84. Black Lotus (4)
84. Black Lotus (4)
- 1 -
The conversation with Nirvana stretched on through the night, and I was only released the next morning. Even then, we truly would have talked until sunrise if she hadn't slept for a few hours.
She was quite... no, incredibly talkative.
"I hope we can see each other again next time."
"We'll probably be seeing each other often from now on."
After all, the best way for two groups to grow closer was, in the end, for their leaders to become close.
Frequent exchanges would be good for that... but honestly, I wasn't too keen on it right now.
One reason was that such exchanges could lead to things going wrong, but more precisely, it was because Nirvana was simply not a good exchange partner.
"You could stay and sleep over tonight too. Are you really just going to leave?"
"Yes. I'm really leaving."
"What a shame..."
She was just that flirtatious.
Perhaps Serha's assessment that Alraunes were face-obsessed had been true.
"A night with you seems like it would be enjoyable. If you change your mind later, come visit. Libertas. Personally."
"That won't happen. Nirvana."
"So firm. That makes you even cuter. Fufu."
It was an attitude that clearly felt like she didn't actually like me, but just liked my face, so I didn't want to get closer to her.
Of course, thinking about future cooperation and such, I would have to keep her close but...
I really wasn't keen on it.
"Well then, next time."
"Next time."
As I walked away, leaving her waving her hand behind me, Serha flew over to me only after I had gotten to a somewhat distant spot.
Her arms were full of fruits, and her body was thoroughly covered in the scent of fruit and dew.
She must have been preparing breakfast. Diligent.
"Seeing that the conversation went long, I suppose it went well?"
"Yes. It went well. We formed a pact between the dungeon and the swamp."
Seeing that she seemed unburdened despite the large quantity, just like when I saw her holding a spear before, her mother's blood clearly hadn't gone anywhere.
She was just small in stature.
'Was her father's side small? Could he have been a crow-tit harpy or something?'
"Congratulations, my queen."
"Thank you."
"Ah! Would you like to try this? It's the most delicious fruit around here."
As I chatted while having idle thoughts, she handed me one that looked particularly small among them.
It resembled a wild strawberry, but looked like a scaled-up version.
The outside wasn't very pretty. It looked like something someone with trypophobia would really hate.
But unlike its appearance, when I ate it, there was no juice and while it was incredibly sweet, it was a kind of sweetness that didn't feel off-putting.
"It really is. Incredibly sweet."
"Right? Hehe."
I preferred apples or grapes that had more tartness, but this wasn't bad either.
Maybe my tastes had changed because my body had become a woman's.
It wasn't a repulsive change. It was no big deal anyway.
"Where is the nearest one?"
"This time, Her Majesty placed the meeting spot at a bit of a distance from her base. She must not have wanted to show her base."
"Being cautious is good too."
The Alraune Queen had approached me feeling favorable from the start, but the other queens were not like that.
Even Kamaya and Serha, who could now be said to be fairly close with me, hadn't they maintained a cautious stance at first?
It was only because she was more broad-minded than the other queens that she had invited me to her base.
It was right to assume that the other two queens I hadn't met yet would be at that level or worse.
"She's so cautious that she hasn't even placed a successor. It seems she doesn't even choose a mate."
"Really...?"
But this seemed to be a result of her own disposition applying to some extent as well.
One of the most important things for a ruler was a successor, yet she hadn't even decided on a successor.
It was only natural to think there must be a reason for a monarch of ordinary creatures, not a Dungeon Lord who was completely unified with the dungeon and core, to act that way.
Especially for a species like hers that produces many offspring, it would be even more so.
"So, the location?"
"It's a lake to the northwest of Her Majesty's dungeon. She said to meet there."
"Alright. Let's go."
I briefly recalled the vicinity of the dungeon and the species of the queen I was about to meet, and quickly nodded.
Not as much as the Alraune, but she also needed moisture all the same.
Especially to properly demonstrate the abilities she would possess...
'Naturally, near a lake would be where she feels most secure.'
As long as she still couldn't trust me from that side, I could view that much of a demand as endearing.
However, if she resisted even after being given sufficient trust and credibility, then appropriate measures would be needed at that point.
"How will she come out this time?"
My gaze turned toward the direction where the sun was setting.
The place where the sky was still dark because the sun had not fully risen.
Beneath the mountains there, right below.
The third queen I would meet this time would be there.
- 2 -
"..."
Shue was lost in thought as she looked at the back of her master's head walking ahead.
It was because of the two conflicts she was currently harboring.
'...Should I tell her?'
The first of them was about 'whether it would be good to tell the master about being wary of the queens.'
Currently, the leaders of the wild monsters who had come to cooperate with her master were all cooperating with Libertas because they each had their own desires.
But if they were in a position where they couldn't fulfill those desires, there was a high possibility they would immediately betray the dungeon and cut ties.
'In this aspect, that warrior Kamaya is no different...'
So trusting those queens was out of the question, but...
However, if Libertas distanced herself from them because of Shue's warning, that betrayal might come even sooner.
'Head hurts... If Eve or Yuran were here, I could just leave the thinking to them and only act.'
Even as she pressed her head, Shue did not stop thinking.
The reason Shue agonized over this so painfully despite hating deep thought so much was, in the end, because this was her master's business.
'Still. I don't want to lose her vainly again.'
How many times had she regretted that if she had just thought a little more and moved more nimbly, she wouldn't have had to lose her master.
So she had to keep agonizing too.
At the very least, in order to actively exchange opinions with her other comrades.
'And... I need to get it back quickly.'
The second worry was this.
This time, she had absorbed the power of Eleanor, an elite berserker, so the specs of her 'attributes' that affected her body had all reached the entry level of elite,
But still, it didn't reach a wild monster queen who was at least at the full-fledged elite level or higher.
This was the same for her master as well.
'Master is still probably at 'advanced' level. In terms of sheer power, it's similar to the wild queens but...'
Shue's face darkened as she evaluated her master's power according to the classification her master talked about.
Considering that 'temptation' was the Alraune's main magic, it might have been excessive arrogance, but Shue didn't think so.
Because there were many great enemies ahead.
'Nearby, the kingdoms.'
As they began to dominate the nearby nations, they couldn't perfectly hide that presence from the royal families of each nation forever.
And each royal family had forces that they hadn't sent to the border with the Demon Realm.
Whether openly or kept hidden.
'Further away, even those Demon Realm ones.'
And the Archdukes of the Demon Realm on the surface were also a problem.
The most powerful force among the factions the Archdukes of the Demon Realm possessed was, of course, themselves, but they would also have summons possessing 'high', 'royal guard', or 'monarch' level power.
'The higher the grade you go... the power of the summons doesn't differ that much from the Dungeon Lord.'
Of course, above that, the Dungeon Lord was still more powerful, but if about two high-grade summons gathered, they could buy enough time against a Dungeon Lord.
The reason Libertas thought they had to powerfully raise the dungeon's strength recently was ultimately this.
In the end, if the dungeon and the dungeon's summons didn't become strong, the Lord couldn't survive either.
And currently, those with the strongest power in the dungeon were Eve and Shue, the two of them.
It was only natural to feel a sense of responsibility for that.
'Perhaps I should go back right now and...?'
In an instant, Shue's eyes filled with killing intent.
Right now, she could hunt nearby monsters to fill her 'Frenzy', and with the power gained, strike the Alraune Queen's neck in a decisive blow.
Because she was a warrior who could act like an assassin in times of need.
'If I absorb her like that, I could ultimately supplement the fundamental military power of the dungeon.'
And from the body of the Fate (緣) flower queen killed that way, 'something' would definitely emerge.
In other words, she could strengthen herself by using a collaborator who had the potential for betrayal as a sacrifice.
Though it was only a matter of possibility.
"Shue?"
That was when she had thought that far. It was when her master's voice reached her.
"Huh...?"
At the voice calling her, Shue instantly blew away both her killing intent and her thoughts, and approached her master.
It went without saying that her tail was wagging quite a lot.
"You called...?"
"Yes. I called you several times."
"Sorry... I was a bit complicated for a moment..."
Libertas, who had been quietly gazing at Shue's face as she approached, raised her hand, and Shue naturally lowered her waist and head to a height that met the hand.
The veil of shadow that naturally cast around them covered the sound.
And then what she said, astonishingly, pierced right through Shue's worries.
"We're doing well, Shue. It's okay not to hurry."
"How did you know...?"
Shue was not surprised by her insight.
Because she knew she wasn't very good at hiding it herself, and also because she was already accustomed to such behavior from Libertas.
Even without saying anything, sometimes just by showing a hint of worry.
Her master would accurately pierce through her thoughts.
"How could I not know what you're thinking."
"Yeah... you're the master. I know too..."
"Fufu. Thank you for trusting me."
Even though she wasn't a summoned creature and thus her emotions shouldn't be conveyed,
And even though Evangeline, who could convey her emotions straightforwardly, was right beside her, this was why she felt no sense of rivalry or impatience toward that.
"Nirvana is someone who has accumulated power over a long time, and you've already become this strong. Don't be impatient. I'll make you strong quickly, so you hone your skills."
"Okay... Ah, and you shouldn't trust the queens too much..."
"I know."
The other worry she impulsively spilled out.
Her master indeed did not betray her expectations,
"But since Shue is keeping an eye on them like this, I can actually put my worries aside."
And at the same time, she pointed out another thing that made her realize.
"Why...?"
"If you focus your eyes too much on one place, you'll miss other things. Since you're keeping an eye on them, I can focus more on other things. You're lightening my burden."
"Is that... how it is?"
"Of course. Thank you."
A touching emotion welled up warmly in her chest.
A feeling that didn't want to end just by clinging to her.
Her master's recognition made her heart pound, and also made it heavy.
'Not yet.'
Shue succeeded in holding back that feeling.
There was, of course, a reason for this behavior that was unlike her.
'Evangeline.'
Yuran was rushing in hastily, but Evangeline was still calm.
There must be a reason why that woman, who was seemingly playful and loyal but actually had a cunning side, kept half a step away.
The promise was already half broken, but there was also the fact that she would lose face if she rushed in first.
"Fufu. You're suddenly being impertinent."
"Sorry..."
"I said it's not. I like it because it's cute."
So Shue endured by pressing her lips to the hand that was stroking her cheek, to that palm.
With just that, the impatience that had filled her chest was considerably erased.
'Wow, wow... what is this atmosphere...'
Meanwhile, Serha was watching the master and servant's appearance while hidden nearby.
A white wolf beastman who had changed from a bent-over posture to a kneeling posture, kissing her master's palm.
The sight of her was utterly reverent, as if encountering something sacred.
'Not only the Lord, but the summons are also beyond extraordinary... Truly, cooperating was the right choice.'
The sight of a summoned creature possessing Frenzy or a loyalty bordering on faith. This was a sight she had never discovered among the Dungeon Lords she had encountered so far.
The evaluation of a figure who could draw out such loyalty from summoned creatures could not help but change.
"Let's go."
"Okay..."
"Ah, yes!"
Three women, each with different thoughts.
Before them, the lakeside at the foot of the mountain where the queen they would meet next was, was drawing closer.