The Demon King Overrun by Heroes Novel - Chapter 143

Chapter 143
## Chapter: 143

### Chapter Title: Somehow

—

Louise Berft.

The second-born princess of the Berft Kingdom had been living in a state of strict isolation since the fallout of the Ormus affair.

Several months had passed in this manner. Her daily existence had become predictable and repetitive.

She remained confined within the walls of the annex palace, dedicating her hours to the study of royal protocol and academic subjects, or venturing into the courtyard to practice her forms with a battle axe.

Today, however, deviated from the norm. Her usual routine had been augmented by a quick trip to the royal forge.

Whoosh—

A bright whistle escaped her lips as she ran her fingers over the cool surface of the blue battle axe that rested perfectly in her grip.

It was a custom piece she had ordered from the royal forge, and it had only just been finished and handed over to her.

The razor-sharp edge, the daunting luster, the aesthetic appeal, and the sheer durability—it met every one of her high standards.

‘It isn’t a piece by Roger, which is regrettable…’

She didn’t necessarily view Roger as the pinnacle of craftsmanship.

He was certainly among the elite, but Berft was a realm of dwarves, a place overflowing with legendary smiths.

Nevertheless, her specific desire for a weapon crafted by Roger stemmed from his rare dual identity as both a hero and a blacksmith.

Unlike his peers, he was unable to manifest the otherworldly power granted to him on his own; instead, he possessed the ability to instill that essence into physical gear.

He created armaments that permitted those who weren’t heroes to tap into a hero’s might.

That unique trait made Roger invaluable. That was the reason she had coveted his work.

But with Roger now missing, such desires were futile.

She made her way to the annex palace garden, her designated spot for axe training.

With a fluid motion, the axe sliced through the air, producing a crisp, whistling sound. The flawless distribution of weight and balance gave her immense satisfaction.

“There isn’t a skull in existence I couldn’t cleave with this…”

Just then, something shifted.

Thud—

A section of the rock wall bordering the garden shuddered violently. A mass that appeared to be solid stone was forced outward. It was, in fact, packed earth. That debris came hurtling toward Louise.

“……”

“……”

In the next moment, her gaze locked with a face peering through the newly formed breach in the stone barrier.

‘…A hidden tunnel?’

That realization was secondary.

‘An intruder?’

This area was the private garden of the palace annex, a place strictly forbidden to anyone lacking Louise’s explicit consent.

Certainly, no one should be emerging from an unknown subterranean path.

Louise didn’t waste time on introspection.

An unauthorized passage existed in her private residence, and a stranger had used it to breach her security.

This was no formal visitor. Nor was it someone with peaceful intentions.

Consequently, she reacted with her natural instincts.

She swung her heavy axe without a word of warning.

Crack—

The weapon slammed into the stone wall. Regrettably, the trespasser had already scrambled out of the opening.

‘He’s quick.’

She pivoted her weight instantly. Pushing off the turf, she channeled her full power into the hand wielding the axe.

Slash—

A few loose strands of the stranger’s hair were shorn away and drifted through the air.

The hair was a striking shade of crimson.

Clang—

The axe was intercepted. Concentrated aura and searing flames clashed and coiled around one another.

The cords of muscle on Louise’s arm strained as she pressed the axe forward. Their eyes met. His irises were a red more intense than his hair.

“State your name and purpose, now!”

Louise let out a low, predatory growl.

Berge found it difficult to provide a simple response.

Grand towers of the palace loomed on the horizon. Aside from the princess, there was no sign of another soul in the vicinity.

‘That cursed dwarf brat, he might have mentioned where this exit actually led!’

Taking stock of Louise Berft’s current situation, he realized this was her place of house arrest. The very heart of her secluded garden.

Of all the places the hidden path could emerge, it had to be the doorstep of the combat-obsessed princess.

If Roger hadn’t engineered this encounter on purpose, it was a coincidence of truly malicious proportions.

‘What is the play here?’

Had he known, he would have made his entrance in his demonkin form. Then, if discovered, he could have pinned the blame on the Demon King’s machinations.

But Louise Berft had now locked eyes with his Pale-disguised visage, which meant his primary identity for traveling the continent was officially compromised.

If he allowed her to live, the Pale persona was effectively dead.

The kingdom of dwarves was not known for showing compassion to a different species caught trespassing in a royal annex.

He was left with two paths.

Escape and discard the Pale identity forever.

Or silence the only witness…

“I asked who you are.”

The heavy pressure of her murderous intent pulled Berge back to the present.

“You really think I’m going to just tell you?”

“Don’t be foolish. This is an act of clemency. I’ve worked hard on my patience while locked away here.”

“Clemency?”

“The kindness of a swift death over being hacked into bits.”

“Your idea of patience is a bit skewed.”

“It’s a massive improvement for me. Ordinarily, your head would have been separated from your shoulders by now.”

“I truly don’t see where you get this level of arrogance.”

“It isn’t arrogance. It’s a certainty.”

A powerful surge of repelling force drove them apart. Louise hoisted her axe high into the air. Her muscles tightened and expanded across her frame.

“My axe is the only truth I need!”

———!

The collision of fist and axe blade shook the air.

Violent aura and turbulent flames canceled each other out in a flash of energy. In the momentary lapse, the honed edge of the axe, backed by her formidable strength, bit into skin.

Berge winced as a sharp pain radiated from the wound.

Louise gave a dark smile at the sight of the blood staining her weapon.

“If you try to block it, you lose the hand, right?”

“…That’s no standard-issue blade.”

“The highest compliment for a work forged by the finest smith in the dwarf kingdom.”

“The finest? I was under the impression the best one had already fled the Berft Kingdom. I wonder why that is.”

Her brow furrowed deeply.

“What are you implying?”

“Just what I said.”

“You should choose your next words with extreme care.”

“Or what?”

“You won’t have time to plead. I’ll crack your skull open first.”

Louise snarled. Berge decided to add fuel to her burning rage.

“I crossed paths with a dwarf. He claimed to be the premier craftsman of Berft. Roger Friedri, if memory serves.”

“Roger? Where is that coward hiding?!”

Louise lunged forward.

Boom—

An instant later, the earth beneath her shattered from the sheer intensity of her movement, sending a shockwave rippling outward.

The axe traced a wide, lethal arc through the atmosphere.

Boom—

Berge retreated a step. He gave a dry, humorless chuckle at the vibration rattling his arm.

‘She’s managed to grow even more powerful in just a few months.’

He wondered why every princess he encountered in this realm was so formidable.

His drifting thoughts were cut short. This time, Louise didn’t stop at a single strike. Her axe became a whirlwind of motion. Aura and fire clashed repeatedly, creating a series of sonic booms.

‘I can’t let this drag on.’

The annex was secluded, but it was still a part of the royal grounds. It was only a matter of time before the noise drew a swarm of dwarven guards.

Furthermore, he couldn’t simply overpower her. His strength was diminished the further he was from the tower, and Louise had clearly undergone a period of intense growth.

‘I need to break her focus.’

Berge decided to play with Louise’s psyche.

“I certainly know his location. But I’m not sharing. However, I can give you the message he wanted you to have.”

“That bastard had a message for me?”

“Indeed. He mentioned he has no desire to ever forge a blade for a lunatic like you, so stop looking for him. The mere thought of you makes him sick.”

“…A lunatic?”

Louise’s face turned a deep shade of crimson. If Roger were standing there, she would have butchered him a hundred times.

But in the peak of her fury, a strange coldness settled in her mind. Or perhaps, she finally looked closer at the intruder’s features.

“You… you look familiar…”

That vibrant red hair, those ruby eyes that had suddenly shifted to black.

“He said he was in Tarta… No, that’s impossible. You might dye your hair, but the eyes…”

“No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you.”

Berge pulled the flames back into his core. He allowed a faint trace of demonic energy to leak out.

As his hair and eyes transitioned to a deep black, Louise’s pupils contracted in shock.

“You…!”

“You want to know something? There was no Roger in Tarta to begin with. He was never there.”

“You son of a—!”

“But I do know him. I know exactly where he’s staying. Want a personal tour?”

Berge’s hand darted into a blind spot as Louise’s body shook with uncontrollable emotion.

She attempted a desperate defense, but the timing was lost.

A sudden burst of flame stripped away her protective aura. Through the opening, a magical sphere glowing with a frost-blue light released a concentrated beam.

Crackle—

The princess vanished from the garden.

In her place stood a frozen, crystalline statue of Louise Berft.

“…This turned into more trouble than I wanted, but I have to move quickly now.”

Berge placed the frozen Louise into his subspace, then emitted a wave of heat to neutralize the lingering frost before he disappeared.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

“The Princess has been abducted!”

The dwarven soldiers who rushed to the scene of the noise found nothing but the remnants of a fight that had already ended.

—

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

The dwarves were a race defined by their peerless skill in creation.

They found their greatest joy in the act of making, particularly in the realms of smithing and the engineering of magic.

The kingdom was a hub of technological progress, evidenced by the staggering number of forges throughout the land.

When a craftsman of even modest skill opened a shop, others would flock to them to learn, eventually turning the shop into a pillar of the kingdom’s industry.

But there was a hierarchy among these workshops.

Every dwarf aspired to be part of an elite forge, and the ultimate destination was the royal forge.

Managed directly by the crown, it only admitted the most refined talents discovered within the borders.

To be accepted there was a matter of immense pride—a prestigious position that was the dream of every smith.

‘It is finally happening.’

The smith Kogen arrived in the capital city, his heart pounding with excitement.

He had started his career in a remote border town, and after fifty-eight years of hard labor and growing renown, he had finally been summoned by the royal family.

It was the crowning achievement of his life.

“Greetings, Master Kogen. Here is your official royal forge credentials.”

“Ah, this is truly something…”

The gold badge, carved with the royal insignia, was a masterpiece of design.

“Let me show you to the workshop. The master of the forge is expecting you.”

“Lead the way.”

The workshop was just a short distance away.

“That’s odd. Where are the sentries?”

The knight escorting him frowned at the deserted entrance.

“Ah, perhaps the forge guards were called away for the current alert. My apologies for this lack of formality.”

“No, don’t worry about it. Is there something going on?”

“It’s a minor matter. It should be settled shortly. Please, step inside…”

The knight pushed the door open.

“Why is it so freezing in here…?”

Kogen tilted his head, confused by the biting cold blowing out from the interior.

A forge, which should have been a place of roaring furnaces, felt like a tomb of ice.

Thud—

“What?”

In that heartbeat, the knight beside him slumped to the floor without making a sound.

A violent vacuum pulled Kogen and the fallen knight into the room, and the door slammed shut behind them.

“What is…?”

The rhythmic sound of hammers had gone silent.

The fires in the grand furnaces were nearly all dead.

The warmth had been replaced by a crushing chill, turning the entire hall into a frozen chamber.

And most shocking of all.

“…Great ancestors.”

Dozens of elite royal smiths, who should have been at their stations, were now frozen solid, standing like macabre decorations around the room.

“You make the final count.”

Perched atop one of the statues, a man with red hair looked down at him.

“I was about to head out if you were any later, but your timing is perfect.”

“Who are you…”

Kogen never finished his question. A sphere launched in a smooth arc hit him squarely in the chest. His vision whited out, and he lost all sensation.

—

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

Clap clap—

Berge brushed his palms together after depositing exactly forty-nine ice statues into his subspace.

Fortunately, the kingdom’s leadership hadn’t reacted to this specific location yet.

They were likely preoccupied with the hunt for Louise.

‘I’ll take a different secret path out. Hopefully, this one isn’t obstructed.’

To ensure no evidence of the frost remained, Berge funneled a bit of mana into the dying coals of the forge and scattered them across the workshop floor. The rising fire would soon consume the evidence of his presence.

“Oh.”

As he searched for the exit, Berge let out a small sound of realization.

“…Maybe I should let her have that reunion with Roger?”

For some reason, he had a hard time imagining Roger enjoying that meeting.

‘Well, it’ll work out somehow.’

Ultimately, the blame lay with Roger for disclosing the location of the secret tunnel to Louise while she was under arrest.

He continued on his way.

End