Chapter 132
His eyes opened.
Thick steam blurred his vision.
Was he alive?
He was.
“Ghhhhh…”
The terrible pain radiating from his right shoulder proved it. Pain meant life.
“…Hah.”
Daphner let out a hollow laugh.
His bow lay ahead of him. A bow specially commissioned from the master craftsmen of the Kingdom of Verft. Much of it had been damaged by the unbearable heat, but it had not been completely destroyed.
But the hand that should grasp it and fire—
No longer existed.
It had literally evaporated.
From the fingers to the shoulder. His right fingers, hand, wrist, arm, and shoulder had all melted away.
His mind turned white from the pain. But he endured.
He was alive for now, but he had no way of knowing how the situation was progressing or how long he had been unconscious.
One stroke of luck—the steam born from snow and flame had become a fog that concealed him.
He had to find them.
Driven by extreme survival instinct, Daphner’s mind raced.
The reason the Four Great Demon was so determined to kill him was because he had seen the tower. If he died, the tower’s location would be buried again.
Then—
What if he made the situation too big to cover up?
If he spread the news to the entire search party—
If killing everyone was the only way to suppress it—
They would never do such a thing!
They were stars—heroes—still, but they were not like him. And among the search party were the Empire’s prince and the Kingdom’s prince. Especially the Empire’s Third Prince, Martin—though weaker than his siblings, he was still closely tied to the line of succession.
For some reason, the Third Prince was with the search party.
He had noticed even while fleeing. He didn’t know why. But it was favorable for him.
Daphner began moving through the fog.
Soon enough, he encountered a group.
“Your Highness!”
Luck favored him. The prince of Korzen was nearby, and his personal guard was with him.
“Lord Daphner! Your arm—!”
“That is not what matters. Your Highness, I found the tower!”
“…The tower?”
“Is that true?”
“It is!”
Daphner handed over a record orb.
“About five kilometers north of the highest peak—there’s a basin surrounded by ridges. Perfectly hidden. A place no one could see from above.”
It was only natural that those searching mountain peaks would never find it.
“Please keep that safe.”
He had made a copy immediately after recording—just in case—but nothing was certain. He had resolved to hand out a copy to everyone he met.
“Of course. I will never lose it. But first, your wound—”
“It’s fine. I must find Prince Martin. Your Highness, please inform the other search groups of this.”
“What do you… mean—?”
Balaf’s words never reached him. Daphner had already vanished.
He slipped out of the prince’s sight and dove into the fog, sharpening every sense he had.
Find the prince… quickly.
He only needed the Third Prince. If he could tell him, the focus would scatter.
But his body didn’t move as well as he hoped.
What is this…?
His body suddenly felt heavy.
Perhaps I’m just exhausted…
No—he had lost too much blood. Still losing too much.
…Dizzy.
Too exhausted, losing too much blood—his head spun. He forced himself upright.
That was when—
— You look very tired.
A voice. He looked around, but saw no one. He spread his senses, but felt nothing.
An auditory hallucination?
No—not when the voice was this clear.
“…Who’s there?”
— Who do you think?
The voice was familiar.
“…The Dark Spirit Sorcerer.”
— I’m pleased. You remember my name.
Damn Four Great Demon.
Daphner gritted his teeth and ran. He had to find someone. But no matter how far he ran—
no matter how fast, how desperately…
There were no signs of life.
His arms and legs grew heavier. His breath hitched. His head throbbed. And when all reached their limit, he found himself rolling across the ground. Dirt and snow stuffed into his mouth.
“What… is this…”
Only then, looking at his one remaining arm and his legs, Daphner realized in horror—
the steam clung to him. Like shackles. Dragging him down.
“When did…?”
“When do you think?”
The voice no longer echoed everywhere. It came from right beside him.
From the fog emerged the masked Dark Spirit Sorcerer.
“From the moment you started wandering.”
She whispered:
“It seeped into you ever so slowly. Maybe because you were wounded—you didn’t notice at all.”
“You—!”
“Don’t get agitated. If you do, you’ll bleed more. And that will hurt more, won’t it?”
“Shut up!”
“It is unfortunate we meet this way.”
To Ernan Hilderan, Daphner was not close. Her connection to him had always been through her father.
Still, they had met several times. And no matter what he felt toward her, he had always treated her kindly.
But in everything—in human relationships—there were priorities. Lesser and greater.
And Berze came before Daphner. That was all.
“Lord Daphner.”
She approached slowly.
Daphner backed away—tried to. But the fog-bound arm and legs did not allow even that.
The distance closed.
Daphner’s heart pounded as though it would burst.
What should he do?
How—
How could he survive?
He had no strength left to resist. But he wanted to live. He searched desperately for a way.
In that moment—
“Lord Daphner.”
Her voice whispered again.
Their eyes met.
The world slowed.
“……”
Those brilliantly shining amethyst eyes.
That platinum hair flowing within the fog.
That innocent, gentle tone.
For some reason—
It looked familiar.
It couldn’t be. It absolutely couldn’t be. His mind screamed that it was impossible, and yet—
The worst possible thought flashed through him.
His pupils trembled. The Dark Spirit Sorcerer noticed the change.
“…Ah.”
She gave him a sorrowful smile.
“You recognized me?”
“…Truly.”
“That’s right.”
“…Why?”
“Even if I explained, you wouldn’t understand.”
“No one—no one alive would understand.”
After receiving a definite answer, he became strangely calm. Or was that really calmness?
Perhaps he simply couldn’t figure out how to react to something so far beyond his understanding.
Thump—
Something caught on his back. Someone’s foot.
“Lord Daphner?”
From the fog, Hillen Cargill approached. Daphner’s eyes lit up.
“Hillen!”
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. More importantly, the Four Great Demon—”
“The Four Great Demon?”
“The Four Great Demon is…”
He couldn’t bring himself to say it. Not because he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes—he had.
But because what he had seen was simply too far removed from the world he knew.
His silence, however, was completed by Hillen.
“Does the Four Great Demon happen to be Princess Hilderan, heir to the throne?”
“Yes, th—…”
Wait.
“How did you know?”
“Well, how would I know?”
“…What do you mean?”
“Are you certain the line of sight is blocked?”
Hillen’s gaze was not on Daphner. It passed him—
past the fog—
and reached the Four Great Demon, the Dark Spirit Sorcerer, Ernan Hilderan.
“There are a few people who could see through this, but none of them are nearby right now.”
“…No way…”
A thought worse than the worst he had imagined surfaced.
No.
“You…”
“Why are you calling me?”
That casual, natural smile sent chills crawling down his spine.
No.
Surely not.
A faint killing intent made his suspicion solidify into certainty.
“…Humanity.”
“Correct.”
His heart dropped.
“…Aren’t you the hero who slew two Demon Kings? With everything promised to you—why would you stand on the Demon King’s side?”
“I didn’t expect to end up like this either.”
But here he was. What could he do?
“Still, I hope you won’t resent me too much.”
Everyone has their own circumstances.
“And just as you’ve run this far to survive… I, too, am struggling to survive.”
“Let him go without pain.”
Ernan murmured quietly. That was her final courtesy to Daphner Philian.
“Am I supposed to be grateful for that?”
Daphner let out a small laugh.
Not because it was funny. Not because he was happy.
It was resignation—the laugh of a man who had run out of ways to survive.
A kidnapped princess, and a man worthy of being the greatest of heroes—
both of them had betrayed humanity and sided with the Demon King.
“Hillen Cargill. One day, you’ll pay for this. Do you think you can hide the sky with your hand?”
“It’s not a hand, so I believe it’s possible.”
The Demon King was not someone who could be measured with something as trivial as a hand.
“I’ll watch and see how far that confidence takes you.”
“Unfortunately, you won’t live to see it.”
Daphner closed his eyes.
Slash—
A line was drawn.
After a long chase, grievous wounds, and massive blood loss, Daphner had no strength left to resist. He didn’t even try.
He only glared with wide, furious eyes at the traitor of humanity—and gave a hollow, empty smile.
His gentle expression twisted. The world spun. A mask came into view.
White skin, platinum hair, the mask, and innocent eyes.
The world spun again.
He inhaled the cold air. Behind the woman, smiling spirits shimmered.
The scattering beads of crimson blood were beautiful. The white world drew closer.
Splatter—
First there was heat. Then cold.
The metallic taste of blood… and the chill pushing it away spread around his lips.
His eyelids grew heavy. Through his dimming vision, a shadow fell.
Something collapsed. A hot, red flood washed over his face.
Ah.
Only then did he realize it was his own body.
His neck had been severed.
That was the end.
Before he could even fully close his eyes, his soul slipped free of his body.
A star that once illuminated the darkness fell.
***
Crackle—
The artificially created fog dissipated.
“It’s clearing!”
“The mages removed the fog!”
Between the snow that had melted completely into water, the barren earth—and a massive crater—came into view.
Inside it was filled with red liquid and torn flesh.
Blood and corpses.
“…My god.”
The survivors gasped at the devastation.
Not because of the demon’s flames.
Not because of the crater left by the blast.
But because one of the half-burned corpses—
One of the corpses with its neck torn away—
Was a great star.
Daphner Philian.
One of the ten stars who represented the heroes had fallen.
The prince, the king’s son, the knights, the mages, the rangers—
Every survivor fell silent as if they had agreed to do so.
They gathered the bodies quietly and treated the wounded.
The prince and the king’s son watched, bitterness heavy in their voices.
“…What will you do?”
“………”
Martin bit his lip.
The demon who breathed out those flames was the Demon King.
The Demon King personally killed Daphner Philian.
Why?
Why would the Demon King act personally?
Was this a warning directed at me?
It felt like pressure—a message to uphold the promise.
As if he were roaring: I can leave the tower and break orthodoxy whenever I wish.
And the star who had slipped into the search party, Daphner Philian, being killed—
And that overwhelming fire that burned everything—
All of it was the same.
He killed Daphner Philian. Is he saying he could kill someone like me easily?
Perhaps it was a warning telling him not to seek the tower any further and to return home.
“I believe we should withdraw for now.”
As Martin pondered, Balaf spoke up first.
“Our casualties are severe. And more importantly, Daphner Philian’s death has crushed morale.”
The shock of Daphner Philian’s death—
And the terror of the high-rank demon who killed him—
These two emotions wrapped around the entire search party.
If Daphner Philian died, then what about us?
If a high-rank demon is that powerful, then how could we fight a Demon King?
“His sacrifice is tragic, but that is exactly why we must retreat. We must reorganize and report their strength and capabilities.
It is frustrating and humiliating, but this search is a failure.”
“But—”
“If Your Highness refuses to leave, then I will withdraw myself. Continuing in this state will only lead to meaningless losses.”
“…Understood.”
Martin nodded reluctantly.
He had already been considering retreat himself, so he had no reason to reject the suggestion when someone else voiced it first.
“And actually…”
Balaf’s voice grew quieter.
“……?”
“We’ve already completed our mission.”
“What do you mean?”
Balaf took out a record orb.
“This contains the tower’s location. We found it.”
“…How did you—”
Martin’s voice lowered instinctively.
“Lord Daphner gave it to me before he died.”
“…My god.”
“I can give this to Your Highness. But not for free.”
“…………”
Balaf had wrestled with the thought, even if only for a short while.
How should he use this enormous information? How could he use it?
Hoarding it would not be wise. It would highlight the Empire’s incompetence and their own competence—but that would be a terrible way to make an enemy of the Empire.
“For Your Highness, who discovered it will matter a great deal. The Empire’s situation is… sensitive.”
“You want a deal?”
“Yes.”
So he shifted strategy.
He had to share the credit anyway—so why not use this opportunity to create a meaningful connection?
Even though the Third Prince wielded far less influence than the First Prince, Second Prince, or First Princess, he was still a prince of the Empire—and one ranked among the top four.
“I will lend Your Highness my strength.”
So—
“Please become my strength as well.”
For the sake of mutual benefit.