the Beast Demon King."

"Exactly. He deliberately fed the Beast Demon King to Hillen Cargill to make him stronger. That's what caught my attention."

"What do you mean?"

"Not all Demon Kings are the same. Being Demon Kings doesn't mean they won't turn against one another. And from what I hear, the Demon King of Hellfire is on terrible terms with the others. Especially the Demon King of Lies."

Roselle Charnt whispered.

"You want to tear the Demon King of Lies apart, don't you? Don't you think this is the surest way? The humans you want so badly to protect would keep Lies alive until the very end."

Because their peace had been achieved through Lies.

"..."

Ralph fell silent.

"... I'd like some time to think."

"No. Now."

"Your Highness, I need some time too..."

"Immediately."

Ralph appealed to Roselle with his eyes, but she shook her head.

"There's no time. The Demon King plans to persuade you all and send you up when the main force arrives."

"... That would be the most natural explanation."

"Agree. Bone."

"Your Highness, really?"

"Yes."

"What is she saying?"

"You're incredibly lucky. If you agree now, she'll have a shield made for you from dragon bone."

"Logger."

"By Logger Fridri."

"Logger? Logger is here?"

"Yes. He's been the Demon King's dog for ages, faithfully making mana cannons and weapons."

"... This is truly horrifying. But dragon bone?"

"He definitely has it. I guarantee it."

Ralph nodded.

"I accept."

Even Ralph Schmitz, who cared for humanity, could not resist revenge and a dragon-bone shield made by Logger Fridri.

And every Star hero was receiving this sort of persuasion.

* * *

"You persuaded Ralph Schmitz?"

"Yes."

"Well done."

Berge handed her some chocolate. Lavinia accepted it happily.

"What about the others?"

"Lady Aina Diaphrin was easier than I expected."

Ernyan, who had undertaken to persuade Aina Diaphrin, smiled.

"Easy?"

"A mage through and through, I suppose. She was furious with me, but when I said she could experience the water spirit king's power firsthand, she was completely won over."

Spirits were pure forces of nature. Their power was the ideal that mages wielding elemental forces always pursued. No mage would pass up the chance to witness a spirit king's power at close quarters and feel it firsthand.

Of course, Aina had harbored envy and jealousy toward Ernyan, but that had been neatly resolved.

"Neatly?"

"Yes. Once I promised her the same payment you gave Lady Roselle, she actually wanted to join us."

"What? Who gave you permission?! My tail is absolutely off-limits!"

"Human mages have far less principle or concern for the greater good than I imagined. Greed comes first for them."

The words of one protesting Demon King and another who had reached a realization passed by unheeded.

"Besides, Lady Roselle has grown stronger recently, hasn't she? That played a part too. Apparently, the two have a longstanding rivalry."

"Oh? How amusing."

Competing with each other, they were practically racing to become Berge's servants. Fascinating.

He turned his gaze.

"Vivian."

"Don't covet my tail."

"Enough. Give your report."

"... How did I end up like this?"

Vivian grumbled, then composed herself.

"Naturally, I succeeded. This is my specialty, isn't it? He had a strong desire to live, saying he hadn't accomplished anything yet. And he looked up to that Hillen fellow, or whatever his name is. That's why I asked you, remember?"

"To let him communicate with Hillen."

"Right. A few conversations with Hillen, and he came around."

Of course, she had continually planted suggestions that it was fine, that it was only natural.

"Good work. Hmm."

"Is something bothering you?"

"No. It was easier than I expected."

"That's how it is. Very few people work as heroes out of any great conviction."

They became heroes simply because they had been chosen as heroes. In a world that had coexisted with Demon Kings for a thousand years, would they truly see those kings as mortal enemies who had to be killed?

Would becoming a hero make them determined to slay a Demon King and save the continent?

No. To them, being a hero was merely a title and a profession. Because they had so much, because they had been chosen, their lives were all the more precious.

In such circumstances, how many people would enter the profession with a lofty cause or sense of duty?

"Of course, some heroes have a higher cause. But more of them don't. There's even a derogatory term for heroes: 'chosen mercenaries.'"

"Is that so?"

"It is. Everyone values their own life most."

"Understood. Kaede, what about you?"

"Well, he actually made me an offer first."

"What offer?"

"He asked to be spared. He offered a bargain: if we released him, he would reveal Balaf Dislord's identity."

"A bargain?"

Berge's brow furrowed.

"Revealing an identity we already know is a bargain? Is that Pablo Barkat an idiot?"

"He was knocked unconscious and brought into the tower before your battle with the Guildmaster ended. He probably didn't see it."

"Is that so? Then I'd better see him."

He was too curious to resist hearing what bullshit the man would spout.

Besides, perhaps he really did have some useful information for putting pressure on Daniel Deirus.

When her turn came, Louise shouted.

"We persuaded all the dwarves!"

"You did?"

"No, I just casually rested my axe on them. Logger did everything else. They threw a fit when we said we'd dismantle the levitation ship, but once he started running his mouth about how a tower was much cooler than a ship, they came around one by one. Of course, we also promised they'd get to work with dragon materials and tower remnants. I'm a dwarf myself, but craftsmen really are simple. Still..."

"Still?"

"You really are going to build that sky tower or whatever, right? I helped so enthusiastically because I want to see it too..."

"Don't worry about that."

Now he was serious about the sky tower too, Berge murmured.