The Demon King Overrun by Heroes Novel - Chapter 141

Chapter 141
## Chapter 141

### Vassal

—

“Curses.”

Granada let out a heavy, misted sigh. His face had turned a sharp crimson from the relentless freezing air.

“Back to Erjest yet again.”

Since the moment he had bound himself to the Demon King and stepped into the role of Hillun Kagil’s shadow, Granada felt as though he hadn’t known a single moment of rest.

The cycle had begun with his infiltration of the primary hero’s quest under Hillun Kagil’s command. Following that, he had ventured into the Beast Tower, barely escaping with his life. He had scaled the heights of Erjest with the assistance of Akan, integrated into another imperial search party, and was currently embedded within the Hilderan Kingdom’s strike force. To top it off, he was already scheduled to join the next imperial hero’s campaign.

All of this in a region where the snow never stopped falling.

‘Do these people realize elves are evolved to thrive in temperate climates with fresh springs and lush forests?’

He knew the answer. But the person in charge simply wouldn’t care. That lack of empathy was exactly why he held the title of Demon King.

“This wasn’t even a formal command. You aren’t plotting to sell me out, are you?”

Granada cast a sharp look at Hillun Kagil, who trudged along beside him.

If not for some hidden betrayal, why did Berge continuously throw him into these suicide missions and vanguard units?

“Watch your tongue, Sir Granada. There are ears everywhere.”

“Fine. I’ll rephrase with more etiquette. Are you merely so terrified of dying that you’ve decided to sacrifice me to save your own skin?”

“Hardly polite, but I’ll give you an answer regardless. I am merely a loyal servant following instructions.”

“And does that loyalty necessitates dragging me through the mud every single time?”

“So that is what’s eating at you. You never came out and said it, but as the mortals say, where the needle travels, the thread must follow. It would be illogical for me to deploy without the Red Hawk assault team—and that includes their vice captain, Sir Granada.”

“…To hell with it all.”

Granada fought back the impulse to strike the arrogant smirk right off Hillun’s face.

He stared out at the distant, jagged peaks, trying to regulate his breathing. The sight of ogres dragging themselves out of the snowdrifts triggered a string of internal profanities, but he forced his mind to pivot.

‘Assist Hillun Kagil in the recovery of Ernyan Hilderan.’

This implied the Demon King had resolved to let Ernyan Hilderan go.

It meant she was being sent back as a pawn to suppress the domestic unrest in Hilderan regarding the conflict between Hilde란 and Jespain.

Given the current state of affairs, it was the most viable path forward. However, the shadow of the empire remained a much more daunting obstacle on the horizon.

‘He isn’t actually going to perish for good, is he?’

If that happened, what would remain? Even with the binding oath of the World Tree, if the target of the oath ceased to exist, the obligation would vanish.

‘But that won’t save the elves.’

As subordinates of the Demon King, they would be branded as enemies of the heroic faction. Would the vengeful humans show mercy to the elves? Hardly—they would execute the turncoats with even greater malice.

‘……’

These were the very elves he had personally led into the Demon King’s service. They had convinced themselves it was a step up from bondage, but the reality remained unchanged.

He couldn’t leave them to be slaughtered as disposable pawns of the Demon King. At the very least, he needed them to survive for another century. The Demon King had to stay alive.

That was the burden Granada carried for leading them down this path.

‘Damnation, did the Demon King calculate this and use the elves as leverage?’

Regardless of the intent, he was trapped.

While his anxieties swirled, the strike force continued its rapid advance toward the Flame Tower.

The issue was the lack of resistance—everything was far too easy for a place like Erjest, the supposed territory of the Flame Demon King.

*Slash—*

The skull of a massive predator was cleaved in two, falling into the drifts. The white landscape was splattered with crimson.

‘So that’s how it is.’

Hillun Kagil flicked the gore from his blade after dropping the creature.

He had claimed the path to the tower would be unobstructed, and now Granada saw the proof.

The trail was perfectly cleared, marked with subtle indicators only Hillun could perceive, guiding them along the most efficient route.

Monsters still crossed their path, but their strength and density were calibrated exactly to what Hillun could manage single-handedly.

Hillun’s skill had reached a level where he could still suffer losses among his subordinates to maintain appearances, but the more observant members of the party were beginning to feel uneasy.

“Is this truly Erjest?”

“I thought this place was teeming with nightmares.”

“Perpetual winter, isn’t it? Yet the sky is as clear as a summer day.”

With the weather behaving so unnaturally well, the trek had become a walk in the park. Hillun silently cursed the humans for being unable to accept a gift without suspicion, but he maintained a polished exterior.

“In a sense, this is to be expected.”

“Expected how?”

“The previous search party was decimated, but they engaged the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings directly. The demonic forces took a hit as well, so it follows that there are fewer guardians to block our way.”

“I suppose that makes sense.”

“And remember who leads you. Modesty aside, I am Hillun Kagil.”

“…Fair point.”

“We expect nothing less from Sir Hillun.”

Those who had felt the weight of doubt found themselves nodding at his reasoning.

“The beasts we did face were formidable. Sir Hillun is just that much more capable.”

They were a mix of mercenaries and crown elites, all cut from the same cloth. The relaxed atmosphere felt wrong—completely at odds with the terrifying stories of Erjest—but they recognized that even one of the monsters Hillun had dispatched would have leveled a common village.

“Whatever the reason, I hope our luck holds.”

“Agreed.”

And it held true.

By sticking to the sanitized path the Demon King had laid out, they arrived at the heart of the enemy’s territory much sooner than anyone had predicted.

“The tower! Look!”

“It actually exists!”

The Flame Tower—the most scorching structure on the entire continent—stood tall before them.

No beasts patrolled the immediate perimeter. The strike force reached the entrance without a single casualty.

The casual mood evaporated, replaced by sharp tension.

‘I’m back.’

Hillun Kagil rested his palm against the massive door. He could feel the frost from the snow seeping through his gloves.

Once this door opened, they would be inside the belly of the beast.

The script had been written in advance.

Enter the tower, sweep away the minor threats, “rescue” the crown princess on the lower levels, and retreat.

However.

‘There are actual monsters in there, right?’

It wasn’t going to be mana cannons again?

It wouldn’t be a hail of incinerating beams, but the sound of actual beasts?

He trusted the Demon King’s word, but the psychological scars were deep and vibrant, refusing to heal.

Cold sweat began to roll down his spine.

“Sir Hillun?”

“Is there a problem?”

The soldiers looked at his sudden stillness with confusion.

“No, it’s nothing. It’s just… standing before this tower again brings back a flood of memories.”

“I understand. This place must be a site of great weight for you, Sir Hillun.”

The veterans of the search party remembered his previous defeat and fell into a somber silence.

“That’s all in the past now. Once we recover Her Highness and strike down the Demon King, your name will be celebrated across every kingdom!”

A mage stepped in to try and lift the heavy atmosphere. But Granada knew the truth of the matter.

‘The man is terrified.’

It was logical. Having dozens of mana cannons fire the moment a door opened was a trauma akin to being struck by lightning in an open field.

And now, their numbers had grown to hundreds. If the tower were functioning at full capacity, half the unit would be turned to ash the moment the hinges turned.

“I appreciate the words of support. It is unbecoming of the hero meant to slay the King to show such hesitation.”

Hillun pushed his dread into the back of his mind and gripped the handle with purpose.

*Creaaaaak—*

With a resonant, metallic groan, the great portal swung inward.

The party held their collective breath.

The soldiers tightened their hold on their steel, expecting a tide of monsters to pour out.

And as the interior was fully revealed.

Hillun Kagil let out a long, silent breath of relief.

The tower looked like a perfectly normal dungeon.

There was not a mana cannon in sight.

‘Yetis?’

Dozens of massive, white-furred creatures were wandering the ground floor. They weren’t weak, but they were no match for a coordinated strike force.

“Look… over there!”

A knight’s shout drew everyone’s attention. All eyes followed his outstretched arm.

And there, in the shadows.

She was waiting.

The Crown Princess of Hilderan, Ernyan Hilderan.

She was confined within a modest iron cage tucked away in a corner of the first floor.

Her skin was unnervingly pale, and her eyes were shut in a deep slumber.

“Great Heavens, Your Highness!”

“It’s the Princess!”

“Crown Princess Ernyan!”

The Hilderan loyalists and sorcerers who recognized her face cried out in shock.

Hillun Kagil stepped forward to restrain those who were about to charge blindly.

“Hold your positions. This is still the tower of the Demon King.”

“But she’s right there, right in front of us…!”

“She is breathing. Her being placed here suggests the Flame Demon King operates under the same logic as the Frost or Adamant Kings.”

The tactic of placing high-value hostages on the entry levels to prevent a full-scale, desperate assault on the upper reaches.

“I see…”

The tension in the team turned to relief as the logic sank in.

And that logic held a pattern. No royal hostage had ever been killed in this scenario.

“We are fortunate. We won’t have to fight our way to the summit.”

Hillun Kagil unsheathed his blade.

“I will clear the way.”

Before the soldiers could even blink, a bolt of energy struck.

*────!*

A massive yeti was reduced to a pile of dark soot instantly. The roar of thunder echoing through the chamber ignited the instincts of the remaining beasts.

A thick cloud of bloodlust filled the air as the conflict began. Hillun lunged forward, with Granada and the Red Hawk team close on his heels.

“You’re quite the performer, aren’t you? So desperate to save the lady?”

“Naturally. Saving the princess is the duty I’ve been tasked with.”

Hillun ignored the elf’s biting tone. Even if the stage was set, with nearly three hundred pairs of eyes watching, he had to play the part of the ambitious hero.

The yetis roared and swung, but they were no obstacle for Hillun.

Lances of lightning scorched their hides, killing them so quickly they didn’t even have time to bleed.

A path was carved through the center of the room.

*Slash—*

The chain holding the cage to the ceiling was severed. Hillun caught the iron structure and lowered it with care.

He cut through the locks and lifted the princess out. Her skin felt like ice to the touch, but the soft rise and fall of her chest proved she was still among the living.

“Her Highness, the Crown Princess…”

The rest of the unit finally reached them, forming a protective circle around Hillun.

“She lives. No obvious injuries. But her core temperature is dangerously low—she needs immediate medical attention.”

“Where is the healer?!”

“See to the Princess this instant!”

“We need to get back to the lower villages where we can provide proper care.”

The captain of the Azure Knights hesitated at Hillun’s order to retreat.

“But… what of Princess Elena?”

Ernyan was the crown’s priority, but their mandate included Elena Hilderan as well.

She was royalty of Hilderan too.

However.

“My primary objective is the safety of Crown Princess Ernyan Hilderan above all else. Now that the location of the tower is confirmed, a full hero’s expedition can be organized later. We must protect the heir first.”

‘The Demon King only gave permission for Ernyan. Elena is off-limits.’

If he overstepped that boundary, his life would be forfeit.

“But…”

“Lord Hillun! We have to move! Her Highness’s pulse is weakening!”

The healer’s panicked shout ended the debate. Hillun rushed back to her side.

“If there are no wounds, how bad is it?”

“She’s frozen through. My magic isn’t enough to warm her. We must reach the capital and the royal mages immediately.”

“Then we leave now.”

The knight captain went silent as the camp devolved into a flurry of movement. Hillun struck the sealed exit of the tower. His strike severed the dimensional barrier holding the door shut.

The exit was forced open, and the strike force poured out of the tower, their mission a success.

—

“The Crown Princess has regained consciousness!”

“She is still quite weak. We should establish a camp here and allow her to stabilize.”

The rescued princess woke up while they were still descending the mountain.

Her deathly chill vanished, and her natural color returned as if by magic.

The unit found a safe clearing, free of monsters, and set up a temporary camp. Shortly after, Hillun Kagil was summoned for a private meeting with the princess.

“I was told Her Highness had woken.”

“Yes, she is expecting you.”

Hillun Kagil stepped into the tent. Ernyan looked tired as she sipped on a warm broth.

“You wished to see me.”

“Ah, Lord Hillun.”

“Your Highness.”

“I am recovering. I could hardly remain lying down when the hero who snatched me from the Demon King’s grasp arrived.”

She made a show of trying to sit upright. Her personal guard moved to assist, but Ernyan waved them off.

“Are you feeling better?”

“It is thanks to your efforts. Without you, Lord Hillun, my life would have ended in that cage.”

Ernyan then looked at the guard.

“Sir, would you give us a moment? I wish to speak with Lord Hillun in private.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

The knight exited the tent. The moment the flap closed.

* *Ugh, that was suffocating.*

A spirit emerged from the shadows. A shimmering wall of water magic surrounded them, creating a soundproof bubble.

“So, what did you think?”

Ernyan’s voice did a complete 180.

The frail, suffering mask she had been wearing.

Was replaced by a sharp, energetic grin.

“My performance. Pretty good, right?”

Ernyan beamed.

Hillun couldn’t help but smile back.

“It was flawless.”

“Truly?”

“If you hadn’t played your part so well, the others would have insisted on pushing higher for Princess Elena.”

“We couldn’t have that. That wouldn’t align with the Demon King’s agenda.”

For the time being, Elena was safer within the tower.

“Allow me to congratulate you on your return as the Crown Princess, Ernyan.”

“The Demon King mentioned it. That you, Lord Hillun, value prestige more than anything.”

“There isn’t a man alive who dislikes prestige.”

“And what of wealth?”

“No one turns away gold.”

“Then what of being the savior and chief confidant to the future Queen of Hilderan? What if that Queen backs you with every resource at her disposal—not just as a noble, but as the supreme master of the Hero Guild?”

“I have been a servant of Her Majesty from the very beginning.”

Hillun Kagil dropped to one knee.