LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 148
– 1 –
“Here, try this too.”
“Miss, have a drink of this!”
“Okay!”
She was truly savoring her long-awaited freedom.
Alcohol, meat, and the handsome man and beautiful woman smiling at her.
And the glimmering desires in their minds.
All the pleasures she had been deprived of for five long years in the Magical Realm were now pouring toward her.
“This is life…!”
The Grand Duke of the Magical Realm had tried to devour her, and the monsters aimed to subjugate her.
But she did not yield and waited for an opportunity.
[Female. You have work to do.]
In the end, an offer of a contract was presented to her by a certain Demon Clan.
A black skeletal knight.
A piece of garbage that dared to treat her like a beast, yet the power held by that Demon was real.
She could instantly sense that it was at a similar level to the Grand Duke who had captured her.
Nonetheless, she maintained her pride.
Even amidst her fears, she successfully established a deal with the Demon Clan.
[… What is it?]
Though she experienced the humiliation of having to show respect to a Demon Clan,
[Find this Dungeon Lord. And do what you do best.]
[Take away his power…]
[Yes, exactly that. Do whatever you can.]
What the Demon presented was a photograph.
A photograph of a person so beautiful and noble that it made her salivate.
[This is the Dungeon Lord…? Is it?]
She questioned back, as it looked nothing like a human, but no proper explanation came from the ignorant Demon.
[Shut up, female human! Just do as I command!]
[R-right…]
[This is the Dungeon Lord’s information. Read it on the way.]
It was fortunate that the Demon’s subordinate at least provided some information.
Otherwise, she might have faced consequences for ‘breaching the contract’ without even knowing who the opponent was.
No matter how strong her powers were, violating a contract with a Demon of that level would certainly come at a great cost.
‘Does it matter anyway?’
She was already in a situation where she had made a contract with a Demon.
She believed that with her secret weapon, she could dissolve this contract, but now she knew that was impossible.
Then…
“Hehe, everyone come here!”
“Ahhh!”
Until she fulfilled the contract, it was fine to indulge in the pleasures she had missed out on.
“Pour me another! It’s empty!”
‘I should have fun to my heart’s content!’
After all, her end was inevitable.
Even if she was known as the strongest assassin and witch on the continent, the ‘Dream Witch.’
There would be no escaping from them.
– 2 –
“Isn’t it time now?”
“Just a bit more…”
Lan’s voice was melting like sugar, sweet and soft.
Her usually composed demeanor was nowhere to be found, and she clung like a child throwing a tantrum.
From her, the scent of magical energy influenced by sweet emotions wafted up.
Three luscious black tails swayed joyfully, fully displaying her happiness.
“Ha…”
Beside her, Xue watched with slightly furrowed brows but did not stop Lan.
Her attitude suggested that this level of “reward” was deserved.
“Thank you, my lord.”
As she lovingly stroked her head and back, Lan finally rubbed her body and face against her before taking a deep breath.
Lan’s flushed face was as red as a rose.
“Whoa…”
Excitement and longing.
Her shoulders trembled slightly from the two conflicting emotions.
It seemed almost pitiful how she repeatedly took deep breaths to compose herself.
“You must be very tired.”
“Some may say it’s just a few days, but for me, a day feels like ten.”
The longing in her voice pierced my heart.
It was truly a poignant resonance.
“Yeah, you look that way.”
Lan had been away for several days on a mission.
To create opportunities for her near Elena to elevate her influence.
The ongoing Territorial War in the southwestern regions was the foundation of that opportunity.
Originally, another suitable person was supposed to be sent to help, but Lan insisted on going herself despite the pain of being away from my side.
And then she returned for a progress report, resulting in the situation just moments ago.
“You’ve gone through a lot of mental anguish. Come back anytime and embrace me.”
“Thank you… my lord…!”
I nodded a couple of times at her, smiling reassuringly.
After tidying herself and straightening her clothes, Lan knelt down and respectfully bowed before sitting straight up to speak.
It was about the original purpose of her visit.
“First, Elena has received a barony from the Outskirts Duke.”
“Oh…? That’s surprising. She hasn’t really achieved much yet.”
My voice carried surprise and delight, and Lan responded with a gentle smile.
“The Outskirts Duke was quite pleased to see Elena’s changed combat prowess.”
“That makes sense.”
Monsters inherently possess a superior physique to humans.
Their muscle structure and density are different, and they develop faster during training.
‘This holds true even for races not specialized in close combat.’
As a Banshee with the power of seduction already, she hadn’t particularly trained close combat skills.
However, once she started honing her combat abilities, it wouldn’t take long for her to reach the level of a Were Beast or Green Skin.
Since Elena already had considerable talent, it would only accelerate her growth further.
Besides, Banshees, as magical beings, excelled in affinity and manipulation of magical energy, showing remarkable progress in magical training as well.
To an ordinary human, it might seem the talent bloomed late.
“But I assume the title wasn’t bestowed solely based on potential. Elena must have achieved something.”
“Indeed. I shall report it.”
With a smile, Lan began to explain the events surrounding Elena and her circle.
I naturally listened in, as the tale was more intriguing than I had anticipated.
– 3 –
“This is an opportunity. My lord.”
“….”
A private audience with the head of a family.
Elena stared straight into the dull, copper-colored eyes of Frederick Ironfield, the Outskirts Duke, who looked down on her from his throne.
Eyes that had no reflection, with a profound depth.
She had never faced those eyes since she was a child.
‘Why is that?’
Meeting those eyes, Elena harbored a question.
Her father’s power had surely grown stronger than before she last saw him.
The pressure from his presence, still felt on her skin, proved his growth, even as she herself had become stronger.
‘I’m not afraid.’
However, she no longer felt crushed by that pressure.
Though she was still tense, a pressure like this was nothing to her now.
‘Compared to the pressure I felt from my master, this is nothing.’
This was undoubtedly a contradictory situation.
The level of the one she currently served could not possibly be higher than Frederick standing before her.
‘No, it’s certainly lower.’
Frederick’s level was high-ranking.
He was just a few steps away from the ultimate level that all beings could reach.
Logically, the pressure she felt from him should have been stronger.
‘This is the difference in their vessels.’
She quickly realized the reason.
With her sharp intellect, which Libertus had often pointed out during evaluations.
No matter how strong and powerful a being becomes, the Ironfield Duke could only rise to a level higher than that of a single nation.
While her master could crush the world and still make it his own.
The difference between the two.
‘That is the domain of one destined to be a supreme being.’
The intense yet gentle presence that could be a significant pressure to an enemy yet approachable to an ally.
Recalling that, she could meet Frederick’s gaze steadily.
It was a transformation that could only lead one to misunderstand.
“You’ve grown strong, Elena… No, Elena.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
Long-awaited praise from her father.
Yet her heart no longer wavered.
For a long time, that special value had lost its place in her heart.
What once occupied the emptiness from prolonged disappointment and betrayal was now filled by her new master.
“Yes. An opportunity… Is it true that the war in the south could enhance our family’s stature?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Elena thought of the opportunity her master had informed her of.
A small-scale war between two earldoms south of the Ironfield Dominion, and “if luck permits,” the two countries would likely get drawn into that war.
And the position of the Ironfield in the midst of it all.
“I suppose you know what I’m saying. That incident will plunge the relations between our country and the Zenota United Kingdom to an all-time low.”
“Does it matter?”
“It doesn’t matter?”
At Elena’s words, the Duke’s eyebrows twitched, revealing disappointment in his eyes.
What she said seemed like an ignorant, reckless disregard for international relations.
However, she did not care for him at all and smiled calmly.
“After all, the United Kingdom doesn’t like our country. They enjoy stabbing us in the back alongside the Arilite Principality.”
“Nevertheless, that’s entirely different from putting us in a full-blown war.”
“True. So we will be the first to receive their attack.”
“Oh…?”
Frederick, brushing his hair like a lion’s mane, finally shifted his body half-up and looked at her with intrigue.
Beyond his eyes, Elena’s smile appeared quite ruthless.
Just as she had intended.
‘He’s certainly showing interest.’
She knew very well how calm and how insidious and cruel Frederick could be.
Those who only saw a part of him would praise him as honorable or strong, but she viewed her father’s true strength differently.
“Elaborate.”
“Yes. Soon from the Damalon side…”
‘Done.’
With a slight bow, she showcased just a glimpse of the opportunity her true master was providing to Frederick.
And with that alone, she could obtain the title of baron, the governance of three towns, and the cost to hire three mercenary groups from Ironfield.
‘With this amount, I’d be capable of achieving independence right away.’
As she exited the Duke’s office, Elena thought that way.
What she gained was enough troops to buy time against the forces from the northern side of the Damalon County and the local domains that would support them.
If combined with her own ‘soldiers,’ acquiring land to gain independence from Ironfield wouldn’t be much of a challenge.
It wasn’t because she wouldn’t do it just to get such “small things.”
“Elena.”
“Brother… no, my lord.”
Startled by the figure of the young man who had drawn near, Elena immediately tensed and paid her respects.
With blonde hair resembling the Duke’s first wife and copper-colored eyes that mirrored him.
He was Reinhardt, the eldest son of the Duke and his second child.
With a youthful appearance that belied his early-thirties age.
Smiling calmly, Reinhardt spoke to her.
“I can’t believe you’ve truly become a woman.”
“I hear that quite often these days.”
Reinhardt’s face was exceptionally clean for someone in his early thirties, and his demeanor was very courteous.
‘But this appearance is merely the surface…’
Elena was not someone easily duped by his facade.
She knew how actively he acted to become the most powerful heir of the Outskirts Duke.
‘Wasn’t he called the Iron Blood Knight?’
He was famous for being a more brutal knight in battles than his father Frederick and was regarded as the second commander of the Outskirts Dominion.
Additionally, within the domain, he gathered more younger siblings than his eldest sister Adelaide, holding a majority of military power in the Outskirts.
Of course, it would scatter once the actual commands of the Duke were issued, but that was just regarding the heir struggle.
Thus, it was necessary to be cautious of her attitude in front of him.
As she herself was a potential enemy of his, even more so.
“Word is you had a private audience with father. Was it alright?”
“Of course. I was quite tense, but nothing happened.”
“I see. I was worried. You’ve always had a weak constitution since childhood.”
“That’s excessive worry.”
Reinhardt’s handsome face glimmered, his eyes crinkling as he smiled.
It was a charming smile that made many women’s hearts flutter.
‘What a joke.’
When that smile was directed at her, Elena felt her stomach turn.
His incredibly handsome face and muscular figure, representations of his strength, had always been the target of her jealousy.
If only she had been born a bit sooner. If only she had been a bit more handsome and stronger.
Could she have ever stood against him?
‘But now, I’ve got a chance to overshadow him. At least in terms of personal ability.’
Ironically, becoming a woman might give her a possibility of surpassing his appearance and might.
And based on that ability, she truly intended to seize something beyond his position.
By any means necessary.