The Queen of the Chessboard
The territory of the Jespine Empire, or rather, the place beyond their reach.
A land where snow fell all year long and the monsters of the glacier ran rampant.
A place where scattered tribes of barbarians fought desperately to survive.
Originally, people called it the land of barbarians. But after a demon king built a tower there and made it her nest, they began calling it the land of bitter cold.
"I heard you borrowed money from Jayson."
Berze walked behind Reina, who was personally guiding him.
The 11-story Tower of Bitter Cold was made entirely of ice. The chill radiating from the tower pierced the skin and dug into the bones.
If this is how much I feel it, the weak ones would just freeze to death on the way.
Getting here was no easy feat. It was freezing, and barbarians and monsters roamed everywhere.
Of course, the cold and the high-level monsters infesting Berze's own tower made any comparison pointless.
Ice Skeletons on the 1st floor. Frost Orcs on the 2nd. Frost Knights and Snowflake Wolves on the 3rd…
Weak ones on the first floor, stronger monsters as one went up. A perfectly standard structure.
"...Are you not going to answer me?"
"...Hm?"
He snapped out of his thoughts under her sharp gaze. Reina was staring at him intently.
Behind her, her attendants were glaring at him as if ready to pounce.
"What did you say?"
"You weren't listening to me."
"I was admiring your tower. It looks impressive."
"...Is that so. I suppose that is understandable. I did put some effort into it."
The corners of her mouth lifted faintly.
"But what were you saying?"
"I heard you borrowed money from Jayson."
"Did he tell you that?"
"He said it wasn't much of a secret."
It wasn't exactly a secret, but it felt more like Jayson intentionally spread the information—just to make sure Berze couldn't run from the debt.
"I borrowed it. A hundred thousand gold."
"...I have no interest in human money, but I do know that's not a small amount. Jayson had that much?"
"He said he scraped it together, but who really knows."
"And the price?"
"Magic Points."
"My goodness."
Reina's pupils widened.
"How much?"
"Enough to summon a Balrog."
"Five million. Not a small sum for someone in your situation."
"That's why I'm paying it back gradually."
Before the regression, Berze had summoned more than ten Balrogs, but five million was still no trivial amount.
After kidnapping the princess, the points had skyrocketed day by day—but human emotions weren't infinite.
Still, considering what one could accomplish in the human world with a hundred thousand gold, the price was almost cheap.
"Let's leave that matter here."
"Very well. Then let us return to the real topic. I'll ask plainly. How did you know a Hero Expedition was planned—and headed here?"
"Is that importhant?"
"It is. You and Draxon delivered the same message to me at almost the same time."
Berze stopped walking. Reina and her attendants naturally stopped as well.
"Draxon said the same thing?"
"Yes. That a Hero Expedition would begin soon. And that its destination would be this tower, so I should prepare. His words were exactly the same as yours."
Hillen Cargill had said the Hero Guild was choosing between Draxon and Reina.
But Draxon spoke as if it was already confirmed. And although Hillen leaned slightly toward Reina, assumption and confirmation were different things.
This bastard…
It seemed Draxon Doldorf had far deeper ties with humans than Berze expected.
And yet he tried to hunt Berze down for "insulting the Doctrine"?
Disgusting bastard.
Whether Draxon had a direct relationship with the Hero Guild, or an indirect one, or had simply planted spies—Berze couldn't be sure.
But Hillen Cargill had said some demon kings had "connections" with the Hero Guild.
If it were just spies, he wouldn't have phrased it that way.
"Draxon has spent many years preparing, so I can understand. But you are different."
"Unfortunately, I can't tell you that."
How could a demon king proudly say he had planted a hero as an undercover subordinate?
Reina stared at Berze. Their gazes locked for a moment.
"...Very well. It would be strange if you answered so easily. I was careless."
"If you already understand, then let's move on. What will you do?"
"What can I do? Nothing changes. I will greet them as usual."
She would station monsters and traps of increasing difficulty on each floor and wait at the top for the heroes to arrive.
"Perhaps the only difference from other demon king towers is that I toss the kidnapped princes into convenient floors like decorations."
Without realizing it, they had arrived at the top floor. Reina's office was simple and ordinary.
She sat comfortably in her plush chair and gestured to him.
"But Demon King."
"We cannot trust Demon King Berze—"
"It is rude for you to interrupt a conversation between demon kings. Do not make me say it twice."
The demons withdrew with dissatisfied expressions.
"Sit."
"Your people care for you quite a bit."
"They are loyal ones who followed me from the Demon Realm."
Reina Sordein was practically royalty—born into the greatest bloodline among the Frost Demons. Noble from birth.
"Would you like something?"
She opened a box and took something out. Candy. Red, with a faint cherry scent.
"Candy?"
"It is the only human food I find agreeable."
"I'll pass."
"Is that so?"
Tap—
She put one candy back and popped another into her mouth.
"So."
She rested her chin on her hand. The atmosphere instantly shifted—gone was the warmth she had shown in front of her retainers.
"What business made you come to me personally?"
"I told you already. The Hero Guild failed to kill me and rescue Hildegarn's crown princess. Now they've drawn their swords—and the blade is likely pointed at you."
"I am not a fool, Berze Deias."
Her eyes turned cold.
"If that were the only reason, you would not have come in person. You would have simply warned me through communication. Just like—"
"Like Draxon?"
"Yes. Like Draxon. But you did not. And despite our lack of close ties. So I believe there is only one explanation. Does what I assume match what you assume?"
"Probably."
"That is strange."
"What is?"
"My family regularly sends information from the Demon Realm. Naturally, there was information about you as well."
"What did it say about me?"
"The top graduate of the Demon King Military Academy."
The best cadet among all generations.
"A compliment, then."
"It was not only praise. They also called you the 'troublemaker of the academy.'"
"Just a shameful past."
"You should be more proud. Insulting the Doctrine at the graduation ceremony is not something anyone can do. Whether in a good way or a bad way."
Despite her words, her eyes were far from friendly.
"That is why I wonder. Until before the graduation ceremony, you were the most demon-like demon."
Worshipping the Doctrine.
Arrogant.
Contemptuous.
Utterly individualistic.
"To be honest, I liked you the most back then."
"And now you don't?"
"You insulted the Doctrine, so it's a minus. If not for Arein, I myself might have fought you."
"Then I suppose I should be grateful for Arein."
If it weren't for Arein, there would have been no reason at all…
Because it worked well in this world's dimension.
"But I did not expect that you, of all people, would be the one to offer me help first."
"Demons all change. I simply changed as well."
"I heard you became a completely different demon after the graduation ceremony. Was there some trigger?"
"Not particularly."
There was. He had died—an experience more decisive than anything else, proof that the Doctrine was wrong.
"Perhaps demons do not need some great trigger to change. But I saw traces of your former self."
"My former self?"
"At the Tower Gathering, you squared off against Draxon. You disapproved of Ugar, and you were wary of Jayson. You were every bit the arrogant demon king."
Well, that was because Draxon had provoked Berze from the moment he descended.
Ugar had been an annoying idiot even in Berze's previous life, and Jayson remained an inscrutable enigma.
"But you never sharpened your edge against me."
"Is that strange?"
"Very. And on top of that, you ran here yourself to give me this information. Ordinary demons never exert effort for an unrelated other."
"..."
She wasn't wrong.
But Berze wasn't an ordinary demon.
"The moment you said you were coming, I thought about it. And although it may be speculation, I reached one conclusion."
"What conclusion?"
"This is just a possibility. A very big 'if.'"
Reina's pale white face flushed faintly red.
"Could it be that you… have fallen for me?"
"...?"
"If that is the case, I must tell you I have no intention of entertaining such feelings until I have completely conquered Arein—"
Has she lost her mind? What the hell is she saying?
***
"I understand as well. My family has always said I am the most beautiful among demons, so it is inevitable that you would fall for me."
It took far longer than expected to correct the terminal princess-syndrome delusion of Reina.
"So the reason you chose me instead of the other four demon kings… is because you fell for me, isn't it?"
"I said no."
"If you were being efficient, you would choose Jayson, naturally. Among the demon kings, he has been in Arein the longest, and he has the tallest tower. Yet you chose me."
"I said NO!"
For fuck's sake.
Berze barely stopped himself from swearing aloud.
How had he ended up raising his voice over such nonsense?
"You don't get along with Draxon, and Ugar is an idiot."
"I agree that Ugar is an idiot."
"And Jayson is impossible to read, so he cannot be trusted easily. You said that yourself. Remove those, and who is left?"
"…I understand."
After a long moment, Reina, face red as a tomato, lowered her head. The candy in her mouth clinked onto the desk.
"…I made an embarrassing mistake. I apologize."
"It's fine as long as you understand now. I came to help you because I wanted us to maintain a good relationship as demon king to demon king."
"I do not consider cooperating with you a bad thing. I accept."
Good.
There had been an unpleasant detour, but continuing to build a positive relationship with Reina Sordein would definitely be useful someday.
And he didn't even have to look that far ahead.
"On that note, I have a request."
"A request?"
"You plan to release some of the princes this time, correct?"
"That depends on how they perform. I will merely place the prince's statue on the fifth floor. If they cannot even reach the fifth floor, they will pay dearly for insulting me."
"Anyway, can you arrange for that prince to be the crown prince of the Principality of Asoin?"
"The crown prince of Asoin… that is not a difficult request."
"Thank you."
Berze gave a sly smile.
***
"This is very worrying."
Outside Reina's office, her attendants were restless.
"To leave our demon king alone with that uncouth brute… who knows what that shameless man might do?"
"That's what I'm saying! He's the infamous troublemaker who dared insult the Doctrine—do you think he'll follow the non-conflict rule between demon kings?"
"Her Majesty is not someone who would fall so easily."
"That may be true, but if that delicate lady were to be sullied by such a filthy man…"
"Just imagining it is horrifying."
They were the ones who gathered information on Berze Deias and delivered it to Reina.
They knew all too well what he had done and what kind of demon he was.
"What if he has fallen for the demon king and tries to flirt with her…?"
"That is entirely possible! She is the most beautiful being in the world!"
"If he tries such a thing, I will never let it pass!"
Many of them had followed Reina since her childhood.
Their attachment to her was far beyond what outsiders imagined.
"Calm down. The demon king is a proper demon king now, and she has been ruling for quite some time. She won't lose in her own territory to a newly descended demon king."
At her deputy Nina's words, the attendants let out reluctant groans.
At that moment, the office door opened. All eyes turned at once.
"Then we'll consider it settled."
"I could not even give you a proper welcome due to your sudden visit. If you come again, I shall prepare a proper reception."
"I'll look forward to it."
Berze stepped into the dimensional portal and vanished.
A brief stillness followed the guest's disappearance.
"Demon King, how was it?"
"That shameless beast didn't try anything improper, did he?"
The attendants spilled their worries nonstop—but Reina's gaze was far from pleasant.
"…Demon King?"
Before they even realized something was wrong—
"…You all lied to me. You told me that anyone who reaches out without reason must surely be charmed by my beauty. Do you know how embarrassed I was?"
All of you, leave. I don't want to see your faces.
Without warning, she expelled them from the tower.
***
"The crown prince of the Principality of Asoin will be waiting on the 5th floor. Saving him depends solely on your own ability."
『Of course. It hasn't been announced yet, but I have already been selected as the leader.』
He had persuaded the elders with the logic that he should clean up the mess he made.
Hillen Cargill did not hide the fact that it involved an enormous amount of lobbying.
Competition was especially fierce because this Hero Expedition was expected to succeed.
『It is all thanks to your support, Demon King.』
"I prefer concrete results over flattery."
『As I said, Asoin was originally a central member of the Trafarta Alliance. But after the Demon King of Bitter Cold kidnapped the crown prince, a civil war broke out among the princes and princesses vying for the throne, weakening their influence considerably.』
『Therefore, many are hoping for the crown prince's return. Before he was kidnapped, Asoin boasted great power under him. They wish to reclaim that former glory.』
"And you aim to rescue that crown prince yourself and forge a solid connection with Asoin. I understand your intent. What I'm asking is about possibility. Can you guarantee success?"
『Yes. I am Hillen Cargill.』
"I'll wish you luck. But if you fail, I may begin doubting your competence."
『If I were weak enough to fall on the fifth floor, I would never have been able to slay the Demon King of Lust.』
Berze ended the communication.
He closed his eyes and envisioned the grand strategy.
The Hero Guild's new expedition was an enormous current. Berze alone could not twist it.
So he chose to ride that current alongside Hillen Cargill.
He would use the expedition to elevate Hillen Cargill even further.
Hillen Cargill—
"—will be my queen."
The greatest chess piece on the vast chessboard of dimensional conquest.
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