80. Untying the Knot (8)
80. Untying the Knot (8)
- 1 -
"What a truly admirable thing to say."
Libertas could not have been unaware of the expectations Sonia held—expectations that might even be called cowardly.
Her insight was only growing more intense with time.
"Who...?"
"Sonia."
How many cases were there of people so accustomed to leaning on others that, once that support was removed, they would turn their resentment on the very pillar they had relied upon?
Yet Sonia had managed to prioritize self-reflection, even after her self-centered expectations were betrayed.
Unlike Elias.
"Mm... she is a comparatively solid person... from what I've heard, it'd be hard for her to stand on her own..."
That was something worthy of praise.
"Eleanor... ma'am."
But Sonia, who had no way of knowing that Rita and Shue were exchanging such compliments about her, simply continued to feel troubled.
How was she supposed to treat a newly made noble who was also a 'slave'?
The nobles she knew were either overgrown children brimming with arrogance and pride, or truly admirable people armed with a sense of duty.
They were such a hard-to-understand species, categorized so neatly into just two groups.
"Please, call me by my name, young lady."
"Excuse me? But..."
So when Eleanor was the first to speak those words, Sonia could only be surprised.
Because in her understanding, a noble was a creature incapable of saying such a thing.
"Or you may simply call me 'you' or 'slave'."
"There's no way I could do that."
"It is the right thing to do."
In response to Sonia's troubled expression, Eleanor shook her head.
She knew.
She knew what one ought to do as a subordinate placed in a position to serve someone.
That knowledge came from the arc of her life.
Though she had believed she was meant to rule and had tried to adopt that attitude, she was, after all, a fallen noble who had never once been a ruler.
As far back as her memories went, Eleanor had already held a subordinate status and had never truly stood above anyone.
"As of now, I am nothing more than a slave. Young lady, it is fine if you think of me and use me as an object in human form."
"How could that be possible?"
"... You are too kind, young lady. It is a joyful thing for one of my standing, but you must do so."
Her life had always been one of dealing only with people of equal or higher status.
The branch family members were not low enough in station to be treated as servants or subordinates.
As for the others, excluding her younger brother, they were all elder family members. She had to treat even the children of her uncle that way.
That was, until she was recognized for her household's power and became the family successor.
The reason she had maintained the stance of an arrogant superior was only because she had been educated that way; in truth, she was akin to a fake aristocrat who had never properly experienced such a position.
That was why her resistance to Libertas's pressure was less than expected.
"If you don't, my master will be greatly angered. The words she spoke to me, 'Know your place,' carry that meaning."
"What does that...?"
"It means that if I commit even the slightest rudeness toward you, Miss Sonia, cause you harm, or act unbecoming of my station, she will 'dispose' of me... appropriately."
Because of that ambiguous position, she had been able to grasp Libertas's intentions precisely.
If nothing else, she had been practically brainwashed by her family regarding 'appropriate treatment according to the hierarchy of status.'
"Ah..."
"So, please, grant me the only... comfort I am currently permitted. And please, tell me what I must do. I am inexperienced but will follow to the best of my ability."
Even if Eleanor hadn't properly accepted that she was now in a position deserving contempt, she knew it intellectually.
And that Sonia was not someone who could thoughtlessly look down on others.
That was fortunate for both of them.
Sonia was able to learn about the treatment she needed to carry out through Eleanor.
And Eleanor, before having to accept reality, was forced by a superior to accept her standing, saving her from the shock of it.
It meant both had been given sufficient time and leeway to adapt.
"Are you finished talking? Let's go."
Only after the conversation was tidied up like that were the two of them, Maria and Sonia, able to help Eleanor reunite with her family.
"Mother, sister, Al..."
"Sis...ter. Are you okay?"
"How did this happen?"
"For now, I'm fine. If everyone waits, we'll be able to get you out soon. The Dungeon Lord said so, so just follow whatever she says."
"If that's the case..."
After meeting her immediate family and cousins, Eleanor focused on reassuring them first.
If they failed to follow the Dungeon Lord's orders out of needless anxiety, someone might die, and the endeavor she had poured her strength into would be undermined.
Especially her uncle's family, who had lost their patriarch, were steeped in despair, making such care even more crucial.
"The Father... The Father..."
"Pull yourselves together. If you don't get a grip, even your mother could be gravely hurt."
"Are you alright? What should we do from now on?"
"First, we have to stay here. Fortunately, the Lord of this place is moderate. If you just listen to what's said, you won't be harmed."
Her cousins, too, were a generation that, like her, had never truly experienced the 'real life of a noble.'
Humans who had only learned the conduct of a noble from their family, practically no different from commoners.
Eleanor thought that was actually fortunate.
If they'd ever had their way with servants or slaves, it might be different.
As it was, they couldn't clearly understand that they had now become someone else's property.
Yet at the same time, they were in a situation where they superficially understood what they needed to do as people of lower status.
Because that way of life would keep them alive.
"That's a relief, but..."
"And if luck's on our side, this is a chance where we might genuinely be received by other 'Great Ones,' isn't it?"
"That's... true."
Moreover, their family were fanatics.
People who were naturally predisposed to think of the demonkin as their betters.
That fact helped them in accepting this bitter reality, both for Eleanor and her family.
The reason they had become fanatics in the first place was having indirectly encountered a 'Great Being' with the help of other 'siblings.'
They had never genuinely met a 'Great One' or a 'Being with the potential to become great.'
That fact was enough for them to hold onto hope now.
"Indeed. That person truly... seemed like someone with the qualifications to become great."
"From what I've heard, the dungeon itself hasn't been established for long. Yet if that person has already mastered such deception and conduct..."
"She was chillingly noble..."
Thanks to that fact, and the dignity of Libertas they had actually encountered, Eleanor, aided by Sonia and Maria, was able to manage her family splendidly.
"Everyone looks like they'll be okay."
"Do they? Phew..."
And so, at last, Eleanor could breathe a sigh of relief.
"Oh, right. You have to use casual speech with me, young lady."
"I'm just not used to it yet..."
"That's impossible for Sonia in such a short time. It'd be better to be satisfied with this for the time being."
In a way, this, too, was an example of the one who tied the knot untying it.
Eleanor, who had nearly ruined her family by earning the enmity of Libertas and Sonia, had now, in turn, comforted and soothed that very family well.
- 2 -
A short while after leaving the underground prison, partly to give the three of them time.
"A guest, you say?"
- Tak.
A skeleton approached me while I was inspecting the remaining parts of the dungeon I hadn't yet examined.
The area this soldier was in charge of was the original entrance, which had become the 'guest entrance.' That passage had been collapsed and buried under a mountain, then opened just enough for a few people to pass through, so it hardly needed guarding anymore.
He had brought word that a guest had arrived there.
"Who is it? I hadn't received any prior notice."
- Dalkak.
"Who? Is that really true?"
- Tak!
I couldn't help but look at the skeleton with a puzzled expression; that was how unexpected the news he brought was.
But since a guest had come, and since that guest had come bearing positive news, I couldn't just leave them standing outside the door. My gaze shifted to Shue.
"Shue. Bring them to the reception room. I'll go ahead."
"Mm... I'll be back soon."
Normally, I would have sent a 'disciple' or a 'lady-in-waiting,' but at the moment, all the dungeon's people were gathered in one place for a meeting. And I couldn't exactly send a laborer with a broken brain, or a word-magic user who was completely sealed and immobile—or at least completely mute—to guide a guest... Sending Shue was an unavoidable choice. She understood that too, and after nodding, she disappeared down the passage with quick steps.
"An uncivilized one... who learned no manners in the wild... comes before the Queen of the Dungeon."
"Welcome. Do not concern yourself with formalities. What meaning do the mere customs of humans hold for us?"
"Such great consideration... truly... I am grateful. However... we are also... well-versed in human-style etiquette."
"I know. Your kind often interacts with humans. I merely meant for you not to be bound by it."
A little while later, arriving at the newly furnished reception room on the first floor rather than the second, I smiled as I looked upon the guest who had arrived.
A tree spirit, an Ent.
Although I hadn't exchanged direct intentions with them, they were a member of a faction that had shown me goodwill first.
"Here."
"Oh... thank you. Warrior of the Dungeon... I didn't expect you would... be so considerate."
"It's only natural. Our master is never negligent with guests."
The tea for the envoy was not actually tea, but mana-infused honey. It was the result of extra consideration, since tea made from other 'plant' materials would probably be hard for them to drink. He was deeply pleased, and Shue was even more delighted at his praise.
"I didn't expect your side to send an envoy first."
And so, in that pleasant atmosphere, the audience began.
"Our... Queen has long desired exchange with the Queen of the Dungeon... Having heard that you have returned to the dungeon recently... she sent this gift and myself... out of desperate eagerness to convey those feelings."
"That is welcome news indeed."
"Here... is the gift sent by the Queen... We hope you receive it gladly."
Hearing my reply, the envoy immediately bowed his large body and then presented the objects taken from his person directly to me.
A staff crafted from wood and decorated with a few skulls and feathers, three in total. It was an unsophisticated-looking object, seemingly unfit as a gift, but...
"A staff of a greenskin shaman. What is your reason for giving this to me?"
Knowing what it was, I couldn't help but wonder what the gift signified.
"Outside the dungeon, in a clearing a short distance away... there are magibeasts our Queen has succeeded in dominating... The proof of their subjugation is this staff, and they are beings upon whom spells of suggestion and curses have been placed, so they will obey whoever holds this staff and gives the command... This... is our Queen's gift to you..."
"Excessive."
This gift meant three things. First, that they regarded me so highly that they would go to such lengths to give me a special item. Second, that despite having subjugated such wild magibeasts, they were generously handing over a portion, showing off the martial prowess of themselves or their faction. Third, that the sender had been watching my dungeon closely enough to be intimately familiar with my circumstances. It meant they knew my dungeon lacked magibeasts nearby and were aware of what consequences that would bring.
One could say they were simultaneously showcasing their intelligence network, operational ability, military power, and goodwill toward me.
"Convey to her that I give my thanks. Say that I received it most gladly."
"Understood... Queen."
The right timing. And the attitude of someone who greatly wins favor by showing goodwill. On top of that, there was another 'Queen' vouching for that goodwill. It was a gift that would become a great discourtesy to refuse.
The envoy, who had bowed deeply at that, immediately spoke of his next piece of business.
"Also, our Queen eagerly awaits the time when she may meet the Queen of the Dungeon... She commanded me to receive a time for a conference to be held... so please, show us your consideration."
Of course, there was no need to delay this any further either. The matter concerning them was currently the top priority among my tasks to resolve. However, there was no need to inform them of a precise time. The ones waiting were them, and even just looking at the current situation, it was certain that my forces held the upper hand. There was no need to come across negatively, of course.
"Tell her not to worry about that either. I shall go to her soon, if she waits."
"The Queen's grace is immense... Then... I shall relay that to our Queen."
The Ent who had come as an envoy bowed his head like that and then prepared to leave.
"Wait."
If I hadn't stopped him.
"What... is the matter?"
The Ent asked me, his expression gentle but tense. Truthfully, that attitude had been continuous since he first arrived here. It was, one might say, clear evidence of how fearsome a 'Dungeon Lord'—who was ordinarily capricious and possessed of great power—was to ordinary beings.
"It is nothing special; you needn't be tense. I merely wished to know what your Queen likes."
"Ah... if it's that..."
Curiosity about the one who had sent me goodwill and gifts. Actually, there was no real need to ask; it was a question asked purely out of propriety and courtesy. When the Ent envoy returned, he would likely add the flattery that I had been curious about her. Even without considering the difference between humans and magibeasts, this was a courtesy that would please any intelligent being.
"As expected... she would like honey."
"I suppose she would. You may go now. It was a pleasure to meet you."
"The honor... was mine as well."
After all, the identity of the Queen the Ent served was the Alraune Queen. Now, the time had come for the long-postponed conference with my neighbors.