118. Magic Mirror (2) (Map)
118. Magic Mirror (2) (Map)
- 1 -
"I am overjoyed to be able to show my loyalty to my lord husband through this ritual."
"Even when you do not speak of it, I always feel it."
"Ahh..."
With Ran the last, each queen finished swearing her oath of loyalty.
They had bowed their heads to Libertas's feet, kissed her fingertips, performed the ritual of accepting her mana into their hearts, and even completed every contract.
And after that, Nirvana made a single proposal to all of them.
"Now that we have all come to serve one master, shouldn't our title of 'queen' no longer be appropriate?"
She always smiled often, but now she was smiling especially brightly, as if something pleased her greatly.
Everyone already knew the reason.
It was because Libertas had presented the queens with a method to communicate directly with her dungeon.
'That woman somehow gives me the feeling she'll make the nights dangerous, but...'
Libertas harbored that kind of weary feeling inside, but at the same time, she didn't consider it too dangerous.
In such cases, Libertas could respond, but her close aides would step in before her anyway.
Especially Evangeline, whose specs were not lacking compared to the other queens now, so it would be fine.
"That is correct."
Whatever Libertas was thinking, the conversation continued to progress.
Kamaya nodded, then abruptly rose from her seat, pressing a fist to her heart in agreement.
With a voice still like rumbling thunder, she emphasized the necessity of that proposal.
"As our master has said, if we too come to possess dungeon cores, we will no longer be mere leaders of ordinary magical beasts. We shall bear the responsibility befitting leaders, and additionally, the pride befitting demons."
What she spoke of was the first reward Libertas had offered them.
The provision of dungeon cores.
In other words, she intended to seize the cores of dungeon lords near her territory—ones already tamed by humans and merely 'not dead yet'—and give them to the queens.
If she learned from Serica's case and applied it to them, she would be able to secure at least four new 'lady's maids'.
'Indeed, we can't just call them boss or leader.'
Libertas thought that and looked at Kamaya.
She didn't think there was a particular need to reject the title of queen, but for now, she planned to hear their opinions as well.
"How about Grand Chieftain?"
"It seems too weak to give the impression of being integrated into a new order."
"What about Brood Mother?"
"Hmm. That seems too small in scale."
"Then, how about the word 'Prophet'?"
"Those suited for that title seem to exist separately around our master."
After that, various suggestions for titles came out, but none gained the agreement of all the queens.
Of course, nothing suited Libertas's fancy either.
"I have witnessed something among the humans. Sisters."
Then, Orea raised her voice.
Here, 'sisters' was the title they had come to use for one another.
What they had previously only called each other by name or 'queen', they had now changed to something far more intimate.
As they settled on that title, an atmosphere implicitly formed where Nirvana was treated as the eldest and Ran as the youngest.
"There was a word, 'Feudal Lord'. We do not follow human titles, but the title to introduce our master to the outside world will surely be Archduke. Nothing seems to express us better than this word."
"Indeed, other dungeon lords serving archdukes call themselves marquis or count."
"Hmm."
Certainly, Orea's opinion seemed the most appropriate.
Nirvana, who had the most experience with humans, agreed outright, and the other queens didn't seem opposed either.
'It seems I've heard all the stories worth hearing.'
"In that case."
As Libertas straightened her body, which had been leaning loosely against the chair, everyone immediately turned their gazes to her.
"Externally, Feudal Lord. Internally, you shall continue to be queens as before."
"But a king is..."
The moment Orea tried to raise a counterargument based on common sense, Libertas shook her head and stopped her.
"Whether you are kings, feudal lords, or even slaves. Under me, you only need to follow the hierarchy I have established. Do not place great meaning on what others call you."
""Yes. Master.""
It was a time when even the Demon Realm was adopting human culture.
Words that outright rejected that trend, yet not even Amelia, a human, raised a counterargument.
"And... having queens is far better than mere feudal lords, too."
So pleased, Libertas inadvertently let slip a single jest.
Words that only she thought nothing of, but to the others, sounded incredibly meaningful.
"..."
Instantly, glances were exchanged among the queens.
'Goodness, my lord husband. That's how 'misunderstandings' increase.'
'She really says the most delicious things.'
Ran and Nirvana covered their mouths and laughed, hiding their sinister or lewd energy.
"...?"
Fortuna, Orea, and Amelia looked at each other with clueless eyes.
"Fufu."
"Mm..."
Kamaya and Echidna exchanged meaningful glances.
' 'There are many rivals.' '
In the hearts of those who understood the current situation, one of the most important things they had noted down was being updated.
- 2 -
They shared the rituals for establishing the 'Demon Realm', set the rules to be observed, and discussed each other's responsibilities and duties.
Now, what they needed to know was the tasks ahead.
"Orea and Nirvana, I have a separate task for you first."
"We shall comply."
"Yes."
Of course, I already had things set in mind.
"Consult with Amelia here and create a mercenary group to operate in human lands. They will primarily hunt magical beasts, but can also conduct warfare, so we will need children with outstanding survival ability as much as possible."
"I'll look for good ones. Master."
"A mercenary group... Understood."
The ant-humans, the Myrmekians, excelled at group tactics, making them ideal for hunting a single target or conducting warfare.
If Nirvana subdued other magical beasts and deployed them additionally, the Myrmekians' sacrifices could be reduced.
If only the representative were 'human' and a mercenary group composed of magical beasts with appearances close to humans continued to excel, they could reduce the rejection of magical beasts in the nearby regions.
And then either my magic would seep in faster and stronger, or the consciousness itself would change; one of the two would surely be achieved.
"I also have something I want from Kamaya and Echidna."
"Only speak the word."
"We are listening."
I brought over the map I had drawn through scouting in the meantime, drew a single circle near my dungeon, and showed it to them.
It looked simple just on the map, but in terms of size, it was a circle that would easily cover the entire Korean peninsula.
Of course, not properly understanding that meaning, they just looked at me with questioning eyes.
"I will attach a human who can read maps to you, so I want you to scout the area corresponding to this zone and ascertain the current state of the magical beasts. Focusing on the Duchy of Aririt to the south."
"Though I do not know how vast the area is, it will not take too long, my master."
"The lizardmen are also swift and clever, so they will quickly find what you desire."
Even though I hadn't properly explained the purpose of the task, the queens nodded their heads first.
They each clearly had their own personalities, but there was the instinct of magical beasts to thoroughly obey an opponent they had once properly sworn loyalty to.
It was a satisfying instinct for a master.
"The clearing of this area is the preparation for me to rise to the elite grade."
"Ah, is that so."
Of course, I had no intention of being a bad superior who gave orders without properly explaining even the objective.
"When a dungeon lord rises to the elite grade and it is detected, from then on, the humans will try to summon some of the continent's strongest, who are on the battlefields of other demon realms."
"How strong are they?"
"Three, no, if two gather, they are strong enough to at least buy time even against the current archdukes of the demon realm."
"Mm..."
A sense of ambiguity hung on the queens' expressions.
It was natural, as they had never encountered strong beings above 'high rank'.
Except for one.
Only Nirvana's previously relaxed face was filled with tension.
"You have seen them before, Nirvana."
"That's right. Master. We Alraune have very long lifespans, you see. A very long time ago... I served a lord who wasn't archduke grade but called himself a marquis. Strong beings of that level... we definitely still have to hide."
Right after Nirvana's words fell, I shook my head.
Having that mindset was problematic. That's not really what I was trying to do.
"It's not hiding, Nirvana."
"Pardon...?"
"It is covering their eyes."
What I was doing was far from simply hiding.
Because it wasn't hiding my body, but removing, stabbing, or taking away the eyes that would see me.
Therefore, the queens too must be raiders and attackers, always searching for the enemy's weak points and preparing to strike them.
It would be troublesome to only prepare for crises to pass or to avoid impending events.
"The same goes for all of you. Bear in mind that what we are doing is utterly 'attack', not 'defense' or 'seclusion'."
""Yes. Master.""
The other queens answered in unison.
But Nirvana still only wore a serious expression and had not yet answered.
I looked into her eyes and spoke.
"My short-term goal is to prevent them from seeing me until I surpass the elite grade and reach at least just before the high rank."
Until I rise to the elite grade, I could somehow seize human territory and paralyze their senses, but beyond that, it wouldn't be possible.
The elite grade covered, at most, one small kingdom.
But above that, I would truly have to seize the land of one or two nations just to cover my presence.
"...Will the story change when that time comes?"
"Of course, Nirvana."
When I lowered my voice and spoke as if whispering, all the voices around us vanished.
Into that silence, and into the minds of the queens who had become accustomed to hiding, I cast my words without a smile.
"When that day comes, you will no longer be able to hide."
Because by then, you will have grown too large to hide, and your power will have become too strong.
"Predators only hide their bodies when they hunt."
"Because then, the humans will have to hide from you."
Now it was time for them to reclaim what they had forgotten.
Not the instinct of a recluse, but the instinct of a predator.
"You are no longer the leaders of ordinary wild magical beasts."
You are queens who will advance together as my hands and feet, predators who must devour humans and demons to grow your power.
You are members of the 'Demon Realm'.
"Do not forget that."
This time, they couldn't answer properly and merely nodded their heads.
"Yes. That is how it is, my queens."
But the sharpness in their eyes had come to life a little more.
- 3 -
『Congratulations on achieving a Great Achievement! Your Demon Realm has launched for the first time in the world.』
"Urgent news! Master."
"What is it?"
"This letter has arrived at the dungeon."
That news came in while I was checking the message that popped up after our second conference ended.
It was a time when the queens hadn't even been dismissed yet, but rather, that made it a good time.
『As a reward for the Great Achievement, all attributes increase and...』
『To the respectful Lady Libertas, Her Grace.』
There was nothing special in the message anyway, so I dismissed it while receiving the letter.
And soon, I smiled naturally.
Because it gave me a single realization while also being something I had been waiting for.
『Baron Melzeros and 3 others send a single request to you. ...
... Therefore, within one week, send your reply regarding unconditional obedience along with your person.
...
... If you do not, we politely inform you that you and we will be in a state of war.』
Yes. My enemies are not only humans.
『Hoping for a speedy reply.
Lord Melzeros.』
The demon tribes that own dungeons on the surface are also my enemies.
And also.
"Foolish ones have come seeking me out at an opportune moment."
They are my prey.