The Demon King Overrun by Heroes Novel - Chapter 58

Chapter 58
## Chapter 58: Origins

The Demon Kings of Aren each developed their own survival strategies, creating variables within the limits of the Standard to stay alive.

For instance, Reina Sordain, the Frost Demon King, populated her lower sanctuary floors with frozen royalty. This trick led heroes to believe they had achieved a rescue early on, causing them to depart without climbing further. Ugar Belbek, the Adamant Demon King, preferred a different tactic: abducting heirs whose disappearance would cause the least amount of friction. It was a preemptive strike, ensuring that even if conflict ignited, it would never escalate into a full-scale inferno.

While kidnapping high-ranking successors was technically seen as a mark of prestige among their kind, Ugar prioritized his own neck over unwritten virtues that weren’t strictly mandated by the Standard.

“…What are you implying?”

Ugar’s response was sharp. Being pragmatic wasn’t exactly a celebrated trait among Demon Kings, so he denied the accusation of cowardice immediately.

“There is no shame in it. The Standard might be effective in other realms, but the rules of engagement are different here, aren’t they?”

“Do not mock the Standard.”

“You are the one bending the rules to suit your needs, yet you want to act as though I am the one beneath contempt?”

Berge pointed a finger toward him.

“Look, given your current predicament, I will overlook your tone this once. But you still haven’t given me an answer.”

“Why should I listen to your delusions?”

“Delusions, is it?”

Berge smirked. He realized Ugar wasn’t offended by the idea of using loopholes, but rather by the fact that Berge knew exactly which ones he had used. It was unsettling; Berge was a newcomer who had only arrived in this world a year ago.

“The third prince of Gaina, the seventh princess of the Trapatra Alliance, the royalty of Bellos, and Machiel’s fourth prince. Every one of them fits your criteria perfectly. They are either low in the succession line or hail from nations too weak to retaliate.”

“You expect me to buy that? Where is your evidence?”

“Proof. Yes, proof matters. But do we really need it here?”

“What are you playing at?”

“You’ve already realized the truth. You’re only hesitating because you’re a cautious man who hates uncertainty.”

“…How could you possibly know?”

Ugar’s voice faltered because those three specific royals were already in his custody. Their abductions had caused minor ripples, but nothing like the storm that would follow a higher-profile kidnapping.

“The source doesn’t matter. What matters is that I am confirming your suspicions.”

“And why should I trust your ‘certainty’? Why should I assume you have any interest in helping me?”

“Why wouldn’t I? Is there some ancient grudge between us?”

“We aren’t exactly allies.”

“Partnerships have to start somewhere.”

“Spoken like a true Demon King,” Ugar spat sarcastically.

“I happen to know a Demon King who is so terrified of humans that he only hunts the weak. All that size, and yet he’s nothing but talk.”

“You arrogant brat. Are you looking for a fight?”

“Sit down. Looking up at you is making my neck ache.”

Ugar flared with murderous intent, but eventually, he slumped back into his seat. He was too risk-averse to break protocol over a bruised ego unless he felt his life was truly at stake.

“We are going to adjust the agreement.”

“The agreement?”

“The demonic contract.”

Berge plucked the document from Ugar’s grip.

“…Fine. Let’s hear your terms first,” Ugar muttered, his aggression fading.

He was still a Demon King at his core. Before Berge’s regression, he had dismissed Ugar as a fool, but the man was showing more backbone than remembered. One didn’t graduate from the Demon King Academy—surviving the constant assassination attempts of elite demons—without being competent. Either Berge had been too blinded by his own arrogance in his past life, or Ugar was just very good at playing the idiot when it suited him.

“The 13th Princess of the Hilde Kingdom. Turn her over to me.”

Ugar’s face twisted into a scowl.

“Stop joking. Give me a real demand.”

“That is my demand.”

“You actually want the 13th Princess?”

“I do.”

“Do you have any idea how insane that is?”

When a Demon King takes a royal, they make sure the world knows. It’s a requirement of the Standard to leave witnesses so that humanity’s collective rage provides a steady harvest of demonic energy. Ugar had followed this protocol; he hadn’t taken her in the light of day, but he’d left her guards alive to tell the tale. It was an established fact that the Demon King of Adamant held the 13th Princess of Hilde.

“I’m aware. And I’m not asking this as a fellow Demon King, so you can stop worrying about the formalities.”

But consider the fallout: if heroes stormed Ugar’s tower only to find the princess gone, or if she turned up in a completely different location, it would be a blow to his reputation. While the heroes would eventually move on, the blow to a Demon King’s pride—the very thing they were celebrated for in the Demon Realm—would be permanent. If the roles were reversed, Berge knew he’d be livid.

“Well?”

“Move the 13th Princess. Don’t keep her at the peak; put her on one of the bottom floors. Make it so they don’t have to struggle to reach her.”

“Like Reina Sordain’s strategy?”

“Exactly like that.”

“And the catch?”

“That’s all. I’ll handle the logistics; you just have to move her.”

“You… when did you start working with the Heroes’ Guild?”

“I haven’t.”

“Don’t lie to me. I’m not a moron.”

“Even if I were, what makes you think I’d confess it to you?”

Ugar let out a breath. “I suppose the rumors about you being the top graduate weren’t exaggerations.”

“I appreciate the praise.”

“Fine. Rewrite the contract.”

Berge added new clauses to the parchment. At a signal from Ugar, servants cleared the wreckage of their earlier tension and brought a fresh table.

“The terms are set. In addition to the three royals I mentioned, I will give you two more targets. If their kidnapping causes anything more than a standard outcry, I will compensate you with a million demonic energy points.”

“That is a fair trade.”

“It’s more than fair. You were going to hunt them anyway; now you have insurance if things go sideways.”

“Hmph. You’re the one who proposed it.”

“In exchange, the 13th Princess must be placed no higher than the third floor.”

“Why the third floor specifically?”

“If you want the minions I spent my points on to be slaughtered, feel free to put her higher. It makes no difference to me.”

“…Agreed.”

They sealed the pact with blood and demonic resonance. The parchment dissolved into ash, its magic binding itself to both souls.

“A productive talk,” Berge said, rising to his feet.

“When are you coming back for her?”

“I can’t give an exact date, but I’ll aim for a month at the latest.”

“Any longer and I’ll treat it as a breach of contract.”

“Don’t be thick. That wasn’t in the terms.”

Berge scoffed and tore a rift in space leading back to his own domain.

“Until next time.”

*If we both make it that far.*

“Just get out of here,” Ugar grumbled.

Berge disappeared.

Ugar stood alone, thinking. “…Someone who has only been here a year couldn’t possibly have the connections to influence the guild.”

But what if he had a middleman?

“Maybe Jason…”

Ugar rubbed his smooth, bald scalp.

“…No, I don’t have time for theories. I have to restructure the tower.”

He needed to be ready before whatever destroyed Drakson found its way to him. He opened his tower’s status screen. The influx of demonic energy from his recent captives was rising steadily—at least that was going well.

—

The heavy gates of the tower groaned as they opened.

Berge had suppressed his demonic aura, entering with a disguised Ernyan.

“Are you certain about this?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“…You’ve proven your word so far, so I will trust you, but please, use caution.”

“Understood.”

Leaving Gordon’s worries behind, the pair stepped out into the world.

“Thank you for listening to my request, even if it was selfish.”

“At least you admit it’s selfish.”

“I do.”

Ernyan called upon a wind spirit, its breeze making her movements light and effortless.

“To be honest, I never imagined I’d leave that tower without a hero coming to my rescue.”

“Don’t get any ideas about running. It would be a very quick and messy end for you.”

A magical restraint, identical to the one Roger had worn, encircled Ernyan’s neck.

“I won’t. I asked this for Elena’s sake, but I value my own life too.”

“If the Hilde Kingdom found out I had both you and the 13th Princess, how do you think they’d react?”

“The same as always. My father has no idea what Elena is truly capable of.”

“You mentioned she was neglected?”

“Yes. To my father, she is nothing more than a disappointment.”

“If she has the potential you claim, why ignore her so completely?”

“Because I am the standard she is measured against.”

“I see.”

It made sense. Why bother trying to repair a broken tool when you already have a masterpiece at your disposal?

“Where is our first stop?”

“Pelsen, in the Kingdom of Akan. The place I told you about.”

“And after that?”

“Haitun, also in Akan. Then several other locations nearby.”

“You kept them grouped together?”

“Akan and Trapatra are centers of trade and wealth. They are the favorite hiding spots for nobles looking to stash illicit funds.”

It would certainly make the job easier.

Using a teleportation circle from Hortonwalk, they arrived in Pelsen and made their way to a grand estate in the elite district.

“Is this the one?”

“Yes. Ten guards on duty, five domestic staff. There is a vault hidden in the cellar.”

The wind spirit returned from its scouting mission and settled on Ernyan’s shoulder.

“How skilled are the guards?”

“They didn’t even notice the spirit.”

“Incompetent.”

“Pelsen is a major hub; they rely too much on the city’s reputation.”

Akan’s cities were famous for their security wards, but those devices were useless against the stealth of a Demon King.

*A Demon King and a princess committing a robbery? That is a new one.*

“Nairuniel, please…”

Berge grabbed Ernyan by the waist, pulling her into the shadows with him. Physical contact was required for his stealth magic to cover her as well.

“Which way?”

“Take a left. Then two rights. There is a hidden door behind the wall at the end of the hall.”

“What’s the trigger?”

“The ornamental armor. Move it and press the floor tile beneath it.”

*Rumble—*

The mechanism groaned. Luckily, the hall was empty. They descended the dark stairs.

“No traps.”

“I didn’t expect any.”

At the bottom stood a massive vault door, reinforced with layers of protective enchantments.

“Blood magic,” Berge noted.

“It’s sturdy.”

But nothing was indestructible.

“If you force it, the alarms will go off. The owner will be notified instantly.”

“It doesn’t matter. We’ll be gone by then.”

“Fair point.”

*Whoosh—*

The golden flames of the Phoenix flared to life.

*I despise those flames. They remind me of those arrogant fire spirits.*

*Boom!*

The explosion of the shattering wards drowned out Nairuniel’s complaints.

As the smoke cleared, mountains of gold were revealed behind the melted wreckage of the door. Berge swept the entire hoard into his subspace and grabbed Ernyan. By the time the guards arrived, they were met only with ruins.

“Mercy! The vault has been cleaned out!”

“Find His Excellency! Now!”

—

They hit two more spots in Pelsen and three in Haitun, securing a massive fortune.

“These are secret funds stashed in a foreign land. They can’t exactly file a public report. Unless you turn yourself in, there will be no consequences.”

*Even if they did, they wouldn’t find us.*

Usually, demonic activity leaves a lingering scent that humans can track. It’s why a Demon King’s influence is often contained. But Berge didn’t have that problem.

*The Phoenix’s power is truly strange.*

It wasn’t perfect. It felt small compared to his true strength, like wearing a suit that was a few sizes too tight. But the fact that it could mask a demon’s nature so thoroughly was a miracle.

“Hold on.”

As they emerged from their final target of the night, trouble found them.

*Swoosh—*

Five arrows thudded into the ground around them, cutting off their escape. A figure dropped from a nearby roof.

“What exactly were you doing inside that estate?”

“……”

“And who are you to ask?” Ernyan countered while Berge remained silent.

“Maybe you should take off that hood first. You don’t look like you belong there.”

“I see no reason to explain myself.”

“I think you do. I’ve been following you since you entered the city. It’s a bit suspicious to be using high-level stealth in a place like this.”

*Thieving scum.*

The hero Daphne Philiain smirked. He had spotted them by pure luck. He’d been in town to restock on enchanted arrows when he noticed the ripple of a stealth spell. There was no honest reason to hide your presence in a peaceful city. His gut told him they were up to no good, and he was right.

*Is it because of Ernyan?* Berge wondered.

Even for someone of Daphne’s caliber, Berge should have been invisible. The weak link was the princess—an amateur at stealth who didn’t know how to move silently.

“Don’t engage him.”

“Are you sure? That’s Daphne Philiain… and we aren’t in the tower.”

“If you use your spirit magic, they’ll track you down instantly. We leave.”

“Fine.”

“What are you two whispering about? Drop the stolen goods. Do it now, and I’ll take you to the guards without hurting you.”

“You’re wasting your breath.”

“What was that?”

“A man doesn’t return the wood he’s already chopped.”

“If you chop down the wrong tree, you pay the price. That’s how the world works.”

“I’ve never cared much for your ‘world’ or its rules.”

Berge released a sudden, violent burst of flame. A pillar of fire erupted in the garden, creating a wall between them.

“You think that’ll stop me!”

Daphne sliced through the heat with his daggers, parting the flames. He drew his bow in a fluid motion.

*Swoosh—*

Ten arrows made of pure aura streaked toward them.

They didn’t hit. The figures blurred and faded.

Daphne sprinted forward, leaping onto a fence and then a roof. He could see two distant points moving away fast. He drew his bow string back to his ear, took a steadying breath, and released.

A bolt of light tore through the night.

*Crack!*

A direct hit. One of the thieves stumbled, but they didn’t stop.

The figures vanished into the darkness. When Daphne reached the spot where they had been moments later, there was nothing but shadows.

“Trying to run from me…” Daphne hissed, clenching his jaw.

“…That energy. I won’t forget it.”

It was a strange mana—intense, burning, and incredibly pure.

“But that face… why did it look so familiar?”

Frowning, he looked down. His boot stepped into a single, fresh drop of blood on the cobblestones.