Chapter 214 - Grand Harmony

The Tower of Lies.

The Demon King's tower that had stood its ground the longest lay within a vast lake: Grasical, which bordered no fewer than three kingdoms and one union and was larger than most kingdoms. The tower rose high above a small island at its center.

Thus, ships were indispensable to any attempt to conquer the Tower of Lies. And so that lake would soon be filled with countless ships.

“All to kill me, of course.”

Jason savored his wine as he gazed across the lake glittering in the sunlight. The fragrant fruit wine tickled his nose.

“Don't you think it will be a magnificent sight?”

“...”

The great demonic dragon, Dorche Astin, merely glared at him in silence.

“Hillen Cargill and Ernyan Hilderan have departed for Traparta to participate. I had the wrong idea from the very beginning.”

A smile played on Jason's lips.

“To think Hilderan's own Crown Princess is that famous Dark Spirit Summoner. Isn't it astonishing?”

He had thought Berge had simply used Hillen to influence Ernyan Hilderan's actions. He had been wrong. Ernyan Hilderan was the brains of the operation—the central figure serving the Demon King. She was the leader of the Four Heavenly Kings and the one who gave Hillen Cargill his orders.

How on earth?

“How on earth did he abduct a nation's Crown Princess and make her his subordinate? Lord Berge's resourcefulness is truly astonishing.”

“...”

“Wouldn't you agree?”

Jason turned his head and met Dorche's eyes. Silence hung between them for a brief moment.

“... I.”

Jason's brow creased. He hurled his glass aside, strode over, and seized Dorche's face.

—!

Dorche toppled backward along with his chair.

“I asked you a question, you disgusting demonic dragon bastard.”

“Ghh...!”

The demonic dragon stifled a groan between Jason's fingers.

“Is that any way for a servant to look at his liege? Or are you trying to show me that, even if you were forced into servitude, a demonic dragon's lofty pride isn't so easily broken?”

His grip tightened. The back of Dorche's head began to sink into the floor. Dorche gritted his teeth against the dreadful pain and humiliation.

“... What proof do you have that they're Berge's servants?”

“Didn't you see them yourself?”

Only then did he remove his hand. The mask that had cracked slipped back into place. Jason straightened his disheveled clothes and hair, and Aina Sermyun poured fruit wine into a fresh glass and handed it to him.

“A human who summons a spirit king. There is only one such person in all of Arain. And if it is a water spirit, there is even less room for doubt.”

Nor was that all.

“I never dreamed the title of Four Heavenly Kings referred entirely to princesses. Lord Berge impresses me more with every passing day.”

“They're all princesses, not just ordinary members of inferior races? You expect me to believe that?”

An abducted princess fighting heroes for the Demon King who had abducted her? Dorche had conquered five dimensions as a Demon King, yet he had never seen anything like it.

“That is precisely why Lord Berge is so remarkable.”

“He's nothing but trash who has insulted the Guide.”

“More than a few Demon Kings have fallen here because they trusted that paltry Guide.”

“You dare insult the Guide!”

“Why, of course. Do you think I, who loathe those disgusting demonic dragons, would be fond of a Guide created by the First Demon Emperor, another demonic dragon?”

Why else would I be so obsessed with Arain?

Dorche was speechless at the sight of him smiling as he insulted the First Demon Emperor and the Guide.

“Who the hell are you? You're no Jason Cockmundo.”

“Of course not. But now I am. At least for the present, I am the Demon King of Lies, Jason Cockmundo.”

“I'm your servant now.”

“You have no intention of cooperating properly, yet you have the nerve to spout that rubbish.”

So he had no intention of telling him. It was only natural, but Dorche bit his lip, feeling as though he were being deliberately taunted.

“So Berge is going to use the heroes to attack you?”

“Ernyan Hilderan and Lavinia Akan have joined them. What do you suppose that means? It means Lord Berge very desperately wants me dead.”

“A simple problem. Just spread the word that the princesses are Berge's agents.”

“Do you have evidence?”

“Well, I...”

“You saw them, but you did not preserve it with a recording orb. How foolish of you.”

“The heroes! The surviving heroes...!”

“From his descent until now, Lord Berge has meticulously planned everything and driven the humans into a corner. He cannot possibly have failed to account for something so obvious. Most likely, all the heroes he released have become his servants as well.”

“That's absurd...!”

“He did it to princesses, and he did it to Stars. Ordinary heroes would be as easy as eating cold soup. For Lord Berge, at least.”

Without that certainty, Berge would never have sent them back after revealing all the princesses. He probably would have killed them all.

“I wonder whether he ought to change his epithet from Hellfire to Temptation.”

“So you're just going to take their attack? By your account, an army of tens of thousands will descend on you!”

“Are you frightened?”

“Frightened? I am a great demonic—!”

—!

Dorche went tumbling across the floor.

“Ah, my apologies. Hearing that disgusting demonic dragon refrain makes my hand move of its own accord. I would appreciate it if you remembered your place as a lizard crawling at my feet.”

Jason shook off his hand.

“Have you ever painted a picture?”

“A picture?”

“When painting, you first establish the framework and outline, then add the details. After that, you apply color with paint. But you see...”

“Once you apply the paint, mistakes become difficult to fix. Paint does not erase easily. Someone highly skilled might manage it to a degree, but beyond that, the paper simply tears.”

“Why are you suddenly talking about that?”

“I would appreciate it if you listened quietly, instead of insolently flapping your mouth.”

“...”

“And that is not all. Once things have reached that point, the more you touch it, the more likely it is to look wrong. You try to improve it, only to ruin it further. Do you know the proper thing to do in that situation?”

“...”

“Of course, a stupid demonic dragon wouldn't know. I cannot speak for anyone else, but my method is to ‘tear up the paper and draw on a fresh sheet.’”

It was a shame to waste all the work done so far, but clinging to paper that was already torn would not mend it. At such times, discarding it decisively and drawing a new picture was the better choice.

“A truly dazzling new picture.”

Jason smiled.

* * *

The Heroes' Guild.

The honor of the Guild, which had endured for centuries, had fallen to earth. It had not yet been trampled and rolled in the mud, but it had undeniably descended. And the mere fact that the Guild, which had floated so loftily in the heavens, had come down to earth was profoundly shocking to its members.

That was especially true of the chief elder, who had devoted everything to the Guild and its Guildmaster.

“Guildmaster, where on earth are you?”

He called out to the Guildmaster in desperation, but no answer came. The office reserved for him remained empty.

His return had followed a long wait—years of patient endurance, holding firm against the greedy fangs aimed at the Guild. A new powerhouse named Balaf had been rising to prominence, but the chief elder had believed that once the Guildmaster returned, he would take the Guild firmly in hand and set it right again.

For, unbeknownst to the world, he was a truly great hero who had lived for centuries.

And indeed, during his brief presence, however fleeting, he had done exactly that. He had restored order to the chaotic Guild and planned a hero's journey. He had deceived the Demon King and brought about a genuine hero's journey. So why had he suddenly vanished?

‘Because the hero's journey failed?’

If it had failed, shouldn't he be stepping forward all the more? Wasn't this precisely the time for the Guildmaster to act, to fill the void and restore the Guild's fallen honor?

“Why on earth have you vanished, and where have you gone?”

As he clutched his head, his gaze grew calm.

“No, no. This is no time for that.”

The Guildmaster was not someone who would go off and die in some strange place. There was no need to worry. He would return someday when he deemed it necessary, just as he had set the wavering Guild right and swiftly launched the hero's journey.

He must have vanished again for some greater purpose.

‘Then what I must do...’

Was steady the wavering Guild and restore its honor. He must polish the place awaiting the Guildmaster's return until it shone even brighter.

‘First...’

He recalled his last conversation with the Guildmaster.

“... Hillen Cargill.”

He had said Hillen Cargill was an agent of the Demon King of Hellfire. That was why he had excluded him as part of the bait. Even though the plan had ultimately failed, the fact remained that Hillen Cargill was a traitor to humanity.

“Traitors...”

Must be killed.

How dare someone called a Star hero betray humanity?

“Someone! Summon Argan Hillen Cargill at once!”

At the same time, he summoned the shadows loyal to the Guild.

‘He is a hero who has killed two Demon Kings. I must not let my guard down.’

Nor could he kill him rashly. As a Demon King's agent, he would surely know a great deal.

In utmost secrecy, the chief elder began sharpening the blade that would sever Hillen's head.

‘I will remove anyone who obstructs the Guildmaster's—no, Lord Daniel's—path.’

Having served Daniel Deirus for so long, he knew the Guildmaster was another of his identities. Yet he never dreamed that Daniel Deirus had created a new identity as Balaf Dislord without his knowledge.

* * *

Having finished dismantling the levitation ship and extracting its levitation stones, the dwarves put their heads together.

“Will this be enough?”

“It will. With properly arranged magic circuits, it can fly just fine. And quite fast, too.”

“As for the structure...”

“We should make it similar to the levitation ship. Its structure is the ideal form, refined over centuries!”

It was a stroke of incredible luck that the dwarves who had operated and maintained the levitation ship had joined them. Logger and the royal workshop's craftsmen were highly skilled, but levitation ships were not their specialty. At most, they occasionally repaired or serviced them. By contrast, the newly captured dwarves had spent their entire dwarven lives working with levitation stones.

“Good. So we need to attach the levitation stones underneath and build the circuits. That makes the legs a problem.”

“Then we'll modify the legs.”

“I suppose that's our only option?”

“Obviously. A sky tower is all well and good, but we can't give up legs that let it roam freely through any environment!”

“Just like you can't give up those few remaining strands of hair?”

“What was that, you fur dwarf bastard?”

“Now, now! Everyone calm down, and let's move on! Didn't we agree to finish everything before our lord arrives?”

Logger calmed the dwarves before they could erupt into another uproar.

“How should we modify the legs, and how should we combine them with the levitation stones?”

“Couldn't they remain as legs normally, then curl inward when it flies?”

“We're attaching the levitation stones under the tower. That would cover them.”

Which would reduce their efficiency.

“Then we'll fold them the other way. They'll lie against the tower walls.”

“That sounds good. What about installing mana cannons along those legs? It seems better than punching holes all over the walls and putting the cannons outside.”

“Oh, not bad.”

The dwarves drew hundreds of designs on hundreds of sheets of paper.

“Then we'll have to make the legs sturdier. Installing mana cannons mustn't weaken them.”

“Indeed. They'll need reinforcement.”

“So in its final form, the legs will rise and the concealed levitation stones will emerge from beneath the tower.”

“We also need a way to protect the levitation stones. A stray mana cannon shot could spell disaster.”

“Of course. We'll add defensive magic circles and various other safeguards.”

“Um, perhaps...”

At that moment, a relatively young dwarf raised his hand.

“Levitation stones are a kind of mana stone, after all. Couldn't we use them to cast magic?”

“Magic?”

“For example, we could fire lightning magic in a straight line. The levitation ship couldn't spare any of the stones' mana for other uses, but I hear the sky tower uses demonic energy?”

The dwarves pictured it.

A sky tower flying through the heavens. Hundreds of mana cannons belching fire. An immense bolt of lightning shooting straight down from beneath it and striking the ground.

It would be a calamity. The ultimate destructive power, which no one could stop.

“That's so fantastic it's insane!”

“Let's gooooo!”

“I just pictured it. I need the bathroom!”

“Why didn't we think of that? The sky tower is our lord's tower, so it'll have plenty of enemies. That means it needs more weapons, right?”

“Let's add lightning strikes to the mana cannons and make the entire tower release flames. Keep the enemies from getting close.”

“What are we waiting for? Let's build it right now!”

With every new suggestion, the frenzied dwarves' hands grew busier.

Then an elf passing by happened to inspect one of the designs.

“What is this hideous thing?”

Frowning, the elf hurried upstairs to report to Elena and Charlotte. A short while later, dozens of elves descended en masse.

“What are you doing?”

“Pardon? We're doing what our lord ordered...”

Logger shrank back at Elena's sharp tone.

“Something like this?”

Elena held out the design.

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“A problem? There are far too many.”

At her answer, the elves began nodding one after another.

“An incredible number.”

“Dwarves, honestly...”

“You crapped this out and called it a design? Go die somewhere, you dwarves.”

“Ugh, it's awful. Has the dwarves' sense of aesthetics gone beyond degeneration and vanished entirely?”

“You intend to turn our great lord's tower into this hideous thing plastered with heaps of scrap metal?”

“Have you no intention of sparing even the slightest thought for our lord's dignity?”

“Move aside!”

Elena and the elves began overhauling the tower's design.

“Oh, that certainly is better.”

“Hmm. Annoying as it is, the pointy-ears' drawings are a little more...”

“Ahem.”

It was a grand harmony between dwarves and elves.