The Sewers of the Demon Lord Castle (2)
The sewers beneath the Demon Lord Castle were the final destination for every drop of wastewater in the domain. Hidden beneath the grand fortress and its beautiful inner residences lay this filthy place, a stark contrast to the happy, prosperous lives once enjoyed by Hemonigent’s people. Deep underground, the sewers carried away the remnants and refuse of daily life. Because no one had ever wanted to set foot there, the place had always ranked at the very bottom of maintenance priorities. Unless something broke or overflowed, it was simply left alone. Yet when Neromeltia took the throne and began caring for her people’s living conditions, she personally designed renovations, conducted inspections herself, and ordered regular upkeep. Thanks to those efforts, even a thousand years later, the sewers around the Demon Lord Castle remained perfectly intact, with not a single collapsed or damaged section.
Neromeltia and Lusteria, having entered the aqueduct from the Astaz Tears River, now used its connecting passage to reach the sewers. The tunnel was deliberately long and deep to prevent sewage from flowing backward into the water supply during heavy rain or flooding. Though the sewers themselves required water flow and drew from the aqueduct, the connecting passage had been built to stop any mixing of wastewater or intrusion by rats and insects. Several sheer drops had even been installed to keep vermin from climbing upward, forcing Neromeltia and Lusteria to use flight magic multiple times.
“This place is… better than I expected.”
“…It’s surprisingly clean, isn’t it?”
The interior of the sewers was dry, with no polluted water from the Astaz Tears River having seeped in. The water flowing in from the aqueduct ran straight down the central channel and out again, while all the branching side passages had been deliberately blocked with earth and sand to prevent any contaminated water from entering. Aside from the central waterway itself, the rest of the sewers were dry and clean enough to walk on without worrying about the edges. There was no roughness or filth to hinder movement.
“It looks like someone has done construction work here.”
“Could the passages have been blocked by muddy water?”
“The central channel flows quite fast, doesn’t it? Normally the water would branch out and slow down, but here it runs in a straight line, so the current stays strong. Ordinary soil couldn’t possibly hold against this flow. Even if someone stacked it deliberately, it would be washed away within half a day. Look closer.”
Lusteria examined the earthen walls carefully and noticed wooden frames peeking out between the layers of soil. The walls had been reinforced with a lattice of wooden beams, and the sections that touched the water had been hardened with grayish-white stone. Neromeltia explained further.
“They used lime to harden the parts that touch the water and increase durability. Since that alone wouldn’t withstand the water pressure, they piled soil behind it to add weight. That also prevents water from seeping through the gaps.”
“Who… would go to all this trouble?”
“They lacked proper materials, so these makeshift walls wouldn’t last more than a few years at best. That means someone has been constantly repairing them.”
Neromeltia gazed meaningfully into the dark depths of the sewers. The vast, labyrinthine space stretched out before them, dry and black.
“It seems someone couldn’t tolerate dirty water entering their home.”
As they began walking deeper, Neromeltia let out a quiet sigh of relief at the sight of Lusteria’s light steps. Even though Lusteria disliked anything dirty or repulsive, she would have followed any order from her master without complaint. Still, Neromeltia had no desire to force her beloved secretary into something unpleasant. She had brought Lusteria along so that, should anything happen to her, contact could still be made with Under Barkus. But if Lusteria continued to suffer, Neromeltia was prepared to send her back.
Surprisingly, the sewers carried no foul stench—only the smell of earth and the faint dust typical of enclosed spaces. Any accumulated filth had long since rotted into soil over the past thousand years. In damper sections, healthy patches of light-green moss even grew. The situation was far better than expected.
Squeak, squeak, squeak.
“Oh my, what a cute little mouse!”
“Ah, you’re fine with mice?”
“Yes?”
“Never mind. They really are adorable, aren’t they?”
Apparently, mice fell within Lusteria’s acceptable range. Neromeltia had expected her to dislike them outright, but the sight of Lusteria finding them cute instead left her momentarily flustered. She brushed the question aside and recalled a memory from a thousand years ago. Lusteria had always loved animals; she had enjoyed visiting farms and riding horses. She used to gaze longingly at pictures of squirrels and deer—creatures that could only survive in purified environments outside Hemonigent—dreaming of the world beyond. Neromeltia had wanted to show her so much more, but the threat of the Humians had been too great, and she had never once taken Lusteria outside the kingdom during their time together. Now, more than ever, Neromeltia felt determined to show Lusteria the world. If the chance arose, she wanted to show her Terraris as it had been before pollution—teeming with life—so that Lusteria would never again have to marvel at mere sewer rats.
“Is it tasty? Hehe.”
Squeak! Squeak!
Before Neromeltia realized it, Lusteria had torn off pieces of the bread she had brought for her own meal and was feeding the mice. Drawn by the scent, more mice gathered, standing on their hind legs and cleverly accepting the crumbs with their front paws. Those still waiting also stood on their hind legs, stretching out their tiny hands with round, sparkling eyes, patiently awaiting their turn.
“If you get hungry later, don’t come crying to me.”
“Hehe. If that happens, you’ll just take out more delicious food anyway, won’t you?”
“You weren’t thinking that far ahead when you started sharing, were you?”
“Of course not! Aah, those pancakes were so good~”
While they chatted warmly, Neromeltia suddenly turned her head toward a side passage. The tunnel was pitch-black; even the light from her illumination spell failed to penetrate its depths. Yet she detected a faint sound coming from deep within—a light, cautious footstep disturbing small pebbles. It was so quiet that Lusteria’s breathing beside her seemed louder by comparison. To an ordinary person, it would have been undetectable, but to the Demon Lord it was nothing more than a clumsy disguise.
“I have no intention of harming you first. Come out.”
At Neromeltia’s sudden words, Lusteria stopped feeding the mice and looked at her. Realizing someone had approached, Lusteria began gathering her magic, ready to cast an offensive spell at a moment’s notice. Soon, yellow eyes began to gleam in the darkness.
“Kiiik…!! That looks delicious! Brown lump!”
“My stomach’s growling! I want some!”
“Who are you?! We’ve never seen you before!!”
The creatures had clearly been drawn by the scent of Lusteria’s bread. They had green skin and stood no taller than waist height, with bright yellow eyes and hooked noses that gave them a distinctly alien, grotesque appearance. Though their small bodies were barely covered by crudely woven straw clothing, the spears in their hands looked well-maintained and sharp. Even as drool dripped from their mouths at the smell of the fragrant bread, they gripped their precious weapons tightly and remained on guard. They were goblins—creatures sometimes called fallen fairies.
“Don’t move until the King arrives!”
“Want some?”
“Ugh… D-don’t move!”
“This is really tasty, you know?”
“D-don’t… don’t move……”
With a sly smile, Lusteria tempted the goblins using the bread. Their once-firm vigilance crumbled before the sweet aroma of the mysterious brown lumps, and their already clumsy speech began to falter as their eyes spun with desire. Effortlessly shattering their wariness, Lusteria started breaking off pieces of bread and handing them out just as she had done with the mice.
“Eat slowly, now.”
“Waaah!!”
“Me too!! Me too!!!”
The goblins behaved exactly like the mice, standing on tiptoe with both hands stretched out eagerly. Once they received their pieces, they shoved the bread straight into their mouths. The soft, sweet, and savory flavor that melted on their tongues sent them into a frenzy of excitement.
“It melts without even chewing!!”
“No bitterness, no rotten smell!!”
“I’m gonna cry!!!”
Though each goblin expressed their wonder in their own clumsy way, they all reached the same conclusion: it was so delicious it brought tears to their eyes. Lusteria took out another loaf and continued sharing, and soon there was no trace of caution left in their gazes. Instead, they looked up at her with admiration and reverence. Just like that, the goblins had been tamed by Lusteria.
“Well then, won’t you show us the way to your home? There’s still plenty of bread left. Good children know how to share with the others, don’t they?”
“We’ll guide you! Good person! We’ll guide you!”
Neromeltia, who had watched the entire scene from beginning to end, found herself seeing a new side of Lusteria. It was a reminder of what Lusteria truly was—an image that made Neromeltia reflect on how she had almost forgotten. She had just witnessed the true power of a succubus, whose specialty lay in seduction and temptation. With nothing more than a single loaf of bread, Lusteria had turned spear-wielding, wary goblins into docile puppies. The sheer skill of it was almost frightening. Neromeltia murmured to herself in genuine admiration.
“As expected of a succubus……”