Chapter 71
“Even if you defect, the slaves will still live their miserable lives, and Delrak will only go after Ludwig’s territory with even more determination.”
Helene knew she was right. She finally realized that she had come here recklessly, driven only by desperation.
“Do you… have another plan?”
She looked at Ariella as if she were staring at a savior.
Ariella thought for a moment, then said,
“Delrak has already built a strong fortress of power. If we want to defeat him, we need to break him from the inside.”
She had already fought against an overwhelming enemy before and come out victorious.
“The only way for you to survive and do what’s right is to bring them both down—Delrak and Kiren.”
“To… bring them down?” Helene asked quietly.
“To strip him of his title as Demon King.”
“…It’s not like I haven’t thought about it,” Helene admitted.
But if she tried to overthrow Delrak, there would be countless sacrifices.
She wanted to minimize the bloodshed—whether that blood was spilled inside the territory or beyond it.
In her heart, she had already rebelled against her father.
She had come here because she couldn’t find any way to change things on her own.
Ariella continued,
“You know Delrak’s domain better than anyone else, don’t you? The troop positions, the key resources, the trade networks with merchants… everything.”
Helene nodded. Ariella asked her questions one after another, carefully writing everything down.
They organized the information, connecting details over and over.
When she had filled the page with ink, Ariella drew a large circle at the center and said,
“Helene, I need you to return to Delrak’s territory and keep sending us information.”
Ariella’s plan was to buy as much time as possible.
A massive project like building a tunnel would never be decided overnight.
Both sides would have to discuss in detail:
Who would handle the work? How would inspections be carried out?
Even just negotiating those details would take months.
And even though the tunnel project was a complete lie, if they made it look real, time would naturally pass.
“Now that Delrak has set his sights on Ludwig, he will never give up,” Ariella said firmly.
The dice had already been thrown. A fight was inevitable.
“So, let’s pretend to fall for his scheme and look for a way to bring him down.”
The next day.
After the second round of official talks, Helene summoned the members of her delegation.
She sat in her room with her Snow Troll bodyguard and the four other envoys.
“It looks like we’ll have to leave without a definite answer,” she said.
The talks had gone just like the day before.
Of course, she had already spoken with Ariella in secret and put on an act during the meeting.
“Neither the Demon King nor his contractor is easy to sway. I expected this, but still…”
One of the envoys clicked his tongue.
“To think that foolish human woman dares speak so much.”
They all clearly disliked Ariella.
Yesterday, they had seen her verbally crush Delrak’s representative in the debate.
“She’s acting arrogant just because she made some money.”
“How dare she be so insolent? Aside from boiled slime water and grass, she has nothing worth showing off.”
Their insults were ridiculous.
The goods they mocked were actually incredibly valuable, but Helene didn’t bother correcting them.
They probably knew, too, but their pride wouldn’t let them admit it.
“I’ve heard rumors that their harvests have been better, but… It seems Demon King Ludwig is seriously mistaken about something.”
“Even so, their military strength is still weak.”
“Exactly! If our well-trained soldiers march in, they’ll surrender in no time!”
Their grumbling continued endlessly.
Helene listened patiently and then spoke calmly.
“It’s true that Father has no reason to bring his army here just yet. That’s why we were sent instead, isn’t it?”
“…”
“…”
The envoys fell silent.
“At least they showed great interest in the tunnel project. Let’s be satisfied with that and head back for now.”
But the envoys looked uneasy.
“B-but if we return empty-handed…”
“Yes! The Demon King will punish us!”
“Don’t worry,” Helene reassured them. “I’ll report everything personally.”
“Oh! Lady Helene, you are truly merciful! You’d do that for us?”
The envoys quickly left to pack their belongings.
Once they were gone, Helene turned to the Snow Troll standing guard by the door.
Her gaze briefly lingered on the back of his neck, where his thick white fur bristled slightly.
“Back already?”
The Demon King’s Castle.
Helene knelt before Delrak’s golden throne.
“They said they’d think about it? Hmph! How arrogant.”
Delrak reacted exactly as expected.
“What’s your impression, now that you’ve seen them yourself?”
Helene answered as planned.
“The tunnel project is bait they cannot refuse. They couldn’t hide their interest.”
“Heh! Of course. That was Kiren’s idea, after all.”
Delrak patted the purple-haired woman beside him.
Kiren smiled sweetly, leaning into him.
“I wonder if sending gifts was a waste. Maybe the tunnel project alone would’ve been enough.”
Helene had followed tradition and brought extravagant gifts for Ludwig’s domain.
That was expected of an official envoy and also necessary to make their deception believable,
but Delrak acted as if even that was too generous.
“Don’t be upset,” Kiren said smoothly.
She gently stroked his thick arm, which was like a sausage about to burst from its casing.
“Once Ludwig is ours, all those treasures will come back to you anyway.”
“Is that so? Ha! You always know exactly what to say to please me.”
Helene forced herself not to grimace.
This was where the Demon King conducted affairs of state.
She was here not as his daughter, but as a subordinate reporting results.
Meanwhile, Kiren held no official position at all.
Yet she was always in this office, whispering in Delrak’s ear,
interfering in every decision, big or small.
‘It’s like this domain has two Demon Kings,’ Helene thought bitterly.
But she had to make Delrak believe that everything was going according to his plan.
Keeping her composure, she said,
“They’ll likely accept. They’re only stalling to save face and negotiate better terms.”
“Ludwig, that stupid brat, couldn’t come up with this plan himself.”
“It’s probably his human contractor’s idea. She practically led the entire negotiation.”
Delrak fell silent, deep in thought.
Helene pressed on, driving her point home.
“They’re leaning our way already, so it would be best not to rush them.”
Finally, Delrak’s greedy eyes flickered, and he nodded.
“Fine. If we eat too quickly, we’ll choke. Do as you see fit.”
Helene breathed a quiet sigh of relief as she left the office.
Her Snow Troll bodyguard was waiting outside.
Once the heavy door closed behind her, they began walking down the long hallway together.
After confirming there was no one around to overhear, she spoke softly.
“Selvenir.”
“Yes, Lady Helene,” he replied.
His tone was polite but completely devoid of emotion.
Helene stared at him for a moment before speaking again.
“I was just curious… You said you were captured as a slave before I was even born, right?”
“…”
The Snow Troll raised his head slightly, surprised by the question.
For the first time today, he met her gaze.
Her eyes were full of complicated emotions.
