353. An Unexpected Gift (1)
353. An Unexpected Gift (1)
- 1 -
When a purple dusk was casting its twilight thickly across the sky,
in the midst of the sunset over the clear sea of sky, the form of a massive, slowly swimming citadel came into view.
Astaroth's flying palace, its bizarrely shaped spires stretching outward as if to clutch the heavens.
There, the comings and goings of nobles were ceaseless today.
They numbered among them those from the depths of the demon realm, and those who lived upon the surface disguised as humans.
A night of debauchery.
These were people who had come to revel in Astaroth's festival.
"Hahahaha... heh heh heh..."
"Oh my, Your Excellency... please, don't be so cruel."
The air of the Fate (緣) ballroom was dark and sticky, almost suffocating.
Dense magical power and a decadent, pleasure-seeking energy mingled together, stinging the nose.
Decadence and pleasure swirled everywhere, and there were even those who, drunk on narcotics, flaunted their filthy disgrace.
The two Grand Dukes of the Demon Realm looked down upon them from a high place.
With indifferent, yet strangely intrigued eyes.
Unlike the clamorous frenzy of the Fate (緣) ballroom, a heavy silence circled the seats where the two Grand Dukes sat for a long while.
That suffocating air pressed down on the shoulders of the attending maids.
"I have an amusing thought. Want to hear it?"
The one who broke that silence and rescued the maids was a beautiful succubus with pink horns.
The woman otherwise called the Duke of Obsession.
It was Astaroth.
Her eyes held a darkness brimming with sweetness.
Like a sticky, poisonous swamp filled to the brim with honey.
Dantalion answered quietly, yet distinctly.
"Wasn't that the reason you called me here?"
An answer that sounded not just indifferent but almost blunt.
His expression beneath the silver mask was utterly unreadable, and his voice was cold.
But the honey pooled in the corners of Astaroth's eyes showed no sign of ever dripping away.
Dantalion was a being who matched her tastes one hundred percent—no, two hundred percent perfectly.
"Occupying human lands means, in turn, being bound by human constraints. And as it happens, I possess a very good toy."
At those words, Dantalion stared into Astaroth's eyes for a moment.
A searching gaze of unfathomable depth.
Then he promptly retorted in a cool-headed voice.
"Do you honestly believe that will work?"
A sly, coquettish smile curled on the Dream Demon Duke's lips.
Her pale, slender fingers brushed her chin.
"The surest way would be to simply find that bitch and expose her true identity to the whole world, but then we wouldn't be able to use that fine piece against her anymore, would we? Dantalion, you are currently trying your hand at manipulating several nations on the northern continent as well, aren't you?"
"That is true."
Dantalion admitted frankly.
Much of his former arrogance had disappeared from him, but in its place, his elegance and the unfathomable depth behind it had grown even stronger.
Looking at him like that, Astaroth gazed at him with eyes that seemed to find him adorable. As if viewing a precious collectible.
"So you should also subtly incite the northern nations, getting them to join in on this movement. They've already been trampled by that bitch several times, so they'll be too scared to cooperate if left alone. With a bit of pressure and reward, they'll move willingly enough."
"It would be good if it succeeds, but if it fails, it will only elevate Libertas's standing further. Is that risk worth taking?"
Dantalion's point was sharp.
"Heuheu...! Well, if that happens, we'll just have to consider a truly final resort..."
Even so, Astaroth's voice didn't soften one bit.
Rather, the various emotions that had begun to boil up even more intensely pressed down on Dantalion oppressively.
He rubbed his temple and let out a sigh inwardly.
He treasured her as his one and only ally on the surface, but she was not an easy woman to handle.
"You feel the same dislike for that brat, don't you?"
"Well..."
When he propped his chin on the armrest and answered with an ambiguous murmur, Astaroth shot him a sharp glare.
The venom mixed into her sweet gaze revealed its true presence.
"What, you can't mean you've actually taken a liking to that bitch? Don't tell me it's some trite melodrama like 'You're the first to treat me this way.'"
"Don't talk nonsense."
Dantalion replied, appalled.
But he soon returned to a serious expression and stared at Astaroth.
"I just said it because this affair doesn't seem likely to succeed. I'm advising you in earnest: stop this, Astaroth. Libertas is far more meticulous and powerful than you think. If you touch her carelessly, it could truly become irreversible."
"Hm—."
Astaroth narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Dantalion's intentions.
Was he sincere, or did he have another ulterior motive?
A silence flowed once more.
But soon, a chillingly twisted smile of frenzy hung on her lips.
"No, I must do it. Because that bitch... really grates on my nerves."
A flame flared up in Astaroth's eyes.
Obsession, jealousy, and a desire for destruction were blazing fiercely within them.
"...Hoo."
Dantalion let out a deep, resigned sigh.
"Fine. Since you've helped me, I'll lend a hand. But don't forget to assume the worst and prepare your moves."
"Heuheu. I'll keep your warning in mind. But it'll definitely be fun. It'll be worth looking forward to, won't it?"
When Dantalion finally shook his head once and agreed, a pleasant smile played on Astaroth's lips.
Without having any inkling of what was to come.
Dantalion watched her like that with dark eyes.
From beyond the seven-colored eyes hidden behind his mask, a strange and ominous writhing swirled.
- 2 -
The black dragon that had once plagued the south of the continent, Tarnix.
He who had reigned beneath Agares's silence as the terror of the southern straits of Zenota was no more.
What remained here was only his separated core, debris, and a single ownerless bone graveyard.
Approaching the heap of white bones, I took the elite-grade Dungeon Lord core from my bosom.
"「Summon: Bone Dragon」."
A low voice.
That spell, akin to a command, implanted a powerful code into the core's magical power.
Hudeudeudeuk! Sswaak!! Deolkeok! Kwadeuk!
The dungeon core rose into the air, emitting a dark light.
The scattered dragon bones began to gather rapidly around the core, as if drawn by a powerful magnetic force.
The sight of the dragon's bones moving on their own to form a massive shape was mystical, majestic, and swift all at once.
The dragon was dead, but its magical power remained strong, and acidic and poisonous magical power still lingered in the bones.
Moreover, since the core I used was also from one who possessed related abilities, the compatibility could not have been better.
- Kuoooooh — !!!
The bone dragon, standing on two legs, unleashed a low and menacing roar into the sky.
As if proving the arrogant nature it had borne in life, it struck a deliberately proud and imposing posture.
But when I raised my hand, the bone dragon meekly bowed its head, like a large puppy that had recognized its master.
I tapped the nose of the bone dragon as it brought its cold snout to my hand, and spoke.
"Your name is Keltarion."
"My lord, does that name happen to have some special meaning?"
A question came from behind my back.
When I half-turned around, Ran was looking at me with a face full of curiosity.
Hearing the circumstances, it seemed I had given this same name to the first bone dragon in the first round as well.
"Hm. I see."
Stroking the dragon's snout, I considered what to answer.
In truth, that name was just one I had grabbed from memory, having given it without much thought to a dungeon's bone dragon while playing the game 'Millennium Dungeon 1'—the original of this world—back when I lived on Earth.
Going further back, it was the name of a character from a classic game that had left a particularly strong impression.
'It's meaningless... but there's no need to honestly say that, I suppose.'
... Thinking of it again now made me feel a bit sheepish too.
I just shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly and said,
"Doesn't it have a nice ring to it? I've heard it's from one of the languages now considered dead. A word whose very meaning has been forgotten, they say."
"Is that so...?"
She looked as if her doubt hadn't been resolved, but she didn't ask further.
"Get in."
I stored the newly created bone dragon, Keltarion, into the Shadow Space.
The subspace door, shaped into a massive gate to fit its huge body, closed, and we began preparations to leave the island.
Before leaving the island, I looked at Ran and gave her an instruction.
"The 'Second Seat' is you, Ran, so prepare yourself thoroughly."
Since I had completed one powerful being to dispatch on external affairs, I now needed to complete one who would stay by my side.
Only then could my other close aides also freely operate outside.
The position Ran would ascend to was High-rank Dungeon Lord.
A status that could occupy at least a Count's rank in the demon realm, or with luck, even a Duke's rank like me.
A healthy joy and a firm resolve appeared on Ran's face.
Though she must have already guessed it, those emotions showed no sign of fading whatsoever.
"I am grateful, my lord!"
Smiling at her, I boarded the ship that had approached.
The fleet split in two.
The legion's ship carrying Shue, Sonia, and most of the materials from the dismantled Tarnix headed north.
Meanwhile, the ship Ran and I were on left Tarnix Island behind and headed straight west.
Before returning to my base of operations, I had to stop by Agares's place as planned.
- 3 -
Around a day after heading west.
The purple dusk had vanished, and it was morning again with a red sun blazing.
Two pieces of land began to come into view before my eyes.
The huge island to the left in the south, and the land connected to the Zenota mainland to the right in the north.
The side where I had business was the northern territory of Agares, which was once called the 'Cretia Peninsula' but was now simply a part of the 'Southern Demon Realm.'
The Duke of Corruption's citadel was tall and splendid, plastered with blue-green magical luminescence like his scales and gold.
But what was hidden behind that splendor was every bit as repulsive as its magnificence.
Deolkeong!
As soon as I stepped inside the citadel, the terrible aftertaste of corruption began to sting my nose.
The ballroom of debauchery that Agares prided himself on came into view.
Hahahaha! Keeheeheeheek!
A scene where all manner of monsters and demons, and humans forced into laughter instead of screams, tangled together like beasts.
The table was full of the demon realm's delicacies, but beneath it, there was an array of horrifying 'food waste' whose ingredients could be guessed even without looking closely.
True to his title 'Duke of Corruption,' Agares delighted in these decadent banquets.
Perhaps the cause and effect were reversed.
It was a method I neither wanted to understand, nor could ever accept, for whatever reason.
I averted my eyes from the elf who looked as if she was about to vomit, eating from a plate decorated with long elf ears and fingers arranged like flowers, and headed for the great hall beyond the banquet.
Ran, standing next to me, cleanly swept away the stench with a single gesture.
"Your abilities, junior... are truly astonishing!"
Agares, the Grand Duke of the Demon Realm with a head resembling a crocodile, welcomed us by tearing his long snout open in a grin that reached his ears.
His eyes were gleaming with greed and vulgar satisfaction.
"It seems the gift pleased you."
"It did! Very much so! Haha!"
Agares opened his crocodile-like maw wide and laughed. There was no way he wouldn't be satisfied.
What I had handed over to him today was no mere lump of meat.
Dragon meat, which slightly enhances the talent of the consumer, was a delicacy and medicinal ingredient that was hard to obtain even in the demon realm.
On top of that, there were dragon scales that could be used as materials for all sorts of high-grade equipment.
He might be sorry about the lack of dragon bones, but I am a necromancer.
There was no way he would covet them knowing full well that dragon bones are an excellent material for me.
Thus, every single one of his actions and ways of thinking was within my expectations, but...
"The gifts you've given me so far are gifts enough, but to even clean up such a troublesome problem for me. So, I have prepared a 'gift' to give you in return. Hecate."
Only this statement was completely unexpected.
"What?"
Agares and a 'gift.' There was no combination as mismatched as this.
When I raised my eyebrows and showed my doubt, he burst out into a hearty, jovial laugh.
"Keu-keu-keu! You have a surprised look on your face."
"Forgive my discourtesy."
This happened because 「Lofty Profundity」 is a trait that maintains calmness, not one that thoroughly controls my expressions.
While I was composing my expression, Agares gestured toward his maids.
Soon, his 'gift' was presented before me.
"This person is..."
It was a single demon.
Though slightly faded, hair of a golden hue and dark brown eyes.
Though she was broken and frightened, her features and voluptuous figure must have originally been bewitching.
Above all, even the four golden tails that sprouted richly from behind her lower back.
I naturally turned my gaze to Ran.
"......!"
From her, an extremely restrained, yet deadly murderous intent was leaking out.
If this had not been in front of others, that killing intent would have shone with an even more terrifying and intense light.
"This one is a spy sent by Andras. I was planning to kill her for daring to kill one of my maids and infiltrate, but there was something that came to mind, so I kept her."
Agares, stretching his mouth wide, announced her identity.
"As it happens, she's of the same race as the subordinate you brought. How is it? Is she to your liking?"
"... Right. I see."
I readily nodded.
Because this person truly was a being worthy of being called the best 'gift' for me.
"I like it."
"That's good to hear! Take her."
"P-please, spare my life at least...!"
A member of the Gumiho clan.
Ran's main family, and her target of revenge.
The 'Ho' Marquis Household.
One of their members was now kneeling before me.