185. The Stairs (1)
185. The Stairs (1)
- 1 -
Hwik! Tak.
Hwik! Tak.
The red apple left her white hand, soared into the air, then came back down, repeating the motion.
The apple traced a trajectory as precise as a blade, returning to the same spot every time. Its movement was under perfect control, just like when she used to behead enemies.
Her claws, once used only to cut down foes, could now avoid damaging even a single petal, depending on how she wielded them.
'Back then, I lacked this aspect...'
She recalled her first life.
The moments when she had surrendered her body to frenzy to annihilate Libertas's enemies. Her attacks back then had been just as sharp, but compared to now, they lacked precision.
And now.
In her second life, the tips of her claws had been honed far more finely than before.
Her gaze toward the floor was tranquil, but beneath that serene expression, a faint frenzy swirled.
'No one but us can offer true loyalty to Master.'
She thought of her comrades.
Evangeline, Yuran, and even the two comrades who had yet to rejoin them.
They were all capable, and they all possessed perfect loyalty toward Libertas.
'There's no need to doubt...'
All of them possessed sufficient ability to carve out lives of their own in the distant future, yet they had abandoned all of it and chased after this second life.
Loyalty was not something that could be proven by rational judgment or calculation.
It had to be frenzy.
Absolute and blind, yet simultaneously restrained by reason—frenzy.
'I haven't found all the traitors yet...'
Her pure white tail swayed ceaselessly, and the ears perched atop her head moved without rest, as if determined not to miss a single small sound around her.
Her keen senses detected every movement in the vicinity. The things she had missed in her previous life, she would never miss this time.
'So that such a thing never happens again.'
The smile lingering on her lips was deeply serene.
But behind that smile lay a volcanic fury toward those who had once betrayed her master.
Her rage was merely resting; it had not vanished.
'We will change everything...'
Lin Xue, Captain of Libertas's Guard, now thought of the one person she was waiting for.
She had taken countless lives for her master, and she would continue to do so.
"I wonder when she'll arrive."
Having shaken off all that fury in an instant, a smile returned to her lips.
Managing the dungeon was her original duty, but she could afford to step away for now.
Because Evangeline had returned after wrapping up matters in the Guileus County.
'I've scattered the troops appropriately, so they won't be able to think of running for the time being...'
Immediately afterward, I rotated with Evangeline and took on a new mission.
Namely, matters in the south.
Taking advantage of the chaos in the northern part of the duchy caused by the war, Nirvana's monsters, and the movements of mercenary bands, she had eliminated or recruited the spellcasters with detection abilities one by one.
She had preemptively dealt with those who could interfere with the plan.
'Now, nothing can interfere with Master's work.'
Though it was a brief visit, she was certain.
The monitoring network covering this region was perfect.
The Harpy Queen Kamaya and her successor Serha, along with Echidna's subordinate Jarax, had come down again from the territory of the Border Margrave to cover the southwest.
Evangeline in the center.
The Lamia Queen Echidna in the southeast.
In the north, the Myrmekian Queen Orea, Chancellor Etna, and Twilight Hunter Commander Daniel controlled everything together with the information guild.
No change within the dungeon, and no one inside it, would be able to leak anything to the outside world.
That was precisely why she could wait with such a peaceful heart right now.
'In this life... definitely.'
Her thoughts broke off there.
Clop-clop-clop...
At the sound of carriage wheels coming from afar, her ears perked up.
And before her eyes, the carriage carrying the one she had been waiting for finally appeared.
A black carriage that had exited the Ironfield Border Margrave's territory at Crode and was heading toward Iltkis, where the 'gate' leading to the dungeon was.
It was the carriage carrying Libertas, the master she loved.
- 2 -
"Master."
"Welcome, Shue."
Midway on the journey back to the dungeon, Shue rejoined me.
Her face was expressionless, but her slightly flushed cheeks and her pure white tail that wouldn't stay still made her look all the more adorable.
"Not waiting at the dungeon."
"I wanted to see you just a little bit sooner..."
Not to mention her voice, trembling slightly with shyness.
"Did you handle the southern affairs well?"
"Yeah... Kamaya is watching over things now."
Shue answered as she snuggled into my arms.
The carriage interior was reasonably spacious, so there was plenty of room even with her on board.
Artemis and Maria were sitting in the coachman's seat, and Talhan had departed from the Border Margrave's territory straight for his assigned sector.
[When I see you next, I'll bring you the information merchants on a leash.]
[I always trust you. Bring me results.]
[Yes, Master.]
Since I had also finished tuning his body and traits while staying in the occupied territories of Ironfield, there was no reason to stop him.
"Yes... so the occupation of the south is complete as well."
"Yeah. There's nothing left to interfere now."
It felt deeply meaningful.
The glow of the sunset seeping through the carriage window caught my gaze.
Under that warm light, I briefly reflected on the time that had passed.
'I thought it would take a bit longer.'
Areupina's attack, backed by the Northern Demon Realm Marquis, had instead become an opportunity for us.
We seized control of the information network across Hysen that she had shattered, and even succeeded in occupying the practically isolated Guileus County.
It was an operation where Talhan and Haley created the opening, and Evangeline took the lead and brought it to success.
In the west, Elena and Yuran had been active.
While a territorial war unfolded in the south, they exploited the weakened surveillance network and fabricated a justification of 'enemy provocation.'
Elena completed this scheme by seizing over a dozen castles before her true identity was even revealed, and Yuran faithfully supported her, ensuring Elena was regarded as a hero of Ironfield.
In the east, Echidna expanded the foundation of my power.
Taking advantage of the moment the Aryllit Duchy's forces were diverted to the northwestern territorial war, the bandits and monsters of the Foile River caused chaos.
Echidna quelled this chaos and seized regional dominance, and that influence played a decisive role in placing the lords and castellans near the river under my control at the gathering hosted by the 'Poisoned Holy Grail.'
Now, the south too had fallen into my hands.
Using the war that broke out in the southwest as an opportunity, I had shaken the rear lines and neutralized the magical surveillance network of northern Aryllit.
It was an opening created by the monsters Nirvana controlled and the mercenaries Evangeline had bribed, and Shue had driven in the final wedge.
"All preparations are complete, Master."
"Yes. Sonia."
I could see that Sonia's eyes, as she looked at me, wavered with complex emotions.
'She's still conflicted.'
It was a natural thing.
She originally possessed misanthropic sentiments, and though she now felt no dissonance in serving me, she would not have forgotten the fact that she was originally human.
In a corner of her heart, such questions probably still remained.
'What exactly am I becoming? Am I still human when I serve a monster as my master? Am I the same person I used to be?'
The sense of revulsion she once held had faded to a degree unimaginable compared to when I first met her.
Because she felt a mix of familiarity and respect toward me.
'That is precisely what makes her who she is.'
Now, her hatred merely lingered at the conscious level. The hostility that had once instinctively boiled within her had already vanished.
That meant she had become completely mine.
Not just her body, but her mind as well.
'Soon now.'
I looked at Sonia and smiled.
Her existence was as good as proof that one of my goals was achievable.
The goal of dominating both humans and monsters alike.
"Master. Here."
When Shue spoke to me from the side, I looked and saw her offering me an apple.
It was the very apple she had playfully made dance in the air until a moment ago.
"Why an apple?"
"I picked it while waiting for you to come... I chose only the sweetest ones."
When I smiled brightly, Shue's tail moved even more vigorously.
It swayed so much inside the carriage that Sonia had to subtly shift her seat.
"Thank you. To think you'd pay attention to something like this."
"Well, waiting for Master is a joy in itself..."
Her words held a hint of shyness, but her eyes were clear and bright.
It was an attitude like that of a young girl, hard to imagine coming from the captain of my guard who exuded such frenzy during battle.
But what lay within those bright eyes was a fervent love for me, an intense obsession.
It was something that made a smile rise to my lips.
While the sunlight seeped through the window, the carriage continued to run.
Sonia, looking outside, still seemed lost in thought about something.
"Shue."
"Yes, Master..."
"You did well."
At the simple praise, her ears trembled slightly.
With the corners of her mouth lifted, she burrowed deeper into me, and I gently stroked the small of her back.
"You must be tired, so let's rest a while in Iltkis before we go."
Shue would have to return before long. Kamaya would soon need to vacate her post for a while, and it was somewhat uneasy to leave only Serha as the central figure of the southwestern surveillance network.
But before that, a brief rest would be fine.
"Yeah...!"
With a bright reply, Shue's tail swished grandly once more, and this time, Sonia let out a soft sigh.
Before us, the city of Iltkis drew nearer.
The appearance of this city, situated on the route to the dungeon, looked especially beautiful today.
- 3 -
It was last month, when Serica was helping the dungeon lords with their promotions, that she had conveyed to me an invitation from her father, Velled Baritra.
An invitation sent by the head of the Marquis household.
And its purpose was...
"Rita! It's Serica, Rita's prospective bride!"
Serica leaped into the air with a radiant smile.
Her body drew an elegant arc as she flew toward me. Lightly, like a petal riding the wind.
As always, the subtle fragrance of various flowers, centered around roses, emanated from her.
"What do you mean by that, Serica?"
"Hehe."
Even at my words, mixed with a sigh, Serica paid no mind and nestled into my arms. She was endlessly bright and lovely, just as she usually was.
After burying her face in my embrace for a moment, she soon spoke of the important matter at hand, her eyes wide open.
"Right, right. The approval for the two of them has been finalized, you see? You can cross over together this time and have them granted mana as dungeon lords."
"I see. Thank you."
It was about the dungeon lord promotions of Nirvana and Kamaya.
The final approval for a dungeon lord was something only the Demon King could grant. Thus, this visit to the Demon Realm included a schedule of entering the Demon King's territory.
"Thank me?! It's something I can do anytime for you."
"That attitude is what makes it even more appreciated."
'The Demon King, huh...'
I recalled the time when I performed the first contract that bound a human to the Demon Realm.
An overwhelming presence that seemed to seize my soul with just a single arm and a gaze. Back then, I had done nothing but tremble.
I wouldn't have to face him directly this time either.
The Demon King himself would surely know the effect his existence had on weaker demons.
If a mere arm and eye could exert such oppressive pressure, how much more oppressive would his full form be?
He, too, probably wouldn't want to cause a mass slaughter.
'So if I do meet him...'
It would only be if he personally summoned me during a visit to the Demon King's castle.
It was extremely unlikely he'd call for a dungeon lord who wasn't even elite, let alone high rank... but the possibility existed.
The problem was that the Demon King wasn't the only one who had taken an interest in me.
"Master."
"Eve. Are these the letters that arrived this time?"
"Yes. They accumulated during your external tour."
When we arrived at the Fate Armory, Evangeline was there.
She stood with a Skeleton carrying a box full of letters.
I could understand why she hadn't been able to come out to greet me immediately.
The letters from demon realm nobles were matters to be handled with care, and important enough to require processing the moment I returned.
Flutter.
The letters were spread out. Their number was not great.
Evangeline would have already filtered out the invitations from unremarkable nobles.
That meant the letters remaining here were all ones I needed to read personally.
Letters from nobles of count rank or higher, or from those who possessed considerable wealth and power regardless of title—correspondence from such individuals had to be checked and answered by me directly.
"Serica. What do you think?"
Fortunately, I had someone well-versed in such matters at my side.
While I gathered information on the demon realm through trading companies and close associates, to truly grasp the situation, I also needed the insight of someone who moved in demon realm social circles.
"Hmm... This one has a lot of money but is a lust demon. You'd have an unpleasant experience if you went. And this demon over here, his title is high but he's just trash..."
A few letters Serica picked out returned to Eve's hands. A somewhat more polite reply would be sent compared to other rejection letters, but a rejection was still a rejection.
Five letters remained.
I took them and headed indoors. Placing the letters on the table at the entrance, I issued the necessary instructions to those who had followed me inside.
"Sonia, focus on extracting Areupina's knowledge, and after that, assist Eve while I am away."
"Understood, Master."
"Eve, hold the center just as you have been."
"Do not worry."
"And..."
For those not present here, I decided to write out behavioral guidelines and deliver them.
It would be good if everyone who followed me could attend this event together, but regrettably, that was impossible.
The aura emanating from this event was far too vast, so it had to be conducted while thoroughly monitoring the aftershocks.
'At last.'
Now, I would climb one more stair on the path to becoming a monarch.