The Demon King Overrun by Heroes Novel - Chapter 73

Chapter 73
## Chapter 73: This Place is Insane

—

In his life before the regression, Berge had rarely spent time outside the tower walls.

His excursions were limited almost exclusively to the rare abduction of royal figures.

This made sense.

The Demon King was required to protect the tower and wait for heroes at a moment’s notice, but he was also the vital anchor for the invading legions.

The death of the Demon King meant the evaporation of the tower.

If the tower vanished, the demonkin would be left as defenseless targets for human hunters.

As the central figure who had to survive at all costs, the Demon King was always meant to remain in a secure sanctuary.

However, since his regression, Berge had found himself constantly traveling across the continent. Perhaps he had acclimated to the change? Now, being stuck inside the tower with nothing to do felt suffocating.

Actually, it felt dangerous.

The heroes were getting stronger.

They had not yet reached the heights they occupied in his previous life.

At any second, those heroes might mobilize, and the tower’s location could be compromised.

His heart could be pierced by a hero’s blade once more.

Ralph Schmidt. And the Hero of the Red Sword.

Those two names, above all, haunted him.

He had crossed paths with Ralph Schmidt recently. He had ordered Granada to investigate the man, but the target had disappeared without leaving a single trace.

That mystery nagged at him.

As for the Hero of the Red Sword, that was the person who had literally run him through. Even if he lived a thousand lives, even if his quest for vengeance succeeded, the memory would never fade.

“I hope we find a good haul today.”

“I agree.”

This was why Berge frequently trekked through the mountain range with Ernyan. Their goal was to locate spiritual herbs, taint them with demonic energy, and either use them to empower himself or grant them to the Frost Orcs.

It was all to strengthen the orc battalions against potential threats.

Berge and Ernyan sat atop massive frost wolves, racing through the landscape.

Ernyan pressed her face into the creature’s thick, soft coat.

“I really hope we find plenty this time.”

“Yes.”

Lately, they had secured twelve additional spiritual herbs, corrupted them, and turned them over to Krutu. The orc leader had consumed one and split the remaining ten among his top soldiers, establishing a specialized elite unit.

The coalition of tribes had expanded to seven, totaling hundreds of warriors.

As they grew, Berge grew.

Then, it happened.

“Wait…?”

Ernyan whispered, her mouth twitching.

“What’s wrong?”

“The spirits have sensed something bizarre. It feels like a monster, but not quite… similar to a magic beast, but not exactly that either…?”

She cocked her head in confusion.

“A monster, but not a monster?”

“It isn’t far. Maybe 4 km away?”

“Let’s go see.”

He tugged on the frost wolf’s fur, and the beast sprinted across the snowy peaks.

Kroooar—

A deep bellow vibrated through the air. A sharp metallic scent of blood hit his nostrils.

Demonic energy?

As they pulled closer, he detected the presence of demonic power.

It was a sickening, foul sensation that made his face twist in disgust.

Could it be?

A weird feeling of recognition washed over him, and he gripped the wolf tighter. The beast gave a small yelp and pushed its speed to the limit.

And then.

“…What on earth is that?”

They stumbled upon a creature that was busy devouring a troll’s limbs, the sound of crunching bone filling the air.

Its torso belonged to an orc.

Its overlong arms were clearly those of a troll, and its four-legged lower half was taken from a hellhound.

Krr…

Crimson eyes locked onto Berge and Ernyan. The frost wolf bared its teeth and settled into a defensive stance.

The monstrosity abandoned its meal and charged. Berge launched a fireball the size of a fist.

Kaboom—!

The air shook with the blast.

The creature’s lower body was incinerated, leaving it twitching and writhing on the snow.

“A manufactured lifeform stitched together through magical force. It’s usually called…”

“A chimera?”

“Yes, they call it a chimera.”

Berge’s expression darkened.

“It seems that annoying woman has wandered into this territory.”

With a snap of his fingers, a blaze erupted, turning the remains to ash until nothing was left.

Berge turned his mount around.

“We’re going back.”

“Understood.”

“We won’t be heading out to hunt for herbs for a while.”

“Is she that dangerous?”

“You don’t avoid a pile of filth because you’re scared of it; you avoid it because it’s disgusting.”

The pair retreated to the tower.

—

Berge immediately sent for Krutu. The orc arrived, his smooth, hairless head catching the light.

“You requested my presence.”

“While you’ve been expanding your borders, have you seen any strange monsters?”

“Strange monsters…?”

“Creatures with limbs that don’t match their bodies, or things that look like they’ve been sewn together from different parts.”

“Do creatures like that actually exist?”

Krutu, having lived his whole life in the Erjest Mountains, had no concept of chimeras. Berge tried a different approach.

“Just tell me if you’ve seen any entities that don’t belong in these mountains.”

“No sightings of new monsters.”

“Understood.”

Had Berge just happened upon a lone wanderer?

Impossible.

Chimeras, the artificial fusion of living things, were a strictly human invention.

While they were linked to black mages because they used corpses or living subjects, they didn’t actually have much to do with the school of black magic itself.

There was no way a chimera would appear here by “accident.”

It’s her.

Creating a chimera was an act of magic. Magic always retained the specific essence of the person who cast it.

In other words, every chimera bore the unique fingerprint of its maker. And Berge knew this specific aura well.

Therefore, he would avoid her.

Just as he told Ernyan, there was no reason to engage with filth.

“From this point on, these bizarre monsters I mentioned might start appearing in the mountains.”

“I will slaughter them.”

“No, stay away from them.”

“Avoid them?”

“Correct. If you see signs of them, do not fight—just retreat. Make sure neither you nor your warriors are seen by them.”

“As you wish. I will follow your lead.”

“Aren’t you going to ask why?”

“I am curious, but I am your servant, my Demon King. If you give a command, I carry it out.”

“……”

Berge fell silent, struck by the quintessentially demonkin reply.

…Why does this surprise me? This is how it should be.

The demon realm was governed by the law of power. Inferiors followed orders without debate.

A loyal vassal performed the Demon King’s will without a second thought.

So why was he starting to find this behavior strange?

He didn’t have to look far for the answer.

Granada.

Hillun Kagil.

Even Roger and Ernyan.

Surrounding himself with non-demonkin subordinates made this shift inevitable.

Furthermore, he had broken tradition at every turn, even clashing with Gordon—his only true demonkin follower—though that had calmed down recently.

It felt strangely nostalgic to have a conversation with a traditional demonkin.

“I’m glad I took you as a subordinate.”

“…I beg your pardon?”

“It’s nothing. Chimeras are human-made. If you fight one, you end up fighting the mage who made it.”

“If it’s a human, can’t we just kill them?”

“That works for most humans, but the person behind these chimeras is a massive headache. Just ignore them.”

“They must be a high-ranking noble or royalty from some kingdom.”

“You hit the nail on the head.”

“I will follow your instructions.”

“They might use magic beasts in the fusion, so if you feel an unfamiliar demonic pulse, get away immediately. Report every sighting.”

“Understood. I will make sure the tribe knows.”

Krutu went back to his people. Roger, who had been clanging his hammer and pretending to work on mana cannons while eavesdropping, finally spoke.

“Um…”

“What is it?”

“…You mentioned a chimera?”

“You’re familiar with them.”

“And you said magic beasts were involved…”

“And?”

“Doesn’t that imply the creator can manipulate magic beasts?”

“Most likely.”

“And demonic energy as well?”

“Probably that too…?”

Berge realized exactly where Roger was heading with this.

“The answer is no.”

“If we could get that mage on our side, we could build golems so much faster! I’m not sure how they fuse and source the beasts, but their skills are perfect for us.”

“Perhaps.”

Roger’s face lit up at the agreement. He had been struggling with the process of bonding demonic energy into golem cores, and a chimera specialist felt like the solution to his problems.

“But in exchange, your head might become the next part for one of her chimeras.”

“Wait, what…?”

“Listen to me carefully.”

Berge leaned in, speaking with heavy emphasis.

“That woman.”

“Is even more unstable.”

“Than Louise Beruft.”

“She’s a lunatic.”

Hic!

Roger’s knees buckled at the mention of Louise; he looked like he was struggling to process the information.

“T-That’s impossible. No person on earth could be more insane than the 2nd Princess…”

“Why would I lie to you about something like that?”

“…You wouldn’t.”

“I’ll find a mage for you myself, so just worry about completing the first floor. We don’t need golems until the mana cannons are finished anyway.”

“…Yes, sir.”

Berge left a shivering Roger behind and walked up the stairs.

—

As a guest of Louise Beruft, Hillun Kagil was being treated with extreme luxury.

Dozens of servants were assigned to him and the Red Hawk strike team, and every meal was a five-star feast.

“Now this is what I call living.”

Crunch.

Bark, the leader of the Red Hawk Mercenary Corps, bit into a piece of meat.

“Isn’t it? How long has it been since we actually got to relax?”

“The Erjest Mountains and the Beast Tower—it’s been too intense lately.”

The mercenaries laughed and nodded in agreement.

The Red Hawk team had traveled to the Beruft Kingdom as representatives for the Hero Guild alongside Hillun Kagil, but they had very little actual work.

Hillun was the one who had to deal with the king and the princess, while the guild business was handled by Parn, who was serving as an advisor.

Because of this, the Red Hawks were free to enjoy their vacation.

Granada was with them, but he couldn’t just sit back and relax like the rest of the crew.

The Demon King is on his way.

Berge had promised it, so it was going to happen. The only variables were the timing and the method.

He told me I have to stop him, no matter what.

He was concerned about whether he could actually block a kidnapping attempt by a Demon King.

No, since Hillun Kagil is here, if we know he’s coming, we can manage it.

That thought led to a new worry.

Has his pride grown too large? Does he really think he can just take a dwarf princess?

Has this new life made him arrogant?

Or…

Is this part of a bigger plan?

Granada thought back to Berge’s opening move.

He had kidnapped the crown princess of the Hilderan Kingdom out of nowhere, created total chaos, and then launched a counter-offensive that ignored all conventional wisdom.

It seemed unlikely, but what if this Demon King was just as calculated as that Berge? The anxiety remained.

…Whatever, it’s not my concern.

He still had ninety-nine years of service left to the Demon King.

Just as he began to smirk.

Kaboom!

A massive blast rattled the foundations of the building.

“Get your gear, everyone!”

Granada sprinted toward the sound of the explosion.

Thick black smoke was pouring out of Louise Beruft’s private palace.

—

Usually, when a Demon King or demonkin attempted a kidnapping, they did it under the cover of darkness.

At night.

When people were asleep.

When security was at its lowest.

And when a demonkin’s power was at its peak.

Vivian Blunt was using that logic to her advantage.

Even if this dwarf kingdom was buried underground, the task shouldn’t be difficult.

Grab the princess while she sleeps and vanish.

That was the strategy.

“You’re welcome.”

The guard at the door was large for a dwarf, but she didn’t care.

His quiet mumbles? Just the sounds of a crazy person.

Except.

The moment she realized he was a hero.

The moment his eyes locked directly onto her concealed position.

She couldn’t ignore him anymore.

“…You can actually see me?”

“Clear as day.”

Her small hope was crushed. Vivian’s eyes widened. At the same time, the knight in full plate armor unsheathed his blade.

“…Why is a hero acting as a bodyguard for a princess’s bedroom?”

She was aware that this specific dimension had a ridiculous number of heroes compared to others.

But still.

A hero of this caliber acting as a simple doorman?

The number 3198 flashed through her mind.

Just how crazy was this dimension? Aren.

“I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

The knight offered no further words. Instead, he radiated a powerful aura. His sword carved a wide arc through the palace wall as it swung toward Vivian’s throat.

……!

Vivian let out a silent gasp.

It was a single move, but she could feel the sheer weight behind it.

If that hit her, she was dead.

She couldn’t win this fight right now.

I am a Demon King who has subjugated an entire dimension!

It was a blow to her pride, but the pressure from his aura was too strong to ignore.

Vivian clenched her teeth, ducked under the swing, and rushed forward. The blade clipped a few strands of her hair.

If I back away now, there won’t be another chance.

When facing a high-level opponent, retreating meant you’d be running forever. She couldn’t allow that.

Crash—

She smashed through the door, getting past the hero.

Vivian scanned the room instantly.

Capture the princess and get out.

She couldn’t win a head-on battle, but she was an expert at escaping. The Demon King Academy focused heavily on stealth and evasion techniques.

But.

“So, you’re the demonkin who thinks they can kidnap me?”

There was no sleeping, defenseless princess waiting for her.

“I wonder how I should cave your skull in so the newspapers have something to write about?”

It was a literal beast of a woman, snarling and brandishing a massive battle-axe.

“You’re dead.”

The heavy blade of the axe came crashing down toward Vivian.

“…This place is absolutely insane.”

Vivian barely suppressed a groan of despair.