113. Guidance (2)
113. Guidance (2)
- 1 -
The first step in seizing control of Solemio—replacing its lord—proceeded very quietly.
"To bring a witch into the castle yourself without recognizing her..."
"I'm sorry, Father... there was no other way."
"It's alright. How deeply you must have agonized over this."
The lord, who had once been an elite-grade knight in his youth, broke his own sword before the contract's shackle around his daughter's neck, and accepted the binding along with the seal.
"From now on, you are the lord of Solemio."
Feeling the father's glare upon me as his daughter wept, I accepted the lord's signet ring and personally placed it on Amelia's finger.
From that moment on, she was effectively the lord.
Further reports to the royal capital would be necessary to quell any suspicions about her handling the lord's duties, but the moment she wore that signet ring, she could carry out the work of a lord.
"...How should I address you?"
"Those who know us well call me Lady."
"I understand. Lady Libertas. ...I did not wish to receive the position of lord in this manner, but I will ensure you do not needlessly kill the good people."
Her eyes, braced for sacrifice for the sake of others, were firm yet beautiful.
I, too, had no desire to gouge out such eyes and make them weep blood, so I caressed her cheek as I answered.
"That is sufficient. I do not delight in slaughter."
I led Amelia, whose eyes were full of distrust, and headed toward the place where my subordinates had already gone.
To the place where mana was stirring.
"Magic using an artifact, neutralized in an instant...!"
The lord's wife was discovered on the rooftop of the citadel.
She had conspired with the mages inside the castle to attempt grand magic through a military-grade artifact.
However, she was discovered by me before that, and the magic was easily nullified.
I arrived at the spot where Shue had already gone with several elites to disrupt the spell's activation, about thirty seconds later.
"You've worked hard. And to even find such a fine object and bring it here."
Whether her eldest daughter's magical talent came from her, her own competence was decent enough.
It just didn't measure up to mine.
"Please don't kill my mother...!"
"I never thought there would be no small disturbances, so you needn't worry. Amelia."
"Thank you...!"
Just because a contract was made didn't mean one could treat the subject ruthlessly.
Because a contract mediated by a Dungeon Lord was not absolute; if one committed to it with true sincerity, there were ways to harm the Dungeon Lord somehow.
'Even pets or slaves will bite their master or revolt if they're pushed into excessively harsh situations.'
A contract was no different in that regard.
Though that was assuming one had the resolve or the grudge to literally 'burn their soul and endure that pain.'
"All troops have been driven outside. As you said, they'll have no room to turn their gaze inward while keeping the orcs in check."
"I will report on the current situation in Solemio. Master, Lord."
The officials under the lord's command had already been brought under control, as discussed earlier.
The surviving officials of Solemio had all become demon tribesmen, albeit low-grade ones. And demon tribesmen could not resist me, a Dungeon Lord.
Emotionally, and rationally.
Furthermore, when it came to those within this inner castle whose existence would primarily involve materials belonging to the demon realm, there was no reason to hesitate about turning them into demon beasts or demon tribesmen.
Swish.
"The guards...? What are you doing...!"
And so, after the officials had diverted all the soldiers outside, the remaining knight order within was subdued under the swords of the demon-tribesmen knights I had planted inside, commanded by Evangeline.
This was a process that held no difficulty whatsoever, and winning them over was the same.
'They say country knights are less about honor and more just officials who can swing a sword.'
One might say that statement fit perfectly here.
Nearly all of the knights, save for a very small number, never even brought up the letter 'h' of honor.
"My body does feel stronger, I suppose..."
During the process of subduing them, I transformed some of the surrendered officials and knights into 'my side'.
I transformed them all into types that, like orcs or beastmen, had no significant outward changes from a human appearance, so the complaints were not many.
Surely they considered it better than becoming a skeleton.
Those who led the soldiers to the citadel would later be 'recruited' through a similar process.
"More than that, you should rejoice at having come to serve our new master."
"Huh? How does that... Oooh..."
Since those whose existences came to belong to the demon realm easily came to hold reverence for the contracted Dungeon Lord, what remaining worries there were quickly flew away.
In this way, most of them became demon tribesmen or demon beasts.
Including even the volunteers among their families.
"Serves them right. Those bastards who go around beating people up."
"They say they were caught having been embezzling funds all along."
However, not all of them were made into demon tribesmen.
Because some, whom I deemed would be an obstacle to running the castle, were turned into part of the dungeon rather than the citadel, after some investigation.
"Spare me, please spare me...!"
"Why aren't we given a chance!?"
Simply put, it meant I killed and absorbed them.
The core's mana was too precious to control them with contracts, yet if I simply let them go, they would surely begin to question the situation within the castle.
"Take the freedom from those who wish to remain human."
"But surely there will be backlash...?"
"If you think leaving them free won't hinder your service to me, then you may handle it as you see fit."
"...Understood."
Of course, those whose families had become my subordinates were allowed to live even if some wished to remain human, and in exchange, they were gathered to live in one of the empty annexes of the inner castle.
'With this, the inner castle is under control.'
The next target was the free wielders of force residing within Solemio.
However, as long as I controlled the inner castle, taking their heads was not a particularly difficult task.
- 2 -
For an unremarkable rural town, Solemio was a city with a comparatively large number of guilds.
Though most were vocational guilds, not adventuring ones, or fellowship guilds, gathered together, their standing was such that they could treat the lord of a small castle as 'beneath notice'.
But that was only in times of emergency; normally, mages and adventurers did not routinely ignore a noble's summons.
Especially in the case of a rural lord like the current one, who had both popular trust and ability, it was even more so.
"Do you know for what business we've been invited?"
"Well. I wouldn't know. We profited greatly from things like the last expedition against the Copherin Dungeon Lord, so it's probably something like that again, isn't it?"
"I hope so. The by-products from the last expedition were a great help to the fellowship..."
Moreover, having profited from the past expedition against Serica, the adventurers' and mages' trust in the current lord had hit the ceiling.
At the very least, they didn't believe they'd be summoned for nothing.
"Please, come in."
"Lady Amelia? Lord Baron Baleon is..."
Since they thought it was about a matter of such importance, they were not overly flustered to see the family's heir appear instead of the baron.
This was because Amelia had already participated in such major events several times and was a familiar face, and had consistently left a good impression in the meantime.
And so.
"My father departed this morning on urgent business. I will be hosting you all."
"Oh. I see. What business could take him away so suddenly without any contact...?"
"That is a matter of state, I'm afraid I can't say. Now, this way."
A total of thirteen adventurers and mages—including Seth, the mage guild master, a disciple or two from each, as well as the adventurer guild master and their two adjutants—entered the banquet hall without suspicion.
"This is an unusual banquet."
"Wow... what is all this?"
Soon, they discovered a rare feast not easily seen in ordinary times.
From dishes made by purifying the meat of potent demon beasts that only high nobles could taste, to the unique cuisine boasted by the three great powers of the western continent.
It was a proper formal dinner, set out as if nobles had been invited.
"Please, enjoy your meal. The patriarch, my father, instructed me beforehand to apologize for not being able to greet you in person."
"Oh my. For us to dine in the inner castle. It's an honor."
"We shall enjoy the meal."
It was a spread that even an adventurer of status might taste only occasionally, but one that normally only nobles could see.
A setting made safe by the trust and confidence built up until now.
Even the guild masters, who were in positions to eat relatively rare foods often, could not ignore it, so it was only natural their eyes would widen.
"Hrrrmrmr... Zzz..."
"Oh dear. It seems the master of the Truth-Groping Eye guild has had a bit too much to drink."
"Falling asl...eep ahead of... wor...k... huh...?"
Having gorged on the food without resistance, they soon fell into slumber.
It was due to the various 'measures' taken in advance within the food.
- Her Ladyship's wisdom runs so deep.
Immediately after, Amelia's figure crumbled away rapidly, revealing a silver-haired figure standing upright in her place.
A Doppelganger.
A being that takes a person's form and, by devouring that person's body, even assumes their existence—an entity halfway between demon tribe and demon beast.
- You have come, Lady.
He greeted the black-clad woman approaching him.
"You have worked hard. Zain."
- It is nothing, my Lady.
"I am sorry you were unable to eat."
- It is fine.
The Doppelganger's presence here suggested Amelia's death.
But for now, he had only borrowed her appearance temporarily under Libertas's instructions and learned her form.
Because she could not use Amelia to capture people who had been smiling and getting along with each other just the day before.
Ethically, and practically.
- To me, it is but a single missed meal, but to you, Lady, is it not a step toward achieving your goal? As a mercenary, completing a commission is only natural.
"I thank you for saying so."
She, or he, was one of the mercenaries Libertas had recently recruited from the demon realm.
His personal background reached only about the formal rank at best, but that was precisely why he had been hired.
Because regardless of whether their rank was high or low, a Doppelganger's mimicry ability was at the peak of its class.
So much so that if Talhan had chosen to transform into another species, he, having become a Doppelganger, might have been the one standing here.
- And besides, you wouldn't fail to feed me otherwise, would you?
"That is true."
Therefore, the criterion by which Libertas had chosen this Doppelganger was, in the end, 'character'.
Whether he was weak and thus attentive, strong but accommodating, or simply good-natured as he was now.
"Well. How about one of these? As a personal recommendation, one of these would be fine."
Libertas raised her finger and pointed at two people.
They were the heirs leading the two guilds, excluding the 'Truth-Groping Eye' guild to which Sonia had belonged.
Each had reached the upper rank, in a fully mature state, and were of a level that the current Zain could completely digest their existence with a bit of help.
- With a grateful heart, I shall...
"Wait a moment. Didn't you say you wouldn't kill them?"
A dissenting voice interjected in a displeased tone.
At that, Libertas turned her gaze to look at the owner of the face the Doppelganger was mimicking.
"Amelia."
Amelia stood glaring at the two people, a blue cape with silver embroidery on her shoulders proving her status as lord.
Unable to escape her fear or guilt, yet still armed with duty and responsibility.
"The reason is the same as what I told you when we confined people to the mansion."
Yet Libertas merely smiled at her objection.
This was merely a demand to fulfill the contract, not an improper restraint.
It was just that the argument had a flaw.
"All of your conditions are to be honored starting from when you can reliably fulfill my demands."
"Then...!"
"These are people who could potentially realize my existence and make it known to the outside. Is that not so?"
"Ugh..."
Amelia bit her lip, suppressing the words she wanted to say.
'There was also the method of using the poison Echidna gave me to control them...'
However, the quantitative experiments on that poison were not yet perfect.
There wasn't much experimental data on humans, the dosage had to vary depending on the level, and the effects needed to be observed for some time before field deployment, so it was deferred for now.
'So for now, this method is safer.'
Though imperfect use might cause the target to die, if the existence of the poison were revealed, its lethality would be critically diminished.
Thus, using that poison immediately was a method that left only loss or cruelty.
Having finished her thoughts, Libertas reached out her hand toward Amelia's face, still full of discontent...
"That's enough."
Kwak!
She caught the long, silver blade.
Right before her eyes.
"What is the meaning of this. Zain."
Libertas smiled as she looked at the culprit.
The owner of the blade, more precisely a bladed tentacle, was Zain, the Doppelganger she had been speaking with just moments ago.
- Keuk...!
The silver grain that had existed where his face was faded into an ashen gray the moment Zain saw his blade caught in Libertas's hand.
Like a human stricken with terror.
"..."
As she looked at him with a gentle expression, Libertas's eyes.
Shone with a mineral gleam.