The Demon King Overrun by Heroes Chapter 212 : Same Treatment

Chapter 212: Sa Treatnt

Following the Empire’s declaration of withdrawal, the Kingdom of Ormus followed suit and left as well, but they could not abandon the prevailing consensus that the False Demon King had to be killed.

It was only natural.

They had thought that the Empire was using a shallow tactic to preserve its strength, but they never imagined that, unless it had truly gone mad, it would stab the alliance in the back.

Arkan, Iasince, Dormunt, Korzen, Horton, Hilderan, Hessen, the Trafarta Union, Machiel, and more. No fewer than fifteen large and small kingdoms and alliances participated.

No matter how strong a great power the Empire was, it could not possibly fight against the majority of nations, excluding itself.

The difference in scale was overwhelming, and even if it sohow won, it would obviously be a victory drenched in wounds.

And their excuse was fairly plausible.

“We will focus on the Demon King of Dark Fla rather than the False Demon King. As long as the Demon King of Dark Fla has abducted His Highness the Empire’s First Crown Prince, we will not strike another Demon King before killing him.”

The ones who had suffered the greatest damage at the hands of the Demon King of Dark Fla—

The ones who had lost the most important mber of the imperial family—

Were the Empire.

At least in na, they had their justification.

“Even without the Empire, there’s nothing we can’t do.”

“That’s right. If the Empire is absent, then we fight without the Empire. Up until now, the reason we were toyed with by them was because we fell into traps or failed to coordinate with each other, and couldn’t move our armies properly. But this ti is different.”

“We must finish off the False One and reclaim the collapsed public sentint and our advantage. The people’s anxiety has gone far beyond the limit.”

The humiliation of consecutive failures.

The fear of the Demon King that they had forgotten.

The enraged public sentint.

All of it pushed them forward.

They had to seize it now. If they did not seize it now, they would regret it far more later.

It was a single current, a wave raised by the Demon King of Dark Fla. Sothing that could never be stopped.

The variable of the Empire’s and Ormus’s withdrawal was not a sufficient breakwater to stop that wave.

“Subjugate the False Demon King!”

“Form the allied army!”

The Principality of Karnia within the Trafarta Union, where the first allied council had been convened, soon had diplomats from each nation constantly stationed there to discuss the subjugation force. Who would take the helm of the alliance, what its composition and scale would be, and how the Tower would be attacked—discussions flew back and forth without pause.

In the midst of that, the Kingdom of Arkan received an unexpected guest.

“My sister has returned?”

Cain Arkan, the Fifth Prince of Arkan, who had just returned from the Trafarta Union, ran at once upon hearing that his missing sister had co back.

He left the royal castle and ran along the main road. Amid the gathered crowd, he saw the mages of the Magic Tower. And beyond them, there was a gigantic Titan—no, a sowhat peculiar chira that was hard to call a Titan outright.

And sitting atop its shoulder, gazing down expressionlessly, was his sister.

“Sister!”

Cain lightly kicked off the ground. Like a bird, he crossed over the crowd and arrived right before her.

“Cain?”

“Sister, you were alive!”

“Your Highness?”

“Prince!”

Tap—

He landed on Cher’s shoulder, right beside Lavinia. He was one of the very few people permitted to ride atop Cher’s body.

“Where in the world have you been all this ti!”

“Er. Research.”

“You an you were doing research in Ergest? Well, since that’s the only thing you’re interested in, I suppose that’s only natural, but…”

Cain let out a sigh.

“Enough. I’m truly relieved that you’re alive.”

Yes, that was enough. He truly felt relieved that his sister had not died and had returned safely.

“But why are you together with Lord Pale?”

Cain turned his head. At first, he had failed to notice due to his joy at seeing Lavinia, but on the opposite shoulder of Cher, soone else was seated.

Pale. The one who had signed a contract with him to receive mana, then vanished without a trace.

And the one who had made Rozel depart for Ergest saying she wanted to et him.

“It’s been a while.”

“It has been a while.”

“You disappeared after signing a contract, so I thought you no longer wished to maintain ties with Arkan.”

“That was a deal to be carried out when I wanted to in the first place. There was no reason to bind myself.”

“Of course, that’s true, but I didn’t expect you to co together with my sister like this.”

“There is a laboratory in Ergest. We happened to et while gathering materials.”

“Then does that an you stayed together with my sister there until now?”

“I helped quite a bit, and received help as well.”

“Help. Pale. .”

“You an you both helped Lord Pale and were helped by him?”

“Yeah.”

There were suspicious points, but in the treacherous Ergest, no matter how many chira and Cher Lavinia possessed, it would have been impossible for her to endure for several months without assistance from others.

‘Besides.’

“I heard that Lady Rozel went to find Lord Pale.”

“She did.”

There was another living witness—Rozel Charnte.

She had heard Pale’s location from Hero Hillan Cargill and had gone straight into Ergest.

And when she returned, she was far stronger. She had shattered the wall that had blocked her.

‘But Lady Rozel…’

She hadn’t said anything about eting Sister Lavinia.

Cain knew Rozel well. If she had t Lavinia in Pale’s laboratory, she wouldn’t have kept silent about it.

“Did you also et Lady Rozel there?”

“Yeah. Rozel. Fun.”

“Fun?”

“Yeah.”

“Then why didn’t Lady Rozel tell anything about you?”

“Secret.”

“Pardon?”

“Secret.”

“You an you asked her to keep it secret?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“You.”

“Because I’d worry? Because I’d co looking for you?”

“Yeah.”

Watching Cain nod in growing understanding, Berje thought it was a good thing he had educated Lavinia in preparation for just such a contingency.

Although twelve chocolates had been consud, it was not a waste at all.

“Princess, are you feeling all right?”

“Cher has changed a lot—how did you modify it?”

At that mont, the mages rushed in. Despite the prince being right there, they were busy checking the condition of the princess and Cher.

“Huh? This mana is…”

“It’s Pale! It’s Lord Pale!”

“Pure mana! Fire mana!”

And that fla of madness spread even to Pale.

“Everyone, show proper decorum! This person is a guest of the royal family!”

“But, Your Highness!”

“It is not right for the royal family to monopolize him!”

“Lord Pale is not an object! Knights! Block the mages!”

Their frenzy continued until knights and soldiers forcibly separated them.

* * *

“Uh, um…”

Berje—no, Pale—who had beco an officially invited guest of the royal family, soon received an invitation from the Magic Tower and ca there.

The one who sent the invitation was Rozel Charnte, but it was by no ans sothing she had done of her own will.

“So why did you co in person?”

“That’s rather curt language for sothing a vassal says to their lord.”

“You said it was fine to talk like this?”

“Well, yeah. It’s more comfortable for both of us.”

In Rozel’s private office, Pale leaned his back deeply into the soft sofa.

“So why did you co? Is it really okay to let the princess roam around like that?”

“Lavinia was not officially abducted.”

“That’s true, but Cher’s been reinforced even more with dragon byproducts. There’s no way the mages won’t notice.”

“We’ll insist it’s a drake.”

“You don’t really think that’ll work, do you?”

“No matter how much of a fuss they raise, if Lavinia says it isn’t so, there’s nothing they can do.”

Even if the mages were crazed, a madness greater than all of them combined existed—Lavinia Arkan herself.

Madness was devoured before greater madness. And with the background of royalty added on top of that, there was no mage who could openly condemn or seize Lavinia unless she allowed it.

“That aside… so why did you co?”

“I ca to participate in the hero’s march.”

“Hah…! Again? You Demon Kings really must be on terrible terms with each other.”

“I also ca to issue a warning.”

“A warning?”

“Do you know why the Empire withdrew this ti?”

“The pretext is that they’re dealing with that side rather than the False One, but aren’t they just trying to preserve their strength? Since their losses were the greatest, they’re sore about it.”

“They intend to go one step further and stab the alliance in the back. You, who will suffer great losses while dealing with the False One.”

“The Emperor would have to be insane to do that.”

The Empire was strong, yes. But not to the extent that it could face all other nations.

Even if miracles and coincidences overlapped and it sohow could, that would not be victory but mutual destruction.

“What if he is insane?”

“You’re saying the Emperor has gone mad?”

“There is a deep connection between the Empire and the False One.”

“You’re saying the False One incites the Empire? When we fail the subjugation and suffer heavy losses?”

“Probably.”

“Are you joking? Unless a Demon King draws a future after his own death, that requires a premise.”

That the False Demon King successfully fended off the subjugation—in other words, that the alliance failed.

“You’re saying he’s confident he can stop us? A single Demon King?”

“I stopped you all as well.”

“That situation was different! The alliance couldn’t fight as one! You ambushed us while we were waiting for the main force!”

“Why do you think Jason wouldn’t be able to do what I did?”

“That stings my pride. There won’t be a second ti. I didn’t even fight with my full strength back then.”

“Right, you didn’t.”

But—

“Hasn’t the hero force weakened instead? Since Balraf Dislode is gone.”

“You’re the one who killed him. Do you think you have the right to say that?”

“That’s why I ca. To help you.”

“Help us?”

“Lavinia Arkan is strong enough to overwhelm Ralph Schmitz. She herself took dragon byproducts and reinforced Cher. She’ll be a great help.”

“So that’s why you let the princess loose?”

“And in Hilderan, Ernan will participate personally.”

“Your Spirit Sorceress of Darkness? That princess will indeed be quite helpful.”

It was more than just helpful. She was a contractor of a Spirit King. It was unfortunate that it was water, but her overwhelming power could not be denied.

Rozel, who as a hero had carved eight Sigils and opened a new realm, still could not guarantee victory against a Spirit King.

“And Hillan Cargill will also participate. Last ti, Jason noticed that Hillan was connected to and intentionally excluded him, but this ti he won’t be able to.”

“Co to think of it, the fake hero’s march disappeared without a trace, didn’t it?”

“He was so shocked by what happened to him at my hands. He even wrapped himself up as a hero.”

The plan for the fake hero’s march was completely buried beneath the failure of the real hero’s march.

Fortunately, thanks to Hillan’s groundwork, he did not beco an outcast among the heroes, but rather a hero who had taken on another role to deceive the Demon King.

Even so, because the hero’s march had failed, most people wondered how things might have gone if Hillan Cargill, the next strongest after Balraf Dislode, had joined.

“By the way, I heard the Hero Guild is in an uproar because the Guildmaster disappeared again.”

“Of course.”

Because the Guildmaster had been another identity of Balraf Dislode.

“With the Guildmaster completely gone, it’ll be even better for Hillan Cargill to beco the Guildmaster.”

“You’re making that idiot the Guildmaster?”

“There’s no hero stronger than him right now.”

“I’m right here!”

“Well.”

Rozel Charnte, who had carved eight Sigils and reached a new realm, could indeed be said to have beco overwhelmingly stronger than other stars, but Hillan, who had killed two Demon Kings and continued to grow, was no pushover either.

“That second Demon King was spoon-fed to him by us!”

“So you want to be the Guildmaster?”

“No, I’ll pass even if you give it to . Since Hillan seems so desperate for it, I’ll generously yield.”

“So you want sothing.”

“A bit of that horn…”

“You’re insane.”

“I’ve never handled a Demon Dragon’s horn in my life. And besides, you’re a fla Demon Dragon, aren’t you?”

“Kneel.”

“What? What the hell is that all of a sudden—ugh…!”

Agonizing pain that constricted her soul forced Rozel to her knees.

“You seem to have forgotten. You’re my vassal. And I’m your master.”

“…If you’re the master, you can bestow a gift upon your vassal, can’t you? I even helped persuade that Ralph guy.”

“You really do have a loose tongue to the end.”

“Nothing can stop a mage’s thirst for inquiry.”

“That’s greed.”

“Sa thing!”

“Well, if it’s just a little, it’s not impossible.”

Although the horn contained imnse mana, losing a bit of it didn’t an he would beco drastically weaker.

“My loyalty feels like it’s overflowing!”

“If you kill Jason.”

“Hah, just wait. I’ll show you how strong a great mage with eight Sigils really is.”

“That’s a given. But that’s not what you should be doing right now, is it?”

“Ah, I know. I’ll go tell the king and the nobles that the Empire seems suspicious and they should be on guard.”

“And keep a close eye on Lavinia.”

“Why the princess?”

“Lavinia isn’t the problem. Jason is. He might know that Lavinia is my vassal.”

“There was a lackey of the False One? All the heroes beca your vassals, didn’t they?”

“There were none among the heroes. But there’s always the possibility.”

“You’re a rather worrying master. No wonder you hid the Tower so thoroughly and used every trick in the book. If what you’re worried about happens, I’ll personally take responsibility for protecting the princess, so don’t worry.”

“Good.”

Only then did Berje finally feel relieved.

“You must care a lot about the princess.”

“She’s my vassal.”

“You’re not like that with .”

“Wouldn’t it be strange if I treated you the sa?”

“What’s different? We’re both vassals, at least for now.”

“Then will you eat it too?”

“What? A dragon’s heart or blood?”

Rozel brightened, but what Berje held was nothing so grand.

“…….”

“…….”

“…What is this?”

“It’s chocolate.”

“Who wouldn’t know that? Get rid of it.”

“Do you dislike chocolate?”

“Is that the issue right now?”

“Then what?”

Gulp—

The chocolate went into Berje’s mouth.

“It’s a luxury item, so it tastes good.”

“Yes, yes. Eat a lot, Master. Eat until your stomach bursts, and when your heart pops out, I’ll make good use of it.”

“You dream big.”

“Dreams are better when they’re big!”

Rozel sprang up from her seat.

“Where are you going?”

“To carry out the order you gave —to warn the king and the Tower Master that the Empire is suspicious! Why!”

Rozel stord out in a huff.

“Damn it, what kind of Demon King carries chocolate around?”

When he should at least be chewing on sothing like the heart of a demonic beast.

“Tower Master!”

The act of Rozel opening the door to the Tower Master’s office beca unconsciously rough.