201. Governance and Judgment
201. Governance and Judgment
- 1 -
「Assist the necromancer who has requested aid from the southern continent.」
The missive from the Master, delivered by Artemis upon her return from the Demon Realm. Evangeline read it swiftly, yet took in every character.
The letters on the mana-infused parchment glowed faintly.
"Any further word to convey?"
"She said she entrusts all situational judgment to you. Lady Consul."
"Understood."
Though the command had come without warning, Evangeline nodded without a word of protest.
Her coolly gleaming gaze shifted toward Sonia, who had been listening at her side.
"Lady Sonia. While I am absent, you shall be the center of the dungeon. As the Master's disciple, do not forget to make decisions with calmness."
Evangeline paused briefly to catch her breath before adding.
"Seek advice from Yuran for internal affairs, and from Shue for external affairs. However, their opinions are always biased, so you must take that into account and maintain neutrality."
"I understand, Dame."
Sonia's eyes glinted firmly upon hearing her words.
She did not yet possess the absolute loyalty of Evangeline or Artemis.
But the title of disciple to the Dungeon Lord Libertas, and the weight built from her time devoted to the dungeon, were more than sufficient.
"I leave it to you."
Evangeline rose from her seat the moment she heard her answer.
"Let us go, Dame. Artemis, please return to the Demon Realm and attend the Master once more."
"Yes. Until we meet again."
"Please take good care of the Master."
Artemis and Evangeline exchanged bows of mutual respect.
"Everyone, gather."
Once the Skeleton archer, whose flesh sat firmly upon its bones, departed, Evangeline immediately summoned the troops.
Those among the Skeletons who possessed special intelligence. The most loyal and refined force of the Master's royal guard.
It was an army of 'Veterans' personally selected and nurtured by Evangeline.
Whether warriors, knights, or mages, those gathered were few in number, but at the same time, they were the most powerful force in this dungeon.
Their weapons and armor were well-maintained and gleaming, and flames of various soul-colors blazed within their empty eye sockets.
- Is it truly acceptable to move so suddenly? What of supply preparations...?
The messenger who had come to request Libertas's help on behalf of his own master.
A nameless Skeleton Banneret asked.
Though he wore old armor and his voice carried a dignified tone, an unavoidable cautiousness seeped through.
"We are always prepared, Dame. Prepared to carry out the Master's orders."
The Skeleton Banneret, meeting Evangeline's gaze, felt a sensation as if his now-nonexistent heart was pounding.
It was not a feeling of romantic affection between a man and a woman, but purely a knight's intuition.
An intuition born of the certainty that 'this person's words can be trusted'.
"Therefore, please tell us the location of the dungeon where your master resides."
- Haah...
Even so, the reason he could not conceal his unease was because what hung in the balance was the life of the master he served.
But having come this far, he had already crossed the Rubicon.
Finding another way to save his master would have required far too much time.
- Our nest is here. I entrust this to you.
In the end, the undead knight revealed the coordinates containing his master's location.
A mana-infused crystal orb displayed the location in a blue light.
"The Norn Empire, is it."
After confirming the location, a cold smirk appeared on Evangeline's lips as she moved immediately.
Her actions were bold, and breathtakingly swift.
"Push these feeble hermits back."
After surveying the battlefield, the first thing she executed was making one fact known across the field.
That a 'more threatening enemy' had appeared for the monsters who had been repeatedly fleeing the human army.
- Kieeeek!
"Run. Run away!"
Her army, each soldier possessing the strength of a hundred.
They drove the monsters, who had migrated to this new region to build their nests, back to the opposite side.
Eyes bearing the flames of souls danced across the nighttime mountains and fields, terrorizing the monsters.
Whether they were giant wolves or four-legged humanoid centaurs, it made no difference.
"Where did these mongrels crawl out from!"
"They're just wild monsters anyway! Overwhelm them!"
"We will not retreat!"
Those whom the fleeing monsters encountered next were the vanguard of the Norn Empire's nobles, who had been scouring the forests and mountains to track down the hidden high-grade dungeon.
These were the nobles' private guards, distinguished more by their greedy emotions than by military discipline.
They suffered great damage in the battle against those monsters.
This was because the reckless aggression of the monsters was entirely different from before.
Indeed, any being with no escape route behind them was bound to possess far greater initiative.
"You must relocate your dungeon."
"...Pardon?"
Afterward, upon meeting the necromancer, Evangeline immediately made that suggestion.
The necromancer's eyes, visible beneath a black robe that revealed her pale white skin, widened in surprise.
It was no easy task.
Finding a suitable location to settle the core of a high-grade dungeon was itself a difficult endeavor.
And even if such a location were found, how was she to conceal the signs of the newly spreading magical domain conversion?
But fortunately, there was one piece of land prepared for the Dungeon Lord.
A land where she could freely expand her dungeon, provided just one condition was met.
"Serve our Master."
It was an act bordering on coercion.
Yet within Evangeline's voice lay a certainty, a power that instilled faith in the listener.
"You mean Lady Libertas? Then..."
"Then you will not die immediately, and you will also gain a stable sanctuary."
The deliberation could not be long.
Even though Evangeline had temporarily obstructed the enemy's advance, confusing them, it was only a matter of time before the human nobles returned.
"I understand. What must I do?"
The necromancer ultimately accepted the offer.
Her pale, white hands clutched the hem of her robe tightly.
"Exercising the Master's authority by proxy, I shall form a provisional contract. A contract of master and servant."
Evangeline formed a contract with the necromancer using the authority granted to her by Libertas.
Immediately after, she sprang into action.
Through a passage fate-bound by the contract, she sent this Dungeon Lord's core and army to Libertas's dungeon.
She and a small force remained behind to collapse the remnants of the dungeon.
And after erasing even the last traces, she immediately returned and helped the new Dungeon Lord settle.
"We came back empty-handed."
"What are we to do about this! The army and supplies have suffered immense losses!"
"Ah, how could we have known the monsters would rampage so suddenly! That is exactly why I told you not to attack so recklessly!"
In the end, the human nobles' pursuit party had no choice but to conclude that there had been no dungeon in this region.
Leaving behind only ruined relationships as they blamed one another.
Greed and pride were crushed by the heavy sense of defeat.
"Our dungeon's mages will assist in suppressing the signs of the magical domain conversion, so you need only focus on settling into this region."
"...Thank you."
Relief filled the necromancer's voice.
The time it took for all of this to be accomplished was, at most, a mere week.
A swift salvation brought about by rapid and flawless execution.
It was sufficient time for the necromancer to grasp the capabilities of the dungeon she would now rely upon.
"Eve did well."
"...It only took a week to relocate the dungeon? Just how much did you pressure them? Poor thing..."
It was only natural that Libertas, upon receiving the report, gave a satisfied smile, while Serica, hearing the same story, wore a somewhat dumbfounded expression.
The commonality between these two reactions was that both believed in, or acknowledged, Evangeline's competence.
- 2 -
If holding the center of the dungeon and handling major and minor affairs was the role of Evangeline and Sonia,
then controlling the flow of humans along the dungeon's borders was the role of Shue, the 'Knight Orders', and the harpies.
The northern part of Arilit, and the riverside of the Foile River, were those very borders — regions where Libertas's influence reached, but which could not yet be called a completely sovereign domain.
In these regions, 'disappearances' had begun to occur frequently as of late.
"Kill him."
Shue captured three mages near the land where the new Dungeon Lord, who was to become a follower of the Master, had settled.
They were individuals who had drifted into this area by chance, sensed the signs of the magical domain conversion, but then, feeling unease at the guild's lack of action, tried to flee.
Robes inscribed with the guild's crest fluttered faintly.
"W-Wait... please spare me! I don't know what's going on, but...!"
Peok!!
Cheok.
As the knight who had crushed the mage's head with his mace offered a military salute, Lin Xue nodded simply.
Her red eyes were so sharp they seemed as if they would cut anyone who touched them.
"That's enough. We'll make a round of the area and head back."
Chak!!
All of the troops present here, except for her, were clad in sturdy armor and carried various weapons either over their saddles or at their waists.
Their attire all followed the standard dress of the Arilit or Norn regular forces, but their true nature was different.
At minimum, they were high-grade Skeleton Knight Bachelors. At best, elite Bannerets.
An army of the dead was running rampant across human lands.
"Good work!"
The one who greeted Shue upon her return to Intre City at the northernmost tip of the Arilit Duchy was a small pink harpy.
It was Serha, the princess acting as the leader of the harpies in place of Queen Kamaya, who was currently away in the Demon Realm.
"You worked hard too..."
"Good work, ma'am!"
'She's really something.'
Unlike on the battlefield, Shue returned in an instant to her usual somewhat airheaded expression. Watching that face, Serha inwardly let out a sigh of admiration.
It was admiration mixed half with sincerity and half with exasperation.
Serha had witnessed her figure on the battlefield several times.
The way she coldly dispatched enemies like icy frost, the way she issued commands without an inch of hesitation.
And now, the way she returned as if she were a completely different person.
'I just can't get used to it!'
A brutal killer on the battlefield.
And a slightly unreliable, airheaded woman in ordinary times.
It was no ordinary feat to get a handle on the two.
"No problems, right...?"
"Yes! Of course!"
Shue stroked Serha's head as she nodded hastily.
An unhesitating attitude, as if genuinely dealing with a cute younger sister.
Her white fingers slipped through Serha's pink hair as the harpy closed her eyes.
This was an exceptional occurrence.
For Shue, who usually divided people into 'those loyal to the Master' and 'those who are not', the only ones she did not keep at arm's length were her 'comrades'.
It meant that she trusted Serha that much.
Of course, there was no way Serha could know this.
Because Shue had always treated her this way.
"Let's go inside."
Inside the fortress, numerous people were milling about.
Merchants and citizens busy with their own tasks, and patrolling soldiers.
But though gazes focused on the knight order now entering with the small harpy lady, no one looked at them strangely.
Those capable of sensing suspicion in things and investigating were under appropriate 'control,' or had long since lost the ability to do so.
And those who were not, had already grown accustomed to the frequent comings and goings of this new 'regular army.'
'This place doesn't have much time left either.'
Feeling the traces of mana carved into the fortress walls, Lin Xue smiled.
There was no reason not to be happy.
Her master's influence was growing faster than before.
'And I'm cutting out any signs of betrayal...'
She herself could firmly support the center of that power.
Of course, she had no intention of being satisfied with this.
"Serha."
"Hm?"
"Do you have time today...?"
At the sudden question, the harpy princess tilted her head.
Her pink hair swayed gently.
"Of course I do. My workload has decreased a lot since you came, unnie. What is it?"
"I want to inspect the new necromancer's dungeon."
Serha's eyes sparkled at Shue's words. It was a light mixed with adventurous spirit and anticipation.
"Is it an inspection? Can I help you with it?"
"Yeah... It's more convenient if I have your wings."
A harpy's specialty was, after all, flight.
Even among them, Serha possessed outstanding talent. Her ability to roam the skies was such that she did not even fall behind her mother, Kamaya.
On top of that, with magical assistance, she could carry Shue, who was larger than her, and still fly swiftly and stealthily.
"Great! I'll definitely help you!"
At Serha's enthusiastic answer, Shue gave a faint smile.
As the princess of the harpies, she possessed an ambition to earn merit and increase the influence of her kind within Libertas's magical domain.
But that was not all.
[Fight for the Master! Dedicate your lives!! Save the Master!!]
The final moments of this clever princess, reminiscent of a young girl, were vividly preserved even in the memories of Shue, who knew the future.
The image of that moment when she tried to protect Libertas even at the cost of her own life.
Though their relationship had changed somewhat now, that impressive loyalty would only grow stronger in the future, never weaker.
This was the reason Shue treated Serha specially.
'If traitors are to be cut down, then the loyal must be raised.'
She did not strictly need Serha's help to observe the necromancer, but this was the reason she involved her in every minor thing.
To further nurture her, for the day she would become a true comrade.
'As the Master's territory expands...'
More tasks would arise, and more dangers would come.
But at the same time, it signified growth.
The expansion of territory. The strengthening of subordinates. And the elevation of the monarch.
To achieve that, more 'good people' were needed.
"Let's go get ready."
When night fell, she would once again become a cold blade.
Exactly as Serha had described as being sickening, that very figure.
'If it's for the Master...'
It did not matter what form she took. That was Lin Xue's true heart.
Her red eyes blazed coldly.
Tonight, she was scheduled to inspect the new Dungeon Lord who had joined the magical domain.
She would obtain an invisible timetable.
A timetable pointing toward the conclusion of either Lin Xue's aid, or a scheduled execution.