176. Duty and Profit (1)
176. Duty and Profit (1)
- 1 -
"That should do it."
At my words, Echidna removed her hand from my leg.
The marks she'd left on me during the 'massage' I'd given her the night before had already vanished without a trace.
My traits and the body's regenerative ability played a part, but it was largely because her medicine and healing magic were effective as well.
"I am ashamed."
Echidna's face flushed red. Her expression, a mix of embarrassment and guilt, looked somehow adorable.
"Don't feel so guilty about it."
"How could I not? To dare inflict injury upon Master's precious body..."
"Haa... come here."
I sighed and pulled her into an embrace, for she couldn't seem to calm down at all.
To Echidna, I was one of her few friends and her first superior. I could understand why her guilt was deepening.
"Master?"
"I'm telling you it's fine. But you're not listening to me. So for now, at least listen to my heartbeat."
My heart, as a Dungeon Lord, was a special organ that circulated mana instead of blood, but for her, who was sensitive to mana, it would likely feel even more intimate.
Indeed, the moment her ear touched my chest, I felt her tension gradually easing.
A moment later, she, who had been silently nestled in my arms, spoke.
"It's strange. The sound of another's heartbeat..."
"Is it not a sound of relief?"
"It truly is."
I released her, now calm, and rose to my feet.
Mana flowed out naturally and tidied my attire.
"Will you rest a little more?"
"No. I must see you off."
I heard Echidna quickly rise from her spot.
Today, I intended to depart for the west. It was to confirm the results of the war I had intensified.
"When shall I be able to see you again?"
Echidna asked, standing before the door leading into the dungeon.
Her eyes held affection. If the humans who feared her or the monsters who opposed her had seen this sight, they might have doubted their own eyes.
"Those who called you noble and dignified would be disappointed, Echidna."
"Their gazes mean nothing to me. Master."
Her reputation in this region was similar to how the dungeon monsters evaluated me.
It was a reputation that made it obvious whom she had modeled her behavior outside the dungeon after.
"Aren't the matters here practically finished? Come to the dungeon whenever you have time."
"Ah, I see."
She smiled happily.
A passage leading to my dungeon had already been constructed in her new castle.
This was possible because the territory governed by a queen or Dungeon Lord under my command was recognized as part of my dungeon.
'It's a strange thing, now that I think about it.'
The fact that simply by changing the ruler, a place became a quasi-Demon Realm, made one question just how far the Demon King's authority reached.
But now was not the time for such thoughts.
Scrape...
As I shook off my thoughts and walked ahead, Echidna followed behind me, her tail producing a rustling sound against the ground.
- 2 -
When I passed through the door connected to Echidna's fortress and stepped outside the dungeon, the four people who would accompany me were already waiting.
"Teacher. You've arrived."
"Master."
Sonia, Maria, Artemis, Talhan.
Among them, my gaze went to the two in the back. That was because I had helped them adjust to their new bodies until the evening before.
"How are your bodies, you two?"
"In perfect condition."
With a Sarak! Talhan briefly manifested his mana and then dispersed it.
I had just taught him how to use curses for ambushes from the shadows and the most lethal attack magic.
"I am the same."
Artemis smiled as she drew her newly fitted bow and released the string once.
For her, I had only adjusted her body. There was almost nothing I could directly help with in terms of technique.
She would likely need help from Evangeline or Daniel.
"Keep your skills sharp. You may need to use your strength in the west."
"Teacher. Is there truly a need to go to a place at war?"
Worry was etched on Sonia's face.
"Of course. Sonia."
I nodded firmly.
Aside from going to check on Elena's situation, there was a very important reason for going there.
"Isn't this the war I instigated? As the one who caused deaths that perhaps didn't need to happen, I have a duty to witness the results with my own eyes."
"But..."
Sonia tried to say something more, but I raised a hand to stop her.
"And..."
I lowered my voice for a moment.
"Countless souls are wandering there in vain. The deaths of nobles and soldiers. And I am a Necromancer."
Harvesting the souls of the dead. That was a matter that went beyond simple profit.
Ultimately, the purpose of this western journey was both a sense of responsibility as the instigator of the war, and the profit of a Dungeon Lord who deals in necromancy.
Rather than leaving the dead abandoned, it was better to turn them into my own power.
Whether it was a noble blinded by power who forgot responsibility, or a knight blinded by privilege who abandoned duty.
"I see. Understood."
Sonia's eyes wavered, but she opposed no further. She had also understood.
That this was the path of a Dungeon Lord.
"Master. The harpies sent by Queen Kamaya have arrived."
Maria pointed to the sky. Winged silhouettes descending from the distant sky came into view.
These were the ones Kamaya had sent in advance to take us to the west.
"Good. Everyone. You wouldn't happen to get motion sickness, would you?"
At my question, both Sonia and Maria shook their heads.
I suppose Talhan and Artemis don't count since they're undead.
"Talhan. Try casting it on everyone. The concealment magic."
"Understood."
Traveling by harpy would greatly improve our speed, but it was somewhat difficult to hide from human eyes.
Also, since the distance wasn't that long, it was a good chance to test Talhan's skill.
Magic that demands this kind of sustained maintenance should be able to last at least half a day to be effectively used in a crisis.
"Good. Let's go."
After Talhan concealed everyone in shadows, we began moving, riding the carpet-like construct sustained by the harpies as they flew in formation.
'How many must have died?'
Even as we flew, cutting through the winds of the mountain range, I thought about the results of the battles intensified by the information warfare and behind-the-scenes manipulation I had orchestrated.
Though civilian casualties were minimized, it was impossible to prevent all collateral deaths.
But this feeling was different from guilt.
I did not feel heartache over their deaths, nor did I have any intention of stopping this.
As I had already said, this was a minimal sense of responsibility and duty.
Whether directly or indirectly. It was the determination not to see those I had killed as mere numbers.
- 3 -
"Let us down here."
"Yes. Great Master."
About three days.
The harpies, spreading their sturdy, beautiful wings, had carried us safely to our destination.
Neither the midnight storms nor the cold updrafts of dawn posed any problem for them.
"Master? This place is..."
"It is called Bilereubo. It would be better to travel on foot for a while from here."
The place we arrived at was Bilereubo, belonging to the Mathepit territory of the Arilit Duchy, which bordered my land to the south.
This place was not yet part of the fierce battle zone, but it was by no means peaceful. That was because, under my instructions, Nirvana's monster forces were eyeing their rear, waiting for a chance to strike.
"We shall stand by nearby. If you intend to move again, please inform us."
"Thank you. Good work."
"Think nothing of it."
After sending off the harpy squad, our party stood atop a hill and looked down below.
With the midday sun beating down from above, a vast landscape stretching from north to south unfolded.
On the left, a fortress not yet touched by the flames of war stood loftily. Its white stone walls were still clean, and farmers bustled about in the fields around the fortress.
However, far to the right, red flames and black smoke stained the sky. It was only a matter of time before the shadow of war stretched to this place as well.
"Hoo..."
Looking out over the land spread out beneath the blue sky, I took a deep breath. The wind blowing from the west was thick with the scent of the battlefield.
Blood and smoke, and... death.
The grudges of the dead were carried on the wind.
- You killed us!!!
A cry of resentment suddenly flew at me.
I simply seized the wraith with mana—a wraith driven mad by the truth it encountered in the spirit realm after death—and held it in place for a moment.
"Teacher?"
- I will make you die like me! Pierced by countless swords and spears... I will make you die a miserable death!!
After gesturing for the puzzled Sonia to stay back, I slowly examined the source of the fear hidden within the echoing screams and shouts.
"What a trite grudge."
The fury at having been manipulated by someone, and the resentment at having met death because of it.
But to my eyes, the self-hatred concealed behind it was even more apparent.
This wraith had been a knight in life.
His self-hatred stemmed from having walked the same path as those he had so despised.
The image of himself, blinded by power and interests with no regard for the suffering of the people, now tormented him endlessly.
They were always like this. They didn't realize it while alive, only recognizing their own true nature after death.
But by then, it was already too late.
"That is enough."
It was the wraith of a corrupted soul, all too common.
There was nothing more to see, so I harvested the soul and simply converted it into power.
"The presence just now was a wraith, Master."
"Yes. Considering they are coming to us even this far away, it seems quite a number have died."
I nodded in reply to Talhan's words.
For the grudges of the dead to exert influence this far, it had to be one of two things: either the depth of the grudges was great, or the quantity was vast.
And in this battlefield, it was probably the latter.
The deaths of countless people would be staining this place with resentment.
"Master. Over there."
While heading toward Bilereubo Fortress, Maria pointed at a dust cloud visible in the distance.
At the end of her finger was a cavalry unit riding, kicking up a dusty haze. The pattern on the flag they carried was that of Mathepit.
"They appear to be remnants of a defeated army. Pitiful."
I nodded at the words of Artemis, who had spoken after enhancing her vision with mana.
As she said, even from afar, the unit was filled with an air of defeat that could be recognized at a glance.
The horses were barely managing their exhausted steps, and the knights' armor was stained with blood and dust.
Some had even lost their helmets, and a few were struggling to keep their balance on their horses due to injuries.
A force of less than a hundred.
It was likely less than half the number they had when they set out.
Dagak-dagak-dagak!
The moment they passed by, I read their mood.
The despair of those who accepted defeat was mixed with the relief of those who had escaped death.
"They said they were being pushed back by Count Damamolron's frenzy. It seems that was true."
"So it appears."
I nodded at Maria's words.
What triggered the declaration of war from the territory of Damamolron was my abduction of Viola Eisap.
However, at the point the war broke out, I had no more business with her, so she was safely returned to Count Eisaf, the lord of Damamolron.
With only her memories erased.
'It was unexpected.'
I had thought that even if his daughter returned, the Count would be unable to stop the war.
Too much accumulated resentment stood in the way, and it was never easy to stop the frenzy of a war once it had begun.
But I had not expected that the Count would grow even more fervent and spur on the attack on Mathepit.
His advances and charges were imbued with an aggression bordering on frenzy. So much so that even while Duke Driaz was being defeated in the north, the Damamolron territory was continuing to achieve victories.
However, even that fierce offensive had recently been stalled. It was thanks to the efforts of none other than my subordinate.
'Elena did very well.'
The Twelfth Lady of Ironfield and my subordinate, Elena, was showing performance beyond what I had imagined.
[I look forward to the day you are called the Winged General. Elena.]
I remembered the encouragement I had given her when she departed the dungeon.
As if to repay those words of encouragement, she had succeeded in bringing most of the Driaz Duchy and the north of the Cheoks Border County under Ironfield's influence.
Within a span of less than a month.
'It must be troublesome for Zenota as well.'
If they dismissed it as merely the Duke's own affair, their territory was being chipped away. Yet if they responded aggressively, the whole incident had begun due to 'a mistake committed by Zenota's army.'
After all, an 'army wearing the uniforms of the United Kingdom' had crossed the border while hunting, caused harm to people, and then vanished.
It meant that even if they threw their full force into an attack, they lacked justification, so any gains acquired that way would have to be spit back out.
"They say the Kingdom is pressuring the Count to stop the war, correct?"
It was only natural that they would want to wrap things up at the negotiation stage.
"Yes. There was an order from the Royal Capital, telling him to be satisfied with the occupied territory. To reclaim even a part of the lost territories, they must first avoid being pushed back any further by Lady Elena."
It was just as Talhan answered.
Thanks to Elena, the Damamolron territory and Count Eisaf were also placed in a position where they could no longer ignore the threat to their rear.
And in fact, that was the reason I had stopped by here.
The Mathepit territory had been beaten down and was cowering. The Damamolron territory was being held back, seized by the hair from the rear.
In the battlefield created between them, countless grudges and corpses would be left abandoned without proper treatment.
It was an ideal situation beyond compare for a Necromancer like me.
- Oooo... aaaah...
- Pain... don't stab me anymore...!
The closer we got to the battlefield, the more the presences of countless souls could be heard. The voices of souls screaming and agonizing before deaths they deemed unjust wandered the empty air.
"Teacher. Over there."
When we finally arrived at the battlefield, that scene spread out before us.
The sight of some corpses rising on their own, and black and blue forms drifting here and there across the battlefield.
It was the process of souls filled with grudges naturally transforming into undead.
"It is a sight I am seeing for the first time."
As I observed the naturally occurring undead, two voices whispered to me.
'Your power lies there.'
'Do not miss what you must see.'
The instinct of a Necromancer.
And the voice of my responsibility.
As I stepped forward, something crunched under my foot.
It was probably someone's bones.
But I paid no mind to that, and instead fixed my gaze on the souls rising from all over the battlefield before my eyes.
They were the harvest I was meant to reap.
Harvesting the grudges of the dead and turning them into new power. That was the reason I, as a Necromancer, had come to this battlefield.