Chapter 152

Chapter 152
## Chapter 152: Just Like That

“…Vivian Blunt is gone?”

“That is the report, sir.”

Aina Sermun, his personal assistant, lowered her gaze. Jason reached up to adjust his monocle—a subtle tic she recognized as a sign of his growing irritation.

“I need the specifics. Every detail.”

“There are massive rumors circulating through Akan and Dormunt. They say the Lust Demon King has been put down.”

“Only rumors?” Jason pressed.

“The Kingdom of Akan has publicly displayed Vivian Blunt’s severed horn as definitive proof.”

“The horn itself…”

A Demon King’s horn was no mere trophy. The concentrated demonic essence and unique biological markers it held were impossible to replicate. If the obsessed scholars of the magical arts and demonology had verified it, the claim was indisputable.

“Was there any prior warning? Movement from an assault group or a hero’s crusade?”

“None, sir. Because of that, several skeptical mercenary bands marched toward the Tower of Lust to see for themselves.”

“Let me guess,” Jason interjected, “the tower was gone?”

“Precisely. It vanished entirely. To my knowledge, that only happens in—”

“One specific scenario,” Jason finished for her. “When a Demon King perishes and their fortress is forcibly un-summoned back to the Demon Realm. So, it’s true. Vivian Blunt is dead.”

Jason let out a short, hollow burst of laughter.

In reality, Vivian’s demise had been part of the long-term plan. However, the timing was a disaster—a complete deviation from his carefully laid out script. He had received no intelligence regarding a high-level raid or a hero expedition. It defied logic. Such chaotic variables were never welcome in his calculations.

“Who is responsible?”

“That remains a mystery. Even Akan, despite holding the horn, doesn’t actually know the identity of the killer.”

“They have the trophy but not the name of the hunter? How is that possible?”

“I investigated the transaction. Akan didn’t harvest it themselves; they acquired it through a third-party merchant organization.”

“Which one?”

“The Golden Moon Guild, operating out of the Iasine Kingdom.”

“Golden Moon…” Jason’s lips curled into a sharp, knowing smile. “Berge Dayas.”

“Yes, Berge Dayas.”

Jason had kept a close watch on the gold he had previously funneled to Berge. He had focused his attention on one specific entity: Golden Moon. A guild that had been on the verge of bankruptcy suddenly found itself flush with capital and rising to prominence. Furthermore, its successor was a man who had recently returned from a hero expedition.

It was all far too convenient—especially since the timeline aligned perfectly with Jason’s loan.

“Is it possible Berge Dayas killed Vivian Blunt himself to sell the horn?”

“I find that unlikely,” Aina replied. “Regardless of Berge’s individual prowess, he is still hindered by dimensional interference. There are limits. Unless he spent a century funneling every ounce of mana into nullifying those penalties, he couldn’t possibly execute a Demon King inside their own stronghold.”

The tower provided a home-field advantage. A Demon King empowered by their sanctum versus a human stripped of his full potential? The winner should have been obvious.

“Yet, he is clearly involved. Possessing that horn proves it.”

Jason paced, his mind racing. What was the angle? Initially, he thought using Vivian was a mere distraction. But killing her? He couldn’t decipher the endgame. After a moment, he dismissed the thought with a shake of his head. Whatever Berge was hunting for didn’t matter.

First Drakson, and now Vivian.

“He’s playing a very dangerous game,” Jason muttered. “Dig deeper.”

“As you wish.”

“What about his guild?”

“Should we move against them?” Aina asked.

“No, leave them be for now. Once the official hero expeditions conclude, we will absorb them slowly. It’s better to savor the meal than to simply crush it.”

“Understood. I will begin the necessary arrangements.”

Aina bowed and exited the room.

“The time remaining until the expeditions start,” Jason whispered to the empty room. “That is the final mercy I am granting you. I won’t miss.”

The ceramic teacup in his hand suddenly splintered into a thousand shards.

—

After the remnants of Vivian’s forces swore their oaths of fealty, the immediate priority was the logistical nightmare of the merged tower.

The structure had expanded from five floors to ten. It appeared as though Vivian’s tower had been physically grafted onto Berge’s, doubling the height in a crude but effective manner. Vivian’s original domain now occupied the first five floors, while Berge’s territory spanned floors six through ten.

Berge gathered his new subordinates to meet his existing inner circle.

“I am Kaede Jespain.”

“Lavinia.”

“Elena Hildran, at your service.”

“…Lord Demon King? Are you serious?”

Vivian’s retainers were visibly shaken by the introductions. A lineup of princesses, elves, and dwarves—not to mention an entire floor dedicated to heavy magic artillery. To the standard demon soldiers who had served Vivian, the composition of Berge’s forces was utterly surreal.

“I am no longer a Demon King,” Vivian stated firmly to her people. “I have pledged myself as a retainer to Berge Dayas, and by extension, so have you.”

“But, My Lady…” Jenia, Vivian’s succubus aide, hesitated.

Vivian reached out, gently lifting Jenia’s chin to meet her gaze. “I understand this is a difficult transition for those who have stood by me. But there are no other paths forward. This is the reality of being a retainer. When your sovereign serves another, your loyalty follows.”

She softened her tone slightly. “Trust me, this arrangement will be to your benefit as well.”

“…We understand.”

“We will follow your lead, Lady Vivian—ma’am!”

The demons bowed in unison. However, Berge knew the integration wouldn’t be seamless. His tower was populated by Aren natives—humans, elves, and dwarves—who viewed demons as natural enemies. Only time would bridge that gap.

“Lord Berge, with the tower jumping to ten floors, the structural weight…”

“The physical footprint and weight haven’t changed, Roger,” Berge explained. “The interior dimensions are warped.”

Each floor stood nearly twenty meters high, yet the exterior of the tower only measured about fifty meters in total. Spatially, it should have been impossible, but the tower’s inherent distortion allowed for the expansion.

Berge ignored Roger’s lingering anxiety and began assigning the new layout. He divided Vivian’s forces into two main groups: one floor for the demon kin, and all the magical beasts were handed over to Lavinia.

The girl’s delighted scream at the influx of new “pets” echoed through the halls.

The new organization was set:

* **Floor 2:** Raw materials and the dwarf workshop.
* **Floor 3:** Lavinia and the menagerie.
* **Floor 4:** Vivian and the demon units.
* **Floor 5:** Elena and Charlot.
* **Floor 6:** Kaede and the elves.

The dwarf princess, having developed a competitive respect for Kaede after their sparring, decided to remain on the sixth floor to demand daily rematches. Floors seven through nine remained vacant, reserved for future growth.

“The world is convinced Vivian Blunt is dead, thanks to your little charade,” Kaede reported later. “They are obsessed with identifying the ‘hero’ who did it. People are also scouting for any other loot that might have come from the tower.”

“The Golden Moon is feeling the heat, then,” Berge noted.

As the first group to trade in Demon King parts, the guild was under a microscope. Most didn’t think the guild had done the deed themselves; they assumed Golden Moon was acting as a front for a legendary, secretive warrior. This attention was becoming a problem.

“The deal with the magic tower went through, and we have the materials,” Kaede continued, “but the pressure is mounting. People are demanding more trophies and trying to force Golden Moon into exclusive supply contracts. There are even rumors the guild is mass-producing golems.”

“And how is Aman holding up?”

“He’s struggling to keep the board of executives in line.”

Aman, the vice-guildmaster, had his father’s authority, but a guild of that size required a consensus. He couldn’t exactly tell the board he was acting as a quartermaster for a Demon King. His cover story—a mysterious, wealthy client using magic cannons as collateral—was wearing thin.

“They want to know the source of the horn and the identity of the client trading golem parts for artillery,” Kaede said.

“Tell them to use Hillun Kagil as a shield.”

“They’re already trying that.”

“Are they claiming he killed her?”

“No,” Kaede clarified. “Hillun was seen in Hildran during the rescue of Ernyan. Too many witnesses know he wasn’t at the Tower of Lust. They’re just calling him a major ‘investor’ to justify the secrecy.”

“That should buy some time. People grumble, but they respect the privacy of a powerful backer.”

“It’s not just the merchants,” Kaede warned. “The neighboring kingdoms are making noise. The Iasine Kingdom is the biggest threat.”

While foreign nations could only complain from afar, Iasine was the guild’s home base. They had the legal authority to squeeze.

“They’ve sent an official demand,” Kaede said. “They want the full audit trail of the purchase.”

“A demand? It sounds more like an ultimatum.” Berge leaned back, eyes narrowing. “…Fine. We’ll just kidnap the Iasine princess.”

Kaede blinked. “Excuse me? The bridge experiment just succeeded and you’re already looking for a fight?”

The experiment had been a success: the dwarves had created an artifact that allowed the bridge to merge seamlessly with the tower’s spatial anchor. When Berge touched it, the same confirmation message he’d seen with the Mana Ghost appeared.

“If a royal heir goes missing,” Berge reasoned, “they won’t have the luxury of auditing a merchant guild.”

“That just brings the entire kingdom’s fury down on us.”

“Let them scream. Once we move the tower, their anger will have nowhere to land. Roger says the bridges will be finished soon if he has the materials.”

It was an ambitious timeline, but with fifty master dwarf smiths and the golem experts from Akan, it was feasible.

“Besides,” Berge added, “I need to maximize my magic points. Merging the tower and moving it will be expensive. The more chaos and ‘fury’ I generate, the better.”

“True, but don’t rush the timeline unnecessarily. The Empire is preparing its own expeditions. If Iasine joins them, the schedule will accelerate.”

“They won’t join,” Berge said confidently.

“You’re sure?”

“Absolutely. The Empire doesn’t share glory. They might do joint searches, but when it comes to the kill and the loot? They go alone. That’s how they’ve always operated.”

“If you’re right, then we’re safe for now. But one princess might not be enough of a distraction for a mess this big.”

“Then I’ll take more than one.”

Berge stood up, his tone casual, as if he were planning a simple walk in the park.

A few days later, the headlines across the continent were screaming:

*『1st Princess Natalia Iasine, along with the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Princesses, Abducted!』*

*『Black Flames Found at the Scene—Is the Inferno Demon King Responsible?』*

The disappearance of four royal sisters simultaneously plunged the Iasine Kingdom into total anarchy.

—

While Berge was causing geopolitical migraines, the Empire was methodically preparing its grand expedition under the Emperor’s personal supervision.

Martin Jespain closed the heavy doors of the war room, his expression dark. He had bitten his lip so hard it was bleeding.

“Your Highness,” his aide whispered. “The meeting with His Majesty… it didn’t go well?”

“I don’t even know what to call it,” Martin replied. “Personally, it’s a catastrophe. For the Empire? Perhaps it’s a gain.”

“What happened?”

“The Emperor has shifted the entire strategy. He has excluded the royal princes from the command structure.”

Originally, the expedition was meant to be a proving ground for the heirs—a competition for fame and political leverage. But the Emperor had changed his mind.

“He is personally hand-picking the hero party. He intends to lead the strategy himself to ensure the Inferno Demon King is eliminated once and for all. He wants no variables, no sibling rivalries, and no mistakes.”

It was a hardline stance. The Emperor was acting out of a desperate, localized resolve.

“That’s… unexpected,” the aide noted. “Until recently, he treated this as a succession test. Why the change?”

“Something happened. Something altered his perspective.”

Martin felt his plan to protect his sister, Kaede, slipping through his fingers.

“I’ll look into it,” the aide said. “But honestly, sir, I’m relieved. The Inferno Demon King is far too dangerous. He hides his fortresses, ambushes from the shadows, and targets royals without hesitation. He’s destroyed the ‘unspoken rules’ we had with the Demon Kings. For the sake of the Empire, he needs to be erased.”

Martin, knowing full well that his sister was currently serving that very Demon King, couldn’t find the words to agree.

“I suppose,” Martin said bitterly. “I may have lost my chance for merit, but so did the others. At least I’ve already located a tower.”

He regretted knowing the truth—knowing Kaede was the Dark Knight, knowing about the token he had given her. He had tried to reclaim it when she boldly entered the capital, but she had outmaneuvered him and stolen it back.

“With the Emperor taking charge, the expedition will move faster than we anticipated,” Martin said. “Watch the roster of the hero party closely. I need to know who they are sending.”

Martin knew he had to get this information to the Demon King as soon as possible.

—

『I heard the Lust Demon King is now your subordinate.』

『And I heard about Iasine. Four princesses? Really?』

The news had traveled fast. Shortly after Berge had kidnapped the Iasine royals and left them in Kaede’s care, he received a transmission from Ernyan. It was clear Kaede had already leaked the details.

『Can Demon Kings even become retainers?』 Ernyan asked.

“Demon Kings are still demons,” Berge replied simply.

『I imagine a Succubus Queen is quite beautiful. The princesses, too.』

“Not particularly,” Berge said.

『That was a very fast response.』

“It’s the truth.”

『…What?』

“…I don’t know.”

Berge didn’t know why he had answered so defensively. He remembered the way Vivian and the princesses looked at him—the chills he felt, the way their smiles seemed “off.” It was an instinctive reaction. Objectively, Succubus Queens were the pinnacle of beauty, and the princesses were celebrated for their looks. But his gut told him otherwise.

『Well, congratulations. Your tower is certainly formidable now,』 Ernyan said.

“It is.”

『You know something, Berge?』

“What?”

『I’m not just any princess. I am the Crown Princess of Hildran. I am a high-tier spirit mage who is about to contract with the Spirit King himself.』

『Your new Lust retainer lost her tower, which means she isn’t even a Demon King anymore.』

Berge paused. “…Why are you telling me this all of a sudden?”

『…I don’t know,』 she mimicked his earlier tone. 『Just like that.』

Her deep amethyst eyes stared into his through the communication crystal, unwavering and unreadable, until the connection abruptly cut to black.