Echoes from the Ruins (1)
The banquet that had sung of hope after overcoming a dark past came to an end, and dawn broke. The joyous feast that lasted until morning had intoxicated everyone, yet not a single soul failed to rise properly once daylight arrived. For all of them, this was the first step into the outside world they had awaited their entire lives; none could bear to miss this moment of overwhelming happiness by lingering in sleep.
From the entrance of the coastal cliff, they soared into the sky through the large-scale flight magic Neromeltia had cast. Experiencing flight for the first time in their lives, they could not help but lose themselves in the vast scenery of the outside world. The sky was not clear and blue but dark, choked with polluted dust, and instead of the fresh scent of the sea there was only the stench of contaminated water and red tides. Yet to those who had spent their entire lives inside a dark, stifling cave, it was the happiest reality imaginable.
The goblins had seen this sight once before when crossing from the sewers into Under Barkus, but they still savored it, singing loudly with joy. Though they had been less exposed to atmospheric pollution while living in sealed spaces, now that they were outside they had no choice but to face it directly. Neromeltia cast purification magic on all of them as an extra precaution.
They quickly crossed the high walls of the Demon Lord Castle and descended into its interior.
“This is practically a ruin……”
Beyond the outer walls that had collapsed in countless places, all that remained were piles of rubble. The Demon Lord Castle, thoroughly destroyed during the Humian invasion a thousand years ago, had weathered another millennium until even its former shape was lost beneath the debris.
“Artis.”
“You called, Your Majesty!”
“You found books in a place like this?”
“If you dig carefully beneath the rubble, you can find books preserved from rain and wind! Sometimes we even discovered old archives!”
Neromeltia led her companions to the center of what had once been the main square and landed. Though even the remains had mostly crumbled away, a few traces lingered: stones stacked by someone who had once lit a fire, scattered pieces of armor containing fragments of bone, and a massive rectangular blade. A ring that had likely been used to fasten ropes was attached to its back, making it clear the weapon had never been meant to be swung by hand.
“……What is this……?”
“A guillotine.”
Neromeltia answered Lusteria’s startled question with quiet certainty, confirming the succubus’s dreadful suspicion. After seizing the Demon Lord Castle, the Humians had apparently not been satisfied with merely enslaving the captured Demonians. They must have dragged prisoners into the square for public executions—hanging them from guillotines, burning them alive. Even those who offered no resistance had been slaughtered for sport. Those who fought back would have endured horrific torture until their final breath. Those deemed worthless as slaves had their lives consumed as mere spectacle.
War-maddened soldiers had divided their spoils amid feasts of blood and slaughter, laughing drunkenly over meat and wine. Scattered traces of such scenes remained throughout the square. Though direct evidence was gone, the atmosphere alone suggested that women had been gathered for public rape without hesitation. Tens of thousands of Humian soldiers must have herded captive women into the square and subjected them to days of relentless violation. Each woman would have been assaulted by dozens, even hundreds of men in an unending cycle of degradation, and many would have died in the process. Those who survived the ordeal would have been taken back to the Humian kingdom as sex slaves.
Neromeltia hated how vividly she could picture it all. After a moment of silent, grinding anger, she turned to the people who had followed her and gave her orders.
“Search the rubble and gather anything useful! Collect every usable building material, regardless of type! If you find the bones of the victims, gather those as well!”
The living had to survive first. Grief and resentment over the past could wait until safety and daily life were secured. At the very least, such feelings could only be released once they faced their enemies.
Inside a small tent stitched together from scraps of cloth, Neromeltia was drawing up a blueprint. Outside, the lively voices of workers filled the air, brimming with joy and the energy of dreams and hope. Even while carrying bricks too large for two grown men to embrace, or hauling sacks of collected rubble without lifting their heads, their happiness was audible even from within the tent.
“May I come in, Master?”
A clear, beautiful voice called from outside. Neromeltia pushed aside her heavy thoughts, capped the ink, and straightened her clothes. After lightly airing and tidying the space, she answered in a calm voice.
“Come in, Lust.”
“Pardon me.”
Lusteria stepped inside, glanced around, then quietly approached Neromeltia. Standing behind her, the succubus lowered herself and gently embraced her master. Though surprised by the sudden gesture, Neromeltia did not show it outwardly and simply met Lusteria’s eyes with composure.
“It isn’t your fault, Master. Please don’t blame yourself.”
“I wasn’t thinking that.”
“……Liar. I saw how sad and angry you were earlier, like you were dying inside, yet you held it all in.”
Lusteria’s soft chest pressed warmly against Neromeltia’s back. That gentle, comforting embrace washed away the heavy, negative emotions weighing on her heart. The succubus’s sweet whisper brushed against her ear, soothing the aching pain with tender affection. Her slender arms, wrapped tightly around her, filled the hollow, cold places in Neromeltia’s heart with warmth.
“I’m not telling you not to be angry. If the Humians appear, I’ll step forward before you do and take revenge. …But please, never blame yourself. You deserve gratitude instead. You sacrificed your life to protect all of us.”
Neromeltia had tried to hide her thoughts, yet Lusteria had seen through her. This lovely secretary had watched over her alone from the closest position since the moment of her resurrection. Simply knowing that someone understood her heart sent a rush of tangled emotions surging through Neromeltia. Though she could not name it precisely, she knew with certainty that the overwhelming feeling was happiness.
Neromeltia turned her head slightly and buried her face in Lusteria’s chest, still wrapped around her. Even through the white dress shirt, the sweet scent of her breasts was unmistakable. The sensation was so comforting and blissful that she felt almost dizzy.
At that moment, Lusteria placed her hands on Neromeltia’s shoulders and firmly pushed her away.
“Not now! You’re in the middle of official work!”
“Eeeh…… what does it matter!”
“No. It. Doesn’t. Besides, there’s something urgent you need to see, Master.”
After straightening her own clothes, Lusteria walked around to stand in front of Neromeltia. With the brief ritual of reporting information to a superior, she smiled faintly and delivered news that was clearly of great importance.
“We found a door leading underground from the ruined Demon Lord Castle. It was still hidden, locked tight, with no signs of intrusion.”
“……!! A warehouse!? Or a secret archive!?”
Seeing Neromeltia straighten up in excitement, Lusteria sensed she had done well and continued with even greater enthusiasm, her chest swelling with the satisfaction of being useful to her master. She knew the news would please her, and that joy would become her own.
“It was a laboratory.”
“A laboratory?”
“Ronald Guttman’s Doll Laboratory.”
For an instant, Neromeltia felt her heart pound violently. A genius eccentric who had refused to become the Demon Lord’s subordinate or follow her orders. She had kept him close with the carrot of research funding and facilities, and only after treating him as a friend had the stubborn scholar finally opened his heart. A willful artisan who devoted himself solely to his own creations and never handed them over to anyone, no matter the request. Yet there had been one exception in his entire life: after completing his greatest masterpiece, he had given it to Neromeltia—his friend and sole supporter—as a gift. After the Humian invasion, there had been no word of him at all.
His name was Ronald Guttman. He had been Hemonigent’s foremost developer of Ego Dolls.
“You’re going right now, aren’t you?”
“Of course.”
Lusteria watched Neromeltia rise at once, then paused at the tent entrance and looked back. With a playful, adorable smile, she tilted her head and spoke in a bright, cheerful voice.
“We’ll have to finish what we couldn’t do earlier later. I did a good job, so you’ll reward me properly, right?”
The unfinished matter Lusteria referred to made Neromeltia’s heart flutter uncontrollably. As the succubus stepped out of the tent, a faint blush seemed to cross her cheeks—Neromeltia was certain it had not been her imagination.
With two things to look forward to, Neromeltia’s steps felt remarkably light. Her precious secretary’s visit had cleared the gloom from her troubled heart and even given her wings.