Chapter 107: it's like work from home, but i'm at a minpaku

Upper Earth Month, 17th Day, 600 AGG

"That was unexpected," Berenice mused. "Well, the fact he was returned alive is proof enough, but it wouldn't have been surprising if Lady Yuriko bypassed our fail-deadlies, no?"

"Is it alright for us to be so cavalier?" Her long-time colleague and the Cardinal of Wind, Dominic, commented in a pointed tone. Recently, his usual kindly expression had taken on an air of fatigue. "That fool Luin, gods be good, doesn't know anything too troublesome, but not everything he was cleared for is harmless either…"

"If that were the case, I don't think we would be chatting so carefreely," Berenice's lips cracked into a half-smile. "Lady Yuriko is a vehement sort."

The Draconic Kingdom's miraculous windfall was an undeniable boon for humanity: the ascendant deity's strength had put a decisive end to the Beastman Country for the time being, and the same strength was now generously turned towards serving Queen Oriculus's subjects in addition to any foreigner who managed to make the pilgrimage to Oriculo.

However, there was no guarantee this state of affairs would last. As kind and charitable as the angel had been so far, she stood not among the Six, nor as one of their honored disciples or servants. The Theocracy didn't understand her motivations and character in the same way they did the Extra Seat.

Powerful individuals, despite the reverence laid at their feet, were still merely people, and gods, by definition, could not truly be judged with the standards used for people. They were ideas and concepts that ruled the masses through the abstract, faith and worship.

But when had the public ever been successful at separating truth from delusion? If they thought the angel to be a goddess, then to them, that was what she was along with everything such a perception entailed.

"Hrm," Dominic grunted. "Who knows what sort she is. After all, who can understand the mind of a 'god?' "

"A peer," Berenice succinctly answered. "But can Lady Fouche be considered one?"

"You're still thinking about that?" If it came down to questioning whether or not it was necessary to field the strongest Godkin in Slane's history, then one could only wonder how much there'd be left to protect afterwards. No, the Supreme Executive Council was mulling over another option. "Must I remind you, the Lady of Wings is courting one of their kind. Even if we assume Queen Oriculus is estranged from her relatives, they are certainly watching the Draconic Kingdom closely."

Neither of them needed to follow that warning to its logical conclusion: calamity would befall the nation if any of the True Dragon Lords learned of Lady Fouche's existence. Unless they acquired a sufficiently powerful deterrent, the Extra Seat would be forced to live out her life in the shadows. The grim irony of the situation was lost on precisely nobody in the know.

"So it's a wash in the end…" Berenice shook her head with a bitter smile. "Too much room for disaster, and too little intelligence to make informed decisions that won't cause headaches down the line."

"Then, should we expand the Windflower Scripture's operations within the Draconic Kingdom?" Dominic suggested. "Queen Oriculus has been rather gracious thus far; I'd hate to push her limits, but necessity comes first."

"Expanding the breadth is acceptable, I think. We have some plausible deniability there, what with wanting to keep the beastmen under watch for humanity's sake… although, did plausible deniability matter at all when the other side was overwhelmingly more powerful? " She trailed off. "Another avenue we can explore is, hm, being more open in our approach."

The Cardinal of Wind thinned his lips. "Your idea certainly doesn't lack boldness. But in all seriousness, what can we—what are we willing to offer in exchange for permission to plant intelligence agents there? No matter which way you cut it, the very suggestion is insanity."

"True," Berenice easily admitted. "And I doubt we'd be able to pull the wool over Queen Oriculus's eyes either. Anyone with a working brain will know exactly what we're trying to gather information on. As for forceful methods, the Council already decided to forgo them since that'll be dragging the issue to a field we're woefully outclassed in."

There was Downfall of Castle and Country which they were currently using to enthrall the undead Fluder Paradyne, but like the Supreme Executive Council had discussed in the past, its absolute control effect wasn't a guarantee. Furthermore, as a descendent and pupil of a True Dragon Lord, Draudillon Oriculus might know of countermeasures against methods the Theocracy believed foolproof.

If they decided to use the transcendental relic, the worst case scenario was losing the item while simultaneously inviting a reprisal that would see the Slane Theocracy razed to the ground.

Taking the Dark Scale Dragon Lord hostage was another option… but attracting the attention of her kind so blatantly was an even worse outcome than whatever the Lady of Wings would inflict upon them. Her wrath at least might be tempered by mercy.

Of all countries, the True Dragon Lords would never tolerate the Theocracy holding a Wild Magic caster captive, if only out of practical concerns.

Ultimately, domination and subversion weren't on the table. The potential profits from making such questionable gambits were greatly outweighed by the risks. Even if they were losing a great deal of influence within the Draconic Kingdom, there was simply nothing to be done now that Queen Oriculus no longer needed to rely on the Theocracy for national security.

"In that case, we'll suggest this the next time the Council convenes:" Dominic said, surely imagining the same scenario. "More agents to cover a wider area, but limit our scope to avoid stumbling across sensitive assets. Joint operations with the Clearwater Scripture can cover what our on-field operatives can't, and they need to be beholden to the same guidelines. Again, the focus is gathering information on the Lady of Wings' capabilities and other actions the Draconic Kingdom might take. Sabotage of any kind is to be forbidden."

"Slowly and cautiously expand to not be caught flat-footed," Berenice wryly smiled. "It's strange how we're growing bolder, isn't it? Months ago, we ceased nearly all intelligence operations there, and now we're discussing the lengths with which we may test Lady Yuriko's patience. I wonder: is this because we think we've attained a greater understanding, or are we only fooling ourselves?"

"Doing nothing is just as bad," Dominic grumbled as they passed an entrance to the extensive underground network that the Center Cathedral was built over. Hidden within the twisting web of tunnels and chambers was the Sanctum Sanctorum, a place even the Cardinals weren't allowed to enter without being accompanied by the Extra Seat. "Judging by how the Lady of Wings treated the non-human slaves in the Beastman Country, I don't find it likely that she'll think highly of our less savory markets."

"Our diplomats are aware and prepared," the Pontifex Maximus, Maximilian, and the Heads of the Three Branches had been clear on the importance of preparing dialogue for when the angel would eventually turn her gaze to the Theocracy's own slave trade. "Trust in their expertise; we all know what's at stake."

"Rather than waiting, we ought to take action before she confronts us," Dominic expressed his disagreement. "Do they believe the nation will escape unscathed simply because we're open to discussion?"

"Even if Lady Yuriko isn't reasonable, Queen Oriculus is," she pointed out. "Outlawing the trade will take time. Things like changing the public's perception of elves and keeping the elites in line… if doing that was so simple, then we would have annexed Re-Estize ourselves."

Instead, the Council had thought it best if the Baharuth Empire were to conquer the kingdom of wastrels. The reason for this, ironically, was because the average Theocracy citizen nurtured a devout faith in the Six: a religion that prioritized humanity above all others. A large part of the Theocracy's strength was thanks to the solidarity a country-wide belief system created, but the Council had to account for that same system when dealing with foreign countries.

For example, assuming they did take Re-Estize for themselves, the Argland Council State would then sit at their borders… a nation of non-humans next to one of humanists. It didn't take a sage to see the folly of such a proposition.

"Are we at least beginning the process?" Dominic said in exasperation. "None of us ever expected it to be easy, but gods know it's easier than having the angel as an enemy."

The fact that even Dominic, a Cardinal known for his hardline stances against the Theocracy's enemies, was calling for a cessation of the country's demihuman and elven slave trade while the masses were content with the institution was worrying. Berenice and her peers didn't blind themselves to the Theocracy's day-to-day reality, but now that the 'mongrel' Dragon Queen had the ear of a power greater than Slane's, the lack of flexibility was becoming dangerous.

That Lady Yuriko was gaining adherents might help, funnily enough. People would naturally be receptive to the teachings of the deity they followed which could mitigate antagonistic responses within Slane; although, interfaith conflict was a possible reality as well—and then there were the issues with allowing worshippers of a foreign power to spread throughout the Theocracy.

"You'll have to ask Maximilian," Berenice replied. She was fretting too much in her old age. All of these concerns were already being worked on to the best of everyone's abilities; she should just trust them as she had done so time and time again. "He is in charge of the details, after all. He and the Head of the Judiciary Branch, I believe."

"Hmph," Dominic's shoulders lost some of their unconscious tension. When it came to the law and its implementation, Maximilian Oreio Lagier had few equals. "There's no room for a brute like me to butt in then."

"If you're a brute, what does that make the rest of us?" She teased.

"Cunning brutes," he held open the door to his study in the Center Cathedral. Berenice nodded in thanks, stepping inside as Dominic closed it behind him. "A gang of pretentious ruffians who put on airs."

"And the Cardinal of Wind would lower himself to consort with these ruffians?" Berenice took a seat in the chair sitting opposite to Dominic's desk. The room was sparsely decorated: there were none of the trinkets and holy baubles one might've expected to grace the walls and shelves. In fact, the only adornments were paintings of previous Cardinals. 'We hardly require reminders of where we are, so deep in the heart of Slane.'

"The Cardinal of Wind chose his friends poorly and has since found himself stuck in the wrong crowd," Dominic huffed as he passed a stack of papers to her. "You should've checked sooner. Our peers have already come up with plans for most of the people on this list."

"I was busy communicating with the Draconic Kingdom, you know? Good grief…" Berenice affably sighed but accepted the papers anyway. A quick examination revealed it to be a list of notable Talents from the children born last month and suggestions on how to direct their development. "There's some rather useful ones here."

One Talent allowed the bearer to freely append a single metamagic on low-tier spells, another granted lesser darkvision, yet another improved memory recall, and then a few that gave slight bonuses for this and that.

All in all, it was nothing earth-shaking, but still decent considering these innate abilities were found only in one out of two-hundred people, with useful ones appearing at even lower odds. Without Talent detection spells like『Tōdō Kaiun』and its higher-tier variant『Daitōdō Kaiun』which also revealed the broad strokes of a Talent… well, everyone was thankful the Research Institute created a divine version of the spiritual spell.

'Enhela's taking an interest in mentoring this one?' Berenice noticed. "When did the Pontifex Maximus's deputy express an interest in teaching?"

"Recently," Dominic furrowed his brow. "The boy spends all his time poring over the archives' tomes… perhaps he's finally realized there's more to the world than ancient records."

"It would be nice if that's true," Enhela was young for his position, and though she had never seen him be anything but unfailingly polite, there was something unnerving about the Godkin. Come to think of it, when did the Pontifex Maximus's position ever warrant a deputy when a Cardinal was meant to succeed him—

"I pray the experience helps him open up his peers more," they really did spend far too much time away from the typical duties of a cleric. "But I'm sure he'd rather avoid our pestering or us talking behind his back. Have you heard Raymond's update on our progress through Evasha?"

"Yes, we've all been made aware. At this rate, General Obinie's forces will reach the Crescent Lake by next year's onset," the most optimistic estimates had it sooner, although she supposed that was the point of optimism. The weather cooling had the potential to cause problems, but Berenice was confident the General and Raymond had everything well under control. "Platinum Dragon Lord has yet to interfere either… it's beginning to seem like he won't."

The Dragon Lord definitely knew the Theocracy was planning on deploying the Extra Seat by the fact they were launching an attack on the Elf Kingdom. Both Tsaindorcus Vaision and the Council knew how powerful the Elf King was, how defeating him was an impossibility without an equally gifted existence—and if the Theocracy was confident enough to wage a lengthy war? He'd have to be an idiot to believe the Extra Seat wouldn't get involved.

Additionally, there was the matter of the magic ring the Sunlight Scripture had acquired from their prior operations in Re-Estize. From what the Extra Seat could glean from the implications derived through her Talent, it was a dangerous situation they'd stumbled into, especially now that Gazef Stronoff had been resurrected by the Lady of Wings…

'We'll plead ignorance and return the item if need be,' she settled on that answer. Admitting guilt was counterproductive in this instance, but if they had to, Berenice felt that they had a decent chance of dodging an apocalypse.

"Anyway, he could be waiting to remove whoever's left standing," in the same way Lord Surshana was brought low by the detestable Greed Kings who had nearly slaughtered the ancient dragons to extinction, yet it was Platinum Dragon Lord and his associates who came out on top. "In the end, we already gave our word to the Extra Seat. If we were to retract our promise, then I fear she might take off to Evasha on her own."

"Hmm… that concern can't be ignored," Dominic commiserated. "But as you've said, the Council's assurance has already been given. And I wonder if we aren't overthinking the matter of his interference."

"There's a lot he could say to poison our neighbors against us. One in particular."

"I won't deny that since we were discussing it just a few minutes ago," he acknowledged. "However, if you're correct in your judgment of the angel's character, then even the Platinum Dragon Lord can't do as he pleases. At worst, we'll lose the Extra Seat and our own lives, but the Theocracy itself will survive."

"That kind of sacrifice is too on the nose for dustbins like us," Berenice's eyes wrinkled. "I can't say it's unfitting though."

"Sacrifice? Who knows what's rattling around in that silver lizard's head? It's too soon to resign ourselves to a mere possibility."

"Of course, of course. The current Council is quite terrible when it comes to giving up, I suppose."

Sometimes, Berenice thought as they both fell into a comfortable silence, it was nice to know that hoping for the best wasn't completely unfounded.


Jircniv rolled over for the umpteenth time, replaying the events of a few weeks ago as he had been wont to do since returning from the Draconic Kingdom.

'Damn that hag to hell,' intellectually, he understood that none of her actions were with him in mind; or to be specific, none were intentional efforts to vex him, but that didn't cause the old biddy's decisions to be palatable all of a sudden. 'It has to be her ancient magic. Must be. Too convenient otherwise. Salvation out of nowhere in the form of an angel? Actually, that could imply the Theocracy's involvement, couldn't it? But then why wouldn't they have sent her earlier? If they wanted to keep the Draconic Kingdom weakened, they could've waited longer.'

Deep down though, he knew none of those explanations were likely. Well, ancient charming magic might be on the table unless the Lady of Wings had a preference for hags pretending to be children.

Maybe Draudillon Oriculus was also attracted to the elderly putting up a facade of youth, Jircniv snorted to himself. The two did look quite taken with each other during the ball, and who knew which bygone era produced the angel? Birds of a feather and whatnot.

'Choosing seduction… again,' at least the hag was going with her true appearance this time around. For all Jircniv despised her, he grudgingly respected the willingness to go to such lengths in order to protect one's kingdom. This business with the Lady of Wings was simply another display of that resolve. 'She's gaining incredible profits with just her life alone, huh?'

Was he envious? The Lady of Wings was beautiful beyond mortal measure, but courting someone that stood so high above him and humanity—

"Thinking about another woman?" Despite the disparaging statement, there was no bite to Roxy's words. Jircniv found himself slightly grateful for the distraction.

"I was, yes," he answered honestly. With his favorite concubine, he rarely held anything back; she was the type who'd innocently needle him until he spilled everything anyway. "They've been a plague on my mind recently."

"Hoh, multiple. While you're in bed with me, no less," Roxy serenely replied without showing the smallest sign of offense. Any other noblewoman would probably be furious at the humiliation, but he struggled to recall his bedfellow ever acting in such a manner. "Our Emperor is voracious indeed."

"I've had enough stomach pains as is," he dryly answered the light-hearted jab. "Adding more might really kill me."

"Was your time in the Draconic Kingdom that displeasing?"

"Not particularly," Jircniv admitted. The amenities had been acceptable: several steps up from what he remembered during the last visit to the hag's domain. "Dealing with certain people aside, that is."

"It can't be helped. You went there specifically to deal with those certain people after all, you know?" Roxy smiled at the mix of a sigh and grumble that he released. "I don't mind if you complain about them again; seeing you this worked up is a rarity."

"You could've left out that last part."

Roxy put a finger over her lips and hummed in consideration. "I think honesty is a virtue though?"

'Absolutely shameless…' Jircniv wasn't a fool who'd believe his concubine was a white lotus. He did what he could to draw attention away from her by limiting the number of times they met in the bedroom like this, but she wouldn't have remained in the Imperial Harem for this long if she lacked the skills. 'Though it's hard to hold onto that image the moment she speaks.'

"Just as well then. I can do without Saintesses," he pulled her closer towards him. "Besides, turning over a new leaf is too troublesome for someone with your personality."

"Huh? Is that true… it must be if the Emperor says so," Roxy made a noise of surprise that wouldn't have fooled a brain-damaged goblin. "Since change is impossible for this inept one, she shall have to continue imposing upon His Imperial Majesty. I pray that the gods may bolster his fraying patience."

"The gods are the cause, unfortunately."

"Lord Paradyne's recent advocacy on behalf of the temples has been quite strange," neither of them mentioned the Lady of Wings. Regarding the angel, it would be harder to find a person of authority who wasn't troubled. "I take it he refused to heed your requests. Ah, no, that's not right. He's reducing the intensity, but outright stopping seems unlikely."

As always, Roxy was quick on the uptake. It wasn't that she was well-informed of everything going on within the Empire and abroad; she had an impressive ability to process the information she did have. "I would attribute that to the Ministry's research. Gramps could never stay away from his projects for long."

Even as the words rolled off his tongue, Jircniv found them to be of little comfort. Whatever was wrong, he had the niggling fear that it was beyond him. Beyond him like how the Lady of Wings was—like that hag was.

"Hmm…" Roxy's voice was brimming with skepticism. "You know him better than I, so there's not a lot I can say and be certain of. But saying that isn't particularly helpful—so for now, wouldn't it be okay to increase surveillance?"

"Assigning more people to watch him would be a waste of manpower," Jircniv disagreed. "He remains in his workshops most of the time, and if he really wanted to sneak away, there's not much the guards can do to follow or stop him."

"… I'm unsure if this is worse than the Lady of Wings. At least we have an understanding of her behavior and motivations, though that isn't to say anything about how authentic she is…" Roxy frowned. "Couldn't you strip the Court Wizard of his authority? Nothing major, but mitigating damage is the top priority; you can always come up with an excuse to restore what you've taken afterwards."

"That's—" He was averse to the idea. Fluder had all but raised Jircniv in place of his conniving mother, so to repay his mentor, confidant, Gramps by taking away the honors they'd earned sat ill with him. "I'll need to think longer on it. Doing that might tip him off, and that'll only exacerbate the problem."

"As I've said, you know him better than I do," his concubine shrugged. "On the other hand, I doubt he means any harm since you remain unscathed."

"Well, anyone capable of persuading him to go against my stances can probably kill me whenever they please," because the one thing Gramps valued above everything else was magic, and if somebody wielded magic exceeding the Tri-Arts Caster's… the Lady of Wings was an unnerving example. "So at the barest minimum, we know that Gramps is willing to take it slow."

'Or whoever is behind this change of his,' Jircniv silently added. The mask, the additional secrecy… he was beginning to doubt Fluder's explanation of the 'curse' the demihumans inflicted upon him. He'd wanted to ask the Lady of Wings to take a look, but that would've meant letting the hag dig her crooked claws into him. 'It's too early to resort to begging. Dangerous as well.'

"Mm, I would hate it if you died," Roxy placidly said. "So do your best to stay safe. I'll have no idea what to do with myself without all the paperwork you dump on me."

Why don't you just go and run the whole Imperial Bureaucracy while you're at it?" Extracting a straight answer out of her was worse than threading a wyvern through the Scalewing Confederacy's stone forests.

"I wouldn't dare, not after the good Emperor expended so much effort to create a high demand for managerial staff."

"You won't deny you can?"

"Of course I can't," Roxy raised an eyebrow. "But for you to hold me in such high esteem—"

"Loune wished to express his gratitude for the assistance with organizing the terms we're sending to Re-Estize," Jircniv cut her off, reluctant to continue the byplay "The affair grows more tangled by the day."

"That Golden Princess you've kidnapped made it much simpler."

"It's not a kidnapping."

"Better than the Empire believing you coerced her. People look upon her positively here too, did you know that? Although if you put in enough effort, maybe taking her as the Empress Consort wouldn't be out of the question," Roxy paused to think for a second. "I would say you seduced her into compliance, but she has that guard of hers… and your own preferences as well."

"She's a woman who wouldn't have any compunctions playing off the child of an affair as mine before having me assassinated."

Someone inscrutable like her could never be trusted, especially as a consort. Such a situation, wouldn't he simply meet the same end his late father did at the hands of his mother? Even then, his mother had done so with motivations anyone could understand—yet whenever he thought of Renner and her "achievements" in Re-Estize, only confusion was to be found.

Did a person like her concern herself with things like kingdoms and rulership? She had to, because otherwise, what was stopping her from abandoning everything and leaving? With an adamantite-ranked adventurer party listed among the Princess's friends, and her own skills, she should be able to live comfortably anywhere while dragging along that guard dog of hers. Karnassus was a relatively safe pick in terms of asylum for the Vaiself lineage, wasn't it?

And he allowed this enigma to take root within the Empire, arrogantly believing he could restrict her while harvesting the benefits without worry. Now, with the Lady of Wings on her side, she truly was untouchable. In fact, the only way the situation could've further devolved was if Renner had returned with an angel.

"Would the Lady of Wings be friends with that type?" Roxy dubiously asked. "This isn't the first time you've expressed similar sentiments towards Her Highness, yet she was a perfect doll the few times I'd spoken with her. The castle staff—both yours and Valencia's—share the same view, albeit to various degrees of affection, but that there's more evidence pointing towards her being an odd ditz blessed with some measure of intelligence and kindness than a malicious subverter. Even skilled dissemblers can't conceal their true natures so completely for so long."

"I'd rather be careful than sorry," that being careful was pointless went unsaid. Accepting his current lot or futilely struggling; which gave greater peace of mind?

"You can't implement effective measures," Roxy flatly retorted, as if she'd heard his unspoken ruminations. "Especially if she's as clever as we're assuming."

"Doing nothing is a bit…"

"Would you like me to get your stomach medicine?" He stared at her, unimpressed. "No? Okay, then it was a joke."

"You jest, but I'm fairly certain I've guaranteed the fortunes of countless pharmacists," with the way the world was going, there'd be a whole new caste of pharmacist aristocrats by the time he stepped down from the throne. "Perhaps they'll be of use in curbing the temples' sway."

"There's still a problem in the form of a certain Court Wizard," before he could respond, Roxy changed the topic. "Enough of that though; how goes your search for a marriage candidate?"

"Marriage is troublesome," he briefly entertained asking Roxy, again, to become his Empress Consort, but persevering in this matter after she had clearly rejected the offer the first time would be shameful. "Is it too greedy to want a well-adjusted person? "

"Sadly, the people closest to your standards are usually disturbed. What would the nobles do if they knew, I wonder…?" She didn't unearth the topic either. "And you have some mild difficulty tolerating the eligible outside of the Empire. I fear His Imperial Majesty may draw criticism from the peerage in due time."

"Let them complain all they like," Jircniv chuffed. "Ensuring the existence of an heir isn't the problem."

He was the very picture of health—stress-induced pains aside—and even if he wasn't, there existed potions and divine spells for a reason. No, the truth was he didn't believe he was qualified to raise a child, thus a caring mother was necessary.

One vastly different from the woman who had 'raised' him. Perhaps the fact he still considered this at all was a sign of old hurts, but wanting one's child to have a proper upbringing was normal. Should be normal, regardless of what his surroundings thought.

"You'll surely find someone who whole-heartedly shares your beliefs," he dragged his attention back to Roxy. "Someone who can meet your standards and stand beside you without faltering."

"What's this all of a sudden?"

"Mmm… I just felt like you would appreciate that kind of encouragement," she matter-of-factly said. "When it comes to flattering His Imperial Majesty, I'm determined to be unparalleled in Baharuth."

"I get enough of that from the Imperial Bureaucrats, you know?" He smirked, despite himself. "You're far from being my greatest flatterer."

"Hm? Who specifically then? I should know the names of my competition."

"There was that one fellow from the Third Legion—a clerk who was called in to answer some questions regarding the recent audit, and the epithets he came up with…"

What she was trying to do didn't escape him, but Jircniv was thankful nonetheless. As expected, talking about unimportant things, taking his mind away from what he couldn't change, immensely soothed his stomach.

'Ah, it's really a shame,' he continued waxing eloquent about the dubious bootlicking skills of his bureaucrats while Roxy listened with that nonchalant demeanor he'd grown so used to and fond of. What did plain features matter to him? Yet—there was nothing to be done if this is what she chose. 'It really is.'


Brightness Dragon Lord glared at the human, the Dragon Lord pretending to admire the verdant surroundings. 'Weren't they content with staying out of these affairs?'

"You've been busy, Rhell—"

"Don't waste my time," for the Swordmaster Dragon Lord, someone he'd lost contact with years ago, to show up now could only mean that the filth's name had spread faster than anticipated. Did they believe this Aftershock to be less threatening than the ones that saw their kind hunted to near-extinction? To Isoleiryx's shame, he couldn't condemn them for such a judgment when he too had made such a decision in the past… "What do those worms you crawl around with want?"

Still though, it was pathetic, he thought as derision reared its head within his heart.

"Why does it have to be 'those worms?' " Saervaloss Thylian languidly twirled a plain sword. A harmless action in anybody else's hand. "Is it that unbelievable to think I just wanted to see how you were doing?"

"Yes," he bluntly answered the rhetorical question. "What do they want?"

"… Then you should, hm, know it isn't something I can talk about," the casual air surrounding Thylian grew slightly sharper. "Rest assured though; none of us intend to interfere with your, what do they call it—extracurriculars."

The Swordmaster scratched his chin. "A big change to witness in an old hermit like yourself. Strange too. If I may, what makes this Player so different? Different enough to drive a scholar to take up arms, even."

'Are they unaware—no, that's impossible,' Isoleiryx's frown deepened. Since Thylian had intentionally come here to meet him, then it was absolutely impossible he and his accomplices didn't have at least an inkling of what had come to plague the World. "I believe I've told you to not waste my time."

"Certainly," Thylian sighed. "To be honest, none of us aren't worried by her bizarre ability to maintain so many summons for this long. With what we've seen, there's probably no limit, correct? Or if there is one, then her numerical restrictions may as well be limitless."

'And she already has nearly a hundred-thousand. The only reason that number isn't more absurd is because she thankfully wastes the bulk of her efforts on resurrections.'

"But if Vaision hasn't decided to interfere—" Thylian paused. So they had been watching that too. "Hm, there were a few occurrences, weren't there? In any case, wouldn't it be better to leave this to the Platinum Dragon Lord? It's his job, after all: the duty imposed upon him by 'fate.' "

The Swordmaster bitterly spat on the ground, making it clear what he thought of the past.

"What's the good of an army," they continued. "When you can't make use of it? When it fails to be a deterrent? She can summon all she likes, but that power is no good in the hands of somebody with her disposition. Knowing that, why rush?"

"This isn't a problem that lessens in severity," Isoleiryx surreptitiously scanned the surrounding area again. Still nothing. "And to criticize my decision when the actions I take are the reason the rest of you are content to idle; how shameless! Did you come here to point and laugh? I must admit to never having thought of the 'Sword Saint' title to be respectable, but today you show just how worthless it is."

"Well, if you say so," Thylian looked supremely unbothered, standing up from the stone he had been sitting on. "I'd wish you the best of luck, but if you ever get to the point where you need that… I'm sure you're relying on more than luck anyway."

The homunculus vessels he buried deep underground around the Draconic Kingdom briefly flashed across his mind. With the techniques he honed and the resources stocked in preparation for this endeavor, he had confidence a confrontation wouldn't fall to the whims of fortune. "Leave if you're done spewing nonsense."

"Such a strange thing for a sage to do," Isoleiryx's claws dug into the dirt while the Swordmaster shook their head and channeled the smallest hints of essence into the sword of worn steel they were holding. "Assuming there's a next time, you really should just stick to what you know best."

He watched Thylian swing the shoddy blade, their body flickering for a moment before they vanished with a pop. Isoleiryx took a deep breath, slowly releasing it, refusing to allow that stick-swinger's provocation any hold.

"If trash wishes to spectate," the surroundings shook with the rumbling of his voice. "Then they ought to keep their silence."

A hint of uneasiness nibbled at him. Was Thylian's sole purpose in visiting solely to dissuade him? It would be rational for them to avoid a scenario where another one of their kind fell to the Emperor's filth, but the people the Swordmaster associated with were hardly rational. For them to cooperate with ■■…

Isoleiryx considered abandoning his current plans in favor of waiting for Thylian's colleagues to take action. 'Dragon Lords who want to pursue the Emperor and Empress's errors don't abide by reason.'

How could they, when after witnessing the consequences for their kind they decided the primary problem was that calamity needed to be repeated? Were they beings of lesser power who sought such a goal, he would've killed them himself if Heavenly Dragon Lord didn't get to them first.

'Focus on the task ahead,' it was a poor use of energy to contemplate those fools at the moment. He still had to refine some of the more complex combat techniques; though he was no neophyte when it came to essence manipulation, there was a world of difference between knowledge and true fighting experience—a difference he would have to bridge through practice and revision.

Then there was the issue of the『Soul Shattering Prism』. Even now, after having taken every safety measure he could, Isoleiryx admitted to himself that the wariness he'd felt since the onset of the spell's development persisted. If the most diminutive actualization wounded his soul, then the backlash would be dire indeed if the prepared vessels failed to hold up.

Stress testing it at higher outputs was a possibility, but hiding so much of the resulting contamination wasn't simple, and when discovery meant nothing beneficial for him, Isoleiryx decided the results of his painstakingly conducted research would have to suffice. As things stood, he already doubted the Variable Space-Disruption Propagator would be any more effective than a『World Warping Wall』; the time lost working on it stung harshly when time was of the utmost concern.

"In the end, those are trivial," he said to the empty clearing.

They were trivial because if the Player had experienced life-or-death situations, possessed an affinity for combat, or a less pathetic personality, then his chances of victory would be low even with the abilities he'd sharpened.

Because she was soft, because she was arrogant and falsely secure in her strength, the filth was woefully unprepared to face true opposition. Because she wasted her efforts on meaningless endeavors, her abilities were a fraction of what they could be.

Because she tied herself too tightly to trivial things, her strength had diminished of her own foolish accord.

It was fortunate this way; despite how the Swordmaster Dragon Lord attempted to annoy him, they were correct in their assessment of his combat strength. He was a scholar, a sage who pursued knowledge, not a seasoned warrior who'd fought countless battles.

But with the odds he was stacking against her, Isoleiryx was confident that victory would be the inevitable outcome. Truthfully, he'd prefer to avoid collateral damage, if only out of an aversion to profligacy then because the kingdom contained anything valuable, though if it couldn't be helped, then that was that.

'There's the Fourth Iteration of the Third Generation…'

Despite wielding Wild Magic in an era where the blessing was dead, he'd had hoped she would at least demonstrate a measure of competency in the art since the conditions couldn't be reliably replicated. Instead, she had never properly casted a spell without the assistance of mnemonics, and even now, was showing a dearth of progress on that front.

There was nothing of value to be lost.

For a failure to finally prove their usefulness after so long was mildly humorous. Isoleiryx doubted this upcoming exchange would be easy by any means, yet a part of him wondered if he wasn't overprepared.

Prideful overconfidence killed slowly and surely, but he allowed himself a moment of self-indulgence.

'Sooner or later a false belief runs into solid reality, usually on the battlefield,' old words surfaced from the depths of memory, words he considered for an instant before brushing away. 'It'll be the filth who faces reality.'


AN: Hello again everyone! It's been a while, and though I told myself I was going to write a lot over winter break, welp. And now school has started again... blegh.

Anyway~! You can find a commission of grumpy normal Drau by tacoykaii (from Twitter) on the Ao3 port of this fic!
Thank you all very much for reading!