Chapter 151

Chapter 151
Chapter: 151

Chapter Title: Tower Tour

—

While Berge and Gordon hashed out their upcoming strategy, Vivian opted to take a slow stroll through the spire.

The fact that the two towers had become one still rattled her, but the process was permanent. She decided the best course of action was to familiarize herself with her new environment.

‘I wonder what Berge’s domain is truly like.’

A sense of curiosity bubbled within her. She wanted to see the interior of a stronghold belonging to the mighty dragonkin—a race renowned throughout the demonic realms for their arrogance and overwhelming power.

After all, this was to be her permanent residence from this moment forward.

With those thoughts in mind, she descended to the 9th floor.

“…Wait, what?”

She stopped dead. Before her lay a natural landscape so lush it seemed impossible for a tower interior. Spirits flitted through the air, forcing her to blink several times to ensure she wasn’t hallucinating.

“Oh? Who is that?”

A group of elves, splashing in the water alongside the spirits, noticed her arrival. Their expressions shifted to suspicion at the sight of an unknown demon.

“Why are there elves in this place?”

“Identify yourself.”

“I am… a hero?”

The one who stood as their leader was a knight—a woman with an edge as sharp as a master-forged blade. She radiated the distinct, irritating aura of a hero’s interference.

“A hero… inside the spire of a Demon King?”

The sheer absurdity of the situation caused a wave of mental vertigo.

“An intruder!”

Despite the knight’s non-threatening posture, Vivian made a snap judgment. In her mind, the only reason a hero would be in a Demon King’s tower was for a raid or a pre-emptive strike.

Vivian unsheathed her claws, her demonic power swirling around her like a brewing gale.

“Hold your hand!”

Gordon suddenly dropped down from the upper staircase, positioning himself between them.

“She is a loyal servant of His Majesty!”

“…You expect me to swallow that? She’s a hero! Since when does a Demon King take heroes as subordinates?”

“She ingested Armani’s Orb.”

“A hero just willingly consumed Armani’s Orb? You’re telling me that actually happened?”

“You chose to serve another Demon King to ensure your survival—why is it so hard to believe a hero would do the same?”

“…You! How dare a mere subordinate officer take such a tone with me…!”

“‘I will not permit internal strife,’ were His Majesty’s exact words.”

“……”

Vivian ground her teeth, slowly dissipating the dark energy gathered in her palms.

“Let me introduce you properly. This is Kaede Jespain, the 9th Princess of the Jespain Empire and now a vassal to His Majesty. Lady Kaede, this is Vivian Blunt, the Demon King of Lust—or rather, His Majesty’s newest servant.”

“…A Demon King serving another Demon King?”

“…An imperial princess who is also a hero?”

The two women exchanged looks of utter bewilderment.

Before the tension could snap again, Gordon gestured for Vivian to continue to the floors below.

“What kind of madness is this? A princess and a hero both serving Berge? Where does he find such eccentric people?”

“I wouldn’t exhaust your capacity for shock just yet. There are far more startling sights ahead.”

“There’s even more below?”

“I shall show you everything, one level at a time.”

They moved down to the 8th floor—which had originally been the 3rd floor of Vivian’s own tower.

This area had been repurposed for Elena Hilderan and Sharloto.

The atmosphere here was saturated with a specific, refined mana tailored for their needs.

Boom—

A violent surge of magical energy erupted from a corner of the floor.

“Excellent. Your proficiency with both imprints has improved significantly.”

“It’s all because of your guidance!”

“Another human royal and an elf? What in the world…?”

Vivian let out a dry, incredulous laugh as she watched them practice their spells with genuine enthusiasm.

“That is Elena Hilderan, the 13th Princess of the Hilderan Kingdom. She also became a vassal after taking Armani’s Orb. The elf is Sharloto, a master mage of six imprints. She is currently acting as Elena’s tutor.”

“…My mind is spinning.”

“That’s a natural reaction. I felt the same way initially.”

“And you don’t anymore?”

“One learns to adjust. As a member of His Majesty’s household, you will find that adaptation is mandatory.”

“……”

They reached the 7th floor—formerly the 2nd.

“At least this looks somewhat normal.”

Vivian felt a wave of relief seeing monsters pacing the halls.

That relief lasted for exactly sixty seconds.

“Is this bothersome?”

Grrr—

“Deal with it.”

A four-armed ogre looked visibly dejected as a small human girl scolded it, a sight that defied every logic Vivian possessed.

“…What is that?”

“Lavinia Akan. A Princess of the Akan Kingdom. She is tasked by His Majesty to transform these creatures into chimeras.”

“…A princess from Akan now?”

This place is a madhouse.

“Gordon.”

Noticing their presence, Lavinia waddled over toward them.

“Who’s the new one?”

“This is Vivian Blunt. A new addition to His Majesty’s service.”

“Hi.”

Lavinia gave a casual wave. Vivian didn’t respond. She couldn’t bring herself to be cordial while her reality was being systematically dismantled.

A kidnapped princess acting cheerfully toward demons? It felt like a fever dream.

“How is the chimera project progressing?”

“Good.” “His Majesty expects great things.”

“I know. I’ll deliver results.”

With that, she turned back and disappeared into the huddle of monsters.

“…That… thing over there.”

Then, Vivian’s eyes locked onto something: a massive titan following behind Lavinia Akan, featuring a very familiar object protruding from its backside.

“That’s mine!”

The object had grown abnormally large, but Vivian recognized it instantly.

Gordon wasn’t fast enough to stop her.

She unfurled her wings and lunged, claws extended.

A rift in space tore through the air, striking the titan’s back.

——!

A thunderous boom shook the floor.

The titan was forced back three paces. Suddenly, Lavinia Akan was standing by the creature’s side, her gaze cold and murderous.

“Cher, target. Hostile.”

“Give me back my tail, you overgrown pile of meat!”

“She’s strong.”

Cher sensed the power, as did Lavinia.

Even if a succubus wasn’t built for frontline brawling, Vivian was still a Demon King. Her fury made the surrounding monsters shriek in terror.

“I told you, Lady Vivian—no fighting.”

“Are you blind? That’s my tail! The one that was cut off!”

“I am aware. However, you cannot blame Lavinia Akan. She received it as a gift from His Majesty.”

“…What… did you just say?”

“His Majesty presented the tail to her.”

“Berge gave my tail to that bratty girl?”

“Indeed.”

“You expect me to believe that ridiculous story…!”

“If it wasn’t him, how else would your tail have ended up in this tower?”

“……”

“I realize this is a lot to process, but why not finish the tour before you make any rash decisions?”

“…Fine. Lead the way.”

Having reached a point of sensory overload, Vivian became strangely calm.

‘Berge gave my tail to that girl himself?’

What were the implications?

How did Berge even acquire her tail to begin with?

She wanted to storm back upstairs and demand answers, but something in Gordon’s tone made her hesitate. It felt as though the tail was merely a symptom of a much larger problem.

‘No.’

It couldn’t be.

There couldn’t possibly be anything more humiliating than this.

That hope was shattered the moment they stepped onto the 1st floor.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Dwarves…”

Of all things, she saw dwarves.

And leading them was none other than Louise Berfth.

“The wench who severed my tail!”

“Precisely. Louise Berfth has also entered His Majesty’s service.”

“And those other dwarves…”

Vivian’s mind went to the darkest possible place.

No way?

“Wait? No…?”

“…It is exactly what you’re thinking. They are craftsmen from the Berfth royal palace. His Majesty abducted them recently.”

“…Ahaha. This is a joke. So because of your king’s little stunt, I was framed and ended up becoming his servant?”

Thud—

“Lady Vivian!”

Vivian’s mind shut down, and she collapsed.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Vivian drifted into a dream.

She stood upon a mountain of shimmering gold. The treasure was hers alone. But in an instant, it vanished.

As she searched for the thief, she encountered a dragonkin.

‘I’m tracking the criminal who stole my gold.’

‘Someone stole from you? What a villain—taking what belongs to another.’

‘Will you help me? I’ll give you half of it.’

‘I’d prefer your horn and your tail.’

‘But that’s…’

‘Take it or leave it.’

‘Fine… take them.’

With tears streaming down her face, Vivian ripped off her own horn and tail. The dragonkin, looking pleased, pointed her toward the thief’s trail.

Vivian ran until her lungs burned.

Across peaks and through torrents, she finally caught the culprit.

‘…A dragonkin?’

‘You finally made it, succubus.’

‘…It can’t be?’

‘It is. I’m the one who took your gold.’

‘You said stealing makes someone a villain!’

‘I did. And I am a villain.’

The dragonkin’s laughter boomed like thunder.

‘Now that you’re in my territory, you must pay the price.’

‘I already paid you!’

‘That was for the information. This is for your life.’

‘That’s insane…!’

‘Submit to me if you want to live. I’ve always wanted a succubus slave.’

‘This is a total scam!’

‘The one who falls for the trick is the fool!’

Vivian turned to run, but a blast of dragon fire consumed her vision.

‘Kyaaaa…’

“…Aaaah!”

She woke up with a jolting scream.

Her attire and the bedsheets were drenched in sweat.

“Huff, huff…”

The last memory she had before blacking out returned: Louise Berfth and the dwarven smiths.

It felt like a choreographed performance.

As if the entire world had conspired to pull a fast one on her.

But even if it was a con, the consequences were all too real.

“You’ve returned to us.”

Opening her eyes to see Berge’s face, Vivian bared her teeth.

“You…! You…!”

“That’s ‘His Majesty’ to you. Have you forgotten your place? You are my vassal.”

“This whole thing is a scam!”

“What is?”

“Kidnapping those dwarves—that was your doing!”

“It was. Your point?”

“You set me up!”

“Technically, the dwarves reached their own conclusions. You were the one playing around with pirates. You gave them the evidence they needed.”

“You call that a justification…!”

“Was I supposed to just introduce myself as the kidnapper?”

“…You heartless monster.”

“Calling a Demon King heartless? I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You…!”

Vivian wanted nothing more than to tear his eyes out. But she was paralyzed.

Why? Because she was his vassal.

She had signed a soul-binding contract that made betrayal impossible.

“If I had known this was the reality, I would have chosen death over serving you!”

“Then you would simply be a corpse right now.”

“Shut your mouth!”

“As you command.”

“……”

She was trapped. There was no escape. Berge’s arrogance stemmed from the fact that he held all the cards.

She took a long, shaky breath, trying to steady her racing heart.

“…Fine. Let’s pretend that entire mess was a misunderstanding.”

“A wise choice.”

“But what about that titan?”

“You mean Cher?”

“I don’t care what its name is. Why is my tail attached to that grotesque slab of muscle?!”

“Compared to his kin, calling Cher a ‘slab of muscle’ is a bit of an insult.”

“That makes it worse! He’s as big as a hill but looks like a vampire!”

“That’s the influence of your tail.”

“Shut up! Stop mocking me!”

“The logic is quite simple.”

“Simple?” “Who took your tail?”

“Louise Berfth, that miserable dwarf.”

“And where is she now?”

“In this tower…”

Oh. Vivian let out a sharp intake of breath.

If she thought about it logically, there were gaps—how Louise still had it, or how they attached it so quickly after the kidnapping.

But her spirit was too broken to argue the logistics.

From the moment the towers merged, her life had been a whirlwind of chaos.

“Fine, I get it. Just give me my tail back.”

“I can’t. It’s a permanent part of the titan now.”

“Then hack it off and give it to me!”

“Don’t obsess over small things. Tails grow back eventually, don’t they?”

“In a century!”

“A hundred years is a blink of an eye for a demon.”

“Maybe for a dragon like you!”

“His Majesty.”

“…Why did I ever sign that contract?”

“Regret always arrives too late to be useful.”

Vivian ground her teeth so hard it echoed.

“…Fine. I’m furious, but I’ll let that slide for now.”

“You’re being very cooperative today. Is there more?”

“Why are those princesses and elves following you? Even heroes?”

“They’ve taken to calling themselves the Four Heavenly Kings. The Dark Spirit Sorcerer, the Dark Knight, the Death Legion Commander, and the Hell Giant.”

“I asked about their loyalty… So the Dark Knight is that maniac hero, and the Death Legion Commander is the airhead who used my tail. What about the Hell Giant and the Spirit Sorcerer?”

“Louise Berfth is the Hell Giant. They’ve already settled on the titles.”

“…Giant? She’s a pebble.”

“Don’t worry about the semantics.”

“And the Spirit Sorcerer? The one studying magic? She didn’t seem like one.”

“The real Spirit Sorcerer was released recently. She went back to her home country.”

“Released? Only one princess has been freed from this tower lately…”

No way?

Vivian’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.

“That ‘no way’ is exactly right.”

“Ernyan Hilderan is working for you too? The girl destined to command high spirits and take over the Hilderan Kingdom?”

“Yes.”

Vivian swayed on her feet.

“Are you alright?”

“Do I look like I’m alright?”

“You look terrible. But you don’t have any other path.”

The contract bound her soul, and her own tower had been swallowed whole.

Without her tower, she couldn’t even trigger a release clause.

“…Yeah. That’s why I’m so livid. It feels like you’ve been playing me like a fiddle from the start.”

“It’s not a feeling. It’s the truth.”

“Shut up! Just…!”

She exhaled deeply.

Protesting was useless—the damage was done. Berge didn’t care because he had already won.

It was infuriating, but she couldn’t deny the results. Recruiting Ernyan Hilderan was a masterstroke. Even the most skilled incubus would fail to charm a princess who had been abducted.

“Is that the end of it? No more hidden horrors?”

“One more thing.”

“…Again?”

“Hillun Kagil, the one who ruined your plans.”

“The hero who took down two Demon Kings?”

“He is also my servant.”

Absolute madness.

“You unbelievable bastard! So you were the one who cut off my tail!”

“I didn’t personally do it. I simply sent Hillun to intercept you.”

“…Grr.”

Her blood pressure skyrocketed, and she lost consciousness again.

When she eventually woke up, Berge was still standing there.

“…Calmer now?”

“Don’t speak to me. Your voice makes my blood boil.”

Vivian closed her eyes and let her thoughts settle.

The second fainting spell had left her with a strange, cold clarity. She analyzed the situation objectively.

What Berge had accomplished. Where she now stood.

So what if princesses served a Demon King?

Or heroes?

Even if that hero was Berge’s pawn, perfectly positioned to dismantle her operations.

So what if she was the scapegoat for his crimes and forced into a contract, losing her tower in the process?

The reality was that it was done.

And through her eyes, Berge Dayas—this specific Demon King—looked more likely to conquer the world of Aren than anyone else in history.

It was a bitter pill, but a true one.

“…You won’t let me out of this contract, will you?”

“Your tower is gone—only if you truly wish to be adrift.”

It wasn’t a gesture of kindness; it was a reminder that she had nowhere else to go.

“…It’s an honor to serve the world’s greatest fraud.”

“Good. You’re still mouthy, but I can live with that.”

A current Demon King and a former one stood together.

Tower Tour End