The Demon King Overrun by Heroes Novel - Chapter 83

Chapter 83
## Chapter 83: Each One’s Circumstances

“…….”

“…….”

Berge shook off the remnants of sleep and stretched his limbs as he stepped out of his room that morning. However, he was immediately met with a presence he hadn’t anticipated.

He held his ground, staring straight at Lavinia, who stared back with equal intensity.

What a mess.

Just the previous evening, he had sat down for a meal with Kain and Lavinia. They had talked about lingering in Hortonwalk for a period to discuss their next moves before he eventually retired for the night.

So why was this unhinged woman lurking right outside his door?

“What do you want?”

“Waiting.”

“For me to step out?”

“Yes. Come in—is that rude?”

“Invading someone’s space without an invitation is the definition of rude.”

“Oh.”

“How long have you been standing there?”

“A while.”

“Define ‘a while’.”

Lavinia paused, counting on her fingers. One, two.

“Two hours?”

She gave a small nod of confirmation.

“Why?”

“Cher.”

“Cher?”

“Come look.”

“You’re here because you want to show me something?”

Berge recalled that Cher was the name of the chimera Lavinia was obsessed with. He figured there was no harm in taking a quick look.

“Fine, let’s go.”

“Hand.”

Lavinia reached out toward him.

“No.”

“Hand.”

He gave her a flat look, but she didn’t budge. Letting out a tired breath, he took her hand—only to jerk it away a second later.

This lunatic…

Was she actually trying to circulate mana into him while holding his hand?

He felt a sharp flicker of lethal intent bubble up, which he had to force back down.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Mana.”

“Stop it.”

“Is it bad?”

“Extremely.”

“My mistake.”

Dealing with her was nothing like playing with a child.

She was a far cry from the terrifying figure she had been during the Reincarnation War.

Back then, Lavinia had been the most chaotic force he’d ever encountered.

She was the one who had commanded a literal army of chimeras to purge the entire tower.

The Titan she had modified was particularly haunting; it had successfully neutralized a balrog, a feat that defied logic.

And its creator? She had proceeded to butcher the balrog on the spot, stuffing the remains into a subspace pocket as if she were packing a lunch.

There had been hundreds of lesser demons supporting that balrog as well. Leaving them all to a single chimera while she focused on her “disassembly” was pure madness. If Berge had to describe her in one word, “insane” was the only candidate.

“Look, Cher.”

“…That thing.”

It was the creature from the mountain.

The previous encounter had been too frantic for a proper assessment, but now he recognized it clearly as a Titan.

She had possessed it even back then.

However, its current state and pressure were light-years away from the version he remembered from the Reincarnation War.

It seemed softer, significantly less potent.

She was clearly in the middle of a long-term project.

Naturally, even a genius human couldn’t produce a flawless chimera on the first attempt.

“Cher.”

Lavinia signaled with a wave. The Titan, which had been resting in a corner of the courtyard, straightened up and stood with visible excitement.

It approached with ground-shaking steps, lowering its massive head like a common pet. Lavinia reached out to pet it with genuine affection.

…It was a pathetic display.

A Titan standing over five meters tall was acting like a lapdog for a tiny human. For Berge, who shared demonkin heritage, it was an insult to his pride.

Was it a descendant of Ugar?

Unlikely. Ugar would never tolerate such a shameful display from his bloodline.

Then, something wet slammed into Berge.

*Slurp—*

A giant tongue coated in the Titan’s thick, putrid saliva dragged across him.

“…….”

“Cher likes. You.”

The airheaded woman beside him actually had the nerve to suggest the creature was showing affection.

Something inside Berge finally snapped.

Acting on pure reflex, he lunged.

He seized the tongue.

And he threw the entire weight of the beast.

**Boom!**

Cher let out a piercing cry as its body was hurled through one of the annex walls, reducing it to rubble.

*Ring-ring-ring-ring—*

The security charms immediately went off, and the sound of approaching guards echoed through the estate.

—

“Ha… ha…”

Vivian let out a dry, hollow sound that barely qualified as a laugh. She waded through a mess of gore, stooping down to retrieve the severed head of a vampire.

The head, lopped off so quickly it hadn’t even managed a final scream, stared back with wide, unseeing eyes.

How many of her kin and monsters had perished today?

How much high-tier gear in the tower had been smashed to bits?

How many mana points would it take to restore this wreckage?

The logistics were a nightmare, but the real weight in her chest was the dread that the heroes might return at a moment’s notice.

“…Your Excellency.”

“I am quite alright. Truly.”

Vivian pasted a fake smile on her face to reassure her subordinate.

“I am a sovereign Demon King. I have brought other realms to their knees. This is a minor setback.”

“Of course.”

But was it?

More than a hundred heroes had breached her sanctum simultaneously.

They had completely razed the first three floors, and the fourth only remained because they had seemingly grown bored.

They had just walked away.

The fact that she had survived was a relief, but the manner of it stung more than a wound.

She was a Demon King.

And they had ignored her.

As if she were a non-threat, a beggar they decided to spare on a whim.

*Crunch—*

“That bastard Jason Cokemun…!”

She replayed their last exchange in her mind.

“He tried to cross over, but failed?”

And right after that failure, the heroes appeared.

The correlation was undeniable to anyone with a functioning brain.

“Jaaaason!”

Losing her cool, Vivian pitched the vampire’s head away and snatched up her communication tool, flooding it with magical energy.

A brief tone followed.

Then, a voice.

『Is there a problem, Lady Vivian?』

That calm, polite cadence. It made her skin crawl.

“Heroes just tore through my tower.”

『Dear me. That is quite a misfortune.』

“You don’t sound shocked.”

『Well, you are still alive to complain about it.』

“You knew this was going to happen, didn’t you?”

『I believe you are laboring under a misunderstanding.』

“Or perhaps you orchestrated the whole thing.”

『Did I not tell you? I took no action—not a single one.』

“And yet the heroes arrived exactly when they needed to? Do you take me for a child?”

『Perhaps. From my perspective, you are behaving like a fool.』

“What did you say?”

She bristled with rage, but Jason remained unmoved.

『Did I not warn you previously?』

『Aren is not some fragile, decaying dimension like the one you claim to have mastered.』

『You began by flooding Dormunt with succubi to stir up chaos, and then you attempted to abduct a royal dwarf. Honestly, you should be amazed they didn’t come for your head sooner.』

“……!”

Only now did the weight of Jason’s “inaction” sink in.

“You weren’t just pulling the strings from the shadows…”

『You owe Hillun Kagil a debt of gratitude.』

『You should be thanking him for failing so miserably at kidnapping that princess. That failure is the only reason you’re breathing.』

That was it.

『It saved your skin.』

“Quiet…!”

『Lady Vivian, I am unaware of what Archduke Alcaine whispered in your ear to make you act so recklessly, but this serves as your final notice.』

『Please.』

Jason reached up to settle his monocle, his image sharp in the orb.

『Try to be intelligent for once.』

『I can tolerate you hunting down targets on the Archduke’s command.』

『However.』

『If you meddle in the politics of this continent or cause another scene.』

『There will be no second chances.』

『Do not push me further.』

“…….”

Vivian felt her throat tighten under his frigid stare and the simmering rage behind his words.

Cold perspiration ran down her spine.

“…What.”

She forced the word out through trembling lips.

“What exactly are you planning?”

The silence that followed was heavy.

For Vivian, those few seconds stretched into an eternity.

『Do you honestly think you have the capacity to understand if I told you?』

She had no defense against his blatant contempt.

The signal cut out.

“…Fine. It doesn’t matter.”

I will claw my way out of this pit eventually.

She bit her lip until it bled.

—

While the Demon King of Inferno was locked in a stalemate with the Akan Kingdom.

And while the Demon King of Lust was drowning in the hero coalition’s pressure.

Hillun made his return to the Hero Guild.

Before his arrival, he had his agents circulate a specific narrative: that he had successfully brokered a treaty with the Berft Kingdom and personally thwarted a kidnapping attempt on a princess by the Demon King.

Consequently, a massive gathering was waiting for him at the gates of the guild city.

“It’s Hillun Kagil!”

“The champion who rescued the princess!”

“There is no one greater than Hillun!”

The adulation was deafening. While some of the voices were paid plants, the sentiment felt real enough to the masses.

The cheers rose in a deafening wave, and Hillun soaked it all in.

Exactly as it should be.

This feels right.

Achievements are worthless if they aren’t broadcasted. No one gives you credit if you sit in a corner like a mute.

He navigated through the worshipping crowd and stepped into the guild headquarters.

“The Grand Elder is expecting you.”

Skipping any chance for rest, he climbed the stairs to the tower’s highest levels.

“Grand Elder, Hillun Argon is here.”

“Have him wait a moment.”

The Grand Elder remained focused on his paperwork, peering through his spectacles. After five minutes of silence, he set his pen down and looked up.

“It has been some time.”

“Indeed.”

“Would you like tea?”

“Coffee, if you please.”

“See to it.”

“At once.”

The servant bowed and exited to prepare the drinks.

“You’ve certainly caused quite a stir out there.”

“A ‘stir’? Or perhaps a ‘triumph’?”

“If you insist on the distinction, let’s call it a triumph.”

The Grand Elder let out a soft chuckle.

“The rumors say this was all your doing?”

“My apologies. I may have had a bit too much to drink and let my pride get the better of me. It seems the word traveled faster than I expected.”

“If that’s the case, so be it. I see no reason to reprimand you for a success.”

“Thank you.”

The servant returned with the coffee.

“Drink up.”

“I appreciate it.”

“I’ve looked over the initial reports. It’s a significant achievement.”

The Berft Kingdom had always been a thorn in the Hero Guild’s side. The dwarves were notoriously isolationist, making any form of cooperation nearly impossible.

It was a persistent problem for the organization.

The guild needed every hero it could get, but to keep them alive, they needed high-quality equipment—and the dwarves’ refusal to trade kept resources dangerously low.

Because of this, Hillun’s diplomatic success was a massive win for the guild.

“Excellent work. The guild’s future looks brighter because of your efforts.”

“I simply did what was required of me.”

“Required, indeed. Very much in the Argon spirit. Regardless, a win is a win. We will hold a formal banquet in your honor in three days. Make sure you enjoy the spotlight.”

“I am honored.”

“By the way… about saving that princess.”

“It was luck.”

“I heard the gist of it, but such a perfect coincidence? It’s unprecedented.”

“It was just a stroke of fortune. What else could it be?”

“Fair enough.”

The Grand Elder laughed heartily.

“In any case, you’ve gone above and beyond. Keep this momentum going, and I’ll make sure your personal ambitions are realized as well.”

“I understand, sir.”

Hillun bowed, acknowledging the clear political offer.

“I’ve kept you from your rest long enough. You may go.”

“I look forward to our next meeting.”

Hillun turned and left the office.

“There’s something a bit off about this…”

The Grand Elder muttered to himself, unable to pin down the feeling.

“Still, it’s better to keep him close where I can watch him.”

Regardless of the details, Hillun’s influence was about to skyrocket. With the guild’s backing, he would become a powerful tool.

He would be the perfect counterweight to the influence of the empire and other kingdoms within the guild’s ranks.

The Grand Elder put his glasses back on and returned to his files.

—

“He’s already plotting how to bleed me dry.”

Hillun didn’t care. It was a mutual arrangement. The goal was to extract as much value as possible while being “utilized.”

Just like this latest venture.

A sharp, confident smile played across Hillun Kagil’s lips.

End