Male Louise velft
The tower absorbs every negative emotion, life force, and drop of blood within its domain, converting them into magic points.
Even outside one's domain, as long as there is a clear target and purpose aligned with a Demon Lord, the same applies.
However, human emotions are not always directed at Demon Lords or demons.
Humans prefer to spit their anger and festering grudges at each other rather than at demons.
They scream, curse, and even manifest those emotions through action.
War.
For more territory.
For wealth.
For honor.
They tear out each other's throats and stab blades into each other's hearts.
But all that emotion and life force is utterly hollow. Since humans cannot use it, it disperses into nothing, vanishing pointlessly.
Demon Emperors of the past found that lamentable and created portable miniature towers. If negative emotion ran rampant in a region, they would gather it in a vessel and plant it into the tower so it could be absorbed again.
Berze had planted miniature towers all over. Hidden deep underground, they would almost never be discovered.
Philerium War.
A war triggered by the discovery of a massive mana stone mine buried in the Philerium Mountains—the natural border separating the two nations.
Mana stones were an essential resource on the continent, and greed for them held no regard for national borders.
This war had occurred even before the regression. Berze had almost forgotten about it since he wasn't personally involved at the time.
But it was supposed to happen two years from now…
Yet it was already about to begin.
Which meant Jayson had interfered. Perhaps the war had been part of his plan from the beginning.
Not that it mattered much. What mattered was the enormous amount of magic points he could obtain from the war.
"It's done. I planted it deep using the spirit, so unless a meteor falls and blows everything up, there's no chance it'll be discovered."
Ernan, wearing her mask, rose like a shadow. Ten elves stood behind her. A dwarf stood at her side.
"Good work."
"Yes!"
Ernan smiled brightly.
"So, what brings you here?"
"You know where this is, right?"
"The Philerium Mountains."
"Correct. There's an enormous amount of mana stone buried underground here."
"…What?"
"Mana stone…?!"
Logger's eyes sparkled.
"I don't know the exact quantity, but it should be a lot."
"Then… this is bad."
Ernan instantly grasped the situation.
"The Empire and the Southern Alliance will collide."
Natural mana stones far surpassed artificial ones in purity and quality. They were valuable both as currency and as strategic material.
"No nation owns this place. Anyone could claim it as their territory."
Philerium served as the natural border not simply because it was rugged.
It was a region crawling with monsters, so no one wanted to claim it.
But once they learned about the vast mana stone deposit, their attitudes would change quickly.
"They don't know about the mine yet."
Of course, they would soon. Jayson would spread the information.
"And we are here."
"So…?"
"Right. You understand why I brought you all now, don't you?"
To a Demon Lord, mana stones were usually useless—unlike elixirs, they couldn't be consumed nor used directly.
Selling them for money changed things, but only Jayson and Berze cared about wealth.
But Berze needed the enormous mana stone reserve not for money.
"We're taking everything before they discover it and start the war."
"Loyalty! Absolute loyalty!"
One dwarf, already consumed by greed, bellowed.
***
Finding an underground mana stone deposit in a vast mountain range swarming with monsters was normally not easy.
But with Berze present, monsters didn't dare approach.
And with Ernan, who could have spirits search for mana—
It might be easier than expected.
"Found it."
Ernan opened her eyes. The mid-rank earth spirit sitting on her head opened its eyes as well.
It had taken exactly two days.
"…There's so much. It's endless."
"That's why we're here."
"Ooh…! But how much exactly—?"
"Well, the mana stones start at about 20 meters underground. And even after going down another 30 meters, it's still filled with mana stone."
"My lord."
"What? Why that overly solemn tone?"
"What do you think about building a mana cannon with a ten-meter bore? With this amount of mana stone, we'd have more than enough power."
"At that point, it's not even a cannon anymore."
It would be a continent-shattering weapon.
"But isn't a giant cannon everyone's dream?"
"Think about that later. For now, we mine."
"Yes, of course! I'll work until my bones shatter!"
The elves began the work.
The earth spirits they summoned started digging. After going deep for quite some time, a massive natural cavern revealed itself.
A stream of groundwater ran through its center.
"The mana stones are below us. We can start digging from here."
"Not bad."
Starting excavation from the surface might have drawn unwanted attention, but doing it underground eliminated that risk.
"Seal the entrance we came through. Without leaving a trace."
"Yes."
The faint sunlight disappeared completely. Logar pulled a magic lamp from his subspace pouch to light the darkness.
They set up the excavators and handed out pickaxes to the elves.
"Where exactly should we dig?"
The best mining method was to use earth spirits—but near mana stones, which absorbed ambient mana, spirits could not exert their full strength.
So they would have to mine by hand. That was why Berze had dragged Logar and all the elves here.
Rrrrrrrrrrr—
Logger's custom-built excavator roared as it tore into the earth.
"Ooh, I can feel it."
Once the mana stone's aura became clearer, they put away the excavator and carefully worked the earth with pickaxes.
After much grunting and effort, a radiant violet ore finally revealed itself.
"Oooh…! Clear and pure. The purity must be incredibly high."
At that moment—
"Get down!"
Berze shot to his feet.
Logar slammed his head into the ground. Stone fragments got into his mouth. The excavator split apart, and scorching heat washed over his head.
KWAANG—
A small explosion erupted. A dwarf, unable to withstand the blast, rolled across the floor. A spray of water splashed against Logger's body.
When he cautiously opened his eyes, a wall of water was protecting him.
He could see masked Ernan, and Berze with his red hair blazing like fire.
"Who are you?"
Berze stepped forward. Red blaze flickered around him.
"And who are you supposed to be?"
A growling voice echoed from the tunnel connected to the cavern.
Ka-ka-ka-ka—
The sound of dragging metal scraped through the darkness.
"Who dares covet what is mine?"
"Yours?"
"That thing you're digging up."
A massive silhouette stepped into view. Muscles enveloped a body nearly two meters tall, and he dragged behind him a greatsword as long as he was tall.
"That's mine."
He muttered.
"Yours? Since when do buried ores in the ground have an owner?"
"The one who finds it first owns it. And I found it first."
"Proof?"
"My memory is the proof."
The greatsword leveled toward them.
"If you leave quietly, I'll spare your lives."
His killing intent surged.
***
Ernan stood silently behind Berze.
The elves behind her drew their weapons.
Berze recognized the man's face.
Before the regression, he hadn't cared much about humans. But even an arrogant man like him couldn't help knowing the symbolic heroes—the ones who clashed most with the Demon Lords and climbed towers relentlessly.
The man before him was one of them.
A hero, a star, and royalty—like Yessica Horton.
The First Prince of the Barkat Kingdom, the faction that claimed leadership of the Southern Alliance made of dozens of small nations.
Pablo Barkat.
Why is this guy here?
As expected of a star-ranked hero, he was strong. But the problem was that he was a prince.
A small kingdom—yet not small.
The heir of the kingdom that claimed dominion over the entire Southern Alliance.
He was the Alliance's spiritual pillar and its practical leader.
Clashing with him wasn't wise. Why was he here? Why was he arrogantly claiming ownership of the mana stones?
I don't know.
He had no way of knowing.
Back then, Berze had no idea how the mana stone mine was revealed, nor how the Empire and the Alliance eventually clashed.
Nor how Jayson had manipulated matters behind the scenes.
What mattered was that the man before them was the human equivalent of a male-form Louise Verft—and that he was pointing his massive greatsword at Berze.
"Should I kill him?"
Ernan whispered quietly.
"...You know who he is, right?"
"The crown prince of the Barkat Kingdom. We've met."
"And you still suggest killing him?"
"If there are no witnesses, there's no problem. Erase everyone, erase the witnesses."
"You don't like him?"
"He visited our kingdom once as an envoy. I don't have good memories of him."
"Make sure your mask doesn't slip."
"Yes."
"Same for the elves."
"Yes."
At least everyone, including Berze, was wearing masks.
His identity as Pale—the persona empowered by Phoenix mana—was far too important now.
He won't let this go.
He couldn't. A mana stone mine was a crucial strategic resource.
And the fact that Pablo had come personally meant he was absolutely confident. There was no way he would leave with a few friendly words.
Therefore—
We take him.
Knock him out and toss him aside somewhere. As long as he doesn't die, it'll be fine.
Fortunately, he was alone. Had Berze been alone too, it might have been problematic. But he had Ernan.
She wasn't a Hero—but she possessed talent comparable to, or even greater than, a Star. A Princess with monstrous ability.
"We need to knock him out."
"Breaking an arm or two is fine, right?"
"That much is fine. But your identity must not be revealed. No trace, nothing that could be linked later."
"Then I can't use a high-rank spirit."
A Spirit Caller was rare, and one who could summon a high-rank spirit was even rarer. A high-rank spirit was essentially the Spirit Caller's identity.
"Signal the elves."
"Yes."
"What are you whispering about!"
"If you give up and leave, I'll let you go."
Berze took a step closer.
"Well? What'll it be?"
Perhaps fooled by Berze's obedient tone, Pablo muttered with slightly dulled vigilance:
"If you let me leave, I'll go."
"No."
Pablo shook his head.
"I can't let people who know about this mana vein walk away."
"Then?"
"I'll take custody of all of you. One month. Stay quietly for one month."
"You put a lot of effort into talking nonsense."
"What?"
The moment Pablo snapped back, Berze pushed off the ground. The distance was already closed.
Red flames burst forth like an explosion, devouring everything as he charged.
Pablo raised his greatsword.
"A foolish choice."
Fire split apart. Orange aura surged skyward, slicing straight toward Berze's chest.
Kwaaarrr—
The earth trembled under Pablo's feet. His balance wavered. His strike slowed.
A crimson flash grazed Berze's hair before vanishing. Just before the aura could return to its owner, Berze seized the blade.
Crackle—!
Aura and flame clashed violently, devouring each other. Berze's palm tore open. He clenched his teeth at the searing pain.
For a moment, Pablo's movement stalled. Arrows flew—elves joining the attack. Multiple spirit spells split the air.
An explosion followed. Amid the cracked earth, shattered stones, and clouds of dust, Pablo lost hold of his sword.
"A pathetic ambush. Well, I suppose it's foolish to expect manners from masked thieves."
He lunged toward Ernan, aiming straight at her. His fist, massive like those of northern barbarians, swung down.
KWAANG!
A hastily raised wall of earth shattered. His powerful legs crushed the ice pooling on the ground as he dashed forward again.
A wind spirit lifted Ernan's body. Pablo pursued immediately.
The elves' arrows were too slow to catch either of them.
The distance between them shrank rapidly. Aura radiated pure violence.
CHAAAANG—
Ernan's body lurched.
Berze hurled the aura-cooled greatsword aside. He braced his legs and kicked off the ground, flames acting as propellant as he shot forward like an arrow.
KWAANG—
Before the beastly fist could strike the princess again, it was engulfed in flame.
"Where do you think you're looking when I'm right in front of you?"
He clenched his fist and drove it forward. Aimed for the chest—met with Pablo's own fist.
The shock wave made both bodies shake. Shattered aura and fire scattered in every direction.
The cavern trembled, but neither lowered their hostility. They struck again simultaneously.
Once.
Twice.
Dozens of times.
Fist met fist. Aura and fire chewed at each other. Both poured everything into destruction.
Shockwaves shook the entire cavern.
The elves screamed and scrambled back.
Through the raging clash, the princess pushed herself in.
A blade formed from a wind spirit, wrapped in flames, was launched forward.
The swirling heat drew his gaze. In that instant, the Demon Lord's fist struck true.
KWAANG—
The prince's body was slammed deep into the earth. But when the dust cleared, he was no longer in the crater.
"You insolent bitch…!"
A wounded beast charged forward, jaws bared to rip out the princess's throat.
His killing intent poured out unfiltered—ferocious. The rampaging aura was immense. The speed generated by his well-trained muscles was overwhelming.
Ernan hadn't been able to prepare. She couldn't run.
The greatsword Berze had thrown earlier was somehow already back in its master's hand.
Crude but massive, and now sharpened further by aura, the blade thrust straight at the princess's heart.
Ernan swallowed hard.
The presence of death swallowed the air around her. The crushing aura blocked any escape.
Berze was too far. The elves couldn't help.
So she made her choice.
Bubble… bubble…
Droplets formed. Between the sword and the princess, between the aura and her chest, a wall of water rose.
────!
The entire cavern shook again.
Pablo gritted his teeth. His body halted from the immense recoil.
— You insolent brat, how dare you raise a blade against me.
A translucent silhouette rose behind the princess.
"High-rank spirit?"
Water droplets filled the air. Streams of water twined around Pablo's body like serpents, and a barrier of water spread between the blade and Ernan.
"Die!"
He cleaved the barrier—
But the sword halted just short of the woman's chest, unable to fully advance.
The wall quaked under the grinding pressure.
But that brief opening was enough time for the Demon Lord to arrive.
"You die."
KWAANG—
His completely unguarded skull was crushed. The prince collapsed forward, driven deeper into the ground than before.
Berze stomped on his back dozens of times, making absolutely sure the job was finished.
Then he approached the collapsed princess.
"You all right?"
"…Yes."
Ernan exhaled shakily. The blade hadn't pierced her chest, but the pain lingered. At the same time, a thin line of blood trickled down from her lips.
"No, you're not."
"I'm fine. My chest just hurts and it feels like bugs are chewing through my whole body. I just pushed myself a little."
Her mana-heart screamed and her manaroad tore from overuse—overload. When facing a star-rank hero, she had no luxury to hold back.
"Take an elixir when we return to the tower."
"What about you, my lord?"
"At least I'm not dying."
Berze wiped the blood off his lips.
Not dying was about all he could say. Fighting a Star with unfamiliar mana was exactly this painful.
If not for Ernan and the elves, the one lying on the ground now would've been Berze, not Pablo.
"That's a relief. But… I summoned Nairuniel. I'm sorry. You said not to reveal myself."
"It's fine. Better than you dying."
"…Huh?"
Ernan questioned him, but the Demon Lord didn't hear.
"Bind him."
"I have just the thing! The cuffs Lord Pale asked me to modify last time!"
"…Not bad, but why do you carry those around?"
"You told me to modify that useless thing that couldn't restrain Hillen! Isn't this a perfect chance? To see whether it can restrain a Star or not!"
"That's not what I asked. I asked why you're carrying it."
"I thought it might be useful someday. And look—it is!"
Logar grinned wickedly as he clamped the cuffs onto the unconscious Pablo. The elves asked the earth spirit to bury everything except his head.
Good.
Berze let out a relieved sigh.
When Pablo's blade came within reach of Ernan's heart, his own heart had dropped.
Ernan absolutely could not die.
She was a princess. As long as he didn't intend to go to all-out war against Hilderan, her survival was crucial.
If things went bad, she could still serve as his safety rope.
She's hurt, but fortunately nothing fatal.
A good rest in the tower and she'd recover.
Now then.
Berze looked down at the prince, whose head alone stuck out of the ground. In a brief moment, he decided how to handle him.
More efficiently—
As a chess piece to enlarge the board.
He called Ernan.
"We're really doing this?"
"Can you manage it?"
"I'm not confident in acting, but… I'll try."
"Good."
"But even without all this, wouldn't we end up fighting anyway?"
"A decision made calmly and a decision made in anger are different."
"Ahh."
Just then, Pablo's brows trembled—he was waking up.
"You're awake, southern ant-prince?"
"…Imperial dog?"
READ MORE CHAPTERS HERE : pokemon-translation-2.myshopify.com
AND FOR DISCOUNT USE CODE : SHOPIFY20