Beneath the Guildmaster, the leadership that actually moves the Hero Guild is broadly divided into three branches.
The Council of Elders, formed by five elders.
The Branch Chiefs who manage the external branches.
And the Argans, who decide the overall direction of the guild.
Becoming an Argan meant that Hilleun Kargil had finally moved one step closer to the power he had long desired.
And it was not only power within the guild. Countless power brokers who wanted the guild's help latched onto Argans.
It meant he could plan on a larger board.
But it was not all gain.
The Argans are a body of exactly eleven, created to honor the eleven heroes who first killed the Demon King that descended upon Arein.
That number never changes. So appointing a new Argan meant someone else had been stripped of the position.
Whatever the reason, the person who lost their seat would not look kindly on Hilleun Kargil, who took it.
And.
Bair Fornian.
Hilleun had already found out who that was.
Until recently he had been an Argan, but now he had been demoted into just another ordinary guild executive.
He had heard Bair Fornian belonged to Elder Carlo Schweiger's line.
There had been a four-day gap between Hilleun's arrival at headquarters and today's awards and appointments. During that time, through everyone who approached him with either goodwill or hostility, Hilleun had pieced together the ecosystem of the headquarters in his own way.
Factions split by elder.
Maybe that was why. Elder Carlo Schweiger, seated directly across from him, did not look at him kindly.
In contrast, Matthias Ollman was full of goodwill.
They were said to be constantly at each other's throats.
How could he use that?
Hilleun's mind began to spin at full speed.
"I'm sorry."
The imperial princess of Jespine lowered her head.
Compared to the proud figure she once was, she looked filthy and wretched.
He had expected some measure of submission, but not this much.
"How did you persuade her?"
"Is it okay to say it here?"
When Berze nodded, Ernyan - who had been watching from behind - spoke up.
"I told her it was better to beg forgiveness than to rot away day by day in a cell. That the empire looks like it's given up on Lady Kaede, so she should find a way to live."
"And?"
"And I told her that if she served the Demon King and made a 'deal,' it might be beneficial."
"A deal?"
"I used my own case as an example."
"I see. Understood."
That explained why her eyes, despite her words, still had some life in them.
Berze shifted his gaze. The moment his eyes met hers, Kaede flinched.
"You and I both know we don't trust each other. So it's better to trade openly than to try to deceive. Speak. What is it you want?"
"I want to leave the tower."
"Rejected."
"I want to leave the prison."
"And?"
"Like Lady Ernyan - like before I attempted to escape - I want you to guarantee my freedom."
"And what do I receive in exchange? What can you give me?"
"One more thing."
"Speak."
"I heard you make deals."
"That's always possible if you bring terms that satisfy me. Put that aside."
"Yes. Then..."
Kaede hesitated, then forced the words out.
"...I heard you want Four Heavenly Kings. I will become a Dark Knight."
"...Want? Me?"
"..."
"..."
"...Why?"
Ernyan, who had met his eyes, gave an awkward smile and looked away.
"...Fine. Works for me."
"Like Lady Ernyan, I will wear a mask and work for you for five years."
"So you think you won't be rescued for at least five years."
"..."
It was obvious what she was thinking.
Even so, it wasn't bad.
Berze did not believe the tower's location would remain hidden for five full years.
No matter how carefully you hide, you can't hide forever. If you could, there wouldn't have been so many Demon Kings who died in Arein.
Humans would search no matter what. And Berze was sure of one thing - within five years, the heroes would come. So certain that he could call it inevitable.
If Kaede Jespine proved her worth even once during that time, that was enough.
And in the first place, what Berze was giving her in return was practically nothing.
Still, he couldn't accept her unconditionally, without restraints. Unlike Ernyan, Kaede had already caused trouble once. Berze was not generous enough to let that slide.
Especially not with a hero.
"There's something called Armani's Bead. Swallow it."
"If I swallow it, what happens?"
"It settles in your head and prevents betrayal. Swallow it and live as a Dark Knight for five years, or go back to prison."
"I am a hero."
"It's not like a black mage contract or a black knight pact. If you swallow it without resisting, nothing will go wrong."
The unexpected choice threw Kaede off balance. Did she really think it would be easy to screw over a Demon King?
As she hesitated, Berze tossed her a carrot.
"If you get through five years safely, I'll remove the bead and release you."
"Really?"
"I swear it on the Proper Way that the great Demon Emperor and all Demon Kings revere."
"The Demon Emperor and the Proper Way..."
Kaede was a hero too. She knew very well what the Demon Emperor meant to Demon Kings and demonkind.
A god. Maybe even more than that.
She had her own loyalty to her emperor, her own chivalric ideals.
"Yes. I will do it."
Kaede bowed her head.
"With this, the Second of the Four Heavenly Kings..."
No matter how I think about it, that performance was weird.
Ernyan clenched her small hand into a tight fist.
After accepting Kaede and making her swallow Armani's Bead, the first order Berze gave was training.
Kaede was not like Ernyan.
There was the five-year limit, but after swallowing the bead, it wasn't wrong to see her as fully under his control.
And Berze did not want weak pawns. When you put a princess or imperial princess forward, heroes hesitate. And that hesitation becomes more effective the stronger the princess is.
So Berze intended to make Kaede strong.
"Gordon. You teach the princess."
"...Me? Teaching a human princess?"
"Jetoson slipped naturally into the Golden Moon Merchant Company, didn't he? I heard you had no role in that. And it's not like you manage the tower either. Logger manages the first floor, the second and third are empty, and Ernyan manages the fourth. So tell me - who do you think is the most useless one in this tower?"
"...Fine. I'll do it. Isn't that what you want?"
Gordon grumbled.
Kaede, who had been listening, flared up carefully.
"I think I can train on my own."
The pride of an imperial knight reared its head.
"Yeah?"
But she didn't realize it would stab directly into Gordon's pride instead.
"I learned swordsmanship from the empire's greatest knights. All I need now is refinement. I don't think I need to learn a new style."
"My lord, may I start the lesson now?"
"Do whatever you want."
Gordon went down to the first floor, retrieved a sword, and tossed it to Kaede.
"Ten minutes."
He spread out his fingers.
"If you can last ten minutes against me, I won't bother teaching you."
"...You won't take up a sword?"
"Do I need a sword to deal with someone like you?"
"Please do not insult me."
"Earn the right to say that by meeting my condition. If you succeed, I'll kneel and apologize to you."
"I'll raise the stakes. If you last ten minutes, I'll remove the bead right now and set you free."
That was the nail in the coffin. Kaede drew her sword immediately.
Golden aura surged along the blade. Gordon's eyes caught it.
"I see. So you do have a reason to be confident."
"Bring your sword."
"I don't need it."
Kaede's brow twitched.
"You're the one who chose not to use a sword. Don't hide behind 'chivalry' later."
"As if demonkind has chivalry."
He crooked a finger.
"I'll let you strike first."
"This is what you chose. Don't regret it."
Kaede inhaled and charged. A golden line cut through the air.
Space split - but Gordon was no longer there.
Behind!
Kaede twisted hard, carving a deep gouge in the floor.
Boom-
Her body shook. Shards of shattered aura scattered.
Left!
Before she could fully absorb the impact, a chill brushed her. She forced herself to turn again - her muscles creaked - but she managed to block.
"Your sense is decent."
Gordon's whisper reached her ears.
Fast.
And strong.
It wasn't a bluff that he didn't need a sword. When her blade met his hand, it rang with a metallic clang. The heavy impact made her sword hand tremble.
I even drew on the dimension's power...!
It helped. But between them was an overwhelming gap - enough to negate everything she had.
Thud-
In a momentary opening, a black fist slammed into her abdomen. Blood burst from her mouth.
Even then, she didn't drop the sword. Gritting her teeth, she stabbed at Gordon's side.
Rip-
I stabbed him!
A tiny sensation remained at her fingertips.
And that -
Thud-
was her last memory.
Ernyan carried the unconscious Kaede down to the fourth floor.
Once they were alone, Berze asked:
"Impression?"
"Her sense is usable. Her swordsmanship is a bit stiff, but the fundamentals are there. Human swordsmanship isn't as lacking as I expected."
"Dozens of Demon Kings have died here. Arein isn't a place you can dismiss. Train her well."
"To what level?"
"To the fullest extent."
"Is that acceptable? She's a hero. Later she'll turn into an enemy..."
"Who said she becomes an enemy?"
"You promised five years. You swore on the Demon Emperor and the Proper Way - huh...?"
Gordon tilted his head.
He remembered what Berze had done at the academy graduation.
Would someone like that keep an oath made on the Demon Emperor and the Proper Way?
"...You never intended to keep it from the start."
"I am a Demon King. Do you think I would ever let something that entered my hands go back out?"
A Demon King keeping a promise to a human.
As if such a thing existed.
"Now you finally sound like a Demon King!"
"And what does 'like me' mean?"
"Mocking and using humans."
"That is my specialty."
Strictly speaking, it only became his specialty after regression.
"Ah - I'm late saying it because of the princess, but Hilleun Kargil has become an Argan of the Hero Guild. It's a position named after the first hero, a top-level executive post."
"Argan. So the investment was worth it."
"As you said, my lord, he will become the dagger you throw into the human world."
A Demon King turning the very brain of the Hero Guild into his subordinate.
Even Gordon, serving that Demon King, found it hard to believe.
That was how abnormal it was.
"And there was contact from Demon King Reina Sordein."
"What is it?"
The Demon King of Frost maintained a close relationship with Berze, but they weren't the kind of pair who exchanged messages without a reason.
If she reached out, something had happened.
"Well... it's a bit strange."
"Don't stall."
"She said to meet in person. When I asked what I should tell you, she replied: 'I found the one who killed Draxon.'"
"...She found the one who killed Draxon?"
"Yes."
"That's Hilleun Kargil."
"If that was all, she wouldn't have contacted you."
"Then..."
"Have we been exposed?"
"To Reina Sordein? If it were Jason, maybe. But that's an excessive leap."
Reina Sordein never left the northern snows of the Jespine Empire. She didn't meddle in human affairs or scheme.
The chance that she knew details about distant Ormus was as close to zero as it gets.
"Then..."
"We'll know when we go."
"I have a bad feeling."
"Everything has felt bad since I descended on Arein."
Berze rose from his throne.
The Tower of Frost was as cold as ever.
Reina greeted Berze with a crimson candy in her mouth.
Or should it be called a greeting?
"Be careful of Jason."
"...?"
Her first words, spoken with pupils sunk into cold stillness, were strange.
What is wrong with all of them?