LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 157
– 1 –
The reality unfolding before Arpina was harsh.
“I… lost?”
It was unbelievable. The countless abilities she had possessed were crushed in an instant by a single glint within Abelrus’s fist.
Her most specialized hypnosis and psychological manipulation magic couldn’t even pierce his skin and rebounded off.
Before the name of the strongest, she was powerless.
His family returned to the hands of the head of the family, and she had been defeated.
Even though it was a battle started with his family already in her grasp.
“I already knew. You were the culprit behind the numerous assassinations and disappearances that occurred here.”
Abelrus’s voice, directed at one of humanity’s worst criminals, was cold and resolute.
As if it mirrored his power.
“What will you do with me now?”
“I’ll have you executed. Many citizens will witness your end.”
She was seized right there and was indeed executed.
That was how it was.
‘Reincarnation magic… I wonder how it would have turned out if that hadn’t been the case.’
Among the many crowds gathered to watch the execution, one nameless woman’s soul and body were taken, and she survived.
The spell to possess someone with similar bodily conditions and soul resonance as her original self.
It was one of the countless abilities she had stolen.
“Power…”
Of course, the price was steep.
She had lost a significant number of the many abilities and magical powers she had accumulated until now.
“It’s fine. I can regain it.”
However, that was merely a fraction of it. Her essence still remained.
At least, she believed so at that time.
– 2 –
“Have a safe trip.”
“I’ll be back soon with results.”
Right after Lan left the dungeon for Elena’s task.
“Hmm…?”
Light emerged from the communication crystal she had set aside to contact Serika.
– I’m coming in! Open the door!
“Sure.”
It was straightforward, but not surprising.
Serika’s contacts were always like this.
Even after learning the refinements of nobility, she always got straight to the point when talking to me.
It might appear that she disguised rudeness in her directness, but in reality, she simply wanted to be honest with me.
She had normal conversations with other nobles, so it wasn’t a problem.
“Rita—!”
“Come here, Serika…”
As always, she rushed into my arms before I could finish my words.
Whoosh—
Various floral scents surged in, enveloping her like a wave.
‘It’s gotten even more amazing.’
The fragrance that strengthened as she regained her power now filled the courtyard of the dungeon almost splendidly on its own.
The scent of roses mingled with the sweetness of lilacs, layered with exotic floral aromas creating a harmony.
It felt like a sensory banquet, as if we had brought an entire spring garden.
It was surprisingly not headache-inducing despite the overwhelming scent.
The formerly potent scent of blood was already nowhere to be found, making it more evident.
Vroom—
Behind her, several figures were still spilling out through the half-open door.
It was a different kind of magical flow than usual.
‘Did she… bring a lot of people?’
“Whew…!”
I was curious, but I focused more on Serika, who was already burying her nose into my neck and deeply inhaling.
“Rita, this elegant and deep scent…! I’ve missed it!”
“I don’t wear perfume.”
“I like this body scent even more!”
“Well then.”
Using perfume to mask body scent is a rumor on Earth, but in this world, it was a fact.
Nobles’ body scents were quite intense, and using magic made it much easier to blend scents, so it wasn’t considered overly expensive as a luxury item.
This was a world that greatly favored power. It was natural that the value of such technical magic wasn’t that high.
“You’ve found a lot of power.”
“Yep! I’m ready to digest the core!”
Serika’s crimson eyes sparkled, and mana swirled around her, radiating a gentle light.
“Digesting the core” referred to the ultimate path of the Dungeon Lord and the core.
Elite-level Dungeon Lords could eventually embrace the core into their bodies as they progressed to the high level.
‘Like a dragon or sacred beast from the Western Continent, or the Eastern realms.’
The process of making the very heart of the dungeon a part of oneself.
Only after that could a Dungeon Lord perfectly meld with the dungeon.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t digestion but union.
“That’s something to celebrate.”
“I’ll be stronger than you in no time!”
“Serika…”
At her words, I internally bore a wry smile.
Her revealed gaze was brimming with confidence, but I could also sense the hidden anxiety behind it.
Serika had always been stronger than me, but not now.
The loss she experienced from the loss of the dungeon core and the ensuing rampage must have left her with permanent damage.
Even now, I could sense a slight fracture within her mana.
‘She has certainly recovered a lot now…’
But now she possessed elite strength as an ordinary being and high-level strength as a Dungeon Lord.
However, considering that over a hundred days had passed since the rampage, it would likely have happened only after receiving support from the Marquis family.
“Please do so. Then I can relax a bit.”
I hid all those worries, smiled, and patted her head, her expression and scent turning joyful.
“What’s this? Not even a bit frustrated?”
“Why would I be frustrated? You’re not going to harm me.”
She placed her hands on her hips and frowned, looking adorably pouty.
Then she said.
“Really. Rita, you are so naive. What if another demon clan stabs you in the back? Though I won’t do that!”
At her words, two figures flinched.
Sonia, who thought there was no way that would happen to me, and Xue, who knew that I really had been betrayed before.
In the latter’s case, it had never happened in this world.
“Then, you’ll protect me, right?”
“Hehe. … Ah! Right.”
Serika’s face suddenly changed as if a thought had popped into her mind.
Her expressions were quite the spectacle.
“Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner! Otherwise, I could have come quickly to help!”
This time, the displeasure was quite genuine.
While part of it was directed at me, it was close to a feeling of disappointment rather than negative emotions.
Still, it felt friendly.
It was striking how closely her expressions matched her emotions, over 90% consistent.
‘Since when have I started feeling like this?’
Even on Earth, I was adept at reading others’ emotions, but in this world, it had gradually intensified to this extent.
Experiencing the emotionless expressions of my summons directly had likely made reading emotions more familiar.
So if asked whether this was uncomfortable, the answer would be no.
‘On the contrary, it feels comfortable.’
I had a mind that hadn’t originally seen others’ expressions as they were.
Anyway, now was the time for her conversation topic rather than my musings.
“What is it?”
“I heard the Grand Duke sent assassins!”
“Aha.”
It seemed she was talking about the ‘Dream Witch.’
I had already silenced discussions on that, but where had she heard it?
“Evangeline asked for help. To gather as much strength as possible.”
“Eve?”
I could feel my eyes widen involuntarily.
It was unexpected, yet it made sense.
The weight carried by the title of ‘high-ranking’ was by no means light.
It referred to beings just a few steps away from what could be considered the ultimate level in this world.
“Come to think of it, everyone came armed. Was that because of this?”
I was just noticing the various figures of demon clans visible behind Serika, all geared up.
Most were vampires equipped with light armor, each diligently strapped with close-combat weapons and magical tools.
Furthermore, some were heavily armed other demon clans from the Demon World.
“Of course!”
Serika’s response was enthusiastic.
Like a warrior poised for adventure rather than battle.
“I thought you were going to confirm the dungeon’s location and clean up the surroundings beforehand.”
Her settlement on the surface had been fully permitted, and the location selection was complete.
However, she had no intention of settling on the surface right away.
There was no need to say which was safer: creating a dungeon on the surface and reaching elite status or attaining elite status in the Demon World before constructing the dungeon.
It was a strategically wise decision.
“If that’s the case, you wouldn’t need to bring so many people. That task could be handled with just a few guards.”
“That’s true.”
As I nodded in agreement, Serika, who had been smiling moments ago, suddenly frowned again seriously.
“Don’t change the subject.”
“Did I get caught?”
“You got caught. Why didn’t you say anything?”
Serika’s voice still carried genuine disappointment.
If I avoided speaking any longer, she would really be hurt.
“Well, you’re already busy helping me, aren’t you?”
While preparing for her dungeon’s settlement, Serika had also been handling various affairs from the Demon World for Nirvana and Kamaya’s ascension to Dungeon Lord.
I had already entrusted her with complicated governance matters; I didn’t want her involved in perilous battles.
“Asking for more at this point would be impertinent, even for someone as shameless as me.”
At my words, Serika relaxed her expression and, in a whiny tone, clung to my waist, burying her head in my throat.
“You don’t need to apologize to me…”
“Right. Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“Just know to treat me well.”
“I’ll do my best.”
After calming her down by patting her head and shoulders multiple times,
I pointed with my chin towards the knights who were trying hard not to witness the excesses of one of the noble ladies behind me.
“Shouldn’t you introduce me? They’re here to help because of your request.”
“Ah, right.”
The small number of demon clans following her.
Most consisted of Serika’s guards, and some were retainers from the Baritra Marquis House.
Considering her status as a non-official successor, there were naturally no high-ranking individuals among them…
Yet, including Serika, an elite Dungeon Lord, all eight members possessed elite-level strength.
‘She truly pulled together a formidable force.’
It was obvious at a glance.
Serika had somewhat overexerted herself for me.
Given her standing within the family, this level of power meant her reputation would need reassessing.
If she lost this force, her reputation within the Marquis House could fall to its lowest possible point.
It was fortunate that there was no need to sacrifice them.
“This will be a great help. Thank you for coming.”
“Even in the Demon World, we’ve heard of Lady Libertus’s renown. You’re even more beautiful and elegant than what we imagined.”
“I nearly became a fan the moment I saw you.”
Whether young or old, they all regarded me with benevolent gazes.
Thanks to that, I could hear detailed accounts of how I was currently perceived in the Demon World.
“The ‘Greed’ division from the Eastern Continent has been mumbling so much about you that I thought the figure hidden in the veil was you.”
“Seeing you in person makes it seem justifiable. With such grace and appearance, any high noble from the Demon World would surely covet you. Anyone who sees you would inevitably think of you as a concubine…”
“Hey.”
“Oh, my apologies.”
At Serika’s sharp call, the mouth of a knight who had been speaking lightly shut.
‘Greed’ naturally referred to the faction of Mammon.
They outwardly posed as merchants, but their true identity was that of ‘Mammon’s Legion.’
“No, thank you. I owe them my gratitude always.”
“They may think they are serving you, but that’s due to how loyal the Lord of Greed is to the Demon Lord’s directives…”
After a brief moment of awkward air, a knight continued with a gentle smile.
His tone oozed respect for Mammon.
Though Baritra was certainly a subordinate of the Lord of Wrath, it wasn’t odd for their members to hold reverence for other Grand Dukes.
“I appreciate that even more then.”
“Wow… Just as I heard.”
Meanwhile, Serika seemed dissatisfied with their attitude.
Pouting slightly, she crossed her arms.
“You never said anything like that to me.”
“That’s because…”
“Exactly…?”
“What are you implying? You guys!”
There was a certain informality in the familiarity felt.
Of course, if they showed up to deal with a high-ranking foe, they would likely have maintained a strong connection with Serika.
Looking at them, I smiled, concluding my thoughts.
‘There’s a little reason to be at ease.’
Me and my close allies.
Three queens that I could mobilize for this battle, along with their most powerful elite forces.
In addition to those elite members that Serika had brought.
This was genuinely a level of power fit for facing high-caliber opponents head-on.
“If anything were to happen, this would truly be a significant support.”
“If anything were to happen… what do you mean?”
Serika’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, as if she had sensed something.
I gently smiled in return.
“While I appreciate you all coming, I meant to say that if all goes well, there won’t be a need for you to exert yourselves too much.”
Yet, this force was merely a ‘insurance.’
I had already devised a main strategy to capture the Dream Witch separately.
If this were to succeed, the battle would likely be minimal.
“We’ll soon be capturing a high-ranking enemy.”
She would willingly walk right into my trap.