253. Garden Cleanup (2)
253. Garden Cleanup (2)
- 1 -
I walked the streets of Hylash.
Under the deepening moonlight of the night, the purple narcissus blooming throughout the streets glowed faintly.
The sight of flowers grown in the royal castle garden decorating every corner of the city was unmistakably beautiful.
With every step I took, those flowers swayed gently, greeting their master.
'The mana is overflowing.'
I felt the fierce current of mana flowing beneath the ground.
It pulsed with a regular and intense rhythm, like the beating of a giant heart.
The artificial mana heart, formed by clustering dozens of dungeon cores together, was the source of that thrumming vibration.
The mana that began in the garden of Narcissus Palace flowed down to the royal castle's underground prison, and from there, spread throughout the city via the subterranean waterways.
Just as the roots of a plant take hold deep within the earth, my mana enveloped the entire city.
The underground of Hysen had become my dungeon, and further, a part of me.
"Master."
Eve knelt and reported.
"The renovation of the underground prison has been completed. All that remains is to move the prisoners into the new cells."
I nodded.
All criminals from every territory of Hysen had been gathered in Hylash.
Among them, those with severe offenses had been converted into my military strength, and those whose crimes were lesser were paying the price for their sins through labor underground.
The nature of that conversion needed no explanation.
"What of those children?"
The Dungeon Lords who had been used as test subjects in the old Archducal Palace were mostly transferred here, to the underground of the royal castle, and were spending time recovering.
Those who swore loyalty to me were spared. Those who wished for death became my nourishment. And those who were neither were sent to the Demon Realm through the Mammon Trading Company.
That mercy would, in time, become another form of strength for me.
"Most remain in a lethargic state. Until they reconnect with their cores and reclaim their standing as Dungeon Lords, it cannot be helped."
Evangeline's green eyes glinted coldly.
"They were once Dungeon Lords as well. Those capable of recovery will not take long."
Her words carried an implicit double meaning.
That those slow to recover would have no value.
I smiled as I walked toward the underground.
"We now have room to spare, Eve. If that is so, would it not be acceptable to share a little of that room?"
"Those who gnaw away at my master's leeway are worth no more to me than street rats."
If Shue was 'strict,' then Evangeline was 'heartless.'
To her, demons and humans alike were nothing more than equal objects.
Only I and those closest to me were exceptions.
'That is why she inspires such quiet fear among the dungeon's members.'
Because even though she always spoke kindly on the surface, the moment a mistake was made, she turned as cold as if she had become a different person entirely.
And yet she maintained a quiet popularity because she masterfully disguised that indifference as impartiality.
Click. Click.
Clank. Clank.
The cold sounds of high heels and greaves echoed through the underground prison.
The narcissus flowers embedded in the walls lit up in time with Eve's footsteps and mine, as though recognizing their master.
My mana flowed through these flowers, not only reshaping the structure of the prison but also driving the demonic domain conversion of this area.
The humans living above would, before long, come to take demons for granted.
"This is the final block."
The place Evangeline pointed to was warded by a special barrier.
It was where Ruihareuteu had confined the most dangerous of beings.
It stood empty now, but the marks etched into the walls alone were enough to guess what kinds of experiments had been conducted here.
"Keep it sealed for now."
"Yes."
Once, Yurena had probably been here too.
"How is the work of the necromancers progressing?"
"On schedule. We have already buried corpses in the subterranean waterways at key points throughout the city, and they stand ready to awaken at any time. In ordinary times, they themselves will serve as our mana."
Satisfaction rose to the corners of my lips.
Thus, the renovation of the underground was never simply about confining more prisoners.
This place was to become the blueprint for turning a human city into part of a demonic domain.
"At every site where corpses have been buried, we have planted your flowers, Master."
Eve's cold voice rang through the underground prison.
Her green eyes shone with reverence for me.
"They are functioning flawlessly as conduits of mana. Now, your will shall seep into every last corner of this city."
While the purple narcissus scattered the mana that manipulated the human mind, the black lilies were the channels through which the mana of my demonic domain flowed.
Those two flowers would bloom resplendently, regardless of the season.
"Spring will come soon, after all."
A smile tugged at my lips.
"It will be beautiful once the flowers are in full bloom."
As time passed, beyond Hylash, the entirety of Hysen would gradually become mine.
Until I turned the entire surface world into my demonic domain.
- 2 -
In the old days, the city that had been the capital of Guileus County was renamed Atrium.
A name that revealed the intent of the one who had chosen it.
But Amelia, the head of the former Teramor—now Atrium—household and the one who had become the Duke of Orbis, did not let it bother her.
No—she could not afford to let it bother her.
"I stand before Her Majesty, the Queen of the Orbis Duchy."
Her blue eyes looked down upon the visitors.
Feeling her heart race, Amelia drew a deep breath.
"Welcome to the Duchy."
She tried to put on an elegant smile, but her own reflection in the mirror kept looking unfamiliar.
The extravagant dress, the weight of the cloak pressing down on her shoulders, the crown encircling her brow.
'To have changed this much in just six months.'
From the young lady of a backwater fortress to a duchess, and now, to the seat of a queen.
The rise had been so rapid she felt dizzy.
As if she had shot up from the bottom of the deep sea to the surface in an instant.
'There is no way someone like me belongs in a position like this...'
The voices of the nobles sounded distant.
Every single one of their gazes felt like an appraisal of her worth.
It was overwhelming, and it made her feel sick.
"The activities of the mercenary companies have been quite impressive."
One noble spoke up. Amelia nodded.
"Mercenary companies in which humans and monsters serve together... I was perplexed at first as well. Thanks to them, the bandit problem has been completely resolved."
It was a matter she already knew about, but she pretended ignorance as she continued speaking.
Of course, it was not a lie.
The mercenary companies that had been formed recently were genuinely showing remarkable results.
Human mercenaries handled the security of villages and cities, while monster mercenaries took charge of the dangers in the mountain ranges and deep forests.
'There is just one secret—that all of it belongs to my teacher.'
Not many knew that those monster mercenary companies, thus formed, were effectively no different from the royal armies of the Orbis Duchy, the Ironfield Duchy, and the Kingdom of Haisen.
Among the nobles gathered here, perhaps fewer than half.
'...There really are monsters mingled among the nobility.'
Amelia took careful note of those among them who 'served the same master.'
In the past, she would not have been able to recognize them at all, but now she could instinctively pick them out.
They were not the majority, but even so, a great number of nobles had already become monsters.
Or else they were monsters who had become nobles.
"It seems that recently, even those who had been hiding in the mountains are revealing themselves one by one."
Another noble continued.
"Indeed. Not long ago, a family of orcs settled on the outskirts of our village. They are remarkably skilled blacksmiths. It worked out well, given our shortage of arms."
Laughter erupted among the nobles.
To them now, monsters were no longer objects of fear.
Rather, they were new neighbors and collaborators.
"They say the Alraune have also been selling more herbs of late."
"Yes, they make their living trading herbs and magical reagents. Thanks to that, the skills of our alchemists have been improving by the day."
"To think that exchanges were once so limited. This must mean the monsters, too, acknowledge that our Orbis Duchy is in the right."
Amelia inwardly gave a hollow laugh at those words.
Because she thought that if they knew the true nature of this duchy, they would not be making such peaceful remarks.
"Soon the spring festival will be held. It seems this time, some new and unusual participants will be enjoying it alongside us."
"Indeed. It shall be the first official joint human-monster festival ever held."
The nobles' eyes sparkled. They were enjoying this new change.
Those who knew nothing, and those who, on the contrary, knew very well.
Amidst them all, Amelia thought that once this council ended, she absolutely had to seek out those Alraune.
'My stomach feels uneasy...'
The Duchess and Queen of the Orbis Duchy, the very emblem of human-monster exchange.
It was, without doubt, a glorious position.
But to Amelia, who until half a year ago had been nothing more than the daughter of a rural lord, the weight of that crown was far too heavy.
'...When my teacher arrives, I must ask her to appoint someone else as king.'
Of course, she knew.
That when Libertas whispered softly, she would have no choice but to obey.
And so, this was a resolution born of nothing more than a childish complaint.
- 3 -
"We come to report, Master."
Along with a cold voice, two figures appeared.
Talhan, whose violet eyes gleamed coldly through strands of white hair, and Saya, whose crimson eyes flashed above a shadow-black outfit.
"The number of eyes upon Hylash has increased as of late."
Saya spoke, stepping forward.
She was in charge of detailed intelligence gathering and espionage in critical regions.
"That is only natural."
"Of course, but especially among those who have come from the Western Continent... there are many who possess the skill to detect demons."
I leaned my arm on the armrest of the throne. It was meaningful information.
"Might they have detected us?"
"Not to that degree, as yet..."
Saya's eyes glinted coldly.
"Which means the Archdukes moved with exquisite timing."
"Additionally, there are traces left behind by Prince Jeong. The last information he dispatched was that he had lost me."
"That does follow."
I drew a smile across my lips.
To think the final thrashing of a dead man could have such far-reaching aftershocks.
But that was not a bad thing either. It meant the prey was walking right into my lap.
Of course, that alone was insufficient to justify dispatching personnel into Hysen—it was either an excessive leap of logic, or an extraordinary act of resolve.
My intuition told me it was the latter.
It was only because his opponents had been Saya and me that he had been defeated; the power Yi Jeong displayed in his final moments had been formidable.
If he had activated that power before launching his assault, he would certainly have become a significant headache.
"What has become of Duke Hinnes?"
"He is under attack by the expeditionary force led by Viscount Daniel and Lady Shue. They will apply pressure for a time, then withdraw."
It was Talhan's answer.
He was the necromancer who had seized control of Hysen's information network and even partially possessed the networks of the information merchants and the Information Guild.
He was in charge of the overall collection and systemization of intelligence across broader territories.
"Though he received support from two kingdoms, the informants I planted are disrupting him, and he is failing to mount a proper joint defense."
I had no intention of placing Duke Hinnes back under Hysen's influence.
The purpose of this expedition was a show of force against Kakia and Elieniessi, who had exploited the chaos in Hysen for their own gain.
The Hinness Duchy would either be reduced to ruins under the might of Shue and the monster mercenary corps, or freed only upon the surrender of Duke Hinnes himself.
Furthermore, my army would plunder everything from that place on their return.
The territory that would be laid waste would serve as ample warning to the other margraves.
"Well done, Talhan."
"Thank you."
This time, Saya relayed intelligence concerning the neighboring powerful nations.
"Norn is on high alert regarding the defense of the Teilland alliance. Zenota remains in turmoil."
"It seems the two Archdukes still thirst for more."
"Yes. In truth, as they are seeing results, however incremental, they will only grow more ravenous."
Centered around Hysen, every faction was losing its equilibrium.
Within that chaos, my influence was spreading—quietly, but surely.
"With our neighbors keeping each other in check, our opportunities will only multiply."
I nodded at Talhan's words.
My plan was already moving into the next phase.
With my success in Hysen as the foundation, the time had come to reach my hand toward the wider world.
'Until my master's darkness blankets the world.'
When I answered Saya's words with a smile, the two soon vanished.
I carried on with my thoughts.
Before advancing further, I would need to refine my forces more tightly.
If I intended to seize not only this surface world but the Demon Realm as well, I would have to move more briskly.
For that, the organization would need to be further elite-trained, so that every last subordinate shared the same perspective as their commander.
'...Still, I can afford to rest for a while.'
In a marathon, the important principle was to maintain an appropriate tempo.
Sometimes, it was also necessary to strategically slow the pace.
It was time to nurture the flowers of the garden further, in order to forge a new era.