The Demon King Overrun by Heroes Novel - Chapter 137

Chapter 137
## Chapter: 137

### Chapter Title: A Grand and Towering Hope

—

“Eternal glory to the magnificent champion, Hillun Kagil!”

Following a prolonged absence, Hillun Kagil had finally returned to the central hub of the guild.

As he transitioned from the fortress exterior toward the guild’s heart, the sheer scale of the gathering and the intensity of their praise forced him to stop in his tracks.

“Supreme Argan, we offer our salutations, Hillun.”

“What is the meaning of this display?”

“A celebration of your arrival.”

Parni Dernium, the assistant to Hillun Kagil and a fellow Argan, provided the answer with a look of complete indifference.

“You have achieved the impossible by pinpointing the Flame Demon King’s location—a task that baffled all others. You’ve elevated our status and mended the guild’s fractured reputation; it is only logical that everyone is ecstatic.”

“…I understand.”

A faint, bittersweet grin touched the edge of Hillun Kagil’s lips. It made sense, after all.

He had simply been too consumed by the weight of recent hardships to consider something so fundamental.

“However, it seems the crowd isn’t limited to our guild brothers.”

“The success of an Argan isn’t merely a victory for fellow heroes. Is it not fitting that the entire population of Carnia, all hundred thousand of them, should come out to honor you?”

“Let us proceed.”

Though initially taken aback, Hillun Kagil was a man who deeply valued prestige and found life in the adoration of others.

He had no desire to reject a festival organized specifically in his honor.

With a measured gesture of his hand, he nudged his mount forward, soaking in the thunderous cheers that felt as explosive as a volcanic burst. Before long, he reached the threshold of the guild’s primary entrance.

The sentries stationed there threw the heavy gates open.

Walking through a sea of reverence and jealousy from the resident heroes, he stepped into the vaulted assembly hall.

A dozen Argans stood as sentinels along the path of a sprawling crimson carpet, while at the focal point sat the five elders who held the true reins of the organization.

“We welcome you, Argan Hillun Kagil.”

And at the terminus of that walk.

The compensation for his exploits stood waiting.

Hillun Kagil let out a spirited cry of triumph.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

After the formal honors and gifts were distributed, Hillun requested a private audience with the Grand Elder in his personal study.

“I am grateful for such a spirited reception.”

“It was warranted. You are the champion who identified the Demon King’s Tower within the wild, uncharted territories.”

The Grand Elder, who had been nodding with a composed expression, suddenly made a sharp clicking sound with his tongue.

“I assume you detected that something felt misplaced?”

“The scale did seem somewhat disproportionate.”

“It was more than just disproportionate.”

To be sure, finding the Demon King’s Tower in the wilderness was a feat worthy of respect.

Yet, that was the extent of it—simply finding it.

He hadn’t breached the defenses, executed high-ranking demons, or toppled the Demon King. He had merely spotted a landmark that had been hidden.

Granted, these Towers usually stood in plain sight, and this one’s concealment had caused significant panic. Even so, it wasn’t a feat that typically compelled every resident of the capital to flood the streets.

‘The leadership couldn’t be oblivious to that fact.’

Furthermore, this mission had been spearheaded by the Empire, not the guild. The guild had essentially been a secondary participant.

‘And yet they push this narrative so aggressively…’

There had to be an underlying motive.

“Does this involve Daphne Philia?”

“Precisely.”

Beneath the radiant light of locating the Demon King’s Tower lay a massive, suffocating shadow. That shadow bore the name Daphne Philia.

The Star Hero herself.

She had perished during what was intended to be a routine reconnaissance of the tower.

“While your achievement is a landmark success, the demise of Daphne Philia is a catastrophic failure for this guild.”

Daphne Philia had been the most independent and energetic of the Ten Stars.

In both formal records and informal circles, she was a wanderer tied to no single land, serving as the guild’s primary representative.

Her connections to nearly every sovereign nation made her the guild’s most vital diplomatic tool.

And now, she was gone.

The resulting sorrow and hopelessness would soon cause the guild’s influence to contract. The leadership needed a way to halt that regression.

“That is where your role becomes essential.”

Another Star who had taken the lives of two Demon Kings and found the Saltpeter Tower alongside Daphne Philia.

“From the perspective of the common man, this appears as a triumph.”

But it wasn’t a triumph for the guild.

The life of a Star like Daphne Philia carried far more weight than the discovery of a tower belonging to a Demon King who had only appeared a year prior.

Anyone with a modicum of intuition would wonder how this could be called a win when such a titan had fallen just to find a building.

Consequently, the guild high command viewed the event as a loss.

“And a loss can be buried under the weight of a far greater triumph.”

This was the reason they had fanned the sparks of Hillun’s deeds into a roaring fire.

They broadcasted how peerless a hero Hillun was and how miraculous his actions were.

Everything was stretched and magnified to create the current atmosphere.

“But Daphne Philia is a Star. Surely this much spin won’t be enough to—”

“You are mistaken.”

The Grand Elder shook his head slowly.

“If a loss cannot be hidden, it is only because the following win is insufficient. The victory is too trivial compared to the tragedy. But with successes that are grander and more frequent, the failure evaporates instantly. It is a necessity.”

Humans possessed a natural urge to discard memories of grief and pain, eventually even painting them with a romantic light.

“…A triumph more significant than simply locating the tower.”

“By razing that tower to the ground. What else could it be?”

For the sake of the guild’s standing and power.

“We have reached a consensus to eliminate the Flame Demon King.”

Hillun Kagil felt a sudden chill in his chest.

“Naturally, the guild will not be the vanguard. There are already two kingdoms throughly enraged and ready to strike at the Flame Demon King for us.”

Hildean and Jespain.

“I understand you made a trip to Hildean.”

Go on. Explain.

“As the guild’s Argan overseeing Hildean, as a son of Hildean, and as a champion who had a confidential meeting with Hildean’s sovereign.”

“What were the words of the King of Hildean?”

We are prepared to offer our full assistance.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

Resolve one crisis, and a new one emerges.

It felt like navigating through a void of total darkness.

The world was so obscured that nothing could be perceived.

Below him was a sheer drop into an abyss. His only lifeline was a single, strained cord.

To distance himself from Hildean’s immediate threat, Berge had opted to set Ernyan Hildean free.

But it was a temporary fix.

The Empire was growing into a far more formidable foe, and Hildean was only paused—their fury hadn’t been extinguished.

‘But Hildean will settle itself one way or another.’

It sounded negligent, but there was a logic to it.

Given Ernyan Hildean’s lineage, social standing, and sheer power, the chaos she would ignite upon her return to the kingdom was something he looked forward to.

If she committed herself to obstructing the mobilization of the nation’s heroes, few would be brave enough to ignore her.

‘There is a high probability of internal power struggles.’

Ernyan was someone he could rely on. He wasn’t sure when he had begun placing his faith in a human princess while being a Demon King, but he was certain of this one thing.

Ernyan Hildean was a constant.

‘The true threats are the Empire and the guild.’

Hillun Kagil had reached out. The guild was throwing its full weight behind the alliance of Hildean and the Empire.

‘The ripple effect of killing Daphne Philia. Curse it all.’

He felt the sting of regret, but letting her live hadn’t been an option.

Now that the tower’s coordinates were known, it felt pointless, but at that moment, it had been his only play.

‘What a nightmare.’

Berge pressed his hands against his temples. There were no easy fixes appearing on the horizon.

He retrieved the communication tool and surged it with dark energy. A moment later, Krutu’s voice came through.

『I am here, Demon King.』

“Bring the Frost Wolf and meet me at the tower. I need to clear my head.”

『At once.』

Berge walked out of his private quarters.

The moment he stepped onto the third level, the air was filled with the sounds of heavy impacts and clattering metal.

“No, stop! If that shatters, are you morons going to fix it? I told you not to hurl it!”

“You mindless yeti! That device is worth more than your entire life!”

“No! My mana cannon!”

The mana cannons were massive, intricate pieces of technology. With over three hundred units, Roger couldn’t manage the transport alone, so he had drafted the local monsters.

However, most monsters lacked even basic reasoning, and several cannons were being handled with reckless force. Roger was, understandably, losing his mind.

“Demon King!”

Roger, frantically catching a mana cannon a yeti had fumbled, saw Berge and looked like he might weep.

“I beg you, get these monsters under control! They’re treating high-end engineering like common stones!”

“Direct that request to Lavinia.”

Lavinia was currently tasked with the monsters’ oversight.

“Do you think I haven’t tried?”

“Did she decline?”

“No, it’s not that, but…”

“Demon King.”

Lavinia, who had been barking orders at the beasts, hurried over.

“Did you not instruct the monsters to be gentle with the gear?”

“I did.”

“In what way?”

“Be careful. Softly.”

“And the result?”

“Some. Don’t understand.”

She crossed her fingers in a ‘no’ gesture. A few of the dim-witted monsters were acting out of turn.

“Remove those specific ones from the labor detail.”

“Even if we do?”

“It will be fine. I said to use every monster to finish quickly, but we need to prioritize safety over speed.”

“Thirty-two.”

“Thirty-two of them, then. Take them off the line.”

“Understood.”

Lavinia faded back into the swarm of monsters to issue the new directives. Roger bowed his head repeatedly.

“My thanks.”

“Is that everything resolved?”

“Actually, one more detail.”

“Speak.”

“I can handle moving the cannons and the smaller gear, but the workshop… I can’t even move that an inch.”

“I will take care of the workshop.”

The Hell Workshop was essentially a part of the tower’s soul, constructed from pure demonic essence. It didn’t require physical hauling like the artillery; it just needed a specific expenditure of energy.

“Thank you. And what about the Mana Ghost…? I designed it, but it’s completely anchored to the tower’s structure. I’m hesitant to touch it. Though, if you command it, I will risk everything to take it apart and study it—”

Roger’s gaze began to take on a familiar manic quality.

‘The Mana Ghost?’

The term sparked a thought in Berge’s mind.

Right, he still had that.

The flawed relic that could mask the tower’s presence temporarily by burning demonic energy. It had successfully deceived Daphne Philia once before.

He hadn’t been present in the tower recently, so it hadn’t been utilized, but its potential hadn’t diminished.

‘Mana Ghost.’

Berge wasn’t just thinking about its cloaking ability.

Roger had built it, but it was inseparable from the tower.

It had drained a massive amount of demonic energy but had integrated with the tower’s core authority, influencing the entire foundation.

‘Just maybe.’

A theory began to take shape in his mind.

‘It’s a long shot, but maybe.’

Up until this moment.

And perhaps for all of history.

It was a concept no Demon King had ever dared to conceive.

“Roger.”

“…So, it’s not that I’m obsessed with dismantling the tower, but we can’t just leave the Mana Ghost sitting on the ground floor, right? That’s why, as its father, I should be the one to manage it, to break down its logic and…”

“Roger!”

“…Y-Yes, my King!”

Roger’s excitement died down instantly. Berge gripped the man’s shoulder with surprising force.

“…D-Did I overstep?”

“Quite the opposite. You’ve given me an incredible revelation!”

“I did? Me? What kind of revelation…?”

“We are going to construct legs. We start immediately.”

“…I’m sorry? Legs? Are we crossing a river?”

“Legs aren’t just for spanning water.”

“Wait? Not a bridge?”

Surely not…

A sense of dread washed over Roger, and he hesitated. But Berge’s hold only tightened.

His intense eyes met the fading madness in Roger’s own.

“Precisely what you’re thinking. The kind of legs you have, and I have.”

Berge opened his arms wide to the hall.

“Grand, powerful, sturdy ones.”

Something so massive that even a structure of this size could be relocated.

“I-I don’t follow, Demon King.”

“We,”

Berge announced with absolute gravity.

“Are going to make this tower walk!”

“……!”

He’s completely lost his mind.

Roger barely managed to keep the insult from escaping his lips.