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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Becomes 1
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"The Hilderan Kingdom is in an uproar."
"That guy's got some swollen guts."
Crunch-
Drakson took a huge bite of the red meat dripping with blood.
"I told him to kidnap a princess, and he goes and kidnaps one from Hilderan. The crown princess, no less. What do you think that means?"
"It's proof he's arrogant and foolish."
His vice officer, Casey, stated flatly.
"Evidence?"
"First, he dared to insult the Standard of the Demon King at the Demon King Academy graduation ceremony. Second, he bared his teeth at you, Demon King. Third, his overflowing confidence means he didn't even properly scout Aren. He's the type who can't see what's around him because he's so full of himself."
"I figured he wouldn't follow the standard. But then he kidnaps the crown princess, sticking to it faithfully. How do I read this?"
He'd assumed the guy wouldn't kidnap a princess at all. And even if he did, who could've imagined he'd target the crown princess, highest in the line of succession, just like the standard prescribed?
"A normal Demon King might do that. But this guy's the one who treated the standard like trash. You really think he's following it more faithfully than anyone?"
"But he broke it in other ways. His tower's in a harsh, human-repelling wasteland, and he picked a distant kingdom instead of one nearby."
"Unpredictable bastard."
Crunch-
Drakson irritably gnawed on the bare bone protruding from the meat.
"Still, I think his desire to follow the standard is stronger."
"Why?"
"Because aside from his vice officer, he has nothing. So he's adapting the standard to his situation, taking the best path available."
No matter how fresh the newcomers were, Berge had zero chance against anyone worth challenging.
"Adapting to the situation?"
"No troops, so he built his tower in the Erjest Mountains to minimize clashes. But he still wanted to follow the standard, so he kidnapped the crown princess."
"Don't forget—he insulted the standard at graduation. But your take fits his actions since descending to Aren."
"Pretending to hate the standard while loving it more than anyone? That doesn't add up."
"Is he nuts?"
The Demon King and his vice officer fell silent. After a moment, the Demon King spoke again.
"Contact him first. Up to now, he's done well—gotta give him some praise, right?"
And probe what he's really scheming while we're at it.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I sensed something off because the magi converting to points through the tower was excessively high.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [13219pt]
...?
I rubbed my eyes. The number didn't change.
Why this much?
It was too much magi for just a few days after kidnapping an illegitimate princess no one, not even the king, cared about.
"Demon King. Incoming transmission from Demon King Drakson."
"Again?"
That was when Drakson's call came in.
『I called to congratulate you. We parted on bad terms, but as a senior Demon King, I should acknowledge that much.』
『Hating the standard but following it to the letter? Having a facade different from your true self is a virtue of great demons, but you've gone beyond merely great. You totally fooled me, huh?』
"What nonsense is this?"
『Want to play dumb to the end? Fine, I won't pry further if that's what you want.』
"Did eating raw meat rot your brain? I'm asking what you're talking about."
『No need to hide it that hard. Alright, I'll spell it out.』
『I may not like you yourself, but I'm impressed by your exploits. You said it was all planned, but I didn't expect you'd snag the crown princess of Hilderan Kingdom.』
...
Crown princess?
『Whether it's part of the plan or just youthful folly, I wish you luck. Either way, if you succeed as a Demon King, we all benefit, right?』
The crystal orb lost its glow.
"..."
And I was left speechless.
What did I just hear?
Crown princess? Not the 13th?
A thick sense of foreboding flashed through my mind. The nape of my neck chilled.
By the time I snapped out of it, I was already sprinting toward the fourth floor.
'No way.'
It was the princess I'd taken from the 13th princess's palace.
True to her reputation as an illegitimate child the king ignored, there was no one around her palace.
She wasn't even a knight or mage.
'The crown princess is a spiritist.'
Hilderan and the southern continent weren't my old stomping grounds, but Hilderan's crown princess was fairly famous.
A genius spiritist who, at a young age, contracted spirits of four attributes thanks to her exceptional talent.
Hilderan obsessed over her so madly that no Demon King dared lay a hand on her.
So no way.
A crown princess would've brimmed with vast mana.
A crown princess would've been swarmed by escort knights.
A crown princess wouldn't have been in the 13th princess's chambers.
As I rationalized it to myself and set foot on the fourth floor—
I spotted something that shouldn't have been there.
A 'wall' stood there.
In the empty corner of the bare room, a spirit was patting an earthen wall blocking it off.
A hollow laugh escaped me.
"You're here?"
In perfect timing, a door made of earth opened. Out stepped a princess in somewhat disheveled attire, yet her beauty undimmed, greeting me innocently.
I shoved past her and entered.
Earthen bed, earthen furniture, earthen chair. No powerless 13th princess could manage that.
The blatant traces of spirits were impossible to miss.
And even funnier—
'...Mana so thick.'
Things I hadn't sensed up to the moment I kidnapped her and brought her to the fourth floor now prickled my skin.
"...What are you?"
"I don't get what you're asking."
"The 13th princess."
I glared at her.
"...No, you're not."
"Of course I'm not Elena."
That brief exchange shattered my last hope. Her eyes widened.
"You thought I was Elena...?"
"Your name."
"Ernyan Hilderan."
The 1st princess. Crown princess. The renowned spiritist from my past life.
"Why the hell are you here?"
"Because you kidnapped me."
Wrong question.
"Wasn't that the 13th princess's palace?"
"Yes."
"Why were you there?"
"Does that matter?"
It did. A lot.
"That's why I asked. Can you handle kidnapping me?"
She had said that. Why hadn't I asked what made her so arrogant then? Or confirmed if she was really the 13th?
"I thought it was weird, but it was just a mistake? Well, even mad Demon Kings don't touch heirs from other countries."
She gave a self-mocking smile.
"What, gonna send me back now?"
Her fluid, natural phrasing struck my reverse scale.
"Nonsense."
She assumed I'd naturally send her back.
She thought I—who once toppled kingdoms and achieved what no Demon King had—was cowering.
"I did aim for the 13th princess, but it doesn't change anything about you."
Pathetic human, daring to—
'I'm not scared.'
Just a tactical retreat. A crouch before advancing ten steps.
She said nothing. But her odd gaze irked me.
"I won't be sending you back."
So I made it clear.
'Hilderan and Erjest are polar opposites.'
Northern continent vs. southern. Geography that made marching an army impossible.
'Plus, the Erjest Mountains themselves are a natural fortress.'
A treasure trove of monsters untouched by human hands.
Even I, a Demon King, couldn't touch some due to interference limits, and blizzards raged endlessly.
How many heroes could even climb it?
Not to mention, it was hidden in a basin. Even if they climbed, they'd never find it.
So.
"I'm the Demon King, you're the princess. If you want to go back quietly, don't provoke me further."
"...Understood."
The princess, Ernyan, acquiesced.
"But how did you fool me? I felt no mana at all."
"...That."
Ernyan hesitated, then fiddled with a ring.
At that instant, the spirits vanished. The swirling mana evaporated without a trace.
"...A relic."
Even in my weakened state, it dared fool my eyes.
"A treasure handed down in the royal family. I heard it was an artifact used by a hero long ago."
"A hero's relic..."
Weakened or not, if it could deceive a Demon King's eyes, it wasn't ordinary.
Greed stirred.
That moment.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Wayward emotions have found their target.] [Massive rage directed at Demon King Berge Dayas detected.]
They'd zeroed in on me.
Full-scale magi collection had begun.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Splendid palace. The grand hall packed with dozens of nobles grew deathly cold.
"What in the..."
The king swallowed his rage.
"What were those so-called escort knights doing?"
No shout, but the low fury in his voice sent chills.
"...Our apologies. While the princess shook off her knights and headed to the Hyacinth Palace."
"So."
The king slammed the throne. Shattered fragments littered the floor.
"You idiots didn't even notice the kingdom's crown princess vanish?"
"Execute us!"
"Execute us!"
The knights prostrated themselves flat.
"If you truly wish death, I can behead you myself."
"..."
"Your Majesty, first we must identify who kidnapped the princess."
"Who else? Obviously a Demon King."
Even if Ernyan acted rashly, this was the royal palace. Only Demon Kings could slip past the guards and knights silently.
Demon Kings were unparalleled specialists in abductions.
That's why he spared the escort knights who deserved broken necks.
"But why would Demon Kings break taboo and take Princess Ernyan...?"
"That's my question too. Unless they've gone mad, no reason."
"Didn't the Lust Demon King recently touch Akan Kingdom's crown prince and get his head lopped off by hundreds of heroes? After that example, they'd have to be..."
The minister trailed off with a gasp. The king and nobles, mulling his words, realized it too.
"...A new one descended."
"If it were an existing Demon King, the Heroes' Guild would've spotted signs. That's it."
"Like parasites. They just keep coming, tirelessly."
The king ground his teeth.
"Commission the Heroes' Guild immediately."
"Hate to think how much those money-grubbing vermin will demand."
"Shouldn't we rescue the princess first?"
"Right, yes."
Ernyan was his hope.
Her overwhelming talent surpassing his own and imperial qualities embodied the kingdom's long-cherished dreams.
Steal the vessel, and everything inside spills. So retrieve it. By any means. And make an example. So no one dares covet again.
"Cost be damned. Track his movements, find the tower. Commission the Heroes' Guild to behead him and retrieve the princess."
"As you command!"
Hilderan Kingdom's messengers galloped in all directions.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"We've found traces of the new Demon King and the presumed princess!"
"Path leads north! Passed through multiple kingdoms via teleportation circles!"
"D-Destination... Estimated Erjest Mountains. No sightings after."
At first, Hilderan Kingdom and the Heroes' Guild took the incident lightly.
Outrage at the crown princess's abduction was one thing, but the truth was laughable.
Freshly summoned rookie Demon King's stupidity.
He'd acted without scouting Aren. They assumed countermeasures would be easy.
"Freshly summoned Demon Kings are pathetically weak. Mobilize heroes and lop off his head."
But when the destination—the presumed tower site—was confirmed as Erjest Mountains, trouble brewed.
"Why there?"
"Why come all the way from so far to Hilderan?"
"Different from other Demon Kings."
Demon King towers weren't next to kingdoms but not in overly dangerous spots either.
Nor too far away.
No one knew why, but it was standard. Aren folk were used to it.
This new Demon King shattered that norm.
Normally, they'd shrug it off as a Demon King's whim. Problem: Hilderan and the Guild had to rescue the princess.
"Erjest Mountains?"
"Enter that mad place?"
The heroes refused the commission.
Erjest Mountains: nine out of ten died to eternal blizzards and snowfield monsters.
Even world-blessed heroes had limits.
"We want the Demon King, not suicide!"
Princess rescue stalled naturally.
"I'll go myself. Lead the army and bulldoze the snowfields."
"Your Majesty!"
"Impossible!"
"Other countries won't stand by!"
"Abandon the princess then?!"
"There's a suitable hero."
"Who?"
The king brightened.
"Remember the heroes from the recent Lust Demon King subjugation?"
"Two hundred went, half didn't return. Only three survivors faced the Demon King directly."
"One shone in beheading him. Your Majesty knows him..."
"Hillun! Hillun Kagil, Hilderan's hero!"
"Yes! He can scale the mountains and take the Demon King's head!"
"But will he accept? He hasn't shown up yet..."
"He craves fame. Send knights to nail it publicly before the people..."
"Ho."
The king and ministers nodded with interest.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"...Damn it all."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [45228pt]
The converted magi climbed steeply. An enormous haul, but pure joy was impossible.
It meant Hilderan's rage was that massive.
And their response would be decisive.
All I could trust was Erjest's natural defenses.
Problem: even those wouldn't stop the strong heroes.
"Climbers who can find the tower? No chance against my current level."
Convert all the magi to my own power?
'No, not ideal.'
Magi from negative emotions intertwined with the tower system for various uses.
Reduce interference on Demon Kings and demons, absorb personally to boost strength, assign familiars, rig the tower with magic circles and traps, expand territory via demonization.
But none guaranteed immediate results.
Magi rose sharply, but far short against a determined kingdom.
'Need another play.'
Like blocking their moves entirely...
'Right.'
Lightning struck—an idea hit.
'I'm aiming to be the blackAct anyway...'
Can't do it myself, but use others' hands to hinder heroes?
'Humans prioritize personal greed above all. And greed's pinnacle is money.'
Betraying country, group, siblings, even parents—that's humans.
If I could mire the heroes' path in mud using them.
"Gordon!"
"Yes, Demon King."
Gordon, waiting outside, entered.
"Contact Drakson immediately."
"What shall I say?"
"Ask if he wants to buy Hilderan's magi with human gold."
No Demon King used it, but the tower could transfer magi between them.