Chapter 18 - Their Own Plans

Chapter 18 - Their Own Plans

"Yuru invaded Marpein?"

"That's right."

The Gargoyle who had just returned from its reconnaissance mission told Clay.

"I confirmed that the south of Marpein has been devastated. People were saying it was Yuru who did it."

"Did you find out why she did it?"

"It seems she kidnapped the Crown Prince of Kratia who was attending a banquet. I don't know the details."

"The Crown Prince?"

Clay frowned. It was a difficult statement to grasp immediately.

'Why the Crown Prince?'

The Blue Magic Tower resided in the land of Iser, and Iser was a nation not free from the influence of the Holy State Alliance.

No, it wasn't just not free; it was practically a vassal state.

Wasn't that the very reason he died?

'They'll be tied by collective punishment.'

Even if the Blue Magic Tower was located in Iser's territory, they weren't a group controlled by Iser.

Even knowing that, Holy Kratia wouldn't stand idly by.

Because it would be more beneficial for them.

The Magic Towers, which didn't believe in gods and proclaimed themselves independent entities, were a thorn in Kratia's side.

Now that they had secured justification to eliminate the most uncooperative of them, the Blue Magic Tower, they would undoubtedly pressure Iser.

"A spectacular suicide, isn't it? She was an interesting mage, but now it's over."

Rin, who had been listening to the conversation beside them, said.

"Still, thanks to her, we gained some time. We can just do our work while they're going wild amongst themselves."

Rin seemed quite delighted by the turn of events.

"It's not that simple."

Clay, who had been silently observing, spoke.

"There's no way Yuru just unilaterally attacked there."

"Huh? You mean there's a reason?"

"Yes."

Even if Yuru had an emotional side, she was one of the few Tower Masters in the world.

She was not only a master of magic but also intelligent enough to be called a sage.

Of course, she wouldn't be intelligent now.

"That person, she has strong pride."

It was possible she disapproved of the Holy State Alliance making the Tower Masters spectators at the Hero's execution.

"They likely tried to tighten their grip on the Magic Towers after my execution. Yuru, unable to tolerate it, probably decided to strike the Holy State Alliance first."

Not a few individuals in other Magic Towers followed Yuru.

There were those who looked askance at the Holy State Alliance.

With Yuru's move as a trigger, they too would somehow show movement.

It was obvious they would struggle to find out why Yuru kidnapped the Crown Prince.

"Is there no possibility it's because of you, the former Hero?"

The Gargoyle spoke again.

"Something like vengeance."

"No way."

If she had such strong feelings for him, she should have done something during or before the execution.

Clay let out a hollow laugh.

"Even if that were the case, it's none of my business."

There was a right time for everything.

For Clay, who was as good as dead, anything that happened after the execution related to him was not something he needed to pay attention to.

Originally, it would have ended as an incident of no use to him.

"The Hero is already dead."

Clay said, as if to make that point clear.

"What should have been done when alive won't change anything if done now."

"Well, that's true."

Rin shrugged.

"Anyway, those humans are good at doing things too late. Like idiots."

"Rin."

"Ah! I wasn't including you! The fact that you died and came back to life means you're a completely different being!"

"Never mind that. When can we start the process to make me the Demon King?"

At his words, Rin cleared her throat, composed herself, and spoke again.

"Ah, ah~ that. Just a moment. I'm currently preparing a reagent to help your body endure before expanding the magi flow channel."

"Help my body endure?"

"You can't properly use your power right now, can you? Even if Beatrice stabilized your body to some extent, creating a magi channel isn't an easy task."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

Rin nodded.

"You don't have the strength to properly endure the pain right now. It would be too absurd if someone of your caliber just died while being experimented on by me."

"Experiment?"

"Well…, it is an experiment, but don't think anything strange. It's just a common expression researchers use."

"Ahem."

The Gargoyle, who had been observing the conversation, spoke.

"If my role is finished, may I leave? I'm starting to want to turn to stone."

"Don't you have any tact?!"

Rin cried out, raising an eyebrow.

"The next Demon King and I are having a serious conversation!"

"...My apologies. I'm tired from gathering information."

"Alright, you did well. You can go."

Clay gestured, and the Gargoyle smiled slightly before trudging away.

"Ugh, you have a lot to learn to become the Demon King."

"A lot to learn?"

"Dignity, I mean dignity."

Clay said, looking at the grumbling Rin.

"You are quite... a unique person, it seems."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"It means nothing. Don't worry too much about it."

"It does mean something!"

Clay let out a hollow laugh, watching Rin jump up and down in place, then touched his upper body.

'Channel.'

Clay couldn't help but feel skeptical whether it would be possible to neutralize the sealing circles and open such a channel, and furthermore, to completely replace holy power with magi and wield it.

"But don't worry. I'll trust you."

Nevertheless, Clay decided to trust this uniquely spirited demon whom Beatrice had introduced.

"Your skill, at least, is genuine."

"No, I mean, I'm not unique; I'm a distinguished member of the Demon King's army..."

The pointless conversation continued for a while longer.

It wasn't particularly substantive.

It simply was Rin's unreserved attitude towards the former Hero that made Clay feel at ease.

Of course, he didn't tell her that fact.

♧

"On the eve of your visit, another interesting thing happened."

A canyon quite far from Barungenia, the Demon King's Castle.

Inside a dark cave, there was a grotesque figure whose entire body looked like it had been patched together.

"I'm never bored these days. Even one of the Demon King's Four Heavenly Kings comes to ask me to bio-engineer the former Hero."

The grotesque figure, cackling with laughter, was the one called Butcher, Golche.

"I came yesterday, and you're still laughing about it?"

Beatrice asked, crunching on an apple on the table.

Golche then revealed his teeth, his large body shaking.

"Of course. It was such an interesting story for Golche. And it will continue to be so."

He swept the air with the saw in his hand.

"But if you were going to ask for such a favor, you should have brought the former Hero here. Then I could tear him apart and give you an answer, couldn't I?"

"I told you yesterday I didn't bring him because I thought you'd do that, didn't I?"

Beatrice swallowed her bitten apple and said.

"I've already examined the Hero's body thoroughly. Give me an answer before my food runs out. I'll let Rin know to use it as a reference."

"Heheheh, I'd really like to see the Hero's body directly, though."

"No."

"Why? That way I could surely help you more effectively."

A repeating refrain.

Beatrice walked up to Golche.

"Don't be greedy and be satisfied."

THUD!

Golche staggered and collapsed under the powerful dragon speech.

"I came to confirm if there's a solution, not to throw you a corpse to dissect. Do you want to see a body that was carefully stitched up get torn apart again?"

Golche was silent for a moment after Beatrice spoke, her dragon eyes glowing, then he awkwardly opened his mouth.

"No way."

"Then get to work."

CRACK!

The apple she was holding burst.

"Just waiting a day because you hadn't slept was already exhausting my patience."

Faced with overwhelming pressure, even Golche, who was nothing short of a monster, ceased his resistance.

"Understood. But I definitely want to share the new news. My grotesque bird brought something interesting."

"Alright, I'll listen. What is it?"

"It seems Yuru, the Archmage of the Blue Magic Tower, attacked Marpein."

"?"

Beatrice's eyes widened.

"Yuru, attacked Marpein?"

"Yes. They say she devastated it as she pushed forward."

"Hmm."

Beatrice's face, which had shown a moment of surprise, regained its composure.

"As you said, it is an interesting story. I'll talk to Clay about it later, so you just do your job now."

"Is that all the reaction I get?"

"Because there's only one thing I need to focus on right now."

She stared directly at Golche.

"And so do you."

Gulp.

Golche swallowed dryly, seeing her cold expression.

He had endured for a day, disliking receiving orders from her, who wasn't even the Demon King.

She must have known that already.

"Understood."

Golche submitted to Beatrice.

"I'll start drawing up the body schematics. I request your cooperation."

He put down his saw and extended a hand, and Beatrice moved closer.

"Alright, let's do well."

She said with a smile.

"For my great next Demon King."

♧

Yapheon.

A canyon not far from the border with Marpein.

There, in a place cast in a giant shadow, was Neville von Ragnaric, the Crown Prince of Kratia.

"Do you know what you've done?"

He reprimanded the one who had dragged him here.

"You kidnapped the Crown Prince of Holy Kratia."

"I know."

Yuru said, looking at Neville who was slumped on the ground.

"The Emperor of Kratia will come looking for you."

"No."

Neville gritted his teeth.

"Would the Emperor of Kratia come looking for someone like me? Rather..."

"He'll just start a war?"

Neville fell silent at Yuru's reply.

"Let him start one."

She let out a hollow laugh.

"Anyway, he'll probably just use the Blue Magic Tower as an excuse to move against Iser. He'll be annoyed that they call the highest authority 'Emperor' while trembling before the Holy State Alliance."

"Knowing that..."

"That has nothing to do with me."

A strange glint appeared in her eyes.

"All I need is you."

Neville couldn't understand.

'What on earth...'

What did she want, to do such a thing?

Neville recalled what she had said in Logram.

'For the Hero?'

But the Hero was already dead.

He was a hero who faced the Demon King, but he was pushed to the execution ground and met his end.

Had she gone mad from that tragedy?

"I can't do anything."

Neville pleaded.

"All I can do is honor him in my heart."

"No, Neville."

Yuru shook her head.

"There's something else you can do. It's actually about the many blessings placed upon your body."

To Neville, who still didn't understand the situation even after hearing those words, Yuru declared:

"I'm going to make the Hero's soul descend into your body."

A plan more terrifying than any demon.