The King didn't even know what to do about this.
It was absurd.
"She purchased the old Demihuman settlement lands that were ravaged by the first Wave. I can't tell if that was a political statement, meant to say that she sides with the Demihumans, or merely because it was a large amount of land that had no owner after the death of its Lord." The King's treasurer said, perplexed by the young woman's move.
"Why didn't you block the purchase?" His military adviser demanded.
"Because she was offering 15,000 gold coins for it, ten times what it is worth, and the rapid spendings of our military demands more funds." The treasurer snapped back. "Quietly declaring war against all of our neighbors at once the way we did has pushed our military to its limit, and the famine hasn't been helping matters. We needed the money."
"...Dammit." The military adviser sighed, admitting the point.
Just two weeks after the Wave, despite the King giving her the cold shoulder for not having been training properly in preparation for the disaster, Lady Rozemyne had managed to gather 20,000 gold coins in exchange for various services throughout the kingdom, reconstructing damaged lands. No one was against her suggestion of having the families of the Knights guilty of attacking the village cover a portion of the expenses in exchange for pardons. She then used that money to buy a large amount of land that had been freed up by the deaths of the nobles who had managed it.
The land itself was not the best, as while it was seaside, the waters were too treacherous for fishing boats and there were better locations for trade harbors. The soil was not good for crops, and the forest was not made of the kind of wood that was good for construction, nor were there any nearby stone quarries for materials.
It was a third rate territory, which was why few complained when the Queen used it for her Demihuman villages.
None of that seemed to matter at all to Rozemyne, who within a day of purchase built an entire city made of a polished white stone, nearly the size of the capital, though with taller buildings that could house even more people. It was so beautiful that those who witnessed it spread the story of it fast. They also told how the land around it seemed to come to life simply by virtue of the city's presence, with a noticeable purity in the air.
Of her remaining 5,000 gold coins, she used most of it to buy more slaves, nearly 1,000 of them, though this was still not even close to being able to fully populate the city she had constructed, which they estimated to be able to house and feed nearly 200,000.
Because of this extreme vacancy, she had sent out notices, saying she would provide free housing to any who wished to live there. She also attracted the Adventurer's Guild with a promise for free healing for any injured Adventurers for the next three years. There were also promises of free schooling for commoner children, and city monitored apprenticeship programs to protect the rights of young workers.
All that, along with many people believing that there was no safer place in the world during the Waves of Calamity than a city overseen by the Saint Shield Hero, meant that applicants were flooding to move in, with the process accelerating as word got around. It was projected to become the largest city in the country within two years.
"With this, she is a Duchess of Melromarc in all but name." The King said bitterly. "How has our campaign to undermine her image gone?"
"Wonderfully, Your Majesty. The rumors you wished to spread are being whispered in all corners of the Kingdom." His spymaster said with a wide grin.
"Don't lie to me."
"...Your Majesty, the subject of our campaign is a pretty fourteen-year-old former Priestess who heals the sick, helps adventurers with potions and protective trinkets, and uses the money she earns to care for orphans." The spymaster said, his face falling. "Even before she started to rebuild villages and single handedly resolve the worst famine in a century, attempting to convince people that she was a manipulative demon was an uphill battle. The most we can convince people of is that she is a cowardly and undeserving hero, but even that they won't get outraged at her for. She IS a fourteen-year-old girl."
"...The Demon of the Shield is more cunning than we planned for. They have taken on a form to make it virtually impossible to organize an opposition against them." The King growled, his knuckles popping as he squeezed his fists in frustration.
How does one mount an attack against someone like the Lady Rozemyne? The only witnesses to her true demonic nature were those knights who had been sent to attack her during the Wave, but with them being branded as oathbreakers and criminals, no one would accept their word.
Besides the most devout believers of the Church of the Three Heroes, none would honestly take up arms against her. You couldn't even contrive a reason to attack her. If he tried, he'd be faced with outrage by the 20% of his own country that she saved from starvation, not to mention the Sword Hero, who seemed to be infatuated with her.
The Spear and Bow Heroes might have been angry and suspicious about her magic, but not enough to want her dead.
And she wasn't as weak and helpless as they had believed. They had been under the impression that her lack of fighting meant she would be way too low of a level to be of any threat. By the time they realized their mistake, she had slaughtered an army of monsters and her level had jumped up to be at least equal to the other Heroes.
All of the girl's moves had been planned out in order to set herself in this untouchable position… but they still didn't explain why she had decided to build her own city. The King couldn't wrap his head around it, no matter what he tried, and it was driving him crazy.
"What is her game?"
"Nothing beats seafood!" Rozemyne said happily as she leaned back in her seat and rubbed her full tummy. "Hm… I wonder if this world has any rice in it."
Had she built an entire city next to the sea in order to once again have unlimited access to seafood, no. I mean, that had been a really important factor in her decision to go through with it, but it hadn't been the only factor.
But it had been more about the types of trees in the area, the fact that it was land that had once been home to many of her children, and simply because it had been up for grabs in the first place. …Oh, and there were several nearby training grounds for her children… I mean, retainers, who wanted to become her Knights.
Was building an entire city necessary? No. But she had the blueprints for her remade capital of Alexandria stored in her Grutrissheit, since it was traditional for a new Archducal family to expand the city they take over. She hadn't been able to think of a good reason to design an entire new town with a centralized library big enough for her. Plus, she had the mana to spare on that kind of thing… and then some.
The only hard part had been creating the foundation stone for her new city, but once that was done, the rest was easy.
Actually, with all the mana she had to burn, she added a few more spells to the city, to replicate the waste disposal system used in her old new world, without the presence of poop eating slimes. And then there was the barrier she put in the ocean to push back all of the dangerous monsters while letting the easy to handle fish through.
The plants and trees also grew back super naturally fast, which would help with her eventual book making industry. And of course, she added a hot springs, because she'd always wanted one, but Ferdinand, the big meanie, wouldn't let her. He said that a noblewoman couldn't have an outdoor bath, and if it was hot water she wanted, she could get it inside.
Despite his artistic talents, he wasn't a man of culture.
Yes, Alexandra 2.0 was off to a wonderful start.
"I think you are a little too excited over fish." Ren said. With him visiting the city, she had invited him to join her for dinner, believing he would enjoy a more Japanese style meal.
With the Holy Sword's ability to teleport to a few set locations, he was able to swing by often.
"Huh? Does authentic seafood not appeal to your Japanese spirit?" Rozemyne asked him, disappointed by his reaction, or lack thereof.
"Not really." Ren admitted with a shrug.
"...Maybe you just haven't been away long enough to feel homesick yet."
"Even if I were to get homesick, most of my meals involved cereal or microwaved dinners." Ren replied with a shake of his head. "We never really had home cooked meals in my house."
"Why? Were your parents too busy?"
"...Not exactly. They just… weren't around." Ren said awkwardly. "They died in an accident when I was pretty young, so it had always just been me and my step-sister. Neither of us were big into cooking, so instant ramen was basically our go to meal."
"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Rozemyne apologized, looking down.
"It's alright. It happened so long ago that I don't really remember them well. And it isn't like I lived a hard life. We always had plenty of money and lived in a nice house and neighborhood." Ren said with a shrug.
"Is that so, I'm glad." Rozemyne said, before smiling. "Though honestly, bishounen looks, missing parents, living with his non-blood related sister. You really are a protagonist aren't you? I bet your sister was always trying to push all of the other girls away so that she could keep you to herself."
"Don't get started on that. Setsuki and I didn't have that kind of relationship." Ren said flatly. Behind closed doors, with it just being the two of them, she didn't feel any need to keep up her noble appearance, and devolved into a normal girl, or as normal as Rozemyne could be.
"And you are too dense to realize her feelings for you too? Poor Setsuki." Rozemyne said in a teasing tone, placing a hand against her cheek and adopting a look of pity for the girl she'd never met.
"You are the last person who should be calling me dense." Ren said, his cheeks burning. "God, you are as bad as Hikari."
"Who is Hikari?" Rozemyne asked.
"...My childhood friend who I took a bullet for before ending up here." Ren admitted, averting his eyes.
"...Your anime protagonist power really is too high. It's no wonder you were chosen to be the Sword Hero." Rozemyne said, a look of fake shock on her face.
"Yeah, whatever." Ren said with a sigh, looking down at his plate. "...Do you think the King is telling the truth? I mean, do you think that we can really go back home after all this is done?" Rozemyne stopped her teasing, seeing the genuine pain on Ren's face. "I'd died. So I don't see how it is possible that I could ever go back."
"...Ren." Rozemyne said solemnly before standing up and walking over to the young man. "Stand up." She said, puzzling him as he did what he was told. Then, to his shock, she hugged him.
"Wh…What are you doing?" Ren said, flushing with embarrassment as he felt her press up against him.
"When I first became a noble, Myne, the commoner girl I had been, was as good as dead." Rozemyne said, as she held onto Ren. "Even if I was still alive, even if I was in the same city as them, I couldn't be with my family anymore. Even if they were in the same room as me, I had to pretend that they were complete strangers, on pain of death. On top of that, I suddenly found myself being forced to constantly act as if I was the ideal noble daughter, never allowed to let my mask slip for even a moment while people were watching."
"...How? How could you live like that?" Ren asked. He could barely stand the stress of being a 'Hero', even when no restrictions were placed on how he could act.
"Not well, admittedly. I broke down more than once. There were only two things that kept me going. One was a goal that I could focus on to distract me from the pain, and the other was my hidden room. A place where I could go and meet a few of my friends from the lower city, where no noble eyes could see. Every time I went, I would hug Lutz and listen to Benno scold me until the pain of separation went away." Rozemyne said, smiling fondly as she separated from Ren and held him at arm's length. "I might not be 'Setsuki' or 'Hikari', but if you ever need a place where you can go, where you can not be the Saint Hero of the Sword, but just Ren, I'm here for you."
"I… Th…Thanks." Ren said, his face a bright red.
"Milady?" A small voice said, causing Ren to jump and turn to see a three foot tall, dark blue rabbit dressed like a maid. "Are you finished with your meal?"
"Yes, we are. You can go ahead and take the plates." Rozemyne said, smiling as she reached out and gently patted the magic stone in the rabbit's forehead, causing it to admit a soft glow. The little creature seemed very happy at this before it went to work clearing the table.
Indigo was one of fifty Shumils that Rozemyne had created, with Indigo acting as a head maid in charge of twenty-four other Shumil, while the other twenty-five were equipped to fight and went to train with those who wished to be adventurers.
She had been surprised to find that the Shumil could level up just like everyone else, and that the Holy Shield had a Shumil form.
Ren watched Rozemyne as she smiled at the cute rabbit creature before sighing and changing the subject. "So, I've recently gotten word from a village that was attacked by a dragon. They are asking for a Hero to slay it and I was planning on heading over there."
"A dragon? Are you going to be okay fighting a dragon by yourself?" Rozemyne asked.
The only dragons she was aware of had been the Lords of Summer, whenever they had evolved from a fire lizard-type Feybeast. And a Lord of Summer was not the kind of thing normal people could handle by themselves. They were creatures with as much magical power as Ferdinand.
"Based on what I know of dragons, I shouldn't have any problems. I've got all of the equipment and Holy Sword unlocks necessary to take on one of this level without risk." Ren said with confidence.
"I see, I hope you wouldn't be opposed to me giving you some extra protections myself, would you?" Rozemyne said, understanding that the knowledge that Ren had from his game had always seemed pretty accurate, but wanting a bit more insurance.
"I wouldn't tell you not to. No such thing as overkill and all." Ren said with a smile. "Though I was hoping you would come to the village in order to tend to the damages."
"Yes, that would make sense." Rozemyne nodded. "We can head out tomorrow, if your own preparations are ready."
"Tomorrow it is." Ren agreed.
"In that case, please excuse me. I need to rest in preparation." Rozemyne said with a smile, bidding Ren adieu before heading out of the room.
But rather than heading to her chambers, she went to her castle's library. It was a cozy place, with a few shelves that were still mostly empty, and a comfortable armchair. Magic was in the walls, part of the building's construction, to keep the room a pleasant temperature and the humidity low so that it wouldn't damage the books. The light was the perfect level to read at without having to strain your eyes.
The room couldn't hold the most books, but that was what the city's central library was for. She would just keep those she was currently reading and a few of her favorites on hand.
But she wasn't there to read… not yet, anyways.
She walked over to a empty firepit and put her hand on it, causing it to glow, before it opened up into a teleportation gateway, letting her walk through into a starch white chamber covered in magic circles, with a large magic array floating in the center of the room, the remote control for the city's foundation.
Rozemyne took a deep breath and removed the Cloak of Darkness from her shoulders, and in an instant, her magic power ran wild, surrounding her body in a golden light and turning her eyes the color of rainbows once again.
The heat within her was a searing pain that she remembered from her youth, even if it seemed easier to endure than she remembered, letting her have enough control to reach out to the magic array so that it could drain away her magic power.
The array accelerated as she let it sap her power, and she pulled up her status window in order to watch the progress.
213,539,297/250,736,925 MP
186,932,064/250,736,925 MP
148,757,456/250,736,925 MP
101,753,475/250,736,925 MP
She continued to drain more and more of her magic into the city's foundation until the foundation stone was saturated. Even then, she still just over a million MP remaining.
She let out a sigh of relief as the pressure went away, letting her regain control over her magic power. She let herself indulge in the comfort of having reduced her mana to manageable levels for a few moments, not thinking about how it was only a matter of time before it built up again. Gods, she felt a little light headed after that.
"I'll need to find something to do with all of this magic." Rozemyne sighed as she looked at the array.
Even a city's foundation stone couldn't store an endless amount of mana, and Rozemyne had just sunk in enough mana to build an entire city from scratch. Even if she had been extravagant with all of the functions she had given her city, it wouldn't be enough to burn it all away before she needed to give it more.
This was more mana than Ehrenfest's Archducal Family could save up in a month back in the day, while using magic restoring potions.
"Hm… I'll just increase the density of the mana in the land." Rozemyne finally decided, letting the extra mana filter out into the soil all across the territory she now owned.
With that done, she decided to go and take a hot bath and get some sleep while her mana levels were still lowered, taking comfort in the fact that the decision she had just casually made will have no negative repercussions at all.
Not a one.
Well, she is a Walking Mana Calamity.