NOVEL NEXT Chapter 25
Chapter 25
“What… what did you say?”
The current emperor of the Bismarck Empire, Claude von Bismarck, was left speechless and let out a hollow laugh. The minister who brought the letter bowed his head and trembled in fear.
BANG! Slamming his hand on the throne’s armrest, Emperor Claude expressed his rage in an agitated voice.
“The demon race dares to demand money from us!? How dare they?!”
“Y-Yes, Your Majesty. It is a letter proposing an exchange of a certain amount of gold, silver, and hostages…”
Claude crushed his teeth together. He never expected such an incident to occur in a world he perceived merely as the playground of adventurers.
Though clearly furious, Claude began to think rationally as a ruler.
“Has something changed?”
If there had been such strength from the start, this incident wouldn’t have occurred. A sudden change indicated that something had shifted in the Demon World.
It could no longer be thought of merely as an adventurer’s playground. After some contemplation, Claude’s eyes widened as he recalled something.
“If the Demon King, who had no interest in the human realm until now, has suddenly developed ambitions…?”
No human knew the exact structure and circumstances of the Demon World. The emperor of the vast Bismarck Empire was no exception, having fallen into some misconceptions.
While it was clear that the Demon Kings showed little interest in the human realm, unlike what humans believed, there wasn’t just one Demon King; there were many. Humans were unaware that there was more than one Demon King, each overseeing different tiers.
And Claude could not have known that this incident was an independent act by Seere von Debata, the power of the 72nd tier, closest to the human realm among many Demon Kings.
“…How much are they demanding?”
“They’re asking for 50 kilograms of gold, 200 kilograms of silver, and around 2 tons of iron ore.”
What they demanded was certainly a large sum, but considering the value of human lives, it was surprisingly little. Claude expressed his disbelief.
“How many have been captured?”
“Only 20 citizens were said to be sent back by the other side.”
Something felt off. Twenty was far too small a number. He knew that there were over fifty missing reports that had come into the Empire’s security forces.
Claude cautiously asked the minister.
“…Is that all that survived?”
“It would be reasonable to view it that way.”
“And the number of identified missing persons?”
“At least… over 50. Considering those we haven’t yet identified, it’s at least 60 to 70…”
“Damn it!”
BANG! Once again slamming his hand down on the throne, Claude rubbed his aching forehead and shouted at the ministers gathered in the audience chamber.
“Why is everyone silent?! At least suggest some countermeasures!!”
“…I apologize, Your Majesty.”
“With my inadequate mind, I can think of no plans to overcome this situation…”
“How can you all be receiving salaries for serving the country! If you can’t think of anything, then squeeze out ideas!”
Witnessing Claude’s fury, one minister stepped forward. A dignified man with silver hair lowered his head respectfully towards Claude.
“Your Majesty.”
“…Ah, Marquess Eberte. I didn’t notice you there.”
It was Levin Eberte, the head of the Eberte family, who had served the emperor across generations, skillfully fulfilling his role as an advisor.
“What should we do? They’ve made such audacious demands; should we retaliate?”
“If we do, the captured citizens of the Empire will lose their lives.”
“Then what do you suggest we do?!”
“Please comply with their demands.”
“…What?”
Claude frowned deeply. However, Marquess Eberte continued calmly.
“You’ve likely heard that the large number of Empire citizens captured was due to the reckless decisions of the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“…That is correct.”
“Among those adventurers who participated in the operation, there were many with ranks of AA or higher. They are exceptional fighters who would not be outmatched by officially appointed knights yet still did not manage to escape and were captured.”
Claude’s expression hardened in shock at Marquess Eberte’s report.
Knights were vassals who received land from the state in exchange for supplying their strength and troops to their lord. Unlike hereditary noble titles, one had to prove their strength to be appointed as a knight, making the power of knights truly the upper echelon of humanity.
For an AA-ranked adventurer to be captured without a fight meant that the Demon World possessed a power far surpassing that of ordinary knights.
“In a situation where we don’t even have an accurate understanding of the Demon World’s strength, raising an army would be too risky, Your Majesty. I urge you to think carefully.”
“However, if we do that, it would mean our Empire has succumbed to the Demon World.”
“It is far better than having it said that the emperor abandoned his citizens to die, Your Majesty.”
“……”
“The terms they are asking for aren’t that many, Your Majesty. If we view it as the price for 20 citizens and to avoid any insults directed at you…”
It was indeed a cheap price. Claude found no fault with Marquess Eberte’s words. But despite rational judgment, his pride was wounded at the thought of bowing to the demands of mere demons.
Claude clenched his fists with rage, shaking with anger.
“I will… repay this one day.”
“I will devote myself to monitoring movements in the Demon World and ascertaining their strength.”
“Send a letter. Indicate that we will comply with their trade.”
“…As you wish.”
—
In Nahun’s office, Cain wore a slightly sullen expression today as he held a somewhat shocking report in his hands.
“…Letters have arrived from the Empire, the Holy Kingdom, and the Northern Alliance, all stating they will comply with negotiations.”
“Is that so? That’s fortunate.”
“Everything happened as you anticipated.”
Nahun chuckled lightly at Cain’s restrained tone. He waved his hand lightly and said,
“I was merely making an inference that anyone could make. It is quite possible they might have chosen not to respond.”
“It seems the other nations have not yet come to a decision.”
“That’s still fine. Let’s wait a bit longer.”
Nahun instructed Cain.
“Select people to take with you to the portal to the human realm tomorrow morning. I’ve told them to send envoys in the letter.”
“Understood.”
“Oh, and add this message.”
“Yes?”
There was something crucial he wanted to convey to the human envoys. It was meant to send a slight warning to the nations that had not yet responded to Nahun’s negotiations.
“Tell them that if they do not respond quickly, we will take action.”
“Yes, understood.”
Cain bowed respectfully and departed from the office. Nahun contemplated the resources and funds he expected to receive from the three most powerful nations in the human realm.
‘The immediate financial needs have been resolved.’
The reason Nahun had suddenly decided to negotiate with human nations to release the adventurers was that he needed money urgently. While the funds obtained from conquering the 70th floor were considerable, Nahun had no intention of tapping into that just yet.
‘That may need to be used elsewhere.’
Thus, he sought to gather funds separately to pay blacksmiths for crafting weapons. He had instructed Cain to assemble the blacksmiths, and they would soon be gathering. At that time, funds needed for researching and crafting weapons would be drained from human nations without having to buy the iron ore separately for the blacksmiths.
“We must save.”
He had no idea how large the undertaking to conquer the 69th floor would be. He aimed to save money while he could for that eventuality.
Nahun smiled to himself. Everything was progressing according to his plans, filling him with satisfaction. The negotiations with the human nations were going smoothly. Now, it was time to take the next step.
“You must be oblivious to what is about to happen, Dantalion.”
He doubted the demon below him had any inkling of what was growing beneath his feet.
—
“Well done, Seere.”
“Hehe.”
Today, Seere was receiving lessons from Nahun in the front yard. Nahun taught her one of the ancient magic spells, and Seere was successfully utilizing external magical powers.
Seeing her delightedly smiling from the praise, Nahun noticed a subtle change in her.
‘Her red hair has truly increased.’
He could see a few more strands of red hair than before, even if just a little. Today, as Seere utilized external magical energy, her hair was storing that energy due to the traits of the Debata clan.
“Cain.”
“Yes.”
“What is the limit of the Debata clan’s magic storage ability?”
“That… I apologize. I can’t say for sure. The predecessors only had their hair colored red halfway, so I don’t know if that was the limit or not.”
“That’s fine; no need to feel bad.”
If even Cain did not know, it meant there was little way to find out without conducting an experiment. Nahun felt slightly curious but thought it unnecessary to pursue, allowing it to drop.
“Since we’ve done well in class, shall we go for pudding?”
“Pudding!”
Seere’s eyes sparkled as she beamed widely.
“Yes!”
Seeing her adorable expression, Nahun instinctively reached out to ruffle Seere’s hair. She happily accepted the touch, but suddenly Nahun made a peculiar expression.
“Huh?”
“Seere, just a moment.”
Nahun lifted Seere into his arms. Seere tilted her head, puzzled by his actions. As he cradled her, Nahun moved her hair aside and discovered something.
“…Horns?”
“What?”
There they were. Still small, but two black horns had begun to grow from Seere’s head. They were so small that they had remained hidden beneath her hair.
Nahun turned to Cain with a startled expression.
“Cain! Come here!”
“Yes?”
Seeing Nahun’s urgent expression, Cain approached with a somewhat serious demeanor, wondering if something had happened to Seere.
“There are horns growing here! Is something wrong?”
“…What?”
But unexpectedly, Nahun appeared worried about something quite obvious. Cain blinked in confusion before responding.
“I sometimes wonder what exactly you do, Nahun.”
“Huh?”
“Isn’t it natural for a Demon King to have horns? What Demon King exists without them?”
“Huh???”
“Since Her Majesty Seere will soon be turning eight, it is indeed time for her horns to grow.”
Nahun blinked repeatedly, staring at the black horns emerging from Seere’s white hair. Wondering if there was anything unusual about the horns, he reached out to touch them, but Cain stopped him.
“Horns are a sensitive area. Please do not.”
“Ah… really?”
Nahun felt slightly bewildered. He had never heard of the setting that stated a Demon King must have horns in the Ebel Queen Maker. While there were Demon Kings with horns, Seere had not been illustrated with them.
‘Is this yet another hidden setting?’
He was perplexed by how many hidden settings this game had. Then Nahun recalled something and spoke up.
“Wasn’t Citrie hornless?”
“There should be. It’s probably just not visible because it’s small. The length of horns differs from one Demon King to another.”
“Ah…”
“Have you been living away from the world, Nahun? You sometimes show brilliant strategies, yet seem to lack knowledge in these common-sense areas.”
“…Hmm.”
Being a great demon, he likely had lived away from the human world. Nahun felt guilty for startling Cain earlier in his panic and said apologetically.
“I thought Seere might be sick.”
“I’m not sick!”
Seere declared as she raised her arms, indicating her health. Nahun chuckled and affectionately ruffled her hair.
“Good, I’m relieved you’re not sick.”
“Hehe.”
Watching the cheerful Seere, Nahun quietly thought to himself.
‘Grow up healthily. That way, you’ll be able to take proper revenge, and I can see the ending too.’