163. Sister Flowers on the Battlefield
163. Sister Flowers on the Battlefield
- 1 -
For any group that has grown past a certain scale, it was inevitable to gather periodically.
And if a group was large enough to require such gatherings, conflict was just as inevitable.
This was especially true for an assembly of Dungeon Lords, all of whom were brimming with pride in their own power.
"Kimaris."
The strange tension hanging over the banquet hall of the northern Demon Realm of Dantalion had everything to do with this.
From the first and second in command of the vast horde, down to the lower-ranked strongmen whose forces were significant enough that they didn't need to hang on the others' every move.
An odd atmosphere had settled in. Only a few were enjoying their meal as if it were fated, while every other Dungeon Lord wore a tense expression, unable to even touch their food.
There was only one cause for the atmosphere.
The two beings who were the very reason this gathering had been called.
"P-please spare me... spare...!"
Of course, the ones at the center of the conflict were also enjoying their meal as usual.
Squelch!
Today's main dish for Kimaris was a female siren who, in human terms, would have been about twenty years old.
After methodically twisting her neck and sucking out every last drop of the being's soul and essence that seeped forth, the Demi Lich slowly turned only his gaze toward the one who had summoned him.
Thud.
Only when the siren's corpse, now a mummified husk in his hand, dropped to the floor did he open his mouth.
- Did you call for me, Your Highness?
The man in the silver mask appeared outwardly calm, but an intangible power—undefinable by any single color—faintly bled from his body.
If those standing near him hadn't all been Dungeon Lords of a certain caliber, it was a dangerous aura that could have cost them their lives from mere proximity.
The power of a demon, fused with otherworldly force.
It was a power even Dungeon Lords feared, but Kimaris possessed a level of martial might capable of opposing him.
"I heard you told them to release that human female."
- A female...? I know not of what you speak.
At Kimaris's ambiguous answer, the small, pretty lips beneath the silver mask curled faintly.
The demon, who possessed the appearance of a beautiful human boy, added, his expression outwardly elegant.
"I am referring to that green-haired female my subordinates had captured."
- Ah! That. I had some urgent business and so I made use of her.
A shameless attitude, tapping his own head with a thock as he said it.
Those who had already pieced the situation together tensed their whole bodies, certain the Archduke's rage would erupt at any moment...
But, surprisingly, Dantalion simply asked in a cold voice.
"If you judged her necessary, you must have had sufficient cause. Was that high-grade Dungeon Lord truly worth that much? Enough to expend my test subject?"
- Hmm...
Seeing Dantalion betray no agitation even after several provocations, Kimaris dropped the shameless act and looked down at the wine glass in his hand.
The red liquid inside that glass was none other than the juice of an elf.
Gulp.
As he downed the elixir in one breath, a red light and steam momentarily rose from the black skeleton's frame.
Feeling his strength increase, even if only minutely, Kimaris spoke again.
He could not afford a direct confrontation right now anyway.
Even if he had chosen 'complacency' over 'advancement,' an Archduke was still an Archduke.
- I do not know.
"You do not know?"
- It seems the test subject was more incompetent than I anticipated. She has produced no results so far and has not even shown her face.
"Ha."
At the Marquis's nonchalant reply, Dantalion this time let out a hollow laugh. He leaned forward, pressing both hands against the table.
As a dangerous aura emanated from his entire body, the weaker Dungeon Lords began slipping out of the banquet hall one by one.
"You made a contract with it? And it hasn't returned? That would mean it's dead?"
- I said I do not know. No word has come on whether it lives or is dead. One thing is certain: it did not please the Archduke as much as anticipated.
"..."
The Archduke, who had stared at the Marquis for a long moment, smiled with his eyes beyond the silver mask and stepped back.
Just as the Marquis warily watched the Archduke, the Archduke was just as wary of him.
He was not the faction's second-in-command for nothing.
"Fine. If you say so, then so it must be. What a waste. She was a compatible subject I had secured after a long time."
- Well, you will be able to find a better one, will you not? Demons and humans are as numerous as cockroaches, after all.
"I suppose you're right."
Thus, the conflict between the two powerhouses—which had nearly erupted over a single human—was brought to a close.
'Phew...'
'I genuinely thought I was going to die today, fuck...!'
The other Dungeon Lords only then began to eat and chatter, though they still kept a careful eye on the moods of the Archduke and the Marquis.
Whatever anyone said, Kimaris was a Dungeon Lord whose combat power alone rivaled Dantalion's.
If the two Dungeon Lords clashed in earnest, it was obvious the power structure of the continent's north would be completely overturned, at the very least.
'It's obvious he's hiding something.'
'He's like a sly old snake.'
Of course, they themselves knew this better than anyone.
And they also knew they were in no position to fight—not with other Archdukes and rivals watching for any opportunity like predators.
- 2 -
A week had passed since Genota's army invaded Haisen's border.
Elena was still standing in the middle of the battlefield.
"Huu..."
As her mana flowed out with a sigh, the spear answered with a sorrowful cry.
Aaaa...
The grief-stricken wail shook the surrounding air.
As if lamenting the tragedy of war.
But the reality was the polar opposite.
Elena felt the mana raging inside her.
More precisely, she felt the immense power born from resonating with the spear.
'I've become far stronger than I was before the war.'
The power she now wielded had grown incomparably greater than a week ago.
Although she still remained at the elite grade, she had advanced so much that comparing her current self to her pre-war self would be an insult.
The training and practical experience she should have accumulated over a month had been condensed into a single week of battle.
However, that was purely in terms of magical power.
'My body cannot keep pace with this power.'
The weapon granted by her master's grace was constantly making her stronger. But her physical body could not keep up with that growth.
It was like trying to hold more water than the vessel could contain; she could not properly handle the overflowing power.
Aaah...
That was precisely why the sorrowful mana seeped from the spear.
It was reacting to her feelings of regret, even as power simultaneously leaked out due to her imperfect control.
"Haa."
In the end, Elena sighed and wrapped the spear blade with the special leather bestowed by her master to stow it away.
The most unique ability of this spear, called the Devourer of Sorrows, was its power to absorb the negative emotions generated on the battlefield and convert them into mana.
Because of this, she could not leave the spear unbound in the encampment during ordinary times.
It would even swallow the reluctance to fight present among the soldiers, potentially stirring unnecessary strife between them.
"Lady Elena."
"Camilla."
When she turned her head at the familiar voice, her adjutant was standing there.
'Was she called a living Jiangshi...'
Elena's gaze naturally went to her red hair.
Though she outwardly appeared perfectly human, her true identity was a Jiangshi—a yokai from Yuran.
'Mikaela.'
She who had once been her sister had now lost all her past memories and become her younger sibling's adjutant.
Her once-bewitching appearance had completely changed, and what her looks now contained was closer to fighting spirit than seductiveness.
The only trace of her previous life was the red hair Elena now saw.
'She reaped what she sowed.'
Elena let out a dry, hollow laugh and thought.
Considering the misdeeds she had committed in life, an ending like this could even be called merciful.
Of course, whether she herself would think so was unknown... but Elena did not sympathize with her at all.
Even when she was alive, she had been a woman who was only ever a hindrance—never a help—to the family and to herself. And now, she had become a far more useful being.
"A communication request has come from Lady Adelaide."
"... Again?"
"Shall I decline it?"
"... No. Connect it."
At Elena's answer, Mikaela—now called Camilla—took out a communication crystal from her bosom.
As a subtle light spread from the crystal, a face with a perpetually cold expression appeared beyond it, as usual.
Hair that grew increasingly splendid, from brown to reddish-gold toward the ends, and the same blue-gray pupils as Elena.
It was Adelaide Ironfield, the eldest daughter born of the Marchioness's second wife and one of the two influential successors.
- Elena.
"Sister. I heard you were looking for me."
- Yes. It is nothing of great importance.
The ensuing conversation concerned supplies and additional reinforcements to be sent to the front lines where Elena was stationed.
However, the real meaning behind those words was nothing more than small talk. Such detailed matters had already been coordinated between the working-level staff.
- It seems Reinhardt is sending additional reinforcements. No doubt it is intended to keep you in check.
It was also not a conversation a family's successor needed to have with the great general on the battlefield. Both of them were already reading each other's trivial intentions.
'Before, I would have thought she was doing something truly bothersome.'
Elena carefully observed Adelaide's small gestures visible through the communication portal.
Constantly fiddling with her ear, touching her hair, scratching the tips of her nails... trivial actions she would never have permitted herself before, dismissing them as uncultured.
Watching all these tics—which seemed almost designed to assert, 'I'm not interested in you'—Elena smiled bitterly inside.
Her anxiety was just too clearly visible.
In a situation where suspicion already existed, these were all far too definitive as signs.
"Do not worry about me, Sister."
The words that had been flowing continuously from the other side of the communication portal cut off abruptly.
The expression on Adelaide's blank face was different from her usual one.
It was neither calmness nor coldness.
It was as if she had suddenly forgotten how to form facial expressions.
So to speak.
It was the trace of long years etched onto the face of a woman who had strived not to make her own younger sibling her weakness.
"I am not weak. Not as an individual, nor as a group. So, Sister, you must focus on Reinhardt."
- ... I do not know what you are talking about.
A moment later, Adelaide snapped out of her frozen state, turning her head to the side and averting her gaze.
Watching her, Elena continued in a firm voice.
"Then do your best as you are. Your rival is not someone so easy that you can afford to deal with them while distracted."
- ...
"I will take care of the younger siblings."
Adelaide's face stiffened for a moment at those words.
Though she must have already anticipated it, having the secret she had guarded for so long uncovered by her incompetent younger sibling appeared to be a shock, even for her.
- You... save such thoughts for after you win this war.
'As expected.'
Elena once again reflected on the realization she had come to recently.
That they, the younger siblings, were Adelaide's true weakness.
The reason she had tried to subtly draw the other younger siblings into her sphere—leaving Elena herself aside—was now clearly understandable.
'Brother and the second eldest sister were both set on politics and power.'
So she had done her best to embrace and protect the younger siblings who had already become entangled in the succession struggle.
'But I was different.'
Elena's—past Elias's—goal had been self-proof.
That was why she had wanted to push her to the border march: to get her out of the enemy's sight.
Rather, to give her a chance to discover her own talent.
Having realized this, it became difficult to simply hate Adelaide.
'Because I... I was just as starved for affection, after all.'
She had wanted to be recognized by her charismatic father, and she had wanted to be recognized by her always impressive and strong elder sister, too.
Though the person from whom she wanted recognition may have changed now, the remnants of that emotion still lingered in a corner of her heart.
As love-hate.
"Please be moderate with your contact. Since I will not be getting hurt."
- I contacted you precisely to see if that was the case...
"Understood. Then, is your business for today finished?"
- ... Yes.
The current Adelaide had, in Elena's eyes, transformed—not into a sister to respect, but at least into a sister she could not leave alone.
"Then, let us contact each other again next time. Stay healthy, Sister."
- You too... yes.
She thought she glimpsed a faint smile pass across the fading communication portal.
There was no way that could be.
Her face had been frozen for so long; it would take even longer to thaw.
Or, a catalyst would be needed.
'To find that catalyst... first, I must win here.'
With this thought, Elena turned her gaze and looked west.
Flutter!
Countless flags fluttered in the wind in the distance.
Her eyes could also make out the encampments as numerous as those flags, and the army busily moving between them.
And behind them, a single citadel came into view.
Cheoks, one of the two capitals of the Driaz Duchy and the Cheoks Border March.
That place was right before her eyes.
"..."
In the heavy silence that had settled over the battlefield, Elena gripped her spear even tighter.
The wailing of the magic spear that devoured the enemy's pain and the allies' fear echoed faintly in her ears.
- 3 -
"The patriarch said he wishes to see me?"
At the sudden words, I paused for a moment.
It wasn't unexpected news. I had anticipated that a day like this would come sooner or later.
"Yeah. Though I opposed it..."
At my question, Serica scratched her forehead, answering with a somewhat uncultured and troubled look.
Her usual bold demeanor was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a cautious attitude like that of a servant delivering bad news.
But her next words were nothing if not resolute.
"If you feel burdened, you can refuse. I will persuade the patriarch... Father."
"What did he say his business was, for you to go that far?"
Serica's reaction was strange.
If it were simply that the patriarch wished to see me, there would be no reason for her to be this cautious.
There was clearly more to this.
"That's... I mean. Haa."
A display of opening her mouth, then closing it again, over and over.
Then, as if having steeled her resolve, she let out a deep sigh and opened her mouth.
"... A son-in-law candidate? Or a daughter-in-law candidate? Anyway... He is viewing you as that kind of prospect."
"What... did you say?"
For a moment, I thought I had misheard.
But seeing her reddened face and embarrassed expression, my ears had not been mistaken.
Fwoosh!
A moment later, I felt a faint hostility rising from Eve, who was standing beside me, directed straight at Serica.
Her hostility was controlled so delicately that no one but me could feel it, but its intensity was by no means slight.
'What is all this about.'
I sighed internally.
I could immediately tell that something troublesome had just landed in my lap.