The Demon King Overrun by Heroes Novel - Chapter 88

Chapter 88
## Chapter 88: Deal

“Good grief, sister! This is no time for jokes!”

“Locate the princess immediately!”

Akan’s boots skidded to a halt, the heat of dying embers licking at his heels as he tried to navigate away from the carnage of the corpse-strewn field as fast as his legs would carry him.

“Cher is nowhere to be found either.”

“Are you suggesting she went into hiding on purpose? Right in front of that massive Behemoth byproduct?”

“…That seems unlikely. Not unless she stumbled upon something far more captivating.”

“In this place, nothing carries more weight than the Behemoth.”

Soldiers and knights fanned out across the terrain. Sorcerers began weaving intricate detection arrays.

However, their investigation was cut short.

*Krrrng—*

*Kroooarrr!*

The indigenous predators of the mountain range, lured by the clamor of steel and the heavy scent of fresh blood, began to emerge from the shadows.

“…Your Highness, a retreat is mandatory for now.”

“……”

“Her Highness Lavinia disappeared alongside the Titan. That doesn’t imply she’s in peril—it suggests she’s pursuing her own lead. She isn’t the sort of woman to meet her end in a place like this, is she?”

“That may be true, but…”

Cain gnawed at his lip in frustration.

Finding Lavinia was a necessity that couldn’t be ignored.

She was more than his sibling; she functioned as the spiritual heart of the Chimera School. A vast number of mages depended on her survival. Many would sacrifice everything to ensure her safety.

Yet, he could not justify throwing away the lives of his men for her sake at this moment.

They could hold their ground for a time.

They still possessed golems and a significant portion of their combat efficacy. But they could not linger indefinitely for someone whose trail had gone cold.

Factoring in the toll of the battle and the long trek back down the slopes, staying would be a tactical nightmare.

“…We are pulling out.”

“Understood, Your Highness.”

Akan’s unit began their withdrawal from the site.

—

*Krrrng—*

The beasts, drawn by the scent of death, salivated at the sight of the mangled Frost Orcs and human remains scattered across the snow.

Yet, their hunger quickly turned to hesitation as they shrank back.

The overwhelming aura that manifested after the humans departed made them instinctively wary.

“Get moving, you mindless curs.”

Even the threat from the Demon King didn’t fully scatter the predators. Berge clicked his tongue, noting the lingering aggression in their eyes.

“I’ve slaughtered plenty of your kind as well.”

To be sized up by such bottom-feeders was insulting.

“This is your final notice.”

*Krrrrng—*

The Demon King released a surge of demonic energy. His pupils dissolved into a void of pitch black. Jagged dragon scales began to ripple across his flesh.

“Disappear.”

**⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡**
**Dragon Fear**
*The aura of the sovereign apex predator crushes the will of lesser beings.*

Under the suffocating weight of the exalted predator, the monsters tucked their tails and bolted.

The Frost Orcs moved in, forming a defensive perimeter around the wreckage.

“The golem! It’s the golem!”

The dwarf sprinted past the guards, throwing himself into the snow where the machine lay buried.

He scrutinized the chassis with manic intensity, his fists drumming against the metal. He poked and prodded the frame, letting out a sharp breath of pure wonder.

“This shimmering luster! This is undoubtedly an orichalcum alloy!”

The sudden arrival of the mountain beasts had prevented Akan’s company from recovering every scrap.

The shattered remains of the golem were the evidence of their haste.

*‘Actually, they were far too obsessed with the Behemoth.’*

The bodies of their fallen and the massive corpse of the Behemoth had vanished completely. They had prioritized the biggest assets first, intending to return for the rest.

It was a sequence of events that served Berge perfectly.

His eyes drifted to another spot. A human lay there, appearing deceased but merely unconscious. Kruto had seized him under Berge’s specific command: the golem sorcerer.

Akan’s group likely assumed he had been crushed or carried off by the orc tide.

It was a significant haul, especially alongside the golem parts.

Then, it happened.

Berge went rigid while surveying the clearing. A strange sensation prickled the back of his neck.

“……”

He reached out a hand. Dark flames took root in the pristine snow, emitting a searing heat that bored through the white landscape.

Three meters, five, ten, twenty. The heat tunneled deep into the frost. Then, the hidden entity was revealed. Pale and motionless—it looked more like a cadaver than a living thing.

“……”

“……”

The woman cradled within the monster’s grasp shifted her head upward. Their gazes locked.

“Demon King.”

“The Princess?”

Why on earth was this woman still here?

“Why haven’t you…?”

“Demonic energy.”

“You could feel my presence?”

She shook her head slowly.

Her finger drifted toward the space beside Berge.

Toward Kruto.

“Orc. Escape.”

She crossed her fingers into an ‘X’.

She had detected Kruto lingering in the vicinity instead of fleeing, even while the Behemoth was tearing the world apart.

Lavinia stroked the Titan’s frame. The chest, which had appeared as cold as a tomb, began to vibrate with a faint, rhythmic pulse.

Simultaneously, a trace of demonic energy flickered to life.

“……!”

Berge was genuinely taken aback.

It was a feat of high-level trickery. A Titan with every vital sign suppressed, projecting zero energy, suddenly returning to life.

It had managed to deceive the Demon King, if only for a fleeting moment.

And it was the work of a mere ‘human,’ not a fellow demonkin.

“How did you achieve that?”

“Death.”

“I am aware you brought it to the brink of expiration.”

“Well?”

Berge fought down a sudden surge of lethal intent.

“Great Demon King, let me finish her.”

“No, stand down.”

He signaled Kruto to keep his blade sheathed.

Berge focused on the core of the problem.

*‘They couldn’t have missed something buried this deep.’*

They wouldn’t have retreated with the princess missing without a very specific reason. This meant her current performance had the prince’s silent consent.

And if the prince allowed it, the king knew of it.

In short, Akan was aware she was staying behind.

*‘But why?’*

To locate the tower?

Or.

*‘Did they anticipate my arrival?’*

A shiver of apprehension climbed his spine. It wasn’t out of the question.

Berge had once appeared before Lavinia to protect Kruto. If Akan had constructed a ruse based on that encounter?

If they predicted the Frost Orcs would reclaim the field after the retreat, using Lavinia as bait to draw Berge out?

Berge reached a firm conclusion.

He could not, under any circumstances, kill Lavinia Akan.

She could not be allowed to die an agonizing death.

*‘That absolute…!’*

He thought back to Drakson, whose life ended with Max Ormus’s death grip tightening around his own throat.

“What is your purpose here?”

“If I go…”

“Step out.”

*Tap tap—*

Lavinia drummed her fingers against the Titan. The machine shifted from a corpse-like state back to life, its massive frame heaving upward. With a powerful surge, it lunged out of the twenty-meter-deep cavity.

Lavinia slid down from the Titan’s broad shoulder.

“Did the prince of Akan instruct you to wait for me, betting I would appear?”

“No.”

“No?”

“Just me.”

“Only you?”

Not a coordinated effort with the royal family or the military brass?

It sounded preposterous, yet with her, it felt strangely plausible.

Lavinia Akan. Anyone with a passing familiarity with her knew she was an anomaly.

She was a chaotic element that couldn’t be tamed.

Still, he couldn’t dismiss the possibility of an ambush.

“Why wait here by yourself?”

“Deal.”

“You are proposing a trade?”

She pointed a finger at Berge.

“Monster, demonkin.”

Then she tapped herself.

“Money, help.”

“You want to provide funds for my monsters?”

“Yes.”

Her eyes flickered with a raw, unsettling fervor. A mix of obsession and avarice.

Berge remembered her liberation from Drakson’s spire. She had purchased monsters from Rosel Charnt.

And he suspected that was merely a fraction of her dealings.

*‘That would explain why she’s hiding this from her brother, in a way…’*

“Ah, and the ‘help’ part probably means she can assist with the golem construction—”

“Quiet.”

“…Understood, sir.”

Roger retracted his comment immediately after overstepping.

“You were certain I would come?”

“Guessed. Demonic energy.”

She had sensed the energy and played her cards.

*‘Wait. If she did this entirely on her own…’*

Akan would assume she simply vanished in the wilds of Erjest. That meant they wouldn’t automatically pin her disappearance on Berge.

He had no intention of kidnapping her. Confining her in the tower would only lead to disaster.

But.

*‘What if she simply returns later than expected?’*

Lavinia Akan was a genius of chimera science. A human who understood demonic energy and mana with equal depth.

As Roger suggested, she was the ideal candidate to stabilize a golem core with demonic power.

If she helped complete the core, could he then release her?

The world would just assume she had been lost in the brutal Erjest wilderness.

“I am willing to negotiate.”

“Happy.”

“But it will be on my terms.”

“……?”

“You will come to the tower. You will work with me there.”

“Yes.”

“And you are to remain silent about meeting me, visiting the tower, or its location. You tell no one.”

“Why?”

“Because that is the condition.”

“Yes.”

She agreed without a second thought.

Berge felt she would honor her word.

*‘She held her tongue before the regression, too.’*

He had never engaged with her personally in his past life, but her reputation was legendary.

*‘Even when her ties to Jason were common knowledge, she never breathed a word about their projects.’*

When pressured, she simply stated it was a vow. She stood firm against the weight of empires without breaking.

Berge chose to rely on that history. On her peculiar moral code.

“We are moving out.”

The orcs gathered the salvaged golem parts. They began the trek back to the tower, with a princess and a Titan now added to their ranks.

“The tower…”

“Yes, the tower.”

“Cannons.”

“Mana-driven cannons.”

“Many.”

“All my masterpieces, Princess!”

Roger puffed out his chest, beaming with pride.

“I.”

“You will assist Roger with the golem core. You’ll have to convince him to work with you yourself.”

Lavinia gave a sharp nod. Then, she held out her hand.

“Monster.”

“The golem core comes first.”

“…Promise.”

She extended her pinky finger.

“Very well.”

“Promise.”

Her hand remained outstretched. Berge had no choice but to lock his finger with hers. He was the one who needed her expertise.

“Yes, it’s a promise. You keep the tower and our cooperation a total secret.”

“Yes. Promise. I keep. You keep too.”

She nodded firmly.

Yet, a small seed of doubt took root.

She was blunt and honest. She didn’t possess the guile to lie.

If Berge told her to keep a secret, she would.

Even if she were facing execution.

But if her brother, the prince, asked her a direct question.

Would she say ‘I don’t know,’ or would she say ‘It’s a secret’?

A cold dread pooled in Berge’s stomach. He asked his next question very carefully.

“If your brother asks if you located the tower, what will you tell him?”

“Secret.”

“…Blast it.”

—

“When are we going to get an actual response?”

『Wait.』

“We’ve been sitting on our hands for days.”

『And?』

Hillun ground his molars at the dark elf’s dismissive tone. However, showing his anger would only tarnish the reputation he had worked so hard to build.

“Still no word from Akan?”

The lack of information regarding the Demon King was infuriating. He wanted to demand answers about the frozen territories immediately.

『That is not your concern.』

“I understand. Please convey that I am requesting a formal reply as soon as possible.”

『Understood.』

The line went dead. Hillun immediately dispatched a servant to the guild’s secondary facility. Various foreign dignitaries were still lingering there following the gala, mingling with the heroes.

“They have invited you for a luncheon today.”

“Inform them I would be honored to attend.”

The meeting time arrived shortly thereafter.

Dressed in a sharp suit, Hillun entered the annex. The sentries recognized his status and stepped aside.

He was led through the halls to a grand dining room. The other guests were already seated.

“Count Tomhal.”

Hillun offered a polite bow.

“It is a pleasure to host you, the great hero Hillun Kagil!”

Count Tomhal welcomed him with a broad smile.

“Please, have a seat.”

“Thank you.”

The Count signaled, and the staff began the service. A vibrant tomato soup was served first.

“I was quite surprised by your sudden request for a meeting.”

“Is that so?”

“And quite pleased. You are the first to seek me out, aren’t you?”

“I am.”

“Haha, please eat. The kitchen staff here is top-tier.”

The soup was a masterclass in balance—tangy, savory, and rich.

“This is excellent.”

“The main course is the true star.”

The centerpiece was a roasted chicken, stuffed with aromatic herbs and spices beneath the skin, charred to perfection. The juices were rich and flavorful—it was a culinary triumph.

The count discarded a bone and spoke plainly.

“Now, tell me what’s on your mind.”

“Are you aware of the current situation in Hortonwork?”

“Hortonwork, you say.”

*Hm.* Count Tomhal hummed, casting a curious glance at Hillun. Hillun didn’t blink.

“I am aware that the forces of Akan have moved into Hortonwork.”

“…How did you learn that?”

“It isn’t exactly a state secret, is it?”

“Actually, it was. Even if there are rumors, it’s not the kind of intelligence you’d stumble upon.”

“I hold the rank of Argan within the guild.”

“Akan handled this mission in isolation. There was no collaboration with the Hero Guild.”

In short, there should have been no information leakage to his organization.

“There isn’t even a guild outpost in Hortonwork.”

“After we failed to locate the Demon King’s spire and withdrew, we stationed an observer there.”

“An observer?”

“As a precaution. To monitor for any demonkin activity involving royal abductions.”

“A flimsy justification.”

“Nonetheless, it is the truth.”

“Then why not ask your observer?”

“Akan’s camp is in total disarray, yet they are maintaining strict silence. That is why I am coming to you.”

Hillun leaned forward, his voice dropping an octave.

“Count, just between us, you can share what you know, can’t you? Perhaps I can be of assistance to you in return.”

“Hm.”

The count considered the offer for a moment before giving a slow nod.

“Do not forget this favor.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“I don’t have every detail, but the word is…”

“Yes?”

“The 3rd Princess of Akan has vanished. Somewhere in Erjest.”

“…The 3rd Princess? You don’t mean…”

“Indeed. The Chimera Princess herself.”

“……!”

This was staggering.

There were certain boundaries one could cross, and others that were sacred.

The lineage of the stubborn dwarves.

The obsession of the magic-crazed scholars.

And Berge had managed to interfere with both.

—

**End of Chapter 088: Deal**